Chapter 162: Who’s the Protagonist?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: Who’s the Protagonist?
"Sigh... Seriously, didn't that arrow fly way too far?"
Unlike the arrows shot by Baek Tae-yang and Baelson, Kim Min-su’s arrow had soared a massive distance.
If it had landed inside the kingdom, he wouldn't have had to walk this much. But they told him his arrow had cleared the castle walls and landed somewhere in a swamp.
"...Tsk... Well, it’s for the Saintess, after all."
When the role assignment message had appeared before his eyes, Kim Min-su had racked his brain to deduce the identities of the roles.
The Prince is played by a man... and the bride must be played by a woman...
Since fairy tales generally followed that logic, it was only natural that the brides would be Melanie and the Saintess.
If Kim Min-su was the face of the First Prince in the royal palace, then the noble’s daughter had to be Melanie. She was the woman who suited the role of a noblewoman best. That was usually how these roles were decided, wasn't it?
Since Baelson’s bride is just a stand-in...
Then only one person remained: the Saintess.
Hehehe... The story is called 'The Frog Princess,' after all...
The Saintess must have been turned into a frog due to some kind of curse. Min-su reached that conclusion. There were no other variables.
"Once again, the story revolves around me."
During the [Chunhyangjeon] gate, Baek Tae-yang had blocked him with his bullshit, but this time was bound to be different.
"I actually know the story of 'The Frog Princess.'"
Of course, he had no intention of showing his hand. If Baek Tae-yang noticed, he would interfere immediately. For now, he would pretend to know nothing and 'act' like he was diligently cooperating to clear the gate. That was Kim Min-su’s goal.
"And once I hog all the clear rewards... this time, I’ll finally crush that bastard."
Ribbit, ribbit.
After walking for a long time, Min-su finally found the frog. In the original story, the frog was supposed to be holding the arrow in its mouth. However, the frog before him wasn't biting the arrow; it was stepping on it.
"Well... it’s a minor detail, so it should be fine. Right, Saintess?"
Ribbit, ribbit.
"Mmm... My heart wants to kiss you right now, but... well, I can't exactly kiss a frog... I’ll break the curse soon, so please wait just a little longer, Saintess."
Ribbit, ribbit.
Was it responding to his words? The frog opened its mouth wide and continued to croak.
"Baek Tae-yang... With my knowledge of the original story, I’m basically a god."
You’re dead meat.
With that vow, Min-su placed the frog on top of his head and made his way back to the palace.
++++++++++++++++++++
"You have all arrived, my precious princes."
I couldn't help but frown at the King’s words.
Wait... One of their faces completely changed, and you’re just going along with it?
Doesn't the face of that 'precious' Second Prince look a bit too different from before? He wasn't supposed to be such a sharp-looking, mean-faced guy.
"Then we shall proceed with the wedding immediately. All princes, step forward."
There were a dozen things I wanted to argue with the King about, but his reckless progression forced me to move along.
Who the hell are these two?
The Second Prince was definitely Baelson. But for some reason, when we arrived at the palace, Baelson was nowhere to be seen, and a man and woman I’d never seen before had taken his place. They were a pair with a serious visual disparity.
I shouldn't judge people by their looks, but man...
The guy looked petty as hell, and the woman looked like she’d seduced her fair share of men. Their faces practically screamed, 'We’re villains, and we’ve dealt with Baelson.'
Let’s just watch for now.
Agreed.
I wanted to ask about Baelson’s whereabouts immediately, but since progressing the story was the priority, Melanie and I decided to hold back. If Baelson had died, I would have ignored the progression, but he wasn't dead. The fact that there were no changes in the gate’s progress proved it.
If Baelson had died, the story would have been affected... like a message saying the Second Prince is dead. Since nothing changed, they must have pulled some kind of trick.
The possibility that they killed him after pulling the trick? Highly unlikely. In a novel centered around a protagonist, a companion doesn't just die out of nowhere for no reason.
That would lack narrative consistency.
Furthermore, after re-checking the gate messages, the role of the second son was still assigned to Baelson. In other words, Baelson was still alive, and it was safe to assume these people had simply deceived the King.
"First Prince, who has married the daughter of a nobleman, I congratulate you."
"Thank you."
The wedding wasn't particularly grand, nor was it blessed by the masses.
"Second Prince, who has married the daughter of a merchant, I congratulate you."
"Yes, thank you."
Normally, a royal wedding should be announced to the whole kingdom. The reason it was being held so quietly? It was because of the Third Prince.
"...Third Prince, who has married a frog... I congratulate you."
"...Thank you."
Kim Min-su. Or more accurately, Ivan. According to the story, he marries a frog. There was no way they’d hold a grand, public wedding for a royal marrying a frog.
