NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14 - The Princess's Stubbornness
An hour later at a temple in the royal capital.
Maru was waiting outside the treatment room.
When her condition showed no signs of improvement even after sucking out the venom, they had hurriedly ridden horses to the temple in one go.
The temple’s skilled priestesses were immediately deployed, and only now was there some breathing room.
During the tedious waiting time.
Audrite kept circling in Maru’s mind as he stared blankly at one spot.
‘Hey! What are you doing with that child?’
‘Must have been a lie? A geezer and a liar. A geeziar.’
‘Right on time. Unlike your appearance, you’re good at keeping promises?’
Maru found himself smiling without realizing it.
He thought she was a bright and cheerful woman.
Taking care of things, granting wishes… it felt fresh, different from Kiera who only showed reactions when he always had to approach first.
She was a woman who showed various reactions even without being approached first.
For some reason, he found himself growing interested.
He wanted to poke at her to see what kind of reactions would come next.
Though he shouldn’t be like this after declaring he’d never date women again…
Click.
Suddenly the treatment room door opened.
The priestesses came pouring out.
Since the princess was injured, even the temple’s high-ranking priests had been mobilized.
“How is the princess’s condition?”
A middle-aged priestess who appeared to hold the highest position smiled brightly.
“The healing went well and she has recovered her health. She’s perfectly fine now.”
“That’s a relief. Thank you. Would it be alright to visit her?”
“Yes, go ahead in.”
When he opened the door and entered the treatment room, the princess was smiling energetically as if she had never been sick.
“Come in. Just wait a moment while I put on my shoes.”
She got down from the bed where she had been resting comfortably and started tying her shoelaces.
Glancing at her thigh, there were still two small holes in her white pants, but the skin had completely regenerated.
The white, beautiful skin showing through the small holes was striking.
“The temple food is delicious, want to eat together before we go? I want to, how about you?”
Unlike her friendly manner, Maru’s expression was stern.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me.”
“Please stop interfering with me and the prince from now on.”
“…?”
Audrite stopped tying her shoelaces and stood up to look at Maru.
She seemed slightly taken aback by the serious atmosphere.
“Due to your reckless actions, the prince’s schedule was disrupted and you yourself were almost put in danger. I hope there won’t be incidents like today in the future. Please mind your own schedule as princess. We will handle our own affairs.”
“Hey.”
“Then I’ll take my leave first.”
“Hey, Maru!”
The princess shouted, but Maru politely bowed his head and left the treatment room without paying attention.
Left alone in the room, the princess leaned her behind against the edge of the bed.
“He was worried and kind when coming here… what’s with him suddenly, is he crazy or something?”
Her concerns deepened.
“Could he be someone trying to use Edward to climb up the ranks…?”
Two days later.
The King summoned Maru.
The elderly King with a white beard was alone appreciating the moonlit pond with his hands behind his back.
“You called for me?”
“Ah yes, you’re here.”
The King smiled warmly and patted Maru’s shoulder when he saw him.
“You’ve been working hard lately.”
“Not at all.”
“Thanks to you, our prince’s dignity grows higher by the day. Thank you.”
“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”
“What have I done? Heh heh.”
The King turned his head to look at the pond.
After appreciating the scenery for a moment, he slowly spoke.
“The princess came to see me during the day. She wants to go out of the palace tomorrow with the prince to inspect people’s lives. Seems she wants to beat up some thugs and hunt beasts that are ruining the people’s fields.”
“Did you grant permission?”
The King answered lightly.
“I permitted it.”
A sigh escaped Maru’s lips.
His words quickened.
“The princess suspects me. The inspection must have impure intentions. What if the prince’s abilities are exposed to everyone?”
“You’ll have to keep it hidden somehow.”
“That’s impossible. There will be hundreds of watching eyes.”
The King patted Maru’s shoulder.
“Aren’t you the one who makes the impossible possible? If you succeed in this matter, I’ll appoint you to a most glorious position as a reward. I ask this of you. You can’t just catch bandits all the time. You need to sample different dishes occasionally so the officials don’t get suspicious.”
After returning to his room a while later, Maru shook his head and slumped down in a chair.
“What glorious position? The only such position would be ascending to the throne, wouldn’t it?”
Anyway, this is troublesome.
I can’t step in directly in Edward’s place, so what am I supposed to do?
This mission is truly impossible.
“Even if the coach is decent, there’s a limit to what the player can do – they should restrain their greed a bit.”
He tilted his head back and stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking of the King.
Maru, shirtless, drove his fist straight into the King’s abdomen.
“What’s impossible is impossibleeee!”
“Guaaah!”
The King spun round and round as he flew far into the atmosphere.
“Is this revenge for what happened in the treatment room…”
Maru smirked thinking of the princess.
“Your male scent has become more intense than before.”
“Who’s there?”
Maru stood up and looked toward the curtained window.
With only candlelight in the room, the window area was somewhat dark.
He belatedly realized it was a familiar voice.
“Luciella?”
The curtain was pulled aside and a woman in a black robe appeared.
She wore a gentle smile like that of a noblewoman in her 30s.
She walked into the light and gave a polite greeting.
“My lord, did you miss me?”
“You’re safe.”
Maru smiled brightly.
“You’re the one who saved me from the sea, right? And I heard you were chased by a wyvern.”
“I was badly injured then and had to focus only on recovery for a long time.”
“I’ve ended up owing you another debt. Ah, wait. I bought gifts for you.”
Maru hurriedly took out a thick pouch and black dress from the wardrobe.
“I’m not sure if you’ll like them.”
Luciella pushed back the hood covering her face, examined the gifts, and gave a cold response.
“Why did you buy potions?”
“For you to use.”
“What a waste of money.”
