Chapter 279
Chapter: 279
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 279
>Chapter Title: Yellow Zone (3)
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Owen Klein.
>The 1st Crown Prince of the Holy Empire, the young hero who saved the faltering southern front from crisis.
>But despite such great achievements, compared to Logan, he wasn't as well-known to the public.
Sungjin had once asked Dasha about him. Now that he might actually be family, Sungjin was starting to pay attention to him.
A guy who was the Empire's 1st Crown Prince didn't even show his face at the imperial palace during the birthday celebrations. What the hell was this guy up to?
“…A criminal?”
“It's not a confirmed fact. But there are suspicions, so everyone tends to hold their tongues about the 1st Crown Prince.”
Dasha gave Sungjin the story with a slightly troubled look on her face.
From the moment of his ascension, the Holy Emperor had already seized the infamous title of history's greatest philanderer with his five children.
When he finally tracked down Princess Amelia in Sigismund Province, the public whispers only grew louder.
-How many bastards does His Majesty even have?! At this rate, what will happen to the line of imperial succession?!
But when Prince Owen entered the palace, the situation was different. The evidence that he wasn't the Holy Emperor's blood son was far too clear.
When Owen's mother had conceived him, the Holy Emperor had been busy crushing pirates around Cyprus with a mercenary band. No matter how they investigated his movements, their paths never aligned.
Above all, unlike the other princes and princesses, Owen's face bore not the slightest resemblance to the Holy Emperor.
“And yet he became the 1st Crown Prince?”
“Well, there's a rather absurd tangle of interests behind that.”
To explain this, one first had to bring up the 'sudden son' incident that had occurred in the palace years ago.
Years prior, one day.
The Guerti ambassador from Rohan stormed into the palace with Cardinal Justier, who had been dispatched to Rohan at the time, fuming with rage.
Officially, it was to denounce Cardinal Justier's incompetence, but the real intent was to embarrass the Empire, which meddled in other nations' affairs by dispatching cardinals everywhere.
-Look at this criminal! This bastard is an arsonist who caused a massive fire in Rohan. He was moments from being stoned by the furious citizens there. And this senile cardinal used the Empire's power to drag him out on his own whim!
The ragged boy that Guerti had dragged in was a mess from his recent ordeals.
As everyone in the audience chamber frowned at the sight, the elderly Cardinal Justier stepped forward.
Pointing at the scarlet necklace around the boy's neck.
-But no matter how you look at it, this boy has an item strikingly similar to the late Empress Consort's relic. Before any punishment, we must properly investigate this...
-Similar? Not even a relic, but similar to a relic? You think that's reason enough to interfere with another nation's rightful execution of its laws?
-No, listen...
Before the cardinal could say more, Guerti was already shouting to everyone in the audience chamber.
-Now do you see this old fool's stupidity? He doesn't even know Rohan's laws and nitpicks everything! Who in their right mind sends someone like this to Rohan?!
-But the boy hasn't even been tried yet. Executing him on mere suspicion is...
Cardinal Justier protested in a weak voice, but it was soon drowned out by the ambassador's bombastic cries.
-That's why you know nothing! A mere commoner burned a noble's estate! He was caught red-handed at the scene! By Rohan's laws, that's an undeniable capital crime! Unless he's royalty, he wouldn't even make it to the courtroom door!
But then, something unexpected happened.
The Holy Emperor, who had been silently watching the commotion with a peculiar glint in his eyes, spoke the moment Guerti finished.
-Indeed. He is royalty. That boy is my son.
-!?
...What on earth had they just heard?
Everyone in the audience chamber doubted their own ears. Owen himself was no exception.
-I... am your son?
But the Holy Emperor rose from his throne, walked toward them, and continued without hesitation.
-To bring my long-lost child here like this—truly, it is the Lord's grace ensuring Cardinal Justier's keen insight does not fade. Such talent is too valuable to retire from the front lines just yet due to age.
-......!?!?
-Why the shock? Didn't Cardinal Justier just say it? What the boy has is undoubtedly the Empress Grandmother's relic. Come here, Owen. Was the journey to the palace uncomfortable in any way?
The Holy Emperor called the boy he was seeing for the first time by name, as if greeting someone he saw every day.
Then, as holy power poured down like a waterfall onto the shabby boy, everyone slowly froze in horror as the gravity of what had just happened sank in.
