“What is it, your highness?”

I heard Christelle’s clear voice in my ear. I quickly looked away and checked on her.

Her blue-gray eyes, which were as clear as usual, were looking right at me.

“Are you okay, young lady Sarnez?”
“Excuse me? Of course I’m o……”

She could not finish her sentence.

The brightness was slowly disappearing from her eyes.

I got chills from my back all the way down to my heels.

She turned away from me and looked forward, as if she was a puppet on strings.

It was as if there was somebody past the two apple trees.

However, I couldn’t even see a small bird, let alone a person, no matter how wide I opened my eyes and searched.

“Young lady Sarnez?”
“……”

There was no response. I gulped.

There were two people in this foggy valley whose eyes were no longer focused while the screams and shouts of people echoed from the other side of the mountain.

And…

– Crunch!

That damn noise. I clenched my teeth. There were only four apples left on the tree now.

I was certain that this invisible apple thief was responsible for turning the two of them like this despite not having any evidence.

The medium was probably this fog.

“Father. It was all my fault.”

Imperial Prince Cédric started walking while saying that.

I quickly took one step in front of him.

I didn’t have any hands left because I was covering Demy and my faces, but I had to prevent him from leaving the Holy Domain even if I had to kick him to do so.

“Can you hear me, your Royal Highness?”
“You should not have sacrificed yourself for me. It should have been me-”
“Please stop saying weird things.”

I cut him off. His pale face and sunken eyes made me frown.

I felt uncomfortable thinking about why this punk was having such a radical thought since he should have been very young when the Prince Consort left this world.

‘He hasn’t spent all this time thinking like this, has he?’

“Sis, why are you here?”

I heard a shaking voice at that moment.

I had an extremely ominous feeling as I turned toward Christelle.

“Sis, why are you here? You should be living happily after getting married like that. What are you doing here?!”

Her voice was full of sadness and affection. I felt as if I could not breathe.

Both of them seemed to be seeing family members who have departed this world.

I could not leave them like this since I didn’t know how much stronger the illusions and their emotions might get.

I needed to at least temporarily wake them up-

“Go. Go to brother-in-law because it is dangerous here! Hurry!”
“You can’t leave, young lady Sarnez!”

‘Damn it!’

I quickly extended my leg to stop her.

My leg was shaking because the two main characters were standing pretty far from each other.

[Both of you snap out of it!]

I immediately released a Divine Oracle.

Bright lights shot out from the Holy Domain that had been subtly releasing golden light to cover the two of their bodies.

Divine Oracle is only effective against living creatures inside the circle, which was why I had no reason to shout when we were fighting the demonic beasts.

I could not allow demonic beasts to get within 15m of me when I had no physical talents whatsoever.

– Shaaaaaaa-

The holy light soon let the two of them go.

I could see Christelle’s large eyes blinking as the rays of light slowly disappeared.

‘It worked.’

I sighed in relief.

“Huh? Just now, just now, my older sister……”
“Are you back to your senses? Please quickly cover your mouth and nose. What about you, your Royal Highness?”

Christelle quickly pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket.

Her eyes were red, but she must have realized what was going on as she did not say anything. As for the Imperial Prince…

“……”

His orange eyes were burning up when our eyes met.

He looked as if he would burn anything he set his eyes on.

I couldn’t help but feel an instinctual fear crawl down my spine despite knowing that his wrath was not directed at me.

His conscience seemed to have returned but I wasn’t sure whether or not he was in a completely rational state.

The ether in my body fluctuated anxiously.

‘Wait, is this really mine?’

“……How dare you.”
“Please calm down, your Royal Highness. You need to get a cloth before you see another illu-”
“A damn demonic beast dares to bring my father.”

The young man’s voice sank low. It was as if it would pierce through the ground.

The tips of his black hair were shaking like a bad omen. He was taking the black glove off his left hand.

My fingertips were numb with an unexplainable sense of anxiousness.

“You cannot attack it right now, your Royal Highness. The monster is still hiding so it will be dangerous if you leave the Holy Domain. You will quickly see another illusion because of the fog. The young lady has some magic tools that can cause explosions, so we should-”
“I will not forgive it.”

He closed his left hand into the shape of a flower bud.

‘I saw something like this before.’

– Snap!

I heard him snap his fingers. Christelle retched and plopped down on the ground.

The Imperial Prince and I made eye contact for a while.

– Craaaaaaaaaackle!

Then there was a fire.

The red flame that burst out of the man’s hand was furiously engulfing everything outside my Holy Domain.

The fog, valley, trees, moss, grass, forest, and ground… everything was quickly becoming dyed red like blood.

He seemed to be doing as he pleased, it was as if he was a child while being as ruthless as a tyrant.

My head felt hot just watching him do this. I was sort of blanking out because of the intense heat.

