Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Making Use of the Misunderstanding
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Sizly Epania.
Just before the First Prince finally died at Sigrin's hands and she placed Arthur on the throne as emperor.
Sizly hid the White Dragon Jade Seal—the symbol of imperial authority—in a place no one could know, then took her own life.
An ancient unwritten rule stated that no one without the White Dragon Jade Seal could ascend to the throne.
As a result, Sigrin and Arthur, unable to claim the seal, failed to unite the empire.
They ascended to the throne in a haphazard manner, but they were emperors in name only.
They could never quell the unrest brewing within the empire.
All because of that one incident orchestrated by Sizly.
'She planned to eliminate that troublemaker in advance.'
Sizly's mind worked differently from others.
Even renowned geniuses often had to bow before her.
So Sigrin must have judged that Sizly would interfere no matter what, even if she herself obtained the seal first.
Sizly would never allow Arthur to become emperor.
'She plans to use the Night Ravens to kill Sizly, then pin the crime on the Second Prince who controls them, taking out both at once.'
Krash felt all the puzzle pieces fall into place.
'Not that I have any room to talk, having killed my half-brother with my own hands.'
He could tell Sigrin showed no mercy when it came to family.
"What, taking that long to think?"
Crimson Garden, perched atop the bandaged man's head, tilted her head and asked.
Watching her, Krash let out a long sigh.
He had a rough grasp of the situation now.
And why the Night Ravens had entered this martial tournament, too.
The Second Prince must have wanted to spread the word far and wide that he controlled the Night Ravens.
And this tournament was the perfect stage for that rumor.
He was hoping the Night Ravens would take first place.
Without realizing it was all part of Sigrin's scheme.
And Sigrin's blade would cut down both Sizly and the Second Prince at once.
"Crim."
"I told you not to call me that."
As Crimson Garden pecked at him with her beak, Krash lightly dodged it.
"I need a bit more help."
"I'm already raising you as my disciple. Asking for more help on top of that? Aren't you shameless?"
"Shameless or not, this ties into me getting stronger."
He now knew Sigrin's goal.
Before entering Raheln Academy, she wanted to drag down both the First and Second Princes somehow.
That way, when the emperor died of illness upon her graduation from Raheln Academy, Arthur could smoothly inherit the throne next.
What she aimed for was the emperor of the empire.
And Krash had no intention of letting Arthur become emperor.
'Black Hood creates its dial based on the target's self-esteem.'
The higher the self-esteem, the more solid the dial, and the harder it is to unlock.
Conversely, the lower the self-esteem, the looser the dial becomes.
That was only natural.
To value what one possesses, one must first believe oneself to be valuable.
'So I can't let Sigrin achieve her goal.'
For the future, he had to steal the skills she possessed.
And to do that, he couldn't let her become emperor.
'If that damned woman takes the throne, the empire is doomed nine times out of ten.'
Sigrin had a natural talent for the sword, but her mind wasn't suited for an emperor.
Just look at how she lacked judgment and rushed to put Arthur on the throne.
The empire's fall would mean the flood of World Erosion.
He absolutely had to prevent Sigrin from becoming emperor.
"I need to sabotage the plans of the one whose skill I want to steal ahead of time."
Crimson Garden clicked her tongue at Krash as he explained.
"Regressors are always like this, relying on their flimsy future knowledge."
Too bad the real regressor was someone else.
"Fine, since I decided to help a guy like you. I'll assist this once."
Fortunately, Crimson Garden readily agreed.
"What about this one?"
As Crimson Garden prodded the bandaged man with her beak, Krash turned away.
"Leave him. I don't need him anymore."
He had the full picture now.
Sigrin was someone Krash knew better than anyone, so no one understood the situation more accurately than he did.
"Hmm, then since we're at it, I'll plant a slave mark on him."
With that, Crimson Garden stomped on the bandaged man's head.
Moments later, a black star mark appeared through the bandages.
"Go."
At her command, the bandaged man turned and trudged away.
"So, what's the plan?"
Crimson Garden waddled up to Krash after sending him off.
"Simple. I need to find the Night Raven hiding in the main tournament."
To do that, he'd have to lure them out with some provocation.
And conveniently, the timing was perfect.
"Crim, I need to borrow you and this face of mine."
Let's see who could guess the real raven.
Sizly was having another enjoyable day.
The reason for her recent joy came down to one person.
The boy from Staron who knew her true identity.
Clad.
Every time he got annoyed at her impulsive antics, Sizly nearly died laughing.
Of course, that was natural.
Until now, those around her had only shown awkward reactions to her tomboyish outbursts.
She was the empire's princess.
The only one who could say anything about her pranks was her attendant, Sera, at best.
On the flip side, she knew that even if she hid her identity and played pranks, it was only because she was hiding it.
So to Sizly, Clad was an entertaining plaything.
He definitely knew her true identity.
Yet he had never once treated her as a princess.
That was intriguing.
How could such a cheeky brat exist?
The occasional glint in his half-closed eyes made him seem far from a 14-year-old boy.
In fact, Sizly judged that he was hiding his real age.
