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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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Yuma was climbing the stairs after finishing his early morning walk.
His mind was full of tasks he needed to tackle.
First, he began to ponder about the demon army he would have to face in 5 months.
Cough─!
But he suddenly coughed up blood.
After barely covering his mouth with a handkerchief, he wiped away the blood.
It was the expulsion of impurities occurring in the process of converting the blood in his body to all-poison-resisting blood, in order to form an all-poison-resisting body due to the effect of the [All-Poison-Resisting Fruit] he ate yesterday.
Yuma thought about the demon army again.
Remaining time, 5 months.
“Not much time left…”
Once again, he had to properly set the schedule for the days ahead.
Yuma continued his contemplation as he climbed the stairs.
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“…”
Bell felt the questions that had been puzzling her all this time suddenly unravel in her mind.
Why does Yuma only use sword energy at the moment he strikes down an enemy?
To defeat the enemy with minimal force.
‘To put as little strain on his body as possible…’
Naturally, continuously using aura in a severely aged body would put a strain on one’s life.
Swish…
Bell wiped away Yuma’s blood that was faintly smeared on the stair railing with a handkerchief she took out from her bosom.
Bell barely calmed her pounding heart and climbed the stairs.
‘A method.’
Is there a way to extend Yuma’s lifespan?
But Bell, who had only recently come out to the outside world from the land of White Night, couldn’t think of a way to extend Yuma’s lifespan.
And deep down, she knew these worries were useless.
Given Yuma’s personality, he would have already tried all possible methods.
Grind!
Bell gritted her teeth at the rising sense of helplessness.
‘No more.’
And she made a resolution.
‘I must make sure Yuma doesn’t have to use his sword anymore.’
To become Yuma’s right arm, she had self-proclaimed herself as ‘Yuma’s sword’.
She had to make this more than just a self-proclamation.
“Haa…ah.”
Bell caught her breath and wiped away the tears that had welled up under her light pink eyes without her noticing.
‘Should I tell them?’
Bell fell into deep contemplation. Should she inform Brigitte, Cloney, and Hestia about Yuma’s physical condition?
After pondering, Bell slowly shook her head as she climbed the stairs.
She was stuck on the fact that yesterday, Yuma had said he was a little tired and wanted to be alone.
‘Yesterday must have been worse than now…’
That’s why he was reluctant to go outside.
He was trying hard to hide it.
He’s bearing his pain alone.
Bell didn’t want to render Yuma’s efforts, his consideration for them, futile.
‘How much time is left?’
Yuma’s life.
The time left until that brilliant flame of life fades away─
Would she have the courage to ask Yuma about it?
Her heart started beating fast again.
It felt like a sense of helplessness much stronger than when she properly faced the karma of the White Night clan at the end of her 4-year-old self was pressing down on her body from the crown of her head.
At 16, When a boy she used to play with as a child couldn’t endure the fence of the clan, crossed the boundary, and died with his heart stopping.
When she barely ate anything for a week because of that.
The tremendous misery and helplessness that had weighed on her body then was reenacted throughout her entire body.
Bell slowly climbed the stairs.
Very slowly.
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At the breakfast table in the First Princess’s Palace.
Swish!
“You’re here, Yuma.”
Clatter
As soon as Brigitte saw Yuma, she abruptly stood up and suddenly pulled out the chair to her left.
“Sit down.”
Yuma couldn’t help but say something at this bizarre sight.
“What kind of imperial heir pulls out chairs for others? Don’t you have something called dignity?”
At Yuma’s very reasonable words, First Princess Brigitte let out a light cough.
“…I heard you were a bit tired. This is just my way of showing consideration.”
Yuma couldn’t help but chuckle at Brigitte’s words, which so obviously showed that she had received the message through the head servant Royan.
“You’re doing something that doesn’t suit you. Don’t worry, as I said, I’m just a little tired.”
Brigitte and Cloney, sitting on her right, nodded with relief at Yuma’s words.
Come to think of it, Casiella, the leader of the Dawn Revolution Group that he had sent ahead, wasn’t visible in the First Princess’s Palace.
“Where’s Casiella?”
Brigitte’s eyes sparkled.
“Ah, the subordinate you sent. As expected of you, Yuma. She seemed worthy of your trust. She decided it would be better to perfectly monitor the First Prince rather than protect me, so she set up camp in front of the First Prince’s Palace and nearby buildings, always watching the movements of First Prince Schwarze. She moved with half of her forces.”
“I see.”
Yuma thought Casiella’s judgment wasn’t bad.
Unlike the submissive attitude she showed in front of Yuma, Casiella had always lived aggressively in the world.
So it seemed she had made an aggressive judgment this time as well, rather than a conventional one.
“She said she’ll keep watching from there until I fully complete the coronation ceremony.”
Yuma nodded and pointed out another person who wasn’t visible.
“Where’s Bell?”
At Yuma’s words, Cloney slowly opened her fine lips.
