Chapter 56 – Frédérique Riester (1)

I predicted that it would have a special ability because it is a divine item, but I never expected the sword to light up with flames at the master’s will.

The flame seemed more like a candle dancing in the wind than a burning fire, but that seemed to be the Imperial Prince’s will as well.

Without any hesitation, Imperial Prince Cédric bent his left arm, moving the Sword of Wisdom that he was holding..

“He’s not planning on……”

I slowly felt as if I could predict his next action.

The thousands of nobles and commoners were all silent as they focused their gazes solely on him.

– Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

– Grrrrr, grr!

The still-alive scorpion demonic beast happened to act up at that moment.

The few remaining demonic beasts all snapped out of it as well and were shaking their heads.

I noticed that there were a lot of competitors who had managed to safely make it down to the stadium.

Christelle’s eyes were sparkling with interest.

– Screech! Kiiiiiit! Kiiiiiit! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

“How loud.”

The Imperial Prince slashed his sword horizontally as he said that. And then…

– Ooooooong!

The air shook once again.

I knew that his flame would not attack me but I still lowered my head and hid Demy in my arms.

The heated sword aura brushed past my hair.

– Baaaaaaaang!

– Craaaaaaaaaackle!

It was in the form of a wave.

This wave just happened to be made of holy flame instead of holy water, with the large house-sized flame quickly swallowing the stadium.

However, water and fire were fundamentally different. As the fire quickly burned up the air…

– Babababang!

There was an aftershock.

A typhoon-like wind burst to life on top of the crying ground.

The spectators covered their heads and lowered their bodies.

I could see things like hats and towels flying up into the air. I clenched my eyes shut.

I, naturally, expected to fall and start rolling.

“It’s okay, your highness.”

However, I heard a warm voice at that moment.

I opened my eyes to see a large shield in front of me. To be more specific, it was a wall of clear water.

I could see the Imperial Prince’s silhouette through the splashing surface of the water wall.

No shock had managed to reach me at all.

“……Young lady Sarnez.”
“His Royal Highness seems excited. I understand, since I felt the same way when I first used my abilities.”

It was an unbelievable speed.

Christelle, who had almost instantly moved in front of me and cast the barrier, brushed back the few strands of hair that had fallen as she smiled.

I was about to thank her when…

– Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaw, kiiiiiiiiii……

– Grr, grr, grrrrrrr……

The final cries of pain from the demonic beasts filled the stadium.

I quickly turned my head and looked behind me.

– Boom!

– Thud!

– Baaaaang!

Demonic beasts both large and small were swept up in the red flame, falling to the ground one by one.

Everything other than the demonic beasts were left untouched.

The other competitors, who had been shocked by the Imperial Prince’s overwhelming might, dropped their weapons and looked toward us.

Their faces looked chaotic as they were filled with both awe and admiration.

Nobody dared to say anything or even move.

There was a moment of silence that could have lasted a few seconds or a few minutes, I couldn’t tell.

Christelle slowly deactivated her water wall.

The Great Clearance was over. It was as the Imperial Prince had said.

“The winner of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts for the year 1613 of the Holy Calendar is his Royal Highness, Cédric Riester!”

Marquis François Duhem’s shaking voice echoed through the territory.

There was a short break before…

“Wooooooooooo!”
“Three cheers for his Royal Highness!”
“Long live the Riester! Hooray! Hooray!”
“Victory! Victory! Victory! Victory!”

The shouts of thousands of spectators fired up with excitement slammed against my ears. Their clapping sounded like fireworks.

I became excited even though it had nothing to do with me.

Everybody was so excited that their cheeks were flushed red. Rain gently started falling from the spring sky.

The Imperial Prince had walked up to me at some point and was silently looking down at me.

A bouquet that someone threw from the stands fell right at my feet just as I made eye contact with him.

– Piiiiiiiiii!

Demy recognized the person and started wagging his tail.

I turned my gaze and looked toward the direction the bouquet had flown from.

“It’s Vice Captain Élisabeth!”

Christelle shouted in a clear voice. Ganael and Benjamin were with the young Countess as well.

The three of them were energetically waving their arms and smiling.

Marquis Duhem, who was right behind them, was busy wiping his tears with a handkerchief.

“Hahahaha.”

I started laughing. I could feel Demy’s warm body around my shoulders and cheek.