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

The demonic beast that had been hiding itself screeched in pain.

– Boom, booooom!

I could hear something large falling down.

Someone’s ether was pulsating violently. But that was not the end.

– Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

– Grrrrrrrrrrrr! Grrrrrr!

– Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

I jerked my head up. From the top, side, and foot of the mountain……

There were demonic beasts writhing in the throes of death.

Some of them seemed to be coming from quite far away, while others sounded quite close.

The mountain peak, which was somewhat visible in the distance, was burning up as if a signal fire had been lit.

The Imperial Prince’s wrath seemed to have completely dominated the Marquis’ mountain range.

The dry air was burning my throat. I was full of both shock and confusion.

‘Why did he hide this kind of power until now……’

– Scrreech, screech, screeeech……

‘Oops.’

“Demy, are you okay?”

I calmed the red panda that was burrowing into my chest and shoved the handkerchief into my pocket.

My heart sank looking at the shaking Demy while I was unable to figure out what to do.

‘He shouldn’t be seeing an illusion since the fog was burned away.

Is he maybe scared of the fire…… Wait a minute.

A red warning light flashed in my mind a little bit late. I immediately turned my head.

“Your Royal Highness, please stop. It is dangerous if you use so much ether like this-”

I heard a plop as a small body fell toward me. I grabbed the young boy out of reflex.

At the same time…

– Craaaaaaaaaaaaackle……

The fires of his wrath that had been brutally gobbling up the mountain range scattered as if it had just been a mirage.

I couldn’t believe it even after having seen it with my own eyes.

Billions of sparks rode the spring breeze and slowly disappeared in the sunlight.

The small sparks filled my view. It seemed as if nothing big happened and it was all just a moment of capriciousness.

All that was left in front of me was……

“It really makes no sense, even after seeing it again.”

The lush mountain. Christelle seemed a bit out of it as she mumbled to herself.

I didn’t let go of the heated body that was leaning against my leg as I looked around.

The fire ether that had only delivered its judgment onto the demonic beasts on this vast mountain disappeared after only roasting the gravel and rocks.

I could not understand what I just saw.

The power was tremendous, but the control he had over it was even more shocking.

I could not close my open jaw.

– Screeeeech!

Demy quickly jumped out of my arms and stuck to Christelle’s leg.

I finally looked down at the child who was burning up.

“Ah……”

I couldn’t breathe. My tongue felt so stiff that I could not say anything.

The fainted kid should not open his eyes but I knew the color of this punk’s eyes.

His black hair and his stubbornly closed lips were familiar.

I carefully lowered him down. The large clothes wrapped around the young boy fluttered.

His forehead was completely wet with dry sweat like I had seen before.

“……Sadie.”

I quietly called out the Imperial Prince’s name.

*

“My lord, the fire is disappearing!”
“My goodness, oh Almighty God…….”
“The Almighty God is protecting the Empire!”
“My goodness, it is a miracle! My goodness!”

The thousand of people in the stands were crying and shouting loudly.

Both nobles and commoners were cheering and throwing things into the air.

Applause, whistles, praise and prayers, along with hugs and comfort filled the plains.

François Duhem was looking toward the dungeon with a look of devastation.

The unbelievable event that had just happened was clearly the Imperial Prince’s power.

He was certain about it because nobody else in the Empire had ever used fire attribute ether before.

No, the Imperial Prince was the only person in the entire Empire who was born with the qualifications to be a Holy Knight.

The fact that he publicly displayed his abilities was a joyous occasion and an emotional event.

However…

“Huuuuuu.”

His chest felt suffocated. The Marquis raised a fist and patted above his ribs.

The precious young man should have turned into a child now.

And the only person he could rely on right now was a royal priest from the Holy Kingdom, who was here as a Diplomatic hostage.

Even if the Imperial Prince and Cardinal trust him… even if he too, had chosen to accept the prince……

The Marquis couldn’t help but be anxious as a vassal now that the situation had turned like this.

“Maybe I should go back up-”
“Hey mister. Don’t meddle with it and just sit down. You’re making my head hurt.”

He heard a distinct voice. He quickly turned around.

Élisabeth, who was leaning against an outdoor bed, was looking up at him with a splint on her arm.

“……How is your arm?’
“It doesn’t hurt.”
“Can’t you speak with some sincerity since young master Callamard is listening as well?”

Élisabeth’s spirit finally seemed to be subdued as she looked to the side.

Ganael, who had not left her side from the moment she descended the mountain, still had tear marks on his face.

She did not feel good thinking that she made him worry for no reason.

‘It’s not even a big injury.’

“……The healing priest put the bones back in their proper places and said that I should heal quickly since I am healthy. The painkiller Prince Jesse gave me was quite effective too. You packed that for him, right?”
“Excuse me? Yes, yes I did.”

