Chapter 541: The Princess and the Prince

The word ‘prince’ alone caused a strange phenomenon that was hard to describe.

Though all appeared calm on the surface, an unknown force pressed down on the entire space.

It wasn’t the magic of a sorcerer, nor the natural power of a druid, nor the holy power of a Holy Knight, nor the emotions of a dark sorcerer. It was a force that was difficult to explain.

Its nature was unclear, but one thing was certain—it completely subdued not just the Princess, but even the Verdant Forest that protected her.

It did so perfectly, leaving no room for resistance.

······! ······!!

The bed and floor within the vast space, even the ceiling and walls, began to quietly sink without a sound.

As if a giant had stepped onto thin planks.

······No, maybe it wasn’t ‘as if.’

For the Princess, who barely managed to lift her head, could see something gigantic, if faintly.

It was so massive that its size couldn’t be measured, huddled in the pitch-black darkness like the night sea.

It had the incomplete form of a fetus and possessed a deep darkness that felt like it could suck you in just by looking at it. As if it condensed all the darkness and abyss in the world.

The darkness was so intense that it seemed as though abstract concepts like consciousness and essence could also get sucked in.

······!! ······!!!!

As the being gradually became clearer and started to raise its lowered head, the pressure it emitted intensified, causing cracks to form in the spell formation that made up the Verdant Forest.

Though invisible on the surface, the Princess knew because she was the root of the forest.

The Verdant Forest, created by sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people, could not withstand even a single being and was collapsing.

The being itself was a disaster, an entity that should not exist in reality.

In that situation, where reason was defied, only Oliver seemed free. He stretched his hand towards the Princess and spoke.

“Prince? … I don’t understand what you mean.”

Oliver tried to dismiss the Princess’s words as if they had never been spoken, but just then, the Princess opened her mouth.

“… You will be tested.”

Oliver’s hand stopped.

The Princess spoke again.

“You will be tested by anger, you will be tested by sorrow, and in the end, you will be tested by love.”

The Princess’s unexpected words. Normally, Oliver would ignore them, but strangely, he stopped.

There wasn’t any magic or dark magic in her voice. The words themselves carried an undeniable weight.

Was this a prophecy? That wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

The Princess’s emotions also mattered. She hadn’t just said these words to avoid the immediate danger. It felt like words she had prepared, specifically to convey to Oliver.

At the same time, she was speaking not just for herself, but for the hundreds of thousands who formed the Verdant Forest, and also for Oliver.

The fact that emotions like empathy, pity, and guilt were shining through proved this.

Oliver couldn’t understand. Why? He stopped what he was about to do, wanting to know the reason.

“… I don’t really understand. Could you explain it in simpler terms?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t say more. Nor do I know any more. This is all I saw through my dreams.”

Sincerity. Yet, due to his overwhelming emotions, Oliver couldn’t accept her words at face value.

“Are you joking?”

“To an extent, yes. Predictions are a bit of a joke, to begin with. They tell you a horrifying future but don’t tell you how to avoid it… If so, what meaning does prophecy hold?”

Her final words sounded like she was mocking herself, as if seeking an answer.

Oliver thought he understood why she was reacting this way.

Because he had once seen her memories and emotions through the shadow puppet show she had shown earlier.

The reason the Princess, who was so loved by the kingdom for her many prophecies, fell silent after the Pied Piper appeared, was because she realized through her dreams that there was nothing she could do.

Even when the subjugation force was sent by the Kingdom of Gallos,

Even when the mercenaries and problem-solvers hired by the nobles who lost their children failed,

And even when a coalition of chosen nations united couldn’t stop him, she knew it would all fail.

Sure, she could have told everyone, but she didn’t.

She knew they wouldn’t believe her, and saying anything would only make her more likely to be accused of witchcraft if the war ended in defeat.

So she kept silent about the future, knowing that any attempt to speak of it would only result in a worse outcome.

Moreover, she knew not only about the Pied Piper, but also about the 13 witches who intended to perform a ritual, taking advantage of the chaos in the kingdom.

Taking control of the witches’ rituals during the final ceremony proved this.

Yet, despite knowing all this, she still chose to act and say nothing because that was the least terrible option.

Even if she had exposed the witches’ identity, she knew people, terrified by the Pied Piper, wouldn’t believe her, nor could she flee.

That’s why she remained silent, even knowing the kingdom would fall because of the witches’ ritual.

Helplessly, humiliatingly. Come to think of it, prophecy seemed like a nasty joke, just as the Princess had said.

