Chapter 203

“Your Majesty, the First Prince is now…”

“Let it go.”

Yovanes said, glaring disapprovingly at Astanas’ back.

“I doubt he’ll go much further from the entrance. He’s lacking.”

He didn’t like it

He had so many shortcomings, so many flaws.

Then, Perez came into the view of Emperor Yovanes.

Another son, who silently nodded to him who was sitting on the podium, then returned to his villa.

“You can’t be thinking of making the Second Prince the Crown Prince, right?”

He suddenly remembered the words of the Empress that was said on the carriage on their way here.

“His mother’s lowly blood that runs through his veins couldn’t possibly be the blood of the Emperor of Lambrew.”

He agreed with her.

However, the Second Prince seemed to resemble the Emperor Durelli more than the First Prince.

Isn’t that enough?

It was better than the First Prince, who kept showing the shortcomings of the Angenas.

Emperor Yovanes’ eyes lingered on the back of Perez for a long time.

But there was one thing he failed to notice.

It was the three people who followed Perez and always stayed together.

Stilly and Tedro, who had followed Perez, grumbled before going back into the forest.

[ / / / ]

It was the second day of the hunting competition.

Astana laughed while taking a swig of the unknown drug in the canteen.

“Good, very good.”

The hunt was going very smoothly.

No, it was going even better than that.

“You’ve already got eighteen, Your Highness!”

Bellesac shouted while cutting off a monster’s right arm.

“Let’s go! We’ll have to catch a larger one next time!”

Astana said, a bit short of breath.

“Why don’t we take a break before going again, Your Highness?”

“That’s right, I can’t walk any further…”

His whole entourage responded, echoing their fatigue.

The party, which had started with around ten people, had already dwindled down to just six.

Everyone had given up due to Astana’s unreasonable behaviour and ended up either injured or worn out.

“Shut up!”

Astana yelled out fiercely.

“Y-Your Highness…”

His followers flinched in unison.

It was because Astana, who was covered in green blood, with a sword in hand, was terrifying.

It was like they were watching the Second Prince from yesterday.

The state of being out of one’s mind, as if possessed by the magic.

“Five before sunset, yesterday, and thirteen since we started hunting today! The hunt is going well today, so if you can’t keep up with it, then get out!”

Now he even swung his sword with one hand at his aides as a threat.

Astana was always rude, but not like this.

He never forgot that the crowd following him was made up of nobles who all had a strong sense of pride.

But now, Astana treated them as if they were flies that were bothering him.

Annoyingly buzzing around his ears.

“Only the ones who can handle the difficult hunt should come. If you’re going to fall back, then leave quietly. Your clumsy attacks won’t be of much help anyways, so don’t bother me.”

Astana huffed again, habitually inhaling the medicated drink for a headache.

“I must have broken through some sort of limit, otherwise how else would I be this full of energy?”

Astana couldn’t hide his excitement.

Bellesac said that the drug he stole would prevent him from experiencing the effects of the magic and in the end, it ended up working so well.

Yesterday, he was drained by the magic of the forest, and he was tired and out of breath, even if he had only walked a bit. However, there was no such thing today.

His footsteps were light and his sword was outstretched.

He wasn’t even afraid, even if the monsters he encountered in the forest started appearing more frequently.

Rather, he thought it was quite nice.

He even thought it would be nice if the next monster would appear immediately after killing one.

“Bellesac, you, follow me.”

Astana turned to Bellesac and said.

Since stealing the canteen yesterday, Bellesac has been acting as Astana’s right-hand man again, just like before.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

It was natural that Bellesac was excited.

“Make sure you keep an eye out for red armour, and make sure he doesn’t come after us, alright?”

Red armour.

It meant Perez’s red armour.

“He’s the only one who I need to be careful of, he’s the only one…”

Astana muttered as he took another step forward.

What he had to watch out for now in this forest was Perez who was in red armour.

That was all.

[ / / / ]

The third and last day of the hunting competition.

“Die! Die!”

Astana was on top of a monster and stabbing it with his knife.

Whenever Astana’s body moved, a chilling sound rang out.

“Your Highness…”

Bellesac called to Astana.

But Astana, bent on killing the monsters, couldn’t hear a sound.

In the last three days, Astana has caught a total of over forty monsters.

It was the result of hunting and continuing to wander from sunrise to evening, like a person who was possessed by something.

