novelThe Princess and Old Friends
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Chapter 81: The Princess and Old Friends
At Kagersi City's Palace District, there is a row of mansions built in the style that smells strongly of culture foreign to the Auland Empire. That is where the embassy for envoys stay.
The East Mist Communal Country doesn't have an embassy in Auland Empire. In a certain mansion that was assigned to them at the last minute, even though it was already late at night, a certain young lady who was duped was enraged.
"Darned Darsos! This wasn't how he put it when he invited us! This is a scam, an insult to the entire country!"
The 14 year old young lady is currently holding a tantrum in her room but it is a shame that the one she is facing is just her female retainer.
"Yes, they lied to us. But as a small country, what can we do? Do we make it public and refuse to swear loyalty to them? They would just treat it as an insult to the Empire as well as the new Emperor and start a full-out war against us. We would just be providing them a reason for war."
Yes, this time, the East Mist Communal Country had no intention of becoming a subordinate state at all. Princess Reyne was cheated here. Similarly, there were also a few small countries who refuse to serve as a subordinate state but were forced or duped here.
"Based on the current circumstances, the rise of Auland Empire can no longer be halted. While the other countries pledging allegiance to them, if we insist otherwise, we would be viewed with hostility by everyone else. To protect their dignity as a superpower, the Auland Capital would have to launch a crusade against us. Furthermore, we just ended a battle against the Beastmen, so we don't have the military power to fight such a war now." They are obviously trying to take this show for real then use their strength to suppress all oppositions. Reyne grinds her teeth.
"Yes, they tricked us here because they have seen through all this. But, Big Sister Kelly, didn't you say that the Mist Bloodline doesn't yield! We should just go all out against them."
The female Wood Elf is the Court Tutor who have served the Mist Royalty for almost 500 years, Kelablian, shortened as Kelly.
She has already mentored more than twenty Kings and it is said that she is the teacher of the Twin Stars as well. She is a well-respected figure within the country and is deeply trusted by the royal family.
"That's why, if he is able to get the Mist Bloodline along with its long history to yield, Darsos and the Auland Empire would earn even greater prestige. But, if we don't yield, he would use it as a reason to start a war. No matter how we deal with it, it is a deal he would win. That is why he can openly play these kind of schemes and tricks."
"Why? Aren't we all humans? Why are humans so much harder to deal with than the evil Beastmen?"
Weariness shows on the face of the young Princess. These days in Kagersi City, facing those hypocrites who are hiding swords behind their words, she finds it is harder to cope with such diplomatic affairs than fighting in the battlefield.
"Hmph. It is because they are humans that dealing with them is so difficult. Your Highness, have you forgotten the reason for the downfall of the Mist Country? Serving as the guardians of the borders of the human society for countless generations, what did we get in the end? The shameless betrayal by the human kingdoms whom we were protecting and being judged as heretics by the Church. We were stabbed violently in the back. Never place your trust in those foolish and short-sighted human kings who break their promises, as well as the untrustworthy Order Gods."
Although she is smiling faintly, in the words of the green-haired Woof Elf is her distrust towards the entire human society and the Order Gods.
"Also, if you were to accept the agreement to serve as a subordinate state, your popularity within the country will fall drastically. Perhaps, this is one of the motive they have in mind. After all, the damage that the Mist Bloodline had dealt to them in retaliation was not insignificant. Besides, your performance previously had probably put them on their guards. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why they paid no regard to their standing to set up such a ploy on us."
Reyne immediately goes speechless. Following which, a look of disbelief appears on her entire face. All these just because she performed excellently during the Beastman invasion? Forcing the East Mist Communal Country and her to lower their head to become a subordinate state in order to suppress her reputation?
"Impossible!"
"No, this possibility is very likely. Who asked you to have two famous fear-inspiring ancestors. Also, many talented people have appeared in the history of the Mist Bloodline, so it is natural that they would be wary of you. Furthermore, you look extremely alike with the twin prince. No, it is exactly the same. Whether it is another demon invasion or Night of Diffindor, it is something that they won't be able to allow to happen."
While speaking, their gazes suddenly lingers at the oil painting on the wall. Depicted in the painting is a battlefield. The battle was still going on and the young generals were currently advancing with the flag.
There is a pair of twins. A young man holding his sword was currently slashing downwards from midair. Golden Holy Light radiates from him, making him reminiscent of a God descending to the mortal world. Even in the most intense and despair-inducing battlefield, he carries a peaceful radiant smile, as though a bright future awaits him.
Behind him, another young man with the exact same face was carrying a sword in his left hand and a staff on the right. Inferno from originating from hell is burning fervently on his right arm. In contrast to his twin brother, fury could be found on his young face.
A group of Knights were charging forth from their back. What they faced was a sea of endless Beastmen and Demons and by the corner of the painting, the flags of different human kingdoms can be vaguely seen, expressing the anger and dissatisfaction of the painter.
That is an imitation of the famous painting of the East Mist Communal Country 'The Last Princes'."Prince Roland and Prince Karwenz, right? Big Sister Kelly, are they really that incredible? If they were in the same situation as me now, will they fare much better?"
