The Princess Wants to Live

“Okay.”

 

He added, poking my temple.

 

“I’m constantly muttering here.”

 

“What?”

 

When Olivia asked again, Cryer casually repeated the same answer.

 

“I am constantly reminded to see blood. Without a moment of rest.”

 

He spoke very lightly, but it was by no means light. The entity that was talking about in Cryer’s head was probably an ancient god and nothing else. That means not even resting for a moment.

 

“Sleep… You’re not good at it.”

 

What he experienced when he closed his eyes and tried to sleep wasn’t just a nightmare. God’s whisper. If you go into a temple dedicated to any god on the continent and say that you will listen to the voice of the god without stopping, everyone will speak out and kneel. God’s messenger. God’s representative. But the reality is…

 

‘Because I am a slave.’

 

It would be no different from a curse. Olivia extended her hand towards him. His hand, which was unconsciously touching the brand of her collarbone, was covered by a much smaller and softer hand. Olivia didn’t say anything, and Cryer didn’t open her mouth either. He doesn’t feel bad enough to cut off his hand either. It’s just warm. I heard that small animals have high body temperatures. Is that why? The princess’s hands were always much warmer than her own. At the same time, a sharp pain is felt in the stigma of the collarbone. Cryer, looking down at her folded hands, opened his mouth.

 

“Is it just this time too?”

 

Olivia smiled faintly and shook her head.

 

 

“No.”

 

She added, patting the back of his hand.

 

“I wanted to do this.”

 

Cryer, who was facing a brightly smiling Olivia, did not mention the throbbing pain he felt in her collarbone.

 

* * *

 

Early morning the next day. The emperor, who had not slept for a few hours due to his government affairs, faced Olivia, wiping away his face from chronic lack of sleep and fatigue.

 

“Martial arts competition?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Isn’t this another sudden story? It was as out of the blue as a request to hold a conference for which no preparations had been made. But it is the princess’s suggestion. Although there was some noise after the Games, thanks to that, some countries that had been messing around near the border became very quiet.

 

“There must be some reason.”

 

“I want to make all the stories that are tickling Your Majesty’s ears disappear.”

 

The emperor smiled bitterly and tilted his head. Because there were more than one story that tickled his ears. Isn’t it the right and duty of the person sitting in the seat looking down on everyone to see everything, hear everything, and decide everything?

 

“Knights from other countries. It will be a way to get rid of them.”

 

Olivia added, and only then did the Emperor show interest.

 

“It’s a martial arts competition with knights. What were you thinking?”

 

“If everyone recognizes the strength of the knights of the Kingdom of Norden, there will be half the conversation about concubines and other things.”

 

“It would be less itchy if I went in halfway.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The Emperor asked Olivia, who nodded her head.

 

“That knight was strong.”

 

“To be honest.”

 

Olivia smiled brightly and shared her facts.

 

“After some time, you will become strong enough to destroy the empire alone.”

 

“Hehe, if you believe that much, it’s okay.”

 

The Emperor laughed and passed it off as Olivia’s excessive trust, but it was by no means excessive trust or a joke. She’s just the hard truth that Olivia has been through four times. However, since she was not a returning person and could not tell a series of stories, she just smiled.

 

“Okay. I can confirm the article that says it’s that strong.”

 

Olivia gently bowed her head in approval that it was okay to hold her own martial arts competition.

 

“Princess.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I was going to call you even if that wasn’t the case.”

 

The Emperor pulled out one of the documents filling the huge desk and handed it to him.

 

“This is a letter delivered by a messenger from the Norden country.”

 

“In the Norden country… A messenger?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Olivia’s head rolled very quickly as she touched the end of the letter the emperor had handed her. The Kingdom of Norden must be busy preparing for the funeral of the previous king who died in an unexpected accident. However, if it was about the funeral schedule and attendance, His Majesty would not have intentionally asked me to read this letter. Olivia, quickly gathering her thoughts, asked her most necessary question.

 

“What does this incident have to do with the Norden country?”

 

Satisfaction and joy spread across the emperor’s tired face. Wouldn’t he be happy if the next princess to succeed to the throne gave him one?

 

“Read it.”

 

Olivia opened her letter without hesitation with the Emperor’s permission and read it from beginning to end in one go.

 

“You can track down the culprit.”

 

Olivia, who felt embarrassed beyond her curiosity, read the letter again and stopped dead in her tracks. Ah, yes. Norden country. There is a wizard there who awakened the Old Gods, resurrected Cryer, and branded him a slave.

 

‘It is the pattern of an ancient god.’

 

A distorted pattern stamped on the forehead of a corpse. To someone who didn’t know it, it looked like a simple scratch and could have been overlooked, but Cryer and Olivia didn’t miss it. Since this incident is related to an ancient god, it would not be surprising if it was connected to a wizard lurking in the country of Norden. The emperor asked Olivia, who stiffened as she looked down at her letter.

 

“Does this incident seem to have anything to do with the Norden country?”

