The Kidnapped Prince is Mine Now - Chapter 45

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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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Chapter 45
‘Who on earth.’
First, I had to deal with it.
How much power would I need to shatter a massive Golem into pieces with a single shot?
I was drawing forth the strength within my body to channel it into the gun.
“Shwiiik.”
At that familiar sound, my body nearly twisted in shock.
“…Shisha?”
Without thinking, I called out her name.
In that instant, my vision flooded with light.
Rotar and I lifted our heads to look above the Golem’s crown.
“…Huh.”
I could see the face of a Belgrum holding a lantern.
“Sssss.”
It was Shisha.
“…Is that the one? The fact that it’s another Belgrum—”
“No. It’s Shisha.”
It couldn’t be anyone else.
That subtly unhurried demeanor and the familiar, friction-laden quality of her voice.
Above all, the bandages from our unit still wrapped around her right hand.
Shisha spoke once more.
“Shwissk.”
Even without understanding the language, I could comprehend what she was saying.
Shisha had returned. To take us with her.
***
The first thing Shisha did after descending from the Golem was to hand me a peculiarly designed pair of earplugs.
“Huh?”
To be precise, they were earphone-shaped devices embedded with purple gemstones. One for me, one for Rotar. Despite my confusion at her gesturing for me to insert them into my ears, I followed her instructions.
The moment Shisha opened her mouth, I understood the purpose of those earplugs.
[Can you hear me?]
“Gasp!”
The instant an ear-splitting noise erupted from Shisha’s lips, a woman’s voice I’d never heard before filled my ears—speaking in the Imperial language I could understand.
When I glanced at Rotar’s expression, he too appeared shocked, clearly comprehending Shisha’s words.
‘No way.’
I took a breath to calm my rapidly accelerating heartbeat and opened my mouth.
“I hear you. Can you understand me?”
[Of course, my friend.]
“This is insane!”
Crude words spilled from my lips before I could stop them.
A cutting-edge device that automatically translates whatever the other person says simply by inserting it into your ear canal?
In my original world, perhaps. But in this realm where scientific advancement was primitive, such a thing was beyond imagination.
Shisha, unsurprised by my reaction, pointed toward the Golem and spoke.
[Get on for now. We can talk as we move—it’ll be faster that way.]
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded at Shisha’s words.
But then.
‘…Is it the translator?’
Her manner of speech was oddly aristocratic.
Setting aside my trivial doubts, I climbed onto the Golem alongside Rotar.
Drakenloch—once Imperial territory, ages ago.
It was after we boarded that I received a general explanation about Shisha’s nation, “Lumektia,” which had conquered and expanded its influence over that land.
[This nation’s foundation is magical engineering. Harsh, barren terrain required cultivation to yield crops, and survival amid the swarms of monsters and magical beasts demanded technology.]
Lumektia—a small nation ruled by the Belgrum Race.
Magic’s history had never been severed here. Only after a devastating civil war had the nation closed itself off, completely cutting off all exchange with the Belheim Empire beyond the Snowy Mountains.
[Lumektia’s technology has advanced at a rapid pace. Though the territory is small, barrier devices protecting the entire city are installed, and the Golem military forces that can be mobilized for war number in the hundreds.]
Right—small peppers are always the spiciest. I nodded along as she explained.
Still, even within such a small city-state, countless conflicts were bound to arise.
[The problem ultimately stems from power struggles and ideological differences among the ruling class. No matter how hard we try, we cannot prevent history from repeating itself.]
“What happened?”
[It began with arguments advocating for conquest wars to establish colonies.]
Colonialism was a constant across all worlds, it seemed.
[The leadership split into supporters and opponents. The conflict escalated to the point where there were attempts to abduct, imprison, and even assassinate the leader of the opposition faction.]
“So what happened in the end?”
[That, I cannot say.]
“?”
Shisha continued in a measured tone.
[I barely escaped before being killed.]
….
Hm?
‘Wait a moment.’
I think I just heard something absolutely shocking.
As the weight of her words crashed down on me, I was trying to process what Shisha had said.
[There—that’s the entrance to the Underground Tunnel I drew for you before.]
My head turned toward her words of its own accord.
At the far end of the spacious cave stood a massive iron door.
