In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 204

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 204

The last day of the hunting competition dawned.

“Ho, is this my armor?”

Emperor Yobanes said as he lifted up the gleaming golden breastplate.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I deliberately prepared it in a highly visible color.”

“Yes, yes. With this much, I’ll be clearly visible even in the heart of the Forest of the Mad!”

Yobanes burst into hearty laughter and patted my shoulder.

Ah, really, since last time.

I subtly stepped back and said.

“Your Majesty’s safety is more important than anything else.”

It would be troublesome if Yobanes got hurt at the hunting competition I’m hosting.

“Hehehe! You speak so prettily!”

The Emperor burst into laughter once again.

“I was secretly annoyed that I came to the hunting grounds but couldn’t have a proper hunt. Thanks to you, I’m laughing heartily!”

Then he gestured to his attendant to help him put on the armor.

Naturally, the breastplate I prepared fit Emperor Yobanes’s body perfectly.

“Yes, very good. Are the knights all ready?”

Emperor Yobanes asked the knight commander.

“Yes, Your Majesty. A total of ten knights including myself will enter together.”

The fierce-looking Imperial Knight Commander approached and reported.

His appearance somehow reminded me of the Sersheu Marquis.

I watched that scene briefly, then slipped in and asked Yobanes.

“Your Majesty, if it wouldn’t be presumptuous, may I accompany you as well?”

“Hmm? You, Pirenthia?”

The Emperor asked back with quite surprised, wide eyes.

“Yes, it’s also the last day of the competition, and I wanted to enter the forest at least once but haven’t had the chance yet.”

“But it’s quite dangerous for a young lady to enter?”

The Emperor spoke as if annoyed.

I knew that would happen, so I have words loaded and ready.

I smiled brightly at Emperor Yobanes and said.

“With the mighty Emperor Your Majesty and the wonderful Imperial Knights by my side, where else in the Empire could be safer than that?”

As expected.

The Emperor’s lips curved up uncontrollably.

Even the Imperial Knight Commander’s face, which had been as stoic as a rock, twitched slightly.

“Ahaha! That’s right! Yes, let’s enter the forest together!”

“Wow! Thank you for allowing it, Your Majesty!”

I bowed my head to Emperor Yobanes and gave a small nod to the Imperial Knight Commander as well.

“…I will keep you safe, Lady Lombardi.”

The knight commander spoke in a low voice.

* * *

I knew this would happen.

About an hour after entering the Forest of the Mad?

The Emperor’s party and I encountered someone.

It was Peres, holding a bow in one hand.

It seemed like a coincidental meeting where our travel routes overlapped, but well, was it really coincidence?

I knew this would happen, so I followed along.

I had a strong feeling that whatever Peres had prepared, it would be today when the hunting competition ends.

“Your Majesty, this place is…”

Peres, who was about to say something to Emperor Yobanes, spotted me and stopped speaking.

His expression said ‘Why are you here?’

I smiled and conveyed the meaning ‘go about your business.’

I just came to watch.

But Peres, whose face had hardened, couldn’t take his eyes off me.

“Was the Second Prince also hunting in this area?”

Eventually Yobanes spoke first.

“…Yes, Your Majesty. This is a place where quite dangerous monsters appear. Let’s move to another area.”

Peres said, turning his head away from me with difficulty.

“Hmm, is that so? I thought we were still quite near the entrance.”

“Yes, I will escort you to a safe place.”

At Peres’s words, the Emperor looked back at the Imperial Knight Commander.

“That would be better. Your Highness the Prince would know the forest’s internal situation better than we do.”

Eventually, I, the Emperor, and the ten Imperial Knights ended up following behind Peres in a line.

It seemed like we were going to a safe place near the forest entrance, but Peres was leading us in a big detour.

Hmm, could this be?

Then something suddenly happened.

“Kiiiaak-!”

A monster with sharp claws burst out, making a strange sound.

And what it aimed for as it leaped up was, coincidentally, the Emperor.

The Imperial Knights quickly tried to protect the Emperor.

Piiing!

But Peres’s arrow was faster.

Hit by the arrow that flew from the side, the monster immediately fell down.

But it wasn’t alone.

The next one immediately leaped up.

But this time the direction wasn’t good.

It approached from the Imperial Knights’ blind spot.

“Hueok!”

Emperor Yobanes stepped back in surprise, but it looked like the monster would succeed in pouncing on the Emperor.

“Kiyaak!”

The monster’s shriek was heard right in front.

Just as the monster’s long claws touched the Emperor’s breastplate.

Flash!

A blue light flashed and the monster split in half and fell to the ground.

“Huh, huuh…”

Emperor Yobanes blinked his eyes and kept making deflated sounds.

And the Emperor’s hands fumbled over his protective gear.

The golden protective gear had deep claw marks running long across it.

“Your Majesty! Are you alright!”

The knights instantly formed a perimeter guard formation and shouted.

“It, it only grazed the protective gear. Don’t make a fuss!”

Even at this moment, the Emperor acts tough.

I can see his fingers trembling.

“Please wear this instead.”

Peres, who had sheathed his sword and approached from the side, said as he took off what he was wearing and offered it to the Emperor.

“Severely damaged armor won’t do its job if it takes the next attack.”

Emperor Yobanes’s gaze momentarily turned to Peres’s body, which wore no armor at all.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

In the end, the red armor that Peres had been wearing was wrapped around the Emperor’s body.

At that moment, my eyes met with Peres’.

Peres’ red eyes had sunk deeply.

“Be careful.”

Peres said to me.

I didn’t answer and stared intently at Peres.

After all, he was the one who had asked for the Emperor’s armor to be prepared in gold.

