Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Crown Prince Selection Battle (5)
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"What are you doing, Kairen?"
"……."
"If you don't choose quickly, things are going to get complicated?"
Anastasia, who had been glaring at Kairen right in front of her, sneered as she watched him start to break out in cold sweat.
"Ugh…."
"Ahaha, right. I see…."
And at her following words, Kairen flinched for a moment.
"You said you hated seeing people get hurt, but you're just another hypocrite after all."
"……!"
"Sure, whatever. If it's for the greater good, then the life of this poor lady who's been forcibly possessed by me isn't all that important…."
Anastasia took in the sight of his kind face turning miserable, a smile filled with sadistic pleasure spreading across her lips. Then she raised her voice once more.
"You can refuse my offer!"
"Ugh…."
"I'll keep creating victims until your conscience rots away!"
It was a terribly simple threat, but to Kairen, it was no different from being cornered with no escape.
"If you don't like that, it's simple. Just take my hand."
"……."
"You Belverks use 'contracts.' I can do something similar…!"
Going even further, Anastasia extended her hand forward, demanding a contract with a chilling smile.
"…Kairen, stop."
Just as Kairen dazedly moved to touch her hand, a cold voice rang out from behind him—the voice of the Imperial Princess Ria.
"You don't need to listen to that woman."
"I'm fine…."
"How could you be fine?"
Of course, on the surface, Anastasia's proposal sounded like a perfectly fair deal—just one date.
"If I can't be with you, then becoming emperor means nothing to me."
But Imperial Princess Ria knew instinctively.
"…It's just one date."
"Do you really have no idea what someone with that much power could do during one date?"
That if Kairen accepted this contract, she might never see him again.
"Does that mean you want me to become a murderer?"
"If it's for you, there's nothing I wouldn't do."
"…No, that's not it."
But Kairen, who knew this fact as well as Imperial Princess Ria, couldn't ignore her contract either.
"Even if you say you're okay, Imperial Princess, I can't bear it…."
He simply couldn't tolerate her clipping her own wings for his sake, now that she had finally spread them.
"Then what do we do…."
Unfortunately, Imperial Princess Ria felt the exact same way.
"…Yes, that's exactly it."
"……."
"Squirm and struggle a bit more while you agonize over it!!!"
Anastasia watched their opinions run parallel, writhing with a happier smile than ever before.
"Time's almost up, though…!"
Judging by the body she possessed growing paler by the second, time was indeed running short.
"Imperial Princess…."
"Kairen…."
Just then, as the boy and girl locked eyes and steeled their resolve—
- Kyaaahhh!!!
A scream suddenly echoed from far beyond the tent.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Ha?"
Kairen, Imperial Princess Ria, and even Anastasia momentarily lost their focus to the ear-piercing shriek and looked up.
"I-Imperial Princess…! This is bad!"
"……!?"
"The Second Prince…."
Right after, staggering into the tent came Imperial Princess Ria's dedicated maid.
"The Second Prince…."
But before she could finish, she collapsed to the floor unconscious, oblivious to the situation inside.
- Thud….
A brief silence followed.
"Th-this is…."
In that silence, Kairen caught sight of a new figure roughly shoving open the tent flap and widened his eyes like a startled rabbit.
"…That's not what you said earlier."
Imperial Princess Ria, who began questioning while subtly glaring at Anastasia, felt the same.
"Hey."
The new arrival glanced indifferently at the two before turning to Anastasia and raising a hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, Anastasia."
His identity was none other than the Second Prince, who had claimed to have no interest in the Crown Prince position.
"Ha, fuck…."
Anastasia, receiving his greeting, briefly looked dumbfounded before her expression chilled and she spat out a curse.
"Are you really a fucking idiot…?"
*****
"Hoo…. I went too far with my words."
Anastasia, her eyes blazing, let out a sigh to regain her composure and plastered on a fake smile before speaking again.
"I clearly told you to butt in when I say so."
"……."
"Why the hell did you come here?"
But whether her anger hadn't subsided or not, her vicious tone remained despite the beaming smile.
"Sure, you always smiled so meekly in front of me. So you've finally shown your true colors."
The Second Prince, unfazed and staring expressionlessly at Anastasia, responded with a smile as fake as hers.
"But did you think I wouldn't notice?"
His eyes began to glow golden.
"The next emperor's seat right in front of me, and you tell me not to take it?"
"……."
"Nonsense."
Emotions slowly crept onto the Second Prince's previously blank face.
"Did you think I'd obey you forever?"
And the expression that fully formed could be perfectly defined by one word: greed.
"Sorry, but…."
"Haa…."
"You've outlived your usefulness."
Anastasia looked up at him coldly, her face icing over as she muttered.
"What are you babbling about, you idiot…."
Then, suddenly tilting her head in thought.
"…A nobody whose name I can't even remember."
"Hm?"
"Yeah, come to think of it, what was your real name again?"
Her cold gaze swept over the Second Prince, her words devoid of any emotion unlike before.
"I never bothered to care in the first place."
Right after, Anastasia's pure white eyes seemed to fade, and her head lolled to the side.
- Thud….
The Second Prince looked down at the lady who was no longer Anastasia with cold eyes and murmured lowly.
"…The height of insolence."
Spotting Kairen rushing forward to heal the possessed lady with his Unique Ability, he curled his lips and spoke again.
"Ah, this must be our first direct meeting."
"……."
"Nice to meet you, Kairen Nox Belverk."
