WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 57: Confession Attack (6)
──────
Whoooosh.
“...W-What in the world is that?”
The Cireen Kingdom army.
“Velos Empire...?”
The Macelin Kingdom army.
Neither side had the slightest idea how to respond as they stared at the blazing sun before them.
That was not a power one could imitate simply by trying.
There had already been countless attempts.
Sol Velos.
If they could properly analyze that power and claim it for themselves, or at least identify its weakness, the Empire would no longer be able to remain an Empire.
For a long time, every nation had secretly tried to dissect Sol Velos’s power.
Yet not a single one had achieved any meaningful results.
And now, that power stood before them.
“...What should we do?”
“Nothing. Do nothing.”
Though neither side had spoken to the other, they reached the same conclusion.
They could not even think of protesting to the Empire.
This had clearly been a war between the Macelin Kingdom and the Cireen Kingdom.
They had been fighting with clear justifications.
Yet the moment they witnessed the Empire’s intervention, all of that became trivial.
If the Empire had descended upon such a remote place, there had to be a reason.
They absolutely could not act rashly.
In fact.
Crack!
Mana powerful enough to tear space apart suddenly gathered beneath the sun.
“Even without being told, everyone has stopped what they were doing and remained obedient. What exceptionally proper behavior.”
“Mm, it seems there are quite a few people who consider it an honor to stand beneath the Great Empire’s shadow.”
“Haha, as expected, I can’t beat you when it comes to words, Theo. I put quite a bit of thought into that line, too.”
“I only have words, after all. One day, I hope to grow up and possess a weighty presence like the Grand General.”
“I am rather weighty in every respect.”
Two men emerged through the gathered Mana.
One was a middle-aged man in red armor, while the other was a boy in light robes.
They might not have known the boy’s identity, but no one failed to recognize the middle-aged man.
The instant they saw him, every expression hardened as if by agreement.
‘The Grand General?!’
‘...The Empire’s sword.’
Grand General Arkham Velos.
The appearance of the man called the continent’s greatest swordsman froze the atmosphere on the battlefield.
Before, there had been an odd tension beneath the sun.
Now, even that tension could no longer be felt.
Some units even dropped their weapons to the ground.
History had already taught them that falling out of the Empire’s favor meant death.
“T-The commander of the Shadow Knights...!”
Those who had experienced that history firsthand could not contain their shock upon seeing the Grand General.
“Oh, there are still people who remember the Shadow Knights? What an honor.”
“May I ask what the Shadow Knights were?”
“We simply dealt with various nuisances.”
In the past, when numerous kingdoms wondered how long the Empire could truly remain the Empire, the Empire had dispatched an order of knights to personally provide an answer.
They were called the Shadow Knights because they stood closest beneath the Empire’s sun.
Every knight in the order was a Swordmaster, and its commander was a Grandmaster.
They personally visited the countries that doubted the Empire’s eternity.
Then, through their actions, they provided an answer that left everyone satisfied and resolved every question.
The incident was mandatory material in every nation’s history lessons.
Never provoke the Empire recklessly.
“...Do not make any rash moves.”
“From this moment on, anyone who acts rashly will be executed on the spot. Remember that.”
And now, such people had suddenly appeared in the middle of the battlefield?
It was practically an order to stop the war at once.
“By the way, should you really be fighting each other on such a fine day?”
“The noise was so excessive that it reached the Empire’s ears. Haha, this is rather troubling.”
As the conversation stripped away their will to fight, both armies naturally looked to their commanders.
Those commanders, in turn, looked to their own superiors.
After their gazes climbed several levels of command, someone finally spoke.
“...Withdraw the army for now. We cannot do anything while the Empire’s intentions remain unknown.”
The Cireen Kingdom, which had started the war in the name of love, hurriedly ordered its forces to retreat.
No one knew whether the Empire had come to temporarily halt the war or end it completely.
Still, what they had to do remained the same.
They had to stay on the Empire’s good side.