Ganael’s honey-colored eyes curled up. She was relieved that he was the type who could easily smile even when he had been crying.

The young Countess continued speaking without any hesitation.

“Whatever is happening up there right now, all of it was done because his Royal Highness trusts Prince Jesse. That is why you should just calm down and watch, old man. This is the best seat, isn’t it?’
“Seat?”
“We need to watch him pull out the Sword of Wisdom. I’m going to grab Benjamin-nim to take your seat if you leave.”
“Y, you wouldn’t dare!”

The Marquis quickly sat his butt down on the chair. Élisabeth let out a quiet sigh.

‘Is it really okay for someone like this to hold a Marquis position?’

“There’s a signal up there in the sky. Please go rescue them.”

*

I felt completely embarrassed.

That was the conclusion I came to after careful deliberation.

I wanted to die from embarrassment.

“Wow, I guess some people’s bodies shrink from ether depletion.”
“It does seem that way……”
“He’s a total angel when he’s asleep. He’s so pretty.”

Christelle saw the sleeping Sad…… Imperial P…… Anyway, she poked the little kid’s cheeks.

I had laid the child down on top of the Holy Domain and was holding one of his elbows.

The punk had used so much ether that even physical contact was not filling his ether quickly.

‘Damn it, I need this punk to return to his normal size. I need to do that whether he continues with the competition or descends the mountain.’

I did my best to think as rationally as possible despite the situation making me want to go crazy.

“Did you know about this, your highness? Did you know that his Royal Highness uses ether?”
“……I think this is my first time seeing it.”

It wasn’t a lie. I had only seen him use it in his young body before.

Holy shit, is this < Detective Conan > or something……

“Then I guess I was really the only outsider who knew about this. I was wondering why he had so many conditions for using ether, but it must be because he turns into a child like this.”

‘Why didn’t you let me in on the secret too?’

I kept that nonsensical grudge in my heart and maintained a calm look on my face.

The Imperial Prince’s secret that Christelle was talking about was ether.

The situation would have been a million times better if I knew that and Christelle knew the secret that I knew.

I was so sad that my throat felt stuffy.

“I guess he had no choice but to hide it. This child looks almost identical to his adult self. Anybody would be able to tell that this is his Royal Highness. It would have been a big weakness given his position.”
“……”

I felt my ears getting hot from shame.

‘Isn’t it normal to think that two similarly looking people are family? Am I in the wrong?’

“People who don’t know the situation…… Might analyze it differently, don’t you think?”
“Mm. Maybe if their personality or their words and actions were different, but I don’t think that his Royal Highness would put on an act like that.”

‘Please stop stabbing the dagger deeper. I’m going to die.’

– Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii.

Demy was roaming around us, trying to talk to the sleeping child.

‘Now that I think about it, Demy should have known about it as well.’

“Haaa…………..”

‘How can I look him in the face when he wakes up? Should I just bite my tongue and kill myself? Would I be able to return home if I did that?’

<< Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter >>

I was grinding my teeth but still carefully put my hand on the kid’s forehead.

At least his fever seems to have gone down quite a bit. His breathing seemed quite settled as well.

“You seem quite used to looking after a child, your highness.”

Christelle commented in a light tone.

I was feeling embarrassed despite her seemingly uncaring tone.

An excuse burst out from me like I was a vending machine that had been fed some coins.

‘This is not because I helped this punk out a few times already.’

“I have a younger sister.”
“Ah, I heard about it. You have an older sister and a younger sister.”
“That is correct.”

I didn’t think that Prince Jesse and the two princesses had a good sibling relationship, but it was the perfect excuse for this situation.

I mean, it is true that I have a younger sibling.

I checked the young boy’s condition with a side glance as I hugged Demy, who was climbing onto my lap.

“Now that I think about it, earlier…… You seemed to be having a hard time. It was the same for Demy. Are you okay now?”

I asked the question this time.

I recalled how Christelle had retched and stumbled down as soon as the Imperial Prince’s fires burst out while Demy squirmed out of my arms and ran away to Christelle.

The two of them seemed to have naturally recovered once the flames disappeared.

“Yes, I am okay, your highness. My stomach churned for a bit because his Royal Highness’s ether overpowering was too much. It was probably something similar for Demy.”

Ether overpowering…… I had read about such a concept occurring between Holy Knights.

I had only skimmed through it as it didn’t affect me as a priest, so I had no idea it would affect a divine beast like Demy as well.

‘Do I need to read through it thoroughly when I go back to the Imperial Palace?’

Christelle observed my expression before smiling and standing up.

I did not stop her from walking out of my Holy Domain.

The Imperial Prince had killed all of the demonic beasts on the mountain.

“The overpowering ether was incredibly strong but his control is amazing, being able to target only the demonic beasts. It is lighting up my competitive spirit seeing that his Royal Highness is so strong.”

