WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 28: The Grand Banquet (4)
──────
While the Crown Prince was enjoying the banquet.
“How can we abandon our home so easily?!”
Following their chieftain’s orders, the Arghil Tribe began preparing to leave the land where they had lived for so long and move to the Empire’s North.
“Do you hate leaving your home that much?”
Of course, not everyone accepted the decision.
Naturally, objections were bound to arise.
“Because it is the chieftain’s order, I will not say that I dislike it. But it is difficult to believe.”
They were being told to abandon their homeland, submit to the Empire, and follow an “order” issued by the Imperial Crown Prince.
They were even promised noble titles based on their achievements, along with better lives than they had now.
The Arghil warriors could not take those words at face value.
“I have heard that we will be stationed at the front lines and fight to maintain the northern front.”
“That is correct.”
“I understand the argument that our lives will not be much different from before, but... it is difficult to trust that they, that the Crown Prince, will truly protect us safely beneath the Empire’s shade.”
After hearing the warrior out, the Arghil Tribe Chieftain nodded.
“I understand.”
To be honest, it was not easy for the chieftain to believe it either.
They had been called barbarians, and now they were supposed to become Northerners and maintain the front lines.
The chieftain could not shake the thought that they would be used as disposable tools, then discarded.
But.
“We have no other choice.”
That did not mean they could refuse the Crown Prince’s less-than-optional invitation.
“The Crown Prince has given us a choice. Will we become enemies or allies?”
If they became allies, at least they would not lose their lives to the Crown Prince.
That much, the chieftain could trust.
Because.
“If we become enemies...”
The corpse of the Great Magic Beast before them showed what would happen if they refused to abandon their home.
The Great Magic Beast, Bigfoot.
It was the Arghil Tribe’s longtime enemy and one of the disasters of the North.
It stood well over ten meters tall, with feet so enormous they looked absurd.
Countless warriors had been trampled to death beneath those massive feet.
How many times had the Arghil Tribe tried to kill Bigfoot?
Every attempt had ended with them suffering one-sided losses.
‘To prove his trustworthiness... he had the strength to bring down a Great Magic Beast.’
That monstrous Great Magic Beast now lay cold and dead in the center of the Arghil Tribe’s settlement.
Bigfoot’s feet had been taken away, likely to show the other tribes proof, but that did not change the fact that the monster before them was Bigfoot.
“...Everyone will die. He will know that even if he kills people like us, who belong nowhere, there will be no consequences.”
“...”
The chieftain imagined every tribe gathering together to oppose the Empire.
Scattered tribes joining forces and turning against the Empire?
‘No, they would not even need to go as far as the Empire.’
The Arghil Tribe Chieftain saw a future where the Crown Prince drew his sword.
A future for the tribes that chose death over trusting the Crown Prince and entering beneath his shade.
When countless tribes tried to break through the northern front lines with their morale at an all-time high.
“If you dislike the Empire’s shade, then I will show you the Empire’s sun.”
It was a form of death no one in the North could imagine.
“Save me! Save me!”
“My body, my body is too hot!”
“Ah, aaaaaah...!”
The chieftain saw tribespeople dying in searing pain.
“To survive, we must go beneath that shade. And the sooner, the better.”
The chieftain looked at the tribespeople packing their belongings.
May the other tribes realize this quickly as well and move beneath that shade.
The chieftain prayed and prayed for that to happen.
+++++
There were two main reasons why I proposed an Engagement to Mirne.
The first was to find the male leads of “I’m Full Because Everyone Keeps Giving Me Things,” who were hiding somewhere.
‘I have no idea how many men she’s been playing games with.’
You had to know exactly who your enemies were to make better decisions.
That was why I wanted to find the men who had fallen head over heels for Mirne.
The method was a public Engagement proposal.
A weak kingdom would not dare reject an Engagement proposal from the Empire.
I wanted to use that to identify the fish swimming in Mirne’s pond more clearly.
The men who glared at me when the Imperial Crown Prince publicly proposed an Engagement to her were bound to be the fish in Mirne’s pond.