This was not the time to pursue love.
Yet even their attempt to withdraw was not permitted.
“I would like everyone to remain exactly where they are. Do nothing, and simply hold your positions.”
The Grand General seemed to have no intention of letting the gathered troops and attention turn elsewhere.
“Protect my dignity, would you?”
The Grand General sat in the chair Theo had prepared and lightly smiled as he surveyed the area.
‘Your Highness, the troops and everyone’s attention have been tied down.’
Then he slowly looked up at the sky.
Everything was for the Empire.
Just as he was thinking that.
“Everything is for the Empire, so everyone should do as they’re told.”
Theo, His Highness the Imperial Crown Prince’s Staff No. 1, voiced the very line the Grand General had only been thinking.
“Haha.”
It truly was the behavior one would expect from a rising star among loyal retainers.
+++++
Bang!
“There’s no point looking around. No one is coming to help you here.”
“A-Aaah...!”
Her wounds would not heal properly.
The water Spirit, Undine, was pressed tightly against her body, accelerating her recovery.
Even so, it could not heal all her wounds.
The earth Spirit, Gnome, was also clearly unable to block every one of the Imperial Crown Prince’s attacks.
As for Pyro, the fire Spirit with the strongest offensive power among the Spirits.
“You dare come at me with flames? And with a Spirit you have not even contracted with, no less.”
“Ugh... Ghhk...!”
Pyro was struggling in the Imperial Crown Prince’s grasp.
That, too, only lasted for a moment.
“Choose. Will you vanish like this, or will you contract with me?”
“Kieeeek...!!!”
Unable to overcome the terror of being erased from existence, Pyro formed a contract with the Imperial Crown Prince.
After Silphiner, now Pyro as well.
Another Spirit with the potential to become a Spirit King in its own field had been taken from her.
“Mirne, I don’t understand why you look so wronged. You felt nothing when you took what belonged to the Empire, yet you make that face when something of yours is taken. Didn’t you know? If you steal, you should be prepared to have something stolen from you as well.”
“T-That...! How is that the same thing?!”
“I don’t see what’s different.”
“Your Highness the Imperial Crown Prince... You know nothing.”
“Yes, and I intend to remain that way for the rest of my life.”
Slash!
The Imperial Crown Prince’s sword swung into view.
When she blinked, another sword wound had been carved into her body.
Tremble.
Rumble.
The water Spirit and earth Spirit struggled desperately to minimize the damage.
At least those two had contracts, so they could not be taken from her.
‘...How did he even get here? No, before that, does the Imperial Crown Prince know about the Executioners’ Covenant?’
Mirne could not even consider attacking the Imperial Crown Prince and continued to move defensively.
‘How can he attack me in the first place? Wasn’t that impossible?’
She was supposed to be favored by the world, yet she was suffering “direct damage.”
Something was wrong.
She accepted that the original story’s development had been ruined.
Most of what happened from now on would no longer follow the original story.
Even so, the characters’ settings should still be valid.
How could she be injured?
How could the center of the world and protagonist of the story be wounded in a situation like this by a character who had barely even appeared in the original novel?
She could not believe it.
[ No Dying Away From Home!: The protagonist will not be injured somewhere irrelevant. It ignores all irrationality. ]
‘This is working perfectly fine, yet I got hurt?’
If she was injured despite possessing an ability that ignored all irrationality, did that mean the current situation was rational?
‘Why?’
Could it be because she had targeted an Executioner while the Empire’s Covenant remained in effect?
Honestly, there was no other way to explain what was happening.
The Imperial Crown Prince had appeared when Arveda should have come.
And now, the Imperial Crown Prince was attacking her unilaterally.
If she had to find a cause, it could only be herself.
“...Your Highness! I made a mistake. I found a dragon’s name while searching through ancient documents, and I... I did not know it was related to an Executioner. I acted rashly. I am sorry!”
The moment she identified the problem, she prostrated herself to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
But.
