Chapter 86


    [Trantor – Angel Dust]


    [Proofreader – Prototype]


    Chapter 86


    Lately, a smile keeps creeping onto my lips.


    ‘Hold it together. You must maintainposure. You are the Crown Prince of the Empire, the future Emperor. You can’t justugh without dignity…’


    Hehehe! Hahaha! … No! Ruprecht. Get a grip! Focus on your work!


    But how can I not? Next spring, I will have a Crown Princess. My partner will stand by my side. And that person is Rika, the one who made me pine for years!


    Focus. Work, work. Today, too, it is right to dedicate myself to the Empire… but.


    “Haaaah—”


    I just can’t hold the pen. I decided to lean back in my chair and take a break.


    ‘Next spring.’


    Yes. Next spring. Then, I’ll be a groom, and Rika will be my bride. And the Empire will officially wee the Crown Princess, and my father will finally see the daughter-inw he’s been waiting for.


    It took a while. No, it took quite a while. The Crown Prince of a nation wasn’t focused on producing an heir but was busy with a one-sided love. The whole imperial family must have been worried sick.


    I’m grateful that they all waited patiently without showing it. I need to love and cherish her even more. If I fail to do so, I’ll have no excuse even if the heavens punish me.


    ‘Count Friedrich. My father-inw’s expression was priceless.’


    After the New Year’s Eve ceremony, I had a secret meeting with my parents-inw.


    My mother-inw just smiled, and my father-inw seemed overwhelmed, still unable to believe it. That made me even happier.


    “She’s not perfect, but please take good care of her, Your Highness.”


    My mother-inw said with a smile, and I felt a chill run down my spine.


    I pretend not to know, but there are secrets you inevitably learn when you’re in this position. And my mother-inw’s past is one of those secrets.


    If I mistreat her daughter, her mother mighte to assassinate me. Ah, of course, I’m just kidding.


    Knock knock—


    “Your Highness.”


    “Come in.”


    It seems there’s more work. It’s not the most wee news, but this too is for the Empire. As the Crown Prince of the Empire, it’s right to smile and fulfill my duties.


    And with the joy of bing a groom, I’ll put even more effort into…


    “…Isn’t this a document from the Church of Light?”


    “Yes, it is.”


    The attendant handed me a document from the Church of Light, not the work I was originally assigned.


    Why would a matter from the Church suddenlye to me at this time? I wondered, but I checked the contents anyway.


    “Hmm.”


    After reading everything, my first thought was, of course, Rika.


    ‘The smile won’t leave her face.’


    Imagining that scene makes my lips twitch. She might not know, but she was most beautiful when she smiled. I wanted to see it a hundred, a thousand times more.


    In that sense, the news that just arrived was the perfect brush to paint that smile.


    – Lost relic of the Church, ‘Sword of Saint Louis,’ found and recovered –


    – Karl Adelheit, the heir of Count Friedrich, recovered the relic, as dered by Cardinal Bent, the 4th Archbishop –


    “…”


    That’s strange. I’m sure my brother-inw said he didn’t want any more medals on his chest.


    But his actions make it seem like he’s desperate to cover his chest with medals?


    * * *


    “Haaah.”


    After washing up and soaking in the hot spring, I feel like this is heaven.


    I used to see people say ‘It’s cool!’ when they got into hot water, and I thought, ‘Oh, man. You’re getting old.’ But maybe that’s not just getting old, but human nature.


    “…Geez.”


    Sitting in the hot spring, a sigh escaped my lips.


    I clearly came here to rest. Sure, there was a memorial service involved, but the fact that I came to rest doesn’t change.


    I just split a random rock, and vo! A relic of the Church popped out. The cardinal even got teary-eyed seeing it.


    Honestly, watching that scene, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Did the Church not do a proper search?’ No, let me correct that. I thought about it a lot.


    I picked a random rock, swung my greatsword once, and the relic they had been searching for appeared.


    That means there was no reason why the Church couldn’t find it. To put it bluntly, it seems like they could have found it long ago if they had searched everywhere and everything like I did.


    ‘…But I guess no one would have known that the relic was inside a rock instead of being buried or hidden somewhere. Wait, why was the sword inside a rock in the first ce?’


    Cardinal Bent offered a fairly reasonable deduction on that point.


    When the 4th diocese headquarters was burned down by the Kanfras, someone must have hastily hidden the relic.


    In case it fell into their hands, who knows what humiliation it would have suffered? It had to be hidden so that no one could easily find it, in an unexpected way.


