Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 63 : Pretty Knife (1)
‘It seems sothing is happening in the capital.’
In fact, even before Sherazade gave her warning, I also had felt so ominous signs.
A few days ago, a disturbing flow of mana had been felt from the direction of Abysin.
However, since I couldn’t be certain of my judgnt, I hadn’t taken direct action.
‘If it were the past , I could have been certain with just a feeling, but I’m not at that level yet.’
If I had achieved the state transcending the 9th Circle like in the past, at least regarding the flow of mana, I wouldn’t have had any doubts about my judgnt.
But right now, the Mana Rings I had succeeded in forming were 7 in total.
It was a level where I couldn’t have certainty to take action relying only on intuition.
‘But if that girl felt sothing similar, the story is different.’
A Sub-Dragon is a life form born with an instinctive affinity for mana and spirits.
Moreover, Sherazade was practically the princess of those Sub-Dragons.
If such a Sherazade and I simultaneously felt an unusual energy from the capital, this was a problem worth thinking about seriously.
‘I should use the chess piece deployed in the enemy camp.’
I opened a drawer and took out a box made of glass.
Inside it, a luxurious-looking bracelet was contained.
I stroked the light with careful hand movents as if resonating with the green aura.
Shhh-
Then, the engraved pattern on the bracelet, which had clearly been empty, squird while harboring green light.
Shhh-
A sound as if a snake was flicking its tongue was heard and soon disappeared without a trace.
I said in a subdued voice.
“It seems you’ll have to trouble yourself a bit.”
***
“Oh my, no. Your Highness, there are watching eyes.”
“It’s fine. Madam, I have dismissed everyone around, so there won’t be anyone watching us.”
A late night when even the round moon hid its appearance between the clouds.
Deep within the Royal Palace located in the center of Zodiac’s capital, Abysin, a secret rendezvous was unfolding.
“And wh-what does it matter if there are so watching eyes? Madam, I have endured for too long! Today for sure, today for sure I will…… the Madam…….”
Under the soft light of the chandelier.
The sight of a young man, who seed to have just passed the age of twenty, embracing a woman ca into view.
“Madam, I love you. From the day I first saw you, Madam, I loved you. I an that I have wanted to be like this with you since that day.”
The identity of the young man embracing the woman was the Crown Prince of the Zodiac Kingdom, ‘Luplan’.
The woman embraced in his arms was…….
“Why is our Prince being so childish today?”
Reichart’s mistress, Rishu Vispon.
“Haa, haa. Madam, Madam…….”
The Crown Prince roughly buried his lips in Rishu’s pale nape and groped every nook and cranny of her body.
“Your Highness really…….”
Rishu burst into a laugh like a young girl and tolerated Luplan’s hand coming inside her dress for a while.
“Stop now.”
When the timing beca appropriate, she pushed Luplan’s body away slightly.
“Madam, Madam!”
But Luplan, drunk on Rishu’s body, didn’t seem to have any thought of falling away from her easily.
Rishu, having tolerated Luplan’s childishness for a mont longer, spoke again in a slightly firr voice.
“Stop now.”
“Haa haa…….”
“Prince!”
When Rishu’s voice tone beca a little higher, only then did Luplan hurriedly fall away from her and apologize in a fluster.
“So-sorry. Madam, because you are too beautiful, I got excessively excited for a mont. But please know that all of this is because my heart toward you is sincere…….”
Perhaps thinking he might be hated by Rishu, Luplan offered an apology hurriedly.
“Fufu, of course I know well too. Your Highness.”
Rishu nodded without bothering to inform this immature kid about the difference between ‘lust’ and a ‘sincere heart’.
“But not yet. Later. Understand?”
“Of-of course!”
At Rishu’s promise, Luplan nodded hurriedly, then took sothing out with careful movents and held it out to Rishu.
“Madam, this item containing our hearts is finally completed.”
“Oh my!”
“Now only the task of driving out that wicked Reichart bunch and drawing our happy days remains. Madam. I will definitely free you from that Redin Reichart.”
