Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: I Proposed to the Heroine Trying to Kill Me
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My trusty EXP grinder, my companion NPC, was coming to kill me.
"Even if I offer to break off the engagement, she won't believe me. Same goes for renouncing my succession rights."
Canelian had no reason to trust this princely scum anyway.
"This kingdom is doomed to vanish in an underground explosion regardless. I can't stop its destruction."
For now, I decided to grab as many portable items as possible.
No inventory meant I had to wear or carry them myself.
I didn't discriminate between Myth and Legend grades.
I picked items that would help my fragile Level 1 self survive.
The shield was great for defense, and the cloak specialized in evasion.
The [Frozen Warrior's Spear] was Legend (A) grade too, but it could freeze enemies, making it perfect for survival.
These were stamina boosters, essential for long journeys.
For armor, I chose stealth gear that hid my presence and let me slip into mist for evasion in a pinch.
Damn, it was heavy though.
Without the stamina boots, I'd have collapsed after a few steps.
"My low level is keeping these items from performing at full potential."
Items nerfed your stats if your user level was below the required level.
I needed to level up fast.
"I know the palace layout, including every back alley. I've run this route plenty of times."
I hoped the stealth armor would do its job.
Being Level 1 made me uneasy.
I was slipping out through a back path I'd used for stealth assassinations when...
"Who are you?"
A delicate voice grabbed my ankle.
"Who are you, wandering the palace alone so late at night? An assassin?"
Under the blue moonlight stood a red-haired girl.
Clad in heavy plate armor, sword hanging at her side.
Her pale, expressionless face stared right at me.
Every cell in my body froze.
Canelian.
She was right in front of me.
The continent's youngest Swordmaster.
The tragic duchess.
My EXP totem, favorite companion NPC, tanky powerhouse...
"Even with Legend (A) stealth armor at Level 1, a Swordmaster sees right through it."
"Suspicious. Die."
Shit, my head was about to roll.
Desperate, I yanked off my helmet and shouted.
"Duchess Canelian, I am Prince Ragna Volter Arcana!"
Her sword halted mid-swing.
Canelian's glare didn't waver.
That's when it hit me.
"She knew I was the prince and got ahead of me, waiting here from the start."
This quick?
Logically, a prince had no reason to flee, so she'd assumed I'd be lax on arrival day.
"She was sharpening her blade, watching me from the beginning."
If she wasn't going to kill me, she'd have sheathed it already.
The fact she still held it poised before the prince meant...
"I was patrolling to check if the guards were at their posts. And you, Duchess—what brings you here?"
For Canelian, this was a chance to strike quietly and eliminate me for good.
I had to dodge that blade somehow right now.
Think. Think.
"I've been training in a quiet mountain spot. I never imagined I'd run into my future brother-in-law like this, alone."
Don't come closer with that sword while staring so coldly.
"Congratulations on your upcoming marriage in advance."
Was she offering wedding wishes before finishing me off?
I saw Canelian's sword glow blue.
This woman planned to end it in one strike before I could react.
"Only one option."
To find the tutorial's hidden route, I'd tried every choice branch imaginable.
I'd done all sorts of crazy shit.
One route made Canelian abandon the assassination.
The most effective one was...
"Duchess Canelian, you're so beautiful. Stunning."
"...?"
Canelian faltered.
Flustered, the sword aura faded.
"Your Highness? That's hardly appropriate to say to your fiancée's sister."
"A shame to make you just a sister-in-law with such beauty. If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I would've chosen you as my fiancée long ago, Canelian."
I feigned total nonchalance, hands clasped behind my back, mumbling.
Sweat dripped down my back, but I played it cool.
"Hmm, now that I think about it, what matters is uniting the Arcana royal family and the Elryad ducal house. Switching fiancées shouldn't be a big deal then."
"...Are you serious right now?"
"Truth be told, as you've grown, you've become more my type than your sister."
Canelian couldn't hide her shock anymore.
Assassination was off her mind for the moment.
Swordmaster or not, she was still young.
"Looking at you now, you've got a well-trained body. Better than your frail sister at night duties or producing heirs, right?"
"Your Highness..."