What did you just say?
A son? Is that really true, Your Majesty?
Your Majesty? Your Majesty! Please, say something!
-And Guerti, Ambassador.
Amid the chaos of everyone's panic, the Holy Emperor left those final words before whisking the boy away.
-Now that a formal trial is in order, you'd best reinvestigate the Rohan arson case from the beginning.
-......!
Guerti, who had come to protest so brazenly, suddenly found himself accused of insulting royalty and fled the capital in disgrace.
The subsequent trial in Rohan proceeded swiftly. Witness testimonies were quickly secured, and Owen's innocence was soon proven.
Of course, some corners eyed it with suspicion, claiming fake witnesses had been fabricated to cover it up.
It was inevitable. Who would dare pin arson charges on someone the Empire's Holy Emperor had publicly declared his son?
In any case, everything wrapped up in a haphazard fashion.
The orphan boy dragged from Rohan suddenly became the Holy Emperor's 1st Crown Prince, surpassing even Logan, without understanding why. At the same time, he received every lavish treatment in the Azure Rose Palace.
“…So, Owen is his father's blood son?”
“It's a delicate matter to discuss, but... probably not.”
Dasha slowly shook her head.
After that incident, requests to investigate the boy's background poured in from every royal and noble house on the continent.
And the informants relatively easily identified his birth parents. It turned out Owen's parents were a famously skilled hunter couple from the Western Mountains region.
-Their only son looked just like his father—tall and handsome. Sigh. What fire? If he'd grown up normally, he surely would have become the continent's greatest hunter, learning from his parents.
-The couple were both kind-hearted. Their son was a good kid too. So when we heard about the arson, everyone said there's no way that boy would do such a thing.
The villagers all reminisced about Owen that way. There was no way such a boy was truly the Holy Emperor's child.
“Then why?”
How could Owen, who clearly wasn't part of the Holy Emperor's family, become the 1st Crown Prince without issue?
“Because His Holiness the Holy Emperor publicly declared it so.”
The fact that everyone suspected. The reason no nobles or high priests dared raise objections lightly.
It was because denying the words of God's proxy was itself considered blasphemy against the Lord.
And so Owen spent some time in the Azure Rose Palace.
Like the other children, he was given ample educational opportunities, but no one forced imperial duties or etiquette upon him.
One might wonder if that was proper for a prince, but with the Holy Emperor who had practically let Sungjin run wild in the Pearl Palace, it was entirely plausible.
“And he got along well with 'almost' all the princes and princesses.”
Dasha didn't elaborate, but Sungjin caught on immediately. That 'almost' probably excluded Mores.
In any case, despite all the suspicions trailing him, Owen lived a dreamlike life in the palace for a time.
He often hung out with Amelia and Logan, and like the other princes and princesses, had regular audiences with the Holy Emperor.
In particular, he doted greatly on little Sisley, who followed him around calling him big brother, big brother.
Peaceful days seemed to continue.
Until one afternoon audience, when Owen said this to the Holy Emperor.
-Father. Lately, I've been seeing strange letters floating in the air.
-......?
-At first, I thought I was going mad. But now I'm certain. They are precious words urging me on and awakening me from my sloth.
The Holy Emperor subtly furrowed his brow.
What was this sudden nonsense? He'd thought the palace was properly secured, but were there still people subtly pressuring this child?
But Owen's face, meeting the Holy Emperor's gaze squarely, was deadly serious.
-Father, this humble son seeks to grow stronger with the power of this status window. Thus, regrettably, I must leave your side and my siblings' for a time.
-Wait, leave? Owen. What on earth do you...
-Otherwise, I may not be able to face what lies ahead. So please, trust this son and wait for me.
-......!?
By then, the boy had shed much of his rustic air in speech and manner. He left those dependable words and ran away.
He joined the Saint Grazier Knights, who had just formed their third missionary order, and headed all the way to the continent's southernmost tip.
And after that, Owen did not return to the capital for years.
* * *
Thud! Thud!
>Sparkle! Sparkle!
The area was a dazzling starscape. The stardust gathered into a mystical rainbow glow, as if fairies might burst forth at any moment.
The problem was that a mad fox wielding an axe was rampaging inside it instead of fairies.
Crack!
Owen kicked away the long spear shaft swinging at his head, sending it ricocheting perfectly to slice the jaw of the charging badger from a blind spot.