Was it because he was excessively excited by the fact that he completed the item promised to Rishu?
Luplan failed to notice that the mont Redin’s na ca out of his mouth, an unhideable ripple occurred deep in Rishu’s eyes.
“Just Your Highness’s words make feel happy already.”
This wasn’t a lie.
Because she was actually happy right now.
However, what made her happy wasn’t Luplan’s sweet talk, but the item held in his hand.
“It fits my hand perfectly.”
Rishu reached out, picked up one of the pair of rings Luplan was holding, and put it on her finger.
“I love you. Your Highness.”
Then, bringing her mouth close to Luplan’s ear, she whispered in the sweetest voice she could make.
***
Pat pat.
Rishu applied cleanser ticulously on her face and wiped every nook and cranny of her face with sincere hand movents.
Even though she had washed her body for an hour receiving bath service from a whopping seven maids just a mont ago, her touch wiping her face was still endlessly sincere.
Especially the part she put particular effort into washing was her lips.
She couldn’t hide the unpleasant feeling.
Even though it was a lie, her lips that contained the words ‘I love you’ to another person.
“Oh my!”
A smile suddenly appeared on her expression, which had been expressionless all along.
She t eyes with Redin’s portrait placed next to the dressing table.
“I’m sorry. But you will understand, right?”
Wiping ticulously the places where the Crown Prince’s lips and hands had touched, she smiled bashfully.
“Wait just a little bit. Because there’s not much left now.”
Right then.
“Mother. Your son has returned.”
Helkane, who had left for a long journey, appeared in her bedroom.
“Right. You went through a lot of trouble.”
The mont she faced Helkane, Rishu took on the appearance of a heroine dominating the Vispon family, not the girl who scattered laughter while embraced in Luplan’s arms.
“I heard through the report what happened. It must have been very arduous, but you admirably completed the order.”
Rishu stroked Helkane’s cheek with a smile distinctly different from the one she showed Luplan earlier.
“Right. This is how my son should be.”
“It is undeserved praise. If not for Mother’s advice, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Helkane bowed his head with a shy expression.
“Mother, but is it okay if I ask one thing?”
“Speak.”
“Why did you not tell your will in advance?”
At Helkane’s question, Rishu smiled brightly. As if trying to say, ‘My son, you were curious about that.’
“You are certainly my proud son, but there are a few more points you need to learn.”
“What is that?”
“If you knew the fact that you had to dispose of Beverick and his subordinates in this journey, would you have been able to act naturally?”
“…….”
At Rishu’s question, Helkane couldn’t answer for a mont.
It was as Rishu said.
If he had known in advance the fact that he had to dispose of Beverick, he wouldn’t have been able to get angry or cling to him so naturally.
“As expected…… Your son still has a long way to go.”
Rishu stroked once the head of Helkane, who was bowing with an embarrassed expression, and said.
“No. Still, thanks to you handling the matter well, the parasites gnawing at the capital have lost their strength, so you don’t have to think like that.”
“Thank you. Mother.”
Just as Rishu said, through this expedition, the influential noble families of Zodiac including Alphonse suffered damage to a considerable extent.
The noble families, who were blinded by greed for the Reichart territory and deployed most of their possessed troops, ended up losing most of their power in this expedition.
However, since the troops the Vispon family deployed in this expedition were only the remnant forces of the Harm Knight Order including Helkane, they could preserve their strength completely.
As an aftermath of this process, the power structure of Abysin faced a big change.
If previously it was a situation where other noble families were rampant in a two-horse race structure of Alphonse and Vispon.
Now, the Vispon family has co to occupy the unrivaled top position.
“By now, the news that our Zodiac has wasted considerable national power must have been conveyed to the greedy bunches nearby, so there must be so among them revealing their claws, right?”
In an instant, a light that looked extrely dangerous flashed from the ring Rishu was wearing.
“I look forward to it. Showing them that our Zodiac has not lost its strength yet and…….”