‘A competitive spirit should be a good thing, right?’

I nodded my head at her comment.

Some sort of emotion, whatever it may be, has to be the foundation if the two main characters were to start dating in the future.

They do say that the opposite of love is indifference.

I would happily welcome anything as long as they weren’t indifferent towards each other right now.

“Wow, it smells good too. Demy, you could grow your own orchard in the future.”

Christelle admired Demy’s work and pulled off the remaining four apples from the apple trees.

The mountain was peaceful and completely fine. I could even hear some birds chirping nearby.

Nobody would believe that there had been a fire here if we got rid of the few rocks that had been charred black.

Christelle returned to the Holy Domain with the apples and continued speaking.

“There is something I am curious about as well. You did not seem to have seen an illusion, your highness……”
“Yes, I find that part to be odd as well.”

It was shocking that the circle that is supposed to nullify all powers did not have an air purification portion, but the thing that I was more concerned about were the effects of the illusions

“His Royal Highness was the first to react to the fog. You were next, young lady Sarnez. Demy didn’t have much of a reaction because I covered his face with a cloth…… Or it might be different for him because he is a divine beast. However, it did not seem to have much effect on me. I’m sure that I must have breathed in the fog as well. This is just my hypothesis, but…”

Christelle pushed forward three apples.

I broke one of the orange apples in half and handed one to Demy.

He grabbed it with his front paw and started eating happily.

– Crunch, crunch.

“Thank you very much. Anyway, I wonder if having high mana sensitivity makes it easier to fall under that bastard’s illusions.”

That was the only explanation I could come up with about the differences in the three of our reactions.

My mana sensitivity was at the bottom in terms of sensitivity, so it was possible that I could not see the illusion despite the demonic beast shoving it in my face.

I should be relieved about it, but it was a bit sad.

“That seems possible. His Royal Highness is a mage so…… It is possible that his illusion might have been more vivid than mine. Then it makes sense why he became so angry.”

She nodded her head and took a big bite of a blue-gray apple.

“What should we do if the same bastard comes down again?”
“I doubt it?”
“There’s nothing saying it can’t happen. That bastard’s family or friends might chase after us for revenge.”

Christelle pointed toward the end of the valley.

A demonic beast that seemed to be a mix of a centipede and a scorpion was dead on its belly, scorched black while lying between the two apple trees.

It was the size of a large door even looking at it from here.

I scowled and turned back to look at Christelle.

“I think it is best to temporarily push the fog back using your explosion magic tool, young lady Sarnez.”
“Yes, your highness. However, it will probably only be momentary. The magic tools being sold at the Legault Central Commerce Center have all been inspected and…… They are all only for party use.”
“Excuse me? Party use?”
“It would be dangerous if they caused large explosions. They do not sell weapons.”

‘That…… Seems weird.’

“Then what happened in Lucas Village? You pretended to burn up the whole inn. You said that you bought a fake flames magic tool.”

I scrunched my eyes. Christelle smiled and moved her shoulder back.

I quickly looked down at the sleeping boy and then back at her.

A thunderbolt-like realization smacked me in the back.

‘These little punks!’

“Did his Royal Highness use his abilities at that time? Then the one who sucked out my ether that day…”
“Your highness, please listen.”

‘No wonder the Imperial Prince grabbed my neck. No wonder it felt similar to when Sadie jacked my ether!’

“His Royal Highness said that he needed to receive your ether, your highness. He said it could absolutely not be anybody other than you. However, he also said that you must not find out that he was the one who took the ether. I wanted to help the villagers but our esteemed Royal Highness had so many conditions… That was why I had no choice! I had to get in between the two of you and lie to you, but it was with good intentions.”
“You……”

‘Listen to that damn glib tongue!’

“I was wrong to do that, your highness. I’m sorry.”
“……Haaaaa.”

I couldn’t help but sigh. What good would it do to get angry about it now? What good would it do to get annoyed?

“Is that why the two of you walked around stuck to each other the whole time? It was so that you could come up with such a plan?”
“We did not stick to each other the whole time. It is difficult for both of us when we are close to each other.”

She had a serious look on her face.

‘I’m pretty sure I’m the one here having the most difficult time.’

“From now on…… Please just tell me if you need ether. I will not accept any lies.”
“Yes sir! But please inform his Royal Highness about it as well. Why are you only saying that to me…”
“He’s sleeping right now.”

I sharply cut her off.

Christelle’s blue-gray eyes blinked a few times as she nodded her head.

I looked up at the sky because I felt frustrated.

The clear and blue sky made me even sadder today. Was QNW a caretaker romfan?

I didn’t hear about the MC having a kid but why do I feel like I suddenly have two kids?