Contempt radiated from her entire being.
I was tense, but since no aura reformed, it might be working.
"Pretend you didn't hear that."
Clank.
Finally, Canelian sheathed her sword.
The tension drained from my body.
I'd survived.
"This route works after all."
I'd once suggested this out of curiosity: would skipping assassination change the kingdom's doom?
"Why not just seduce the wastrel prince and marry him yourself, Duchess?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Ceres gets freed from a miserable marriage, and if you're lucky, you could even reform the wastrel into a decent man.
If not, fake an accident after a few years and be done with it."
Canelian actually wavered at that moderate proposal.
"Fine, but even if we marry, you won't lay a finger on me."
"No wastrel dares mess with a Swordmaster princess."
I cleared the tutorial without assassination for the first time.
But the result was the same.
The kingdom exploded underground the moment I escaped, wiping everything out.
And Canelian survived amid it all.
Just like every tutorial ending.
"Show yourself. Otherwise, I'll deem you an assassin targeting His Highness."
"Duchess?"
What the hell?
Clank. Clank.
The sound of metal clashing.
From the shadows emerged a massive knight in full plate armor.
Gripping a sword that looked at least 2.5 meters long.
"A character I've never seen?"
I couldn't forget a build like that.
Never encountered him once.
"Knight Xante."
A gravelly, damaged voice.
Canelian's tone softened.
"Sir Xante, the Shadow Guardian of the Arcana royal family. My apologies for the misunderstanding."
"No issue."
Xante responded curtly.
That's when I realized.
Why Canelian had sheathed her sword moments ago.
"It wasn't defeat from my surprise proposal. She sensed Xante."
Did I do all that for nothing?
No, I bought time—it helped, right?
And now Canelian might even consider marrying me instead of her sister.
She'd do anything for her sickly sibling.
That could lower the assassination threat.
"I thought you were staying in the guest palace, Duchess. What brings you here so late?"
"I was restless, so I trained in the mountains."
"I see. But this area is near His Majesty the King and His Highness the Prince. To avoid misunderstandings, please be more careful."
Caution laced Xante's voice.
Had he sensed Canelian's unusual attitude toward me?
"My apologies for interrupting your rendezvous. But when I saw Duchess Canelian's emotions flare, I had to step in.
I feared for His Highness's safety..."
"Rendezvous?"
Canelian's composure cracked.
I panicked too.
"Wait, Sir Xante. How much of our conversation did you hear?"
"Nothing. I blocked my hearing temporarily."
"You heard nothing?"
"How could I eavesdrop on the private secrets of the royal blood? I kept my eyes on for protection, but my ears closed."
Xante's plate helmet turned toward Canelian.
No visible expression...
"But I beg you: even in lovers' quarrels, don't draw your sword recklessly."
"L-Lovers' quarrel?"
Canelian's face fell.
"My lips are sealed, no worries. I'll block my hearing again—talk freely. Excuse me."
Xante vanished into the shadows once more.
Not gone, just hidden to give us space.
"..."
"..."
Canelian and I stared at each other in silence.
Total misunderstanding.
Xante must've thought I was sneaking around with my fiancée's little sister.
Her drawing the sword? Jealous rage over her sister, momentary loss of control.
"Let's sort this mess first."
"...Duchess Canelian."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
"Think of the child you'll bear one day."
"...Pardon?"
Her voice lacked strength, laced with exasperation.
"Will you pass on your duchy’s modest title, or the throne of Arcana? Decide for your child's future."
"...You mean that?"
"From start to finish. I like you, Duchess. Beautiful, sturdy, and that feisty spirit that doesn't back down."
Marrying me would at least save her sister.
Diluting her killer intent.
"Eyes are watching, so I'll head back first. Take your time returning to your quarters."
"...Understood."
Knowing he was watching from the dark felt reassuring.
No clanking now—he must've made noise on purpose when appearing.
"But that plate knight... first time seeing him."
Something off.
I'd done so many assassination quests, yet he'd never blocked me once.
"Did I forget something...?"
I pushed down the unease and returned to my quarters before it hit me.
Right... I was trying to escape the country...