Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Knight, Craftsman, Beast
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Palace, Canelian's bedroom.
Canelian, dressed in her nightgown, was sitting propped up against the headboard.
The Crown Princess held her daughter's hand as they chatted softly.
"Be honest with me. How far have you let him go?"
"We haven't even done more than hold hands yet."
"Really?"
"Really."
Every night, the three of them slept in their underwear.
They'd seen each other naked.
Even that practically naked bikini armor (99%).
And they'd kissed...
She could never admit any of that in front of her mother.
"That's a relief. You mustn't give in to the mood and let him have your body before the wedding. Understood?"
"Yes, there's my sister's honor to consider, after all."
But worry still lingered on the Crown Princess's face.
"Canelian, as a Sword Imperial knight, you really need to watch your behavior. Don't just brush off your mother's nagging. That's how well it works.
While I'm at it, let me teach you proper contraception methods. But first, we need a refresher on sex ed."
And so the full-on sex education began...
Canelian had only a vague idea of the act itself.
But the thorough lesson from her mother was intense.
To the point where her face turned bright red at some point.
"...And that's why there are all sorts of contraception methods to prevent it."
The Crown Princess followed her precise sex ed with a rundown of various contraception techniques.
Canelian's eyes sparkled at some point.
"There are so many contraception methods."
"Right?"
"So, doesn't that mean no problem?"
"They don't work on elite knights like you. That's the issue."
"What? Not even contraceptive magic?"
"I trusted that, and boom—you were conceived in one go."
"..."
"It was later found out that contraceptive magic barely works from Sword Expert onward."
Canelian fell silent at the mention of her mother's unintentional great contribution to contraceptive magic research.
"Why did your mother teach you all these contraception methods in such detail?
It means only give your body when you're ready to have a child—because none of them work."
The Crown Princess emphasized with a terrifying expression: "It's one-shot guaranteed."
Canelian suddenly asked,
"Mother, what about withdrawal, then...?"
"That doesn't work either. I've tried it all."
"What? Why not? I don't get it."
"Well, you see..."
After hearing the detailed explanation, Canelian's face flushed red again.
'If even Sword Experts get pregnant that easily, what about me as a Swordmaster...'
Would she get pregnant just from a brush of skin?
Canelian felt unnecessarily anxious.
'I wonder if His Highness is asleep now with Professor Silvret.'
Imagining the two of them alone made her breath catch a little.
"Mother, aren't you going to sleep?"
"I wanted to sleep with my daughter for the first time in ages."
"Ah..."
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing."
***
Shooo! Whooo!
The Wyvern Lord banked sharply once more.
A wild flight with no regard for its passengers.
The Grand Prince felt dizzy as blood rushed to his head.
Just as his consciousness began to fade, Windeller forced a course correction to let the blood drain back down.
"I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Cheok Jun-kyung."
"Your Highness the Grand Prince, he says the path is still unfamiliar, so his wild flight habits keep slipping out. It's a bit rough, isn't it?"
"Hoo! Hoo! This is nothing!"
"I am Arcana's Sword...!"
"Lord Cheok asks if the roughness isn't actually more thrilling and better?"
"Much better! Even better!"
The Wyvern Lord's wild, rough flight instincts emerged now and then.
Each time, the Grand Prince felt nauseous or nearly blacked out from the g-forces.
But at the same time, it felt exhilarating.
'How long has it been since I felt this thrilling sense of danger?'
As a mage Grand Prince, he'd always been protected his whole life.
His most thrilling memory was...
'Climbing to the top of a tree after a pine nut at age ten with friends, then falling. That comes to mind.'
He'd suffered a grievous injury requiring expensive healing potions.
Even now, he occasionally reminisced and laughed about it with those friends (his retainers).
It was fun back then, they'd say.
"Hahaha!"
The rougher the flight, the more it shook, the fiercer the wind whipped his skin...
A sense of liberation like his chest had been cracked open surged through him.
For this moment, he could forget his worries about his eldest daughter, who couldn't have children and was frail.
"Lord Cheok! Faster! Fly farther!"
"I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Cheok Jun-kyung."
"He says hold on tight!"
"I get it now!"
Shooo! Whooo!
The Wyvern Lord accelerated further.
Before long, the capital had shrunk to a distant speck.
'How long has it been since I left the capital so freely?'
The Grand Prince's heart pounded like a boy's on an adventure.
Then Caron suddenly shouted.
"What? Your Highness! Look over there! A monster horde is on the move!"
"What did you say?"
Sharpness returned to the Grand Prince's eyes.
Windeller had already turned the Wyvern Lord toward them.
A vast border forest far from the city.
An enormous monster horde was crossing over from the neighboring Steno Kingdom.
'What in the world is happening in Steno Kingdom?'
The Grand Prince recalled Ragna's earlier warning.
The Pendragon Lake flood was the prelude to a monster frenzy.
The key point: if those monsters weren't subjugated, the cities in their path would be annihilated.
"Your Highness! They're just numerous—no particularly strong individuals in sight. Shall we handle the subjugation ourselves?"
"Baron Caron, you mean the three of us take them on? Without capital reinforcements?"
"Yes, Your... Highness!"
"Excellent idea! Let's do it!"
The Grand Prince laughed heartily and drew his one-handed magic wand.
Sparks crackled from the wand.
Sensing the lightning aura, Windeller urgently shouted.
"I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Cheok Jun-kyung."
"Lord Cheok? Are you serious? No, even so, that's a bit..."
"Baron Caron, what did Lord Cheok say?"
