Chapter 45
The Young Prince
February 14, 2024
When the commander said he would go hunting with me, I found myself a little puzzled.
Looking around, all I could see were rocks and more rocks—was there really anything here worth hunting?
So, as I followed behind him, I cautiously asked:
“Would there even be animals to hunt on a rocky mountain like this?”
“Hunting game can be found anywhere. When I was young, I once climbed a mountain much like this, and even then, I managed to hunt and fill my belly.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. At the time, food was scarce, but fortunately I came across something edible. For example, if you turn over a rock like this—”
He broke off mid-sentence and flipped over a nearby boulder.
A large lizard, startled from its hiding place in the cracks, writhed frantically.
The commander swiftly snatched up the unlucky creature and held it out for me to see.
“There. Already a fresh ingredient.”
The thought of eating a freshly caught, wriggling lizard might horrify most young ladies.
But I had crossed the threshold between life and death too many times as a knight, and in order to survive I had eaten whatever I could find.
So instead of recoiling, I remarked calmly:
“That one looks nice and plump.”
“Once Karl purifies the venom, it’ll be ready to eat.”
“Yes. If we can find just five more, everyone should be able to eat their fill.”
And so, the two of us went about flipping over rocks, searching.
Each time we turned over a boulder large enough to hide something, we uncovered another lizard.
By the time I had dropped the fifth one into the sack, I was smiling with satisfaction.
“There are more than I expected. We could practically hold a lizard feast.”
“Indeed. I didn’t think we’d find this many either.”
“It’s remarkable. Hunting lizards never crossed my mind before. Did you often survive like this in the past?”
At my question, the commander sat down on a nearby rock and let out a heavy sigh.
“Yes. Back then, I didn’t have as firm a foundation as I do now. We lacked everything—food, supplies… even proper support from the imperial court.”
He must have been speaking of the time when the late emperor and empress had just passed away.
After their deaths, Crown Prince Ernant ascended the throne, and the second prince—the commander—departed for the Rifts.
Contrary to what many feared, no battle for the throne ever erupted.
The commander himself had renounced the throne, choosing instead to fight monsters.
And at that time, the Empire was in such dire straits that they needed every awakened warrior they could find.
Thus, he had surrendered his claim to the crown willingly—for the Empire’s sake.
Perhaps, back then, he still trusted Ernant.
Believing that since he had stepped aside first, Ernant would set aside jealousy and provide full support.
But Ernant had not.
Though he pretended to champion the Silver Knights, in truth all he offered his younger brother was cold disregard and mockery.
The commander’s voice lowered, heavy with memory.
“When I first entered the Rift at sixteen, I had nothing—no equipment, no food, not enough men. If you didn’t want to starve, you had to learn to eat whatever you could find. Lizards, worms… anything.”
“I apologize. My question must have stirred unpleasant memories.”
I bowed my head, but he shook his with ease.
“No need. In fact, I’m grateful Ernant was so harsh with me back then.”
“Grateful?”
“Yes. Because of those years, I learned how to survive on my own. I learned how to build my own foundation.”
He tied off the sack full of wriggling lizards and rose to his feet.
“Cursing the winter’s cold won’t change a thing. Better to spend that time stockpiling firewood and food, and wait for spring.”
“……You’re right.”
I thought then of him at sixteen.
A starving boy, clutching his empty stomach as he hunted monsters.
Enduring, and enduring still, while waiting for spring—for the Empire’s peace.
“Spring will come soon. Until then, I will fight by your side, Commander.”
My words, spoken from pity, drew a faint smile from him.
“Yes. It feels near already. The wind has softened.”
Clutching the sack of lizards tightly, I followed after him.
It was time to hold a lizard feast, and wait for the spring to come.
Deep beneath the Imperial Palace.
A hidden laboratory prepared for alchemists.
There, more monsters than ever were being fused, dismantled, and studied under the power of the alchemists’ abilities.
As always, Ernant watched the process with grave intensity, until a royal knight approached.
“The subject is ready.”
“Bring him in.”
At his command, soldiers dragged a man bound hand and foot into the laboratory, a sack pulled over his head.
“Where is this! Where have you taken me?!” the man shouted, thrashing wildly.
Ernant, irritated by the noise, extended a hand and whipped the sack off his head.
The prisoner blinked into the light, then froze when he saw Ernant’s face.
“Y-your Majesty the Emperor?”
“Yes. You recognize me, condemned man.”
The man flinched at the emperor’s icy gaze.
Ernant looked down on him with chilling indifference.
“Do you know why you were brought here instead of being hung at dawn, as you were meant to be?”
“I… I don’t, Your Majesty. I don’t even know where this place is…”
He looked around nervously.
Grotesque creatures writhed and howled inside iron cages. Nearby, black-robed alchemists scribbled furiously on their parchments.
Sentenced to death for robbery, the man had no idea why he was here—or what was about to happen.
Ernant deigned to explain, as though offering mercy.
“This is a laboratory. Here, we study and experiment with chimeric monsters.”
“L-laboratory?”
“Yes. I’m deeply interested in ways to use monsters more efficiently. Do you know what we’ve been researching lately?”
“…No, Your Majesty.”
At once, Ernant gestured to the alchemists.
One of them brought forward a giant worm-like monster preserved in a glass tank.
“This. Our current project.”
“A… a worm?!”
“Not just any worm. This is a chimera, created from a ‘parasitic monster.’”
As he stroked the squirming creature without a flicker of disgust, he continued:
“As the name suggests, parasitic monsters live inside human hosts. They make the host stronger, fiercer, more violent. Once they’ve consumed enough, they lay eggs inside the body and reproduce.”
“Aaaagh! Get it away! Please, Your Majesty, take it away!”
“We’re searching for a way to modify them so they can be used safely. Imagine—implanting a controlled parasite that grants immense strength, even awakens special abilities. Isn’t that magnificent?”
Ernant caressed the writhing monster as though it were precious.
“And we’ve already had some success. All that remains is to test whether it’s safe for humans. By now, I trust you understand why you were brought here.”
“W-wait! I’d rather hang! Please, give me the noose instead—!”
But the guards forced his jaws open.
Without hesitation, Ernant shoved the chimera into the prisoner’s gaping mouth.
The giant worm squirmed down his throat.
The man thrashed desperately, gagging, trying to vomit it back out. Then, suddenly, he fell still.
“…Did it work?”
Ernant muttered, just as the prisoner convulsed and spewed dark red blood from his mouth.
He shuddered violently, then collapsed in a heap. Motionless.
“He’s dead,” reported an alchemist, checking the pulse.
“Click.” Ernant clicked his tongue. “Another failure.”
Without a flicker of emotion, he turned away from the corpse.
He had no time to spare for the death of others. Only one thought weighed on his mind:
Why?
It was already proven that parasitic monsters granted strength and abilities when implanted.
He had solved the problem of their reproduction inside the body—yet as soon as he did, another problem arose.
Now, every single subject died the moment the altered monster was inserted.
His head throbbed with frustration.
Just then, an alchemist approached nervously.
“Your Majesty… Forgive me, but we’ve run out of test subjects.”
“If you mean criminals, that’s no problem. There are always plenty of them.”
“No, Your Majesty. Not subjects.”
The alchemist bowed his head lower.
“We’ve run out of monsters. We’ll need more.”
