WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 78: Imperial Garrison (4)
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The Great Forest’s barrier system was divided into three types.
A Reaction Barrier that activated the moment an outsider entered the Great Forest.
A Countermeasure Barrier that detected any unusual signs within the Great Forest.
And finally, a Coordination Barrier that located unauthorized beings and brought them down by every means available.
‘...The problem doesn’t end there.’
Those three barriers were only the basics.
There were spells capable of monitoring even the area outside the Great Forest, along with Spirits scattered everywhere.
Without truly exceptional means, avoiding detection within the Great Forest was impossible.
And any method that prevented detection would be suspicious in itself, practically announcing that something was wrong.
Sneaking into the Great Forest meant making enemies of the Elves.
‘But what choice do I have? It’s not like the Empire will let me in!’
If the Imperial Crown Prince was a transmigrator, there was no way he would let anyone else in after occupying the Great Forest.
Since they both wanted to move the World Tree onto their own land, there was no room for compromise.
‘...Should I tell him? That I’m the protagonist of this story? That you... you didn’t transmigrate into a key character?’
If she told him to join her side, would he obediently agree?
That was uncertain. And revealing that she was a transmigrator did not seem entirely beneficial in the first place.
‘How much of the original story does the Imperial Crown Prince know?’
Mirne also wondered how much of the original story the Imperial Crown Prince knew and how far that knowledge had led him to intervene in the current situation.
If he had read the same story she had, he should know this was not to his advantage.
If he had made this decision regardless, he must have had a reason for it.
Mirne desperately wanted to know what that reason was.
He had transmigrated into the Imperial Crown Prince of an Empire doomed to fall anyway, so why was he still determined to protect the Empire to the end?
‘Couldn’t he just follow the original story’s flow that I lead?’
Muttering inwardly, Mirne stepped into the Great Forest as naturally as if she belonged there.
Whoosh.
If she had triggered a barrier, the bell on her wrist would have shaken and rung.
Yet the bell on Mirne’s wrist remained perfectly still.
‘Well, isn’t it only natural that I wouldn’t trigger them?’
Reaction, countermeasure, coordination.
Having confirmed that she was unaffected by the Elves’ proud Triple-Response Barrier System, Mirne headed straight for the World Tree.
‘Let’s go!’
There were no obstacles.
Nor did she need to worry about getting lost.
[ Guidance toward Ailoren begins. ]
There was a special perk that could activate when heading toward a male lead.
Thanks to it, she did not need to worry about taking a wrong turn on the way to the World Tree.
Even the maze-like forest paths deliberately twisted to prevent entry were useless.
All she had to do was follow the arrow that appeared before her like a virtual navigation system, and she would arrive in no time.
[ You are close to the target. ]
Step.
That was exactly what happened.
A journey that would have taken at least a week with the delegation took less than three hours when she traveled alone with the System.
The Spirits around her constantly showed her favor and gave her buffs, which helped tremendously.
With her overwhelming Spirit Affinity, it would not have been an exaggeration to call the Great Forest Mirne’s own home.
In any case.
[ The target is nearby. ]
“Ailoren! Ailoren! Where are you?!”
Following the System’s guidance, Mirne immediately called out as she searched for Ailoren.
She believed that even if the Empire had taken over the Great Forest, it had not yet entered the Elves’ territory.
She was also confident that Ailoren would defend her if she were discovered.
But the first response that greeted Mirne the moment she called out was...
“Found you.”
An icy voice, followed by something flying toward her.
Thwack!
“?!”
It was a poisoned arrow.
Mirne could not react to the unexpected attack, but Nomt, the Earth Spirit at her side, moved quickly and blocked the arrow.
“W-what is this...?”
Mirne was flustered.
“I don’t understand what gives an inferior race the confidence to sneak in, then start shouting.”
Cold fury burned within Ailoren.
+++++
The disgust of being controlled by something one had considered inferior their entire life.
Unless someone had experienced it firsthand, it was difficult to put into words.
‘Just imagining it makes my brow furrow, so it must be maddening for the person actually going through it.’
At first, I told Ailoren not to clash with Mirne immediately and to start with a conversation.
But after thinking about it for a moment, I concluded there was no need.
If things went badly, she would obviously escape through Save & Load.
Even without that, she probably had plenty of ways to run.