The Princess herself was bound by that nasty joke.

Quite a sad story.

Perhaps it was because he realized that at that moment; the emotions driving Oliver to treat the Princess like the Flesh Cook wavered slightly.

It was laughable. To think he would waver over something so trivial…

He considered whether the shadow puppet show had been shown to him to provoke such feelings, but upon reading the Princess’s emotions, it didn’t seem like that.

“Is the reason you wanted an honest conversation with me related to this forest?”

Oliver guessed, based on the Princess’s emotions. Despite her fear of facing Oliver, she had decided to meet him with courage, driven by her will, duty, and selflessness.

The Princess did not deny it and gave an unexpected answer.

“Yes, that’s correct… Only a prince can lift the curse on this forest.”

“Are you referring to the Prince of Hell from apocalyptic prophecies?”

Oliver asked, just to make sure.

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand. How can the Prince of Hell, who is said to bring the world’s end, help you… Ah, maybe because I’m a dark sorcerer?”

Oliver spoke sarcastically. Though he knew it was rude, the deep-seated resentment bubbling inside him made it impossible to hold back.

The Princess sensed those emotions and responded.

“I sincerely apologize for making you confront the reality you wished to understand on your own… I’m truly sorry.”

The Princess was sincere.

“Even though I knew it wasn’t right. Even though I understood the fear and burden you feel. I committed this monstrous rudeness out of my own selfishness. I will bear the penalty for this deed, so please-”

“-It’s fascinating.”

Oliver cut off her heartfelt apology.

“Helping those who offered you as a sacrifice is truly incredible.”

Though Oliver spoke in a composed voice, there was mockery underlying it instead of the usual respect and consideration he normally showed.

Mockery meant to wound, to test one’s heart. It reminded him of The Burned One, who drove people mad with his words. And the mockery didn’t stop there.

“I’m curious… Did you not resent them? The people who sacrificed you? Those who can’t do anything themselves but still want help.”

Oliver pricked the most painful parts of the Princess’s memories and feelings, which he had seen in the shadow puppet show.

The Princess was wounded by Oliver’s barbed words, but he didn’t stop.

“And in the end, they turned against you under the witches’ influence, betraying you and your parents. Yet you still wish to help them? Do you feel no resentment? Is it because you are a princess?”

Oliver wielded his sharp tongue at will. The Princess, wounded by those words, quietly closed her eyes and, after a moment, opened them again to answer.

“…If I said I felt no resentment, I’d be lying.”

The Princess admitted it more easily than expected. Foreknowledge didn’t erase resentment.

“But I also understand.”

“…Understand?”

“Yes… As you said, they are weak beings. And when you’re weak, all you can do is hope for help. There’s nothing they can do.”

Surprisingly, the Princess was sincere.

She understood and embraced the people who tried to sacrifice her.

…Beautiful.

Oliver was amazed by the Princess’s emotions. At the same time, he felt an urge to corrupt and mock her, just like when he killed the Flesh Cook’s sister in his presence.

“Amazing. You understand? Is it because you’ve lived for hundreds of years?”

“While time has helped, it’s not just that. It’s also because I realized that I’m a weak human being myself. Someone who happened to stumble upon a trivial talent… as I told you before.”

Oliver moved his tongue.

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

The Princess responded without backing down.

“No, it is. The proof is that I am here, asking for the Prince’s help, am I not?”

Oliver gazed at the Princess. At her solid, unwavering emotions. And as he saw them, he felt an indescribable sensation. His earlier surging emotions ebbed away.

Oliver shook his head.

“Impressive. Very impressive… But this has nothing to do with me.”

“… ”

“Understanding and embracing, that’s truly remarkable. But I’m sorry to say I’m not the Prince. I’m just… I’m just a bit different.”

Oliver echoed the words from the story he had heard from Kant. Yes. He was just a bit different.

Feeling compelled to clarify, he added, though whether he was comforting the Princess or himself, he didn’t know.

“It’s true I’m dull in emotions and empathy, but… I’m trying. More than that, I don’t want to bring about the end of the world.”

“You’re mistaken.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s not necessarily the Prince who destroys the world.”

Oliver frowned.

“What do you mean…?”

The Princess answered.

“According to the apocalyptic prophecies, when the world is filled with evil, the Prince of Hell will open the gates and usher in a new era. But nowhere does it say that the Prince himself will destroy the world.”

Oliver paused, lifting a hand as if to say he had something to say.

At the same time, he recalled a conversation he had with Merlin about the apocalyptic prophecies spread among dark sorcerers.

