Chapter 84: 048. Imperial Prince is Enjoying the Festival (Part Two)
Meanwhile, red fruits continued flying around and dyeing the village crimson.
I guessed that the villagers and the dwarves were going to have a hard time trying to mop everything up later on.
It was then, my ears caught the laughter of children. I shifted my head in that direction.
Raphael’s granddaughter, Alice Astoria, didn’t seem to mind her own status while letting her hair down to enjoy the festival. It made some sense to me, considering that it must’ve been pretty rough working as a lady-in-waiting in that stuffy imperial palace.
She was tossing the red fruits at the other kids as if they were having a snowball fight. However, she must have lost to them once already, because she was dyed from head to toe in red by the time I saw her.
“You guys…!”
Alice was throwing the fruits at the children with a playful smile on her face.
The kids dodged her throws. But then… one of the stray fruits flew in and hit me on the head before going splat.
The gooey juice trickled down from the fruit. I lightly brushed it off and laughed out loudly too.
On the other hand, the thrower’s face paled in an instant. Alice’s whole body seemed to shudder as she hurriedly bowed and apologised. “I-I’m terribly sorry, your highness!”
“This is nothing, though. You can relax, Alice Astoria.”
Despite me telling her that it was all fine, she still continued apologising over and over again while bowing nonstop.
Well, this body’s previous owner tried to assault her in the past, so her reaction couldn’t be helped, I thought.
But getting hit by one or two stray fruits was nothing major, really. Besides, wasn’t this festival all about letting the red fruits hit you to get rid of your misfortunes in the first place, anyways?
So, this was also a part of this festival’s charms!
Seeing her shiver away like that only made me feel sorry for her.
Sure, we did chat a lot inside the library, but she still must’ve had a lot of trauma left over.
I picked up a cup and asked her, “Wanna drink? No need to push yourself though.”
She cautiously glanced at her surroundings when I said that.
The dwarves around us were staring at her with sparkling eyes. It was kind of obvious that they also wanted her to down at least one cup.
I totally understood her dilemma. The sparkling eyes of these uncles made it mysteriously difficult to say no.
Despite their short heights, their faces belonged to tough middle-aged uncles. Yet, their expressions resembled pure-hearted children.
Their truly unique outer appearances made it doubly harder to refuse.
Alice met my gaze for a moment before smiling awkwardly. “In that case, maybe a little.”
Her cup and mine lightly clinked. We then proceeded to drink to our hearts’ fill. Meanwhile, the dwarves all around us boisterously chatted away.
I was getting a bit tipsy, but that did wonders with getting rid of that awkward air from earlier.
She seemed to be drunk as well, since she asked me a question with a reddened complexion. “Your highness. That… Resurrection magic, just how did you pull it off?”
I took another gulp of the booze and easily ‘fessed up. “It’s pretty simple. Remember that theory you told me earlier?”
“…?”
“A totally absurd amount of divinity. I used that for my healing magic.”
I also used Amon’s skull and almost risked my life to save Luan’s butt. Although, I still shudder to this day whenever I look back to that event. That was because I was dumb and had no idea that Resurrection magic could be so dangerous.
She continued on, “But in such a case, his highness Luan should’ve died and his soul…”
“All you gotta do is catch the soul and drag it back to where it belongs.”
“Eh?” Alice’s eyes went round from shock. “Capture a soul? But how?”
She softly muttered under her breath.
While placing the cup near her lips, she tried asking me again, but I could see her eyes drifting away, almost ready to pass out. “But, is such a miracle even possible?”
“Well, it’s possible, at least if it’s me.”
One would need the combination of a Priest’s and a Necromancer’s attributes. Excluding me, pulling that off was probably impossible for the people of this world.
She murmured softly, “Oh my goodness… Such a thing was actually possible?”
I grinned slyly and replied, “No need to be surprised though. It was all thanks to you anyway.”
“Excuse me?”
Alice’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets this time.
Well, I wasn’t lying about that. The Resurrection magic I performed was a combination of my divinity, Amon’s skull, and Alice’s pool of knowledge.
If she hadn’t spent the whole night telling me about the base theory, and if it wasn’t for the game’s class attribute which helped me quickly understand the theory regarding magic, this miracle couldn’t have come about at all.
“I learned everything I needed from you back in the library that night, you see? The First Imperial Prince Luan Olfolse survived all thanks to you. So, it’s fine for you to be proud of this accomplishment. You’re a terrific healer who never gave up on her patient even right till the end.”
She clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes showed how conflicted and confused she was feeling right now. However, that didn’t last for long; she emptied her booze in one go and stood up from her seat.