“……”
“Why did you buy the dress?”
“For you to wear.”
“The design is mediocre. It’s tacky.”
Maru clicked his tongue.
“Demons never know gratitude.”
“I’d rather receive a bigger gift than these trivial ones.”
Luciella slowly sucked on her index finger while gazing sensually at Maru’s lower body.
“I want to eat my lord’s essence.”
Maru immediately turned around and went to sit in the chair.
“Don’t talk nonsense. So are you not going to take the gifts?”
“I don’t need them. Nothing satisfies me except my lord’s essence.”
“Guess I’ll use them myself then. I’ll give the dress to some woman I know.”
“Why don’t you have the Hero wear it?”
“You…”
“Ah, I can’t help myself.”
Luciella gave a mischievous smile.
“But… what exactly have you done?”
She came closer and stroked Maru’s broad shoulders, then caressed his firm chest.
Then she whispered stickily in his ear.
“Why do you emit such an intense male scent that I haven’t seen before? I feel like I might die from ecstasy.”
“I gained power. That’s all.”
“Yet you haven’t removed the mark?”
Luciella laughed “hoho.”
Maru felt embarrassed.
“Stop making things weird and go if you don’t have business here.”
“Is this how you treat your benefactor? Be gentle with your benefactor.”
“Then stop fondling my body and bring that chair over here to sit.”
“Will you entertain me?”
“That sounds strange. I just want to talk. Hurry and bring the chair.”
That night, Maru talked with Luciella until dawn.
Perhaps because she knew his circumstances deeply, their conversation flowed endlessly without interruption.
They drank together while sharing openly and receiving unrestrained advice.
It was truly an enjoyable time.
After Luciella left and day broke, Maru’s heart felt much lighter.
“You said not to interfere, so I’m doing my work.”
Morning.
Audrite, wearing inspection clothes that felt like a uniform, had approached him.
Unlike yesterday, with straight long hair, she smiled as if getting even.
“Since this is the prince and princess’s inspection of the people’s lives, Administrative Officer, please stay back. Others will take care of assisting us, so you just watch.”
“Yes, understood.”
Maru, who was on horseback, moved back without comment.
Currently, not only servants but also several officials and even the royal guard had been mobilized for the prince and princess’s inspection.
Among the overflow of high-ranking people, there was no place for a mere administrative officer like Maru.
“Let’s depart!”
Soon after, the prince and princess’s entourage of about a hundred people poured out of the palace.
Today, the prince and princess had set out to inspect the people’s lives and resolve various petitions that had come to the royal court.
Among them, the prince naturally had to step forward and splendidly resolve matters requiring strength.
But Edward was afraid.
During a gap in the procession, he urgently rode his horse to stick close to Maru at the rear.
“H-hey Maru. What should I do? If I shoot an arrow a hundred times, I miss the target a hundred times. Even if I pick up a sword, I’m worried I’ll get beaten up.”
While he was mountain-high with worry, Maru was relaxed enough to yawn.
“My advice is ‘just do it anyway.'”
“Just do it anyway? Won’t I get exposed if I do that?”
“Trust me. I’ve prepared countermeasures.”
“R-really?”
Edward’s expression suddenly brightened.
“Hooh.”
He clenched his fist.
“Alright. I’ll try it like you said!”
Being simple-minded made him easy to handle.
Just praise him and his thoughts change quickly.
Edward vigorously rode his horse to join the front of the procession.
“Well, every night wolves jump over the fence and take our sheep! Oh my poor sheep! If you go over that hill there, you’ll find the forest where those beasts live! Please go quickly and destroy them!”
The first petition was to eliminate a wolf pack.
The prince and princess’s entourage, after briefly stopping at the village, headed straight over the hill.
Soon after finding the wolf pack, the royal guard quickly formed an encirclement to drive them into one place.
“Don’t let even one escape, trap them tight!”
“Yes!”
Next was time for Edward to step forward and show the prince’s majesty.
He just had to shoot and kill the wolves one by one as they ran around inside the royal guard’s encirclement.
Meanwhile, the princess came over to Maru with a slight smile.
“I came to see your expression, thinking it would be satisfying to laugh at.”
“I wonder if there will be such an occasion?”
“If my guess is right, Edward’s skills are fake. People don’t know there’s an invisible proxy knight.”
Audrite smiled while brushing her hair behind her ear.
“That would be you, and I thought Edward wouldn’t come today, making excuses about being sick. But I didn’t expect him to come. I’m curious too. Why did you bring him? You could have easily avoided it. It seems like you want to go all the way with me, so this has become a match where neither can back down.”
“Edward is an excellent person and I’m just an ordinary administrative officer.”
“The truth will be revealed shortly.”
“Did you come here to watch me? To see what I’d do?”
The princess was already wearing a victor’s smile.
“If we had just eaten at the temple and parted quietly, things wouldn’t be so tense now.”
“……”
Maru kept silent then smiled and turned his gaze.
“Well, let’s watch.”
He raised his hand to point into the distance.
Edward was drawing his bowstring taut while on horseback.
Soon an arrow was released.
Phiiiu!
The arrow’s trajectory seemed to go in an odd direction before naturally curving.
Thwack!
It hit the fleeing wolf’s forehead precisely.
The running wolf tumbled and rolled on the ground.
After struggling briefly, it stopped moving.
“Ahahahaha! Did you all see that! Did you feel it! My greatness!”
Edward got so excited he let out strange shouts.
The watching officials clapped in admiration.
“Ohhh, amazing, Your Highness!”
While everyone cheered, only Audrite couldn’t smile.
Her face was full of question marks.
“Wh-what just happened…?”
“Shall I laugh satisfyingly?”
Maru flashed a bright smile in front of her dumbfounded expression.