“Look, shouldn’t we stop His Highness now?”

Bellesac cautiously asked his companion.

“…?”

But there was no reply.

When he turned around, the place where the firstborn of the Brexen household, the last person to remain other than him, stood, was empty.

While Astana was obsessed with the hunt, he had slipped away without warning to give up on the competition.

Gulp.

Bellesac’s throat was dry.

The only people left were Astana and Bellesac.

‘Yeah, maybe this is a good thing.’

Bellesac thought so.

Before he came to the hunting competition, his mother Serral had said so.

“As dangerous as it may be, there should still be opportunities waiting for you. Do you understand what I’m saying, Bellesac?”

In this situation, where everyone has already fled, he was the the only one who stood by His Highness to the end.

If this isn’t true loyalty, then what is?

“This is your last chance to regain his confidence!”

Bellesac nodded, recalling what Serral had told him.

Astana seemed a little different from usual, but he was just enjoying the hunt.

Besides, he was almost certain that it wouldn’t go well if he tried to stop him in the current situation.

Bellesac decided to stay put without saying anything else.

It was then.

“Bellesac, get me the canteen.”

Astana ordered.

“Yes, here it is.”

Bellesac moved his body quickly and handed him the canteen.

The water bottle was light and almost completely empty.

“Your Highness will definitely win.”

Bellesac said with a smile.

He said it, thinking that Astana would be happy.

Bellesac’s prediction was correct.

Astana smirked while looking at the monster’s head.

The blood of the monster that had already been soaked into Astana, tainted Astana’s smile.

“Right. Perez, even that lowly thing couldn’t have caught so many monsters. The monsters around here must have all fled.”

Astana snickered dangerously.

“Yeah, I must be stronger than him.”

“What?”

Bellesac tilted his head.

Stronger than the Sword Master, the Second Prince?

“Look at today, the day we slaughtered so many monsters. That kid could never do this.”

“But…”

“Shut up! I’m stronger! If we run into him now, I’ll kill him in one go!”

Astana cried out as if he was a bloodhound.

Gasp.

Bellesac shut his mouth.

It was because Astana’s sword, which was smeared with green blood that had already hardened, was approaching his throat.

“Th-That’s right, Your Highness is stronger.”

“Right? You think so too, don’t you?”

Astana said with a blank look in his eyes.

“Okay. Then I have a good idea.”

“A good…idea?”

At that moment, a bad feeling gripped Bellesac.

“I’m going to kill that dirty half-blood. Let’s go.”

Astana started to go forward in big strides.

He didn’t even intend to take care of the body of the last monster he had killed.

“I can kill him now, no one will know because we’re in the forest.”

Astana continued to talk to himself, giggling.

“If I kill that lowly thing, everything will be over. It’ll all be over.”

His Majesty will no longer ignore me.

My mother would be proud of me for doing so well.

“Where are you? Red armour. Red armour.

Astana chanted it like a spell.

In the dark forest, Astana’s eyes only found red.

“That’s all.”

Astana laughed.

As he walked through the forest confidently, he suddenly came across a small meadow.

And on the other side, like magic, Perez appeared.

“Red armour.”

It must have been Perez, seeing as the Lombardy girl was next to him.

Astana gripped his sword.

Then, started running blindly towards Perez.

“Your Highness!”

Bellesac who had followed behind him was startled and called out to him.

But Astana did not stop.

There was no better chance than now to kill Perez.

Astana kept running, staring only at Perez’s unlucky face.

“Stop him!”

At that time. people who he had not noticed until now, came into Astana’s line of vision.

Imperial knights were guarding Perez’s surroundings.

Astana was taken aback for a moment.

Why would the Imperial Knights want that brat?

And then in the next moment, there was anger.

Oho, so you guys were all lining up behind that lowly thing.

“I’ll kill you!”

Astana cried out loudly.

Amazingly, Perez’s face appeared right in front of him.

Clang!

However, Astana’s sword flew farther, into the hands of the Imperial Knights.

Heok, heok!

Astana gasped for breath.

He was right in front of him.

He was within reach, just a hand stretched out would be enough to touch him.

He couldn’t give up here.

Then Bellesac came into Astana’s vision.

To be exact, it was the dagger that was tied to his waist.

“Die!”

Astana yelled at him and pulled out Bellesac’s dagger.

And took a big heavy swing at Perez.