Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Heart-Pounding Great Adventure
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"I'm bored."
"...Now that I've expanded my sensory perception... that's done."
"I'm bored."
"...Revealing my full field of vision consumes too much mana..."
"I'm bored, Your Highness."
"If I lower the resolution, sort of... hmm... but fine-tuning that is such a hassle..."
"Aaaand I'm bored!"
The insolent brat sprawled across my sofa, muttering about being bored every five seconds, was none other than Lancelot. After training was over, he should've gone home, but instead he barged into my room and was steadily gnawing away at my concentration.
So, with the intent to chase him out, I hurled a passage from my study text at him.
"Duke's Heir Lancelot, how dare you pour ink during the time meant to fatten my store of knowledge?"
Hearing that, Lancelot's eyes lit up as he sprang from the sofa.
"Right! Liam, have you heard the rumor? The serial killer in the slums!"
I'd forgotten—my little sister and this pleb had their ears protected by a spell that blocked out scholarly texts.
I sighed and replied.
"Where do you even hear crap like that?"
"I eavesdropped on our maids! Listen, Liam—lately, bodies with just their hearts ripped out have been turning up in the slums."
Where there's light, there's shadow. The slums are a gathering place for those crippled by unavoidable hardships and unable to make a living, abandoned children, and the scum who exploit even them.
Even with constant relief efforts from the Church and the Imperial Palace, the dark underbelly of the world always persists.
So what if a murder case popped up now? It'd barely register more than hearing "They baked bread at the bakery!"
"Tsk tsk. Looks like some vermin criminal's crawled out of the woodwork. Should send a few knights to investigate."
"Let's catch him ourselves!"
'What the hell...'
Two kids—one a duke's heir, the other a prince.
If this lineup went prowling the slums at night, the rumors that'd spread...
"Let's do it!"
"?"
As he stared at me with a look that said, "What nonsense are you spouting?", Lancelot hurriedly continued.
"No, listen—the common trait in all the bodies? They were grinning ear to ear."
No matter how extreme the masochist, no one smiles while having their heart ripped out alive.
"Grinning...?"
"Yeah! They were smiling even as their hearts were torn out! So what does that scream? Illusion magic, or..."
"Heretics, right."
"Exactly! You hate heretics, don't you?"
That hot night with Assassination Ace had too many witnesses, so the rumors spread like wildfire despite my efforts to contain them.
This guy was banking on that when he brought it up.
"...Time of appearance?"
"Kids in the slums were bawling and clinging to the guards when the bodies were found—at midnight."
"Sigh, Lancelot, we have to be mindful of our positions. Does it make sense for a duke's heir and a prince to sneak out of the palace at night to investigate a potential heretic or psycho killer? That's straight-up insane."
"So?"
"Let's go right now."
Hmm... yeah, I can't stand heretics.
Ever since that day Assassination Ace was revealed to be a heretic, I'd wanted to shove the light right back into those light-stealing bastards.
[“Nothing works better on the wounded than revenge! Give it a shot—you'll forget all about it. In other words, revenge is good for your health!”]
Thanks, Evergreen...
Gotta stay healthy... yeah!
After dinner, I headed to Father's office.
The knights guarding the door bowed as they saw me, and I stated my business.
"I need an audience with His Majesty."
The knight knocked, entered the office, then emerged shortly after and opened the door for me.
"He says to come in."
I nodded and stepped inside, where Father sat at his desk, looking at me.
"Father."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Tonight, I plan to head to the slums with Lancelot. Could you assign a few knights who are reliable, tight-lipped, and masters of stealth?"
Father's expression turned to one that screamed, "Did I sire a delinquent? I'm no delinquent... so what the hell is this kid?"
Now's the time! Gotta press while he's off-balance!
"There's a string of murders in the slums. Victims found with hearts ripped out, grinning in death. It hasn't reached the capital's reports yet because the casualties aren't that high. Looks like illusion magic or heretic sorcery—and given they only take the hearts, probably heretics."
Follow-up blows after a groggy state deal the most damage.
"...But why you...?"
"Heretics."
Father's eyes shook violently, disbelief chaining into stunned fury.
The man who valued appearances, prestige, and status had grown much more lenient with me since that incident.
Still, while I might be a total screw-up who causes trouble, at least I ask permission beforehand—better than nothing, right?
"Can I take temporary command authority?"
"...I'll assign four knights... no, eight. But if you get even a scratch, there'll be consequences."
I smiled and replied.
"That's plenty."
My son was spouting nonsense that even his wonderful, grateful father couldn't comprehend.
"Heretics."
Those eyes.
Eyes that once shone with brilliant intellect now dimmed, clouded with murderous intent.
Every time I saw them, I remembered my son covered in blood, torn up everywhere, sobbing.
As a father, as Emperor, could I be any more powerless?
I rushed to his side when I heard the treated prince had awakened, but the eyes I saw then were dead. The thought that I'd never see their light again terrified me.
