Chapter 112
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Feast of Sun and Moon (6)
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"We talked about Her Highness the Princess."
"Oh my, about me?... How embarrassing. Hehe."
Even as she said it was embarrassing, Liana's expression didn't twitch in the slightest.
"I had no idea Eugene thought so highly of me. So, what exactly did you say?"
"...I said that Her Highness the Princess is aiming for the Crown Prince's position."
"Hmm..."
Liana looked a bit disappointed upon hearing my words.
"Sigh... I'm sorry, but I'm not really interested in th—"
"I know Your Highness has no interest in it."
My heart pounded, fearing she'd kill me just for interrupting her.
But fortunately, our princess smiled as if pleased instead.
"Oh? Then why?"
"Because the Crown Prince's response was important."
If the Crown Prince had simply chickened out and avoided the fight, I would have tried to change his mind somehow.
But the Crown Prince had retreated with his own convictions, right or wrong.
In that case, those convictions deserved respect.
"Hmm, so what's the conclusion?"
"It can't be done by the Crown Prince."
"Can't do what?"
"Stop Her Highness the Princess."
Liana paused for a moment upon hearing my answer.
I didn't miss the opening and pressed on.
"So, I will stop Her Highness the Princess."
"...Hehehe. Eugene's going to stop me?"
Liana's mask slipped a little.
"How?"
Not acting—her face was alight with genuine excitement and anticipation.
"How is Eugene, who lacks strength, power, everything compared to me, going to stop me?"
The princess was right.
I wasn't superior to her in anything.
Power-wise, she was royalty; in martial prowess, the gap was like an ant versus an elephant.
"...By any means necessary. I will stop you."
"Hehehe, really?"
Liana suddenly stood and casually approached the decorative shelf.
Phewing—
By the time I noticed, a dagger hanging on the shelf had already grazed my cheek.
Severed strands of my hair fell to the floor.
"How about that? You didn't even see it, did you?"
"...No."
"Ahh~. This won't do. I like you, Eugene, but you're just too weak."
Liana wagged her index finger side to side.
"If you want to stop me, you need to get waaaay stronger than you are now."
The princess, beaming with smiles, clapped her hands together.
"So, I'll give you a chance to get stronger. ...Come out."
At Liana's command, her shadow bubbled like molten lava before surging upward.
"..."
From the shadow emerged a woman with pitch-black eyes and short black bobbed hair, just like mine.
Melphisa Pavol Rie
—As you may know, young master, Lady Kiara... was murdered.
The last surviving member of the Pavol Rie family.
—Yes, by Pavol Rie Metz, the head of the branch family.
And the daughter of Pavol Rie Metz, who had killed my mother.
I already knew this from the setting, but perhaps hearing from Alfredo how my mother had passed...
For a very brief moment.
A truly fleeting moment, I faltered.
"Come on! Introduce yourselves. You're the last of the family—gotta get along."
"Pleased to meet you."
"...Speak freely, young master."
Liana laughed merrily at mine and Melphisa's reactions.
"Yes, yes! Seeing family reunite like this makes even me happy! You too, right, Eugene?"
The princess asking someone like me—practically her enemy—if he was happy.
Though I had faltered briefly, it was all events from before I reincarnated into this world.
And Melphisa had been just a child when my mother was killed.
It would be strange to hold hatred toward such a Melphisa.
"Yes, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful for your grace."
"...Hmm."
Seeing no real reaction from me, the princess switched targets.
"No answer from Melphisa?"
"...No. I'm happy too... Your Highness."
Her expression unchanged, Melphisa spoke as if her guts were being ripped out in agony.
"Good! Then, Melphisa, teach Eugene the Pavol Rie 'bloodline magic.'"
"...! Your Highness!"
Melphisa cried out with her emotionless face.
"Why? Don't like it? Too bad—you have to. He needs that to get stronger."
"But...!"
"Hmm? Melphisa... you won't obey me?"
"...Ugh... No. I will... obey your command."
"Yes, good. That's right."
The princess pushed things forward without even asking my opinion.
"The deadline... hmm. How about while you're in the imperial palace, Eugene?"
Even here, the princess was cunning as ever.
By setting the deadline as "while in the imperial palace" instead of a fixed date, she aimed to keep me there as long as possible.
"Oh, and this is probably unnecessary worry, but just in case. If Eugene hasn't mastered the 'bloodline magic' by the start of school..."
Smiling like a little devil, Liana whispered softly.
"I'll punish both of you."
Three days had passed since my conversation with Liana.
As for any progress in that time...
"Young master..."
"...Yes."
My face burned as Melphisa called me.
