NOVEL NEXT Chapter 265
As Jeongjae returned to the frontline, news of Crown Prince Sherlock’s birth reached the northern front as well. As a Hero, Jeongjae managed the high-ranking nobles to prevent chaos on the frontlines and arranged a meeting with the Emperor. The first on the agenda was of course Alex and the main court nobles.
“Niece having a child, I thought I’d see it someday, but I didn’t expect it to be in a world without my brother…”
Upon hearing the news of Rose giving birth, Alex showed a reaction closer to relief than joy. Alex Caprice, a loyal subordinate and follower of Rose, seemed utterly uninterested in the issue of his rank being pushed from first to second in line to the throne. In fact, even during his time as first in line, very few took Alex seriously as a potential Crown Prince.
Rose was young, and Anton Caprice was still vigorous and alive. Moreover, she was the legendary Rose Caprice herself. Even the most rational and logical nobles sometimes fell into the illusion that the Emperor was as good as immortal. Until Rose’s lifespan ended, no one could kill her, and if Rose were to be murdered, it was widely acknowledged that the Empire would have already collapsed, making the question of raising a successor hardly worth consideration.
Until recently, this may have been true. However, Jeongjae, sensitive to the flow of mana, soon realized an important fact after meeting Rose in person. Rose was weakening. Despite remaining far stronger than ordinary people, she was not the same Rose who could fight evenly with Jeongjae and take down Jenis with one hand.
Seeing the serious decline in her protection, Jeongjae recognized that Rose today would likely struggle in a duel against Margaret. Nevertheless, Jeongjae still proposed her return to the battlefield.
Rose was undeniably an Empress. Yet, she sometimes revealed a brutish masculinity that came close to that of a cross-dressing man. In contrast to her sister-in-law Margaret, who maintained feminine delicacy even in the fiercest moments, Rose roared like a beast when war broke out and relished battling like no other. Ironically, it was her lover Walter and younger brother Alex who were more adept at displaying femininity. Jeongjae sometimes thought that the personalities of the two seemed to influence Rose, causing such contrasting effects.
Though it may sound strange, it could be seen that Rose, who lost her lover and gave birth to a child, was now comparable to a typical man suffering from impotence, or rather, castration. Feeling her lifelong shield of Iron Wall’s Protection fading, Rose must have experienced a profound loss of confidence.
Even now, Jeongjae caught hints of this sentiment in Rose’s softened demeanor. She was setting aside her identity as a warrior to establish herself as a mother and a woman. While this might be a positive change for her personally, Jeongjae selfishly thought it was somewhat premature for someone who needed to lead the war. He wanted to use every available talent. No matter how weak she had become, she was still Rose. Just her riding a horse and wielding a sword would undoubtedly lift the soldiers’ morale.
“Her eyes resemble Walter’s. The hair, however, is similar to yours, Your Highness.”
Jeongjae said this to comfort an Alex who seemed a bit down. Alex nodded in response.
“The red hair is a symbol of royalty. For some reason, just hearing that makes me think she will be a magnificent Crown Princess. I’ll have to help out actively as well.”
The child born from the two most extraordinary heroes in human history surely had to possess remarkable talent, or else it would be a problem. Jenis slowly walked towards them, nodding her head.
“With that lineage, she must be an extraordinary child. Blood doesn’t lie. You should head out now. His Majesty is surely looking forward to meeting you.”
“Then I shall take my leave. Please take care of the knights in the meantime.”
The party accompanying Alex included several knights mixed with some legion commanders. All of them were individuals who could be absent for a while without causing much trouble. As they watched the Crown Prince depart, Jenis spoke to Jeongjae.
“How did it go, Your Majesty?”
“It seems he still doesn’t like you.”
“Of course. But at this point, I no longer have any thoughts about him. I’ve decided to let go of my feeling of debt. In truth, there wasn’t much I could do anyway.”
Jenis spoke as if trying to convince herself with a lie. Jeongjae knew she would never fully shake off her strange guilt towards Rose.
“The Emperor’s heart has weakened.”
“That’s because his power has been waning.”
“Did you know?”
“Well, I could guess. Since the death of the Hellhound Commander, his heart has slowly been torn apart. It would be truly incomprehensible from a mana perspective if a child born from the breach of that weakened state didn’t shatter his protection. Hasn’t it completely disappeared?”
“Now that you mention it, I’m rather surprised that I still sensed the presence of the Iron Wall’s Protection from her.”
Hearing Jeongjae’s words, Jenis nodded her head. With a subdued voice, Jeongjae asked her.
“Are you perhaps taking advantage of that? The fact that Rose has grown weak. That she has become too weak both physically and mentally to treat you or me carelessly.”
“What do you see in me, Professor?”