My whole body felt numb like I had been punched all around and my clothes were a mess, but I thought that it wasn’t a bad first outing if it was just this.

A single light pink flower petal landed in front of the Imperial Prince’s boots.

*

I didn’t even remember how we got back to the Imperial Palace.

“Ow……”

I barely turned my tired body over to lay down on the other side.

My bleeding forehead and sprained right leg were quickly healed thanks to a healing priest.

However, we left the Lord’s Castle the day after the Great Clearance ended, which was why my body was still full of fatigue.

It will probably take a long time to recover from both the mental and physical stress I experienced in the past two weeks.

I needed to do my best and quickly think about how I can get back home but I felt as if I wouldn’t be able to think about anything for a while.

– Screeeech

“Demy, let’s lay here a little longer. It’s only 10 a.m.”

I moved the divine beast that was pushing down on my arm on top of my stomach.

My arms and legs slumped down as the tension finally released after lying on my familiar bed for the first time in a long while.

I officially received time off for the next week, so I planned to only eat and play every day on repeat.

– Knock knock.

“……Come in.”

However, the people around me were too diligent.

I smiled at the two figures carefully walking into the room.

‘I guess 11 hours is a long time to sleep.’

My bed curtains were soon opened and Ganael’s honey-colored eyes were looking at me with concern.

“Good morning, Prince Jesse. Are you perhaps not feeling well? Should I call the Imperial doctor?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just a bit tired. Good morning, Ganael.”
“I was trying not to wake you up but you’ve been sleeping for over 12 hours, your highness…… I came in because I was concerned.”

The young boy’s voice became quieter.

I looked back at the clock in shock to see that it was long past 11 and not 10.

The last thing I remembered was washing up and falling on my bed as soon as I got home yesterday. I seemed to have completely knocked out.

“Okay. I should get up now since my back might hurt if I sleep any longer.”

I immediately sat up. Ganael smiled with a look of relief on his face.

Benjamin, who had opened the window curtains, greeted me benignly as well.

“Did you sleep well, your highness?”
“I did. Did you sleep well, Benjamin?”

The balcony door was soon opened.

There was a cool breeze and the comfortable spring rays of the sun brightened the inside of the room.

After that, it was back to the regular life that I had desired.

It was the start of the chaotic Juliette Palace brunch.

“It’s so delicious. I’m glad that I am still alive.”
“Y, your highness! Why would you say something like that?”

Ganael, who was seated across from me, gasped at my comment.

I smiled brightly and took a large bite of my omelet with caviar.

The egg that might have felt greasy on an empty stomach mixed with the scent of the ocean and the sour cream to create a nice refreshing taste.

The smoothness of it melting in my mouth without even biting down and the feeling of the eggs popping on top of it was amazing as well.

The chefs at the Duhem March and Romero Palace were talented as well but nobody could match the skills of Laurence, the chef of Juliette Palace.

It was simply perfectly adjusted to my preferences.

“But I really am glad that you are safe, your highness. I was so shocked when you descended the mountain with his Royal Highness and young lady Sarnez on your back.”

Benjamin placed a piece of toast with a lot of ratatouille on top onto my plate.

I felt embarrassed and lowered my head.

“That… I had no choice but to come down. I also had to put the two of them to sleep.”
“You came down on a demonic beast, your highness!”

Ganael’s voice had gone up a notch. The anxiety and excitement from that time seemed to be fused together in his gaze.

“You looked so cool but I was so scared, your highness. I was worried that something would go wrong…… Oh right, everybody in the Imperial Palace wishes to meet you, your highness. Even the knights of the temple came by this morning to ask how you were doing!”

The young boy moved his fork to stab the ham crepe. My eyes opened a bit.

“To see me? Why?”
“Well, the rumors spread while we were on our way back to the Imperial Palace. They’re talking about how you came down with the clouds on a dragon the size of a fortress and awakened his Royal Highness and young lady Sarnez with the power of love……”
“It was not a dragon. I also didn’t use that kind of power.”
“It doesn’t matter. Young lady Sarnez opened her eyes, and splash! She used holy water to swipe the demonic beasts away. Then his Royal Highness looked so cool as he pulled out the Sword of Wisdom from the Flaming Star and then…… It created a large waterfall and a hot spring in front of the Duhem Lord’s Castle! The Almighty God’s joy had flooded down!”

Ganael explained with excitement.

The young boy’s spoon moved vigorously, making Benjamin calmly reach his hand out and stop him from saying anything else.

