TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 27
Sizelry Ephania.
The 1st Prince was ultimately killed by Sigrid, and just before she placed Arthur on the throne.
Sizelry hid the White Dragon Jade Seal, the symbol of imperial power, in an unknown location and then took her own life.
An ancient unwritten rule stated that no one could ascend to the throne without the White Dragon Jade Seal.
As a result, Sigrid and Arthur, unable to secure the White Dragon Jade Seal, failed to unify the Empire.
Though they managed to ascend to the throne in name, they were nothing more than hollow emperors.
They could never put an end to the internal strife within the Empire.
All because of a single incident orchestrated by Sizelry.
‘She’s trying to eliminate that obstacle in advance.’
Sizelry’s mind worked in ways that were entirely different from others.
Even renowned geniuses often found themselves conceding to her.
Thus, it was evident that Sigrid, even if she were to secure the White Dragon Jade Seal first, believed Sizelry would inevitably interfere in some way.
Sizelry would never allow Arthur to ascend to the throne without a fight.
‘She’s planning to use the Night Crow to kill Sizelry and then pin the blame on the 2nd Prince, claiming he held ties to the Night Crow, eliminating them both at once.’
Kraush felt all the puzzle pieces fall into place.
‘Not that I’m one to talk, given I killed my half-brother with my own hands.’
Still, it became clear how ruthless Sigrid was when it came to her family.
“What’s taking you so long to think it over?”
Crimson Garden, perched atop the Bandage Man’s head, tilted her head and asked.
Seeing this, Kraush let out a long sigh.
He roughly grasped the situation.
And he also understood why the Night Crow was participating in this Martial Arts Tournament.
The 2nd Prince must have wanted to spread rumors far and wide that he was affiliated with the Night Crow.
And the tournament was the perfect stage for such rumors.
He must be hoping that the Night Crow claims first place in this Martial Arts Tournament.
Completely unaware that it was all part of Sigrid’s scheme.
And Sigrid’s blade would cut down both Sizelry and the 2nd Prince simultaneously.
“Crim.”
“I told you not to call me that.”
As Crimson Garden immediately lunged with her beak, Kraush deftly dodged it.
“I need you to help me a bit more.”
“I’ve already gone so far as to train you as a disciple. Isn’t it shameless to ask for even more help now?”
“Shameless or not, this is directly tied to me getting stronger.”
He had figured out Sigrid’s objective.
Before entering Rahelrn Academy, she wanted to bring down both the 1st and 2nd Princes by any means necessary.
Only then could Arthur smoothly succeed the throne after the ailing Emperor’s death upon her Academy graduation.
Her ultimate goal was to place Arthur as Emperor of the Empire.
But Kraush had no intention of allowing Arthur to ascend to the throne.
‘Black Hood fundamentally creates a dial based on the target’s self-esteem.’
The higher the self-esteem, the sturdier the dial and the harder it is to open.
On the other hand, the more lacking the self-esteem, the looser the dial becomes.
That was only natural.
After all, to elevate the value of something you possess, you must first believe in your own worth.
‘That’s why I can’t let Sigrid achieve her goal.’
For the sake of what’s to come, he absolutely had to steal the skills she possessed.
Which meant he couldn’t let her rise to the throne.
‘And if that damned woman becomes Emperor, the Empire will almost certainly collapse.’
Though Sigrid was naturally talented with the sword, her intellect fell short of being fit for an Emperor.
It was evident from her rash decisions and her eagerness to place Arthur on the throne.
The fall of the Empire would inevitably lead to the overflow of World Erosion.
He was determined to prevent Sigrid from becoming Emperor at all costs.
“I need to ruin the plans of the one whose skills I want to steal.”
Crimson Garden clicked her tongue as she observed Kraush.
“Regressors always rely on their petty knowledge of the future to act.”
Though, regrettably, the real regressor was someone else entirely.
“Still, I’m the one who decided to help you. Fine. Just this once, I’ll lend you a hand.”
Fortunately, Crimson Garden readily agreed to help.
“What will you do about this guy?”
Crimson Garden tapped the Bandage Man with her beak as she asked, and Kraush turned away.
“Leave him. I don’t need him anymore.”
He had grasped the full picture.
No one knew Sigrid as well as Kraush did, meaning no one understood the situation better than him.
“Hmm, in that case, I might as well plant him as a pawn.”
With that, Crimson Garden stomped on the Bandage Man’s head.
Soon, a black star appeared through the gaps in the bandages.
“Go.”
At her command, the Bandage Man turned and walked away without hesitation.
“So, what’s your plan?”
After sending the Bandage Man off, Crimson Garden walked toward Kraush.
“It’s simple. I just have to find the Night Crow hiding in the finals.”
To do that, I’ll need to bait them out.
And as luck would have it, this is the perfect opportunity.
“Crim, I need to put that face of yours to good use.”
Let’s see who the real crow is in this gamble.
[* * *]
Sizelry was having a delightful day as usual.
Recently, her joy came thanks to one particular person.
A child from Starlon who knew her true identity.
Krad.
Every time he grew irritated at her impulsive antics, Sizelry found it utterly hilarious.
It was only natural.
Until now, her tomboyish pranks had only ever elicited awkward reactions from those around her.
After all, she was the Princess of the Empire.
The only person who dared to criticize her antics was her attendant, Sera.
On the other hand, whenever she hid her identity and played pranks, they were dismissed as mere mischief from an ordinary girl.
That’s why Krad fascinated Sizelry so much.
He clearly knew her true identity.
And yet, not once had he treated her as a Princess.
That alone was endlessly intriguing to her.
How could such a brazen individual even exist?
The occasional glint in his half-closed eyes made him appear far older than his 14 years.
