Navy Marigold

19.

“There’s no place for me in a collapsing empire. I’m just a pitiful outcast.”

The empire’s collapse wasn’t news from yesterday or today.

Lancel Dante had watched the process unfold countless times in his past lives, even dedicating his greatest efforts to preventing it.

However, a Princess, of all people, running away in fear of the empire’s downfall, even resorting to using a Soul Flower to orchestrate a perfect crime, was a novel sight.

“My eldest sister and brother, both of them changed after Father died. There will be war.”

She must be referring to the First Princess and First Prince.

Third Princess Claria burrowed deeper into Marigold’s embrace, her face filled with fear.

‘The Princess has the instincts of a bird…’

During her days living as a Red Coral Parrot, it seemed that Marigold had diligently tamed her, and some kind of instinct had been imprinted on this woman.

Marigold stroked her hair silently.

Lancel watched the Third Princess Claria, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“Um… Princess… Your Highness?”

“Why are you calling me, Lancel?”

Her tone had changed towards Lancel. Even this was a tremendous shift, considering the Third Princess Claria of the past.

“Even so, where else is safer, more fulfilling, and warmer than the Imperial Family that you would run away?”

“…Lancel doesn’t understand anything.”

She shot him a sulky look.

“When the atmosphere in the Imperial Family turned strange, all the people around me left. I was practically confined there.”

“Even so, isn’t being confined better than becoming a bird? I heard you spent a whole year in a birdcage.”

“Hmph.”

Frankly, Lancel hadn’t paid much attention to the Third Princess Claria in the past.

Firstly, she wasn’t a member of the Imperial Family who participated in the war. She was just a woman who would either wander around and be forgotten, die, or live a normal life and flit from one social gathering to another. One of the three.

Looking back, it was the same in the game. She was a woman who met a final fate befitting a villainous princess. A miserable and lonely end.

“Lancel doesn’t even know that the Emperor is dead, does he?”

‘Suddenly?’

Of course, he knew.

But he feigned ignorance.

“And the words the Emperor left behind as he died? You don’t know, do you?”

‘…The Emperor’s last words…!’

He really didn’t know that.

“How would… I know that?”

“See? You don’t know anything!”

“Well, that’s something most people wouldn’t know.”

“Still, you don’t know!”

The last words.

It was one of the Imperial Family’s top secrets that Lancel hadn’t been able to uncover in his past life.

The Emperor’s last words were information secretly passed down only to those who would inherit the empire.

‘The real successors, according to the Emperor himself.’

Lancel didn’t know exactly who they were either. He only knew that the First Princess was included.

But one thing was certain.

‘The Third Princess Claria definitely isn’t one of them, right?’

Even if he were the Emperor, he wouldn’t want to entrust this woman with a share of the empire. Naturally, she shouldn’t know anything about the last words.

“The Emperor…”

Third Princess Claria’s mouth opened.

“He said to distribute the empire fairly to all members of the Imperial Family. I found out about that exactly one month before I ran away.”

“Fairly…?”

For reference, the Imperial Family consisted of a total of eleven members, with seven Princes and four Princesses.

‘Dividing it equally among at least eleven people? The empire?’

This wasn’t the level of lottery winnings that were split into ten portions every week.

The power of the empire was the most unique and valuable thing on this continent.

To divide it into at least eleven parts.

There was no way it could function properly.

“Before the fact that he died was revealed to the world, he left behind such ridiculous words, telling my eldest sister and brother to distribute it fairly… Do you understand now?”

‘…The Emperor left the words that the First Princess and First Prince should distribute it on their own? Is this for real?’

As far as Lancel remembered, the First Princess didn’t seem to have any intention of doing that.

‘She thought that the only way to protect the peace of this empire was for her to inherit the throne. Well, that’s only natural.’

Frankly speaking.

Lancel felt that was the most ideal.

Although she had some crazy aspects, the First Princess was the smartest and most rational person among the Imperial Family.

Thanks to that, she was also the person who would have the most power right now.

That was why Lancel had devoted his life a total of three times, using all of his ‘total effort’ to be loyal to her.

Born into a knight family, he felt that his only mission was to protect the peace of the empire. The First Princess was an essential person in that process.

“Then why didn’t you ask Her Highness the First Princess for help?”

“Lancel…!”

Third Princess Claria widened her eyes in surprise.

“Why do you sound exactly like the people in the Imperial Family? I’m shocked…!”

Well, Lancel was once the First Princess’s closest aide.

It was difficult to say that, so Lancel remained silent.

“Everyone doesn’t know anything… Asking me to entrust myself to someone who wants to kill off all the Imperial Family, isn’t that the same as walking into hell?”

“……?”

“Do you even know how scary that sister is? She created her own knight order and army before the Emperor died. Without anyone knowing!”

-I’m asking you, Lancel.

“From then on, she was already living with the intention of eliminating all of us from the world, a woman who was completely insane! Entrust my life to her…? Isn’t that just a different way of saying to die peacefully?”

-This empire needs you.

“Do you understand? Starting the war, killing my siblings. It’s all her doing.”

-Will you be by my side?

“She is the beginning of the war that will break out in this empire! A demon, a tyrant, a warmonger, a murderer, just a crazy woman…!”

-Even if the path ahead is hell.

“I’m scared!”

-My knight, Lancel Dante.

“Waaah! Mary!”

“Ah, Pia, calm down.”

“I’m scared, I’m scared! Mary, kiss me!”

“U-Uh?”

Watching Marigold cautiously bring her lips to the Third Princess Claria’s forehead, Lancel’s mind became complicated.

20.

“I heard a new boss came in. What kind of person is he?”

“I heard he took down a hundred people by himself. Like that Blackbeard from the sea myths.”

“He definitely had a black beard!”

A group of pirates patrolling the coast were busy gossiping about the newly arrived captain.

The pirate crew’s boss often changed due to death or injury, but it was unusual for a new person to come in from the outside.

“He really took down a hundred people by himself?”

“Some died messing around, and some got injured.”

“How terrifying!”

“Didn’t you hear from the guys who experienced it firsthand? That Dove guy was completely torn to shreds.”

“Will this boss live long?”

“Hehe, he will if he doesn’t get entangled with a woman and fall into the sea.”

“I heard he’s already having some fun.”

“Wow, I’m jealous. Maybe I should become a boss too.”

“You’re kidding, what kind of boss would you be…!”

The pirate who had been sneering had his head snapped back in an instant.

Crack!

The arrow embedded in his forehead was the culprit. With a sound like a coconut cracking, the pirate whose skull had been pierced collapsed.

Swoosh!

With the sound of cutting through the wind, three or four more arrows flew in succession.

“Ugh!”

“An ambush! It’s an ambush!”

“Who is it! Who is it!”

The pirates simultaneously drew their swords. Soon, they saw what was approaching them.

Giant sailing ships coming through the sea haze. Flags with familiar patterns came into view.

“T-The navy! It’s the navy! The navy guys are here!”

“Damn it! How did they get to a place like this!”

The head of a pirate who was trying to run away was separated from his body by something flashing. It spun into the air.

“Aaaagh!”

“The navy!”

The navy appeared all at once. They were the ones who had landed on the land first on speedboats.

“There really are pirates lurking in a place like this. I have a good feeling about this already.”

Rox Ruwen shook the blood off his blade. A thick smile hung on his lips.

“Kill them all. Leave just one alive, since we need a guide, and kill the rest!”

Looking at the hundred or so navy soldiers who had come down from the sailing ships, Rox Ruwen took a deep breath.

The salty scent of the seawater, the fishy scent of blood splattering everywhere, the fresh scent flowing from the distant jungle.

Everything was giving him joy.

“Good! My scent of glory!”

Rox Ruwen drew his Rapier. He instantly severed the Achilles tendon of a pirate who was trying to run away.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Your Highness the Princess. I’m coming!”

21.

Lancel didn’t believe everything the Third Princess Claria said.

Anyway, the Imperial Family members were the kind of people who insisted that their words were all correct, so it was difficult to pick one and believe them.

There was just a time when he sincerely believed in the First Princess. Even this was a trust that had been thrown far away after he realized that the world didn’t work according to his strategy.

Now, for Lancel, belief was only an emotion directed towards Marigold.

In the countless repeated regressions, only this guy was his only companion.

“Your Highness the Princess. I came all the way here to take you back and return you to the Imperial Family. I think you already know that.”

“Are you, are you planning to drive me to my death, Lancel Dante!”

“They say they’ll bestow the title of Imperial Hero, no less. With that much, it’s enough to cleanly ignore Your Highness’s circumstances.”

“You heartless person! How long have we been together… That’s too much! That’s too much! Mary, say something! Lancel is trying to kill me!”

The Third Princess Claria’s expression was filled with terror. He didn’t know what had happened in the Imperial Family, but she didn’t seem to want to go back there at all.

Marigold hesitated and looked at Lancel.

“I am… in accordance with Lancel-nim’s choice…”

“Mary.”

Lancel cut her off. This time, he didn’t intend to make the choice.

“You choose.”

“Yes?”

==========

[Game Guide]

-The list of obtainable endings has been updated!

1.

Imperial Hero Marigold. -S Rank-

2.

Unconfirmed Ending. -S Rank-

※You have reached an S Rank ending branch.

==========

“I don’t care either way. I’ll do whatever you want. Because that’s what I want.”

Marigold’s eyes flickered. She would know that Lancel’s words were sincere.

In the past, he didn’t want anything.

The peace of the empire, the First Princess’s ambitions, his own desire for success, his obsession with strength, the desire to make the Dante Family honorable, all of them had long since turned to ashes and disappeared.

Just an empty soul.

A wanderer of infinite regression.

Perhaps a shell that had already died and disappeared.

Those were the phrases that Lancel used to recognize himself.

But everything changed when he met Marigold.

He now had something he wanted.

‘Marigold.’

Lancel wanted to grant this guy what she truly wanted. He wanted to see this guy be saved from unhappiness.

He felt like he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he saw that.

“Mary. Tell me what you want.”

Yeah. Since both are S Rank endings anyway, he wanted to do what Marigold wanted.

“Should we take Her Highness the Princess to the Imperial Family and claim the merit? Or should we take her far away and run away?”

Marigold’s mouth opened.

“…I…”