I looked back and forth at the two of them with shock.

I couldn’t even fathom how much the truth had become twisted in the four days we took to get to the Imperial Capital.

“Benjamin, what is he talking about?”
“I only understood this situation this morning as well, your highness.”

He calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin. I wet my throat with some savory mistletoe tea.

“It was to be expected, but the story of how his Royal Highness was victorious and gained the divine item seems to have already spread throughout the Empire. They are saying that it is probably the greatest thing that has happened since his Royal Highness’s birth. There are even rumors about how he will be named the crown prince during his birthday in August.”
“I guess the people of the Empire are not repulsed at the thought of a divine item being used for personal use?”

I gently responded.

‘Is it because he is the Imperial Prince?’

“His Royal Highness’s popularity is one thing, but nobody had been able to pull the Sword of Wisdom out until now. People seem to firmly believe that his Royal Highness was chosen by the Almighty God. Furthermore, with him showing his abilities as a Holy Knight…… I’m sure there are many who believe it is only proper that he uses a divine item.”

It was understandable thinking about it that way.

I nodded my head and took a bite of my toast.

The toast crunched, and I could smell the sweet scent of tomatoes as a plethora of flavors coated the tip of my tongue.

“Furthermore, there is also a Holy Knight from the House of Sarnez, a Duke with the highest authority. A miracle that has not happened even once in the Empire for over 1,000 years occurred twice in a day. It is not weird that rumors about these heroes are being spread.”

Benjamin calmly finished his explanation. I savored the ratatouille in my mouth and quietly thought to myself.

‘Isn’t that still too much of an exaggeration… This dish would probably be good even if it was cold……’

“I had no idea that his Royal Highness had such Divine Power. All three of you looked like characters out of mythologies. Everybody was frantically trying to talk to you on our way back to the capital. Did you not notice it, your highness?”

Ganel placed some mendiants on my dessert plate as he chatted away.

‘Did they really?’

“Thanks. I was sleepy the whole way back so I don’t really remember.’

I answered honestly.

We did stop by a few inns on the way back but they were just rooms to sleep in for me.

All I remembered was being made fun of because Christelle needed to escort me off the carriage once, drinking Vice Captain Élisabeth’s medicine because I mistook it for tea, and opening the Imperial Prince’s room door while I was half asleep and backstepping away.

“……I don’t think I was in a proper state of mind.”
“’You have to go crazy to achieve things.’ I learned that there is such a saying, your highness.”

Ganael was looking at me extremely proudly.

‘Is he talking shit about me to my face?’

I heard some dull knocks on the door at that moment.

– Knock knock knock

“Come in.”

I called out to them.

‘I haven’t had this in a while too.’

I had not seen the faces of the other attendants at Juliette Palace for a while.

“Your highness, the Chief of Staff requests your audience.”

‘The Chief of Staff?’

I could only be happy to see this familiar face for a moment, as my mind turned cold.

The Chief of Staff was someone who personally assisted Empress Frédérique. She was one of the most influential people in the entire Imperial Palace.

It was also someone I had never met since transmigrating into ‘QNW’.

I peeked at Benjamin and Ganael’s faces before nodding my head.

A middle-aged woman appeared behind the young attendant.

The woman’s wheat-colored hair was twisted up without any strands sticking out and she gave off the overall demeanor of a stern and cold person.

Her bow was overflowing with elegance as well.

“I greet Prince Jesse Venetiaan with the blessing of the Almighty God. My name is Laura Mendy from the Duke’s House of Mendy, and I am the Chief of Staff who serves her Majesty.”
“Nice to meet you, Laura.”

I calmly responded.

There was only one reason that the Chief of Staff would personally come to Juliette Palace, the palace nicknamed the Cold Palace.

It was the will of the Empress.

I quickly started to recall any sins I may have caused until now.

‘Did she find out that I called the Imperial Prince a crazy bastard? But that bastard deserves to be called that.’

“Our revered Majesty has officially invited you to the celebration of his Royal Highness, Imperial Prince Cédric’s Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts victory, your highness.”
“Excuse me?”
“Her Majesty has shown great interest and attention to your performance this time and was deeply touched at your courage and good will to step up and assist his Royal Highness. As a result, she wishes to personally recognize you at the celebration with the Imperial family, the noble households, and important figures in attendance.”

‘……Personally?’