“If that illusion demonic beast appears again, I will put both of you to sleep with my Divine Oracle and descend the mountain with the two of you on my backs if I have to. It is none of my business whether you dig out the Sword of Wisdom in your sleep or give up through sleep talking. I have no choice since I cannot fight. Please keep that in mind.”

The divine item didn’t grant my wish anyway and Sadie, the kid I wanted to help, was actually Imperial Prince Cédric.

‘Damn it.’

I had no reason to care about this competition anymore.

“That might be too heavy.”
“I am tall. I am also stronger than the average person.”
“It’s three including Demy……”

Christelle looked as if it was unbelievable.

I couldn’t believe that she was talking back to me like this. It was as if she had already forgotten about her terrible deeds. It was at that moment.

“Your highness, his Royal Highness is…”

I quickly turned my head to look at the little kid.

Small golden pebbles were floating up from the young boy’s body.

It was the symbol of being fully charged that I was now familiar with.

The little kid had always left my balcony whenever it got to this point.

‘Yes, no wonder he left right away. He couldn’t let me see his body suddenly growing in size. Damn it.’

Although the bastard who hid it was to blame, the embarrassment was mine in the end.

‘Would it have been better to ask if he had a hidden younger sibling instead of a son? Is that pretty much the same thing?’

“……Young lady Sarnez.”

I opened my mouth.

“Yes, your highness?”
“Umm, similar to how you have a secret with his Royal Highness… Can we keep this a secret as well?”
“Excuse me?”

She was staring at me. She seemed to not understand what I was saying.

“The fact that his Royal Highness turned into a child…… I hope you can pretend not to know.”
“Oh my.”
“I am a Diplomatic hostage. Learning such an important secret of the Imperial family is a threat to me. The reason her Majesty lets me be is probably because I am a powerless prince.”

The words simply flowed out of my mouth now that I had made up my mind. I slightly bit down on my shaking lips.

The biggest reason I couldn’t admit to knowing this was because I was embarrassed, but I absolutely could not share that part with Christelle.

Vice Captain Élisabeth’s smiling face that had turned to tears was still vivid in my mind.

‘Damn it.’

“So you’re saying we shouldn’t inform his Royal Highness about what happened today?”
“Yes, well. Just…… How about we just say that he fainted from ether depletion and that I helped him?”

I could feel both of my cheeks getting flushed. Even I could tell that this was a petty trick.

Christelle tilted her head in confusion.

“It doesn’t matter to me since I am good at lying, but……”

‘Are you sure you should be so proud about that?’

“Will it be okay for you, your highness?”
“Yes, it will.”

I responded confidently.

I’m adjusting pretty well to this transmigrated life, so I should be able to lie if I shut up.

Anything would be better than the Imperial Prince bastard sneering at me and looking at me with scorn.

Our contact should cease again when we return to the Imperial Palace anyway.

“Then that sounds great. I’m glad I have a friend with whom I can share a secret.”

Christelle shook her pink hair and smiled brightly.

I got the chills hearing her use the term ‘friend’.

‘I didn’t bring this up so that we can get close to each other……’

– Bang!

There was a loud noise at the top of the mountain at that moment. Christelle jumped up.

I quickly gathered our things. After that…

“Ahhhhh!”
“Ruuun, hurry!”

I could hear other competitors screaming and warning others at a distance.

Boom, plop plop. I heard something that sounded like rocks falling.

“It looks like the third wave has started.”

Christelle commented while grabbing her whip. I urgently looked toward the child lying down.

‘His fever is completely down…’

“Holy shit, he’s fully grown.”

I quickly pulled my hand off the bastard’s cheek and rubbed it against my shirt.

The ether pebbles in the air had disappeared as well.

‘Damn it, when did he grow past 190cm again?’

“How is his Royal Highness?”
“His body has returned to normal but he is still unconscious. Will you be okay on your own, young lady Sarnez?”
“Please just leave it to me.”

Her water-colored eyes were sparkling.

The whip that will always remind people of her was sparkling dangerously in the afternoon sun.

Christelle mumbled in a low voice.

“They’re coming.”

*

“Wow, he’s so damn heavy. I’m going to pull my back!”

– Screeeech

The red panda pushed down on my shoulders with his front paws as if to cheer me on.

I was stumbling with two healthy adults, one male and one female, on my back.

I lowered my head to see the large green leaf that was wrapped around Christelle, the Imperial Prince bastard, and my waist.

It was tied down with sturdy vines so there seemed to be no chances of it becoming undone.

The two others were asleep and I could only hear their breathing.

I lightly scoffed, thinking about how long it had been since I had done this.

Demy had created this baby carrier for me.

“The demonic beasts are the bane of all evil, the bane of all evil I tell you. They are the ones who made this happen.”

I clenched my teeth.

I confirmed that Demy’s nose and mouth were covered properly with a handkerchief before starting our plan.

Things were hard to see because of the fog, but the immediate area around me was quite clear.