"He says blast him with lightning spells nonstop. It's the most efficient. Lord Cheok, really?"
"I am Arcana's Sword."
Windeller stopped there and nodded vigorously at the Grand Prince.
The Grand Prince felt his blood boil.
"Got it! I'll trust you, Cheok Jun-kyung, and do just that!"
"Then I'm going first!"
Caron leaped down energetically.
Windeller suddenly dropped to his knees and offered a solemn prayer.
His demeanor was gravely serious.
The Grand Prince even felt a sense of divinity.
'What is this atmosphere of such fervent faith, like a high cardinal...!'
Soon, Windeller leaped down powerfully.
The Grand Prince looked down from the hovering Wyvern Lord's back.
Windeller's diving form grew larger,
Until the giant knight slid on his knees and bashed through countless monsters with his shield.
'I can't fall behind.'
The Grand Prince raised his magic wand high.
Lightning power gathered in the wand's crystal, sparks crackling fiercely.
"Net of Thunderbolts!"
The giant knight caught the hurled lightning with his greatsword, then swung horizontally at the monsters.
Bzzzt! Crackle!
The lightning aura on the blade arced out in a semicircle, electrocuting monsters en masse.
The Grand Prince gaped in shock.
"How? My spell shouldn't have that much power...!"
The giant knight raised his shield and turned this way.
He could tell just from the gaze.
The will to say: unleash spells without mercy.
The Grand Prince poured mana vigorously into his raised wand.
"Heaven's Wrath! Lightning Charge!"
Bzzzt!
***
I was lying in bed with Silvret, who had sneaked into the bedroom.
"Canelian's taking too long..."
"Maybe she's spending some quality time with her parents since it's been a while?"
"Hm, then should we go to sleep first, just us?"
"..."
Silvret flinched.
Was my gaze that lecherous?
"She's really late. Silvret, shall we go ahead without her?"
"...Yes, Your Highness."
"Come to think of it, this is our first time sleeping just the two of us, isn't it?"
"..."
So that's why she was tense?
As I moved to take off her nightgown, she trembled and seemed even more embarrassed than usual.
I hugged the now underwear-clad Silvret to my side and lay comfortably.
I could feel her body quivering faintly.
"Silvret, don't worry. I won't eat you."
"Hic, as your concubine, I can't embrace you before the First Crown Princess. P-please understand."
"Kissing's okay, right?"
"All physical contact must proceed with the First Crown Princess's permission and under her observation! That's proper etiquette!"
"First time hearing that. Is there such a rule?"
I'd half-joked, but her horrified reaction was amusing.
Anyway, Canelian was really late.
She must be sleeping with the Crown Princess—her mother-in-law.
'Without my attachment heroine, I can't sleep well...'
One side felt empty.
So I fully turned to Silvret, hugged her tight, and stroked her here and there.
"Silvret, I promise. I'll definitely get you a mythic mage robe that suits a professor perfectly."
"Really?"
"I'll find a way soon. Just wait a bit."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Silvret was overjoyed, which made me happy too.
'A sexy see-through negligee robe would look perfect on Silvret.'
Suddenly, a slave alert popped up.
'Permitted.'
I hit the transformation approval button and dismissed the alert.
A little later.
Windeller, you bastard—what are you hunting this late at night?
I'm sleepy.
I closed my eyes, hugging Silvret tightly.
***
Mountainous piles of monster corpses lay scattered everywhere.
Split in two by Aura Blade.
Fried to a crisp by lightning.
Smashed into unrecognizable pulp by a massive blunt weapon.
The Wyvern Lord, saddled with harness, saddle, and reins, crawled on the ground with its wings, greedily tearing into the dead monsters.
A wide clearing made by felling trees held a roaring bonfire.
Three men sat around it, clinking glasses.
Skewered dried meat sizzled over the flames.
Tipsy from the spicy booze, the Grand Prince and Caron arm-in-arm, guzzled from an oak barrel, enjoying the roasted meat as a side.
"Baron Caron's preparedness is truly astonishing. How did you even think to bring booze and snacks amid all this?"
"This Caron is always prepared, be it as a knight or a man. And Your Highness, as the Prince Consort's father-in-law, please treat me casually too—call me whatever."
"You want that?"
"It would be an honor!"
"Got it. Caron, you rascal! Insolent!
How long do you intend to neglect this 'Ogre Slayer Lightning Mage Damian Sparon Lu Elryad II'—His Highness's empty glass?!"
"Whoops, my apologies! Right away!"
Caron fussed dramatically, knelt, and reverently poured.
The pleasantly drunk Grand Prince guffawed and chugged it down.
'That savage, ruthless Empire's beast, Swordmaster Caron—turned into such a meek lamb. Our son-in-law truly is remarkable.'
The Grand Prince gazed contentedly at the countless monster corpses,
then turned to Windeller.
"Cheok Jun-kyung, have a drink."
"I am Arcana's... "
"Flying drunk while serving Your Highness the Grand Prince is too dangerous—absolutely not."
"What a commendably dutiful fellow!"
The Grand Prince and Caron giggled, sharing drinks and lavish compliments.
Windeller held a full glass for toasts, staring up at the dark night sky.
Drphelus (small, Wyvern Lord-sized) hovered at a dizzying altitude, monitoring the tamed Wyvern Lord in stationary flight.
'I am a giant robot knight.'
Windeller stared at his glass, then took a sip.
The first food he'd tasted since donning this armor.
The flavor and aroma were just as he remembered.
His tastes hadn't changed.
But it didn't appeal much.
Everything felt profoundly boring, somehow?
'I want to transform back...'