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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“Your Highness the Fifth Prince!”
Did he instinctively realize that something was sleeping inside? The Blue Tower Master, Lysfield Dior, called out desperately for the Fifth Prince, but Raymond disappeared into the darkness of the passage without looking back.
“Ah, damn it!”
Given the circumstances, it was highly likely that the Spear of Sacrifice lay beyond that barrier. But with no way to enter, Lysfield could only pace anxiously.
Regardless of his situation, Raymond did not stop his steps.
How long had he walked? Lysfield’s voice was now silent.
Had he given up due to a sore throat? Or had he entered so deep that his cries couldn’t be heard? Considering the south’s yearning for the Spear of Sacrifice, it was more likely to be the latter.
[As he walked in a daze, light began to seep through the darkness. Turning a corner, he saw a door made of gold.]
It was just as described in the novel. After walking down a long corridor and turning a corner, a golden door appeared.
‘There are no traps.’
There had been no mention of traps in the novels or settings book. The barrier that only royalty could pass through was both the first and last test; it was a trap in itself.
‘The Spear of Sacrifice is inside.’
With a tense expression, he pushed against the golden door.
Creeeak.
The door, which had been closed for hundreds of years, creaked open with an old metallic sound.
At that moment, magical lights hanging from the ceiling lit up. Unlike those in the corridor, they shone brightly as if they had just been installed yesterday.
[On an old table in the center lay a book, a small pouch, and a wooden box so large it would be hard to lift alone.]
Taking in the sight of the secret chamber, memories from the novel flooded back.
The spellbook inscribed with “Spear of Sacrifice,” an interdimensional pouch, and various rare jewels. And surprisingly, all of these were…
‘Stolen goods.’
They were items that had been taken away.
‘An Emperor with kleptomania.’
Raymond recalled what he had seen about Hansen in the settings book and shook his head with a short sigh.
Though he couldn’t remember all the details about Hansen’s kleptomania, stealing something as significant as the Spear of Sacrifice indicated that it was no small matter.
It seemed that secret chambers were created to hide stolen items.
Even more interesting was that such secret chambers were scattered throughout not just the royal palace but across the entire empire.
And…
‘I know all about them.’
He had seen a map tucked into the settings book.
There were red dots indicating secret chambers scattered across an awkwardly drawn map of the empire. He remembered all their locations perfectly.
‘I also know what’s hidden inside.’
Finding and opening them one by one would yield small rewards as well.
Raymond picked up an old parchment from the table.
[To my descendant who has found this secret chamber, I extend my small tribute; your ancestor Hansen has left behind a little gift. By the way, be careful with the Spear of Sacrifice; it can be quite painful.]
It was a note left by Hansen. It was amusing enough to make him chuckle softly.
After finishing his brief reflection, he stepped forward toward the old table and reached for the spellbook.
Though it was indeed a spellbook, there was no need to infuse mana into it. The moment his fingers touched it, “Spear of Sacrifice” awakened.
-‘The Spear of Sacrifice’ recognizes your presence.
As a gentle voice resonated, the spellbook turned into white powder and scattered into thin air. But Raymond did not panic.
‘I expected this.’
To gain power from ancient relics, one must pass a trial. And he knew what kind of trial awaited him from the Spear of Sacrifice.
-Are you prepared to sacrifice?
Instead of answering verbally, he nodded his head. The white powder swirling in mid-air began to gather into the shape of a long spear.
-Then sacrifice yourself.
“Gladly”
He grasped the white spear. Having read about this in the novel, he knew exactly what to do.
“Just once will do.”
Muttering as if reassuring himself, Raymond pierced his heart with the white spear.
There was no hesitation. The tip of the spear penetrated his chest and pierced through his shoulder blade but not a single drop of blood spilled from him.
“Huuh!”
Though there were no external wounds, he felt pain. A sharp agony exploded from his chest like a bomb.
His breathing became ragged as his body staggered under overwhelming pain that he couldn’t bear any longer.
‘Ah, is it still not over?’
The novel hadn’t described how long this pain would last.
‘I was careless; this really hurts!’