And that part was fun too.
Wasn't he just like her, an old soul in a young body?
Sizly even concluded he was disguising his appearance.
It was odd that she couldn't pinpoint the disguise, but her overwhelming observational skills pierced through it.
His name was surely fake too.
But it didn't matter.
She had noticed he cared about nothing but the martial tournament.
"Does that boy please you so much?"
Sera asked Sizly, who was gazing out the window.
Hearing that, Sizly smirked.
"Are you asking if I'm intellectually intrigued?"
"Even the Fourth Princess can be drawn to a boy her age."
Sizly stroked her chin.
"Biologically speaking, it's natural for men and women to be attracted. Hormones peak around this age for reproduction. Especially for someone as frail as me, I might even need to be desperate to leave descendants."
"Don't beat around the bush."
"I'm not interested in that way. I'd react the same even if he were the same sex."
Sizly stated firmly.
"I am Sizly Epania, the empire's Fourth Princess. Even if such feelings arose, they are things I must not grasp."
Sizly said this with a slow smile.
"That's the position of the Fourth Princess."
Seeing her like this, Sera felt pity.
To her, being a princess was nothing but shackles.
What good was her brilliant mind?
The gods had given her a frail body and the role of Fourth Princess.
She had no choice but to live out her days as a tomboy forever.
Or perhaps there was a way.
But the moment she chose it, Sizly would have to use that mind to harm everyone around her.
Since she didn't want that, she stayed put, living forever like a playful rascal.
"Oh, there he is."
At that moment, Sizly spotted Krash walking in from outside.
"I heard you put on quite a show in the preliminaries? Let's go shower you with some praise."
Sizly bounded down to the first floor with an excited grin.
Sera simply vanished as naturally as ever.
Sizly raced down the stairs and planted herself in front of the door.
She planned to tease him the moment he walked in.
The door creaked open.
Sizly's words halted abruptly.
She read a fragment of unfamiliar emotion on Krash's face as he looked at her.
"What."
Her usual speech slipped out involuntarily.
"Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?"
Sizly demanded.
Of course, it was natural.
Pity had suddenly entered the eyes of Krash, who had been nothing but irritated since morning.
It was an emotion she often saw in Sera, not something he should have.
Frankly, it pissed her off.
She didn't know how much he knew about her, but she wasn't someone to be pitied by him.
"Just."
Krash walked inside as he spoke.
"I was thinking you lead a rough life too."
His following words made Sizly's eyes follow his back.
"What happened?"
"Protect your own body. That's all you need to remember."
After leaving those cryptic words, he vanished inside.
Sizly stood there blankly.
"Sera."
"Yes."
At her call, Sera immediately appeared.
Sizly's eyes were cooler and calmer than ever.
It was the demeanor she showed when embracing her role as princess, so Sera instantly knelt.
"The one feeding you information from the palace."
She turned to Sera as she spoke.
"Is that person truly trustworthy?"
No matter how brilliant her mind, Sizly still needed ears to gather information.
She wasn't free in the palace.
So she had relied on Sera's reports to understand palace affairs.
Sera bowed her head at the question.
"I'll verify again."
"Please do."
Sizly glanced back at the room Krash had entered.
Where had that boy gotten such information?
Could he see things even she couldn't?
She wasn't sure, but this martial tournament.
Some major upheaval might occur.
The day the preliminaries ended and the main tournament approached.
A strange rumor had been circulating lately.
The mysterious Night Raven, treated as a legend in the boys' division of this martial tournament, had entered.
Everyone who heard showed keen interest.
The Night Raven was always a hot topic, bandied about in conversations.
People loved inflating stories about secretive groups.
Thus, the spectators flocking to the main tournament were intensely curious about the Night Raven veiled in mystery.
Was the rumor true?
The main tournament proceeded amid such anticipation.
In the boys' division, where crowds gathered unusually thick, it fell short of expectations.
No matter how skilled, they were only 15 or under.
Children's levels were far below adults' in reality.
Even those who reached the main tournament had many flaws and frequent mistakes.
It might have amused some, but most found it less exciting than the flashy adult divisions.
As people began thinking the Night Raven was just a rumor after all.
"Round of 32 participant, Clad!"
A boy stepped forward.
The first thing that caught eyes was the crow on his shoulder.
The moment they saw it, everyone naturally thought of the Night Raven.
Their symbol was a crow, after all.
Moreover, the boy's appearance evoked a strange aura.
His all-black attire gave off a shady, imperial underbelly vibe.
Especially his half-closed eyes, impossible to read, fueled suspicion even more.
"Is it real?"
"Looks real."
"Look at that scheming face. Gotta be."
The spectators' thoughts aligned in an instant.
That's the one.
That kid is the Night Raven!
"Round of 32 participant, Garda!"
As all eyes focused.
His opponent emerged.
Muscled from rigorous training, he gripped a greatsword and glared at Krash.
"Crow, are you that famous Night Raven?"
Krash merely shrugged at Garda's question.
Neither denying nor confirming.
That ambiguous attitude only deepened suspicions about his true nature.