Yes, it was this damn fog.

‘Shit.’

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

“You really showed up because I talked about it?!”

I shouted at the demonic beast in front of me.

The bastard was clicking its large claws and stood up in a threatening manner.

I was safe because of my Holy Domain, but I still took a step back out of reflex. My stomach felt a bit off.

It mainly looked like a scorpion but its tail looked closer to a centipede.

Its shiny, dark brown body was about the size of a remicon mixer truck. It seemed at least 20m long even from the front.

It looked as if it might be the parent of the bastard the Imperial Prince burnt to death earlier. The difference between their sizes was tremendous.

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

“Okay, wait.”

I mumbled and rummaged through my bag.

If this bastard didn’t show up, if it had not spread its illusion fog, if it had not come with other demonic beasts…… Something like this would not have happened.

Two apples were soon in my hand. They were the two apples that were left for the Imperial Prince and me.

Of course, it will be that bastard’s snack now.

“You like apples too, right? Like the dead bastard over there? Isn’t that why you came here?”

I said some cruel things and lifted up the apples.

– Screech! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooo!

The bastard’s reddish brown eyes fluttered nonstop and looked all around.

There was something white that looked like saliva dripping out of its mouth. I clenched my eyes shut before opening them back up.

I was scared, but it was time to head down.

“Here’s the bus fare!”

I threw one apple high in the air. I then released my Holy Domain.

<< Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter >>

– Bang! Booboom! Boom!

“Hey, a bit! More gentle! Go more gently!”

‘Eek!’

I almost bit my tongue.

The speed was too fast and the slope of the mountain was much steeper than I had expected.

Boom, boom! My body was bobbing up and down despite having the weight of Christelle and the Imperial Prince on my back.

I was tightly hugging Demy with one arm while clenching the reins tightly with my other arm and lowering my body.

‘Demy also made this with his vines… holy shit. Isn’t that a cliff over there?!’

“Left turn, left turn! Ahhh!”

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

The demonic beast’s long tail and poison sting were shaking as it flew up in between the cliffs.

‘You don’t even have wings!’

My brain felt as if it was floating, I got chills even in my eardrums, and my heart felt as if it had fallen under my feet.

The T Express roller coaster in Everland was child’s play compared to this.

– Screeeeech!

“Demy, it’s okay. At least big bro will be going with you even if we die.”

I knew that I shouldn’t say things like that to a kid. The words coming out of my mouth were not normal, but that was probably because of the crazy situation.

I looked down to see an endless dark valley with its jaws wide open.

I clenched my eyes shut and internally prayed to be saved.

Swoosh. The valley wind touched us as it passed by.

I could hear the two annoying pests breathing on my neck as they soundly slept.

– Baaaaang!

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

Our bus safely landed on the other side of the cliff!

I didn’t have any time to catch my breath as I grabbed the second and final apple.

Things had gone according to my plan up until now.

At least my luck was extremely high thanks to having both MCs on my back.

“Here’s the extra fare!”

I threw the blue-gray apple to the front, which made the scorpion or centipede or whatever it is illusion beast accelerate again.

I gulped after feeling my body start to lean. This thing was crazy for apples.

The bastard had charged at us in the valley as soon as I threw an apple at it, and…

– Screech! Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

‘Wow, its shell is so slippery! I really don’t like it!’

– Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii!

It had followed the rolling apple like crazy until now.

It had not paid any attention to the fact that Demy and I were on its back.

The demonic beast charged through tall trees and grass at full speed, climbed up and down boulders all while clicking its claws nonstop.

At this point, I even felt some pity for its foaming mouth.

‘Did generations of this monster get haunted by a ghost that died unable to eat an apple?

– Kit, kit! Kiiiiiii! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

The bastard’s reaction suddenly changed from before and it stopped.

I peeked to the side of its body to see if the apple got caught in between two rocks or something.

What I saw was, thankfully, something that was much better news.

“We’re here.”

I could see two large white tents at the edges of my foggy view.

They were the thousands of spectators on the wide plains in front of the Duhem Lord’s Castle.

The Sword of Wisdom from the Flaming Star seemed to have finally stuck the demonic beast’s nerve.

I was now certain that this bastard would charge straight toward the stadium with or without the apple.

That was good. The Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts was almost over.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah……!”
“……Hooray! Hooray!”

I could hear faint cheering from the distance. I had no way of knowing whether the spectators noticed us.

I caught my breath for a moment and did my best to look behind myself.

I could see the demonic beast’s tail and poison stinger looking like the end of a brush while shaking behind the pink and black heads of hair.

“Demy, we need to take care of that.”

– Squeeeee.

I whispered to him. I was sure it was that.

I had to make at least the minimum amount of preparations before waking up the two MCs and definitely before this damn stupid scorpion turned the competition into a mess.