It was an excruciating pain like nothing he had ever felt before. He felt like he might die from it.
How long did he endure? Finally, feeling all strength leave his body, Raymond collapsed onto the ground.
“Gahh!”
While groaning inwardly, he cursed Hansen’s face that he had never seen before.
‘This isn’t just some mild pain!’
Fortunately, the pain didn’t last too long.
As the white spear that penetrated his chest merged into Raymond’s body, the agony came to an end.
-You have passed down an ancient trial. The spear that pierces enemies through self-sacrifice now resides in your heart.
-The ‘Spear of Sacrifice’ awakens within you.
As soon as the voice finished speaking, explosive energy erupted from every part of Raymond’s body.
With his mind cleared up completely, Raymond dusted himself off and opened up the wooden box.
“This is quite sufficient as a reward.”
Inside were jewels that seemed rare even for an royal prince to possess.
These would surely come in handy later on. Without saying a word, Raymond opened up an interdimensional pouch beside him and began transferring jewels into it.
‘Though they are stolen goods, since they were taken hundreds of years ago, I doubt there will be any concern about their original owner showing up.’
He had long since sold his conscience away.
“Ugh! It hurts like hell.”
He thought all pain had completely vanished; however, that wasn’t true. Occasionally sharp pangs still stabbed at his chest like something digging into him.
But alongside this discomfort came an overwhelming surge of mana settling near his heart.
‘Is this mana possessed by the Spear of Sacrifice?’
The amount of mana was vast. Even using methods learned from Lysfield at the Blue Tower resulted in an overflow of mana beyond what he could contain.
‘This is somewhat troublesome.’
He couldn’t hide all this mana away.
‘It’s only a matter of time before rumors start spreading.’
The rogue Fifth Prince suddenly possessing such vast amounts of mana? Just this alone would put him in danger.
Especially with how power-hungry Third Prince might react; having support from mage towers meant if Raymond revealed his talent for magic, they might try to suppress him somehow.
‘This is quite a predicament.’
A sigh escaped him involuntarily. But there was no turning back now; he had no choice but to show decisive action moving forward.
And that first step would lead him to seek out support from Lysfield at Blue Tower next.
‘Let’s go.’
As he stepped outside again, the secret chamber collapsed behind him. It must have been to erase evidence that ‘stolen goods’ were kept there.
Following back along his path allowed him to return to Imperial Treasury Room 7 where Lysfield awaited silently for him in his brown robe.
“Your Highness! Have you obtained the Spear of Sacrifice?”
The old high-ranking mage easily sensed the changes happening within the Fifth Prince’s body.
“What if that’s the case?”
The lost magic of the south, the Spear of Sacrifice. Various complex emotions reflected in Lysfield Dior’s gaze as he looked at Raymond.
Ancient relics are bound to their users. Even if it meant killing the user, the relic would lose its power for 50 years, so Lysfield couldn’t entertain any bad thoughts.
To shed blood for future plans was too heavy a burden for someone of royal blood.
In the Philios Empire, where the royal lineage is taken seriously, it was unthinkable to murder royalty.
‘Unless it’s another royal.’
Feeling Lysfield’s gaze on him, Raymond wore a faint smile.
“If I were to grasp the Spear of Sacrifice, would you fulfill your oath?”
“Haha! You even know about the ‘Two Thousand Year Oath’?”
The Blue Tower Master chuckled in disbelief. He never expected that the young prince before him would be aware of an oath that had been upheld for two thousand years by the south.
‘The Two Thousand Year Oath must be honored.’
Lysfield recalled the teachings of past Blue Tower Masters. The very words carried power under the name of an oath.
‘What on earth is his true identity?’
The prince had transformed overnight. Without even being taught how to handle mana, he awakened enough talent to materialize it and now mentioned the Spear of Sacrifice, which southern mages had desperately sought but failed to find.
“Old man, what are you thinking so much about?”
Raymond’s voice snapped Lysfield out of his deep contemplation.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to know about the Spear of Sacrifice…?”
“Does it matter?”
At Raymond’s question, Lysfield found himself momentarily speechless.
For a moment, he stared blankly at Raymond before shaking his head with a composed smile.
