WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 48: Smiled Happily
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The northern cold froze people.
Not only their bodies, but their minds as well.
The people of the North tended to be less lively than most. Who could laugh and chatter without a care in a land where they had to remain tense at all times?
Recently, though, one special event had completely changed the atmosphere.
“Ha... To think Bigfoot, once called our tribe’s nightmare, would die with both legs cut off.”
“They say it only took one stroke?”
“No one saw it happen. How can they know it was one stroke?”
“Look at how clean the cuts are. How could it have been anything else?”
“Wasn’t Bigfoot’s leg hide tougher and more durable than most metals?”
“That’s exactly why it makes no sense. I heard that hide is now in the middle of the Imperial Palace.”
Edelgard, the northern capital that had recently been renamed.
The head of Bigfoot, one of the North’s Great Magic Beasts, hung in its grand plaza.
It had been treated with magic, so it did not rot or even smell.
Bigfoot’s perfectly preserved head had been put on display for the people of the North to see.
Whenever they looked at it, they talked themselves hoarse about the Crown Prince’s greatness.
“His Highness probably cut it down in one stroke to unite the northern tribes, or something.”
“Exactly. He’s not like those who only know how to talk. His Highness proves it with his actions!”
In truth, hanging a single Bigfoot head in the plaza did not suddenly set morale ablaze.
People still died in droves while holding the front line.
The real reason the northerners had become so energetic was that their survival rate at the front had risen dramatically.
“I had no idea magic could be this amazing.”
The active use of magic.
Before fighting the Magic Beasts, they unleashed large-scale magic to form a barrage of fire before the beasts even reached the front line, crushing their momentum.
Then Estella sent in the soldiers to swiftly wipe out the Magic Beasts.
“Grand Duchess Estella knows magic inside and out.”
“There must have been people who could’ve survived if we’d always done this.”
“Hey, don’t say things like that for no reason. Things have been good lately. Why bring that up?”
“...You’re right. I never would’ve had thoughts like that before. We really do have more room to breathe now.”
That strategy had allowed countless people to enjoy ordinary lives.
It was an incredibly simple strategy, but the former Northern Grand Duke had only ever shouted for everyone to charge.
It proved that being a powerful general did not necessarily make someone a good strategist.
That was not all, either.
“Come on, come on! Today, Staff No. 3672 finally presents a new dish! Northern Cheese Sausage! It isn’t simply grilled over fire. With a magical touch, it guarantees a flavor unlike anything you’ve had before!”
“This is insane!”
“I have to buy every new dish from Staff No. 3672!”
The many mages deployed to the North had brought enormous convenience to its people.
They had gathered every heating-related artifact from the Mage Tower and distributed them throughout the North, and the results were astonishing.
The northerners’ overall survival rate rose exponentially.
Their homes became warm, and they finally had room to breathe.
“This is all thanks to Your Highness. I sincerely thank you.”
Estella expressed deep gratitude to the Crown Prince, who had made all of this possible.
“A Grand Duchess should not bow so easily.”
Bellon pointed out Estella’s attitude.
“I only did what I had to do. The North is part of the Empire too. Of course it deserves this much attention.”
“Even so...”
“I only now did what should have been done long ago. I thought the Grand Duchess would scold me instead, so I’m glad that isn’t the case.”
“H-how could I? How could I dare say such a thing to Your Highness?”
“Many things will change from now on. No matter how cold the North is, the people living here should not have to live cold lives as well.”
“Yes.”
Afterwards, Bellon received a report from Estella on the North’s overall situation.
He could have seen a summary through the Empire Status Window, of course.
Still, Bellon had learned through the Crown Prince’s memories that such a process was necessary.
During that process, he identified the biggest problem at the moment.
“The northern tribes are not mixing with the existing northerners at all.”
“That is correct. There were tribes that had clashed with them before...”
“There were actual conflicts?”
“Yes. It seems the former Northern Grand Duke had friction with nearby tribes while expanding the front line. Thankfully, there was no bloodshed, but still...”
“They crossed blades, so it’s difficult for them to trust one another.”
“Yes.”
The northern tribes and the original northerners were not mingling.
“The newly relocated people would naturally have settled in new residential areas.”
“Yes.”
“I thought they would naturally start coming out from there, but they’re keeping themselves tightly shut away?”
“That is correct.”
The funny part was that they supported each other reliably on the battlefield.
“They look like awkward friends at the start of a new school term.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
It was ridiculous for all those hairy men to be this awkward about making new friends.
“I should arrange a food culture exchange later.”
“A food culture exchange?”
“People become close by sharing the food they eat.”
I should arrange a picnic or something.
Bellon muttered to himself, then continued.
“Anyway, I heard there’s a warrior who has been standing out.”
“Yes.”
At last, Bellon brought up the main subject.
“What is his name?”
