Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Grand Prince's Awakening
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"Grand Prince Cloy."
A madness from which he could not escape.
Demonic energy that eroded his very personality.
Even one of these would have made it hard to keep his sanity, yet Grand Prince Cloy harbored both.
And now, he had awakened.
Was it because he had been the master of the Mad Dragon for so long?
Even if it was only half, a Mad Dragon was still a Mad Dragon.
He was a man who had possessed even a sliver of draconic power.
His recovery was so remarkable that it proved the physicians' predictions of irreversible damage wrong.
Though his body still wouldn't obey him fully, making movement difficult, he knew who he was and what he had done.
And also.
Who had saved him.
"You... no, Her Majesty the Queen... you must have suffered greatly."
The Queen tried not to cry.
She tried desperately.
But she couldn't stop the tears from bursting forth, her eyes overflowing.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and with trembling hands, she grasped Cloy's hand.
Her one remaining blood kin.
She was simply grateful that he was alive.
"Grand Prince. No, Brother."
"No."
Cloy seemed to know what Clara was about to say.
That was why he shook his head.
"I am not worthy."
"Brother..."
"Her Majesty the Queen... no, Clara. I still remember it vividly. I fell for their schemes, so I can hardly call myself the eldest son of Bright. Our ancestors would mock me. Even if they deceived me, it was ultimately my choice that caused this mess. The kingdom has fallen into even greater peril because of me, and I don't even know how many royal knights and subjects I killed. How could I possibly rule Carpe like this?"
Grand Prince Cloy lowered his head.
"I've placed a heavy burden on you. Resent your worthless brother for life."
"..."
"But in a way, it's a relief."
"What do you mean?"
Seeing Clara pout, Cloy recalled old memories.
The spoiled child.
His one and only sister, always teary-eyed as she sought him out.
But now, the queen of a nation.
"Few nations have withstood the Empire's invasion, but since you endured it, you more than qualify to be king."
Cloy rose from the bed.
"You should still rest..."
Clara swallowed her words.
Cloy staggered as if he might collapse at any moment, sweat beading on his brow, yet he didn't stop.
She knew what he intended to do, so she couldn't bring herself to stop him.
Grand Prince Cloy stood before Clara and slowly knelt on one knee.
He placed his right hand over his heart, performing the full rite of vassalage.
"I greet Queen Clara."
Clara's white dress crumpled in her clenched fist.
Tears welled up in her pale eyes.
She could see Cloy trembling. Despite his difficulty moving, he steeled himself for her sake—for the kingdom.
He was casting aside his claim as firstborn.
Acknowledging her as queen.
Cloy's silver hair, bowed low, fluttered in the breeze from the window.
Clara lifted her head.
She tried to stem the rising tears.
But they flowed anyway.
She wiped them away and nodded.
"Yes, Grand Prince Cloy."
Such a heavy burden.
If he awoke, she had wanted to cast it off.
But now she realized she couldn't.
She steeled herself once more.
"For the Queen who spared my life, and for Carpe and House Jerban, I pledge my life."
House Jerban.
Clara's eyes softened with longing as she thought of the count.
"I'd like to meet him someday. I wonder where he's headed now."
"Who knows. I can't predict the count's path, but there's no hesitation at the tip of his sword, so he'll surely return having achieved great things."
* * *
Neigh.
A man rode across the plains on horseback. The man on the white horse was clad entirely in white.
A man draped in a pure white robe.
Countless soldiers swarmed around him, blocking his path.
"Halt!"
At least thirty of them.
Their weapons were spears and maces.
One of the soldiers spoke up.
"We've received reports of a lecher prowling the area lately, seducing women. He's said to ride a white horse and wear a white robe. If you're innocent, remove your hood!"
"..."
"Take off the hood and show your face!"
"They say the lecher's face is handsome like a god's creation, so we'll know at a glance!"
"Hahaha!"
The borderlands between the Empire and the Duchy.
The man sighed deeply.
"You bastard! I said take off the hood!!"
One soldier bellowed.
As soon as he removed the hood, the laughing soldiers' expressions changed dramatically.
"What kind of face is that..."
"He's so handsome..."
"I almost fell for him."
It was an appearance so striking that even another man would call it handsome.
While everyone stared in a daze, the squad leader snapped to attention and gripped his spear tighter.
"Fool! What are you doing? That pretty face proves he's the infamous pervert!"
Black hair and ash-gray eyes.
He was the pilgrim setting out from Carpe—Kallias.
Kallias sighed deeply at the soldiers' reactions.
'I did something unnecessary.'
It had been a mistake to get involved in something foolish at the place where he'd briefly stopped after leaving the kingdom.
'Getting tangled with some crazy woman.'
The truth of the incident was nothing special.
He had rescued a maiden who was being abducted right in front of him. But it turned out she was a noble lady of the Empire.
There was no benefit in getting involved with the Empire, so he tried to go on his way, but the lady wouldn't let him leave and confessed her love.
Something about love at first sight.
Kallias had no choice but to reject the lady's feelings, and that's when things started going wrong.
'Who knew she'd report me as a rogue.'
She was from a prominent family, apparently, because suddenly a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Kallias was dumbfounded.
'They say God sends trials to pilgrims...'
It was certainly a trial.
Just not the kind he'd expected.
The start of his sacred pilgrimage already felt tainted.
