[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 86
Lately, a smile keeps creeping onto my lips.
‘Hold it together. You must maintain composure. You are the Crown Prince of the Empire, the future Emperor. You can’t just laugh without dignity…’
Hehehe! Hahaha! … No! Ruprecht. Get a grip! Focus on your work!
But how can I not? Next spring, I will have a Crown Princess. My partner will stand by my side. And that person is Rika, the one who made pine for years!
Focus. Work, work. Today, too, it is right to dedicate myself to the Empire… but.
“Haaaah—”
I just can’t hold the pen. I decided to lean back in my chair and take a break.
‘Next spring.’
Yes. Next spring. Then, I’ll be a groom, and Rika will be my bride. And the Empire will officially welco the Crown Princess, and my father will finally see the daughter-in-law he’s been waiting for.
It took a while. No, it took quite a while. The Crown Prince of a nation wasn’t focused on producing an heir but was busy with a one-sided love. The whole imperial family must have been worried sick.
I’m grateful that they all waited patiently without showing it. I need to love and cherish her even more. If I fail to do so, I’ll have no excuse even if the heavens punish .
‘Count Friedrich. My father-in-law’s expression was priceless.’
After the New Year’s Eve ceremony, I had a secret eting with my parents-in-law.
My mother-in-law just smiled, and my father-in-law seed overwheld, still unable to believe it. That made even happier.
“She’s not perfect, but please take good care of her, Your Highness.”
My mother-in-law said with a smile, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
I pretend not to know, but there are secrets you inevitably learn when you’re in this position. And my mother-in-law’s past is one of those secrets.
If I mistreat her daughter, her mother might co to assassinate . Ah, of course, I’m just kidding.
Knock knock—
“Your Highness.”
“Co in.”
It seems there’s more work. It’s not the most welco news, but this too is for the Empire. As the Crown Prince of the Empire, it’s right to smile and fulfill my duties.
And with the joy of becoming a groom, I’ll put even more effort into…
“…Isn’t this a docunt from the Church of Light?”
“Yes, it is.”
The attendant handed a docunt from the Church of Light, not the work I was originally assigned.
Why would a matter from the Church suddenly co to at this ti? I wondered, but I checked the contents anyway.
“Hmm.”
After reading everything, my first thought was, of course, Rika.
‘The smile won’t leave her face.’
Imagining that scene makes my lips twitch. She might not know, but she was most beautiful when she smiled. I wanted to see it a hundred, a thousand tis more.
In that sense, the news that just arrived was the perfect brush to paint that smile.
– Lost relic of the Church, ‘Sword of Saint Louis,’ found and recovered –
– Karl Adelheit, the heir of Count Friedrich, recovered the relic, as declared by Cardinal Beolant, the 4th Archbishop –
“…”
That’s strange. I’m sure my brother-in-law said he didn’t want any more dals on his chest.
But his actions make it seem like he’s desperate to cover his chest with dals?
* * *
“Haaah.”
After washing up and soaking in the hot spring, I feel like this is heaven.
I used to see people say ‘It’s cool!’ when they got into hot water, and I thought, ‘Oh, man. You’re getting old.’ But maybe that’s not just getting old, but human nature.
“…Geez.”
Sitting in the hot spring, a sigh escaped my lips.
I clearly ca here to rest. Sure, there was a morial service involved, but the fact that I ca to rest doesn’t change.
I just split a random rock, and voila! A relic of the Church popped out. The cardinal even got teary-eyed seeing it.
Honestly, watching that scene, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Did the Church not do a proper search?’ No, let correct that. I thought about it a lot.
I picked a random rock, swung my greatsword once, and the relic they had been searching for appeared.
That ans there was no reason why the Church couldn’t find it. To put it bluntly, it seems like they could have found it long ago if they had searched everywhere and everything like I did.
‘…But I guess no one would have known that the relic was inside a rock instead of being buried or hidden sowhere. Wait, why was the sword inside a rock in the first place?’
Cardinal Beolant offered a fairly reasonable deduction on that point.
When the 4th diocese headquarters was burned down by the Kanfras, soone must have hastily hidden the relic.
In case it fell into their hands, who knows what humiliation it would have suffered? It had to be hidden so that no one could easily find it, in an unexpected way.
In that sense, the thod of ‘putting it inside a pre-split rock and artificially sealing the rock’ would be sothing the Kanfras would never expect.
‘But the problem is, how do you find the rock once it’s lost?’
The Church wouldn’t have left any special marks to make it easy to find, unless they were fools.
And it’s highly likely that they didn’t have enough ti to leave a very elaborate mark. With the Kanfras right at their doorstep, how could they have the leisure to do such a thing?
In conclusion, it ans it’s impossible to find. It’s not that they didn’t try. It’s not that they were stupid. It just ans I was incredibly lucky again this ti.
“…Did God really linger by my side?”
I muttered those words to myself without realizing it, and a beat later, I felt a presence behind .
Instinctively, I reached for my greatsword, but soon realized it wasn’t with and sighed.
It’s not that I didn’t bring it because I was in the hot spring. My greatsword was always with , even when I slept or washed.
The reason it wasn’t with at this mont was because of the Church of Light.
‘Your Eminence…!’
I found the relic of the Church. And the tool used in that process was my greatsword. The Church focused on that very greatsword, saying that there might be another revelation of God in it.
Honestly, what revelation? That thing is full of nothing but the blood of Kanfras. Sotis it’s stained with the blood of other things, but most of it is Kanfra blood.
Anyway, they took my greatsword along with the Sword of Saint Louis as if it were a sacred object.
They said they would return it, so I gave it to them, but I felt uneasy for so reason. Now my hands are empty at the mont I need it!
‘Damn it.’
I imdiately got up, but the opponent was much faster than I expected.
This is no ordinary movent. It’s a highly skilled one. Maybe it’s an assassin sent by the Luzernes, who are determined to get rid of . And their aim was right on target.
A pale arm wraps around my neck. They’ll either strangle or go for the carotid artery.
[PR/N: The carotid arteries are two large blood vessels located on either side of the neck that supply oxygenated blood to the brain, face, and head.]
Sigh. I ca on a hot spring trip, found the Church’s relic, and now I’m going to find my happiness. Kanfra Bastards. Even if I die and beco a ghost, I will—
“Ta-da.”
…? Wait a mont. This voice, could it be?
“…Eloise?”
“Who else would it be?”
I quickly turned my head, and there was Eloise.
She has her arm around my neck, but she’s not trying to suffocate or aim for my carotid artery.
She’s just hugging , with no intention whatsoever.
“What… are you doing?”
“Didn’t you co to enjoy the hot springs?”
“What does that have to do with you secretly following ? If I had sothing in my hand, you—”
“Could have been killed? Oh co on. No way. No matter how skilled you are with a greatsword, Karl, I’m not that easy of a target. I didn’t lead the Extermination Squad for nothing. Ah, but I might be an easy target in bed. Hehehe!”
“…”
Let’s pretend I didn’t hear the last part.
“Sigh.”
The tension that had been stretched taut throughout my body suddenly snapped, releasing .
As I sank back into the hot spring, the muscles that had been ready to explode settled back into place.
The blood that had been rushing through as if it would burst out cald down as if nothing had happened.
“Don’t do that again. It could have been a big problem, no matter what.”
“Mmhmm. I’ll be careful. But this ti, it couldn’t be helped.”
What does that an? It couldn’t be helped? Wait a minute—
“This is the n’s hot spring.”
“Yeah.”
“The won’s is on the other side.”
“Yeah.”
“…”
This crazy woman. No, this crazy elf!
“What do you an, ‘Yeah’? Hey! Why did you co in here?! Get out!”
“I’m not leaving. Absolutely not.”
“Leave!”
“If you want out, you’ll have to look at for a second.”
My reason scread not to look, not to turn my head.
But my body was a bit faster than my reason. Perhaps from rolling around on the battlefield so much, my body responding first was the decisive factor.
“Ta-da!”
And I, embarrassingly enough, was speechless.
“How’s this? It’s my secret weapon, prepared with the utmost care.”
Eloise’s alluring gestures and captivatingly fair skin unfolded before my eyes. And, of course, the swimsuit that barely concealed the most crucial areas.
Th-this… You despicable temptress… Using such ruthless tactics…!
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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