The Seventh Prince Wants to Bail — Chapter 10

MENTIL'S ABILITY ISN'T WORKING ON THE SEVENTH PRINCE.

...WHY?

WILL YOU GIVE ME AN ANSWER?

WHY HAVE YOU SUDDENLY BECOME A DIFFERENT PERSON?

IF HER ABILITY ISN'T WORKING, THERE MUST BE A CLEAR REASON FOR IT...

COULD IT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH ME POSSESSING THIS CHARACTER...?

TO BEGIN WITH, THE SEVENTH PRINCE WAS SUCH AN INSIGNIFICANT CHARACTER THAT THERE WAS HARDLY ANY INFORMATION ABOUT HIM.

HE'S BARELY EVEN MENTIONED IN THE NOVEL.

I CAN HEAR THE GEARS TURNING IN YOUR HEAD.

I SUPPOSE IT'S DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO ANSWER?

WHAT SHOULD I DO? SHOULD I JUST PLAY DUMB?

BUT WILL SHE REALLY LET IT GO JUST LIKE THAT?

IF I THINK ABOUT HOW THE SEVENTH PRINCE WOULD RESPOND...

HMM, SINCE IT SEEMS YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF ANSWERING,

I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO USE ANOTHER METHOD.

...??

IMPERIAL KNIGHTS, COME INSIDE.

DID YOU CALL FOR US, YOUR HIGHNESS?

IT'S RATHER FRUSTRATING THAT MY OWN DEAR LITTLE BROTHER REFUSES TO SPEAK.

SO TO GET HIM TO TALK..

WHY DON'T YOU SLIT RAN ABIRAN'S MOUTH OPEN WITH YOUR SWORDS?

Y-YOUR HIGHNESS...! THE SEVENTH PRINCE?!

HOW COULD LOWLY SERVANTS LIKE US DO SUCH A TERRIBLE THING...!

WE CANNOT OBEY SUCH AN ORDER!

PLEASE RECONSIDER, YOUR HIGHNESS!

YOU'RE MAKING FAR TOO MUCH NOISE.

I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE NOISE.

Y-YOUR HIGHNESS. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS...?

HE WON'T ANSWER, SO IT CAN'T BE HELPED, CAN IT?

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY.

THE ONLY WAY FOR YOU TO GET OUT OF THIS IS—

MY MOTHER HAS PASSED AWAY.

...WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...?

...WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?

HAVE YOU BEEN IN CONTACT WITH YOUR MOTHER ALL THIS TIME?

THAT'S NOT IT.

I JUST MEAN...

BEFORE MY MOTHER LEFT, SHE LEFT ONE ITEM WITH ME.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE WITH A BLUE GEMSTONE IN THE CENTER.

SHE TOLD ME THAT AS LONG AS THIS BLUE LIGHT DOESN'T FADE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MEET AGAIN.

BUT A WHILE AGO, THE BLUE LIGHT SLOWLY BEGAN TO FADE...

AND THEN, WITHOUT WARNING... THE GEMSTONE TURNED BLACK AND SHATTERED.

AFTER A BRIEF MOMENT OF PANIC,

A THOUGHT CROSSED MY MIND.

THAT MY MOTHER, WHO HAD LONGED FOR IT HER ENTIRE LIFE...

HAD FINALLY BEEN LAID TO REST IN HER HOMELAND IN THE EAST...

IT'S A BLATANT LIE FROM START TO FINISH.

AMONG THE MANY MISTRESSES WHO BORE THE EMPEROR'S CHILDREN,

SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE TO ESCAPE THE IMPERIAL FAMILY.

THE REASON FOR HER ESCAPE IS NEVER REVEALED.

IT'S ONLY PRESUMED THAT SHE RETURNED TO HER HOMETOWN IN THE EAST.

SOME BELIEVED IT WAS BECAUSE SHE GAVE BIRTH TO A BLACK-HAIRED PRINCE.

BUT REGARDLESS, SHE NEVER APPEARED UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE NOVEL.

I THOUGHT... YOU RESENTED YOUR BIOLOGICAL MOTHER?

I'M NOT REALLY SURE.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I ONLY RESENTED MY MOTHER FOR LEAVING ME...

BUT PERHAPS... THE REASON I ALWAYS FOUND MYSELF GAZING TOWARD THE EASTERN SKY...

AND TAKING OUT THE NECKLACE EVERY NIGHT...

WAS BECAUSE I MISSED HER...

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE CASE.

...SO, DID THAT CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT YOUR REMAINING BLOOD RELATIVES?

IT WAS TRULY FASCINATING.

