ETHTKE chapter 47

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After Baek Yigang’s downfall, Piel became the Crown Prince, but instead of doing any work, he indulged in fulfilling his desires.

And it was Ian who cut him down without hesitation.

The fact that a mere third prince, the last in line for the throne, could achieve that… means he’s way stronger than me.

I have power, but that’s all I have.

Ian, on the other hand, doesn’t just have brute force—he uses people with it, divides situations appropriately, and achieves his goals.

See, not just anyone can be the protagonist.

Even in this recent incident, regardless of the outcome, the shadow only spoke because he was worried Ian’s influence might diminish.

After his words, the shadow retreated without another word.

He seemed to have gone off to reflect on his behavior, so he’s obedient, at least.

“Forgive me, Wizard. My subordinates have been in the east for so long that they’re slow to catch up on capital matters.”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

Even though Ian is a prince, it still felt strange to see someone of his status apologizing so easily.

It wasn’t surprising, though—this was Ian’s usual personality.

Anyway… I’d achieved my goal of absorbing divine power, so it was about time I left.

By now, my doppelganger’s effect would have worn off and disappeared.

Asel had probably realized by now that I’d vanished and was searching for me.

The shadows would be too.

Baek Yigang must also have noticed I was gone.

Honestly, I hadn’t planned on absorbing such a tiny amount of divine power.

Originally, I was going to drain it all at once and escape without looking back.

…But, because I ran into him face-to-face, I couldn’t do it.

Still, considering I ended up with the third prince, it’s not a bad result.

If we hadn’t met, I might have felt disappointed in my own abilities.

The problem is… even though nothing bad happened, since I didn’t drain it all in one go, I have no excuse to give Baek Yigang.

If I had drained it all, I could have used the divine power to cure an incurable disease and claimed I left for that reason, but now I can’t…

At that moment, someone arrived.

Though the door was open, the man stood at the threshold, not stepping inside.

“Your Highness, the speeches for the founding festival are over.”

Judging by his neat yet tired appearance, he must have been an aide.

“Well, it’s time to go greet His Majesty, then.”

Oh, so I don’t have to drink anymore?

Does that mean I’m no longer required to guzzle like a drinking machine every time Ian fills my glass?

Feeling relieved, I moved before I could stop myself.

Jumping up, I put down my empty glass with a radiant smile.

“I’ll be heading off now!”

I needed to get out of here before the alcohol hit me.

It wasn’t a strong drink, but if I kept knocking it back, it wouldn’t matter—alcohol is alcohol.

“Are you going to see His Highness?”

Ian looked up at me softly, asking a subtle question, not criticizing my potentially rude behavior in the slightest.

“Yes, well… something like that.”

I hadn’t planned on meeting Baek Yigang, but hearing Ian’s words, it seemed like I should.

Right now, Asel and the shadows were probably the ones most desperately searching for me, but the one controlling them was Baek Yigang…

“I’ll see you again soon.”

Ian smiled smoothly and downed his last drink.

There was no more alcohol left to drink. The table was already filled with five empty bottles.

If I’d had two of them, that meant that monstrous protagonist had drunk three by himself.

“Well then, I’ll be going first.”

Ian offered a simple farewell, and I nodded my head as I left the room.

It would have been polite to say something like “I enjoyed our conversation,” but I didn’t feel like it.

“Ugh.”

There’s no way I enjoyed that!

Sure, it was nice to be welcomed, but if the aide hadn’t interrupted, I’d probably be retching right now.

“Of course. Only a main character would have this kind of strength…”

Ian was a textbook protagonist, much like the ones I’d encountered in previous possessions.

Such characters have clear, upright goals, just like in the original story.

That makes them the perfect characters for granting wishes and bringing things to a neat conclusion.

If Ian had been the one I met instead of Baek Yigang, I would’ve received a dozen thank-you letters and already finished my possession.

