Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 350: Childhood Friends – Complete

The royal palace of Offrontis was overwhelmed with busyness, managing two major affairs simultaneously. Bureaucrats were swamped with their own duties, while the royal guards were buried in theirs, Leaving everyone looking gaunt and exhausted.

One of these affairs was the upcoming departure ceremony for Prince Vivian.

War had already been declared on the Kingdom of Bellita, and skirmishes were breaking out along the border.

The House of Isadora was devoting all its resources to this war, with the king personally Leading the mobilization of the army.

They deemed it crucial to restore Prince Vivian's honor, which had been tarnished, lest it negatively impact his claim to the throne.

Thus, the House of Isadora lobbied the electors relentlessly, employing every possible means to secure the position of supreme commander for Prince Vivian. After intense negotiations, they finally won the vote in the Imperial Assembly, and Prince Vivian was appointed as supreme commander. All that remained was for the disgraced prince to face the House of Tatalia directly and claim the price for his humiliation.

However, despite the grand preparations for a ceremony that seemed to determine the fate of the nation, the other side of the palace was abuzz with wedding preparations.

The House of Kyrgyz, which shared power in the Kingdom of Aisel, had effectively raised a middle finger to the House of Isadora. The Kyrgyz family invited local dignitaries, hosted lavish feasts, and encouraged nobles who should have been preparing for war to instead attend the wedding.

Naturally, people’s hearts Leaned more toward feasts than battlefields, and as a result, the House of Isadora struggled to recruit soldiers and gather resources.

Lena couldn't make sense of it at all. As she discarded a card, she muttered,"Is that really okay? What are they going to do if they lose everything?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"The wedding, the war... Never mind the fact that civilian livelihoods are falling apart—though you really shouldn’t ignore that—what if they actually lose the war? Everyone's going to be ruined."

"Hah! I’m taking this one! 4-5-6-7. Thanks to you, Lena. Hahaha!"

"Oh, nice. Then I’ll attach my 3 and 8 to the sides... Ah, wait. I should eat first. I ate and discarded it."

"...Thanks for that."

"Ugh! Dang it. I should have discarded something else. Barin’s sneaky at picking up cards."

As the card game swayed back and forth, it seemed that only Rev was paying any attention to Lena’s remarks.

On his turn, Rev drew a card from the deck, scanned the board, and discarded one to end his turn.

"Well, you know, a country doesn't fall as easily as you'd think. Besides, the Kyrgyz family is maintaining its own balance in its own way."

"Balance? What balance? They’re just causing trouble and being stubborn."

"Hmm... Lena, you’re mad because it feels like the royal family and the dukes are just making life harder for the people, huh? Yet you're good at card games."

"...What's a card game got to do with this?"

"Just like in a card game, you don't fight a war alone. Discarding now."

"You’re discarding a 7? Feeling bold, huh?"

It was Neil, a royal guard, who commented.

The number 7 was a card that could be played on its own, so discarding it was unusual.

Lena's eyebrows twitched as she realized what Rev was up to.

This card game involved drawing a card from the deck on your turn, then discarding one from your hand. The goal was to reduce the number of cards in your hand faster than anyone else.

Since you draw and discard one card each turn, the only way to reduce your hand was to "lay down" sets of cards. There were specific rules for how cards could be laid down.

For example, if you had three cards with the same number, like 6-6-6, you could lay them down. Alternatively, if you had three or more consecutive numbers of the same suit, like 2-3-4, you could lay them down. But since drawing and discarding cards one at a time would make it too slow to collect matching or consecutive cards, an additional rule was introduced.

Players could snatch up cards that other players discarded.

This was how Neil had picked up Lena's discarded 5, adding it to his 4, 6, and 7 to lay down 4-5-6-7 all at once. Likewise, Barin snatched up Wendy's discarded 5 and laid down three 5s (5-5-5) immediately.

This made the game much faster for everyone. It also made players think twice before discarding a card, since someone else might snatch it up.

In that context, Rev discarding a 7, a card that could be played solo, was a bold move.

You could combine it with 6-7-8 or with 7-7-7, but 7 could also be placed alone. Discarding it was practically the same as giving up a chance to reduce your cards.

It seemed like a foolish play, but Lena knew better.

"War isn't something you fight alone, huh..." Lena stared resentfully at the 6 in her hand.

"You… You’re seriously going to do this?"

Lena's 6 had suddenly become useless.

Besides laying down sets of three matching or consecutive cards, players could also "attach" their cards to sets that other players had already laid down. For instance, Wendy had earlier attached her 3 and 8 to Neil’s 4-5-6-7.

But because Rev discarded a 7, Lena could no longer attach her 6 to it.