Noticing the tremble in Jenis’s voice, Jeongjae was taken aback and looked down at her. Jenis, with slightly reddened eyes, wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
“No, don’t answer. I can tell just by hearing the way you speak lately. You don’t regard me as that same student anymore, do you? It’s my own doing. Thinking back on the steps I’ve taken, it makes sense. Yes, I’ve changed a lot. In such a short time, I’ve ruthlessly crushed enemies and callously ignored competitors. I’ve… changed a lot, haven’t I? To the point where it’s hard to believe I was the student you taught back then.”
“I don’t think you’ve fundamentally changed.”
Jeongjae answered sincerely. Jenis shook her head.
“No, I have fundamentally changed. When I was the Baron’s aide, you trusted me completely. The role I could play, the position beside the Baron…”
“I still trust you. At least in regard to your abilities…”
“Not abilities.”
Jenis’s voice sounded extremely cold.
“Professor, you’ve been worried about how ideologically separated we have become, haven’t you?”
Jeongjae fell momentarily silent, taken aback by Jenis’s direct hit. It was only natural. It was inevitable she noticed. She was the cleverest and most perceptive fox of them all. The fox that hid its claws. She couldn’t possibly miss the thoughts welling up in Jeongjae’s mind as he gazed at her. But why did the revelation of Jeongjae’s inner thoughts hit him so shockingly?
“I never thought someone like me could appeal to you, Professor. Yes, you needed someone to support you, not someone wanting to use you as a crutch, right? You must be struggling so much that a troublesome girl like me doesn’t catch your eye, does it? It wouldn’t make sense to take me as a companion, would it? I knew it as well. I knew from the start I wasn’t your match against the Fairy Lord!”
“Jenis, this isn’t about that…”
“The world can think whatever it wants about me. That’s an unavoidable issue.”
Jenis had always been like this. She rarely paid attention to how other students perceived her. It wasn’t that she had been bullied or stirred jealousy. But now, just as she was about to graduate with top-notch results at the end of her second year, she was the girl who followed Jeongjae’s lectures, where he focused on practical skills rather than theory.
In fact, she had fulfilled her graduation requirements during that period but delayed graduating because she wanted to take more of his classes. Who would envy such a person? Jealousy had to be based on some level of parity.
Thus, she even disregarded the top talents who were to lead the Magic Tower in the future. Naturally, since becoming a Great Sage, only a few uniquely talented wizards even garnered her attention. She, an ardent bloodline purist and innovative meritocrat, was the only one who, regardless of bloodline, began to care for only her human charm—Jeongjae.
“But you see, it’s true, despite the time that has passed since I graduated, and even since you were dismissed from your position, the reason I call you ‘Professor’ is because I want to remain that student in front of you. Not the rulers of the council contending for world hegemony, the King of the South, nor the three female lords of the alliance. Just that girl. The girl who still lives.”
“You certainly still…”
“It doesn’t make sense for you to doubt that student from those days, right? It would have been unimaginable back then to think your only apprentice would ever be fearful of opposing you, right?”
“Of course, but that doesn’t mean I see you as a different person now.”
“No, that’s important to me. The fact that you’ve begun to see me as a political threat. I have to accept what I brought upon myself—my own greed. Ultimately, overindulgence leads to discomfort; by trying to stuff too much into my stomach, I only have myself to blame. But, Professor, I can’t seem to spit out everything I’m doing. I feel like if I keep this up, I’ll choke, yet I can’t last without continuing to consume.”
Jeongjae realized once more that just as he needed Margaret, this girl needed him too. A tangled, complicated dependency. The Grand Mage, who saw himself as weak, wished for the fair Elf Lord to become his ethical standard, relying on her, and in turn, he loved her.
However, here was a girl who believed herself strong but was slowly crumbling from within, harboring a mindset to turn the world against her. To achieve her vengeance, she could set the Hero, the Emperor, and even Eramenia as enemies, but there was one man she could never bring herself to see as an enemy. The very thought of him potentially opposing her filled her with anxiety. To Jenis, Jeongjae was much like Margaret was to him.
“You’re making that expression, Professor.”
“What’s wrong with my expression?”
“That expression of trying to stand by me out of obligation. I’ve seen it a few times. I even liked that aspect of you. While you can’t suppress the turmoil in your heart, you still stand by me because you feel responsible when I plead. But it’s enough now. I’ll handle it all myself. Once I take care of it, you won’t need to struggle with unnecessary burdens anymore. I can guarantee it.”
After saying that, Jenis turned away from Jeongjae. Jeongjae swiftly reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Wait, I have one question.”
“Ask away.”
Jenis replied without looking back. Jeongjae continued.
“I stopped by the Magic Tower in the system. It seemed like Gwen and Geminia were up to something big. Is it your order? What are they planning that requires mobilizing the Magic Tower’s full power? Another HMS Victory? Or something beyond that?”
“That’s something I can’t say, Hero…”
Jenis turned to look at Jeongjae with a smile.
“It’s a military secret. As for the Operation Overlord beheading, no matter how much you might be, Professor, I still can’t reveal that to you.”
The smile hanging on the corners of her lips was fleetingly melancholic. Jeongjae didn’t ask further. He feared that asking more might only expose his mistrust of Jenis even more.