“Let’s go back quickly.”

Emperor Yobanes said, seeming quite startled.

“This way.”

Peres said that and began moving ahead again.

And not long after, I came to understand what Peres’ plan had been.

“…Crown Prince?”

Astana appeared before us as we continued moving.

From head to toe, he was soaked in monster blood, holding a sword in one hand.

Astana was smiling.

And suddenly he began running toward us.

More precisely, toward the Emperor standing beside me.

“Block him!”

The knight commander shouted.

The knights quickly protected the front of the Emperor.

And several rushed out to stop Astana.

“Stop!”

But Astana was too fast.

With vacant eyes as if possessed by something, he pushed through the approaching knights and came running.

It was monstrous strength.

“I’ll kill you!”

Astana, screaming like a beast, approached right up close.

“Damn it.”

The knight commander who had been guarding beside the Emperor finally drew his sword.

Drawing a sword toward a prince was like a last resort for an Imperial Knight.

The Imperial Knight Commander, gritting his teeth, struck away Astana’s sword.

Clang!

The sword flew far away and Astana became empty-handed.

“Your Highness, please calm down!”

Belesack, who had dropped his sword in front of the Imperial Knights and came chasing after Astana breathlessly, shouted.

And at that moment.

“Die!”

Astana cried out desperately and swung something.

Slash!

The sound of something being cut reached my ears clearly.

But what followed was not the Emperor’s scream.

“Ahhh! Ahhhhh!”

It was Astana who was rolling frantically on the ground, letting out cries of pain.

“My hand! Ahhh, it hurts! My hand!”

Astana’s right hand was gone.

Where red blood was gushing out, there was nothing.

“Uh, uhh…”

The severed hand had fallen at the feet of the frozen Belesack.

Still gripping a sharp dagger.

When everyone was frozen.

“Commander, protect His Majesty.”

Peres commanded in a low voice.

Looking down coldly at Astana writhing on the ground.

“…Yes.”

The knight commander with a hardened expression answered and picked up the dagger that had fallen on the ground.

Along with Astana’s hand.

And handing it to his aide, he said.

“Keep it safe. It’s evidence of the charge of attempting to assassinate His Imperial Majesty.”

It was the moment Astana became a criminal.

Then Peres approached me.

He reached his hand toward my face.

“Blood splattered on you.”

“Ah…”

Since I had been standing beside the Emperor, Astana’s blood must have splattered.

Peres’ hand touched my cheek.

And he began carefully wiping away the blood on my face.

“Sorry.”

The brow of the guy who had been unfazed when cutting off Astana’s hand was now furrowed.

“I’m sorry, Tia.”

Peres said in a quiet voice.

“Ahhhhh!”

Astana’s screams still echoed, and I could hear the knight commander’s voice saying “We must keep him alive to find out who’s behind this.”

“Hah.”

It was Emperor Yobanes’ voice, which I had momentarily forgotten.

“Hah hah…”

The Emperor let out a hollow laugh while touching the chest of his red armor.

It was the part where there was a shallow sword mark that Astana had made.

“In the end, like this…”

Emperor Yobanes, muttering words whose meaning was unclear, looked at Astana.

Peres also looked at Astana and spoke as if throwing out the words.

“It’s probably because of the dark magic.”

“Dark magic?”

“The blood of monsters living in the Forest of the Mad flows with thick dark magic. It’s said to make the deepest desires within a person boil over. Being covered in it like that, his reason was stolen by the dark magic.”

“Desire, desire indeed.”

Emperor Yobanes’ eyes grew colder as he muttered.

“Second Prince.”

Yobanes called Peres.

And issued an imperial command.

“Escort the Crown Prince to the Imperial Palace.”

* * *

The Emperor’s procession was returning from the hunting competition.

Empress Lavinia had come out to the front of the palace to greet the Emperor first.

Emperor Yobanes stepped down from the most splendid and foremost carriage.

And Peres stepped down from the carriage that had followed behind.

But something was strange.

No one stepped down from Astana’s carriage.

“Your Majesty, where is the Crown Prince…”

It was just as Empress Lavinia was about to ask.

“Mother! Mother!”

Someone burst into loud sobs from the back of the procession.

Empress Lavinia’s face turned to horror as she unconsciously looked in that direction.

“Your, Your Highness! Your Highness, why are you…!”

Astana, whose entire body was covered in dirt and dried blood, wailed pitifully upon seeing Empress Lavinia.

“Mother! Sob, Mother!”

“Gasp!”

And seeing Astana’s right hand wrapped in bandages, Lavinia screamed silently.

“What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty! How could this…!”

But Emperor Yobanes did not answer her.

He only brushed away the Empress’s touch and spoke.

“Take the Crown Prince away.”

“You cannot!”

Empress Lavinia blocked Astana’s path and shouted.

“What crime has the Crown Prince committed to deserve this! And when he’s injured…!”

“Charges of attempted regicide and treason.”

The Empress’s eyes widened greatly.

Emperor Yobanes answered coldly and then ascended the staircase.

Leaving the frozen Empress behind alone.

“Let go of me! Mother! Mother!”

Astana called out to the Empress as he was dragged away.

However, this time even Empress Lavinia could not stop it.

“This can’t… be happening…”

Peres passed by the Empress who was muttering in disbelief.

For a moment, Lavinia’s blue eyes met Peres’s red pupils.

“You, you…”

Passing by the Empress who was beginning to grasp the situation, Peres commanded the captain of the guards.

“Lock the criminal in prison. I will interrogate him personally.”

Following Emperor Yobanes up the staircase, one corner of Peres’s mouth quietly twisted upward.

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