I had nothing to say, even with a hundred mouths.
Pavol Rie's bloodline magic: 'Shadow'
I couldn't even master the basics—like moving my own shadow.
'...Fuck.'
I'd managed to move a tiny bit of mana in a telekinesis-like way, but that was it.
This was the best I could do.
I'm a 'Unique Ability User,' not a 'mage' to begin with.
The only reason I could use magic at all was the 'Tamer' trait.
"...Young master, please, I beg you."
Then Melphisa bowed at a perfect right angle, her face rigid.
"Spare me just once. I want to live."
...The first day was fine, but by the second, she started cracking, and now she was completely broken.
Proof of how terrified she was of the princess's punishment.
...Well, I was scared too, wondering what punishment I'd get.
But more than that, I trusted in the princess's favor toward me.
'...She won't kill me.'
The princess was delighted that I'd become her rival.
She wouldn't lay a hand on me until I'd grown to a certain point.
Lost in thought without answering, Melphisa misunderstood and dropped to her knees, clasping her hands in desperate plea.
"...I know apologies from scum like me are meaningless! But if you show mercy just once... I swear, I'll never forget that grace my whole life! Young master...! Please...! I want to live!"
It made me uncomfortable.
Honestly, Melphisa had done nothing wrong.
What could a child do in a massive clan war that wiped out the entire family?
She hadn't killed my mother herself; it was guilt by association.
And anyway, Melphisa was the last bloodline on her maternal side too.
"It's fine, stand up. I really want to learn it too, but I just can't..."
Admitting my own incompetence out loud was utterly humiliating.
"...Please don't speak so casually to me! ...And you don't have to lie. I heard from Her Highness that you, young master, were born with mana talent!"
"...Me?"
I had no idea what nonsense Liana had spouted.
Me, with mana talent?
Ridiculous.
"...She said you found the bead before Her Highness in the bead-finding test... Impressive, young master."
"...Ah."
Come to think of it, there was that time.
But it was pure coincidence.
100% luck, no need for further explanation.
'...Of all times, my luck activated then.'
As my expression twisted, Melphisa begged again.
"...S-Sorry! I overstepped by presuming to advise you without understanding your deep thoughts! Please forgive me..."
Her voice was on the verge of tears, yet her face remained perfectly expressionless.
To change the subject, I asked Melphisa,
"Um... Miss Melphisa..."
"To call scum like me by a title... I am honored. Please, just call me Melphisa."
"...Sigh... Fine, Melphisa."
"Yes, young master."
"You don't show much expression, Melphisa."
It was an offhand comment, but she took it differently.
"...Sorry! I've been trained since childhood not to show emotions on my face. I'll... fix it."
Melphisa hooked her pinky to the corner of her mouth and lifted it.
"No, not that."
This time, she pulled it down.
"..."
As I stared in disbelief, Melphisa continued calmly with her deadpan face.
"...Young master... Is this... not to your liking? Th-Then... will you hit me?"
"...?"
"As long as it doesn't leave permanent damage... No, you don't have to! But if possible, something non-fatal to the mission—please!"
I had no clue what she thought I was.
'Do I look like some psycho?'
For someone who'd lived diligently and kindly, it was infuriating.
Then Melphisa shed her outer garment and pointed to her chest with a finger.
"H-Here... the lungs are! Hit hard, and it gives both impact and suffocation pain. H-Here has the womb—ah! I wasn't planning kids anyway, so ruin the womb if you want! Go on! Punch it!"
Her talking about wrecking her womb while explaining its location made my head spin.
"...That's not it. I really hold no grudge."
She looked like a cold-blooded beauty assassin on the outside, but her actions were pure idiot moron.
"Th-Then why aren't you learning the shadow?"
"I've told you over and over... I just have no talent."
How many times had we had this conversation?
"...Th-That can't be! Unlike a branch like me, you have main family blood—you should learn basics in no time!"
That's why even those basics require my 'Tamer' trait—I can't without it.
"...Gasp! S-Sorry for pointing it out arrogantly again. Young master... I'll do anything, so please... forgive me."
Melphisa rubbed her palms together on the floor, head pressed to the ground.
Another sigh escaped me, who knew what number.
"...Sigh... Melphisa."
"Yes! Young master. If the womb's no good, shall I cut off fingers? Up to... two, somehow..."
...Crazy bitch.
Garcia, Misha, and now this—not a single normal woman.
At this point, I wondered if the problem was my bloodline.
'...I didn't want to use this method if possible.'
But sadly, time until Carnea Academy's opening was running short.
I swallowed an inward sigh and pulled out my last resort.
"There is one way to learn it quickly, but..."