Chapter 151

Honestly, the princess was still in a daze. It felt like she was wandering in a dream.

She barely regained her senses after seeing the blackened Dragon’s Sword and the dragon infused within it. She had to slap her own cheek to wake herself up. It had only been a few days since she last saw him, but now he was surrounded by people.

‘Wait, there’s actually no one here.’

Where on earth did he recruit that beastman Kisea? It’s almost impressive how untrustworthy she seems. If she didn’t have any skills, she’d have a hard time making a living as a mercenary.

The princess was so tired that she could afford to have such idle thoughts. She didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

She did nothing. She just stood still, and Edmund caused trouble. She just stood still, and everything crumbled on its own.

The saying that even standing still gets you halfway there was spot on. Now, the throne was within arm’s reach.

The other candidates weren’t even on the same level as her, let alone matching her reputation and fame. They weren’t talented enough to bridge the gap either.

When she wanted it so badly, it felt so far away.

At one point, she thought she’d never have a chance again.

But when it finally came to her, the princess felt nothing. She had no attachment to the throne anymore. This whole ordeal made her realize it even more clearly.

‘I… was aiming for something that was never mine from the beginning.’

What had the princess been doing from the start to the end of all this?

Training. Then she met Yanid and nearly died without accomplishing anything.

If she had intended to compete with Edmund as a candidate for the throne, she should have been rallying people on the frontlines instead of training in the Dragon Vein.

Her job was to gather those loyal to the empire, boost morale, and thwart Edmund’s ambitions as a force.

Was it the emperor’s job to swing a sword alone just because his mind was cluttered? Even her own father proved that wasn’t the case.

The emperor’s place was in politics, not wielding a sword. In the end, that position was never suited to her talents.

‘I was just born into the royal family, harbored fleeting desires, took the unnatural for granted, and walked a path that wasn’t mine.’

The reason she had so much time and leisure now was because the emperor had taken on all the state affairs that should have been partially her responsibility.

Today’s decisive battle was also largely prepared by the emperor. He hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep while planning all this.

Unlike now, where she had plenty of time to eat, sleep, and train, once she ascended the throne, no one would take over her duties.

If she stepped away from state affairs and left them to her subordinates, wouldn’t they realize their master had no interest in national matters? Were they pure enough to run the country selflessly?

The path of the emperor and the path of martial arts could never coexist. A person isn’t great enough to walk both paths.

One might manage both poorly. But to do either properly, a human’s capacity isn’t enough to delve deeply into even one.

This time, she again failed to choose and walked a path that was neither here nor there.

—

“Well, Your Highness’s level is so high that this old man doesn’t know what advice to give. Even if I do advise, take it with a grain of salt. If there are ten people, each has their own path. In the end, Your Highness must choose your own path.”

“But if I may share my thoughts, Your Highness is quite greedy. Trying to grasp both this and that will only lead to hesitation. Of course, the Dragon Form Technique is an all-purpose technique, and the sword is nearly all-purpose too. But can a person be all-purpose? You must let go of some things and specialize. A person can never have everything they desire.”

“And Your Highness’s combat, from my perspective, is nothing more than overpowering opponents with sheer magical strength. If you meet someone stronger, you’ll be easily subdued. Whether through real combat or study, you need to develop your own style.”

Leyman’s advice echoed in her mind. Especially the last piece of advice still lingered deep in her heart. How about now? Had she developed her own style?

Only after meeting Yanid and Oberta did she realize Leyman’s advice was spot on. Her current level wasn’t even achieved through her own strength.

Without the Phylogenetic Seedling and Firefly Meringue, she would still be just an expert. She wasn’t even a master by her own efforts, yet she had been secretly arrogant. She was no different from the Holy Knights in essence. Wielding power that wasn’t truly hers, she mistook it for her own.

Placing a hand on her chest, she wondered: Had she ever been truly sincere about the sword? Hadn’t she only seen it as a means to gain power?

Her inability to gain any advantage against Yanid was entirely her fault. Even if she was outmatched in strength, she could have overwhelmed her with skill and used Yanid’s strength against her.

When Oberta controlled that girl afterward, she might not have collapsed so miserably. She might have avoided relying on salt and doing nothing.

Her political skills were lacking, and her qualifications as an emperor were even more so.

Even her swordsmanship, which she was confident in, was shallow. That’s why Leyman’s words stung even more.

