Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Mythic Grade Artifact
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'The prince killed the king.'
No matter how I thought about it, that prince bastard was a total scumbag.
Eager to wear the crown early, he slit the throat of his bedridden father.
He was already as good as king without it.
He killed his own father just to hear people call him 'Your Highness'?
'No wonder Xante flipped out and left.'
Now I finally understood why I hadn't seen that plate-armored knight during the tutorial.
Even I'd let Canelian kill a patricidal scumbag prince who murdered his father.
'Who knew there was this kind of backstory.'
This was exciting. I was probably the only user who knew this fact.
I'd been starving for content to devour anyway.
'The maid's name is Marian, and that scumbag did order her to kill him.'
Digging through the prince's memories felt like reading Wikipedia.
Not popping up exactly what I wanted, but searching one by one?
「This kingdom needs a new sun. The old, feeble one is no longer required.」
Crazy son of a bitch.
I hadn't realized he was this much of a scumbag.
「Make it look like a sudden deterioration. If it gets exposed, testify that it was Raisha's orders.
Then I'll kill you painlessly, and take good care of your family.」
This lunatic was planning to pin it all on his little sister if things went south.
Not surprising from a guy who'd kill his own father.
What was his reason anyway?
Did growing up under a flawless sage king father, constantly compared and pressured, twist him completely?
Not at all.
I thought I'd hit rock bottom, but there was a basement below.
'He just straight-up killed his father? Wow, this guy's pure evil with no tragic backstory.'
No resentment from harsh upbringing,
not even a desire for decadent pleasures and freedom as king.
This bastard just wanted to be king ASAP.
That was it.
'And I forcibly inherited that karma...'
Surprising that he even had followers.
Shocking that the assassination had succeeded.
Doesn't the scum of the earth only attract more scum?
How did it even work?
'Maybe everyone knew it was the prince's doing but turned a blind eye, tears in their eyes, to hide the royal shame.'
"The deed is canceled."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I expected hesitation, but the immediate reply surprised me.
"Didn't you just slyly wag your tongue about a new sun rising?"
"How dare a lowly thing like me presume to interpret the sun's will? A tool merely moves at its master's command."
The Marian in his memories was truly a faithful tool, glib as a tongue in the mouth.
Couldn't read her true feelings since they were the prince's thoughts.
"Eliminate all 'physical evidence' and stand by."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I asked if she knew plate-armor knight Xante, but she shook her head.
"Forgive me, but I know nothing."
He wasn't in the prince's memories, so I hadn't expected much, but still a bit disappointing.
"Erase every trace and act like nothing happened."
"I shall obey."
Marian left the bathroom.
I leaned my neck against the marble and stared up at the wooden ceiling shrouded in steamy mist.
"If the king passes, I was going to use the coronation as an excuse to evacuate the entire kingdom to the holy site."
That way, I could've avoided the massive explosion.
But my coronation's delayed now, so I need another way.
How can I get as many people as possible to the holy site when the signs of the massive explosion appear?
What excuse could force everyone to buy in?
No matter how I racked my brain, no 'reasonable' reason came to mind.
"Screw it. I'll just push it through like a tyrant."
They might curse me at first.
But once they see the kingdom gone, they'll praise my luck.
"Your Highness, Duchess Canelian has arrived."
"Let her in."
Canelian entered shortly after.
"Sit, Duchess."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Red hair and red eyes.
Skin white as a snowfield.
As if her hair had stolen all the color from her.
I reminisced briefly about the countless raids, parties, PKs, and bandit hunts we'd done together.
"What are you thinking?"
"Our wedding. And married life."
"…."
She didn't deny it outright, so Canelian must have marriage to me in mind.
Probably planning to keep me at arm's length during marriage, then quietly dispose of me in an accident.
But Canelian.
I don't want to die by your hand.
That's why.
"Duchess Canelian, did you not know that brooch is a mythic-grade artifact?"
