Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: 9. Other People's Stories (3)
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# 79
#4 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Crown Prince.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, the men who went to the north have returned.”
“R-Really?!”
I tossed aside the duties my father, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, had dumped on me—saying that since I’d soon be emperor myself, I needed to handle this sort of thing—and hurried to the room where my subordinates had arrived.
“Did you find him? You found him, right? Otherwise, I’m dead meat! For real!”
“M-My lord…”
I pulled the deputy commander to his feet as he tried to kneel in respect and pressed him urgently.
Time was truly running out.
The moment my sister returned, I’d no longer be of this world, that much was certain!
“I’m sorry, my lord. We found no trace of Ast in the north.”
“I see.”
I pulled out the letter I’d been diligently working on up until last week as I watched my subordinates nod with genuinely apologetic expressions.
“What is that, my lord?”
“This? My last will and testament.”
“M-My lord?”
With no hope of survival in sight, it was time to finish my unfinished will.
“Damn it, if I’d known it’d come to this, I would’ve gotten married quick and tried out all sorts of things.”
“My lord? What vulgar talk is that?”
Vulgar? [CENSORED] is a sacred act that brings life into the world.
From time immemorial, it’s only natural for people to produce their own offspring, and for imperial royals who hold the throne, it’s an obligation.
“Well, it’s got nothing to do with me anyway.”
On the bright side, if I die, the imperial throne succession battle restarts, and making a poor kid who’d have to join it right after birth would be a surefire way to doom them.
At least I could count my blessings for not creating a child doomed to die anyway.
“After all, it’s just me who’ll die.”
“My lord, please hear us out!”
Did I really need to listen…?
“You didn’t find him.”
“Th-That’s true. But you’re the crown prince set to inherit the throne! No matter how much it’s Her Highness the Princess, she wouldn’t just—”
Yeah, I get what you’re saying. That’s how it usually goes, usually.
“That’s why I’m in this mess—because she can.”
My sister is a monster. Not human.
As a child, I thought she wasn’t human because even stabbing her with a sword wouldn’t draw a drop of blood.
There was nothing she couldn’t do, nothing she couldn’t win.
If I’d been some average guy, maybe, but even I was a genius overwhelming those around me—yet I couldn’t beat her.
But the moment I became crown prince, I thought I could finally surpass her.
Not that I planned to do anything to my sister, who’d been my biggest ally in becoming crown prince.
I just figured I wouldn’t have to lose to her anymore. That was all.
But…
“…is the empire’s history.”
After becoming crown prince, my father the emperor summoned me to a secret imperial chamber.
The truth he revealed in that place—said to hold the entirety of the empire—was far too brutal.
“I-Is that true?”
“Yes, so don’t defy your sister Atia. The empire will fall.”
Learning her secret explained why my father, with his wild personality rivaling the empire’s most infamous historical figures, would shut up and comply whenever she spoke.
From that day on, I never defied her and lived quietly.
Honestly, since all she wanted was that one man, Ast, I’d thought it’d be manageable.
But then I found out that man was part of Howling, tied to the empire’s history.
Well, even that was fine.
I’d planted spies, coordinated with those from other families.
And under my sister’s pressure to wipe out Howling fast, I’d created an inescapable net and accomplished the great feat of destroying them.
My standing in the imperial court rose, and praises for me echoed across the empire.
But because of one fatal mistake—letting that Ast guy slip away—I was now facing death…
“Father won’t have much to say. I’ll have to write that Mother was thrilled I became crown prince, and I’m sorry.”
“My lord, we’ll find Ast right away. Please!”
“The Imperial Tournament is about to begin. A crown prince’s suicide right before the empire’s founding anniversary?!”
“That mustn’t happen!”
It sure mustn’t.
My sister is strong.
Her faction, personality, background—all strong, but she herself is the strongest.
According to Father, even the power she showed when she first met Ast after his initial escape was just her playing around.
Even Father, once called Sword Emperor, said physically beating her was impossible.
How could I, barely a swordmaster, win?
I couldn’t handle her wrath.
Better to end it myself before she arrived.
“Alright, time to die.”
“My lord!”
“No!”
“We’ll—we’ll try harder!”
Hahaha.
Somehow, I doubt more effort from you lot will find Ast.
If it were possible, you’d have found him by now.
No, you wouldn’t have let him slip in that perfect setup to begin with.
“So, let’s just call it quits.”
“Myyy loooord!”
“You can’t do that, my lord!”
“Let go, you bastards! Dying clean now is better! The moment she returns, you’ll feel what it’s like to die happy!”
Their attempts to grab my pants and snatch my will ruined my writing session yet again today.
Fine, I’d trust my loyal subordinates a bit.
If I just hand her Ast as a gift, I could become emperor smoothly!
Then I’d be happy, she’d be happy—a perfect happy ending with peace in the imperial family!
And as emperor, I’d dump work on my subordinates like Father and live freely!
…So please, Sir Ast.
Before she returns… please get caught.
I’ll treat you well once I’m emperor, so spare my life!
Please!
