Chapter 9
The Trial of Royal Succession
“Prince, please forgive our rudeness.
This incident is entirely Lilith’s fault.
She will take full responsibility later, I assure you. For now, please calm yourself.
Allow me to speak on her behalf.”
The prince stared down at Lilith.
“Hmph! But don’t think I’ve forgiven you!”
Despite his words, the prince finally plopped down, acting as if he were granting a favor.
But Ai couldn’t understand why Lilith had to kneel and apologize like that.
No matter how many times she went over it, it was this so-called prince who had been rude from the beginning.
“Wait a second! Why is Lilith the one apologizing?!
That makes no sense! He’s the one who should say sorry!”
“Hmph! Don’t you get it? I am a prince!
People like you—commoners—should kneel before me! Your insolence is unforgivable! Step back!”
Who’s being insolent now?!
Ai’s face turned red with fury.
But Lilith gently stopped her.
“Please, let us keep calm.”
“B-but—”
Wow! Such long eyelashes! And he’s a boy?! I can’t compete!
Ai was caught in awe, staring dreamily at Lilith’s elegant face up close.
“I beg your pardon, um…”
“Oh, I’m Ai. That’s Yoko. And this one is Yoshii.”
“Hey! Who are you calling ‘this one’?! I’m not a thing!”
“Thank you for your kind introduction, Lady Ai.”
Lilith’s gentle and graceful manner clearly showed she had proper upbringing.
Certainly far more refined than this so-called prince.
Even from her movements back in the parking lot, it was clear she had undergone strict training.
Compared to her, the prince was super spoiled!
Can’t do a thing on his own! Totally pathetic!
This is one of those situations where someone ends up being a terrible boss because they never had a good mentor.
Sensing Lilith’s silent burden, Ai sighed.
Finally, everyone settled down in the small six-mat room, with Lilith at the center.
Lilith sat in a formal seiza pose on the tatami, back straight as if preparing a tea ceremony.
With a tense and beautiful expression, she received a silent nod from the old man, then turned to the others and began explaining succinctly.
“We come from another world. To illustrate with this book—this world is one page, and ours is the next. In other words, we come from a world adjacent to this one.”
“Hmm, what’s the name of your world?”
“Our world itself has no name.
However, just as your country is called Japan, our kingdom is known as the Kingdom of Atrana.
This year, Prince Kianarusa has reached the age of thirteen, which is the year of trial to determine if he is worthy of being the next king.”
“I’m the first prince, you know! Of course I’m going to succeed Father! No one else could possibly be fit!
As long as I have the Rarnablood, everyone acknowledges I’m the next king!”
The prince spat as he snapped at Lilith.
That mysterious stone, Rarnablood, was evidently a treasure of great importance to them.
But Lilith calmly replied to the overconfident prince:
“Your Highness, anyone who does not receive the blessing of all four dragons during this trial cannot become king.
There is precedent for this—you are aware of that, are you not?”
Whoa, that’s harsh!
The prince’s face turned red, then pale.
Deep down, he knew the trial was no joke—more like a major entrance exam.
Realizing that yelling at Lilith wouldn’t change anything, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.
“That’s why someone like you can’t be my retainer…”
“Please rest assured, Your Highness.
If I am ever unable to fulfill my duties, I will withdraw at once.
At the departure feast, the king and queen entrusted me with your life.
I swore an oath then—an oath I will never betray. Please believe in me.”
Aaaah! That’s so noble!
Ai and the others had never seen such a devoted servant-master bond before.
Even if he was a brat, a prince being served by a beautiful boy like Lilith made Ai and Yoko feel a tinge of envy.
“Now then, why did the stone leave your possession? There must have been a reason you left the prince in my care first, was there not?”
The old man asked the question he most wanted answered.
“Yes, actually… His Highness’s uncle, Duke Ragnberg, is after the stone.”
“Hmm, Ragnberg… Tired of ruling his backwater territory, and now aiming for the throne?
I’ve heard his son is quite capable. His ambition is understandable.”
Well, yeah—this prince isn’t exactly impressive.
“So what about Kawahara?”
“The sky turned pitch black, and a weird man riding a bird appeared out of nowhere—and then she was kidnapped!”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard Duke Ragnberg has hired many mercenaries.
Miss Kawahara was likely abducted by soldiers from Perses, who ride beast birds called Gurk.
The Perses are often colorblind and somewhat less intelligent. It’s possible they took the wrong person by mistake.”
Ai gasped and covered her mouth.
Among them, Kawahara had taken off her jacket, wearing a bright white shirt, while the others wore darker clothes.
“Hmm… So they opened an interdimensional gate.
If I recall, Ragnberg is allied with Greta Gala.”
“But why did they come here so suddenly?”
“If one has the power to open such a gate, it would be easy to observe us from the other side through a water mirror.”
“Ugh! You mean they’ve been watching us the whole time?!”
Creepy!
Does that other world have no sense of privacy?
Like being peeped on by a god—no thanks.
Seeing their discomfort, Lilith lowered her eyes apologetically.
“If only I had been more vigilant… I allowed a gap the enemy sorcerer could exploit. The fault is mine.”
“No, don’t blame yourself.”
The more they listened, the more they sighed.
Far from blaming Lilith, they felt sorry for her.
Unlike the prince, who was just along for the ride, the accompanying sorcerer had her hands full.
She had to keep strict rules, fight in a foreign world, protect a precious gem stolen by a meddling schoolgirl, and still take care of a selfish prince. It was a wonder she hadn’t collapsed already.
“The stone… was dropped.”
A sudden murmur came from Zarel, who had been silent all this time.
“Dropped? Where?! Who had it?!”
The old man was so shocked he raised his voice.
“Um… when we were attacked by Mord… I believe… it must’ve been in the park where we rested…”
That hesitant tone was unlike Lilith.
But it was clear who had dropped the stone.
Everyone turned to look at the prince, who was pretending to be clueless.
“W-well, it’s fine! I mean, we got it back from Mord, didn’t we?
Dropping it was an accident, okay? Nothing I could do!”
Seeing him bluff, it finally became clear why Lilith was so exhausted.
“I’m… speechless…”
“Hey, hey—these ‘dragons’ you keep talking about… are they like big monsters or something?”
Yoko asked, and Lilith looked hesitantly at the old man.
“No, in our world, we refer to the most powerful elemental spirits—the Spirit Kings—as ‘dragons’ out of awe and respect.
Long ago, there were many dragons, but now only four remain, governing earth, water, fire, and wind.”
“Wow… so there are fewer now?”
“Yes, that is—”