But reality doesn’t work like a dream, so I have no choice but to deal with it.

I guess it’s time to head back…

“Huh?”

I hurried down the hallway, sensing multiple presences ahead.

Unfortunately, teleporting again was out of the question.

I had already used it twice, and it hadn’t even been half a day.

If I tried using it one more time, the alcohol would come right back up.

It wasn’t like I was being chased, so getting caught wasn’t a big deal.

But since I was coming from where the third prince was, that could be a problem.

Pressing myself against the wall, I cautiously peeked in the direction of the voices.

I saw the nearby guards.

Quite a lot of them, too.

Seeing them made me unconsciously tense up.

Why were they all gathered there?

Is something going on?

“Marriage alliance…”

I caught a faint whisper.

“Marriage?”

I had planned to ignore it, but that word was hard to overlook.

Lowering my breath and pressing closer to the wall, I listened more carefully.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince’s marriage should proceed quickly.”

“Yes, the marriage with the First Princess of the Arthe Empire will further solidify our standing.”

The words came clearly, striking my ears without hesitation.

From the sound of it, the Emperor and nobles were in a meeting.

It seemed there was a conference hall nearby.

Considering the palace’s size, it wasn’t surprising that there were multiple meeting halls, but it looked like I had stumbled upon an important one.

“The royal marriage, huh? Isn’t that a bit early?”

He’s obviously talking about Baek Yigang. But why is that plot point coming up already?

In the original story, this topic didn’t even surface until around chapter 50, and now they’re skipping ahead like this?

“If there’s a reason for the change…”

If I had to guess why the plot shifted, it’s probably because of me. No need to wonder about it, honestly.

In the original story, Baek Yigang falls into dark magic and the second prince, Piel, becomes the crown prince.

The signs of this were supposed to show before the foundation festival, and it should be happening around now.

But thanks to my help, Baek Yigang still holds the position of crown prince.

Anyway, the royal marriage was originally Piel’s issue, but now that Baek Yigang is still the crown prince…

The pressure for the royal marriage will inevitably fall on Baek Yigang.

As I continued to mull over these thoughts, the meeting went on.

“The officials of the Arthe Empire are currently here, aren’t they? We’ve always just talked about it, but now is the time to make things official.”

“I agree with the Count. Your Majesty, there must be a reason why the Arthe Empire has sent their elders and high-ranking officials. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.”

“With the Crown Prince and the Arthe Princess being of similar age, there shouldn’t be any opposition. For the future stability of the nation, this must proceed quickly.”

Amid the nobles pouring out their opinions like a machine gun, the Emperor remained silent.

It wasn’t an act of dismissal, but more of agreement.

“Stability of the nation, my foot.”

In truth, they were using the royal marriage as an excuse to swallow up the Arthe Empire.

Pendium had always wanted to expand its power, not being satisfied with just absorbing its vassal states.

As proof, didn’t Baek Yigang achieve multiple victories on the battlefield?

That’s also how Asel came to be known as the ‘Demon of War.’

They weren’t content with swallowing small neighboring countries, and now they were eyeing even the Arthe Empire.

Even though it was a meeting, no one openly voiced their true intentions, as if there was an unspoken agreement to keep it hidden.

Everyone knew, but nobody dared to speak it aloud. That’s how you lay the groundwork for war.

“Hm, we should take a different route.”

The fact that they were having such an urgent meeting in the midst of the foundation festival meant this was an immediate issue.

They didn’t want to miss the moment when the core powers of the Arthe Empire were present.

Turning away from the meeting, I headed straight to the Crown Prince’s palace.

There was no guarantee Baek Yigang would be there, but it was the most likely place.

Even if he wasn’t there, once I went, the shadows would surely report to him.

Perhaps even now, the shadows were watching me.

Unless I was extremely sensitive to magic, it was difficult to detect their presence, so I couldn’t be sure.

“Off we go.”

I muttered to the empty air and quickened my pace.

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