Rishu took out the ring emitting disturbing light, grasped it with both hands, and said.
“The day I bring your father back to our side again.”
***
Knock knock.
“Young Master, were you here?”
The door opened and Bolpar, whose white beard was impressive today as well, appeared.
“You ca, Tower Master.”
Sitting alone guarding Redin’s sickbed, I offered a greeting to Bolpar.
Bolpar also nodded toward .
“Right. How is the Family Head’s condition?”
“According to the physician, he is improving smoothly. If things go well, he might open his eyes early next year.”
“Hoho, that is truly fortunate.”
Although he still couldn’t recover consciousness, Redin’s complexion had definitely improved compared to when he returned to the territory.
Even the aftereffects of the intensely toxic Araxia couldn’t completely gnaw away Redin’s strong body.
“Wicked people, how could they do such a vicious act to the Family Head who devoted his whole life to the country…….”
Perhaps recalling Redin’s appearance when he returned in a miserable state, Bolpar bit his lip and cursed the nobles of the capital.
Bolpar firmly believed that the reason Redin couldn’t open his eyes for such a long ti was ‘entirely’ the fault of the nobles.
“Actually, I have been on my way back from going outside the Inner Castle for the past few days.”
After suppressing his boiling resentnt, Bolpar spoke in a quiet voice.
“I looked around every corner of the territory worrying about the potential unrest of the people, but fortunately, there were almost no people among the subjects who were agitated.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. Isn’t this all because the Young Master is excellently filling the Family Head’s empty spot? Young Master, I am saying this only now, but you have really suffered a lot over the recent few months. As a retainer of Reichart, and as one of the territory’s people, I truly thank you.”
“Haha, since the Tower Master is suddenly acting like this, I’m a bit flustered. What brings this on?”
Seeing Bolpar bowing 90 degrees toward out of the blue, I waved my hand.
“There is no need to be flustered. Since the Young Master is fully qualified to hear such words. With the Family Head becoming like that and the situation turning out like this, I can guess how great the burden must have been for the Young Master who took on all responsibilities in this difficult situation. Yet the Young Master did so well. Thanks to the Young Master’s insight, our territory could protect both honor and safety.”
Despite my dissuasion, Bolpar bowed once again.
“This is not just my thoughts alone. Our retainers, and the territory’s people too, are all truly grateful to the Young Master. This is never empty talk. If there is a point I clearly felt through this journey, it is the fact that the territory’s people trust the Young Master enough to even offer their lives for him already.”
Bolpar gathered his hands neatly and said while eting my eyes.
“Really, truly, I thank you sincerely. Young Master, if the Family Head opens his eyes, he will undoubtedly be proud of the Young Master.”
“……Would he really?”
Despite Bolpar’s repeated praises, I shook my head.
“I am grateful that you say so, but I think Father won’t think so. Anyway, I am in a position where I drew my sword against His Highness, and Father will never be able to tolerate that fact.”
“Young Master, if you explain the circumstances well to the Family Head…….”
“No. No matter how well I explain, there won’t be an incident where Father accepts my choice. Doesn’t the Tower Master know well too?”
I said with a convinced expression while eting Bolpar’s eyes.
“That Father is that kind of person.”
“…….”
Bolpar couldn’t say anything.
Because if it was the Redin he knew, he could sufficiently be like that.
“Young Master…….”
“You don’t have to make such an expression. Because I didn’t make that day’s choice to get recognition from Father.”
Unlike Bolpar who had a regretful expression, my expression was endlessly calm.
And right then, when Bolpar was about to say sothing to comfort .
Knock knock.
“Young Master! Are you here?”
Along with the sound of knocking on the sickroom door, the urgent voice of Ares Commander Bohvelt was heard.
“You may co in.”
“Young Master, it’s an urgent report.”
Bohvelt, who opened the sickroom door and entered, said with an urgent voice that didn’t suit his usual self.
“They say a group of enemies has invaded the capital, Abysin!”
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