SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 370

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 370: Taboo (4)

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The Crown Prince slipped into hiding in a small city with his closest aides. It was less a flight than an attempt to hide, even an escape from reality.

"Let's send an envoy to recommend surrender for starters."

I surrounded the small city with the ducal knights, the imperial knights, and my own vassals. Then, as a formality, we sent an envoy to politely request their surrender.

Of course, the Crown Prince, who had escaped into his own fantasy, was far from observing such formalities.

According to the envoy, His Ramen Highness yelled something along the lines of, "You are invaders from another world! I am the foundation of the Empire! I will never bow my head to the likes of interworld scoundrels!"

Hearing this, I clicked my tongue.

"Foolish."

Indeed. Had I rashly intimidated the Crown Prince, I would have been treated as an invader from another world.

Among the empire's nobility and citizens, there were quite a few who viewed the otherworld unfavorably. The Crown Prince's claim that they must fight against the threat from another world could have gained momentum.

But I had the justification from the Emperor.

Even the clothes I wore were of the empire's style. I was the Wife of the Ivansia ducal family, acting under the solemn command of His Majesty, the Emperor, not as a monarch from another world.

Checkmate.

"What are you planning to do now?"

Silvia approached me and asked. She was well-versed in the empire's affairs and was assisting me.

"Based on my past experience of dating him, I'd say drop any expectations of the Prince surrendering. That man never backs down once he's made up his mind."

"So what if the damn prince refuses to surrender?"

"Heh. Meaning?"

I gripped the hilt of the Holy Sword.

"I'll capture him."

That night, I scaled the city walls alone.

The Crown Prince's forces, perhaps preparing for a siege, had a fairly tight security. In other words, it was only "fairly" tight. If they wanted to stop me, they needed an incredibly meticulous security setup. Not something like this, buddy.

Before an hour had passed, I had infiltrated the Crown Prince's bedroom.

"Huff... Uhm..."

The blond ramen noodle was dead asleep, oblivious to the world, even though every knight standing guard outside his bedchamber had been knocked unconscious.

I snickered and gently poked his cheek.

"Hey, you gonna wake up?"

The Crown Prince groggily opened his eyes, still not fully grasping reality.

"Ugh, hmm... What's... going on...?"

"What do you mean, what's going on? Show some respect at once. You stand before the man who married your first fiancée and took your second fiancée as his vassal."

"What...? Huh!?"

Only then did the Crown Prince's eyes snap open. I was waiting for this moment. I immediately flicked his eyelid with my finger.

"Aaah! My eyes, my eeeeyes!"

The Crown Prince fell off the bed, covering his face.

"Kid, that's quite the overreaction for a little flick."

"Guards! Guuaaards! There's an intruder! The intruder has appeared! What are the guards doing?"

"All your guards are out cold. You udon-noodle-vongole-mussel-jjamppong bastard. You order of seolleongtang noodles that still has not arrived thirty minutes after being ordered. Does it not sink in even when I'm calmly stroking your eyebrows?"

"Guuaaards! Guards! Guaaaaaards!"

I squatted down to look at the Crown Prince.

The so-called school-bully squat.

The Crown Prince, having never seen such a posture in his royal life, shuddered as soon as our eyes met.

"Why is no one responding to my call...?"

"Because I've covered a 6-meter radius with my aura like a dome. No matter how much you whimper, the curtain blocks the sound."

"That's impossible..."

"It has happened. And it will keep happening, Lord Crown Prince. I do not want to look at your face either, so let us finish this quickly."

I pulled out a scroll from my robe. It was an imperial edict with the Emperor's seal.

"What, what... That's...!"

Recognizing the seal, the Crown Prince's mouth dropped open. I flicked my finger again, this time hitting his lips. "Hweeeek!?" A truly pathetic scream rang out.

"Listen, kid. For the sake of your pea-sized brain, I'll personally interpret His Majesty's sublime words."

Facing the Crown Prince, whose lips were now swollen red, I smiled.