Was there really any need to do that?
Watching her flee just as Ailoren began to lose his temper would be less satisfying.
It would be more satisfying to watch Ailoren vent some of that anger first, then watch her tuck her tail and run.
That was why Ailoren fired a poisoned arrow without hesitation.
“Why are you suddenly doing this...?!”
“Suddenly? Did you say suddenly? If you stopped by the Verdantia Kingdom, you can’t possibly be unaware of what’s happening in the Great Forest. So how is this sudden?”
“Even so, a poisoned arrow?!”
“You’re saying something I cannot understand. Should I show mercy to an intruder?”
Ailoren showed anger without restraint.
Watching that attitude, Mirne remained deeply flustered.
‘Of course she would be.’
A male lead who should have held basic goodwill toward her was acting so hostile.
She could understand why Ailoren would be hostile, but the difference from the other male leads must have felt jarring.
“Ailoren... You might not know me, or perhaps you do... I’m Mirne. Have you heard my name before?”
“I have.”
Mirne continued speaking firmly, unaware that I was watching her.
“Then this will be quick. You know why I came here!”
“You came because of the World Tree. Is there any other reason? Why else would a human come near the World Tree?”
“The World Tree... isn’t important. I came to see you.”
“You have a talent for choosing only revolting things to say.”
Creeeak, twang!
Ailoren openly revealed himself before Mirne, with no intention of hiding his hostility.
Another arrow flew toward Mirne’s head, only to be blocked once again by a wall of earth created by Mirne’s Spirit.
“...”
“Why...?”
Mirne looked bewildered, unable to understand.
“Why?”
Once Ailoren understood exactly what she meant, his expression twisted even further.
“You don’t understand? You don’t understand why I don’t approach you with baseless affection?”
“...?”
“I don’t know how many people you’ve toyed with like this, but I’m different. How many people have you manipulated exactly as you pleased with that unconditional goodwill?”
They looked at each other, both unable to understand the other.
Then that balance abruptly broke.
“For characters suddenly introduced late in the game... there was supposed to be an Affection Perk. Is this a case where it wasn’t applied? It was always a garbage game full of bugs, but this is ridiculous.”
Unlike before, Mirne spoke while her eyes were cold and calm.
“...What are you talking about?”
Ailoren, unable to understand, drew his bowstring again.
‘She’s insane.’
The moment I heard Mirne’s words, I could not stop my eyes from widening.
‘That was the setting? No, more importantly, it really was a game?’
Even amid the continuing confusion, Mirne’s words flowed without pause.
“So... are you going to kill me? Seriously? Me, whom the Spirits are cherishing even at this very moment?”
“Do you think it’s brainwashing? Honestly, I can’t blame you for thinking that. But I didn’t do it. I can explain everything.”
“...”
“Do you know why you went through all that? The world will soon be destroyed, and... to stop it, I need the World Tree.”
“You’ve suddenly become a different person. Do you really mean that?”
“...Yes, because this is the only way. Once the Demon Race invades, the continent will head toward destruction... To escape that path, we need the World Tree. No, not the World Tree. We need all of you. You too... Let’s all go to Macelin. Then... if we solve things step by step, we can stop the destruction!”
After hearing everything Mirne had to say, only one thought came to mind.
‘Since the original work was a visual novel-style female-oriented romance simulation game, she really knows how to talk.’
No wonder Mirne had been the one to transmigrate.
I did not know what kind of game it had been, but with social skills like that, she must have been excellent at it.
At the very least, she had probably completed an achievement that no one else could complete.
Of course, that was one thing. The disgust I felt was another.
Once Mirne finished speaking, she waited for Ailoren’s response.
Ailoren gave an unexpected answer.
“I understand.”
“...I knew you would understand.”
Twang!
At the same time as that answer, Ailoren fired an arrow and smiled broadly.
“I understand why His Highness finds you repulsive.”
Naturally, the attack was once again blocked by the wall of earth created by Mirne’s Spirit.
“Mirne, didn’t you hear? The Great Forest is Imperial territory, and intruders are executed on the spot.”
By then, I was already behind Mirne.
“You must be the only one arrogant enough to stand so proudly after making an enemy of the Empire.”
The Second Sword meant to slay a god.
Slash!
“Argh!”
It cut deep into Mirne’s back without resistance.
Footnotes:
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