What made him more uneasy was the feeling that this wouldn't be the last of it.
But what could he do? It was an appearance crafted by God, with a mysterious aura.
Combined with the traits of Prodigal and Pheromone, who could he blame?
'It's my own handsome fault.'
Any woman who crossed paths with him or spoke to him had no choice but to fall for Kallias.
It was inevitable.
Why? Because he was handsome!
"You bastard!"
A soldier gripped his spear and threatened Kallias, who just stood there sighing.
And right then.
-Roaaar!!
"Gasp!"
A massive wolf suddenly burst from the nearby forest, roaring as it tore into a soldier and devoured him.
"A m-magical beast!"
"How is a magical beast here...!"
The wolf-like beast looked far from ordinary even to the soldiers' eyes.
Lightning crackled from its two horns, draconic scales covered its legs and body, and its fluffy fur resembled clouds depicted in ancient masterpieces.
A beast that looked like a dragon in some ways, a wolf in others.
-Rooaaar!!
The Thunder Cloud Dragon spat lightning.
"Arghhh!"
"R-run away!!"
The Thunder Cloud Dragon, Vivi.
* * *
Vivi's thunder strike turned the soldiers into charred husks.
At least thirty.
They were just ordinary soldiers, and Vivi annihilated them effortlessly.
'Empire troops, so no big deal.'
The spear in his hand proved it.
If they were innocents, he might have felt a twinge of guilt, but these were the kind Kallias would grit his teeth over, so he had no intention of sparing them.
"Good job, Vivi."
Vivi lowered its head as if asking for praise.
Its now considerably large frame still had cute aspects that didn't quite match.
Yes.
Vivi had undergone sudden growth.
It had slept for so long without waking, then grown explosively.
Now it was taller than him, big enough to ride.
Slightly smaller than the Thunder Cloud Dragon that had been Vivi's mother, which he'd seen before.
He wondered if Thunder Cloud Dragons grew this fast normally, but he doubted it.
It was probably due to the massive amounts of food it had consumed, along with the dragon blood and troll blood he'd fed it.
'The Sixteenth Platoon ate plenty, but Vivi ate even more.'
In any case, Vivi had become quite conspicuous in size.
It still understood and obeyed his commands perfectly, so it traveled with him.
Honestly, when he first left Carpe, he hadn't even realized Vivi was following.
By the time he noticed, they had already crossed the border, so he had no choice but to bring it along.
After lavishing Vivi with praise, he told it to hide somewhere again.
Horses got too spooked with Vivi around and wouldn't move.
'It'll be fine if I leave it.'
The soldiers' corpses were a bit of an eyesore, but with plenty of wild animals nearby, they'd be taken care of naturally.
Even if he cleaned up meticulously, if they wanted to pursue, they would anyway.
This was the border between the Empire and the Duchy—Beast territory, but killing a few soldiers wouldn't bring knights swarming.
Even if knights came.
"It wouldn't matter."
They posed no real threat to him.
No matter that it was the Empire-Duchy border, it was still a remote frontier.
Few strong foes threatened him here.
That was why he could afford to be relaxed even as a wanted fugitive.
Besides, who knew.
Maybe Si-eun would appear while he was fending off pursuers.
"I need to build my strength as much as possible before reaching the Sahara Sanctuary."
Sahara Sanctuary.
A holy site where holy knights and knights from all nations gathered, regardless of origin.
He had made it his ultimate destination for now.
The reason was sound.
'Strong ones gather at the sanctuary.'
Powerhouses from across the continent converged there. The reason was simple.
It was a place bearing the traces of gods, and also a market where pilgrims exchanged skills and relics.
Of course.
There were connections to build, and named foes to eliminate.
Most were strong, which was exactly why he had to go.
'I'll obtain the "Iron Lord" there.'
That was his immediate goal.
And since Sahara lay beyond the Empire and Duchy, he had no choice but to cross this dangerous region.
"It's not exactly the sword I had in mind."
Still, it was a phantom sword.
The power to command an iron army was no different from holding a nation in his grasp.
No harm in acquiring it.
'With that, it'll be easier to get the other swords I want.'
A sword's grade was ultimately determined by the wielder's potential, influence, innate power, and soul's purity.
To wield a stronger sword, he needed to defeat stronger foes.
Which required an even stronger sword.
For the next three years.
He would need to strive ceaselessly.
But he wasn't afraid.
Even the hardships of the pilgrimage would become trials forging him.
"Hm?"
Clatter clatter!!
While he paused, soldiers and knights gathered around Kallias.
"Be careful! He commands a magical beast!"
"The lecher commands a magical beast!!"
"He's a devil's servant!"
"A devilish pervert!"
"..."
Had God abandoned him?
Why such trials upon him.
Was this the trial of pilgrimage?
"What a shitty god."
He sighed, and Vivi growled, unleashing lightning.
Boom!
"Argh!"
"Ugh...!"
"This wretch who toys with women!!"
No matter how many ordinary soldiers gathered, they couldn't match Vivi's lightning-fast movements.
Kallias sat atop his horse, watching Vivi's slaughter impassively.
"He's not human! He's a lust demon!!"
"A demon of lust!!"
From fugitive to pervert to lust demon now.
Rumors about him were probably twisting into something bizarre.
He had no choice.
'I'll just take them down as they come.'
This pilgrimage would be anything but smooth, in a whole different way from the last.