My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 37

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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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Chapter 37

 

‘What should I answer to this? Is he seriously asking?’

 

I fell into deep contemplation at Azel’s sudden question. Fortunately, my pondering didn’t last long.

 

“Stop right there!”

 

Someone had stopped our moving carriage.

 

A bearded man who appeared to be from the northern security force was approaching us with a long spear in hand.

 

Thanks to this, our conversation was cut short.

 

“Let’s continue this conversation later.”

 

As I nodded at Azel’s words, I could hear the conversation with the security guard outside.

 

“You don’t look like merchants. Are you travelers?”

 

“Oh, sir! Thank you for your hard work! I’m a coachman, and the people inside are my customers who said they wanted to travel through the north, so I was taking them there.”

 

Behind Dekan’s cheerfully greeting voice, unexpected news was delivered.

 

“You cannot pass any further ahead. If you were planning to go north, please turn back.”

 

“We can’t go through?”

 

“Passage has been prohibited since the day before yesterday. We’re blocking passage for travelers as well as merchants and residents, so please understand.”

 

This was the first I’d heard of a travel ban being issued for the north.

 

I briefly glanced toward Azel, but he was lost in deep thought.

 

Then Dekan asked.

 

“What shall we do, sir?”

 

It meant that if Azel permitted it, he would deal with the security force and break through.

 

Of course, there wasn’t really a need for that.

 

“Let’s turn back.”

 

“Understood! Well then, sir, take care!”

 

“You came all this way, what a shame. Thank you for your understanding.”

 

After giving the security guard a brief look and backing up the carriage, we traveled along the road for a while before stopping in a suitably secluded spot.

 

“Did they block passage in preparation for the Crown Prince’s visit?”

 

“Conversely, they might have blocked passage to prevent the Crown Prince’s visit.”

 

Azel shook his head as he answered Dekan’s question.

 

‘Prevent the Crown Prince’s visit?’

 

Even though there was no apparent reason for it, Azel seemed to give more weight to his opinion.

 

“Do you have any idea why?”

 

He must know something.

 

“Is there a reason Duke Egmund would avoid the Crown Prince?”

 

“It’s still just speculation.”

 

“What kind of matter is it?”

 

Azel, who seemed to ponder my question for a moment, opened his mouth with a sigh.

 

“How much do you know about Duke Egmund?”

 

“I know that the Duke is a woman?”

 

Why else would the northern duke, a symbol of romance fantasy novels, not be included in Yulia’s list of male leads?

 

The northern duke of this world was a woman.

 

But then.

 

“The Duke is a woman?”

 

“Are you saying Duke Crexio Egmunde is a woman?”

 

Something about their reaction was strange.

 

Dekan and Linoa Marigold were staring at me with wide eyes.

 

“…?”

 

In my confusion, Azel squinted one eye and muttered as if surprised.

 

“You knew? Not many people know this fact. How did you find out?”

 

“Huh…?”

 

“Could your previous reason for coming north also be related to this?”

 

As if that wasn’t enough, he began to probe me with a slightly suspicious tone.

 

“Um, uh… uh, yes?”

 

Cold sweat formed on my back as all eyes focused on me in an instant.

 

‘This… was this supposed to be a secret?’

 

It seemed I had properly messed up from the start.

 

*

 

To be honest now,

 

I actually knew almost nothing about the north.

 

‘But it was so boring!’

 

It wasn’t even connected to the main story, so why would I bother with boring episodes?

 

Except for the early playthroughs, I mostly skipped the northern episodes.

 

The only reason I knew the Duke’s identity as a woman was because it was openly stated in the setting guide.

 

…So I thought it was common knowledge from the official setting.

 

“I had reasons to go north before, but it wasn’t because of the Duke. Finding out about the Duke’s identity was just a coincidence.”

 

“It’s not the kind of information you’d learn by coincidence.”

 

“I’ve lived a rougher life than I look, so I’ve picked up various things here and there.”

 

“You lived roughly?”

 

When I gave a vague excuse, Azel finally closed his mouth.

 

“…You lived roughly.”

 

Instead, he seemed fixated on something else.

 

“What do you-”

 

“A-anyway!”

 

I hastily changed the subject.