TO THINK A LIFETIME OF RESENTMENT... COULD TURN INTO LONGING IN A SINGLE MOMENT.

PERHAPS THAT'S JUST WHAT FAMILY IS...

THAT'S WHAT I THINK, AT LEAST.

KNIGHTS, SHEATHE YOUR SWORDS AND STAND BY OUTSIDE THE ROOM.

UNDERSTOOD, YOUR HIGHNESS.

AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THIS ROOM...

ERASE IT ALL FROM YOUR MEMORIES.

D-DID IT WORK...?

TO THINK YOU WENT THROUGH SUCH A THING.

YOU MUST HAVE SUFFERED A LOT EMOTIONALLY.

IT WORKED...!

EVEN IF YOU'RE A BLACK-HAIRED FAILURE...

YOU ARE STILL MY YOUNGER BROTHER.

IS SHE MESSING WITH ME OR WHAT...

HER ABILITY TO MANIPULATE ALL HUMANS AT WILL...

IT'S ONLY NATURAL SHE'D BECOME SUSPICIOUS WHEN SUCH AN ABSOLUTE POWER SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING.

BESIDES, THE SEVENTH PRINCE WAS NEVER ON THE FIRST PRINCESS'S SIDE TO BEGIN WITH.

ANYWAY, MY LIE WORKED. I SURVIVED...!

OF COURSE, THIS IS JUST A CHEAP ACCESSORY I FOUND LYING AROUND.

COME TO THINK OF IT, WHAT HAPPENED TO DUKE FEEDUS?

IN THE ORIGINAL WORK, HE FALLS DOWN A VALLEY AND LOSES HIS LEGS...

DID HE MANAGE TO MEET THE PROTAGONIST?

SURELY... HE HASN'T DIED, RIGHT?

UGHHH!

IT WOULD BE BEST NOT TO MOVE RECKLESSLY.

YOUR RIGHT LEG IS BROKEN.

UNARMED, AND WITH A BROKEN LEG...

I DON'T STAND A CHANCE IN MY CURRENT STATE.

EVEN THROUGH THE DARKNESS, I CAN TELL...

A FLAWLESS STANCE. A RAZOR-SHARP SWORD POINT.

JUST ONE LOOK TELLS ME HE'S INCREDIBLY STRONG...

W-W-W-WAIT...!! COULD YOU PUT THAT SWORD AWAY FIRST?

WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW...?!

...I SUPPOSE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AWAKE FOR LONG.

A FEW DAYS AGO, I SPOTTED A WATER SPHERE CROSSING THE SKY.

I TRIED TO CHASE IT, BUT IT WAS TOO FAST... SO I ENDED UP LOSING IT.

FROM THE LOOKS OF IT, IT SEEMED LIKE SOMEONE WAS INSIDE...

BUT SINCE IT SMASHED INTO THE GROUND AT SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SPEED, THEY MUST HAVE BEEN BLOWN TO PIECES.

...HE'S TALKING ABOUT ME! THE WATER SPHERE FROM THE FIRST PRINCE'S EXECUTION!

BUT... HOW AM I STILL ALIVE?!

...COULD IT BE THAT STONE BAG...

...IT SEEMS I DON'T HAVE IT ON ME RIGHT NOW.

IT MUST HAVE FALLEN OFF DURING THE EXECUTION.

BUT BY CHANCE... I FOUND AN OLD MAN...

COLLAPSED AND COVERED IN BLOOD INSIDE A NEARBY CAVE.

I ASK YOU IN THE NAME OF GOD AMICA.

ARE YOU LOYAL TO THE ABIRAN EMPIRE?

A-AMICA...!

COULD YOU BE...?!

OF ALL THE PEOPLE TO MEET IN THIS SITUATION, IT HAD TO BE A HERETIC!!

I-I...!

THEY LOOK LIKE VAGRANTS FROM AROUND HERE...

WELL... IT'S A COMMON SIGHT AROUND HERE.

HOW TRULY EXEMPLARY.

AN IMPERIAL DOG WHO DOESN'T EVEN BLINK WHEN HIS AIDE IS ON THE VERGE OF DEATH.

YOUR SON WILL SURELY GROW UP TO BE A LOYAL DOG AS WELL.

I...

MY SON, FLYN.

MY PROUD TREASURE.

FOLLOW IN MY FOOTSTEPS AND BECOME THE SWORD OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY,

ERADICATE ALL THE HERETICS THREATENING THE EMPIRE!

WHEW...

...I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LOYALTY TO THE ABIRAN EMPIRE.

I JUST LOST MY FOOTING WHILE WANDERING AROUND CARELESSLY...

I'M NOTHING BUT A SENILE OLD MAN.