The other reason was that enemies were better kept close.
In the end, Mirne would receive support from the surrounding kingdoms and strengthen the Macelin Kingdom.
I could not just sit back and watch that happen, yet I could not unilaterally tell other countries to stop helping her either.
So I concluded that keeping her within the Empire’s fold would be ideal.
In fact, the male leads of “I’m Full Because Everyone Keeps Giving Me Things” were not supporting the Macelin Kingdom. They were supporting Mirne.
The moment Mirne entered the Empire, the story of “I’m Full Because Everyone Keeps Giving Me Things” would be forced to change drastically.
‘Or... would they turn against the Empire because Mirne belonged to someone else?’
The problem was that I did not know which direction things would take.
That was why the first reason, not the second, was the main reason I played the public Engagement card.
Still, I had wondered whether it would actually work.
Originally, my goal had been to pressure Mirne while she was perfectly fine.
But I was covered in blood right now, so I thought no one would step forward.
Yet.
‘Their stares are pouring down on me.’
The people who had stayed quiet until I mentioned the Engagement suddenly flared the moment I forcibly caught Mirne and held her upright.
I could feel them watching me, suppressing their presences as much as possible.
‘The Saint has definitely fallen for her.’
Not only the Saint, but also the princes of several fairly powerful kingdoms were watching me.
They were keeping their presences down as much as they could, wearing expressions that said they were barely holding themselves back.
‘This is interesting.’
Even if I could not immediately bring Mirne into the Empire, my existence would at least be branded into the minds of the men around her whenever she cast her net from now on.
I had caused enough disruption.
I had gotten enough entertainment out of it.
As I was thinking that, a reckless fool’s loud shout pierced my ears.
“Release her at once!”
“Found you.”
The instant I heard that voice, the words slipped from my mouth automatically.
Beyond the two main reasons I had publicly proposed an Engagement, there was a third reason I had not mentioned because I was not sure it would really work.
‘It was closer to a hypothesis than a reason.’
If Mirne’s safety was threatened, I had been very curious about how the world would protect her.
So I deliberately created a situation where someone would intervene.
Mirne was objectively weak, so she naturally could not withstand my pressure.
If I used my power to hold her up as she tried to collapse.
‘Who would intervene?’
I wondered whether someone would really appear and act recklessly in a situation like this.
“Do you dare ruin an imperial banquet?”
“I-I am not the one who ruined it! You, Crown Prince...!”
“The Crown Prince, you say?”
So someone like that really did exist.
It was still only a hypothesis, but that man’s outburst had given me a reason to keep testing it.
“Crown Princess Mirne was about to collapse, so I simply supported her. Not only did you twist my intentions as you pleased, you drew upon Mana in the banquet hall... and spoke to me disrespectfully.”
The Empire was currently suffering from severe internal instability.
Naturally, the other kingdoms would know that too.
Yet they had all attended the Empire’s banquet anyway.
They likely wanted to see the Empire’s true condition with their own eyes and judge for themselves.
And in that situation, a man had appeared as though he had been waiting to openly defy the Empire.
“You could not possibly have failed to understand what it means to draw upon Mana in a banquet hall...”
“...”
It would not look good if I continued pressuring him here.
It would be ridiculous for the Imperial Crown Prince to personally question every fault of a monkey like this.
So.
“What do the rest of you think of this situation?”
I left the judgment to everyone else.
As though they had been waiting for me to speak.
“Crown Prince of the Sendra Kingdom! I never imagined you would make such a disgraceful display!”
“Not only have you twisted His Highness the Crown Prince’s intentions as you pleased, you even drew upon Mana...!”
“I cannot imagine how you intend to compensate for this!”
“You have ruined the entire atmosphere of the banquet! What were you thinking?!”
The weaker kingdoms hurriedly began pouring out accusations, pressuring the Crown Prince of the Sendra Kingdom.
“...Crown Princess Mirne, are you all right?”
“Y-Yes... I was only startled by His Highness the Crown Prince supporting me. I’m perfectly fine. If anything, I am grateful that he supported me.”
