Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 116

Episode 116

"S-Solenia... P-please wait just a moment."

The stunned soldier stammered as he checked the list.

'What? Didn't they say this would get me through?'

Even after spitting the words out confidently, I was trembling with anxiety.

I had claimed to be royalty from a country called Solenia because I'd already coordinated that story with the developers.

What happened to the real Solenia royalty AI who was supposed to participate was none of my business.

As the check dragged on, I, feeling guilty, urged the soldier on without realizing it.

"How long do you intend to keep me standing here?"

"Th-that's... on the list, you're marked as male..."

"What? How on earth do you handle your work?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'll check again...!"

At my icy tone, the soldiers guarding the gate broke out in a cold sweat and scrambled in confusion.

But the one most flustered here right now was me.

'Agh, those damn developers! How do they handle their work?!'

They definitely said they'd take care of it, so why am I having trouble right from the entrance?

Don't tell me I won't be able to get in like this.

Anxiety washed over me.

"What is the matter?"

It was then.

A couple of knights who had been standing behind the soldiers and glancing this way approached.

They seemed to be higher-ranking, wearing black armor engraved with an ornate crest.

"Ah, that is... it seems there's an error on the list..."

One of the knights ignored the soldier, who was turning pale and making excuses, and scanned me with sharp eyes.

In the middle of that, for some reason, the gazes of the guys scanning me paused on the brooch pinned to my chest.

'...What is it? Do they suspect I stole it?'

I flinched, feeling guilty, and barely suppressed the tremble in my body.

I was in the middle of seriously contemplating whether I'd have to use a skill to stun them and escape if I was dragged off as an impostor or a thief.

"Please, come in, Princess!"

"We will escort you. Please follow us!"

The knights who had been observing me closely suddenly bowed politely to me and cleared the way.

Having suddenly become a princess, I followed the knights into the coliseum in a daze.

'What is it? Did the developer bastards pull some strings in that time?'

Otherwise, the knights' sudden change in attitude couldn't be explained.

But in any case, it wasn't a bad thing for me, so I quickly followed them up the stairs.

The inside of the coliseum was already full of people who had arrived to watch the opening ceremony, making it incredibly noisy.

It felt a bit bad to be scanned suspiciously, but thanks to the knights leading the way, I was able to pass through the passages easily, cutting through the bustling crowd.

Around the time we reached the third floor, where the nobles were seated.

I thought I would be able to part ways with the knights who were guiding me.

But their steps didn't stop.

I hurriedly called out to the knights, who had just stepped onto the landing of the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"Ah, this is open seating. The high nobles and royalty from other nations have a separate designated area."

"And where is that?"

"It's over there."

The knight pointed behind me.

When I turned my head in the direction he was pointing, I saw what was clearly the very top spot.

In other words, a dome perched on the highest floor, where the imperial family would sit.

No matter how high-ranking the officials from other countries were, they couldn't sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the Empire's imperial family, including the Emperor.

So I naturally assumed the place where foreign royalty sat was below the dome, and indeed, I could see spacious, empty seats scattered about.

The place the knight pointed to was probably one of them.

But the problem was.

'Why, of all places...'

The fact that I absolutely could not go anywhere near there.

It was because of the handsome, cold man sitting right in the middle of the dome. Sitting confidently on the imperial throne, where the Emperor should be, his red eyes flashing.

Crown Prince Kassel Ludwig.

'...So, this is the Male Lead, huh?'

To have such an overwhelming presence even from such a far distance.

He was extraordinary even when he was stripped bare, but as the fully-fledged Crown Prince, he instantly captivated one's gaze, as if bathed in the halo of the entire universe.

'He's the one who hosted it, so why does he look like that?'

Of course, that bastard Kassel was usually in a foul mood, but right now, he was radiating a horrifying killing intent, palpable even from this distance.

The note I'd stuck in his door this morning suddenly came to mind, and I shuddered.

'Don't tell me... he's not in that foul mood because of the note I left, is he?'

He couldn't be. He had to not be.

I chewed my lip and scanned his surroundings.

Thankfully, Adam wasn't there.

He was probably waiting as a tournament participant.

It was the moment I secretly sighed in relief at the fact that there was one less bastard to avoid.

Kassel, who had been glaring fiercely straight ahead, suddenly whipped his head this way.

"Ugh!"

I let out a reflexive scream and plopped right down into the seat in front of me.

And with my head ducked low, I prayed to all the gods in heaven and earth.

'Please tell me our eyes didn't meet! Please, please!'

My behavior must have looked quite strange, as one of the knights called out to me cautiously.

"...Princess? Are you unwell somewhere...?"

"Ah."

Barely collecting myself, I tried my best to act casual.

"I think I'd like this seat. Thank you for guiding me."

"Pardon? Th-this is open seating where even the lesser nobles sit, so it can be loud and disorderly."

"It's fine. I'm only here for a short while out of courtesy anyway, so don't mind me and go about your business."