And since Barin had already laid down 5-5-5 and Neil had laid down 4-5-6-7, all the 5s had been used up. That meant Lena's only option was to collect 6-6-6. But with two 6s already in play, the chance of completing that set was slim.

Lena sighed and discarded her useless 6 on her turn.

Then...

"Thanks."

That snake! Rev picked it up.

Not only did he have the remaining two 6s, but he had deliberately discarded the 7 to lure out anyone holding a 6.

He had bet that anyone holding a 6 would have no choice but to discard it once the 7 was gone, and now he reaped the rewards.

Rev laid down his cards one after another, tapping them on the table with a satisfying rhythm.

"Hula!"

"Whoa!"

If you emptied your hand all at once instead of playing cards bit by bit, you could shout "Hula!" and double your winnings. This card game, which Rev had Learned from Minseo, was called "Hula." It was simple but had a lot of strategic depth.

Lena was furious but paid up as required. After all, it was just money being passed back and forth between them.

"War isn’t fought alone, huh? Then explain the rest to me."

Shuffling the cards, Rev continued,

"The Kyrgyz family is marrying off Elika to Prince Eric of the House of Yeriel. This strengthens ties with the Kingdom of Conrad. Of course, part of it is to check the influence of the Isadora family, but it also reaffirms Conrad as an ally of the Kingdom of Aisel. From Bellita’s perspective, the Kingdom of Conrad is a major threat, especially since they’re already surrounded on multiple fronts."

"...Then won't they ask for our country's help? Our country’s relationship with Conrad is… uh, not great. Sorry, knights."

"Haha. Our relationship with Bellita isn’t that great either. We’re closer to the House of Yeriel, actually. The Royal House of Lognum has ties to the 2nd Imperial Prince of the Arcaea Empire, while the House of Tatalia follows the 1st Prince’s line. But..."

Rev's eyes darkened.

"The princes of the Kingdom of Orun have their eyes on the Kingdom of Conrad, but that’s something for the distant future. For now, Bellita doesn't know that."

The situation could go either way. Bellita might try to bring in Orun or pressure Conrad to stay out of it.

But it wasn't something for Rev to worry about.

“Lean will handle it.”

Rev thought of Lean, who had planned to meet Marquis Tatian.

The card game continued amid the noisy preparations for both the departure and wedding ceremonies.

“Will the knights return after Prince Eric’s wedding?”

“Yes, we’ll Leave then.”

“Sir Rev, you’re heading to the battlefield, right?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

"War, huh… Sounds fun. Best of luck. Oh, right. It seems like Xenia Zachary has decided to stay behind as well."

"...Yes, I heard. Apparently, she’s quitting the Order of Knights."

"What? She even quit the Order? Why?"

"Barin, are you planning to cheat again? How is it that you keep getting all the good cards?"

"She probably has something she wants to do here. Same goes for me..."

Rev trailed off, his words left unfinished.

While the palace was a frenzy of movement and noise, he slipped away unnoticed from the knights engrossed in the card game.

  *

"We’ll dress Elika in this gown. Isn’t it just gorgeous?"

"It certainly is."

"Right? Aah~ Our dashing groom, Prince Eric de Yeriel, what color would suit him best? Dark brown? Lady Angelica, what do you think?"

‘Stupid woman.’

"It’s lovely. You have a good eye."

Angelica Lydia Kyrgyz offered polite flattery. If this woman weren’t the daughter of a duke, she wouldn’t have bothered to associate with her at all. This woman didn’t even know her own children apart, let alone understand complex matters.

But—there was a reason she had to put up with her.

The Duke of Kyrgyz had personally requested that she keep an eye on this woman.

Angelica, too, saw the necessity of doing so, so she remained by her side. But truthfully, it felt like a colossal waste of time.

After watching the airheaded concubine, Aria Isadora, rummage endlessly through clothes, Angelica finally walked away.

‘Maybe I’ll stop by the library before heading back.’

Fed up with Aria's absurdity, Angelica left, her schedule now unexpectedly open. She decided it was a good chance to review the latest research developments from other wizards.

Using magic, she quickly arrived at the royal library. Her destination was the section containing the latest research papers from the Cornell Tower of Magic.

But, whether by good luck or bad, she wasn’t alone.

There was another mage already there—someone she hadn't expected to see.

"Ristad?"

Angelica's surprise made her speak before she could stop herself, and she immediately regretted it.

The man in blue robes slowly turned toward her, his eyes as cold as ice.

It was Ristad Jekon Doroff.

Despite the fact that they had both reached middle age, his sharp gaze hadn’t dulled one bit.

— Thud!

Ristad slammed the research paper he had been reading down on the table. Angelica felt a pang of heaviness in her chest.

"It’s you."