 

“Anyway, why did you ask how much I know about the Duke?”

 

Fortunately, it seemed he would let it slide as the conversation returned to the original topic.

 

“…Why do you think the Duke hid her gender?”

 

In this world, while it’s rare for a woman to become the head of a family, it’s not entirely unheard of.

 

In that sense, the Duke’s situation was definitely on the strange side.

 

“Think carefully. The Duke was the last child the late Emperor had in his final years.”

 

The late Emperor’s youngest daughter.

 

That was exactly who Crexio Egmunde was.

 

There was no reason I could think of for the late Emperor to disguise his youngest daughter as a son and place her in the ducal position….

 

Wait.

 

“…Could it be?”

 

No, there was.

 

There was a reason for it.

 

“…Crexio Egmunde was born on Achrasia’s auspicious day.”

 

‘Achrasia’s auspicious day’ referred to the day when Achrasia, the main deity of this world, first created the world.

 

Related to this, there was an ancient legend in the Empire.

 

‘A boy born on Achrasia’s auspicious day will become Emperor, but a daughter will bring ruin to the Empire and must be killed.’

 

-That was the content of that legend.

 

“The late Emperor disguised not only her birth date but also her gender to save his daughter.”

 

That would make sense.

 

She was his youngest daughter born when he was sixty, so how precious she must have been to him.

 

However.

 

“What does this have to do with the Crown Prince? Don’t tell me he’s planning to kill the Grand Duke for the Empire even now?”

 

I still couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince would seek out the Grand Duke at this point.

 

Then Azel added in an indifferent tone.

 

“The Grand Duke has one child.”

 

“You mean that illegitimate child?”

 

“That child is the Grand Duke’s legitimate offspring. It’s just that because the Grand Duke was hiding their gender, they had no choice but to announce the child as illegitimate.”

 

I finally began to understand why Azel had brought up this long story.

 

“They say children resemble their parents, and the Grand Duke’s child has come to resemble even their parent’s fate.”

 

“Then what the Crown Prince is looking for,”

 

“Is probably not the Grand Duke, but rather that son.”

 

The Grand Duke’s legitimate son.

 

And the reason why the Crown Prince, who covets the throne, would suddenly seek out that son.

 

The Grand Duke’s son seemed to have been born on ‘Achrasia’s Auspicious Day.’

 

‘According to the legend, he’s a child born with the fate of an emperor, so the Crown Prince wants to eliminate him.’

 

For the Crown Prince, who was so obsessed with the throne that he killed his own brother, this was news worth pursuing immediately.

 

Then there was only one problem left.

 

‘If the Crown Prince’s target really is the Grand Duke’s son, then who exactly informed the Crown Prince of this fact?’

 

Someone was definitely behind all this.

 

At that moment, Azel spoke.

 

“Anyway, rather than waiting here for the Crown Prince to arrive, it would be better to enter Eggmund first.”

 

Our next destination was immediately decided.

 

*

 

“…The 2nd Prince. No, where did they say the Crown Prince has reached?”

 

“We heard he crossed Barcen Pass this afternoon. He should arrive within the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

 

“…That bastard I’ll tear apart.”

 

Ice-cold fury gathered in Crexio Eggmund’s eyes.

 

“At last-! At last! That son of a bitch wants to kill my son too, not satisfied with just his brother!”

 

“Please calm yourself, Your Grace.”

 

“Do I look like I’m in any state to calm down right now!”

 

The retainer was flustered and tried to dissuade the Grand Duke from such crude expressions toward the Crown Prince, but it was useless.

 

The Grand Duke was in such a state that if possible, he wanted to grab an iron mace right now and smash the Crown Prince’s head to pieces.

 

“Summon the knights.”

 

“Your Grace! If you attack the Crown Prince now, it will be treason!”

 

“Those who are afraid may flee as they are. However, I must protect my son by any means necessary.”

 

“Your Grace…!”

 

But just then, an elderly butler came running in.

 

“Disaster has struck, my lord!”

 

“What is it?”

 

At that panicked attitude so unsuited to his advanced age, the Grand Duke immediately conjured up every possible scenario in his mind.

 

However, what the Grand Duke faced was,

 

“The Young Master has disappeared!”

 

The worst possible situation.

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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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