WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
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◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 53: Confession Attack (2)
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Most genres with romance put off bringing the man and woman together for as long as possible.
It was only natural.
‘The main point is the process that unfolds as the man and woman become involved with one another.’
Only when both parties were officially single could the story throw all kinds of hardships at them.
Put bluntly, what if they became a couple, only for another man or woman to suddenly barge in?
An NTR controversy would erupt in no time.
That was simply how pure romance genres worked.
There was a binding rule that it had to be one-on-one.
That restriction was what made the relationship more appealing.
Yet there was one major flaw in that restriction.
Since the ending was one-on-one anyway, the process leading up to it did not have to be.
You did not just sprinkle sugar over a relationship to make it more appealing.
Sometimes, you added chili powder. Sometimes, you dumped in capsaicin.
Various characters appeared throughout that process.
And if someone crossed the line, that was when controversies like NTR emerged.
‘But what if you could drastically shorten that process?’
If you could skip the many episodes that built up the story, in which the protagonist and the characters who liked them might confirm their feelings for one another, grow closer or drift apart, build misunderstandings, or find salvation...
‘The story would end quickly.’
From that perspective, my confession to Mirne at the banquet had been a huge mistake.
I had not even received much attention in the original novel, yet I confessed to the protagonist?
Looking at it objectively, it was like an extra suddenly barging into the story.
It had not even risen to the level of a Confession Attack. It was just a pointless misstep.
It could not even leave a scratch on the story, let alone disrupt it.
“But... you’re different, Bedin.”
“M-Me? Different?”
“Of course you are. You’re still in contact with Mirne.”
But Second Imperial Prince Bedin’s confession had power on an entirely different level from mine.
He was not an extra, but a sucker who had stayed by Mirne’s side throughout the first fifty chapters.
The story had only become tangled because I intervened. If I had not, their relationship would definitely have been closer than it was now.
“I-I do keep in touch with Mirne, but not often. I think she’s been busy lately.”
“You don’t contact her often? How often have you been in touch?”
But I made the mistake of asking that question.
“Before, we spoke at least twice an hour, but lately that’s been hard... Come to think of it, Mirne said that once she researches artifacts, we won’t have to exchange letters over long distances anymore. We’ll be able to send messages through something like a chat? I’ve been waiting for that, actually. It’s hard to keep making voice calls through artifacts.”
The moment Bedin heard my question, he began pouring out words as if he had been waiting for it.
“....”
I instinctively realized that the moment I gave him any advice, this place would turn into a relationship counseling session.
“Bedin, even at this moment, the Empire’s knights are cutting back on sleep as they work to eradicate the Dark Mages.”
“...I apologize.”
Did he think this was a place to receive relationship advice?
I had plenty to say, but I held it in.
‘Still, I learned something while he was talking.’
It seemed Mirne intended to create something like a phone and hand it out to the men she was flirting with.
Her talent really was impressive.
To think she would create a simple phone and try to establish an independent communication system instead of relying on carrier pigeons or artifact calls.
If I had not known even this, did that mean she was already handing the Empire’s technology over to Macelin through written documentation?
‘And even after all that, the Empire probably didn’t fall right away. It kept enduring.’
I wanted to applaud the Empire’s solid foundations.
What kind of person had the Great Prophet been to build the Empire so sturdily?
‘There’s no point thinking about it now.’
Enough stray thoughts.
“Confess to Mirne immediately.”
There was no point dragging out the introduction any longer.
I got straight to the point.
“P-Pardon?”
“It is an imperial command. Confess to Mirne at once. Your confession will take place through a private conversation using an artifact, not through a public marriage proposal made by the Empire.”
“W-What does that...?”
Bedin blinked as if he could not understand.
The moment I saw that, I looked at the Grand General.
Clank.
“Eeeek!”
The education he had received so far must have been quite effective.
The moment the Grand General pulled out the chains, Bedin had a fit.
Even as he recoiled in terror, his posture straightened in an instant.
He still called me Brother, yet one chain was enough to bring him into line.
“Carry it out here and now.”
“B-But at least the confession... Could I make the confession somewhere alone, then report back afterward? N-No, would that not be possible? Your Highness, no matter what, this is...”
His discipline was one thing.
He was still far from coming to his senses, since Bedin continued dreaming of romance.
I did not know how he had planned to confess.
But things had already gone too far for him to create a pleasant atmosphere for it.
“Grand General, why can I hear the cries of a beast within the Imperial Palace?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. I will erase the cries of this ugly beast at once.”
Clank, clank.
The instant the chains scraped against the floor...
“I-I will! I will do it!”
The beastly cries from moments ago disappeared, replaced by Bedin’s desperate answer.
It was something he should have done anyway, so I wondered whether it was right for things to take this course.
Still, Bedin was the only male protagonist I could conveniently put to work right now, so I endured it.
‘Even at this moment, the knights are dealing with the Dark Mages...’
I wanted to emphasize it once more.
“I’ll do it right now! I’ll contact her!”
But when Bedin took out the artifact and looked at me with pleading eyes, I swallowed my words.
The process was a little messy, but in the end, he was a younger brother I could keep firmly in the palm of my hand.
“...Ahem.”
After taking out the artifact, Bedin stared blankly at it for a moment.
Then he skillfully began contacting Mirne.
“This usually takes a little time. The connection only works if both people are in front of their artifacts... It works well at dawn because we’re both lying in bed, but during the evening, it can be hard to answer if it’s mealtime...”
“I know, so focus on the artifact.”
