Chapter 203

"Your Majesty, the First Prince is now..."

"Let it go."

Yovanes said, staring at Astana's back.

"He barely gets around the entrance."

He's not enough.

He didn't like it.

There were so many shortcomings.

At that time, the figure of Perez came into the eyes of Emperor Yovanes.

The son silently bows to himself sitting on the podium and returns to the villa.

"You don't intend to make the Second Prince the Crown Prince, do you?"

He remembered what the empress said in the carriage.

"The lowly blood of his mother cannot be connected to the blood of the Emperor of Lambrew."

He agreed with that.

However, the Emperor Durelli's blood can be seen more in the appearances of the Second Prince than the First Prince.

Isn't that enough?

It's better than the First Prince who keeps showing the shortcomings of Angenas.

Emperor Yovanes' eyes lingered in the back of Perez for a long time.

But there was one thing he did not notice.

The three people aren't the same people who always follow Perez's footsteps.

Steeley and Tedro, who were following Perez, grumbled and went back to the forest.

****

Day 2 of the hunting competition.

Astana took a big sip of the medication in the unknown canteen and laughed.

"Good, very good."

Hunting was going very smoothly.

No, it was more than that.

"There are already eighteen, Your Highness!"

Bellesac shouted, cutting off the monster's right arm.

"Let's go! Next time, we have to catch the bigger one!"

Astana said with a short breath.

"How about taking a little break before going, Your Highness?"

"That's right, I can't walk anymore..."

All his aides spoke in a dying voice.

The party, which started with about ten people, had already shrunk to six.

Everyone gave up because of Astana's unreasonable behavior and was injured or struggling.

"Noisy!"

Astana gave a ferocious thud.

"Well, Your Highness..."

The henchmen wince at the same time.

It was because Astana, who was covered in green blood with a sword in one hand, was frightening.

It was like watching yesterday's Second Prince.

The state of being out of one's mind.

"Five before sunset yesterday and thirteen since we started hunting today! The hunt is going well and if you can't keep up with it, then get out of here!"

Now he even wields a sword in one hand in front of his aides' faces.

Astana was always rude but not this way.

He did not forget that the crowd following him were nobles with strong pride.

But now, Astana is treating them like flies.

Bothering his ears.

"Come to those who can follow the hard march. And if you're going to fall out, fall out quietly."

"Your clumsy attacks don't help much anyway, so don't bother hunting."

Astana again, like his habit, took the medicines from the canteen and he groaned.

"I must have reached some point. I can't believe I'm so energetic."

Astana couldn't hide his excitement.

Bellesaac said that the drug he stole would prevent him from being affected by magic and it worked very well.

Yesterday, he was soaked in the energy of the forest and it made him tired that even walking for a little bit makes it hard to breathe.

The steps stretched out light and black.

Even though he often encountered monsters in the wood, he wasn't afraid.

Rather, it was nice.

He even wished that the monsters appeared one after another.

"Bellesac, you follow me." Astana said as he turned back to Bellesac.

Since stealing the canteen yesterday, Bellesac has been acting again as Astana's right hand man.

"Yes, Your Highness!" No wonder, Bellesac was excited.

"Keep an eye on the red armor to make sure it doesn't come after us, all right?"

Red armor.

He meant Perez's red armor.

"You just need to be careful with those guys, only that guy..."

Astana muttered as he took a step.

In that forest, Astana understood that he needed to be careful with Perez in red armor.

That's all.

****

The third and last day of the hunting competition.

"Die! Die!"

Astana was on top of the monster and continuously stabbed it.

Every time Astana moved, a chilling sound rang.

"Your Highness..." Bellesac called Astana.

But Astana, who was bent on stabbing the monster, didn't hear it.

Over the last three days, Astana has caught a total of over 40 monsters.

It was the result of hunting and wandering from sunrise to evening like a person possessed by something.

"Hey, shouldn't we stop the First Prince now?"

Bellesac carefully asked his companion.

"...."

However, no one answered his question.

