Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Those Seeking the Crown Prince
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"Madam, have you heard?"
"About how the owner of the spirit is the Crown Prince?"
The empire and the capital were abuzz.
As the topic had been open to everyone, it cut across commoners and nobles, men and women, young and old alike.
The fact that the Crown Prince had drawn the sword was the hot potato on everyone's lips.
Not only was it his first public appearance before ordinary folk, but he had yanked out the sword that had captivated attention for months the moment he showed up. How could there not be talk?
"The owner of the spirit that appeared after a thousand years is the Crown Prince... Tsk, tsk."
"What does that mean, then?"
"What do you think? The imperial family must be in an uproar. Frankly, haven't they just been hiding him away all this time?"
"So, does that mean the Crown Prince is confirmed as the next emperor?"
"Who knows. Even his investiture was full of rumors..."
Once invested as Crown Prince, it was unlikely his position would be stripped away lightly.
But Reinhardt was a Crown Prince who seemed sloppy to anyone who looked.
Everyone had been convinced that Raunel or Kazan, with their genius talents, would be named Crown Prince.
Yet the one actually invested was Reinhardt.
When the unremarkable boy shrouded in bad rumors was named, all sorts of gossip spread across the empire.
And after the investiture, there had been virtually no news about Reinhardt.
Then suddenly, he appeared and drew the sword.
The spirit had parroted that whoever drew it would become king.
"Marquis. Do you think, as the spirit said, that Crown Prince Reinhardt will become the next emperor?"
The nobles were taking it even more seriously than the common citizens.
No noble had aligned with the Crown Prince until now.
A sinking ship.
Many nobles quietly assumed his qualifications would be revoked anyway.
A powerless qualification was poison.
If a Crown Prince with no support base became emperor, he'd be a puppet for the nobles.
Emperor Deus couldn't possibly be unaware of that.
Yet in this situation, the Crown Prince had suddenly surged ahead.
He'd appeared out of nowhere and drawn the spirit sword that blathered about proof of kingship.
"He won't become emperor just because he's the spirit's owner."
"But reviving the Imperial Dragon Knight Order alongside it—doesn't that send a message to the nobles?"
"... We must be careful. The rumors from the palace are far from ordinary. If we back the wrong horse, our heads will be the first to roll."
Especially when switching sides.
The empire's veteran nobles had all aligned with other princes or the empresses.
Honestly, the empresses were scarier than the princes.
No one viewed the current situation as gravely as they did.
If word got out that you'd switched sides, they'd slap a collar on you and gag you—or kill you.
The latter was more likely, and that was the problem.
"What should we do..."
The nobles gathered in the capital were lost in deep worry, unable to sleep.
Even to noble daughters uninterested in politics, it was juicy gossip.
"But they say the Crown Prince is handsome, too."
"Like Prince Raunel? I heard he's the devil with black hair incarnate."
"An overwhelming charisma that Prince Raunel lacks! Everyone who saw him says so."
"Isn't that just saying he's a total bastard?"
"Shh, want to get caught and eaten as human flesh?"
"A handsome bad boy! Being devoured by a man like that is a girl's dream!"
"You lunatic..."
*
"... Carnel."
The Second Empress called for Princess Carnel from the Empress's Palace.
Princess Carnel, with her ethereal beauty that could freeze anyone who beheld her.
Known as the 'last flower of the imperial family,' her radiant looks outshone all other princesses.
Nobles flocked from every corner of the nation just to catch a glimpse of her delicate frame, pale yellow hair, and fragile air that stirred protective instincts.
Her coming-of-age ceremony was soon to be held.
The sudden influx of nobles and royals among the spirit's challengers was largely due to her influence.
"Absolutely not."
She stood before the Second Empress in her pure white dress, fuming.
It was due to the emperor's order delivered that morning.
An unacceptable command to have Reinhardt attend her coming-of-age ceremony.
"It's His Majesty's order. Probably because the marriage talks with the House of Count Versailles fell through."
House of Count Versailles.
Though a border count's family paled next to imperial lineages, it had been suitable for Reinhardt.
It gave him just enough prestige without excessive power—and no better match existed.
Yet after parading the countess's daughter around for days, the talks collapsed.
"Does that mean I have to turn my coming-of-age into that guy's debut?"
That guy.
Reinhardt's social debut.
She never dreamed it would coincide with her own ceremony.
The Second Empress sighed wearily and shook her head.
"Isn't it because you needlessly sabotaged the marriage?"
"That prince from the Kingdom of Catullu? He really looked like a toad."
The reason for the cancellation was simple.
From their first meeting, she'd unleashed barbs like 'You're so hideously ugly it gives me chills,' leaving the prince understandably dumbfounded.
Princess Carnel's pickiness about looks was already infamous.
Her stunning face had thus doomed yet another match.
But from her perspective, it was unavoidable.
Just looking at her brothers made such pickiness inevitable.
"No princess in the world marries for a face. Your sisters and younger siblings all married for the family, not the man."
"... I'll go confront him myself."
"Don't you dare. Unless you want to be confined until the ceremony."
"I'll tell Reinhardt not to come. That should settle it, right?"
She couldn't confront Emperor Deus.
But she could ensure Reinhardt stayed away.
However, the Second Empress was skeptical.
In the past, fabricating an excuse would have been easy.
She could have appealed to the emperor herself: 'Are you going to humiliate the princess's ceremony by letting the mad Crown Prince attend?'
But Reinhardt's recent actions weighed on her.
'Drew the sword and revived the Imperial Dragon Knight Order.'
Each prince had his own knight order.
His face and alter ego in the world.