‘Among the dark sorcerers, it is said that when the world is filled with evil, the Prince of Hell will open the gates of Hell, punish the hypocrites on earth, and usher in a new era.’

The Princess’s words were surprisingly true.

While the Prince would open the gates, there was no mention that he would directly destroy the world. It was a bit of wordplay, but worth asking.

“… Are you saying the Prince won’t destroy the world?”

“That’s not it. I don’t know the prophecy fully, either. I just mean it’s open to interpretation. Some try to fulfill the prophecy themselves.”

A cryptic statement. Seeing Oliver tilt his head in confusion, the Princess soon clarified.

A massive mirror formed on the wall of the empty space, reflecting a corner of the forest.

The mirror showed none other than Millieu and Claude’s group, fighting a man wearing a thistle crown on his head and holding a sharp sword made of flesh.

The man’s vacant eyes and grotesque movements were more like a puppet than a human, and interestingly enough, there was a black hand similar to Marie’s hovering above his head.

“He is a Prince candidate of the Black Swan Cult.”

“A Prince candidate? Like Lord Fen?”

Oliver asked, recalling Fen, who had claimed to be the Prince and was rejected. The Princess shook her head.

“No, the Black Swan Cult tries to bring about the end of the world by creating a Prince. The candidate they choose is called the Prince candidate.”

“I know there are dark sorcerers running cults, but I’ve never heard of the Black Swan Cult.”

“That’s natural, so don’t worry. They operate quietly in Ibernia, a place few know about. It’s not strange you’ve never heard of them.”

Ibernia. A developing agricultural country in the southwest of Gallos.

“They used red human sacrifice magic they learned from a demon to establish their presence there. They’re the ones who provided the twisted Summoning Magic that the Flesh Cook used, combined with human sacrifice.”

Oliver reacted to this interesting information.

It explained the ridiculous Summoning Magic the Flesh Cook had shown. As it belonged to a subset of space magic, its use was inherently difficult.

That’s why it was puzzling how the Flesh Cook had managed to summon various monstrous entities like giants, werewolves, and dragons in Gallos.

The quality and quantity were at a level even the Tower of Magic would struggle to match.

However, the combination with demon-taught human sacrifice magic made it reasonable.

A new question arose in Oliver’s mind.

“Why did they cooperate with the Flesh Cook so unilaterally?”

“At that time, their goal was to stay quiet because they were weak.”

“It sounds like that’s no longer the case.”

“Demons have started descending into this world again.”

Oliver looked at the black hand floating above the Prince candidate’s head reflected in the mirror. It was similar to Marie’s.

“You seem to know a lot.”

“The leader of the Black Swan Cult, the Swan Princess, is like me. She, too, fell because of the Pied Piper… No, she might be even more unfortunate than me. That’s probably why she wishes for the end of the world.”

“… Was she also after the Flesh Cook’s legacy?”

“No, she’s here to target me.”

***

The Black Swan Cult, which seeks to harm the Sleeping Beauty, served as a starting point for a long yet brief conversation between Oliver and the Princess.

Subsequently, Oliver decided to revise his initial plan and left the Princess’s chamber for now.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just tired and delayed what I was going to do anyway.”

“That alone is enough for me to be grateful. And I also meant to thank you for something else. Thank you for sparing my father and mother before entering this place. I mean that sincerely.”

Oliver recalled the statues of the King and Queen that almost blocked his way before entering the Princess’s chamber.

Turned out, those creatures were indeed made from the Princess’s father and mother.

No wonder the intense guilt she felt toward them, as well as her equally strong protective instinct, made so much sense.

“They didn’t block my path.”

Implying that if they had, he would have broken and consumed them. Though his words were sharp, the Princess only expressed her gratitude.

“That too is a testament to…”

“…Don’t call me a Prince.”

Oliver, who had become somewhat gentler during the conversation, returned to his sharp demeanor.

He had gained much from his encounter with the Princess, but he didn’t want to take the ‘Prince’ with him. He simply didn’t want to.

The Princess seemed to have more to say, but out of consideration for Oliver, she kept silent. Oliver then casually opened the door and stepped outside.

With a promise of a later encounter.

Oliver, after leaving the Princess’s chamber, took in the surroundings of the Verdant Forest through new eyes and spotted Millieu fighting the Black Swan Cult’s Prince candidate from afar.

As soon as he saw them, Oliver extracted the emotions that made up the Verdant Forest. Using those emotions, he manipulated the spell formation that constituted the forest to warp the space as he started walking.