Looking back, the place where the firstborn of the Brexen Family, the last remaining party, was empty.

While Astana was so immersed with his hunting, the child slipped out to give up the competition.

Gulp.

Bellesac swallowed a dry saliva.

Now all that was left was Astana and Bellesac.

'Yeah, maybe that's good.'

Bellesac thought so.

Before attending the hunting contest, his mother Serral said so.

'As dangerous as it may be, there might be a chance for you out there, Bellesac. Do you understand what I'm saying?'

In this situation where everyone has fled, he is the only one who stands by the First Prince's side until the end.

If this isn't true loyalty, then what is?

"This is the last chance to regain his entourage!"

Bellesac nodded, recalling Serral's words.

Astana looks a little different than usual, but he's just enjoying hunting.

Besides, stopping Astana in his current situation might not be the best idea.

Bellesac decided to stay put without saying anything.

It was then.

"Bellesac, bring the canteen." Astana ordered.

"Yes, here it is."

Bellesac quickly moved his body and handed him the canteen.

The container was almost completely emptied and light.

"Your Highness will win." Bellesac said as he smiled.

He said it, thinking Astana would be happy.

Bellesac didn't guess wrong.

Astana smirked and shook his head.

The blood of the monster, who had already soaked his head, permeated the smiling Astana's teeth.

"Right, Perez. Even that humble thing wouldn't have caught as many monsters as I did."

"I would have dried the seeds for the monsters around here." Astana giggled dangerously.

"Yes, I must be stronger than him."

"...yes?" Bellesac tilted his head.

Stronger than the Sword Master, the Second Prince?

"Look at the number of these monsters I slaughtered. He can never do this."

"But..."

"Noisy! I am stronger! If I run into him now, I'll kill him in one go!" Astana cried out like a dog.

"Gasp!" Bellesac shut up.

It was because Astana's sword, which was covered with hardened green blood, approached his neck.

"Y-yes! That's right! Your Highness is stronger!"

"Right? Right? You think so too, don't you?" Astana said with blank eyes.

"Yes, I have a good idea."

"A good..idea?"

At that moment, a bad feeling crossed Bellesac's head.

"I'm gonna kill that filthy half-blood. Let's go."

Astana suddenly began to advance.

He didn't even plan to take the body of the last monster he killed.

"I can kill him now. No one will know since we're in the woods."

Astana kept giggling to himself.

"Kill that lowly thing and it's over. It's all over."

The Emperor will no longer ignore me.

My mother would be proud of me for doing so well.

"Where is he? Red armor. Red armor." Astana recited like a spell.

In the dark forest, Astana's eyes can only see red.

"That's all." Astana laughed.

As he walked through the woods without hesitation, a small meadow suddenly appeared.

And on the other side, like magic, Perez suddenly appeared.

"Red armor."

It must have been Perez, seeing the Lombardi girl next to him.

Astana fixed his sword and started running blindly towards Perez.

"Your Highness!"

Bellesac was startled as he ran behind Astana while calling his name.

But Astana did not stop.

There was no better chance than now to kill Perez.

Astana continued running, staring only at Perez's unlucky face.

"Stop it!"

At that time, the people who he did not notice until now came into Astana's sight.

The Imperial Knights were guarding Perez's surroundings.

Astana was taken aback for a moment.

Why are the Imperial Knights guarding him?

This made Astana even more angrier.

Oh, you guys were making a wrong decision lining up behind that lowly thing.

"I'll kill you!" Astana shouted loudly.

Perez's surprised face was right in front of him.

Chaeng!

But Astana's sword flew far into the hands of the Imperial Knights.

"Gasp! Puff!"

That guy is right in front of him.

He's within his reach.

I couldn't give up here.

Then Bellesac came into Astana's eyes.

To be precise, it was the dagger tied on his waist that caught his attention.

"Die!"

Astana yelled and pulled Bellesac's dagger.

He swung it heavily towards Perez.

----------

A/N: Here's another chapter! I'll be uploading 2 more. Enjoy!