‘In the end…’

The image of the dead knight flashed through her mind. Even though she wasn’t particularly close to Karneil, her chest ached.

‘This time too, I couldn’t protect anything.’

Her benefactor returned with shattered eyes. It didn’t seem like she couldn’t see, as she looked around just fine. And she herself didn’t seem to care at all.

Though she was told not to worry, she couldn’t help but worry. Ardein couldn’t lift her eyes. She couldn’t face those broken eyes.

If she had followed Kyle to the Citadel… would those eyes have been intact? This thought kept haunting her.

At least her father was safe. And the empire was safe too. But was that because of her? Did she achieve that result through her own efforts?

It was the people loyal to the empire who protected it. She had no part in it. If holding Yanid back counted as a contribution, it was a shameful one at that.

“First… I should see my father. And bring this knight too.”

She avoided Kisea’s sparkling gaze and smiled bitterly. She couldn’t say anything. Compared to the greed she once had, Kisea’s was almost cute.

But she felt sorry.

The next emperor of the empire probably wouldn’t be her.

“So, how much credit will I get? A baron? A viscount? Or maybe…?”

She couldn’t bring herself to shatter this beautiful dream, so the princess remained silent. Facing such a materialistic person, even the lingering attachment she had vanished.

In Kyle’s eyes, she probably looked just like this, only slightly different. The thought alone made her face flush.

‘Father was right.’

The princess muttered to herself. Today, she finally let go of the lingering attachment she had held for so long.

The so-called dream of a superhuman army. She didn’t even need to go as far as the Primal Demon King Grimudo. How many such armies would it take to defeat Yanid from earlier?

When the level of strength surpasses a certain threshold, numbers can’t compensate for that power. She had seen and experienced it herself. Of course, a superhuman army would be a great asset in conquering other nations. But the empire was already vast enough.

In fact, it was so vast that even now, the regions weren’t properly controlled. Developing undeveloped areas and continuously creating wealth-producing capabilities were more important than acquiring more land.

“Weren’t you planning to go to the Eastern Plains? What do you need an imperial title for?”

Roka, with her arms crossed, asked while watching Kisea wag her tail beside the princess. Who was it that said wolves don’t wag their tails at humans?

She talked about her homeland, her clan, and being a wolf, but deep down, she seemed to want to settle in the capital. Kisea scratched her head and smiled awkwardly.

If she could just lift the petrification of her clan members, Kisea had no reason to fight fiercely with Epirna to reclaim the plains.

Whether Epirna wanted to become a god or not, Kisea could just let her be and build a big house in the empire to live comfortably. Honestly, the grasslands weren’t a desirable place to live.

Having seen the prosperity of the capital and the imperial palace, how could she go back to living there? Even if she tried to convince herself that her homeland was better, there were limits.

She liked the city. She had to admit humans had a knack for this kind of thing.

How much money would it take to move her entire clan to the capital? She didn’t know, but it would surely be a huge sum. Just securing living space for the entire clan would be a challenge. Land prices were no small matter.

And if the beastmen came to the capital, finding jobs wouldn’t be easy, so Kisea’s wallet would have to cover their living expenses for a while. Thinking about that, she needed to earn a lot now. The Ranga King, with a face of steel, whispered.

“Roka. Our bodies are our assets. We need to earn a lot while we’re young to have a comfortable retirement.”

Clearly, she was still young and didn’t understand the importance of money. Thinking so, the Ranga King nodded. Roka looked at her with a pitiful expression and thought to herself.

Maybe wolves aren’t as great a species as I thought.

‘If I get a title, maybe I can establish my own base in the empire…!’

And that was true. Individually, they might be strong, but as a species, the beastmen were truly a handful. It’s not for nothing that so many gods on the continent preached their doctrines to humans.

Money was one thing, but Kisea also craved power. Money could be earned by continuing mercenary work, but power wasn’t so easily obtained.

In the Ranga King’s eyes, the princess now seemed like an endless fountain of power. She had heard somewhere that the 1st Princess Ardein had returned with leprosy and had no loyal forces.

The wolf clan becomes fiercely sharp when they spot prey. She had marked Ardein as her prey. Not for flesh and blood, but for wealth and power.

Ardein noticed the intense gaze and turned her head, only to find Kisea staring at her with slightly bloodshot eyes. The princess felt inexplicably afraid…