“I am Alice Astoria, the granddaughter of Archbishop Raphael Astoria.” She held the corners of her dress and lifted them up a little before elegantly bowing. “Although late, this servant greets his highness. I’d like to express my gratitude for healing this one’s patient, his highness Luan Olfolse.” A refreshing smile was now etched on her face. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
I smiled back in response, and raised my cup.
While looking straight back at me, she too raised hers and we clinked our cups once more.
I replied. “I’m also grateful. All thanks to you, I’ve learned a lot of things.”
Yeah, the theories she taught me would no doubt improve my powers further down the line. Make me much stronger and stuff like that.
Just as I was about to take another gulp of the booze, I flinched nastily and my body subconsciously stiffened all on its own.
I felt a chill run down my backside.
What the hell? What’s this? Who is it?!
A stinging glare was stabbing me in the back. It even contained a mixture of killing intent and madness too.
While shedding drops of cold sweat, I cautiously looked behind me and immediately discovered the owner of that glare.
A certain old man was standing in the midst of the villagers.
…Raphael Astoria.
Veins were bulging on his forehead, and the corners of his lips were quivering ominously as he continued glaring at me.
**
(TL: In 3rd person POV.)
Charlotte was heading east after receiving the Holy Emperor’s letter of recommendation.
Accompanied by the Paladins, she rode on a carriage and travelled tirelessly for a while. Eventually, the destination she reached was a city called Humite, located in the southern region of the empire’s territory and near the border to Aslan Kingdom.
She carried the recommendation letter for Humite Academy and went to find a certain individual living in the vicinity of the academy.
She found the address and knocked on the door before stepping inside.
It was then, a voice suddenly called out to her.
“So… you’re that girl.”
The voice was low and hushed. However, the sheer sense of weight contained in that voice crushed down on Charlotte’s shoulders.
She tensed up and observed an old man before her eyes. His age must’ve been somewhere around early to mid eighties. He was also thin as a stick. For some reason, he was even dressed like a poor farmer too.
Yet, there was a large burn scar on his face.
While resting both of his hands on a walking stick, he sat on a chair with his head arrogantly cocked at an angle.
His glare, as sharp as a treasure sword, was locked firmly on her.
“…The puppet of a girl who was granted the name of Heraiz.”
Charlotte stepped forward.
She knelt before the old man and bowed. “Charlotte Heraiz. His majesty has bestowed that name onto me.”
“My name is Oscal Baldur.”
Her body instantly froze up at this revelation. While shedding thick cold sweat drops, she looked up at the old man.
Oscal Baldur.
The vice captain of the Order of the Golden Cross personally led by the emperor himself, and also a man exalted as the Theocratic Empire’s ‘Sword King’.
He was also another one of the great heroes who fought against Necromancer King Amon’s undead army.
“I ask you, little girl. What do you want?”
Charlotte responded without hesitation, “It’s strength.”
“And what will you do with that strength?”
“I swear to serve and protect the Seventh Imperial Prince.”
“If he tells you to die?”
“My life is only possible because of his grace. Even my parents have been saved by him. To repay this debt, I’m prepared to sacrifice my life.”
“What if his highness tells you to kill him?”
Charlotte flinched and looked up at the old man.
Oscal Baldur expressed his displeasure at Charlotte’s hesitation. “Still an immature little child, I see… And quite stupid to boot!”
“…My apologies.”
“Listen well. We are nothing but mere puppets. We must carry out any and all commands of the Imperial Family, regardless of what they are. If we are commanded to kill the empire’s subjects, then we must not differentiate between men, women, children, and the elderly and execute everyone we see. Even if that command extends to our masters, we must follow through their will. Their commands are absolute. You must not harbour a hint of hesitation, a trace of suspicion, or even as much as a question in your heart. Do you understand?”
“…”
“If our masters order us to kill, then we will kill. It does not matter whether we stab a blade into the heart or cut open the throat. As long as they are ‘certain’ of something, we must unhesitantly carry out their will. If our master possesses the ‘rightful succession to the throne’, then we must absolutely heed the command. Disobedience will not be permitted. That is something only heretics will do.”
The old man repeated himself like a madman.
However, Charlotte didn’t say anything and continued to listen.
“I shall ask again. What if his highness asks you to kill him?”
“…I will not comply.”
“How foolish you are!” The old man stood up from the chair. “However, that will only make it more satisfying to tame you.”
The old man used the tip of his walking stick to lift up Charlotte’s chin.
“As per his majesty’s imperial decree, I shall turn you into a proper monster. Of course, that’s only when you manage to survive till the end.”
Oscal Baldur looked down at her as the corners of his lips curled up into a sinister grin.
“I congratulate you for becoming a puppet of the Imperial Family, Charlotte Heraiz.”
< 048. Imperial Prince is Enjoying the Festival (Part One and Two) > Fin.
