Chapter 61 – Watching Him
Fortunately, the princess opened her eyes less than half a day later. She said it was thanks to the quick first aid, and only then did Professor Aegis smile playfully and praise me.
It would have been okay for her to rest a little, but after coming to her senses, the princess immediately tried to get up from her seat. Despite Professor Aegis and my dissuasion, the princess firmly shook her head.
“It’s okay. “I can’t just lie down like this.”
At that moment, Freya appeared and told us that the chairman was calling us, so we had no choice but to head to the chairman’s office with the princess.
“Is the princess together for a long time?”
“There was no such thing…” There was a crown prince. Perhaps the princess was attacked, or the story from the Magic Tower was relayed to the imperial family. “I heard that the reply came.”
Knock knock knock, after Freya’s short knock, word came from inside that it was okay to come in.
In the room, the Chairman, the Crown Prince, Undine, and Ignis were seated first. The moment she sat down on the sofa in silence, the terrible smell of cigarettes hit her nose.
“His Majesty’s telegram.”
The crown prince said that out loud. The sealed letter rotates gently in his hand.
Did he wait for us to come? Even if it was the crown prince, Freya, who was in love with him, probably didn’t want to be seen as such.
“…… I briefly told you about the incident that occurred in the snowfield and the warning given by the blood relatives. “Then let me explain briefly.”
He put a cigarette in his mouth and looked at the letter carefully.
I could guess that the text written on the small piece of paper was not that long just by looking at the ink visible on the back. Line after line, while the prince’s eyes roll, the room suddenly becomes static.
“Ha… “It’s a sight to behold.”
A short snort.
It never occurred to me to read a telegram sent in the emperor’s name.
There was no such thing as speed reading. The crown prince closed his eyes, took a deep smoke, lit the telegram with the cigarette, and burned it.
“Anastasia.”
“Yes.”
“We return to the imperial castle.”
“…… Yes?”
The surprised princess stared at the crown prince with an expression that left her speechless, but he continued to speak to the chairman with a cold expression.
“The 4th Holy Sword. “He left a message for you too.”
“Hmm… “Hwang Myeong-ra.”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“I hope you don’t have such a disrespectful heart.”
“… It’s bland. His Majesty asks you to summon a hero from another world. Therefore, the plan to hand over Princess Anastasia’s holy sword is canceled. The summoning is under the will of the 6th Holy Sword. “You say the owner is someone who has been summoned.”
“…… In another world? Summoning a hero… “
“Wasn’t that the original intention? The suitability for the holy sword is overwhelmingly high among people from another world. No matter how great Anastasia’s sword skills are, there is a possibility that she will be overtaken by a person from another world who has never cut with a sword in just a couple of years at the most. “It goes without saying that you are from another world summoned under the leadership of the Holy Sword.”
‘It would be a shame because these idiots are heroes and were summoned with the sense of half-playing.’, The crown prince added sarcastically and chuckled.
“Wait a minute!”
Unsurprisingly, the one who was most excited was Princess Anastasia. She asked in disbelief, even her voice shaking.
“Abama… “Do you really mean that His Majesty the Emperor said that?”
“I’m sorry about what happened with the 6th Holy Sword. I know that you have wanted to become a warrior for a long time. But now…… “
“That’s not the problem, Your Majesty!”
Boom!
“I was half unconscious, but I clearly heard what my blood relatives said in the snowy field. It was said that an army of monsters was coming to the academy. Just like the army that attacked the old hero Neferna! Blue Blood Moon. It is a time when monsters are forming abnormal organizations and running rampant. Your Majesty knows better than anyone else that if the hero Neferna had not been there 30 years ago, the eastern plains of the empire would have collapsed. But how could he decide to return to the imperial castle… !”
“Anastasia.”
“There is nothing to be afraid of! There is a 4th Holy Sword in the academy. Your Majesty is the owner of the First Holy Sword. I heard that the Third Holy Sword recently returned to this area. Don’t you know that if you ask for help, he will listen! And even though he has already retired, there is also my teacher who once fought with the Second Holy Sword!”
“Don’t run your mouth carelessly.”
“Of course I will join. It might not be of much help, but… !”