Then, glancing sideways, the Second Prince tilted his head.
"And…. Ah, you're the youngest Imperial Princess, right?"
His expression had already returned to blank neutrality.
"Well, it doesn't matter now."
At the same time, a massive golden aura began emanating from his body.
"…Farewell, both of you."
Enveloped in the aura that now filled the tent, the Second Prince extended his hand toward Kairen and Imperial Princess Ria, whispering thus.
*****
Meanwhile, at the front yard of the Belverk estate.
"Hey, is the front yard cleared?"
"Yes, brother."
"It was easier than expected, big brother."
The Third and Fourth Princes, known as the Second Prince's lackeys to the public, along with a girl of collateral imperial lineage, leisurely strolled toward the mansion while chatting.
"Now we just need to clear the inside."
The girl reporting proudly to her brothers looked about the same age as Imperial Princess Ria, but her abilities were truly threatening.
- Shaaa….
The powder scattering from the butterfly-like wings sprouting from her back had filled the entire Belverk territory, neutralizing all the maids outside at once.
"From what my ability senses…. It shouldn't take much longer."
"What about the Belverk Knight Orders?"
"I thought there'd be guard forces left, but they all got pulled into the monster wave."
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince's ability to emit golden sonic waves and analyze the battlefield in real-time was nothing to scoff at.
"That makes things even easier."
But the most formidable was the Third Prince, who froze the maids enduring even the collateral girl's powder with a single glance.
"The ones left inside will fall soon enough."
"…The price for underestimating imperial power."
"They relied only on their own strength and didn't even investigate collateral imperial abilities."
Unlike the First and Second Imperial Princesses, who only learned combat as a liberal art, they were veterans who had fought together in numerous wars.
No matter how strong the Belverks were, facing historic natural enemies in a full invasion was too much for maids alone.
"By the way, I didn't know Brother Oberion was eyeing the Crown Prince seat."
"…Humans hide what they truly desire."
"True enough."
Yet despite the glory before them, their expressions weren't bright.
"But…. Is this really okay?"
"The rumors about Brother Oberion lately…."
"…I know they're not good."
With the infamy of Oberion, who commanded them, slowly surfacing, it was inevitable that they, who hadn't lost their heroic pride, harbored open discontent.
"Th-think about it. Whoever enters the main house like this becomes the next Crown Prince, right?"
"So why not brother instead…."
"…The tide has already turned."
But the Third Prince coldly shook his head at his siblings' subtle suggestions, biting his lip before continuing gravely.
"If I step up recklessly, it'll bring another bloodbath to the imperial family."
"……."
"You know it too. The imperial family's storms of blood are thicker and more insidious than Belverk's."
No one there could refute his words.
"So no regrets. If anything happens later, blame it all on me."
"…Brother."
"…Big brother."
The siblings looked pityingly at the Third Prince, who had shouldered the burden for them due to former Crown Prince Alberion's wish, but ultimately had no choice but to obey.
"Anyway, we're moving inside."
"I'll prepare more powder."
"I'll keep sensing…."
Thus, the Belverk siege resumed in a somewhat heavier atmosphere.
"……Huh?"
For Belverk, the most critical crisis in centuries began to shift dramatically right around then.
"What's wrong?"
"This…. Wasn't expected."
"Wh-what's going on?"
At the Fourth Prince's sudden paling face, the collateral girl—whose eyesight had weakened from using her butterfly power—tilted her head and looked around.
"Belverk's 4th Knight Order…."
But in the eyes of the Third Prince, acting commander in the absent Second Prince's place, the dust clouds rising in the distance were all too clear.
"Ufufu…."
Beastkin moving at astonishing speeds within, and Uriel smiling faintly as she walked slowly.
"Well…. At least they're the least dangerous of the Belverk Knight Orders, so maybe that's a relief…."
The Third Prince tensed into combat stance, murmuring lowly as golden aura wrapped around his hands.
"That's not all of them."
"What?"
"…It'll be visible to the naked eye soon, so see for yourself."
But the changing situation didn't end there.
"2nd Knight Order…. And…."
"…The 3rd Knight Order too."
Orc warriors grinning maniacally under the encouragement of the 2nd Knight Order Captain, and the undead horde rising en masse under the 3rd Knight Order Captain's necromancy, crawling like ants.
"In that case…."
The figure ahead with a chilling expression was someone the Third Prince had fought alongside on battlefields many times and never wanted as an enemy.
"…The vanguard is the Iron-Blooded Duchess."
His face twisted at Edelrasia's approach, emanating chilling killing intent while commanding two entire Knight Orders.
"…No, she's probably not the vanguard."
"What?"
"Look over there."
But it still wasn't over.
- Grooo….
Proof was the 1st Knight Order pushing straight in from the rear, fully armored.
"Th-that can't be…."
"Wh-what about the monster wave…?"
The Third Prince's two siblings despaired upon spotting the Empire's Nightmare, Duke Astridje, at the fore with her bloodshot glare, the 1st Knight Order Captain as her adjutant.
"We've been had…."
Even the Third Prince, with a slightly resigned expression, felt the same.
"Excuse me, but."
Right then, a chilling voice from their flank.
"What you should be paying attention to is right here."
Lilien, who had approached unnoticed, was sprinkling red powder from her crimson wings onto the maids, reviving them one by one.
"You idiots."
And soon after, Lilien bared a sinister smile before the fully revived maid legion, aiming her knives at the intruders.