 

“We’ll have to find out.”

 

A wizard in the Norden country may be related to this incident, but it is not certain that the Norden country itself is related to this incident. Maybe it’s related… Because the Kingdom of Norden is nothing more than a tool at the wizard’s fingertips. Even the king of Norden, who declared war several times, was merely a puppet. Even a tool that is not that important in drawing the big picture of a continental war… My mouth felt bitter as if I had chewed sotae. However, we may be able to take this opportunity to find out a little about the ‘Wizard’. Even if you ask Cryer, the answer you get is:

 

‘A middle-aged man who resembles a goat.’

 

‘The sound of laughter makes me feel dirty.’

 

‘He just laughed and said it was a secret what he was planning to do using the ancient gods.’

 

Because it was just things like that.

 

“Are you going to allow the proposal to send someone from Norden?”

 

The emperor touched his chin and fumbled for another document.

 

“After finding that vacant lot a while ago, he said there was no further damage.”

 

The emperor frowned as he said the word ‘vacant’. That’s right, it’s an empty lot. How many incomplete bodies were buried in that empty lot? Even among the very old ones, there were some that were so damaged that their gender or age could not be determined. Most of them were on the missing persons list, but there were quite a few who were not.

 

“Yes. For now, I think it’s stopped.”

 

“Now… Ira. You mean it’s not over yet?”

 

“It is dangerous to conclude that it is over.”

 

“Can we solve it without it?”

 

When the emperor asked, pointing to a letter from the Kingdom of Norden, Olivia answered immediately.

 

“I can’t guarantee.”

 

The emperor rubbed his aching temples at the firm answer that left no room for a needle.

 

“Any clues?”

 

“It’s far from enough.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

The emperor said his unexpected words with a deep sigh.

 

“A town cow has arrived from the Taren family.”

 

“Taren?”

 

Olivia, who asked curiously, nodded her head with an expression of ‘Ah’.

 

“Well, there is a Taren Company gathered in the area where the incident occurred.”

 

“Yes. It is said that the people of the empire are now anxious to the extent that it is starting to interfere with the running of the Chamber of Commerce.”

 

“If it were Taren, he would have spent the money to dig into the case.”

 

“Didn’t you compile the information you gathered and the information gathered by dispatching the investigation team and give it to you?”

 

Olivia closed her mouth, and her emperor did not urge her either. Soon Olivia opened her mouth.

 

“If you can track down the culprit, I guess I’ll have to ask them to send someone first.”

 

Since there is no other choice, we have no choice but to accept the offer, no matter how doubtful it may be. If the town council had not arrived from Taren, I would have worried more. Isn’t that Taren? A strong pillar supporting the imperial family and the center of the Chamber of Commerce that works hard to ensure the well-being of the empire.

 

“If Marquis Taren, who doesn’t like being in debt, has spoken up, it should be resolved as soon as possible.”

 

It wasn’t just because of Taren, she had a greater desire to find out what that wizard was up to, but she never said that out loud.

 

“Send a messenger to the Norden country. And the princess.”

 

Before the Emperor could say anything, Olivia nodded her head.

 

“I will meet Marquis Taren.”

 

* * *

 

As the bright sun was slanting towards noon. Even though it is broad daylight, the innermost back alleys of the capital are somewhat dark and damp. The man was trudging along to buy someone to be sacrificed to the ancient gods. In his arms, the money bag that Ambuch readily handed him clattered, and the eyes of the people in the back street who heard the sound of money began to sparkle. Among them, the boy with quick hands and even faster feet lowered his upper body and aimed at the man. The moment a child takes a step from darkness into light.

 

“Hey.”

 

The owner of the rough hand holding the child’s neck was a man who usually treated the child like a scoundrel. The child reflexively jerked his neck, and the man literally pulled the child back into the darkness. The grim-faced man pressed the back of the child’s neck as he tried to escape and raised his voice a little so that others around him could hear.

 

“Don’t touch that man. Don’t even think about touching it.”

 

Those who heard him had expressions of complete incomprehension, but as he continued to speak, they shrank their necks, which had been stretched out at the sound of money, and crawled back into the darkness.

 

“I smell blood. So bad that it makes your nose crook.”

 

No one ignored the warnings of a man who had survived in the dark to such an old age, and the man rattling his money bag soon disappeared from their sight. The man walked like a very ordinary person, or rather like an ordinary person, and eventually stopped in front of a house. He is a shabby shack that is no different from any other house in every way. -Knock, knock, knock. The man who knocked on the door at a steady beat waited there for a while. How long has it been since he lasted? – Sweet. Kiyi. When the door opened with a nerve-racking sound of hinges, the man stepped inside without hesitation. A voice rang out from inside a house with only a few candles flickering in the gloomy darkness.

 

“What did you come to buy?”

 

I couldn’t see her face, but judging by her voice, it was probably an older woman.

 

“To buy someone with intact limbs…”

 

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Translator Note: