episode_0047

“What?!”

My throat is parched.

My head swims, and my ears ring.

With my limbs numb and tingling, Evan groped around in the dust pit, assessing the situation.

My body wouldn’t obey, likely due to the recent impact.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?!”

Thanks to the guard’s voice, who quickly approached upon sensing something amiss, Evan managed to regain his composure.

He brushed off the dust and pulled himself up from the rubble.

“…The situation…”

“The beast, presumed to be Zacharia Carsen, has escaped through the bars…”

Damn it…!

Evan, dazed, touched his forehead, only to feel a throbbing pain where a wound likely was.

“…Is the Abyss system alright?”

“Yes, overall functionality is normal. The guards have also urgently reinforced their numbers… so there shouldn’t be any problems here.”

“Then first—”

—we must pursue the escaped prisoner.

Despite his injuries and less-than-optimal condition, Evan did his best to direct the situation.

Given the emergency, he maximized the Abyss security level, deployed the additionally summoned knights strategically, and then came to the surface.

“The pursuit team is already chasing it, but the resistance is fierce…!!”

“I’ll join the pursuit as well… I’ll get the briefing on the escape route on the way…!!”

The situation was more serious than anticipated.

First, Zacharia—no, whatever that thing is that has become a beast.

It was stronger than Evan had anticipated.

That “anticipation” was merely a hasty assessment of its combat ability during its transformation.

It might have been inaccurate, and my analysis flawed.

However, what was certain was that it was stronger than any beast he’d ever fought.

It broke through the iron bars deep within the Abyss and easily dispelled the sealing magic installed in the prison.

It instantly incapacitated Evan (who considered himself quite skilled in swordsmanship and magic), and on top of that, brushed aside all the guards on its way to the surface before escaping.

It was an utterly extraordinary situation.

It was quite serious, at least for Evan, who had experienced countless events in his life as the Second Prince.

Such an anomalous creature.

Is now running through the capital.

On the way to the battle zone following the pursuit team, the damage in the area it had passed through was significant.

People were injured, houses collapsed, rice paddies and fields destroyed.

It was relentlessly destroying the people’s homes, everything of the kingdom, heading east.

A crushing sense of responsibility weighed heavily on Evan, who had been at the scene.

He could have been overwhelmed, but he is the Second Prince of Nifrantz.

He couldn’t retreat here, he had to protect as many people as possible.

His blood continuously told him so.

“Are you alright…?! Your complexion—”

“—Right now, prioritize the kingdom’s safety over mine. You know how serious this is, don’t you…”

Even as he moved, Evan stumbled several times.

But the pain of his injuries, which covered his whole body, kept him just conscious enough.

Of course, it wasn’t life-threatening.

He knew what he had to do, and he also knew his place.

He wouldn’t recklessly risk himself.

It was merely confidence that with the reliable elite knights behind him, he could somehow manage it.

It wasn’t delusion born from inferiority, a misconception, or self-obsession.

The years of training.

The achievements he made as a prince.

Those many footsteps were simply giving strength to the new steps Evan was about to take.

*KWAANG—!*

Soon, a tremendous roar came from up ahead.

“It’s in sight!!”

They had caught up to the pursuit team.

Evan placed his hand on his sword at his waist and shouted with all his might.

“All units, charge!! Never let it escape!!”

“Yes!!”

Instead of empty grandiose answers, the knights charged forward with short battle cries.

At times like these, he even wanted to emulate the practicality of the Second Knights.

And strength surged into his hand gripping the sword.

Seeing the back of the fleeing beast, anger welled up within him.

He absolutely couldn’t forgive someone who disrupted the kingdom’s peace.

He felt genuine rage and assumed a combat stance.

*KOONG—TOO KWAANG—!*

The giant beast running ahead suddenly stopped.

Then, as if entranced, it quickly turned and charged towards Evan.

“Your Highness, you must dodge—!”

“No, hurry—”

He shoved away the knights gripping his arms, fixed his gaze on the enemy before him, and…

began gathering his sword energy.

‘Does it recognize me…? Fine, come on…!!’

It was to Evan’s advantage that it hadn’t fled.

A special sword energy passed down only in the royal family, for beheading criminals.

One strike of this would sever a beast of any size in two.

*KOONG—KOONG—KOONG—KOONG—*

The beast drew closer, and Evan took a deep breath.

He focused intensely, aiming precisely for its neck.

Soon, he felt time seemed to have stopped.

“Koo- wah- ah- ah-”

The knights approaching to stop him.

The blades of grass and dust swirling in the wind.

Everything seemed to slow down.

Just as Evan was about to unleash his sword energy…

“Save—me—”

He instinctively realized…

That the beast wasn’t charging at him, but fleeing from something else.