Reyne is a little depressed. The guilt she feels from letting her ancestors down make her feel weak.
"Don't speak such disappointing words, you have already done very well."
Kelly shakes her head.
"This kind of comparison is meaningless. Reyne is Reyne, the Twin Princes are the Twin Princes. If Karwenz were in your position, he would probably only have wielded his sword and slaughter as his please. If so, wouldn't the situation simply worsen?"
"That is to say, if Prince Roland was here, the situation would be vastly different?"
Reyne discovers the hidden meaning behind Kelly's words and became even more depressed.
Hearing these words, Kelly stuns for a moment before a look of nostalgia appears on her face.
"Roland ah, if it was him, he wouldn't have allowed the situation end up like this, to be put in a disadvantageous position, in the first place. That little fellow may seem very radiant and cheerful, but his veins are actually filled with black water. He would already be kind to not scheme against others, do would he let others plot against him? Karwenz would definitely fall for it with a hundred percent probability. He would charge straight regardless of what stands in his way but somehow, he would always manage to charge out of these situations with brute force."
Reyne is quite curious. The Big Sister Kelly in front of her is a true elder of the Mist Bloodline and a living library. However, she disliked talking about past affairs all along. This was a hard-to-come-by opportunity, so she decided to make use of this opportunity to question her further.
"That, Big Sister Kelly, can you tell me about the affairs of that two Princes? Are they really as powerful as the legends depict?"
Reyne leans weakly on Kelly's body, allowing the other party to freely braid her own hair and touch up on her make up. This is already a daily habit she has cultivated through these two years.
Thickening the eyebrow, outlining the eyeliner, trimming excess hair and using powder to conceal her overly pale skin. Under Kelly's dexterous hands, the distinction between a male and a female's face is further blurred.
Under circumstances that just keeps worsening, what the East Mist Communal Country needs is a heroic Knight similar to Holy Knight Roland in the legends to lead the country, and not an elegant lady of nobility who busies herself with social occasions.
"Although it may sound inconceivable, they are actually even stronger than how they were depicted in the legends. If it wasn't for the outbreak of war which robbed them of their time to mature, that generation would have belonged to those two."
Hearing these words, Reyne suddenly raises her head, causing the makeup pen to stray off path on her face, messing up the makeup.
"Impossible, they were around my age when they died in battle. No, what Big Sister Kelly said must be the truth. As expected, I am useless. If only Prince Roland can make decisions in my place."
"Puuu."
Kelly's chuckle beneath her hands surprised Kelly.
"Big Sister Kelly, what are you laughing about! I am serious!"
"No, Reyne, it is just that there was someone who said the same words in the past."
"Who?"
"Roland. He often said 'Aiya, this is so troublesome, depriving me of my book reading time. If only Karwenz can deal with them all, then I can spend all of my time reading books and slacking off. '"
The legendary hero would actually have such a lazy side to him? Roland, who was viewed as the role model of the royalty and Holy Knights, would actually like to slack around?
"Prince Roland likes to read books?"
"Very much so. Regardless of whether it is about arts, music, literature, history, astronomy or geography, even if the messy alchemy and engineering, he likes them all very much. If he wasn't sent to the Church to become a Holy Knight, if it wasn't for the sudden outbreak of war, he would have probably eventually become a well-known scholar."
"Wait, Big Sister Kelly, wasn't he 10 years old when he was sent to become a Holy Knight? He started to like reading from such a young age?"
"The two Princes were a year old when they started reading. If not, they wouldn't become renowned geniuses in the world. But, there is still another little story within it."
"Impressive. Little story?"
"Un, normal boys tend to learn how to walk only after reaching a year old. Even if the Mist Bloodline allows their children to mature early, but just after just one month of his birth, Karwenz already learnt how to walk and speak a few simple phrases. This is a feat of a super genius that would be recorded in history."
"What about Prince Roland?"
"He uh, when Karwenz was already walking, he was still crawling about. Karwenz could call papa and mama but he could only cry. However, a month after their birth, while we were still worried for Roland, Karwenz, abusing his strength, snatched his milk bottle and finally, he spoke."
"Spoke?"
"Un, he first said to Karwenz 'Hey, you brat, you might not be afraid of getting sliced up but I am. Can you calm down and be more professional, we are normal infants. You should learn how to cry, come, cry like your big brother. Waaaaaaaaaaahh! Come, raise the pitch a little, wahhhhhhhh' Then, after realising that Karwenz couldn't understand what he said and continued snatching his bottle, he shouted loudly for help 'Hey hey hey, can you all control this evil brat? He is already learning how to bully his older brother. Hmph, to dare to snatch my rations, I will pull you down with me. '"
TL: Just for note, sometimes Roland and the rest would address themself as 'this old man/woman' when they are angry. In the text above, he said 'Hmph, to dare to snatch this old man's ration, this old man will pull you down with me'.
"A month old child would actually know to hide his own talents? That is incredible."