As I despaired, my prince strove to find his own light.
How admirable, how grateful I am. But every time he hears "heretics," that light fades.
That... that scares me so much.
I'm always sorry. For passing on this wretched world from a wretched father, for failing to make it better... And his response is set.
"Can I take temporary command authority?"
"...I'll assign four knights... no, eight. But if you get even a scratch, there'll be consequences."
"That's plenty."
My son smiled bitterly.
I wanted to go with him and lop off those heretics' heads myself, but that wouldn't be what he wants.
With this, I've secured the cliché safety net.
Runaways and murders with immature kids always come with crises.
Insights gained by overcoming crises? I just wanna live long and safe.
I returned to my room and called for Lily.
"Lily~ Get me two sets of commoner clothes!"
"Pardon? Your Highness, not at this hour!"
Lily glared daggers in protest, but my follow-up left her dazed.
"Got Father's permission."
"P-Pardon...?"
Leaving the stunned Lily behind, Lancelot piped up.
"Huh? You got permission? How?"
"This big bro's got ways."
"Whoa! Your dad's the best!"
...Calling the Emperor "your dad"—this irreverent specialist always finds fresh ways to be disrespectful.
Lily mumbled in a daze—"Permission...?", "Imperial decree...?", "Everyone here's insane..."—as she fetched two sets of commoner clothes.
"Eek... Your Highness, can't you just not go?"
"Tsk! It's for the world, the world."
"Yeah, exactly! For the world!"
I tossed a line at the smugly shouting Lancelot.
"Oh, by the way, I didn't get permission for you."
"What?"
"You either get your own or sneak out."
Lancelot pondered deeply, then...
"Gotta go! For the world!"
The world my ass—just his dopamine tipping the scales toward thrill.
I smirked and changed his hair to brown.
"Ready, Lan?"
"You bet, Liam."
And so began the great adventure to find Assassination Ace's friends.
Between alleys reeking of filth.
Buildings rotted away, vagrants staring blankly at nothing.
In the moonlight's glow, two brown-haired boys strode fearlessly down the street.
No tension at all—they chatted idly.
"Weird... it should be about time..."
"About time? Find something?"
"Nah, about time for a mid-tier or big score."
"Mid-tier? Big score? What're you on about?"
"It's a thing."
Ignoring Lancelot's question mark, I wondered if our commoner clothes were too clean as we walked—then vagrants of all sorts burst from the alleys. Fatso, scrawny, musclehead, etc.
"Well, well~ Where might these fine young masters be headed?"
"Pretty boys like that could fetch a nice price."
"Heh heh heh, don't worry, lads~ With luck, you might end up with a pretty noblewoman—who knows?"
Human traffickers, huh.
Not the ones we wanted, but clearing them out wouldn't hurt.
Doesn't look like we'd find our target on the first try.
"Tch, mid-tier. Go get 'em, Lancelot! Fight for justice!"
"Haha! For justice!"
After indulging their thug lines, I unleashed Lan-monster.
Lancelot gleefully hacked limbs left and right, shredding away.
"Wha... what?! Graaaah!"
"Sp... spare me! Aaaagh!"
"Leave a couple alive!"
"Haa... ahhh!"
Blissfully happy Lancelot.
'Is he even listening...? Man, he's nuts too. Blood doesn't faze him at all?'
As I pondered why my one and only friend was a headcase, Lancelot dragged two thugs by their heads and forced them to kneel before me. Fatso and scrawny combo.
Fatso trembled in terror, grabbing at my pant leg—I slowly crushed his hand underfoot.
"Aaaagh!"
"Quit whining, kid... Alright, hands up if you've seen anything suspicious: shady guys, heartless corpses, or places, people, things nearby that gave you the creeps."
Scrawny raised a quivering hand. Then fatso yelled.
"Me too! I know something! Just spare me..."
"You didn't raise your hand."
"Pardon?"
-Crunch!
I twirled my hand in the air, and fatso's neck twisted halfway around backward.
Scrawny beside him shook like mad but clung to his lifeline—his hand stayed up no matter what.
"Alright, spill."
"A... a month ago! Priests in white robes from the Church of Light handed out bread and water in the slums!"
"The Church of Light does relief work all the time, right? What, did the bread give you tummy trouble?"
The empire's state church, with the most followers, sent volunteers regularly.
"N... no! We ate it excitedly at first, but then some of the people who ate it started disappearing."
"How many ate it?"
"I don't know exactly..."
I raised my hand.
"Eek! Over half! More than half took some."
Half? Could be coincidence.
"Not the end! Some who ate it went ghost-possessed, devouring it wildly, their eyes going mad!"
Now that's useful intel.
"Ah~ Sounds like they spiked a few loaves with drugs or sorcery?"
"Definitely! I saw those with changed eyes get up at dawn and head somewhere!"
A lead on the case.
"Should've said that sooner. Lead the way."
"Y... yes!"
Following trembling scrawny's guidance, we headed deeper into the slums.