“Ugh!”

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! Grrrrrrr! Grr! Kiiiiiit!

My head jerked back. The bastard let out the most aggressive noises I had ever heard from it before charging forward.

I tightly clenched the reins and did my best to not lose my balance.

I quickly rummaged through the bag with my other hand.

*

[Please wake up now, both of you.]

He thought that he heard someone whispering those words.

– Plop!

Cédric Riester felt stiffness throughout his whole body as he slowly opened his eyes.

However, things looked hazy.

He couldn’t tell whether he was still dreaming or if he had regained his consciousness.

Even things like where he had last been or what he had been doing were not clear.

Everything was quiet. It was as if he was buried in a pile of ashes. He slowly moved his fingertips.

– Crackle……

Flinch. The Imperial Prince jerked his body up as if he had been electrocuted.

Small flames were crackling and disappearing nonstop at his fingertips when he looked down at his left hand.

It was his bare hand.

He did not see the strong magic tool that helped him just barely block the unstable flow of his ether day after day.

His fingertips were like craters that could release embers at any moment without his glove.

He frowned. It was dangerous like this.

He was too much of an ominous presence.

“……”

He could finally see his surroundings. His surroundings were opaque and foggy.

He remembered that he had seen something similar to this before he fainted as well.

To be more specific……

‘Father. It was all my fault.’
‘You should not have sacrificed yourself for me. It should have been me-’

There was a person with long black hair and eyes as dark blue as the deep sea.

Prince Consort Alexandre looked as he had been on the day he left this world. He was even wearing the same clothes.

The way his eyes curled up gently and his considerate words were full of affection for his young son.

‘It’s okay, Sadie. It’s nice and warm thanks to your flames.’

It was the way he always looked whenever he appeared in the Imperial Prince’s nightmares until a few months ago.

His instincts told him it was an illusion. It was some petty trick by a damn demonic beast.

However, he had been unable to control his shaking emotions and raging wrath.

‘……How dare you.’
‘A damn demonic beast dares to bring my father.’
‘I will not forgive it.’

Everything had turned red after that.

The world had burnt up in red and the inside of his head was boiling to the point that he could not comprehend anything.

The Marquis’ land and mountain were completely covered in fire.
The screams of animals and what sounded like someone trying to console him mixed together, confusing his ears.

His cursed power had gone berserk. All because he couldn’t hold in his stupid anger one time.

He had killed numerous people. Killing just his father had not been enough.

However, there was fog once again.

“Haaa…………..”

He couldn’t breathe properly.

That painful illusion could return at any moment and turn him into a monster.

It will continue to do so until he burned up everything in the world until there was nothing left.

It will continue to do so until the valley that was now only dry dirt was covered in ashes like falling snow.

The Imperial Prince clenched his left hand.

“Your Royal Highness, I ask for your cooperation if you are done resting.”

He jerked his head up. Cédric looked up at the direction of the voice.

“Is your condition still not well? I’m sure I gave you plenty of ether.”

He could see blood on the pale forehead of this person that was visible through the gaps in his now messy golden hair.

He looked into the purple eyes that were sparkling like amethysts.

This guy was speaking in a concerned tone when he was the one who was injured.

“……”

The world suddenly turned chaotic as if everything had been a lie. His ears were finally working again.

“Wooooooooooo!”
“Your highness, I will take care of the entrance area!”
“Sarnez! Sarnez! Sarnez!”

The cheering of thousands of people who were riled up by the excitement of the Great Clearance slammed against his ears.

Then the sound of a heavy wave and Christelle de Sarnez’s voice struck him from the front and back.

It seemed as if he was at a crowded beach.

He was at least certain that they were not at the mountain he had burnt up. It felt as if he had been teleported.

“This is the stadium. We have descended the mountain. I am here so please feel free to use your powers as much as you like.”
“……This fog.”
“It is just water vapour that has fallen to the ground. It is just a normal fog. I cut off the scorpion demonic beast’s poison stinger so it can’t release that illusion f, damn it!”

– Bang!

A demonic beast that had cut through the fog attacked the prince’s circle.

The prince seemed quite shocked despite it not doing much damage.

Cédric watched him as he slowly got up.

His bones ached as if he had rolled down a hill.

– Crackle, crackle……

The prince must have heard the fire as he looked down at Cédric’s left hand.

It made Cédric’s heart ache.

‘This guy should know everything now too. He should have experienced the truth of my terrible curse as it happened right in front of his nose.’

“Are you scared?”
“No, it’s just that……”

He had a concerned look on his face.

“I left your glove behind, your Royal Highness. I completely forgot to pick it up.”
“……”
“It’s a fire so I think it would be nice and warm in the winter. You’ll never have to worry about your hands being cold.”

The prince smiled and adjusted the divine beast in his arms.

