The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

I lay on the floor gasping for breath, stroking my hair that had been scorched by lava.

“Damn, I really thought I was going to die.”

The place that had been a sea of lava just moments ago had transformed into a summer garden, just like when I first met Lisbeth.

“Yay~! Good job. You’re the first person I’ve met with such crazy talent!”

Her words made me want to lash out at her for a moment. But I took a deep breath and got up from the floor.

The world, having exhausted all its energy, slowly began to melt away.

“Ah, so this is as far as it goes. But I managed to cram in two lessons somehow, so you can learn the rest from Gavillet or another ‘me’.”

Just as Lisbeth created doppelgangers at the Rite of Fire, she created doppelgangers in various parts of the world for her ‘successor’.

The Lisbeth in front of me now was her second doppelganger.

Since the doppelgangers I may or may not meet in the future will be different Lisbeths from her, I sincerely bowed my head in greeting.

“I understand. Meeting you was truly fateful. Thank you.”

Lisbeth smiled at my gratitude.

“For me too, meeting you was nothing short of a miracle. It was a pleasure to meet you, my descendant. I wish you fair winds and following seas on your journey ahead.”

“I too hope for and will strive towards your, no, our goal being achieved.”

At my reply, she smiled brightly and tucked star-shaped sunglasses into my chest pocket, saying,

“The power of the slumbering spirits…”

At that moment, the world went dark.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a ceiling with pointy stalactites.

It felt like I had been unconscious for about half a day in subjective time.

But the senses newly awakened by Lisbeth’s spirit magic whispered that not much time had passed since starting the Rite of Fire.

Should I call it a sixth sense beyond the five senses? The flow of the air suggested that not much time had passed.

But what was Lisbeth trying to say at the end?

“Ugh, I’m going to suffer from muscle pain tomorrow.”

I must have really overdone it, as the feeling of exhaustion was no joke.

My whole body still felt hot from the heat, and I could see the ends of my hair singed and curly.

For a moment I shuddered at the thought that if I had died in my consciousness, I would have died in reality too, but still, I had gained a lot.

Not only had I made a contract with a new spirit, but just properly learning spirit magic was well worth risking my life for.

As I got up from the altar with my fatigued body, my eyes met Belt’s.

For a moment, I wondered if I had hit my head or eyes while in my consciousness, because of the scene unfolding before my eyes.

That’s because Belt was on his knees, bound, and had resigned himself to stretching out his neck.

Precia was holding the Seven Star Sword high, preparing to behead him.

Beside them, Silua was kneeling in penance, and Jade and Abasael were prostrating side by side on the bare ground.

Meanwhile, Archduke Adgale looked troubled, unable to do anything about the situation.

“What’s going on here? Is this a dream? Am I not back in reality?”

I muttered in sincere confusion, and Belt called out to me with tears in his eyes.

“Ma-Master!”

Precia looked at me with a worried expression.

“Young master! Are you alright? Are you hurt or is there anything wrong?!”

Precia’s touch was careful as she felt my body to check for any abnormalities.

“Phew, that’s a relief. Your hair is slightly singed but there doesn’t seem to be any major issues.”

“I told you. It’s not a big deal.”

At my words, the guys being punished flinched simultaneously.

…Ah, so Precia found out that this ritual was dangerous.

Seeing the four’s reactions, I understood what the scene unfolding before my eyes was about.

It seemed Precia, having learned that the Rite of Fire was a ritual that deceived dwarves and burned those with hostility to death, tried to kill Belt.

Jade and Abasael must have tried to stop her, but got caught knowing that it was dangerous.

So the two mages were prostrating, and she was ready to behead Belt immediately if I couldn’t get up?

“Did you know too, Young Master? That this ritual was dangerous.”

“What?! It was dangerous? Really?”

I skillfully acted as if I didn’t know.

A top-notch liar like me can even control my heart rate and pupil reactions.

“That’s a lie.”

But Precia saw through my lie immediately.

“L-Lie? There’s no way I would lie about something that risks my safety.”

“…This is a lie too.”

How did she know?

“I can hear you scheming from here, Young Master.”

This is bad. Precia was genuinely angry.

I slowly got on my knees under her murderous fighting spirit.

“I’m sorry.”

At times like this, it was wise to honestly confess and ask for forgiveness.

“Young Master.”

Anger colder than frostbite could be felt amidst her dry voice.

Perhaps because I had just been surfing on a lava tsunami, Precia’s anger felt even colder.

“I’m not asking for much, am I? Was it really that difficult of a request to ask you not to get involved in dangerous things?”

“No, actually it wasn’t that dangerous…”

“Am I that lacking? Is that why you didn’t tell me?”

Precia cut off my words and looked down at me kneeling with a murderous expression.

I unknowingly bowed my head. Cold sweat automatically formed.

“No. You’re more than enough, overflowing even.”

“Then do you not find me trustworthy?”

“How could that be!”

“Then! Even if you have to jump into danger!”

Precia got on one knee and looked at me with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

“…Even if you absolutely must, is it too much to ask that I take the lead?!”

“…No.”

“I am your knight and guard, Young Master, Prince. Even if I must fight a hundred enemies, even if I must break through a thousand. Even if death awaits at the end, I will gladly take up my sword. So… please don’t risk your life where my sword cannot reach.”

