Chapter 114
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: The Happy Prince
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The news of King Oscar von Omaha’s assassination reached his eldest son, Prince Tipetarius, who was considered the rightful heir by the citizens of Oz. He rushed back to the capital.
“The royal seal is gone?”
“Yes. An imposter, claiming to be Kaldrash, the mage of the Emerald Tower who had been missing along with the Hero, assassinated His Majesty and stole the royal seal.”
“…I see. We won’t be able to retrieve it now. Focus on restoring the royal castle.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
As the Royal Guard left the audience chamber, Prince Tipetarius, now alone, stared at the empty throne with sorrowful eyes.
“You were so stubborn, so unwilling to give up the throne, and yet, you died so… meaninglessly, Father.”
He slowly walked towards the center of the blast.
Only black ashes remained.
He had ordered the scene to be preserved, so no one had dared to touch the… former king.
He scooped up a handful of the ashes and clenched his fist.
“If only you had held on a little longer.”
I wanted to be the one to kill you.
Tipetarius, his voice choked with suppressed sobs, held the ashes to his chest.
He was genuinely grieving.
Grieving the fact that he hadn’t been the one to end the old fox’s life.
A tragedy that had occurred while he was away, fetching the new Hero chosen by the Church of Courage.
The loss of his life’s greatest goal was immense.
He would have to live with this emptiness for the rest of his life.
But he accepted it. Such was life.
Just then, a knock on the door, despite his orders not to be disturbed.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in.”
He wiped away his tears with a handkerchief and stood up.
Creak!
The new Hero, whom he had found on his journey, cautiously entered the room.
“Um, Your Highness? Are you alright? I heard crying…”
“I’m fine, Lady Sophia. Just a speck of dust in my eye.”
He lied smoothly and approached the young Hero.
Seventeen? Eighteen, perhaps.
A pure and innocent girl, fresh from the countryside, who knew nothing of the world.
A stark contrast to himself, who was as dark and corrupted as the black hair and black eyes his father had loathed.
And for that reason, she was a precious treasure to him.
He had acquired a being of immense potential.
Depending on how she was raised, she could become the shield that protected his power.
He approached the Hero and touched her soft, white cheek.
“You must be tired from your long journey. Please, rest in your quarters. I will see you tomorrow.”
The young Hero nodded cheerfully.
“Yes! I don’t know what’s going on, but you can do it, Your Highness!”
An innocent child, who hadn’t even lived half as long as he had.
While he found it amusing to be comforted by such a child, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
He had killed all his brothers, and it had been a long time since he had felt such warmth.
“Thank you. That gives me strength.”
Prince Tipetarius knelt on one knee and gently kissed the Hero’s hand.
He then muttered to himself, as if making a vow,
“I will build a new kingdom.”
But first, he had to get rid of the swarm of demons outside the castle walls.
***
After wreaking havoc in the capital city of Oz, we regrouped outside the Walls of Constantinople and headed east to rendezvous with the advancing Demon Lord’s army.
It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, we had been engaged in a fierce battle with the kingdom’s army.
The demon informant who had been waiting for us outside the walls had prepared horses, and we had already traveled dozens of kilometers. We decided to take a break.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
I tethered the skittish horse, who was still unused to me, to a nearby tree and took out my water skin.
I had brought it just in case, and I was glad I did.
I took a long drink, and Dorothea, who was resting in the shade, held out her hand.
“Give me some.”
“Here.”
I tossed her the water skin.
She drank greedily, as if she hadn’t had water in days.
“Vanessa, you don’t want any?”
Vanessa waved her hand.
“As I said before, food and water are a matter of preference for me. I don’t need them to survive.”
Dorothea shrugged and returned the water skin to me.
I filled a trough, created with transmutation magic, with river water and placed it in front of the horses.
“By the way, you were quite spectacular back there, Vanessa.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“You left a massive gash in the Walls of Constantinople, which are famous for their triple-layered defensive magic. I’ve never seen an aura blade that powerful.”
“It was pretty awesome.”
Even Dorothea, who rarely gave compliments, agreed. Vanessa blushed and scratched the back of her head.
“Hehe, I’m pretty strong.”
As we were chatting, I remembered the item in my pocket.
“Ah, I have something amazing. Want to see?”
Dorothea’s eyes lit up.
“What is it?”
I pulled out the large seal.
“The royal seal of the Oz Kingdom. The real one.”
“Ooh…”
Dorothea, who had a fondness for jewels, stared at it with wide eyes.
The royal seal was made of pure orichalcum, a truly precious artifact.
It had been the symbol of the emperor's authority during the imperial era. After the fall of the empire, it had found its way to the newly founded city-state of Oz and had become its royal seal.
That was why it had survived the massive explosion from Dorothea’s mana stone without a scratch.
Dorothea, fascinated by the two-headed lion carved on the seal, reached out her hand.
“Can I touch it?”
“Sure.”
I handed her the seal.
I was hoping this would make up for the fact that she hadn't been able to touch the Unlimited Power.
“How much do you think this is worth?”
I seriously considered her question.
“Well, it’s pure orichalcum, a treasure from the imperial era. The two-headed lion is exquisitely carved, so it has artistic value. And considering its historical significance and practical use, I’d say it’s worth about…”
I held up three fingers.
“Three hundred million gold?”
“No, three billion.”
“Whaaaat?!”
Dorothea stared at the seal in her hand, then, as if it were too precious to even hold, she quickly returned it to me.
I wrapped it in a cloth and put it back in my pocket.
It would remain there until I presented it to the Demon Lord.
Vanessa, who had been watching us, said,
“You’re both being ridiculous.”
She was right. We were overreacting. I looked away, embarrassed.
Then, I noticed the golden lion emblem on Vanessa’s armor.
“By the way, Vanessa, you said you were a noble in the empire. What family were you from?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, the symbol of the royal family, the lion, isn’t something ordinary nobles or commoners can use. But your armor is emblazoned with it.”
Vanessa, caught off guard, smiled wryly and nodded.
“My family was a branch of the royal family. Not a particularly famous one, but our founder was a Sword Master, like me, so we had some renown. If I hadn’t had any talent for the sword, I would have lived an ordinary life, had children, and died. But I became a Sword Master, and I died fighting the elves. That’s all there is to it.”
Vanessa, who rarely spoke of her past, fell silent.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
‘Say something.’
‘What am I supposed to say?’
I hadn't intended to bring up a painful memory. I exchanged glances with Dorothea.