“Yes, Brother.”
Had he always been this talkative?
‘Come to think of it, perhaps he was.’
After transmigrating, I had not had many chances to speak with Bedin.
There had been too many rotten parts to cut away, along with several major incidents.
‘At least I spoke with Bedin. I ignored the First Imperial Princess so completely that I didn’t even know her name.’
I could count on one hand the number of times I had properly spoken with the First Imperial Princess.
Erna Velos.
We had interacted so little that even saying her name felt awkward.
In the original novel, she had been a troublemaker no less wild than the Second Imperial Prince.
For some reason, though, the First Imperial Princess had been keeping an extremely quiet profile.
I had heard a report about her once.
Apparently, she had been busy dressing herself up with cosmetics gathered from all over.
In any case, simply staying still without causing trouble was enough for her to qualify as the best family member.
As I passed the time lost in such thoughts...
“Hello?”
“Oh, Mirne! It’s me!”
“Prince Bedin? This is almost the first time you’ve contacted me at this hour, so I was slow to answer. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry for contacting you without saying anything beforehand. You have no need to apologize.”
Bedin and Mirne’s call had finally begun.
“What interesting thing happened today that made you contact me? You said you’ve been very busy with the Dark Mages lately... Did you perhaps fight in a battle?”
“N-No, I... I haven’t fought yet. I’m a sword to be used at the most dangerous moment... I can’t appear carelessly, you could say. Perhaps the Dark Mages are targeting me, after all.”
The conversation itself was quite ordinary.
It felt like the usual exchange of greetings between a man and woman.
Bedin’s earlier bragging was exposed in the middle of it, forcing the Grand General and me to hold back our laughter.
Other than that, it was perfectly normal.
“That’s right. I’d be very sad if Your Highness were injured.”
“Really? Mirne, you’d be very sad if I got hurt?”
“Of course. But even if you do get hurt, don’t worry anymore! I’ll treat you right away!”
As their conversation continued, a very concerning statement came from Mirne.
“How would you treat me? With a Spirit?”
“No! With my Divine Power! I became a Saintess not long ago. There are several circumstances involved, so it’s all tangled up and complicated... But since I became a Saintess once, my Divine Power remains! I intend to use it to bring a new wind to the Macelin Kingdom.”
Divine Power? It still remained?
‘Wasn’t Romper dead? Did the Divine Power remain even though the god who wanted to take Mirne’s side was dead? Does that make any sense?’
I had clearly killed the god. Could the Saintess serving beneath that dead god still possess Divine Power?
I naturally thought that was impossible, but perhaps, as expected of the protagonist, she had found some method.
I wanted to ask about it immediately, but unfortunately, now was not the time.
‘You’ve talked enough. Confess already.’
I conveyed my intention to Bedin by mouthing the words.
“...O-Oh, really? That’s amazing... But, Mirne, there’s something I want to say. Can you listen?”
The moment Bedin saw me, his expression hardened as he prepared to confess.
“Pardon? Of course! What could we possibly be unable to say to each other?”
A pure reaction, as though she knew absolutely nothing.
I had not known before, but now I did.
The instant I saw that reaction, my body reacted with violent rejection.
‘It really hates her.’
I had complete control over this body.
Yet the memories must have created such a strong rejection that I unconsciously lowered my gaze to my waist.
It was where a sword would hang on the battlefield.
“W-Well, you see...”
Even in that situation, the Confession Attack operation continued.
Me, the Grand General, and Bedin, the one making the confession.
It was the worst environment for a confession, but the best environment for carrying out the operation.
‘Confess right now, Bedin.’
There was no need to go easy on him anymore.
You wanted to confess and properly confirm your relationship, too.
How long were you going to keep giving things away like a sucker? Kailen, the former East Grand Duke, was in the Macelin Kingdom with her right now.
Were you going to fall behind like this?
I once again bombarded Bedin with the pressure I had already laid out, mouthing every word.
“...!”
Bedin cast aside his hesitation and boldly opened his mouth.
“I-I... I like you! How about we get married?”
A straightforward confession that skipped all the complicated procedures.
Yet because of that, the emotions behind it could feel sincere.
What choice would Mirne make here?
‘Would she reject him, or accept?’
Which would it be?
That thought barely lasted a moment.
Mirne pulled out a martial maneuver I could never have imagined.
“Pardon? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. I think the artifact suddenly malfunctioned.”
Ha.
‘So she’s pretending she couldn’t hear him.’
Someone had gathered the courage to confess, and she was trying to brush it aside by claiming the reception was bad.
If I had not been here, Bedin would not have confessed again.
He would have let it go, thinking there would be another chance.
But...
‘Say it one more time.’
I hated such predictable developments.
“I-I like you, Mirne!”
The second double attack followed immediately.
Now then, how would she block the second one?
And here Mirne displayed another martial maneuver I could never have imagined.
It was...
Crackle.
“Y-Your Highness? Prince Bedin?”
Crackle, crackle.
“....”
I did not know whether she had broken the artifact or done something else.
But she ended the call with sounds that made it abundantly clear to anyone listening that the signal was terrible.
“Ha.”
Right, so the conclusion could not come this early?
It did not matter.
I had expected even this.
“I suppose it’s time to sing the Seodong Song.”
Once a confession had been made, all that remained was to spread the rumor.
I ignored the damage this process would do to Bedin’s dignity.
That was simply how the world worked.
‘I’ve let myself be used as a sucker all this time.’
It was time for the Second Imperial Prince to be the sucker for once.
Footnotes:
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