Sorrow could be felt in her voice.

I could understand her worrying like this too.

It was probably because she had spent more time with the young and fragile Yuan as the ‘prince’ rather than as ‘me’.

Just as Gilbert, Abasael, Silua, and Jade could only experience and thus trust ‘me’.

There was an inevitable worry she had from experiencing ‘me other than me’.

At some point, the murderous spirit Precia had been emitting had vanished like melting snow.

“I…”

Suddenly my vision swayed and blurred.

Perhaps it was because I had strained myself and endured the heat at the Rite of Fire, and then tensed up at her murderous spirit before relaxing, but heat suddenly rushed up from inside me.

“Ah, damn.”

“Prince! Are you alri…!”

As Precia’s surprised voice faded away, I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling. At some point I had been moved to the inn and laid on my bed.

Seriously, how many times have I fainted now?

No matter how I think about it, this body is too frail.

As I tried to sit up, I suddenly felt something hot rising up from inside me, and my vision swam dizzily.

“Lie down. It’s a cold from overwork and exhaustion.”

Jade poured lukewarm water into a cup and placed it on the bedside table.

“Shall I slowly feed it to you with magic?”

“No need, Rami.”

Rami levitated the lukewarm water in the cup and trickled it into my mouth.

Having the water enter made me feel like I would live.

I removed the heated wet towel and placed Rami on my forehead instead.

The plump and soft belly, either a hamster’s or squirrel’s, felt cool and pleasant.

As a water spirit, Lam immediately evaporated any water warmed by body heat, so it didn’t get hot.

This is why water cooling is the best.

“From what I heard from Precia, it’s more surprising that you haven’t collapsed until now, considering the journey you’ve had. It’s only natural for her to worry about Yuan.”

“Haha, but I’ve been getting quite a lot of rest. Ahem!”

My throat was hoarse, perhaps because of the cold.

“How long have I…”

I was about to ask how long I had been unconscious for, but then Silua came in from the living room of the suite.

“Yuan oppa! I was so scared!”

“Scared? It’s just a cold?”

At my question, Silua buried her face in my stomach and whined.

“Not that, it’s Precia unnie! When you collapsed, she went berserk!”

“Berserk what?”

Jade and Silua slightly froze at the sound of Precia’s voice coming from outside the room.

Precia entered the room with a gentle smile and said to the two,

“I’d like you to give us a moment alone.”

“Yes! Of course. Take your time talking!”

“I’ll go see Uncle Abasael and Gilbert oppa!”

The two quickly made way.

No, what happened while I was unconscious?

Precia sat next to me and checked my condition.

The short silence during the check was scary. But I’m a patient right now, so she won’t get angry, right?

“Young Master.”

“Huh? Uh-huh, go ahead.”

At my reaction, she smiled softly.

“First of all, to tell you what you might be curious about, it’s been about two days since you fainted. During that time, Archduke Adgale has been fulfilling his promise with the dwarf, and Sirs Gilbert, Abasael and I have been helping him as well.”

It seemed she had just returned from visiting Belt’s workshop.

I was worried, seeing how she looked ready to behead Belt at any moment like a ruffian or criminal, but I’m relieved.

Precia was probably helping as a peer-level comparison, Gilbert as a lower-level one.

Abasael would be lending a hand here and there out of interest in dwarf magic itself while extracting it.

“Assisting Archduke Adgale, I found many things to learn.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. Did you solve what you were agonizing over?”

At my question, Precia shook her head.

“No. But I think I found a small clue.”

“What is it?”

“The transcendent’s swords have something that my sword lacks. No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say that something is missing from my sword.”

It seemed similar, but there was quite a big difference.

The latter meant that she could fill it herself.

What she felt was missing from her own sword was probably her own mental image.

Every transcendent imbued their own mental image into their sword, each one transcending swordsmanship.

“I don’t know what that is yet.”

“It’s okay if you don’t know now. I’m sure you’ll be able to fill it soon, Precia.”

Come to think of it, by me not dying, Precia’s fate has changed quite significantly as well.

I don’t know if the mental image her sword will hold will be the same as in the novel or different, but personally I don’t think it’s bad.

The fact that she realized something was missing from her was already a step forward at least 2 years faster than the Precia in the novel.

“Thank you.”

Precia, who had been smiling at my encouragement, closed her eyes for a moment and then held my hand.

What? I have a bad feeling about this for some reason.

“So, I must ask. Will you still jump into danger even if there are risks, Young Master?”

“…I probably will. If that’s the path I need to take to survive.”

“I understand.”

Hearing my answer, Precia smiled brightly.

Her smile sent a chill down my spine for a moment.

My body froze as if I were a frog before a snake.

An ominous feeling I had never felt even before Demiurge and Bahamut washed over me.

“I understand your resolve well, Young Master.”

“What?”

“In that case, we both need to become strong enough to overcome any danger that comes our way. Both myself and you, my prince.”

Precia’s eyes blazed with a murderous madness as she got up from her seat.

“Are you… angry by any chance?”

“How could I be? I will draw up a special training schedule.”

“Precia? W-Wait a minute! I was wrong! Precia! I said I was wrong!”

My head was dizzy from the fever so I couldn’t stop Precia in the end.

Damn it, I’m doomed.