In fact, Sizelry was convinced he was hiding his real age.
And that made him all the more interesting to her.
It was as if his old-man-like demeanor mirrored her own.
Sizelry even concluded that he was disguising his outward appearance.
Though she didn’t know how, his disguise was oddly convincing, but her keen observational skills saw through it.
His name was undoubtedly an alias as well.
But it didn’t matter.
She had noticed that his only interest lay in the Martial Arts Tournament.
“Do you fancy that boy so much?”
Sera asked a question to Sizelry, who was looking out the window.
Upon hearing the question, Sizelry smirked.
“Are you asking if I’m interested in him romantically?”
“Even the 4th Princess can be attracted to a man her age.”
Sizelry touched her chin.
“Biologically speaking, it’s natural for men and women to be attracted to each other. It’s also true that hormones are at their peak at this age for the sake of species reproduction. Especially since my body is weak, I might even be desperate to leave behind offspring.”
“Don’t beat around the bush.”
“I’m not particularly interested in that sort of thing. Even if he were of the same sex, my reaction would be the same.”
Sizelry asserted.
“I am Sizelry Ephania, the 4th Princess of the Empire. Even if I felt that way, it’s something I shouldn’t indulge in.”
Sizelry said this and slowly smiled.
“That’s what being the 4th Princess means.”
Looking at Sizelry like that, Sera felt a sense of regret.
To her, being a princess was nothing but a shackle.
What good is having a brilliant mind?
God had given her a weak body and the position of the 4th Princess.
She had no way to live her life other than as a tomboy forever.
Or perhaps, there might be a way.
But the moment she chose that way, Sizelry would have to use her intellect to harm everyone around her.
She didn’t want that, so she remained in her place, living like a tomboy.
“Oh, you’re here.”
At that moment, Sizelry spotted Kraush walking in from outside.
“You did great in the preliminaries, didn’t you? Let’s go shower you with some praise.”
With an excited expression, Sizelry headed downstairs to the first floor.
Sera naturally concealed herself while watching her.
Sizelry, who had run down the stairs, stopped abruptly in front of the door.
Her intention was to tease Kraush the moment he entered.
And just as the door creaked open.
Sizelry’s mouth suddenly stopped.
Because she read a different emotion in Kraush’s face as he looked at her.
“What is it?”
Perhaps that’s why her usual tone slipped out.
“Why are you suddenly looking at me with that expression?”
Sizelry asked.
It was, of course, a natural thing.
Because pity suddenly appeared in the eyes of Kraush, who had been irritable since morning.
That emotion was something often seen in Sera, not something he should have.
Honestly, it felt unpleasant.
Although she was curious about how he knew about her, she wasn’t in a position to be pitied by him.
“Just.”
Saying so, Kraush walked inside.
“I just thought you lead a rather tragic life.”
And the following words made Sizelry’s eyes follow him.
“What happened?”
“Protect your body. Just remember that.”
After leaving those cryptic words, he went inside, leaving Sizelry standing there blankly.
“Sera.”
“Yes.”
Then, at her call, Sera immediately appeared.
Sizelry’s eyes were calmer than ever.
It was a look she often showed when fulfilling her duty as a princess, so Sera immediately bowed.
“You are the one who brings me information from the Royal Family.”
Saying so, she turned to Sera.
“Are you truly trustworthy?”
No matter how brilliant her mind was, Sizelry could only gather information through her ears.
She was not free within the Royal Family.
So, she had been understanding the Royal Family’s affairs through the stories she heard from Sera, and upon her question, Sera bowed her head.
“I will check again.”
“Please do.”
Saying so, Sizelry looked again at the room Kraush had entered.
Indeed, where and what information did that boy come for?
Could he see things that she couldn’t?
She didn’t know well, but this Martial Arts Tournament.
It might cause quite a stir.
* * *
On the day the preliminaries of the Martial Arts Tournament ended and the finals approached.
On that day, a strange rumor was circulating.
It was none other than the news that the mysterious Night Crow had participated in the Boys’ Division of the Martial Arts Tournament.
Those who heard the news showed interest.
Night Crow was always a topic that piqued people’s curiosity at least once.
People enjoyed inflating stories about secretive groups.
Perhaps because of that, the spectators who came to watch the finals were very curious about the rumors of the veiled Night Crow.
They wondered if the rumors were true.
So, the finals proceeded.
Despite the crowd gathered for the Boys’ Division, the finals fell short of people’s expectations.
No matter how skilled they were, they were still under 15 years old.
The reality was that the level of children was far below that of adults.
Even though they made it to the finals, there were many flaws and frequent mistakes.
It might have been entertaining to some, but for most, it was less exciting than the adult division.
Just as people were starting to think that the Night Crow was just a rumor after all.
“32nd round participant, Krad!”
A boy walked out.
The first thing that caught the eye was the crow on his shoulder.
Upon seeing the crow, people naturally thought of the Night Crow.
Because the crow was the symbol of the Night Crow.
Moreover, the boy’s appearance also evoked a mysterious atmosphere.
His all-black attire gave off the impression of someone from the darker side of the Empire.
Especially his narrowed eyes made it impossible to read his intentions, further fueling suspicion.
“Is it real?”
“It seems real.”
“Look at that scheming face. It’s definitely him.”
The spectators’ thoughts aligned in an instant.
That’s the kid.
That kid is the Night Crow!
“32nd round participant, Gardar!”
When everyone’s attention was focused.
His opponent walked out.
He, with a well-trained body, was glaring at Kraush while holding a greatsword.
“Crow, are you the famous Night Crow?”
Upon hearing Gardar’s question, Kraush only shrugged his shoulders.
Neither denying nor affirming.
That meaningful attitude only deepened the suspicion about his true nature.