"…Pardon? What's mythic-grade?"
Time to spill the beans.
'What is this guy talking about? Mythic-grade? What's that?'
Canelian clutched the brooch at her neck reflexively in confusion.
Ragna's handsome face, like a sculpture, gazed at her with a strange smile.
Hard to believe such a brutal soul lurked in that fine face.
"The artifact grades you know are common, epic, relic. Just those three, right?"
"…Of course."
"Wrong. Above relic is legendary, and above that is mythic. That brooch is mythic."
Canelian looked down at the brooch.
Black as obsidian.
"Do you know its name?"
"Do you, Your Highness?"
"If not, I'll tell you. Emerald Lake Queen's Blue Brooch—that's the artifact's name."
He knew the exact name.
No doubt.
The prince….
"Were you born with appraisal magic, Your Highness?"
"Yes."
Artifact appraiser.
Not something learned through effort.
A gift of pure luck.
To fully draw out an artifact's power, an appraiser must discern its effects and usage.
But appraisers are rare.
High-level ones even more so.
"Where did you get that brooch?"
"I don't know. Just that it's called Emerald Lake Queen's Blue Brooch and has been passed down in my maternal family for generations…."
"Knowing the exact name means either an ancestor on your maternal side was a mythic appraiser, or you were fated for it."
"Do you know what skill it holds?"
"Reading an artifact's name means knowing everything about it. Of course."
Canelian's heart pounded.
She'd thought relic was the top, but legendary and mythic existed above.
And this brooch was mythic.
"Want to know?"
"…Please bestow your grace."
Canelian swallowed her humiliation and bowed politely.
"What's the point? I already said I wanted that brooch as your dowry."
"It's a heirloom passed down my maternal line. Please…."
"Ah, but if you become mine, the brooch becomes mine anyway."
A sneering laugh.
Canelian chewed her lip.
"Will you become my crown princess in your sister's stead?"
"…I need the duchy’s permission."
"What nonsense? The duke is a subject of this kingdom. It's not permission—it's notification."
"…."
"Will you become my crown princess?"
"…I shall follow Your Highness's will."
Canelian agonized fiercely.
'If everything the prince says is true… I can't just kill him on a whim.'
No matter how precious, an unrecognized artifact is useless.
A true mythic appraiser would greatly benefit the kingdom's future.
"Your Highness, then please tell me now. What magic does this brooch hold…."
"Save that for the pleasures of our wedding night."
"…Your Highness."
"Don't misunderstand. This isn't a deal—it's grace I'm bestowing upon you. Are you daring to demand grace from your sovereign?"
Canelian shut her mouth.
Ragna felt utterly unfamiliar.
Not like the scumbag she knew.
"Since you accepted my proposal, I'll share one secret."
"A secret?"
The prince crossed his arms and stared intently with serious eyes.
An expression she'd never seen.
"I know you think poorly of me because of my long waywardness."
"That's not true."
Canelian desperately held back 'What bullshit is this?'
The prince chuckled.
"You're bad at lying, Duchess. It's all over your face."
"Th-that's not…."
Her face burned.
Humiliation like being stripped bare.
"The truth is, my waywardness had an important reason I couldn't speak of."
"…."
Canelian barely suppressed 'Cut the crap.'
The prince continued undeterred.
"I won't force you to believe. It's unspeakable anyway. But stay by my side, and you'll know it's true."
"…Your Highness. I already believe you."
Even to herself, it sounded deflated and insincere.
"This is our little secret."
"…Understood."
Canelian nodded, thinking.
No one would believe the prince anyway.
I closely observed Canelian's eyes.
True to her trait of being bad at lying, her whole body screamed disbelief.
'Even if I show reform, she won't trust the prince. He's done too much villainy since childhood.'
Still, I couldn't slack off, so I'd keep working on my reputation.
'Sorry about that. She expects it to be some OP combat item.'
【Emerald Lake Queen's Blue Brooch】