"From today, you're going on a study abroad program to our world."

"Study abroad? What nonsense is that?"

"Well, it sounds nice, but it's actually exile. Did you really think you'd get away unscathed after attempting to poison Raviel and even threatening the Emperor?"

The Crown Prince's face turned ashen. He must have realized that I held all the evidence.

"There are countless nobles who follow me. They won't tolerate such tyranny!"

"Strangely enough, they will tolerate it. Look, if this continues, all of them will be convicted of treason and their necks will bid farewell to their bodies. But I am going to give them a chance."

"A chance...?"

"Yes, the chance to cut ties with you and save their lives."

I tapped the Crown Prince's forehead with the scroll. Each time the edict touched his forehead, he flinched.

"The nobles didn't join your rebellion. [The Emperor ordered you to study abroad in another world.] But [you were unfamiliar and afraid of going to another world, so like a teenager, you stubbornly refused.]"

"Ah...?"

"And you didn't throw a tantrum alone. [You begged the nobles to please hide you.] And the nobles, unable to harshly refuse the Crown Prince's request, [secretly hid you here,] but the secret didn't last long, and [they were caught by His Majesty.]"

The Crown Prince looked up at me blankly.

I curled my lips up.

"Don't you get it? This is my scenario. According to this, the nobles don't have to bear the crime of treason. They'll only be guilty of indulging in the whims of a pathetic Crown Prince."

"......!"

"See? If you go on a study abroad program alone, everyone gets their happy ending. What do you think the nobles will do? Eh? Will they say, 'Even if our heads fly off and our families are destroyed, we will follow His Highness the Crown Prince to the end'? What do you think?"

"Aaaah! Aaaaaah!!"

Finally grasping my intentions, the Crown Prince began to struggle desperately.

"You plague from another world! It's all because of you! Everything fell apart after you came! You took Ivansia's lady, and even my cute and lovely Lady Goldencup! It's all your fault! If it weren't for you..."

"Sweet dreams, Your Highness."

I pressed firmly on one of the Crown Prince's acupoints.

"When you wake up, the world will have changed."

And with that, the Crown Prince's world went dark.

"Gasp!"

The Crown Prince sprang up.

Drenched in cold sweat, he swallowed his saliva.

"Was it, was it a dream? Phew..."

"Did you have a pleasant dream last night?"

"Aaaah!!"

Startled by my face, he jumped as if he had seen a horrifying monster. My delicate heart might just take offense at such a reaction.

"Wh-Where is this place!?"

"We're on the 29th floor, sir."

I beamed a smile.

"Its genre was once a school story, and it was a stage ruled by the [Holed-Up Head Librarian]. One of my vassals, Kim Yul, used to live here."

"Ha, ha?"

"Of course, such information is useless to you. The one and only Crown Prince of the Empire, who was destined to don the Emperor's crown. There's only one thing you need to remember: in this world, no one will treat you as a Crown Prince."

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door from behind.

"Come in."

"Yes, I'm coming."

Silvia came in with a bright, lively voice. What greeted her was a two-pyeong one-room. No, even calling it a studio was too generous. It was a goshiwon room.

Silvia glanced around the room and frowned.

"Wow, it's cramped... My Lord, can that man really live in such a small space? I don't think it's possible."

"That's the reality he has to face now. Did you speak well with the goshiwon owner?"

"Ah, yes. When they saw the gold bars, their eyes lit up and they said they looked forward to our patronage. They seemed to mistake us for a mafia from overseas."

Good.

The 29th floor was currently operating as a school city. There were schools in Babylon, but a systematic public education system hadn't yet been established. Hence, this place, the 29th floor, which was frozen in time during Kim Yul's era, was used as an educational venue.

"Si-Silvia...?"

The Crown Prince, unaware of such circumstances, was simply dumbfounded by Silvia's appearance.

Silvia, not in her voluminous dress but in modern clothing, smiled sweetly.

"Yes, Mr. Hwang-Tae. I am Silvia Evanair."