“I never said Arveda was an Executioner. So how does the Crown Princess of the Macelin Kingdom know of the Executioners, whom even the Northern Grand Duke did not properly know about?”
The Imperial Crown Prince had clearly not come here merely to see such a reaction.
Slash.
He swung his red blade and drove it into Mirne’s abdomen.
“Ghk, cough...!”
“It can only be assumed that you called her because you knew she was an Executioner. You were the one who brought up dragons first, too.”
Press.
As he slowly twisted the sword, the Imperial Crown Prince forcibly raised Mirne’s body.
“Actually, none of that matters. I did not come here to confirm those things one by one. So, what was it?”
“W-What?”
“The True Name. I am asking what Arveda’s True Name is.”
Imperial Crown Prince Bellon intended to obtain everything he could from this place.
Only then would it be worth the trouble.
“Arveda Liraberi... Danium...”
The moment Arveda’s True Name slowly left Mirne’s lips, Bellon pulled the sword from her body without changing his expression.
“You should not try to control someone who wishes to reclaim her name simply because you know it. Especially not one of our people.”
“...T-Then, is it over?”
“Did you think the crime of mocking the Empire would be punished so lightly?”
He immediately assumed his stance.
“Execution on the spot.”
Then he swung his sword to sever her head.
At that exact moment.
[ The protagonist must not die. ]
“Hmm?”
A System message emerging from Mirne’s body entered Bellon’s sight.
+++++
The moment I tried to cut off her head, my body stopped.
More precisely, the world stopped.
As though time had frozen.
The blade halted just before reaching Mirne’s neck.
At the same time, a System message appeared.
[ The protagonist must not die. ]
Its font and box were completely different from the messages I had seen.
That seemed to be Mirne’s System.
Perhaps this was the state the Imperial Crown Prince had called “unable to die even when killed.”
And even after experiencing something like this, he had not despaired and continued regressing.
It showed just how absurd the Imperial Crown Prince’s mental strength was.
[ Removing the fundamental cause of the protagonist’s current situation. ]
Then.
[ Erasing Mirne’s past actions that attempted to break the Covenant. ]
[ Modifying the past. ]
Mirne’s System continued displaying one message after another.
Just as it was about to nullify what was happening.
[ The current situation is being deni.... ]
Creeeak.
“...!”
My sword moved.
- We must prepare a sword for what comes next... for the next step.
- Just when is this ‘next’ you are talking about?
- The next step for that day... the day for the Great Empire.
At the same time, the Imperial Crown Prince’s memories rose to the surface once more.
And with that memory as the last thing I saw.
Slash!
My sword drew a perfect straight line as it came down.
“Your Highness! This lady learned how to cook this time. Unhi! I will personally cook for you later, it is!”
“...?”
When I came to my senses, I was beside Arveda rather than Mirne.
‘Did time ultimately turn back?’
That thought lasted only a moment.
I immediately summoned the fire Spirit to assess the situation.
“Pyro.”
Whoosh!
The fire Spirit, Pyro, appeared at my fingertips the instant I finished speaking.
“Ha.”
What that meant was clear.
‘Not everything went back.’
A Save & Load-like situation had occurred because of the System.
That did not mean everything that had happened until then had disappeared.
‘All the damage I dealt to Mirne remained in effect.’
Even the memory of hearing the True Name remained perfectly intact in my head.
Then, in that case.
“...Didn’t I get everything I wanted?”
I had gained a considerable amount.
Since I had not intervened in the war, the situation caused by Confession Attack must have remained in place as well.
“Haha.”
I had properly screwed her over.
With a broad smile, I stroked Arveda’s hair as she pretended to cook beside me.
“Unhihi, Your Highness looks happy, it is!”
“Of course I am.”
I could watch the war and resolve Arveda’s Covenant?
‘At last, Mirne. You have started giving the Empire all sorts of things.’
Well, I had fun. I’ll be going now.
Footnotes:
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