But the Crown Prince's Imperial Dragon Knight Order had been a name only, devoid of substance.
All had deserted it.
Drawing the sword alone might have elicited little reaction.
But reviving the knight order changed everything.
The order's revival was tantamount to Reinhardt's own.
Moreover, rumors about him had spread since the demonstration.
'Void attribute, and now a spirit. He's sweeping up every hot topic.'
The mage towers must be watching closely.
Now the entire imperial family was paying attention.
Everyone wondered at the intent behind reviving the Imperial Dragon Knight Order.
If he nailed his social debut on top of that...
This coming-of-age was a gathering of nobles and royals galore.
Third Empress Josephine's connections were vast, linking her to art and industry titans.
They were all converging on the capital.
News of Reinhardt had surely reached their ears.
It'seemed time to tighten the reins on the nobles.
"Go ahead and try. I won't stop you."
*
Carnel marched triumphantly toward the Imperial Dragon Palace, where the Crown Prince resided.
But she couldn't meet Reinhardt.
"His Highness is currently with His Majesty the Emperor, Princess Carnel."
Germin politely turned her away at the door.
Due to the spirit matter, Reinhardt had been summoned back to the emperor after just one day.
With him meeting the emperor, she couldn't force her way in.
But Carnel's stubbornness held firm.
"Then where can I wait?"
"His schedule is fully booked afterward. Might I suggest scheduling a separate appointment?"
Schedule fully booked.
Meaning prior commitments.
'What? Why is Reinhardt, of all people, so busy?'
People were flocking to see the Crown Prince who'd lounged in the palace.
"Just cancel those appointments. Or are you saying some other meeting matters more than seeing me?"
But she was a princess.
No one but the emperor could bump her down the priority list.
"Understood. I'll inform Grand Duke Persepho that Your Highness requests the meeting be postponed."
"... P-Persepho Grand Duke?!"
Hiccup!
Princess Carnel hiccuped involuntarily.
It was inevitable.
The empire's two most influential grand dukes.
One was Grand Duke Carlos, the other Grand Duke Persepho.
Grand Duke Carlos wielded fearsome military might and organization.
Grand Duke Persepho was a financial titan, manipulating the empire's economy with his immense wealth.
But if asked who scared her more, Princess Carnel would pick Persepho without hesitation.
He was too sinister.
His piercing gaze suffocated anyone before him.
And he wasn't even human.
A dark elf, one of the rarest races.
Two centuries ago, he'd married the empire's sole empress and received the grand duke title.
Through countless civil wars and conflicts, he'd amassed wealth, becoming the empire's top financier.
That was why every emperor feared Grand Duke Persepho.
A non-human异族 holding noble rank—let alone grand duke—was unprecedented in history.
A princess's status paled like a firefly before his.
"N-No. I'll come back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, he has an appointment with Cardinal Amar of the Holy Church."
"The day after! The day after should work, right?"
"The day after is a joint prior engagement with Light Tower Master Androsen and the other tower masters..."
"..."
Princess Carnel was speechless.
She couldn't imagine meeting him before the ceremony.
*
"He has arrived, Your Highness."
Upon returning to the palace, Grand Duke Persepho was already there.
His knights had taken positions at the Imperial Dragon Palace entrance.
Germin looked visibly tense.
Grand Duke Persepho was the giant who had dominated the empire for 200 years.
Married to the empress 200 years ago with no children, his grand ducal seat had endured six emperors—an authority rivaling another throne.
Dark elf or not, no human in the empire dared ignore him.
'His prestige remains formidable.'
And I felt it too.
Grand Duke Persepho was even harder to deal with than Grand Duke Carlos.
It had been the same in the past. His true intentions were impenetrable.
His hidden wealth and forces were said to be beyond measure—no one could grasp their limits, so none dared touch him.
Yet he still lost his head to Malfiel in the end... Persepho had been the greatest obstacle after Malfiel appeared.
'He saw through Malfiel's madness first.'
Among the nobles, he was the earliest to reject him.
His eyes that pierced all—had they seen Malfiel's true nature?
I slowly followed Germin to the reception room.
Creeeak-.
Opening the door, Grand Duke Persepho sat there.
A single knight stood behind him.
Armored and helmeted, identity unknown.
[Admin Authority level upgraded, activating scan on others.]
[Scanning and providing necessary information for Master.]
【Race: Dark Elf (99.69% similar to human DNA)】
【Gender: Female】
【Lv. 98】
An extraordinary powerhouse.
Level 98 meant mid-tier Sword Master.
Not just Grand Duke Persepho—the knight was a dark elf too.
What did the human-like DNA mean?
'A dark elf knight.'
It hit me like a blow to the head.
Dark elves were nearing extinction.
Grand Duke Persepho had sought out the dwindling dark elves, adopting them.
Their talents were exceptional, upending the power balance overnight.
Of course, that was after the conquest wars later. They hadn't appeared in this era yet.
So this knight must be one of his adopted daughters.
"It's been a long time, Grand Duke Persepho."
"Since you were a child, Your Highness. Indeed a long time. I nearly didn't recognize you."
As if honored I remembered.
He elevated me in turn.
But no complacency.
He was the man whose facade hid the deepest guile.
"What brings you here to see me?"
"Straight to the point. Good. But since it's our reunion after so long, accept my gift first."
"A gift?"
"Arel."
Swish.
At her name, the knight behind removed her helmet.
Cascading black hair and skin.
A woman embodying dark elf beauty revealed herself.
I paused briefly.
The gift was her?
Grand Duke Persepho smiled.
"My gift to you, Your Highness."