"But am I really getting married to a frog??!?!"
What’s with the over-the-top reaction?
Is he acting?
I couldn't tell what Kim Min-su was thinking, but his performance was clumsy, and it was painfully obvious he was hiding something.
"That is your fate."
Min-su’s fake disbelief met the King’s robotic dialogue. I could see a firm determination in the King’s eyes to push the story forward no matter what. After offering his 'blessings' to everyone, the King spoke like an NPC giving out a quest. It was incredibly contrived and abrupt.
"Now, bake a loaf of white bread by tomorrow."
"You are dismissed."
As soon as the King finished speaking, we were suddenly outside the audience chamber, as if a movie cutscene had just ended. I thought we’d at least exchange rings or share a kiss since it was a wedding. It was a shame none of that happened.
It was a chance to make some progress with Melanie...
Even if it was just a formality, being bound as a married couple and doing nothing felt wrong. But I put that aside for now.
"So, who are you guys?"
There was something I had to address first. The petty-looking man and...
Actually, for convenience, I decided to call them 'Scrawny' and 'Black Gyaru.' As soon as Scrawny heard me, he bristled and spoke.
"Did you just call us 'you guys'? Kids these days have no manners."
"Tell me about it. Back in the day, someone like him would’ve been killed by us instantly..."
Black Gyaru had detached herself from Scrawny’s side as soon as they left the chamber; they didn't seem particularly close. They felt more like strictly business partners.
"Baek Tae-yang! Can't you tell? They’re obviously enemies. Just a moment, Saintess, I’ll take care of them immediately."
Min-su seemed less concerned with assessing the situation and more focused on showing off in front of the Saintess and Melanie. He carefully placed the frog, which had been sitting regally on his palm, onto the floor and glanced at Melanie. He sure lived a busy life.
Did he conclude that the frog is the Saintess?
For a conclusion drawn by him, it was surprisingly sharp.
Well... it’s not a bad guess.
The problem was that the atmosphere wasn't right for a fight. It was practically impossible to start brawling right outside the King’s audience chamber. Just looking at the knights nearby, they were all glaring at us menacingly.
Each one of them is on par with the Troll King... maybe even stronger.
They were only holding back because of our royal status. If we showed any sign of threatening the palace, they’d suppress us instantly. I had tested Scrawny and Black Gyaru knowing that.
No matter how strong you are, you have to endure it here.
Unless you’re a complete lunatic, the normal thing to do is let it slide.
"Well... as for who we are... it’s a bit early to say."
"Yeah, we haven't really decided yet."
Black Gyaru nodded in agreement with Scrawny. Hearing that made my head throb.
Again with the mysterious villain dialogue... Sigh, seriously.
Dealing with Chubby Ahn was annoying enough, and now there’s a new plot hook? I thought stealing all of Kim Min-su’s girls and taking all the protagonist's share would lead to a happy ending. I just want to build my harem in peace.
"Anyway... see you tomorrow. We have to meet at least three times, after all."
"Right, right. Bye-bye~"
Deciding that further bickering was pointless, Scrawny and Black Gyaru vanished in an instant.
Three times?
That line suggested they knew something. Scrawny and Black Gyaru seemed to know the plot of [The Frog Princess].
"Damn... They’re lucky they ran away before I could use my Unicorn Awakening."
"They looked way stronger than you, though."
"...! Baek Tae-yang... This gate will be the last time you insult me!"
"...Sure... but before that, why don't we look for Baelson togeth—"
"No!"
What is he, a teenage girl? After snapping at me, Kim Min-su carefully placed the frog back on his head and dashed away.
"...Let's at least try to find him ourselves."
"Yeah, let's."
Predicting that many annoying things would happen during this gate, I began walking with Melanie toward Baelson’s likely path.
+++++++++++++++++++
"Karis, did you figure out who the protagonist is?"
"No... I can't tell either."
Karis—the man Baek Tae-yang had dubbed 'Scrawny'—rubbed his face with his hands repeatedly. He thought this would be easy, but things were getting complicated.
"It makes no sense for both of them to be the protagonist..."
In other novels, there might be exceptions, but this story was supposed to have only one protagonist. Yet, for some reason, he felt the aura of a protagonist from both of them. And the ratio was roughly a 60/40 split.
"Maybe the handsome one is the protagonist? He’s totally my type."
"...Yui, could you please stop thinking like that for once?"
"Gomen~"
They had to kill the protagonist. But they could only kill one.
"That loud-mouthed loser might be the protagonist..."
"Hmm..."
Scrawny and Black Gyaru—no, Karis and Yui. They had encountered a deep dilemma for the first time in a long while.