#5 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of Certain Pursuers.
“It doesn’t seem he’s here either, Your Highness.”
“Hmm~ I figured the southern granary region would be the best for farming.”
I bowed my head and waited as Her Highness made a slightly regretful face.
…Having served her for so long, I knew.
That casual expression while chewing her lips was a sign she was furious!
Messing with her now would mean a hellish time ahead, so best to stay quiet and not upset her.
Didn’t Sir Ast do the same? Stay still and you’ll make it through.
“Indeed, over a year already, and not even a trace. Is the empire this incompetent?”
Chiming in here would have her grinding her subordinates—including me—into dust with resentment coming my way.
Defending the empire? She’d just chew me out for not finding Sir Ast yet.
Yes. It’s all Sir Ast’s fault.
Her Highness the Princess wants him so bad she crushed a millennium-old evil organization of the empire!
Just surrender already!
Though I’d probably run scared too.
Still, with all these people suffering, wouldn’t getting caught be polite?
Especially with the crown prince’s life on the line!
“Hmm… Should I kill my little brother first and search again…”
See! The crown prince’s life was in peril again today.
“Your Highness, the Imperial Tournament begins soon. It’s the empire’s founding anniversary—shouldn’t the crown prince be there?”
Working hard today to prevent imperial chaos!
This was true loyalty to the nation, the mark of a model knight.
Seeming to appreciate it, Her Highness gave a bright smile.
Yes. Bright.
“Not my problem, Lea?”
“Yes!”
Sorry, Your Highness the Crown Prince.
I no longer have the power to stop her.
No courage left in me, trembling and bowed.
Without a miracle, the crown prince was as good as dead.
And miracles don’t happen, by definition…
“We found Sir Ast!”
“The miracle’s hereeee!”
“S-Sir Lea?”
“Lea gets like that sometimes—ignore him and speak.”
The intel officer looked flustered at my shout but began reporting at her word.
As they say, the emperor is heaven’s chosen—the crown prince truly was!
Finding Sir Ast at this timing, right on the brink of death!
“P-Pfft… hahaha!”
“Y-Your Highness?”
Lost in thought, and suddenly she started laughing, tears streaming.
“Emergency! Emergency!”
“What happened!”
“Her Highness is laughing and crying!”
“Damn it, state of emergency!”
Chaos erupted outside her room!
“Y-Your Highness? What’s wrong? Planning to kill the crown prince right now? Or start a second world war when it’s barely been a decade since the first?”
This was bad. I’d only seen her laugh like that three times.
Once during the operation where she and Sir Ast turned a neighboring military powerhouse into a border minnow.
The other two: when Sir Ast fled the imperial family and Howling.
That laugh was dangerous.
Results: first, near-destruction of the neighboring kingdom; second, end of the world war; third, downfall of a millennium-old evil organization.
I couldn’t predict the fallout of this fourth laugh, even after years of service.
“Lea, Ast’s the type who knows a lot but always delegates.”
Ignoring my burning anxiety, she said something unrelated.
But who am I? A veteran of twenty years serving her!
My role: respond and steer to the answer I want!
“Sir Ast hated work, after all.”
He always said, let others do what others can.
And he’d often dump his tasks on me like they were mine…
“And from Howling, I know Ast has a habit of preparing escape spots in advance.”
“Yes, making us suffer like this…”
“So, Lea, combine those two facts, and you get something interesting.”
“Combine them?”
Delegating plus preparing escapes—what could that mean…?
“Ah! No way!”
“Yes, Lea. Simple. Ast’s the type who makes others prepare even his escape spots.”
Her satisfied smile prompted my objection.
“But Sir Ast is the guy who goes around saying trusting others is like chopping your own foot with an axe—would he leave his final escape to someone else?”
Sir Ast distrusted people to the extreme.
Even in the great war, he spotted enemy traps and spies first.
He’d spout weird stuff like “As expected, this cliché here!” or “Who’s running a webnovel plot?!” but loved backstabbing with others’ deceptions.
So he assumed even his subordinates could betray anytime—hardly reassuring for them.
Such a man wouldn’t entrust his escape to another!
“True for humans. But Ast knows a race perfect for making escape routes without betraying.”
“Ah!”
Right. Sir Ast doesn’t trust humans.
But he’s close with non-humans!
Especially dwarves! He could summon them anytime he wanted, unlike Father the Emperor.
Dwarves hate breaking promises more than death, even without meeting people—Ast could trust them.
“So I attached people to his non-human contacts. Turns out the reclusive Black Anvil Clan dwarves, elves, and even gnomes—who rarely gather—met at one spot recently?”
“Wh-Where?”
Closed-off Black Anvil dwarves, elves vulnerable to human malice due to beauty, gnomes who avoid their own kind—all together? Not normal.
“Hahaha, Ast really is fun. Never imagined it.”
To my question, the princess gave a deep smile.
“He hid in Yuglasia Academy, the heart of the empire. Even I didn’t think of that.”
A year circling the continent for Sir Ast.
Now, we prepared to return to the imperial family after one year.