“Anastasia. The academy is geographically isolated. Abandoning this place won’t cause much damage to the empire. Rather, the army of monsters will be easily blocked tactically.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“It is as you said. This place is isolated. There are students in such an isolated terrain. The number alone is in the thousands! There are also residents in surrounding cities. Are you planning to abandon them all?”
“I’m sure. “His Majesty the Emperor did not say anything up to that point.”
The crown prince frowned blatantly. It probably means that you have no intention of continuing the argument any further.
“This is the royal decree. If you plan to go against it, I will dispose of it myself.”
“Your Highness……….”
No one dares open their mouth in this cold, subdued atmosphere.
I sighed deeply.
It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling to be caught in the middle of the royal family. I knew that I was the only one who could step forward in this situation, so I had no choice.
“Come on, come on, let’s stop fighting between siblings. Of all the princes and princesses, you are the only blood relative. Is not it? … Now, Mr. Crown Prince. “If you have to go, go quickly and pack your bags.”
Quickly, I patted his back. The knight who happened to be standing guard near the door stiffened in surprise at my actions.
“… “Don’t touch me.” The crown prince also frowned as if he was overtly displeased. He was like that in the past, but he is still a troublesome and troublesome person.
But I knew very well that responding emotionally to the crown prince one by one was a self-defeating decision.
“Undine, please take the princess and go outside.”
“Yes, I understand. “Please call me when the time comes.”
Undine smiled slightly and gently lifted the hem of her skirt.
When you look at her like this, she is such a kind and gentle girl.
I just wish there would be less sudden acceleration.
***
The princess, who was steadfast, was dragged outside by Undine, whimpering.
The moment we made eye contact with the crown prince who was frowning nervously in the hallway, the knights nearby stiffened. In the frozen atmosphere, no one could speak for a while.
Even as people were leaving one by one, the crown prince did not filter his emotions and just showed them with his whole body.
I had been chain-smoking for so long that the case containing the cigarette ashes had already been full for a long time.
Freya quietly left the chairman’s office and asked the prince softly.
“Do you enjoy causing misunderstandings?”
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m just curious.”
“…… Even if you gain my favor, that doesn’t mean you can talk about me carelessly.”
“You said, ‘His Majesty the Emperor did not speak that far.'”
“……… ….”
“I believe that the rest is something that Your Highness will personally consider.”
“Do you think I will evacuate students or residents without prioritizing the Emperor?”
“I believe it is possible with Your Majesty’s abilities. “Your Majesty may be displeased, but that doesn’t mean you are breaking the Emperor’s command.”
He looked at Freyja with a frown, then smiled and said.
“…… Your intelligence is beyond reproach. I’m just as passionate about your talent as I am about your looks. The royal family needs people like you. Let’s make her the crown prince’s wife. Don’t even have a concubine. Does it sound a bit appetizing?”
“… You’re giving reasons for everything that isn’t a big deal. I’m sure everyone noticed the guess I just gave, even if it wasn’t me…. It looks like you are not the princess. Are you planning to propose to each of them one by one like you did to me?”
“A small compliment can make even a whale dance. If you try to dig into even the forced emotional gaps, the boundaries can easily be broken down. “It’s not difficult to control people even without mental magic.”
“The person who knows that is strict with the princess.”
Despite Freya’s comments, the crown prince just skillfully changed the topic.
He took out a new cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“…… “Last time, I was caught up in memories from my past life and answered that because I was a man, he couldn’t be mine.”
“………… “It was like that.”
“You’ve changed.”
“At the time, when I had just left the village, I was…… It was erasing me and Freya. It was a great opportunity to remember my past life. “I just hated myself and used my past life, which I happened to remember, as a shield.”
“It’s an opportunity….”
“I changed my mind a little. I am Freya of the Vanir god race. “It is a fact that there is no need to deny.”
“… I want to get drunk even more. Even if you force it.”
“It’s a crime, that is.”
“I ask again. Be mine. “I will give you a piece of the empire and the world.”
“I refuse.”
Freya answered softly and then looked away. Eugene Seo Neferna, who was passing through the hallway looking over the crown prince’s shoulder, was there.
The crown prince also did not miss the way Freyja’s face became sad.
Her expression was intuitive in many ways. She had an expression I had never seen before.
I didn’t say it out loud, but just looking at him from far away, who hadn’t even said hello, was so lovely that I couldn’t help but giggle and say it.
“I have to take care of the idiot. “I might have an accident again this time.”