"Yes, it’s me."

A moment of tense silence hung in the air. Angelica forced herself to keep talking.

"Looks like you quit being a court wizard in the Kingdom of Conrad. What, did the king come begging you to help him?"

"You haven’t changed one bit."

"...What hasn’t changed?"

"Take a guess."

Angelica’s gaze shifted to the research paper he had been reading.

My research paper.

For some reason, she felt a small surge of joy.

"So you were reading my work. That one’s about the connection between embryonic receptors and magical influence—"

"Shut up."

Ristad turned away from her as if disgusted. Angelica's temper flared.

"Why do you only act like this toward me?"

"..."

"I’m not the only one who does this. Plenty of other mages do it too… Do you think the 'Path of Magic' you walk is any different?"

"You’ve gone too far. Just look at yourself."

"What’s wrong with the way I look?"

Angelica responded as if she genuinely didn’t understand. Ristad sighed deeply.

It had been over 20 years since he’d last seen her, and she’d become even more grotesque.

Her once-normal figure had stretched unnaturally tall, and her teeth had grown sharp.

The neat, innocent smile she used to have was long gone.

Ristad couldn't hold back a scathing remark.

"You can stitch other people’s flesh and bones onto yourself as much as you want, but it won’t make you a better person. It’ll only degrade you—just like you are now."

"Ha! I thought so too!"

"...What?"

"That’s exactly why this current research is so important! I’ve been conducting experiments on pregnant women to see if we can influence embryos in the early stages. I haven’t gathered concrete proof yet, but I have a Lenad on one possible success. If you knew who it was, you’d be shocked—"

"Stop it, you insane woman."

A heavy silence followed.

But Angelica no longer felt like keeping quiet.

"...Wow. You’re hilarious. What, you think you’ve never killed anyone? You’ve used up slaves like they were fodder, but suddenly you want to act all high and mighty?"

"...At Least the Jegan School tries to minimize it. We avoid it as much as possible. I understand that sometimes it's unavoidable. We have to see how magic affects living bodies. But your Lydia School… No, forget it. It’s you who’s the problem. Your research topics always cross the line."

"Tch! Got a lot to say for someone with zero skin in the game. Well, it was just lovely meeting you, oh grand and noble wizard. You’d better run off to the battlefield now, yeah? Go see how many soldiers your precious magic can roast to perfection!"

Angelica spat her words at him, then spun on her heels to Leave. But she didn’t feel entirely satisfied.

Once, long ago, she and Ristad had been close. They had shared a dream of becoming mages as great as Cornelius, the man who had opened new horizons in the study of magical pathways.

But those were the naïve dreams of their youth.

Cornelius had been a genius, the one who devised the "Mana Road"—the very foundation of all modern magic.

He left behind magical tomes of such profundity that his legacy still shaped the world of magic today.

Back then, the term "mage" didn’t even exist. People like him were simply called "Great Sorcerers."

After his death, his disciples coined the title "Magus" ("One who carves the path of magic") for him, as a way to distinguish themselves from mere sorcerers.

His disciples, however, felt unworthy of this grand title.

So, instead of calling themselves "Magus," they adopted the humbler title of "Mage" ("One who follows the laws of magic").

And that was how the modern title of "mage" came to be.

As she recalled these facts, Angelica ground her teeth in anger.

‘Bastard.’

Her research topics were none of his business.

Unlike other magical towers that focused on specific fields like elemental theory or large-scale spellcasting, the Cornell Tower of Magic allowed for free research once you mastered the basics of magical principles.

And Angelica’s chosen topic of research was simple:

Human Modification.

Of course, this required a fair amount of human experimentation.

When she was a novice mage, she lacked the money to buy slaves, so she had no choice but to use her own body as a test subject.

Her once-close friendship with Ristad shattered after that.

Later, she was adopted into the House of Kyrgyz.

From then on, she took the research even further.

She disassembled and reassembled bodies.

She blended blood and fused bones.

When that wasn’t enough, she shifted her attention to "perfect royal bloodlines."

Through her experiments, she bore two children: Elika and Oscar.

Blond hair. Golden eyes. Perfection.

One day, a sharp pain shot up from her foot.

"Kyaaaah!"

A sword shot up from beneath her, piercing her foot and the ground beneath.

Then a young knight emerged from the passage below.

"Wh-Who are you?! How did you—"

"Silence."

Her head was lopped off cleanly.

The knight, Rev, sneered at her decapitated head.

“That’s for Lerialia. You finally got what you deserved.”

He glanced around and disappeared into the shadows of Langharang, his mission complete.

The next day, Rev joined Prince Vivian at his departure ceremony.

As he gazed at the royal palace one last time, Lena muttered,

"What a wretched place this was."