"That's right. In these few centuries, I have taught several geniuses of the Mist Royalty but I have never seen such a ridiculous child. The world thinks that Karwenz is a super genius but in reality, Roland was even more ridiculous. If it wasn't for him spending his effort on various academic domains, causing him to miss out on the golden period for training, he wouldn't be weaker than Karwenz in any case."
"Can you tell me a little more about Prince Roland?"
Staring at the face of the exhausted Reyne, Kelly strokes her hair lightly. Just like how she did it when Reyne was still a child, she lowers her head and lightly kisses the forehead of the young girl.
"Un, then, since you have been spent from being busy the entire day, let's treat it as a bedtime story. Roland, although he is smart, he isn't very reliable. There was once he happily dragged me to look at his new invention. He even said proudly 'Look, this transparent thing would definitely sell well. I call it glass. Since it can earn us a lot of money, the life of our citizens will definitely improve. '"
"Glass was invented by Lord Roland? I remember that it existed six thousand years ago though."
"Un, back then, he didn't know that. When I told him this, his depressed face really makes one's heart break. He even mumbled softly 'It's nothing, then I will invent the printing industry then. '"
"Printing technology? Isn't that the industry monopolised by the God of Knowledge?"
"Un, I also said that back then. Thus, he became even more depressed. However, the next day, he started to study astronomy and biology, what living being evolution theory. Although it seems obviously groundless, now that I think about it, it makes some sense. For example 【Living beings aren't created by Gods and they don't remain constant. They change and they evolve. Natural evolution is the way how living beings evolve. Living beings have a tendency to over-reproduce but living space and resources are limited. Thus, living beings have to fight in order to survive. 】"
"The beings of the mortal world isn't created by the Gods? Don't all lifeforms originate from the Origin of Order and the Chaos Abyss? Isn't this obviously a lie?"
"Un, but he didn't get depressed over this. Very quickly, he found new toys. He has always been like this, never knowing what being discouraged and giving up was. Even at the start of the war, he quickly matured from a rookie into a true war god. If only the enemies we faced didn't outnumber us by more than a hundred times."
Under the accumulation of rage and exhaustion, very quickly, as words flew by, Reyne fell into the realm of dreams. Looking at the young lady stripped of her armor, Kelly fell into deep thoughts.
That armor is very elegant, looking like a heavy mithril plate mail on the exterior. In reality, it is only a soft armor painted with a layer of gold alloy. It is even lighter than leather armor.
It is impossible for talents to be born from the Mist Bloodline for every generation. Reyne isn't some genius expert. In fact, she isn't even a qualified Warrior. Having the fighting power of an Iron-rank primary stage at 14 years old, there isn't much difference between her and normal civilians.
In that 1000km charge, she was only in charge of holding the flags and shouting the war cry. While trembling in fear, she led the army to build up her reputation. If she were to really meet with an opponent, any Beastman would have been able to easily kill her in an instant.
However, it is a pity that the East Mist Communal Country is currently plagued with internal and external problems. It is indeed a period which they require a hero-like Princess Knight. Reyne has sacrificed a lot but if the circumstances were to be allowed to develop on as it is, she would have to continue to be sacrificed even if very possibly, she would receive no returns. Perhaps, what would await her is a bad reputation and the incomprehension of her citizen.
"Sigh, maybe what Reyne said makes sense, this job is really too tough for her to bear. Roland, where are you?"
Kelly lightly strokes the knife by her waist. On the hilt of the dagger, two giant dragons intertwines with one another and of the two pearls placed on them, one was radiating white light while the other was radiating black light.
This is the Light of Life, a secret art passed down in the royalty of many countries. When a member of royalty is born, a drop of blood would be taken from them to hold the ritual. Then, this pearl would become their Light of Life. If the light is extinguished, it means that the person is dead. This can also be used to prevent others from faking the identity of members of royalty.
The two pearls on this decorative knife is the Light of Life of the twins — Roland and Karwenz.
"Karwenz's Light of Life is becoming darker and darker. It seems that he has fallen entirely to the Chaos. But Roland..."
The situation with Roland's Light of Life is extremely bizarre. It lights up for a moment and extinguishes in the next, white for an instant and black in the next, changing multiple times frequently.
A hundred years ago, the darkness even exceeded that of Karwenz and not too long ago, it was extinguished suddenly. Then, two months later, it lit up once again, turning white.
"If the reaction of this Light of Life depicts his actual condition and that Roland is still roaming on this world, he must be leading a very exciting life."
Somehow, the knife slightly shudders, as though summoned by something. Kelly instinctively stands up and looking towards the direction of the pull of the knife, she discovers the silhouette of a person beneath the tree.
"Roland!!"
However, when she focused her sight, she realised that it was only a willow tree dancing along with the wind.
Shaking her head, Kelly shuts the window.
"Heh, looks like I am just like Reyne, desiring a reliable shoulder to lean on."
However, she didn't notice that by the corner, beneath the window, a figure wearing a silver mask was currently grinding his teeth in anger.
"Darsos, to actually dare set your sights on the Mist Country, I will make sure that your fate will be even worse than that in history!"
Don't ask me how the pearl managed to radiate black light. It just... does.
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