The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

“This should be fun.”

I haven’t felt this exhilarated since I took on my dead-eyed friend with rotten eyes.

Come to think of it, I didn’t even get to watch them apply his funeral makeup.

Suddenly depressed, I shook my head and tried to figure out how to survive.

The world in this novel isn’t just populated by humans. It was a melting pot of dragons, werewolves, trolls, dwarves, fairies, tree people, and other races.

And on a broader scale, even the undead were rational, sentient, and even formed a nation.

Not all undead were rational, of course.

“First, let’s examine the novel.”

The novel I read begins with the death of Prince Yuan, and the heroine, Precia, a bodyguard who failed to protect him, is reprimanded and relegated to a place called the End of the World.

The “End of the World” is a region bordering the Bastille Mountains, where all sorts of monsters live.

If you survive a day, you are recognized as a warrior, if you survive a month, you are treated as a comrade-in-arms who can always be counted on, and if you survive a year, you are revered as a great fighter.

Precia, who has survived there for the past three years, nearly dies while single-handedly facing down an army of monsters to save her comrades-in-arms.

However, she is saved by Jade, the Sage of the Winterwood, who hides in the mountains at the moment of crisis.

Having thus survived, Precia, along with Jade, fights against the various evil dark forces that seek to rule the world through a series of events, all the while trying to save the prince she once loved, Yuan…

“Wait, loved?”

No, that’s not the important part.

I look like shit today, is this the time for a love speech? Anyway…

Realizing that Prince Yuan was murdered by the dark medieval power ‘Arcana’, she sets out on a journey to avenge his death and save the world.

This is the rough plot of the novel The Sage of the Winter Tree.

Most of the narrative is centered on the main character, Jade, but the author also put quite a bit of effort into the narrative of the heroine, Precia, so I was able to learn a lot of useful information right now.

In particular, there are constant references to the murder of Prince Yuan, a nightmare that Precia keeps having.

‘As the clock chimed eight minutes past six, a sharp dagger pierced the heart of Yuan, the slender prince Precia loved. The eerie chiming of the clock’s bell echoes, and the moonlight shining through the window glistens tenderly on the red blood that flows piteously.

It’s a little creepy to think of it as my future, but a good portion of the story involving Prince Xuan is a flashback to the time of his murder, which is symbolic of the heroine’s trauma, but it’s a very lackluster scene.

However, I was able to cope with it because I knew exactly where and how she was killed.

I look at my watch and realize that I have eight hours and eight minutes to live.

With my thoughts organized, I opened the bedroom door and stepped out.

I stepped out into a living room-like space, but according to Yuan’s memory, my ‘room’ was a suite with a living room and several rooms connected to it.

So, a prince is different after all.

“Your Highness, are you feeling better?”

Precia asked cautiously, obviously upset that I had been forced out of my bedroom.

I smiled, the extra’s signature weak smile, trying to channel the memory of Prince Yuan.

“I’m feeling much better; thank you for your concern.”

I decided to wear the mask of Prince Yuan until my safety was assured.

There is no one I can fully trust right now.

I needed a way to protect myself.

Precia smiled, relieved by my answer.

“Then you will be able to attend the banquet at 6:30 tonight! I’m glad to hear that. I know you’ve been looking forward to it.”

Today is Prince Yuan’s birthday.

On a prince’s birthday, the nobles would always be gathered for a banquet, but not for this body.

At the moment, Prince Yuan’s status as the first prince was quite low.

Not only was he not the child of the current queen, but he also had no family to back him up, only a weak family on the verge of collapse that barely heard of nobility.

Still, there was only one reason Prince Yuan was looking forward to today’s dinner.

His father, the king, whom he rarely saw, had announced his attendance.

I put on the faintest smile I could muster and said.

“I’m sorry if I’ve caused you worry.”

At my apology, Precia shook her head in bewilderment.

“You didn’t!”

“Oh, then why did I collapse?”

I’m not entirely sure, but from what I can recall, Prince Yuan doesn’t seem to have touched alcohol, so the headache I’m feeling is probably not a hangover.

At my question, Precia frowned ruefully.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, you slipped and fell while trying to rescue a cat that couldn’t get down from a tree. As your bodyguard, I should have protected you.”

Oh, come to think of it, there was such a thing in one of the flashbacks. Was it from the 3rd paragraph on page 267 of volume 4, “The Glass Prince”? It’s pathetic that he couldn’t even save a cat.

“It’s okay, just be good from now on.”

I’m begging you. My life is on the line.

“Now, shall we go for a walk?”

As I turned to leave, the old servant blocked my path. “Excuse me, Prince. I’m sorry, sir, but I’m afraid I can’t go out in your pajamas….”

At that point, I realized that I was wearing pajamas.

* * *

As I changed into my casual clothes and walked around the palace with my bodyguard, Precia, and the old servant, I could feel the judgment of Prince Yuan on my skin.

The maids and knights I encountered along the way greeted me as a prince with a dry nod and passed me by.

Sometimes they ignored me as if they hadn’t seen me at all or sneered at me outright.

“You…!”

Precia clenched her fists whenever she saw someone ignoring me, but she didn’t pick a fight.

She didn’t want to get into a fight, as it would only damage her already precarious position.

The Queen, who had a tight grip on the palace, naturally wanted her child, the Second Prince, to be crown prince, and I, who was higher in the line of succession than the Second Prince, would have been a nuisance.

Therefore, those within her circle had no choice but to ignore me.

In fact, she was even implicated in Prince Yuan’s death.

Of course, Prince Yuan was not the main culprit, as he was not worthy enough for her to kill on purpose.

The Feudal system’s principle of first-born succession requires a certain amount of backing.

Still, I’m glad that no one approached me first and tried to confront me.

Given that this is a fictionalized world, I’m sure there will be some who will touch me for the reader’s amusement, like a stepping stone toward catharsis.

It’s a tenuous position, to be sure, but being a child of the king is a position that no knight should despise because if you’re an idiot who’d have your entire family beheaded for a moment’s lowly pleasure, you shouldn’t have been allowed into the palace in the first place.

I’m glad it saved me the trouble, but honestly, as a reader, it’s a little frustrating.

“Prince. Where are we going now? The gardens are in the opposite direction.”

I smiled at Precia’s innocent question.

“The kitchen, first. I thought I’d fix something simple for lunch.”

At my answer, the old wolf-headed servant began to give directions.

“If you’re looking for the kitchen, it’s just down the next hallway to the right and then down the stairs.”

“Really?” I said, trusting the old servant who knew the place inside out more than my fuzzy memory.

I had to get what was hidden in the palace to protect myself before I risked my life, which Precia might not be able to save.

There were a lot of hidden secrets and treasures in this world, and of course, since the royal palace is the setting for the heroine Precia, there was quite a bit to get.

Of course, most of them could be obtained based on items obtained from other locations, but there were also some things that could be obtained without such things and simply through the main character’s ability and chance.

Those were the first things I would target.

And in the kitchen, there’s something I want more than anything else right now.