Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 078
Chapter Title: The Prodigy Prince
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"Um, Your Highness, if word of what you just said got out to others..."
"I haven't told anyone."
"...Yes. You must be extremely careful."
"I know, Teacher Rabun."
Kyle looked at Rabun with a displeased expression.
"So, what's your answer to my question?"
Rabun gave an awkward smile.
Rabun was the tutor to the third prince and a scholar residing in the Third Archive, respected throughout the palace.
But respect didn't mean high status.
The crown prince had already been set as the first prince, Basen Rak Orzan.
For Kyle to become crown prince would mean deposing Basen.
Depending on the interpretation, even mentioning it could be seen as treason.
'One misstep, and I'll be smelling incense at my own funeral.'
Yet strangely, Rabun realized he wasn't feeling all that bad, even as fear gripped him.
Rabun spoke.
"You do know it's a difficult question, right?"
"I do. That's why I agonized over whether to ask it at all, and how many times."
"...Do you want to become king?"
Kyle's gaze drifted back to the inner courtyard.
"Want to? I'm not sure."
"Then why ask?"
"I was thinking it might be better if I became king."
"Pardon?"
Rabun echoed Kyle's words in surprise.
Not knowing if he wanted to be king, yet saying it might be good if he were—on the surface, the words didn't fit together.
But Rabun caught the missing subject in Kyle's statement.
Rabun asked.
"Better for whom?"
Kyle answered without blinking.
"For the people."
No one knew when human hands had last touched it—a snow-capped mountain range blanketed in pristine white.
At its peak stood a woman in an off-shoulder dress, staring blankly down at the ground.
It was Runda, the god of the Rnar.
Runda spoke through the video chat window.
"...That's the rough report up to now. Check the shared info for details."
"Got it."
"Hey, Nebula."
"What?"
"Mind if I ask a favor?"
"Let's hear it first."
"...Can you retreat just one move?"
Seong-un exaggeratedly captured a white stone from the Go board, as if it were no big deal.
Over the past century-plus, Seong-un had discovered ancient ruins, slain abominations and monstrosities, and acquired various subdomains.
Among them were the subdomains of trees and pebbles.
Creating a miraculous Go board was child's play.
Runda was much the same, though her stones sparkled as rubies and blue sapphires from the subdomain of gems rather than mere pebbles—it was still a Go board.
They peered into each other's boards through the video chat for a remote game.
Seong-un sat in the middle of a wasteland, on parched earth baked under the sun.
Behind him stood the only "still life"—the gaunt skull of a long-dead buffalo, gazing solitarily at the sky.
Runda moved a black stone as she spoke.
"Anything fun happening lately?"
"Oh, fishing for intel now?"
"Can you stop tying everything to the game? This is just small talk. An extension of asking how you've been."
Seong-un felt a twinge of disappointment whenever he realized not everyone was as serious about games as he was, but he brushed it off as usual.
"You'll hear about it eventually anyway."
"What is it?"
"Things might change soon."
"Finally?"
Runda's eyes narrowed.
She couldn't help but hold expectations for the word "change."
The past century had been a stagnation.
Entering what could be called the medieval era, national borders had seen little shift.
Sporadic border skirmishes never escalated into major wars.
Such stagnation was inevitable in Lost World.
Some builds pushed expansion relentlessly from the start to end the game quickly, but typical builds stabilized borders and focused on internal development.
This required conciliatory policies, like converting other races within one's borders into followers, beyond the initial expansion races.
Of course, internal issues with each race cropped up endlessly.
Seong-un himself had quelled six rebellions, even if they left no major historical mark.
The true enemies were inside, not out.
Replacing dynasties with more capable characters wasn't bad if needed, but Seong-un trusted Rakrak and Jaol's lineage.
'Kids from capable parents aren't always capable. Genetics aren't that simple.'
And while not full-scale military wars, player conflicts continued.
'Four of Heukrin's six rebellion attempts were probably stirred by other players.'
Naturally, Seong-un had incited court intrigues in rival nations.
Results were decently successful.
In Satyros's nation of Single Flame and Nix's nation of Golden Eye, the kings and about half the nobles leaned pro-Heukrin.
This stemmed from Rakrak's direct aid against the evil god of blood and rotten flesh, whose name had spread across the Third Continent as an archfiend.
Its subordinate, Shiven, lingered in legend as the Demon King—and Rakrak's feat of slaying the evil god endured.