And at that moment…

*PA-SU-SUH—!!*

Along with a pure white sword energy, the beast’s head fell off.

The sword energy was a tradition of the royal family, perfect enough to surpass previous generations.

And it was a beautiful, pure white, unlike any seen in previous generations, inspiring awe in those who witnessed it.

And it wasn’t Evan’s sword energy.

*PEOR-REOK—*

A girl with an extraordinary aura, flying in the sky.

“…Is it over…”

“…Did we finish it?”

One by one, the members of the pursuit team and knights who had been thrown off balance before they could stop the beast began to gather.

They all looked not at Evan, but at the girl floating in the air.

“Hey, hey, you—get rid of that line—!”

She shrieked in surprise at something, then swung the pure white magic sword in her hand, dismembering the beast’s corpse.

*PA-CHIT—PA-CHING—!*

“Whew… I almost had to do a second round.”

As if relieved after making sure it was dead.

The girl descended, lightly stepping on the fresh spring air, like scattering spring petals.

A beautiful silk dress, the same pure white as the sword energy.

A captivating figure that the dress couldn’t completely conceal.

Long black hair that captivated anyone’s gaze.

*TEO-BEOK—*

“Oh, who is this?”

Evan realized again…

That the powerful being before him, who had easily sliced the beast in two like cutting through vegetables with a sword energy…

…might have been impossible to kill with his own sword energy.

Her aura was that powerful and beautiful.

And at the same time, her smile was terribly repulsive.

“Oppa, long time no see?”

The reunion with his sister was the worst.

* * *

*DEOL-KEONG—DEOL-KEONG—*

“No, I’m really sorry, okay?”

The atmosphere among the three was frigid.

I had to choose my words carefully.

I couldn’t say I just saw a lump below and sliced it because I was bored on the way home.

On the carriage back to the palace, Evan sat with his chin in his hand, staring sullenly out the window.

“Sorry, Oppa! I really didn’t mean to get the final blow. I just swung it casually, I didn’t think it would die from that—”

“…”

“—Ah, no! It just means that thing was already weakened! In short! The knights, the pursuit team, and the Second Prince who was commanding them solved everything! I simply joined in while passing by.”

He gave no response.

“Uh, what was it… Hmmm, anyway, just pretend I wasn’t involved. I don’t really need… achievements? like that. This would be perfect for you to get a lot of credit, right?”

“…….”

“Why are you like this, seriously? No, Oppa, why are you making that face when you rushed out there and resolved the problem? The one at fault is the one who let the beast escape! Where is it? I’ll find it and scold it—”

Why am I doing this?

I’m sweating bullets, trying my best to comfort him.

Yuri touched my shoulder and shook her head.

“Your Highness, maybe that’s enough… Even I’m heartbroken watching this…”

Looking again, Evan was crying.

No, why?!

Only after returning to the castle and hearing the full story did I realize I had unintentionally ridiculed him.

.

.

.

“Summon the Fifth Princess.”

*TABAK—TABAK—*

I walked with heavier steps than when I had left.

Not from fatigue from the long journey, but because I had finished a troublesome incident and was likely to spend some time discussing the aftermath.

“Fifth Princess Narita Florine Nifrantz greets Your Majesty.”

“Raise your head—”

“Hoooo…”

*PPA-JIK—*

Perhaps because of that unintentional sigh, His Majesty, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, seemed filled with worry.

“Father’s still the same.”

“It seems you’ve become even more forgetful of etiquette…”

“Ah, so what? It’s none of my business.”

“Hoooo…”

When Father sighed, the Prime Minister next to him sighed as well.

Since when did sighing become contagious…?

“Alright, that’s enough. That’s not important. Let’s end the greetings here and go to the office.”

Given the circumstances, we moved quickly.

Evan and many others were already gathered in the office we arrived at, and the meeting began immediately.

Evan was the first to speak.

“What we need to be sure of is that the connection between Marquis Carsen and some figure in the Empire is now clear.”

To continue, the direction the beast ran in immediately after escaping prison was east.

Because that leads to the Tarun mountain range, and also to the Empire.

“So who is it?”

“It’s not yet clear. However, according to what the beast left behind…”

Based on the phrases “seven moons” and “the time has come,” and the fact that it became a beast.

It’s claimed that Marquis Carsen had a backer who provided support and even inscribed a beast transformation ritual.

And that person is highly likely to be of Imperial origin or currently affiliated with the Empire.

“Incidentally, the results of the data analysis from the Mage Tower will be available the day after tomorrow. They said it will be sent here immediately.”

The Mage Tower?

For a moment, I hoped it might be Lulu in a new delivery person costume—

On that day, what arrived at the royal palace was…

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Amelia Fried.”