Bang! The demonic beast slammed against the Holy Domain once again. It looked to be a mix of a wolf and a lion.

Its mana didn’t seem strong, so it was probably one of the peons that reacted to the Sword of Wisdom’s ether and came down.

“Demy, do you want to do it? Should we go, ‘bad boy’ and scold him?”

– Squeal!

The divine beast raised both paws.

The Imperial Prince silently observed green vines shooting up from the dirt of the plains.

The demonic beast was coughing in pain as it was choked but, oddly, he felt as if his breathing was getting easier.

“Young lady Sarnez will steal the victory from you if you continue to blank out and just stand there, your Royal Highness.”

The prince commented to him. Cédric finally blinked once.

“Ohhhhhhhh!” The spectators were cheering with excitement. He could hear water slapping around in the distance.
“Over there is the Sword of Wisdom from the Flaming Star.”

The prince pointed behind the Imperial Prince with his hand but he did not turn around.

The presence of the Sword of Wisdom was so strong that he could feel it even if all five of his senses were blocked.

However, nothing would be purer than the ether in the plate located in front of his eyes right now.

“I guess you really are not afraid.”
“I already told you that I am quite a strong priest when we were going up the mountain, your Royal Highness. I am not running away.”

The Imperial Prince let out a small breath. It almost sounded like a laugh.

He quickly reached his left hand out and placed it on the prince’s head.

A warm flame touched the bloody forehead.

The prince sounded anxious at the sudden development.

“Hold on. What-”
“Don’t forget.”

The Imperial Prince ruthlessly pulled at the prince’s ether.

The purple eyes were looking at him as if he was a madman.

“Why are you taking even more when I gave you a ton earlier?!”
“You were the one who said that you will not run away.”

‘I won’t let you go.’

His orange eyes were fluctuating.

This was his last and only chance.

*

“Seriously…… That shithead is a total crazy bastard.”

I was dizzy.

It wasn’t to the point of fainting, but I was certain that I had been left with just enough ether left in me to stay conscious.

I had twisted my right leg a bit when I was sent flying from the scorpion demonic beast earlier, so it was almost too difficult to remain standing.

I slowly lowered my body and sat down.

“Aigoo, my body aches.”

– Scrreech, screech, screeeech……

“Big bro is okay. The problem is that the damn Imperial Prince’s head is not okay.”

The Imperial Prince’s eyes definitely seemed crazy right before he left.

Demy groaned and crawled up my chest.

He seemed so concerned that I couldn’t help but laugh.

These injuries would be easily healed if a healing priest helped me.

It was a bit disappointing that you could not use healing powers on yourself.

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

“This is really the end!”

Christelle’s energetic shouts echoed throughout the stadium.

I kept my legs stretched out and only turned my upper body to look toward her direction.

I could see a figure energetically shoot up into the air in the middle of the dim stadium.

Her blue jacket fluttered in the wind.

There was an extremely long water spear floating at her right.

Her target was the scorpion demonic beast who already had its two claws melted away by holy water.

“Haa!”

– Screeeeeeeeeech!

The floating Christelle vigorously flicked her whip forward. The spear shot forward at the same time.

The moment thousands of spectators gasped with sweaty palms…

– Ooooooong!

The air shook a bit.

– Babababang!

“Ugh!”

Then a large aftershock filled the stadium. I fell to the ground from my seated position.

I could taste sand in my mouth. I hugged Demy out of reflex and curled up into a ball.

“Cough cough! Cough, cough!”

Suddenly ingesting dust made me start coughing. I was dumbfounded as to what might have happened.

Was it a demonic beast? But all of the beasts other than the scorpion demonic beast were weak.

The Imperial Prince roasted all of the demonic beasts that had come from the first and second waves so only a small handful had made it down to the stadium……

“The Great Clearance is over.”

A familiar low voice pierced through the crowd. I got up even with my body creaking and looked for the owner of the voice.

I noticed that I could see clearly again.

The earlier blast seemed to have gotten rid of the fog.

“It’s his Royal Highness! His Royal Highness, he……!”

One of the spectators broke the tense silence and shouted.

The woman’s voice was cracking with excitement.

Astonishment, admiration, fear, and reverence spread through the audience like wildfire.

The man was standing where the Sword of Wisdom had been, arrogantly looking down at the plain.

I blankly looked at the Imperial Prince.

To be more specific, I was looking at the sharp, black divine item in his left hand.

“Ho……”

‘Look at this bastard taking the prize even before he is declared the winner……’

“That’s cheating, your Royal Highness!”

Christelle laughed in disbelief as she shouted. She was rolling around on the ground as well.

The Imperial Prince moved the hand holding the sword to his chest, showing no reaction as to whether he heard her or not. And then…

– Craaaackle!

The sword caught on fire from the end of its hilt to the tip of its blade. It was the exact same color as his eyes.

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