A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 77

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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77.
“W-well, I… haha. Why is this happening?”
“This is no time to laugh like an idiot!?”
Leonard Blake’s roar echoed through the Forest.
He turned his head sharply, his voice booming across the surroundings.
“Plance! Lord Prance!! You must be somewhere here!? Teleport immediately and bring the Priest!!”
“…He didn’t follow me.”
A hollow sound escaped James’s lips.
“Why not?”
“Because I came alone to retrieve you.”
Why would he do that for someone like me? I couldn’t comprehend it.
“Leo…nard.”
Then James grasped Leonard Blake’s trembling hand.
“Forgive me.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about!?”
“All the darkness you’ve handled… that was something I should have done. But I let you do it instead.”
“James.”
“For my ideal world, I pretended to be powerless and entrusted it to you. The truth is, I’m not so different from Demian.”
“James!!”
“I’m…sorry. But not this time. I followed you because I didn’t want you to bear darkness for my sake. I mean it.”
Cough!
As James coughed up blood, Leonard Blake searched for his cloak, which should have contained magical scrolls and recovery potions.
Yet strangely, nothing was there.
It seemed to be because of the magical circle drawn beneath their feet, but there was no time to analyze what it was.
Leonard Blake hastily tore his clothes and bound James’s wound.
“Hold on. It’s not too late yet. I’ll get you out of this Forest and save you no matter what!!”
James’s expression twisted in terrible pain. He gasped, gripping the fabric around his wound.
“Just endure a little longer!! I’ll get us out of this Forest right now and take you to a doctor!!”
He tried to carry James on his back, but blood spilled across the ground. A heart-wrenching cry followed.
As Leonard Blake froze at that sound, James waved his hand weakly.
“Stop…. You’ve been through many battles—you should already know. It’s too late.”
“No, absolutely not!”
“I know myself well. I’m immortal, but I’m truly terrible at combat. I should have trained more, haha.”
A thin, thread-like laugh escaped James’s lips.
“But, h, one more thing… I have a request to leave with you, Leonard Blake.”
“Damn it! Don’t say such things now! Survive and tell me later!!”
“When I die, fulfill my dream for me.”
Die—at those words, Leonard Blake’s face went deathly pale. He looked more like a corpse than the dying James.
“Die? Don’t speak such nonsense.”
“No, I will die soon.”
“Shut up!!”
“Leonard. I always thought you were….”
James gestured to Leonard, who held him in his arms.
Leonard stared blankly down at him, bending at the waist.
“You’ve always been special to me. I’ve never seen anyone as strong as you without royal blood. Is there another person in the Empire’s history who could destroy Ragnarok’s heart alone?”
“….”
“But I’m not just talking about physical strength. You always think of things that ordinary people find difficult to conceive. I don’t know where that comes from, but I’m certain of one thing—your thoughts are exceptional. My eye for people is never wrong.”
Cough!! James spat up another hot clot of blood.
Leonard watched helplessly, unable to comprehend what he should do.
Once again, he felt like garbage.
But now there was no target for his arrows of vengeance. Wasn’t all of this happening because of his own poor decisions?
He stared at his gloves, soaked and sticky with warmth. His hands trembled like aspen leaves.
“James… I’m not special at all.”
A faint voice flowed from his lips like a candle flickering out.
“I’m garbage who couldn’t even protect my lord….”
To Thanatos, emotion had always been the most useless thing. Rather than be swayed by feeling, he wielded his blade to kill one more enemy.
Yet under James’s command, fighting alongside him, I learned the weight of life. I understood the value of tomorrow, the warmth of the present, the sins of the past.
“Even if I killed people, working under you allowed me to… act like a human being.”
No longer emotionless, I came to judge morality and ethics. That alone, even if I lived my entire life as a slayer, proved I was human.
Leonard’s vision turned red.
Soon, tears fell from his blazing eyes onto James’s wounds.
“I’m sorry for telling you so late. I never wanted to acknowledge a royal like Demian as my lord. But you… you were my lord.”
“…haha, you finally say it.”
James smiled with a more peaceful expression than before.
“But I already knew. There’s only one reason someone like you would serve under anyone.”
“….”
“Please don’t blame yourself, Leonard. There is nothing you’ve done wrong in this world.”
James gripped Leonard’s hand tightly, speaking haltingly.
“If anything is wrong, it’s the aggressive blood of the Dragon Clan that craves power itself. This situation was likely created by Demian.”
“…Demian?”
“That’s why I told you not to desire this wishing stone. He’s a dark mage, and this wishing stone appeared in Blackwood, where the Demon Realm’s power is strong. It’s quite possible he created a rift and pulled this out. Perhaps… it might not even be a wishing stone at all.”
Then was that magic circle from before also Demian’s doing?
The magic circle that vanished in the blink of an eye was pitch black. Though I’d never seen such a formation before, the darkness it displayed meant only one thing.
Dark magic.
Him again?
As my heart pounded violently, James’s other hand gently stroked Leonard’s knee.
“Leonard… that’s not important right now.”
“Then what is!!”
“If I die, not only will my immortality disappear… everything we’ve accomplished will crumble to dust. So you must inherit my will.”
“That makes no sense…. I’m not even royalty!”
“The proof of imperial blood is simple—I transfer my magical power to you. All we need is an agreement between us. Besides, the identity of the Sixth Prince has never been revealed. Once you gain the Family’s consent and step forward, you become him. The Family probably won’t care who wields the Flame Magic, as long as they do. They might even prefer it if you took the role. Your physical abilities surpass mine, after all, which would give you an advantage in the succession struggle.”
His words barely registered, as if they were sounds from another world.
Leonard Blake simply grasped his hand and cried out in anguish.
“Stop spouting such nonsense and get up already! Who in their right mind would follow someone like me!”
“Everyone will.”
James gripped Leonard Blake’s hand tightly.
“They will all follow you. Not merely because of my final words, but for other reasons as well.”
“What?”
“Leonard Blake, just trust me. Let me entrust my dream to you. This is my final request.”
His final testament meant nothing to me. That faint smile wrung my heart like a vise.
‘Am I destined to lose another precious person like this?’
Tears streamed endlessly from Leonard Blake’s eyes.
At first, I wanted to witness the ‘Empire’ he would create, but as time passed, my heart gradually shifted.
I wanted to see James himself—ruling a peaceful Empire.
It didn’t matter who the author was.
I wanted to offer a kiss of reverence to whoever created this protagonist.
‘A world where even someone like me is treated as human. I wanted to see you ruling such a world…’
Yet this man was dying because of me. Because of my arrogant decision.
Seized by heart-rending regret and despair, I could say nothing more, and James smiled faintly.
“If you relay my words to Lord Prance, you’ll surely understand that I was right. So trust me.”
And take care of her.
After those words, I remembered nothing clearly.
I felt an explosive force surge through my entire body.
Electricity pierced from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, twisting my organs in an indescribable agony.
Yet even through it all, Leonard Blake carried James on his back and struggled forward, leaving the Forest.
Had he left James in that place, there was no telling what Demian might do next.
By the time Leonard Blake emerged from the Forest, bleeding from every orifice of his body, he encountered Lord Prance, who had been searching for both him and James.
Lord Prance, who knew James’s secret, quickly grasped the situation and hurried them both to the Mansion.
And so Leonard Blake, having inherited the Flame Magic in its entirety, truly became the Sixth Prince.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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