Through the exchange between Saint Valerian of the Romper Holy Kingdom and Mirne, the Crown Prince of the Sendra Kingdom was completely cornered.
‘I do not know whether he was forcibly dragged out by the world itself, or whether Mirne, a twenty-first-century modern person, is simply that persuasive.’
I could not verify it right away, so I decided to let it go for now.
“Ah, ahh...”
The Crown Prince of the Sendra Kingdom began trembling all over once he realized that everyone had become his enemy.
But it was too late.
“M-My mistake...”
“You knew it was a mistake, yet you still did such a thing?!”
“It is laughable that you only realized your mistake now! Just how great does the Sendra Kingdom think it is, to interpret the Empire’s will as it pleases?!”
“It is fortunate that His Highness the Crown Prince showed you mercy. Otherwise, I would have judged you myself!”
The royalty of each kingdom, believing they were already aligned with the Empire, pressured the Crown Prince of the Sendra Kingdom as one.
‘I will watch for a while, then tell him to offer a sincere apology.’
The imperial coffers were empty.
And a perfect sucker to fill them had appeared.
‘To sum it up.’
What was Mirne’s current position to me?
‘Would it be fair to say that if I strike her, money comes out of the people around her?’
She was like a money tree.
+++++
Despite the rude interruption, the imperial banquet continued without stopping.
That was only natural.
It was absurd for the Crown Prince of a mere kingdom to bring an imperial banquet to a halt.
‘Why did the Crown Prince even propose an Engagement to me...?’
As the banquet continued, Mirne briefly retreated to the balcony.
‘It’s fortunate that someone interrupted. I almost had to make my position on the Engagement clear.’
Others might see him as someone who had acted recklessly, but to Mirne, it had been nothing less than salvation.
If she had answered the Crown Prince there, countless relationships would have become tangled.
“Phew.”
As she let out a relieved breath.
“Why are you hiding out here, Crown Princess Mirne?”
Saint Valerian approached her.
“Hiding? It’s just... sometimes I need some fresh air too.”
“Haha, not because His Highness the Crown Prince’s offer has burdened you?”
“...Who wouldn’t feel burdened? He is the Imperial Crown Prince, after all.”
“Are you tempted?”
“What do you think?”
“Answering a question with another question is a bad habit.”
“I’m just acting cute with you, Saint Valerian.”
“...I like that.”
The two chatted about trivial things for some time.
Once they confirmed that no one had come near them even after a while.
“This is something that should normally be exchanged through letters, but since we happened to meet, it would be better to say it here.”
“What is this about?”
“...Crown Princess Mirne, I want you to become the Saintess.”
Saint Valerian carefully raised the subject.
‘It’s here.’
Mirne finally realized that she had entered the main story.
This was a rather important turning point.
‘But he is bringing this up here...?’
Even though they were alone on the balcony, it seemed far too careless.
“It is all right. I have used Divine Power to make sure no one can hear this conversation.”
“Ah, I see.”
Reassured by the Saint’s words, she said,
“The Saintess... How could I accept such an undeserved position?”
She began laying the groundwork to advance the main story in earnest.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince left the banquet hall using the need to wash away the blood as an excuse.
“Jealousy is such an interesting emotion. It makes people do things they would never have done otherwise.”
Together with an Executioner who used Mystery, he was listening to the conversation between Mirne and the Saint.
Normally, the Saint would have had no reason to discuss something so important on a balcony.
But the Crown Prince’s Engagement proposal must have made Valerian’s desire to draw more of Mirne’s attention get the better of him.
That was why he brought up the Saintess, a topic stronger than a marriage proposal, to turn Mirne’s attention toward him.
‘Mirne... Is she going to become the Saintess too?’
Honestly, it was somewhat expected.
Getting to claim one thing after another was simply part of being a protagonist.
But there was one thing that Bellon, the Crown Prince, had not expected.
It was this.
[ A villainess exists in the Romper Holy Kingdom. ]
“What?”
It was a message from the Villainess Ring stating that a villainess existed in the Romper Holy Kingdom.
Footnotes:
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