Still leaning far forward, I shooed my hand at the knights, as if telling them to get lost.

"B-but..."

I told them to go, so they should go. But the knight bastards just looked at each other with troubled faces, not moving easily.

"You didn't bring a separate escort, did you? We should at least guard you from nearby..."

One of the knights mumbled.

I was thankful for the guidance, but this kindness felt excessive.

What is there to guard in a place where only nobles are gathered?

Of course, looking around, most of them did have one or two servants with them...

As people's attention started to focus on us, I had no choice but to glare.

"Look, I said I'm fine. The opening ceremony is about to start, so stop bothering me and go. That's an order."

If they kept disobeying, I'd have no choice but to use force next.

It was a bit risky with so many eyes, but since it was so loud, maybe I could use Stun if I whispered it softly...

Thankfully, when I pulled rank with an 'order', the knights reluctantly retreated with expressions that said they had no choice.

Only after confirming their forms had completely disappeared down the stairs did I finally, cautiously, sit up straight.

Thankfully, Kassel, who seemed to have been looking this way, had turned his gaze elsewhere.

Maybe his mood had improved in that time, as the fierce killing intent he was emitting had softened somewhat.

My anxiety that our eyes might have met seemed to be entirely my delusion.

'...Well, of course. There's no way he'd recognize me.'

Since he was sitting alone in the highest place, everyone could see him clearly, but I was in the middle of a dense crowd.

On top of that, I was huddled in a corner seat right next to the stairs, so there was no way he could easily spot me from over there.

Just as I was feeling awkward for getting scared for no reason.

Bwoooooooooo.

A loud trumpet blast echoed, announcing the start of the tournament's opening ceremony.

The rowdy crowd gradually quieted down.

The event's schedule, naturally, begins with a statement from the host.

"As His Majesty the Emperor is in poor health, I have been tasked with hosting this tournament to select the heroes who will subjugate the monsters."

Kassel, having nonchalantly taken the Emperor's place, stood tall from his seat and spoke without warning.

They must have done something to the dome, as his low voice filled the massive coliseum.

"Those who do their best will be rewarded accordingly. That is all."

Without even a minimal introduction to the competition, it was just a few, incredibly brief words.

But surprisingly, no one expressed any dissatisfaction with it.

It seemed all the nobles of the Empire were already aware of his rotten personality, as everyone just kept their mouths shut reverently.

In place of the Crown Prince, who showed zero sincerity, a middle-aged man bearing the title of Imperial Chamberlain stepped forward.

"All participants, please exit the waiting rooms and line up in order on the field!"

At his words, all sorts of heroes who had been waiting poured out.

Even after filtering the participants once based on physical condition and combat power, their numbers neared a thousand.

Naturally, I couldn't find Elaine in that crowd.

He was probably standing somewhere at the very back, so it was expected.

Instead, I found that unlucky bastard Adam right away.

Perhaps because he was the most likely candidate to win, trusted by the Crown Prince, he stood confidently at the front of the line.

"Before we begin, we will first reveal the reward the winner will receive!"

Once all the heroes had gathered, the reward was revealed, likely to boost morale.

At the Chamberlain's gesture, subordinates busily brought the prizes and laid them out on the platform in front of the dome.

They were obscured by people's bodies, so I couldn't see clearly.

But I knew what the rewards were, so I wasn't very interested.

What's so different about a game reward?

It's obviously just game money or items.

Normally, you'd get a ton of items from the Black Market quest that proceeds after the tournament, so the tournament only gave out Coins.

'That's a pretty sweet deal...'

I deeply lamented the fact that I couldn't get my hands on those Coins.

The user has to be selected as the Male Lead's final party member through this tournament.

That's why you had to either fight desperately to win here or stick to Adam using the rapport built up from the Count Hailey estate quest.

To be honest, the former was almost impossible, so choosing the latter was the right move to win.

That way, even if you had to split it with the party members made up of Adam's subordinates, you could still get quite a lot of Coins.

"The reward given to the winner is 100 million Coins!"

At that time, the Chamberlain announced the enormous prize money and stepped aside.

Behind him, I could see gold coins, filling a large chest, glittering brightly even from here.

'Heuk, my Coins...!'

I licked my lips again and again in disappointment.

But still, perhaps because it was a reward I already knew about, giving up on it wasn't difficult.

Getting greedily entangled with that crazy bastard just for money would be a bigger loss.

'From now on, I will absolutely not get involved. I'll stay quiet, under the water, until the ending...'

As I was renewing my vow, I suddenly froze at the additional reward.

"And one more thing...!"

Next to the chest full of gold coins, a couple of attendants with serious movements brought in a large, transparent case and set it up.

Fixed upright inside it was none other than.

"The legendary ancient sword, graciously donated by the Count Hailey family for the winner of this tournament...!"

[Lv.999 Lumiekar]

It was the sword I had revived.

I gaped at the winged sword, the one I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into reviving, now presented openly as the tournament prize.

'Those crazy bastards, are they really insane?!'