In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 203
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 203
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is currently….”
“Leave him be.”
Yobanes said while glaring disapprovingly at Astana’s retreating figure.
“He’ll probably just mess around at the entrance and give up. Foolish boy.”
He was not pleased.
There were far too many shortcomings.
Then Emperor Yobanes’ eyes caught sight of Peres.
His other son, who quietly bowed to him sitting on the platform and returned to the villa.
“Surely you’re not thinking of making the Second Prince the Crown Prince?”
He recalled the words the Empress had spoken in the carriage on the way here.
“That mother’s lowly blood cannot become the bloodline that inherits the throne of this Lambru Empire.”
He had agreed with those words.
But he saw more of the excellent Durellie Imperial Family’s traits in the Second Prince than in the Crown Prince.
Wouldn’t that be enough?
It was better than constantly seeing Angenas’ shortcomings in the Crown Prince.
Emperor Yobanes’ gaze lingered long on Peres’ retreating figure.
But there was one thing he failed to notice.
That it wasn’t always the same three people following behind Peres.
That Steeli and Tedro, who had been following Peres, grumbled and returned to the forest.
* * *
Day 2 of the hunting competition.
Astana took a large gulp of an unidentifiable drug from his canteen and laughed.
“Good, very good.”
The hunt was going very smoothly.
No, it was more than that.
“That’s already eighteen, Your Highness!”
Belesack shouted as he cut off the monster’s right arm.
“Let’s go! Next we need to catch a bigger one!”
Astana said while breathing heavily.
“How about resting a bit first, Your Highness.”
“That’s right. I absolutely can’t walk anymore….”
His followers spoke in dying voices.
The group that had started with over ten people had somehow dwindled to six.
Everyone had either gotten hurt from Astana’s reckless actions or given up from exhaustion and fired signal flares.
“Shut up!”
Astana snapped fiercely.
“Y-Your Highness….”
His confidants all flinched simultaneously.
Because Astana’s appearance, holding a sword in one hand and covered in green blood, was terrifying.
It was like seeing the Second Prince from yesterday.
That state when he wasn’t in his right mind, consumed by magic.
“Five before sunset yesterday, and thirteen more since we started hunting today! The hunt is going great, so those who can’t keep up should just drop out!”
Now he was even threateningly waving the sword in his hand in front of his followers’ faces.
While Astana had always been somewhat rude, it wasn’t like this.
He hadn’t forgotten that those who followed him were also nobles with strong pride and self-respect.
But now Astana was treating them like flies.
Annoying ones buzzing around his ears.
“Only those who can keep up with the forced march should come. And if you’re going to drop out, do it quietly. Your clumsy attacks aren’t much help anyway, so don’t interfere with the hunt.”
Astana gulped down the medicine from his canteen again out of habit and snorted.
“I must have definitely reached some kind of level. Otherwise, how could I be overflowing with this much energy.”
Astana couldn’t hide his excitement.
The drug Belesack had stolen was supposed to prevent the effects of magic, and it was working very well.
Yesterday he had gotten tired and out of breath from just walking a little due to the forest’s energy, but today there was none of that.
His steps were light and his sword cut through smoothly.
Even when encountering monsters frequently in the forest, he wasn’t afraid.
Rather, he was pleased.
He even thought it would be nice if the next target appeared right after defeating one.
“Belesack, you follow me.”
Astana said, looking back at Belesack.
Since stealing the canteen yesterday, Belesack had been serving as Astana’s right hand again like before.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
It was natural that Belesack was excited.
“Keep watching to make sure the red armor isn’t following us, understand?”
Red armor.
It was referring to Peres’ red protective gear.
“I just need to be careful of that guy, just that guy….”
Astana muttered as he walked.
In this forest, the only thing he needed to be careful of was Peres in red armor.
That was all.
The last day of the hunting competition, day 3.
“Die! Die!”
Astana was on top of a monster, stabbing it with his sword.
Thud, thud.
Every time Astana’s body moved, a chilling sound echoed.
“Your Highness….”
Belesack called out to Astana.
However, Astana, focused on stabbing the monster, didn’t hear him.
Over the past three days, Astana had caught over forty monsters in total.
It was the result of continuously hunting and wandering around from before sunrise until evening like someone possessed.
“Hey, shouldn’t we stop His Highness now?”
