Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Blossoming on the Battlefield
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“Object! Ragna de Luke! Don't let it rain!”
The moment Ragna shouted that, Silvret thought to herself.
‘Object? Could it be that thing isn't a monster after all?’
The prince possessed a special eye that pierced through to the essence of things.
Perhaps that was why he'd demanded caution only to suddenly order an attack—he'd just realized the monster's true nature.
She figured he'd discerned the monster's essence and cried out "Object!" in shock.
Never imagining he'd called her by mistake.
“Understood, Your Highness!”
Silvret drew a activation magic circle in midair.
Magic circles activated in sequence, until finally the ultimate drive circle was complete.
Boom! Rumble!
Thunderclouds gathered.
In the meantime, the prince unleashed a barrage of lightning spells at Wineller (Giant).
Wineller perched on the third eyeball, swinging his Aura Blade wildly.
“Uahaha! The shell's cracked! Now it has no choice but to hatch!”
-Yes, I will tear you to shreds!
The boss monster's massive form vanished like an illusion.
What remained was a pure white eyeball.
Or rather than an eyeball, it was more like...
‘An egg?’
The instant Silvret murmured that inwardly.
The massive egg, 150 meters in diameter, plummeted into the lake with Wineller atop it.
Splash!
A colossal waterspout shot skyward.
A gigantic whirlpool began forming around the impact point.
“Your Highness, what happened?”
“Heh heh... Its form was fake. That egg masquerading as the third eye is its true body.”
The lake's water level dropped rapidly.
As if something in the depths was endlessly swallowing the water.
“If we'd left it alone, it would've kept absorbing life force from the surroundings and hatched in an insanely powerful state.”
“Ah, so you forced it to hatch early by breaking the shell.”
“With life force leaking from the cracked shell, it had no choice but to decide.”
Before she knew it, the prince had pulled Silvret into an embrace from behind.
One arm wrapped firmly around her waist and stomach, the other hand clasping and stroking hers.
It was the prince's habit.
He'd hug and pet Silvret whenever he got the chance.
‘His Highness is petting me again...’
She figured since Canelian always wore armor, he was petting her instead.
The embarrassment had faded long ago, and Silvret had grown accustomed to the contact.
She'd even been prepared to accept the role of concubine if that's what the wastrel prince wanted—for her disciple Raisha's sake.
Canelian shot the prince a light glare.
“Your Highness, we're in the middle of battle. Are you really going to hold on to the professor like that?”
“We might need to make an emergency escape. We have to stay close. Isn't that right, Professor?”
“Staying together lets me activate Blink a little faster.”
At first, she'd thought the womanizing prince was groping her too blatantly.
But his touches felt somehow off.
He didn't fondle sexual areas like breasts or buttocks.
He'd hug her waist and stroke her stomach or sides.
Or knead her hands up to her elbows.
It felt less like lustful caressing and more like petting a beloved animal.
Looking back, it'd been like that ever since they met Baron Caron in the Karbalon Mountains and she disguised herself as a concubine maid.
“Heh heh, if we take down this field boss right here... I wonder what mythic item we'll get...”
The prince chuckled happily, his hands fiddling with Silvret's sides and fingers all the while.
Suddenly, Silvret felt a sense of dissonance.
“Your Highness, didn't you notice it was an Object and attack because of that?”
The prince's body flinched for an instant.
Since he was hugging her tightly from behind, she could vividly feel his startled muscles contract.
The hand on her waist moved to grasp her free hand.
The prince toyed with both her hands from behind as he whispered softly.
“That's right. That thing isn't just some field boss—it's an incredibly powerful Object that generates dungeons.”
“...”
“We've achieved our goal of forcing it to hatch before completion, so let's fight without holding back.”
“Our lives come first. Got it, both of you?”
Canelian replied briskly.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“...Understood, Your Highness.”
Silvret felt uneasy.
As if the prince was hiding something.
Right then.
A moist, warm sensation touched her cheek.
A soft breath trailed down her cheek.
The startled Canelian pointed with a trembling finger, her teeth chattering in protest.
“W-W-W-Your Highness! In a c-c-critical moment like this! Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you d-d-doing to the professor!”
Only then did Silvret realize.
The prince had kissed her cheek.
Her heart began pounding wildly.
“Professor. No, Silvret.”
“Y-Your Highness. This isn't the time...!”
“I've wanted to say this for a while but kept missing the moment. Be my second wife.”
“...!”
“...!”
Silvret held her breath for a moment.
Canelian stared piercingly at them, her face beet red.
For a split second, Silvret had a foolish worry.
That Canelian might suddenly draw her sword.
“I want all of you, Silvret.”
“Th-That's... I'm not ready yet...”
“Take your time thinking it over. We have plenty of time left.”
Silvret bowed her head.
Her face burned as if steam might rise from it.
I suddenly thought, oh crap.
I'd gotten way too excited seeing an unexpected kill chance.
Even more mortifying was that I hadn't even noticed I'd accidentally called her "Object" until she brought it up.
So, following the time-honored tradition that attack is the best defense, I launched a "confession attack" out of nowhere.
