WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

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◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈

Chapter 27: The Grand Banquet (3)

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While preparations for the banquet were well underway, I arrived in the North to get a clearer measure of the barbarians' strength.

"Arveda, don’t intervene under any circumstances."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Magic Beasts, followed by barbarians.

In the current situation, the North would struggle to safely hold back both.

Bloodshed was inevitable.

And the resulting losses would be too great for the Empire to cover immediately.

'If that happens, the wound will only widen, and the northern front lines will collapse.'

That was why, if I could speak with the barbarians, I intended to do so.

The barbarians were trying to cross the northern front lines to survive.

But what if the Empire guaranteed their survival from the start? What if it accepted them as Northerners?

What if the gap in the northern front lines could be filled with barbarians?

'There wouldn't be a better option than that.'

And if there was an exceptionally strong opponent among them, I wanted to draw out my strength and test it properly.

It felt like riding an F1 car but only driving at around a hundred kilometers per hour.

I wanted to push it to maximum output and test my limits.

As I crossed the northern front lines and continued walking with those thoughts in mind...

"Stop."

I had no idea how far I had traveled.

The moment I reached a forest where people could at least survive, a voice rang in my ears.

"I thought barbarians wouldn't even be able to communicate... but you speak a language people can understand."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

When I looked up, I saw a boy with his bowstring drawn taut.

'Could the Northern Great Warrior be the younger-man type? Since he's a growth character, there's a good chance he's young.'

The problem was that I still hadn't made contact with Mirne, so I couldn't identify anyone even if I saw them.

The only thing I could use to make a guess was appearance, one of the key elements of romance fantasy.

But he looked fairly ordinary, so he didn't seem destined to become a male lead.

"Leave at once! This is the land of our Arghil Tribe!"

"Officially, even the unexplored regions of the North belong to the Empire."

"I don't know anything about that! Leave! There will be no more talking! If you don't leave immediately, I'll shoot!"

I fell into thought for a moment as I listened to the boy.

'Is there one tribe, or several?'

If there were several, would the one who united them become the Great Warrior?

That seemed likely.

To be called a Great Warrior, one usually had to accomplish something truly extraordinary.

If he united tribes that had lived separately, that would be more than enough to earn the title.

'Then what if I turn all those tribes into Northerners? Would the Northern Great Warrior become the North Grand Duke?'

The male leads of I'm Full Because Everyone Keeps Giving Me Things were replaced in a different form unless enough death narrative had accumulated.

I didn't know how many there were, but one thing was certain. That absolute number was usually maintained.

Then, could their settings be changed while that number remained fixed?

'Actually, that's already been confirmed.'

The East Grand Duke's keywords changed after he became unable to use Mana ever again.

He wasn't even the East Grand Duke anymore. He was probably the former East Grand Duke now.

With that in mind, leaving the Northern Great Warrior as a Great Warrior would be an enormous loss.

'Those bastards will ultimately invade the North.'

It would be better to give them a place to live and have them guard the northern front lines.

If they had to fight to survive anyway, wouldn't it be better for them to fight Magic Beasts rather than their own kind?

That was as far as my thoughts went.

"Does the Arghil Tribe live nearby?"

"I told you to leave! I'll really shoot now!"

"So you do live nearby."

The moment his fingers released the bowstring, I kicked off the ground.

I didn't want to waste any more time dealing with a child.

I spread out my senses and moved toward the place where I felt the most presences.

"So they at least put up a basic fence."

After moving a suitable distance, I smiled at the fence that came into view.

It was too shabby to call a city wall. A fence was exactly what it was.

There seemed to be some degree of organization, as guards stood nearby.

"Who goes there?!"

"W-What is that?!"

"Oh, you can notice me? There are quite a few capable warriors here."

"A-A person?!"

"He flew! A person flew!"

"An invasion! It's an invasion!"

Seeing no need to speak with them, I lightly jumped over the fence and the people.

I ignored all of it.

My goal was to speak with the leadership.

I wanted to quickly communicate with someone in a position to decide the tribe's fate.

'Why should I explain who I am and who I want to speak with to a group of guards?'

Finding the leadership was easy too.

The most lavishly built place.

The chieftain was bound to be there.

And sure enough.

'There.'

Among the many homes that resembled Mongolian yurts, one especially ornate tent caught my eye.

The moment I landed in front of it...

"For someone so distinguished to visit such a humble place... I am truly afraid."

A voice drifted out from inside, as though it had been waiting for me.

"I know this is rude, but the matter is urgent... I hope you'll forgive my discourtesy."

"Ha ha, how could I not forgive you? Sun of the Empire."

The tent flap opened, and an old man emerged.

His eyes had gone completely white, but his gaze still rested clearly on me.

"Please, come in."

"Are you the Arghil Tribe Chieftain?"

"I am only barely clinging to the position of one who wrings out what little wisdom I possess."

Perhaps because he was the chieftain, he was quick to understand.

I followed his lead inside.

After some time had passed...

"Chieftain!"

"An insolent person has invaded our tribe...!"

The Arghil Tribe's warriors came rushing in.

"It's fine. It's fine, so go attend to your duties."

"...B-But."

"If he had meant to harm us, he could have already erased everyone here. Go."

"...."

The chieftain calmly soothed the warriors and sent them away.

"They trust you deeply."

"The warriors merely follow this inadequate old man well."

A brief silence followed.

I saw no need for an introduction, so I got straight to the point.

"Abandon this land and become Northerners. Live peacefully under the Empire's protection."

"I heard that you recently cut away a large piece of flesh. You need to fill that loss, don't you?"

"How do you know that?"

"It is a small talent of mine."

Ha.

The moment I heard that answer, I briefly considered killing every last barbarian.