Belesack carefully asked his companion.
“…?”
But there was no answer.
Looking back, the spot where the eldest son of the Breksen family, who had been the last remaining member of their group, had been standing was empty.
He had quietly slipped away to give up on the competition while Astana was focused on hunting.
Gulp.
Belesack swallowed his dry saliva.
Now only Astana and Belesack remained, just the two of them.
‘Yeah, maybe this worked out well.’
Belesack thought so.
Before attending the hunting competition, his mother Ceral had said so.
“The danger also means an opportunity might come your way. Do you understand, Belesack?”
In this situation where everyone had fled, he alone remained by the Crown Prince’s side until the end.
If this wasn’t true loyalty, then what was?
“This is your last chance to reclaim your position as his close aide!”
Belesack nodded, recalling Ceral’s words.
Astana’s condition seemed a bit different from usual, but he was just enjoying the hunt, so what of it.
Besides, if he tried to intervene in a situation like this, he would surely fall out of favor.
Belesack decided to remain silent and stay still.
That’s when it happened.
“Belesack, bring me the water bottle.”
Astana commanded.
“Yes, here it is.”
Belesack quickly moved and handed over the water bottle.
The bottle was nearly empty and felt light.
“Your Highness will surely win.”
Belesack said with a smile.
Thinking that Astana would be pleased.
And Belesack’s expectation was correct.
Astana chuckled and nodded his head.
Monster blood that had already soaked his hair seeped between the smiling Astana’s teeth.
“That’s right, that lowly Peres couldn’t have caught this many monsters. I’ve wiped out all the monsters in this area.”
Astana giggled dangerously.
“Yes, I’m definitely stronger than that bastard.”
“…Pardon?”
Belesack tilted his head.
Stronger than the Second Prince, who was a Sword Master?
“Look at me slaughtering these monsters. That bastard could never do this.”
“But…”
“Shut up! I’m stronger! If I faced that bastard right now, I could kill him with a single strike!”
Astana shouted desperately.
“Gasp!”
Belesack closed his mouth.
Because Astana’s sword, covered in dried green blood, had come close to his throat.
“Y-yes, you are stronger, Your Highness.”
“Right? You think so too, don’t you?”
Astana spoke with vacant, unfocused eyes.
“Yes, I have a good idea.”
“A good… idea?”
Suddenly, a bad feeling crossed Belesack’s mind.
“I’m going to kill that filthy Half-Baked. Let’s go.”
Astana suddenly began to move.
He had no intention of cutting up and taking the corpse of the last monster he killed.
“I can kill that bastard now. No one will know since we’re in the forest.”
Astana continued to giggle and mutter to himself.
“Once I kill that lowly thing, it’ll all be over. All over.”
His Majesty the Emperor won’t be able to ignore me anymore.
Mother will be very proud of me and say I did well.
“Where is he? Red armor. Red armor.”
Astana chanted like a spell.
In the dark forest, Astana’s eyes searched only for red.
“There he is.”
Astana smiled.
After walking frantically through the forest, a small meadow suddenly appeared.
And on the opposite side, Peres appeared as if by magic.
“Red armor.”
Seeing the Lombardi girl beside him as well, it was definitely Peres.
Astana gripped his sword properly.
And began charging recklessly toward Peres.
“Your Highness!”
He could hear Belesack’s startled voice calling him as he followed behind.
But Astana didn’t stop.
There would never be a better opportunity than now to kill Peres.
Astana kept running, glaring only at Peres’s annoying face.
“Stop him!”
Then, figures he hadn’t noticed until now entered Astana’s field of vision.
Imperial Guards were protecting the area around Peres.
Astana was momentarily flustered.
Why were the Imperial Guards protecting that bastard?
And the next moment, rage surged through him.
Oh ho, so you’ve all been lining up behind that lowly thing.
“I’ll kill you!”
Astana shouted loudly.
Peres’s startled face was right in front of him.
Clang!
But Astana’s sword was sent flying far away by an Imperial Guard’s hand.
“Huff, huff!”
That bastard was right in front of him.
Close enough to reach if he stretched out his hand.
He couldn’t give up here.
Then Belesack entered Astana’s sight.
More precisely, it was the dagger at his waist.
“Die!”
Astana shouted as he drew Belesack’s dagger.
And swung it wide toward Peres.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————