“Guhk?!”
The impact to its jaw made it shriek oddly, as if it had bitten its tongue, clutching its face.
But its ordeal didn't end there. Owen charged in and stomped its head, launching himself into the air.
“Gah...!”
As the badger crashed to the ground scattering stardust, Owen twisted midair using the recoil and kicked the head of a nearby squirrel. It was an extraordinarily powerful strike.
Splat!
A rainbow starburst erupted, and the already gravely wounded squirrel vanished in a streak of light.
“Ugh! I-I... my death penalty just ended not long ago...!”
A small cat nearby swung a greatsword with a whimper—but
Clang!
Owen smashed his axe blade down on it, hooked it, and yanked. The cat instantly lost balance and staggered forward.
“Magic Arrow!”
“W-Wait a sec!”
It ate the spells meant for Owen in the gap.
Boom boom boom!
Pierced by a barrage of spells, the cat melted into light in midair.
‘Not bad...’
At first, he'd been a bit tense seeing the fox charge fearlessly at the group.
But Owen was a far more seasoned warrior than expected. Proof was in the steadily dwindling numbers of beasts.
Thanks to that, Sungjin could now watch the spectacle with ample leisure.
‘Used to melee chaos. But there's no trace of the Imperial Knights' standard swordsmanship or the Banahas training method in those moves.’
Freer, more varied movements than the capital's knights.
Swish!
Owen spun after kicking an incoming armored foe aside, and a scarlet pendant hidden under his collar flung out.
Sungjin caught the glimpse without missing a beat.
“......”
As expected, it was his grandmother's milestone.
He had no idea how many such milestones existed or who held them.
But there couldn't be two 'Owens' in Delcros bearing that precious oracle's milestone.
‘Looks like it's our family's Owen after all. This punk hasn't come home, and here he is playing games in a place like this!’
Sungjin had given some thought to Owen's disappearance.
If he knew he wasn't the Holy Emperor's blood son, the sudden title of 1st Crown Prince of the Holy Empire must have weighed heavily on him.
Though watching his current cheerful demeanor, he didn't seem the type to burrow into the ground over it.
-Being here means you have an important goal too, right?
There was a clue to his reason for running away. Hadn't he just said he had a goal he absolutely had to achieve?
-And though the status window's a bit cheeky, it's an existence that helps users make the best choices.
He'd mentioned the status window too.
Sungjin couldn't shake his curiosity about the [Status Window-san] Owen spoke of. It didn't seem like mere text from the regular world.
And his grandmother's milestone was its origin?
“Urk! As expected, our guild isn't enough!”
Then, a fallen rabbit glared at Owen and cried out desperately.
Rainbow stardust spewed from its mouth with every word, suggesting its wounds weren't light.
Suddenly, it put on a resolute expression.
“No choice. Everyone, do the thing we prepared!”
“What? But that'll give us death penalties too...”
“Is that the issue right now? At this rate, we'll all fall to him anyway!”
Sungjin watched their actions closely. Apparently, they had some last resort prepared. What were they planning?
“Activate all at once on my signal!”
But as they all rummaged in their pockets in unison, he changed his mind. Whatever it was, it seemed to activate quickly.
Getting caught off-guard out of curiosity wouldn't do.
Whirr—
Just as the rabbit pulled something from its pocket and started manipulating it.
Stab! Boom!
A small squelch and burst of bright starlight erupted right before his eyes.
“What...”
That was the end.
The rabbit couldn't continue and vanished into light.
“......!”
The survivors were stunned.
A cute little goat had toddled up and stabbed the guild member's nape with a beginner's dagger.
“Gasp! Watch out! That's no ordinary goat!”
“Hey, a goat killed a person—guk!”
But the warning cut short. The baby goat crushed its cervical vertebrae.
One of the clean assassination techniques Dasha had taught.
Crack.
A cute flower-petal-shaped hoofprint stamped the back of its neck, and it dissolved into brilliant light.
“You...”
Owen stared at Sungjin, eyes wide as saucers in shock at the sudden turn.
Crunch!
Sungjin shattered the last one's neck and turned to him with nonchalance.
“Why? You said we'd die if we messed up, right?”
So kill them before they do.
“Who the hell are you...”
Shut up.
Let's clean this up quick and have a serious talk, you runaway teen.