    In that sense, the method of ‘putting it inside a pre-split rock and artificially sealing the rock’ would be something the Kanfras would never expect.


    ‘But the problem is, how do you find the rock once it’s lost?’


    The Church wouldn’t have left any special marks to make it easy to find, unless they were fools.


    And it’s highly likely that they didn’t have enough time to leave a very borate mark. With the Kanfras right at their doorstep, how could they have the leisure to do such a thing?


    In conclusion, it means it’s impossible to find. It’s not that they didn’t try. It’s not that they were stupid. It just means I was incredibly lucky again this time.


    “…Did God really linger by my side?”


    I muttered those words to myself without realizing it, and a beatter, I felt a presence behind me.


    Instinctively, I reached for my greatsword, but soon realized it wasn’t with me and sighed.


    It’s not that I didn’t bring it because I was in the hot spring. My greatsword was always with me, even when I slept or washed.


    The reason it wasn’t with me at this moment was because of the Church of Light.


    ‘Your Eminence…!’


    I found the relic of the Church. And the tool used in that process was my greatsword. The Church focused on that very greatsword, saying that there might be another revtion of God in it.


    Honestly, what revtion? That thing is full of nothing but the blood of Kanfras. Sometimes it’s stained with the blood of other things, but most of it is Kanfra blood.


    Anyway, they took my greatsword along with the Sword of Saint Louis as if it were a sacred object.


    They said they would return it, so I gave it to them, but I felt uneasy for some reason. Now my hands are empty at the moment I need it!


    ‘Damn it.’


    I immediately got up, but the opponent was much faster than I expected.


    This is no ordinary movement. It’s a highly skilled one. Maybe it’s an assassin sent by the Luzernes, who are determined to get rid of me. And their aim was right on target.


    A pale arm wraps around my neck. They’ll either strangle me or go for the carotid artery.


    [PR/N: The carotid arteries are tworge blood vessels located on either side of the neck that supply oxygenated blood to the brain, face, and head.]


    Sigh. I came on a hot spring trip, found the Church’s relic, and now I’m going to find my happiness. Kanfra Bastards. Even if I die and be a ghost, I will—


    “Ta-da.”


    …? Wait a moment. This voice, could it be?


    “…Eloise?”


    “Who else would it be?”


    I quickly turned my head, and there was Eloise.


    She has her arm around my neck, but she’s not trying to suffocate me or aim for my carotid artery.


    She’s just hugging me, with no intention whatsoever.


    “What… are you doing?”


    “Didn’t youe to enjoy the hot springs?”


    “What does that have to do with you secretly following me? If I had something in my hand, you—”


    “Could have been killed? Ohe on. No way. No matter how skilled you are with a greatsword, Karl, I’m not that easy of a target. I didn’t lead the Extermination Squad for nothing. Ah, but I might be an easy target in bed. Hehehe!”


    “…”


    Let’s pretend I didn’t hear thest part.


    “Sigh.”


    The tension that had been stretched taut throughout my body suddenly snapped, releasing me.


    As I sank back into the hot spring, the muscles that had been ready to explode settled back into ce.


    The blood that had been rushing through me as if it would burst out calmed down as if nothing had happened.


    “Don’t do that again. It could have been a big problem, no matter what.”


    “Mmhmm. I’ll be careful. But this time, it couldn’t be helped.”


    What does that mean? It couldn’t be helped? Wait a minute—


    “This is the men’s hot spring.”


    “Yeah.”


    “The women’s is on the other side.”


    “Yeah.”


    “…”


    This crazy woman. No, this crazy elf!


    “What do you mean, ‘Yeah’? Hey! Why did youe in here?! Get out!”


    “I’m not leaving. Absolutely not.”


    “Leave!”


    “If you want me out, you’ll have to look at me for a second.”


    My reason screamed not to look, not to turn my head.


    But my body was a bit faster than my reason. Perhaps from rolling around on the battlefield so much, my body responding first was the decisive factor.


    “Ta-da!”


    And I, embarrassingly enough, was speechless.


    “How’s this? It’s my secret weapon, prepared with the utmost care.”


    Eloise’s alluring gestures and captivatingly fair skin unfolded before my eyes. And, of course, the swimsuit that barely concealed the most crucial areas.


    Th-this… You despicable temptress… Using such ruthless tactics…!


    [Trantor – Angel Dust]


    [Proofreader – Prototype]