“His name is Gorhan. He belongs to the Black Mane Tribe, and he says he is walking the path to becoming a Great Warrior.”
“The path to becoming a Great Warrior?”
“Yes. He says he’ll prove himself by hunting those known as Great Magic Beasts.”
Gorhan, the Northern Great Warrior.
A new harem member Mirne would recruit.
If a Demon King truly appeared in the Empire, the Northern Great Warrior would probably fill the role of a fighter.
“Has he met Mirne?”
“...You mean Crown Princess Mirne? If you mean Crown Princess Mirne of the Macelin Kingdom, I have received no report that she came here.”
“I see.”
As soon as he heard the answer, Bellon wondered if he had asked an overly obvious question.
He did not know what she was up to, but it seemed impossible to detect Mirne through ordinary means.
‘Magic, Mystery, or perhaps the power of a Spirit.’
Still, no matter what method she used, he could deal with all of them now.
Bellon was about to casually change the subject when Estella, having noticed the subtle shift in his expression, immediately took action.
“If Crown Princess Mirne, no, if Mirne secretly infiltrated the North, we could use that as grounds to...”
“No. I only mentioned it in passing, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“But...”
“Rather than worrying about that, when you arrange a picnic soon, I’d appreciate it if you saved me a place too.”
“I will absolutely do so!”
Naturally, proving that Mirne had infiltrated the North was impossible at this point.
It was better to simply focus on what could be done now.
‘Gorhan, was it? I should go see him.’
He had heard everything he needed to hear.
Bellon was about to leave Estella’s office when she hurriedly called out to stop him.
“Y-your, Your Highness!”
“Hm?”
“...I heard there were several incidents in the Holy Kingdom.”
“News of that reached all the way to the North? I didn’t know.”
From what had happened in the Empire’s southern region to the Heavenly Mandate Proclamation, there had certainly been many matters related to the Holy Kingdom.
Thinking back, those had been quite busy days.
While Bellon briefly lost himself in those memories, Estella struggled to speak while maintaining a stiff expression.
“I am truly relieved that nothing happened to you. P-please... I hope only good things happen to you from now on.”
There was not a single difficult word in the sentence, yet Estella clenched her fists and barely managed to finish it. She was simply that awkward and embarrassed.
Bellon smiled faintly at the sight.
“I hope the Grand Duchess is always happy too.”
With those words, he left the office.
After the Crown Prince had gone, Estella blamed her own wooden nature.
“I couldn’t even properly thank him for saving me back then... I never knew expressing myself could feel this awkward.”
+++++
After all the northern tribes were incorporated into the North, most of them settled near the capital, close to the front line.
“Hmm! Life like this is certainly better than tribal life!”
“Gorhan, is that even worth saying? Of course it is.”
Even so, they could not fit every northern tribe around the capital.
With the existing northerners’ help, they had built a fairly decent village.
It was still rough and had many places that needed work, but now that a system was in place, there were many things they found more satisfying than tribal life.
The northern tribespeople were all in high spirits.
As that atmosphere continued, many naturally began thinking about starting families.
The most notable of them was Gorhan.
“I want to live somewhere like this with the woman I met recently. No, somewhere even better than this.”
Though he dreamed of becoming the Northern Great Warrior and had not yet earned the title, his body looked more than ready.
He had an enormous build and an easygoing, open impression.
Most of his face was currently covered by unkempt hair and a beard, but the glimpses of his eyes made it clear how handsome he was.
“You’re thinking of marrying someone you only met recently? Are you insane?”
Gorhan’s friend teased him as though the idea were absurd.
“No. I will definitely marry her. She taught gentleness to me, a man who pursued only strength!”
Gorhan spoke as if he wanted to preserve the memory of a few days ago for the rest of his life.
“I would like to hear more about this woman you met recently.”
At that moment, a handsome man with blond hair and red eyes joined the conversation.
‘Strong.’
The moment Gorhan saw him, his body tensed.
His strength was absurd. He was suppressing it as much as possible, but Gorhan could tell.
That was power that could not truly be suppressed.
His competitive spirit surged.
He had already been disappointed that someone else had killed Bigfoot, and now a powerful opponent had suddenly appeared before him.
“...Heh heh. If you want to hear more, first you’ll have to defeat m-ugh!”
Wanting to properly test himself against the man, Gorhan suggested they fight.
Bang!
Before he could even finish speaking, Gorhan’s body flew through the air and crashed into a cliff.
“I will not criticize you for failing to recognize me. That is not why I came.”
The handsome man who had sent Gorhan flying in an instant was Bellon, the Crown Prince.
Brushing back his hair, Bellon smiled broadly.
“Good. While I’m here, shall I find out just how sturdy he was designed to be?”
A setup where beating him up made him spill information. How simple was that?
Realizing that he would get to hear many stories today, the Crown Prince smiled happily.
Footnotes:
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