“…An Underground Tunnel?”
[Don’t you remember? The straight passage that begins from the peak.]
“….”
It came back to me.
Even the memory of me complaining about whether they’d dug a tunnel or if there was a train.
The Golem stopped before the iron door and lowered its body. Shisha, who had jumped down first, touched several of the patterns carved into the door with her slender fingers.
Click. The sound of a lock disengaging followed immediately after.
What revealed itself beyond the iron door was—
“…Seriously?”
A long tunnel. And in the middle of it, a small train.
Shisha boarded the train’s control cabin with practiced ease. Then she placed her hand on the violet gemstone embedded in the center of the cabin.
A humming vibration seemed to resonate through the air. After the gemstone in the control cabin began to glow brilliantly, the train lurched forward and started moving along the rails beneath it.
“Oh, merciful heavens….”
Watching that sight, I found myself habitually invoking a god I didn’t even believe in. I’d heard that Lumektia’s civilization was advanced, but I never imagined it was this far developed.
[It’s a transportation device powered by magic stones. It only moves when supplied with magical energy.]
“So… without magical energy, it can’t be used at all?”
[That’s right. I’ve never even heard of a Belgrum without magical energy.]
Somehow, the foundation of Lumektia’s civilization rested on ‘magical energy.’ Without coal or gas, they generated energy from their own bodies.
At that moment, Shisha’s gaze briefly turned toward my chest.
[Well, though I suppose you’re different.]
“…?”
[You don’t emit even a fingernail’s worth of magical energy, yet you’re using an outdated weapon.]
Right, the gun.
Only then did I recall the memory of Shisha staring intently at my gun back in the tent in the Snowy Mountains.
She had already recognized it as their ancient weapon from that moment.
I hurriedly pulled the gun from my pocket and waved it at her.
“So you people use these too, right?”
[Yes. Though ours are more modern.]
My heart began to race.
To be honest, throughout my crossing of the Snowy Mountains, I had never completely shaken off the anxiety that lingered in one corner of my mind.
Suppose we survive crossing the Snowy Mountains. What if we find nothing there?
What if the knights who followed Rotar and me die meaninglessly?
‘No.’
Seeing the civilization of Lumektia with my own eyes filled me with certainty. The life-or-death gamble of the Drakenloch expedition had been a success.
We would find our answers here.
For some reason, my heart swelling with emotion, I turned to look beside me.
“Rotar…!”
But the moment I saw Rotar’s expressionless face, my words caught in my throat.
Even amid the torrent of overwhelming information, he maintained an impassive demeanor. No hint of wonder, excitement, fear, or caution showed on his face.
‘Come to think of it, he hasn’t said a word the entire journey.’
I lowered my voice so that Shisha at the controls couldn’t hear and asked.
“Rotar, don’t you have many questions too?”
Like the historical records preserved in Drakenloch, for instance. Or Zaikas’s blessing. Or the protection of the battlefield!
Rotar sat in silence for a long while at my question. Just when my patience was wearing thin, he finally opened his mouth.
“Do you not wish for war with the Elheim Empire?”
Huh.
‘That’s a more political question than I expected.’
I glanced at Shisha. She was fiddling with the magical stone at the controls while staring at Rotar. Her expression remained unreadable.
‘An opponent with whom even simple conversation is impossible without an interpreter…’
An appearance that instinctively provoked revulsion. An external being with intelligence yet incomprehensible speech.
All of this was the reason for the discord between Lumektia and the Elheim Empire centuries ago.
Fear and hatred toward the unknown were natural emotions, after all.
And yet.
[What I desire is peace and coexistence. It may sound grandiose.]
Shisha’s smoothly translated voice settled into my ears. Her tone was elegant and composed.
[Lumektia is a nation that can prosper without conquest and plunder. Rather, there are things that can only be preserved by not succumbing to excessive ambition.]
“…”
[Is that not true for you as well? Surely there are those you wish to protect.]
That was Shisha’s answer.
Rotar’s gaze briefly touched mine. I could see an indecipherable emotion swirling across his deep green eyes.
A moment later, he rose from his seat. He walked to Shisha’s side and, lowering his head, spoke.
“I beg your pardon for my rudeness thus far.”

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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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