It worked better than I'd imagined—I was shocked myself.
‘Does Silvret secretly like the prince after all?’
Her personality might be rotten, but her outer shell was top-tier, so it made sense.
Beautiful women were fated to fall for handsome scoundrels, after all.
Until now, I'd seen Silvret less as a woman and more as an Object I'd one day own completely.
My desire to make her realize that and become her perfect master hadn't changed.
That's why I'd always called her "Professor" outwardly and "Object" inwardly.
‘Gotta be careful.’
Silvret might reject the idea of being an Object.
So I had to proceed step by step.
Rushing would ruin everything.
‘Well, my confession attack landed perfectly.’
Lazily watching the lake dry up, I planted kisses all over Object's cheeks.
“Y-Your Highness...!”
Her body went limp as if she'd collapse, so I quickly hugged her waist to support her.
“Silvret, you're so cute.”
“Nngh... We're in the middle of a battle...”
“There's nothing we can do in this state anyway. We just wait patiently.”
Forget it, forget it, forget it...
Forget I ever called you Object with that confession attack and kiss assault.
Canelian suppressed her boiling rage.
‘Why's he doing that all of a sudden in this situation?’
She wondered if the prince had gone into heat.
He hugged Silvret from behind and showered kisses mercilessly all over her face.
Silvret, unused to such things, flailed her limbs with a flushed face and nearly dropped her magic staff.
‘I've heard about this. In life-or-death situations, psychological stress spikes breeding instincts... No, just stop it already!’
Why did her stomach churn so much?
Just as she refused to acknowledge these feelings, a perfect distraction appeared.
“Your Highness! The water's all gone!”
Only then did the prince stop his mischief and poke his head over the airship railing to check.
He still held Silvret tightly in his arms.
‘Why does he always only hug the professor during the day?’
The moment she moved closer to the prince's side.
Clank. Clank.
“...?”
The sound of metal clashing.
Canelian suddenly became aware of the armor draped over her bikini armor (tube top).
Her gaze shifted to Silvret's soft fabric robe.
Then back to her own rigid metal armor.
“...”
Suddenly, the prince's voice whispered devilishly in her mind.
‘Duchess, do you desire 99% defense?’
“No! I mean, no! That's not it!”
“Duchess? What's wrong all of a sudden?”
“Duchess?”
Face red, Canelian stood beside the prince.
She lightly wrapped her left arm, clad in a metal gauntlet, around his lower back.
“In case we need to roll away, this is safer. Don't misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what?”
“Just... look over there.”
The three clung together as one, peering down from the airship railing.
The lake, once vast as the sea, had nearly drained away.
The half-submerged egg was exposed.
Wineller (Giant), water up to his chest, had his Aura Blade lit and was hacking at the egg furiously.
Rumble! Boom! Bwoom!
Each strike of the Aura Blade on the shell brought lightning crashing from the sky.
Brilliant blue sparks danced ceaselessly around Wineller's full-body armor.
Forgetting her earlier irritation, Canelian sincerely marveled.
“Wow, Sir Wineller kept attacking the egg underwater the whole time? Even a Swordmaster can't hold his breath that long with such vigorous swings.”
“No worries there. The slave gladiator armor handles breathing even in extreme conditions.”
“You'll give me one someday, right?”
“You want to be my slave that badly?”
“...A queen or a slave, either way we're the king's property. Might not be so bad...”
Rumble! Boom!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each Aura Blade strike rang out like clashing metal.
Simultaneously, lightning from the thunderclouds struck the blade, delivering powerful electric shocks to the egg.
The remaining lake water kept diminishing.
The water that had reached Wineller (Giant)'s chest now lapped only at his calves.
-Foolish, wretched mortals!
Countless cracks spiderwebbed across the egg's surface, blinding light bursting through the fissures in all directions.
Crack! Craaaack!
The massive eggshell split with a roar like tearing continental plates.
“Wineller! Pull back! Get some distance!”
Wineller obeyed my command instantly.
The ground shook violently as if in an earthquake,
and the ankle-deep remaining water sprayed straight up.
“Silvret, Duchess. You know what to do? If it looks bad, we Blink out.”
“Why don't I get called by name?”
“...Canelian, Silvret. Blink out if needed.”
Both women nodded.
“Think we can't catch it?”
“Nah, about fifty-fifty. But life is precious.”
“Agreed.”
“Life is precious, yes.”
Flash!
A retina-searing explosion of light.
The erupting storm blasted outward, shattering the sturdy eggshell into fragments.
Wineller (Giant) knelt, curled up, and blocked with his massive shield.
The exploding shell shards didn't reach the airship.
Thanks to the sufficient distance.
-To shatter the perfect incarnation of this supreme body birthed by the Evil Dragon!
【Pendragon Lake's Ruler Drepelius: The One Who Ultimately Failed Complete Incarnation】
A lifeform resembling a dragon, yet forever lost the potential to become one—an incomplete being.
A body twice the size of Wineller (Giant).
The lake's ruler spread wings spanning hundreds of meters and soared high into the sky.
-I will never forgive you!