Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 24: The Strongest Onmyoji is Saved
I turned around.
“Oh, big brother… Please don’t bully Seika-sama too much.”
A beautiful girl in a dress, with aqua-colored hair cascading down her back.
Fiona Urd Ehrgreif—The appearance of the Holy Princess was there.
Beside her, the composed figure of the Holy Knight Ren was also present.
“Hello, Fiona.”
Hiltzel called his half-sister by name with an unchanged tone.
However… his smile had slightly faltered.
“Bullying is out of the question. We were in the middle of an important conversation between the two of us… Could you not interfere?”
“Hehehe. About that important conversation—”
Fiona covered her mouth with her hand, elegantly smiling.
“—Include me in it.”
At that moment.
Unexpectedly, along with a surge of power—a figure appeared in the corridor.
Full-body armor. A sword at the waist. The right hand, adorned with gauntlets, held something like a sack.
There was a familiarity to that figure.
“The Battle Princess…!?”
I tensed at the sudden turn of events.
Strangely, though… besides me, the others didn’t seem particularly surprised by the appearance of the Battle Princess, who had seemingly teleported.
“I’ve brought a little gift.”
Fiona said without losing her smile.
On the other hand, Hiltzel’s expression clouded.
“Now, present it to my big brother… Elysia.”
At that signal.
The Battle Princess casually tossed the sack she held in her right hand.
The sack seemed to contain something round, rolling carelessly towards Hiltzel—leaving a trail of blood on the floor.
Eventually, the sack came to a stop at the young man’s feet.
From its opening, a few strands of hair protruded.
“…”
Hiltzel, leaning on his staff, bent down and grabbed the hair with his left hand, lifting it.
The sack slipped off, revealing its contents.
“…”
I gasped.
It was a human head.
The head of an elderly man, frozen in an expression of bewilderment.
Moreover—It resembled the middle-aged man’s face that had been used as a relay in the necromancy. It seemed like if that face aged another twenty years, it would become like this.
“No way…!”
—Is it the head of that necromancer?
I couldn’t grasp the situation, but there was another factor contributing to the confusion.
Fiona… what did she call that female knight just now?
“This is the third time we meet, Seika Lamproge!”
With a voice that retained some childlike liveliness, the female knight said.
“I called you a rude guy back then… Sorry! I realized I hadn’t properly greeted you yet!”
The female knight removed her helmet.
A familiar, glossy blonde hair flowed down, reminiscent of what I saw at the party.
Seeming a few years older than me, the woman had a well-structured face with a slightly childlike smile as she spoke.
“I’m Elysia Bado Madias, the second-in-command of the Holy Knights! The eldest daughter of the Duke Madias family, Fiona’s friend, and also that guy’s fiancée!”
I was left gaping.
Almost all the information seemed impossible. I didn’t even know where to begin asking questions.
“…So, you’re still getting in my way, Elysia.”
While gazing at his fiancée, Hiltzel spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“Oh right! I thwarted your plot, Hiltzel!”
Elysia glared back sharply at her fiancé.
“I’ve wiped out the entire army of undead soldiers! I defeated the necromancer too! The city of Tenendo is safe even now!”
At those words… I felt an unexpected sense of relief.
Hiltzel let out a small sigh and looked down at the necromancer’s head he was holding.
“To think a mage of that caliber lost… it’s a bit unbelievable. Is this really the guy himself? I can’t even be sure, given that he made many corpses with similar faces. But you managed to identify him, Fiona?”
“Yes.”
With a smile, Fiona nodded.
“Did you know, big brother? In necromancy, there are many things needed besides corpses. No matter how skilled a mage is, many materials and tools aren’t obtainable unless purchased.”
“…Did he control the flow of resources? It’s troublesome to have connections with the merchants’ guild.”
Hiltzel wore a bitter expression.
“But I can’t believe that guy would neglect such precautions.”
“Yes. He had multiple bases, and it seemed like he distributed the influx of supplies. However… human provisions were consistently brought in from just one of those locations.”
“Ah… Haha, I see.”
Hiltzel chuckled and raised the severed head in his left hand.
“No matter how fond he was of corpses… in the end, this guy himself wasn’t more than a living being.”
The young man tossed the head.
The renowned necromancer rolled down the corridor with just his head, hitting the wall and coming to a stop.
“This time… you took quite a bold move, big brother.”
Fiona spoke, her smile disappearing.
“There was not only no damage to my supporters, but many merchant guilds profited by taking advantage of the chaos… I couldn’t just overlook it. It was a bit too much, even for me.”
“Too bad, Fiona.”
With a disappointed expression, the young man stared at his half-sister.
“Unlike my brothers, I thought a clever person like you would understand. The next emperor can only be me. Anyone trying to obstruct that is a dangerous factor that could plunge the empire into chaos. If eliminating them requires some sacrifices, it’s unavoidable.”
“What are you talking about? That’s impossible!”
Elysia spoke forcefully.
“People are distancing themselves from you because you’re inadequate! It’s because you, relying on your position as the emperor’s eldest son and your own intelligence, failed to keep the hearts of those who supported you! Don’t try to compensate for your own shortcomings with the lives of the people!”
Hiltzel’s expression twisted, but Elysia continued relentlessly.
Elysia’s words echoed through the corridor.
“I’ll be your wife! I’ll bear your children! But I won’t let you become the emperor! You, who disregard human lives, are not qualified to govern the people’s lives!”
And then, she pointed to the Holy Princess and made a declaration.
“The one worthy of being the next emperor is Fiona!”
A silence fell upon the corridor. Hiltzel and Fiona exchanged glances.
However, soon, Hiltzel let out a small laugh and lowered his gaze.
“This time, I’ve lost. I’ll gracefully step back.”
Saying that, he takes a step forward.
Slipping past me, he walks past Elysia and Fiona, heading towards the other side of the corridor.
Leaning on his staff, the young man walks slowly, and I watch his back.
As if he noticed my gaze… Hiltzel stops abruptly, lightly turns back, and says,
“Goodbye, Seika Lamproge.”
The first prince walks away.
I kept staring at his departing figure.