"Oh! My Silvia! The nightingale bearing the name of Goldencup! You must have rushed here to rescue me from this demon's clutches...! I believed, no, I only believed in you. My delicate Goldencup!"

"Ugh, what's this? It's like reading through a diary filled with embarrassing memories."

Silvia made a disgusted face.

"Anyway, while introducing myself to the goshiwon owner, I also handled all sorts of miscellaneous paperwork. Starting next week, that Hwang-Tae can enroll in school. He will be a blond young nobleman transferring in."

"Good work."

"Yes, it's really just hard work... Though I'm not one to talk, but don't you think the bureaucrats of this stage are too corrupt? The administration is like a sponge, full of holes."

"Well, the almighty power of gold bars has just been proven."

"I wonder how much you bribed them with..."

As we casually chatted, the Crown Prince merely stared at us, lost for words.

"Si-Silvia? Do you perhaps not recognize me? And... why did you call me Hwang-Tae earlier?"

"Ah, I almost forgot."

Silvia rummaged through her bag and pulled out something. It was a card.

"This will be the only means to prove your identity from now on."

Silvia politely handed over a student ID card. On the newly made ID, a photo of the Crown Prince, barely keeping his eyes open, was printed in a square.

Below it, the following text was written:

[Student ID]

Name: Kim Hwang-Tae

Affiliation: Shinseo High School

"......Kim, Kim Hwang-Tae?"

"Yeah, that's your name from now on."

I flashed a bright smile.

"Hwang-Tae, you're a second-generation overseas Korean who has somehow returned to the country, but you were kicked out of your house and now live alone in this goshiwon. Naturally, you have no allowance and must find a job or do odd jobs to earn money. Got it?"

"A part-time job? M-Menial labor? You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Yes, our Hwang-Tae seems to have no clue about the situation, which is quite satisfying."

I gently patted Kim Hwang-Tae's head.

"If you're three months behind on your rent here, you're out. If you skip school and refuse to attend for more than a week, you're also out. For our Hwang-Tae, who has been pampered as a prince his whole life, this world might seem harsh. But, Hwang-Tae... that is the real world!"

"......."

"Hang in there! Be strong! You can do it!"

I clenched my fist.

"No one in this city will treat you as the Crown Prince! No one will care what hole a nobody like you crawled out of! The world! By nature! Has no interest in you!"

"......."

"Work! It might be hard to find a job with a student status, but that's just how it is...! Money is hard to earn...! Work and work, and with your effort and sweat, secure food for the day! If you can't, you'll starve... and, well, die... but that too is a natural law!"

".............."

"Hwang-Tae!"

I grabbed Kim Hwang-Tae's shoulders.

And asked him, looking into his soulless face.

"How many days have you gone without food?"

"What... what...?"

"Don't worry. After two days of fasting, you'll see the world differently! I'll be cheering for you from afar as you start your new life, Kim Hwang-Tae! Fighting!"

I left 30,000 won and turned to leave.

Silvia also bowed slightly to Kim Hwang-Tae.

"Goodbye, Mr. Hwang-Tae. Honestly, if you had looked for me even once after my lord wrecked my life, I might have done something for you now. Well, it cannot be helped! I will cheer you on from afar too!"

We both swiftly exited the room.

As we walked down the gloomy staircase, Silvia spoke up.

"So how many years do you plan to let him stay before sending him back to the empire?"

"Send him back? He's going to live here forever. They've already designated the second prince as the successor, so what good would his return do other than get him purged? Leaving him here is an act of mercy. Mercy."

"You really are a devil, my Lord..."

A desperate scream echoed from beyond the goshiwon stairs.

That day, a blond young nobleman arrived at Shinseo High School on the 29th floor as an international transfer student.

According to later accounts, Kim Hwang-Tae, who had starved for four days straight, eventually began to assist with odd jobs for the goshiwon owner and embarked on his second school life.

Hang in there, Kim Hwang-Tae! You are the protagonist of this spin-off!

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