“It doesn’t matter at all, Your Highness.”
“Then recall the promise kept for two thousand years.”
The Two Thousand Year Oath had been upheld by both the Blue Tower and Red Tower of the Philios Empire.
“Your Highness.”
Lysfield smiled broadly as he looked at Raymond.
“The Blue Tower still remembers the Two Thousand Year Oath.”
Hearing the loyalty in Lysfield’s voice made a smile spread across Raymond’s face. He nodded with satisfaction and spoke up.
“The Red Tower should remember the promise as well.”
While it was uncertain whether the newly formed Yellow Tower knew about it since ancient times, the Red Tower would certainly remember their oath.
And if they had forgotten?
He would remind them.
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“The Fifth Prince is in critical condition! The royal knights must clear a path immediately!”
“Where are the priests and healers?!”
“Your Highness! Please hold on! The infirmary is not far now!”
The face of a royal knight came into his hazy vision.
He squinted his eyes to identify who it was, but his sight hadn’t fully returned yet.
“The Fifth Prince has awakened!”
“Just a little longer, Your Highness!”
The royal knights were in a frenzy.
Only then did his vision start to clear up slightly enough for him to take in his surroundings.
‘Did I collapse?’
He was being carried on a stretcher somewhere. Two servants were carrying it while five royal knights cleared a path ahead.
Alex, his attendant responsible for the Fifth Prince’s residence, stood beside him with a stern expression, matching his pace with that of the servants.
“Your Highness, you will be fine.”
Alex spoke with a resolute voice. Just as Raymond tried to recall what had happened, he suddenly coughed violently.
“Cough! Cough!”
He covered his mouth with his hand as intense coughing fit erupted. He felt something touch his palm.
“Your Highness!”
“How far is it to the infirmary?!”
Once again, the royal knights were in a panic.
He wanted to ask why they were making such a fuss but couldn’t. The palm he pulled away revealed it was stained with dark red blood.
“Oh no…”
Now he remembered. He must have fainted after trying out the Spear of Sacrifice at Lysfield’s private training ground.
‘I didn’t expect it to consume this much life force…’
He knew that using the Spear of Sacrifice consumed life force instead of mana, but he never thought it would drain him to unconsciousness. This was unexpected.
‘I can’t use it too often.’
He intended to reserve it as a finishing move.
One thing he regretted was fainting before confirming the destructive power of the Spear of Sacrifice.
‘I’m sure Lysfield will explain everything later.’
Curious but needing to hold back, he bit his lip slightly. Perhaps seeing this as enduring pain made the royal knights quicken their pace even more.
“Take His Highness to the infirmary!”
“We cannot afford any delays!”
Amidst all their commotion, they finally arrived at the infirmary. The priest and healer who had been notified were waiting inside.
As the healer prepared medicine, the priest examined Raymond’s condition.
“Your Highness’s condition is…”
Just then Alex asked a question. Having just begun awakening his mana, Raymond felt an overwhelming presence gathering at the door.
It was an aura so powerful that he couldn’t even catch a glimpse of its level.
He wanted to rest but suddenly found himself in this situation?
“Excuse me.”
With a light knock, golden-robed figures entered through the door—he knew exactly who they were.
The Royal Guard.
“The Royal Guard is here?”
One of the royal knights who had brought Raymond into the infirmary exclaimed in surprise without realizing it.
No one answered him, but everyone understood what this meant:
‘That means the Emperor is here.’
With a sigh, Raymond forced himself up from his exhausted position. If the Emperor was coming, he couldn’t just lie down like this!
“The Emperor is coming through!”
At least one familiar face, Baron Illusion, shouted energetically as he stepped aside.
Accompanied by Royal Guards wearing golden masks, the Emperor entered into the infirmary.
“Raymond!”
His face had been calm until crossing over the threshold; however, upon seeing his son lying there covered in blood, he forgot all decorum and rushed towards him calling out his name.
Royal knights hurriedly stepped aside and bowed their heads while priests and healers stood at attention.
‘No! If even priests and healers are acting like this, when will they treat me? I’m in agony here…!’