As far as I knew, the Arghil Tribe was quite far from the northern front lines.

Yet they knew what had happened there.

'What if every tribe has an unusual ability like this, and they all stand against the Empire?'

Would it be right to remove them before they could grow any further?

The thought lasted only a moment.

"We will abandon this land, so please calm your anger."

Perhaps the chieftain had seen through my thoughts, because he quickly added those words.

"I heard you've lived here for a long time."

"We only know that we must abandon it if we wish to live longer."

"I'd like there to be something that makes it easier to persuade the other tribes as well."

"Slaying a Great Magic Beast would be the fastest way. In truth, if that alone were done, we would be ready to leave immediately."

"A Great Magic Beast?"

The name alone sounded ominous.

"I hear that they have recently begun to stir. Great Magic Beasts... are on an entirely different level from the ordinary Magic Beasts active in the North."

So they were boss monsters roaming the North.

"The one who slays them is recognized as a Great Warrior by every tribe."

Great Magic Beasts. Great Warriors.

Only then did I understand the setting behind the Northern Great Warrior.

"On top of that, Great Magic Beasts themselves are used as extremely valuable materials."

The moment I heard more about Great Magic Beasts, I could clearly picture the future that would unfold: the male lead, grown into the Northern Great Warrior, slaying a Great Magic Beast, obtaining a good weapon, and then invading the northern front lines in that state.

'The Northern Great Warrior will appear anyway, unless the system says it has changed.'

Then it wouldn't be a bad idea to reduce the number of Great Magic Beasts in advance and break a few rungs from the ladder.

My calculations ended quickly.

'There's still some time before the banquet. Should I catch as many as I can?'

I would slay Great Magic Beasts, use that as proof, and incorporate every northern tribe as Northerners.

At the same time, I would test the limits of my strength by slaying Great Magic Beasts.

With those two goals in mind, I moved.

"It took longer than I expected. Arveda, can we go straight to the Empire?"

"I have Fairy Dust prepared in advance, but it will take a little time."

"All right. Please do."

When I came to my senses, it was the day of the banquet.

'Well, I did tell Bedin to prepare for any unexpected situations.'

The banquet would proceed smoothly, without any obstacles.

I would just be a little late.

That was even better.

'The later I arrive, the more attention I'll draw.'

After all, protagonists were supposed to make late entrances.

+++++

The grand ballroom.

The Crown Prince arrived late.

And words even more shocking than his delayed appearance.

'I have no idea what he's thinking.'

The moment she heard those words, Mirne fell into confusion.

An Engagement? He was proposing an Engagement after inviting distinguished guests from every nation to the grand ballroom?

The Crown Prince of the Empire, to the Crown Princess of a weak kingdom?

'Why? Is there a reason for this? Did I win him over? When did he start paying attention to me? When I sent the Spirit to him?'

At the same time, she struggled to analyze the situation.

What could the Empire possibly gain by proposing an Engagement to her?

'Is there anything? Does such a thing even exist?'

Recently, the Velos Empire had cut off all support it had been providing to the Macelin Kingdom.

It had not only cut off support, but also treated every trade arrangement they had maintained as though it had never existed.

Diplomatically speaking, it was as though the Empire had unilaterally erased its relationship with the Macelin Kingdom.

That was why Mirne believed the Empire viewed Macelin as neutral at best, or hostile at worst.

And now, an Engagement?

'How am I supposed to react?'

If she rejected him immediately, the Empire could use that as an excuse to pressure the Macelin Kingdom.

That would be easy enough. You could always find dirt if you dug for it, and if someone wanted a reason, they could make as many as they liked.

'But it would also be strange to react positively to the Engagement itself.'

The core of <I'm Full Because Everyone Keeps Giving Me Things> was that she only ended up with a male lead at the very, very end.

Until then, the important thing was maintaining ambiguous romantic tension with everyone.

But becoming engaged to the Crown Prince right now?

It made no sense.

It absolutely could not happen.

Of course, entering the Empire's protection was not a bad choice for the Macelin Kingdom.

But.

'The Crown Prince is a target that cannot be captured. If I end up with someone who cannot be captured... what happens? No, can this even be called ending up with someone? It's far too forced.'

The kingdom's position and Mirne's position were different.

From Mirne's perspective, following the direction of the original novel was safer.

Accepting was a problem. Refusing was a problem.

Unable to do either, Mirne looked at the Crown Prince's face.

A chill ran down her spine.

'What kind of eyes are those....'

There wasn't a trace of emotion directed at her in them.

And at the same time, she understood.

The Engagement was not his true purpose. Whether she accepted or refused did not matter to him.

A storm had risen from that playful gesture, and she was less than a candle before it.

'This is... the changed Crown Prince...?'

The fear of the story unfolding differently from what she knew.

The indifferent gaze that looked upon her as worthless for the first time in her life.

Those two things combined and crushed Mirne's mind.

"Hk, h-heee...."

Unable to endure it, Mirne lost even the strength to remain standing and collapsed.

No, more precisely, she tried to collapse.

"I think you should answer before collapsing. Is this how the Macelin Kingdom conducts social functions?"

Squeeze.

Some force held Mirne in place as she fell.

"Kh, khh...."

Pressure from a force she had never experienced before.

The moment Mirne let out a pained groan...

"Crown Prince!"

In the grand ballroom.

"How can you treat a person like this?!"

Without permission.

"Release her at once!"

Someone began projecting a fierce presence.

At that moment, Mirne saw the Crown Prince's expression.

"...!"

The eyes of a beast that had found its prey.

The Crown Prince opened his mouth as he watched the one who dared raise Mana in the Empire's banquet hall.

"Found you."

A dark smile curled across the Crown Prince's lips.

Footnotes:

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