Moreover, all present when Rakrak killed it had naturalized as Heukrin citizens, bolstering that influence.
The slaves Rakrak freed went without saying; even vampires hunted the fleeing Shiven, offering his corpse to the Lizardmen.
The Lizardmen accepted the vampires' surrender on site.
But symbiosis with vampires was impossible for any race.
Vampires needed human blood.
Lowly fourth-generation ones could subsist on animal blood, but not second- or third-gen.
Then the vampires made a stunning choice.
Refusing to harm others against Rakrak and Yacheon's will, they chose starvation.
Nearly a thousand vampires dug into caves near the Lizardmen's sacred mountain.
Lizardmen and other races watched to see if they'd hold true.
Some fled, betraying their vow; others succumbed to temptation.
But ultimately, over six hundred vampires endured the agony of thirst and died in place.
The Lizardmen recognized their sincerity too late.
Jaol's prayer to Yacheon from that valley passed down through generations.
"O Blue Insect God, though these sinners erred, they know their guilt and accept their punishment. I trust You will forgive them."
A blue butterfly circled Jaol.
Jaol bowed deeply.
"I have already forgiven them."
Word spread: even non-Lizardmen, even sinners—if they repented and self-punished—Yacheon embraced them.
The site became "Sitting Buddha Valley," one of Yacheonism's holy sites.
Thus, bordering Satyros and Nix—who'd barely rebuilt after vampire devastation—viewed Lizardmen favorably.
Kobold nation of Mangul had minimal vampire influence; Troll nation of Stone Face believed they could've defended alone, so pro-Heukrin factions didn't dominate.
'And Rnar's nation of Red...'
Seong-un looked up at Runda's voice interrupting his thoughts.
"Didn't you hear me?"
"What'd you say?"
"Tell me specifically what change is coming."
Seong-un looked up at Runda.
"Wasn't planning to."
"...Fine. Tell me if I win this game."
"Not happening. And what're you wagering?"
"So you do have something in mind? What'll it be..."
"Grant me one favor."
Runda flinched but nodded confidently.
"Deal."
Thirty minutes later, Runda flipped the Go board.
"Screw this. Let's call it draws. Come here. Or should I go there?"
"Lady Runda, you must accept the result."
Not Seong-un, but Eldar said it.
Eldar had been sitting out of video chat view, peeking out when Runda flipped the board.
Over the century, the three had formed a loose alliance; Runda even spied on Krampus for them.
"What're you doing there?"
"You're not the only one who gets bored, Lady Runda."
Eldar held up the chessboard between him and Seong-un.
Runda had thought Seong-un's fidgeting hand was just a tic, not another game.
"Wait, Nebula. You were playing me and Eldar at the same time?"
Seong-un and Eldar nodded in unison.
"Ouch, ego bruised. I'm out."
"Quitting?"
"Hmph."
Runda stuck out her tongue, flipped her middle finger, and ended the video chat.
Eldar spoke.
"Still, Nebula, I'm curious."
"About the signs of change?"
"Yes."
Seong-un's gaze naturally fell to the chessboard.
Eldar sighed and toppled his king.
"Looks like I won chess too?"
Eldar glanced skyward with big eyes.
"But we didn't bet on it, right?"
Seong-un nodded slowly.
Eldar and Runda's situations differed.
Runda was a double agent in Seong-un's eyes, so he fed her info one-way.
Eldar's elves were practically Heukrin affiliates.
Northern coastal elves had carved out territory but were bound by century-old pacts with Hwigyeong, needing Heukrin aid to grow.
Thus, they framed hardships from Lizardmen as divinely ordained trials. Eldar had given up on that.
Some of his elves served in Heukrin's court as retainers and left-hand advisors; Eldar's high priestess even decreed co-worship of Yacheon unproblematic.
Seong-un now considered a formal alliance with Eldar, who already saw him as an endgame partner.
Convinced it was safe, Seong-un spoke.
"Alright, check this out."
Seong-un opened a window showing Orzan's palace.
Eldar's eyes turned to it.
"These are the signs of change."
Where Rakrak pointed sat a young Lizardman, about thirteen years old.
Eldar recognized the face—third son of Heukrin's current king, King Anpyeong.
As third son, Eldar hadn't paid much attention, so he was puzzled.
"What's special about this one...?"
Seong-un chuckled dryly.
"Never checked his stats?"
"No."
"No special skills or anything. Just..."
"His intelligence is insanely high."