“Sister Bell said she doesn’t have an appetite now and will eat separately later.”
“I see.”
Yuma sipped the soup.
As expected, even the soup of the imperial chef was perfect.
Yuma’s gaze turned back to First Princess Brigitte.
“Has the date for the coronation ceremony been set?”
Brigitte nodded.
“It’s in 20 days. The announcement to the nobles has already been made. Since it was passed in the Great Noble Council… even if father wakes up now and designates my brother as the next emperor, it won’t be easy to change the situation.”
Brigitte took a sip of water and continued.
“But if father hears about everything that’s happened so far, he probably won’t designate my brother.”
So I’ll be ascending to the throne at the end of August.
Yuma put the steak in his mouth.
The meat juice flowed elegantly in his mouth.
“Are there any sea-dwelling races that are friendly to humans?”
In [Loop Blood], the merfolk and whales were friendly to humans.
The merfolk were close to the warriors of the sea.
Whales were beings that signified the tranquility of the sea itself, protecting the sea.
Brigitte provided an answer to the question.
“The merfolk and whale folk.”
It seemed that the races with aspects friendly to humans were the merfolk and whale folk in this world as well.
Yuma brought up the main point.
“The demon army.”
Brigitte, Cloney, and Hestia’s brows furrowed slightly.
“He said they would invade in 5 months. That guy.”
It was what the god Inclinew had said.
“As you all heard. He mentioned something called the Apocalypse. As if there’s a book of prophecy that only gods can see.”
[Apocalypse].
“He spoke as if there was content about the demon army in it. So the invasion of the demon army is probably a predetermined course.”
Take what’s needed.
Yuma intended to prepare for the demon army together with Brigitte.
Brigitte realized what Yuma meant by his previous words.
“I understand. I’ll prepare to head to the western coast of the empire right after the coronation ceremony. I’ll give orders to prepare everything – maps, the customs of those different races… their culture, current situation, everything.”
There’s no way the demons would choose between land, sea, and air for their invasion.
Even in the records from a thousand years ago left in the imperial documents, the demon army invaded simultaneously by land, sea, and air with tens of thousands of troops.
And from the standpoint of the imperial emperor, building friendships with neighboring different races was necessary.
Especially in a situation like now when the empire could fall into crisis.
Brigitte stopped eating her steak and stared at Yuma.
Yuma felt Brigitte’s intense gaze and stopped his right hand holding the fork.
“Do you have something to say? Brigitte.”
“…I’ve become very ashamed of myself, Yuma. Seeing you endlessly contemplate and move to prepare for the dark clouds ahead.”
Slurp! Slurp!
Cloney, the black-haired golden-eyed magician who had been quietly eating soup, also nodded vigorously as if agreeing with the princess’s words.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“I’m just trying to do something. There’s nothing to gain by staying still. Because there’s not much time left.”
It was Yuma’s honest words.
It felt like floating alone in the vast sea.
Like a castaway with only a worn-out raft to rely on.
There were too many enemies.
The seven evil gods waiting far away.
And the demon army waiting nearby.
That’s why Yuma couldn’t stay still.
If he keeps moving diligently, he might gain some unexpected harvest.
“Lord Yuma.”
Cloney said, staring at Yuma with clear golden eyes.
Those eyes contained firm belief and deep affection.
“I’ll try harder too. To be of help.”
To be of help to Lord Yuma.
Cloney swallowed the most important subject and spoke.
Because of the burden he might feel due to her blind affection and loyalty.
“So, please don’t overdo it, Lord Yuma.”
Cloney’s voice trembled at the end.
“Yesterday, when you didn’t come out of your quarters and rested. I was really worried…”
As Cloney finished speaking, Brigitte’s voice was heard from beside her.
“Yes, you don’t need to do all the thinking. I’ll try harder.”
Yuma couldn’t understand why these two companions were suddenly acting like this.
He had just stayed in his room for a day.
On top of that, the cat-folk swordswoman Hestia joined in.
“I’ll kill one more enemy if a fight breaks out! Crunch! So don’t overdo it, Yuma.”
Since they were so worried, he slowly nodded.
“Alright, I’ll try not to cause any more worry from now on.”
After finishing his meal, Yuma headed to the training ground next to the Princess’s Palace.
Somehow, he was certain Bell would be there.
A woman in her early twenties came into view.
Swish─!
There was a swordswoman who kept swinging her sword down precisely from top to bottom, not minding the sweat flowing on her forehead as she fluttered her blue hair.
‘Martial arts, huh.’
Indeed, a person immersed in something is beautiful.
Yuma thought so as he slowly walked towards that swordswoman.
“As I thought, you were here. Bell.”
Bell quickly wiped the sweat on her face and above her collarbone with a towel.
“Ah, my lord… W-What brings you here?”
Bell’s voice somehow seemed less energetic than usual.
Yuma approached such a Bell.
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