Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 57

EP.57 Is This the Main Story…?

Within the chapel located in the academy, a chase was unfolding.

“Let’s get married quickly! Marriage! Let’s get married!”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about all of a sudden!!”

“Marriage! Quickly, and then a baby! Let’s have a baby too!”

“What on earth! Get a grip! What are you doing right now!!”

Although the successor to the throne had been decided, and she had no particular desire for the throne,

Yurika was still a princess of the imperial family, not a collateral but a direct descendant.

Moreover, she was not a child of a concubine but the legitimate daughter of the Empress. She was not an illegitimate child.

Such a woman marrying not a grand duke but a mere baron, and not even the heir of that family, but an unranked individual?

It would be a disgrace to the imperial family’s authority. It would be a complete downfall.

Even if the other party was from Jonathan, it wouldn’t change anything.

In fact, if the other party was from Jonathan, there would be even more gossip.

‘What would the nobles say! They’d be thrilled to say that they sacrificed their daughter to submit to barbarians!’

The imperial family is the absolute authority of the empire. And an absolute authority must have no flaws.

Even a small flaw can become a huge crack over time, leading to leaks.

Of course, it wouldn’t collapse immediately. But it would certainly cause fractures.

And someday, those fractures could lead to the collapse of a massive dam.

That’s why all absolute authorities are so obsessed with ‘authority.’

Once damaged, it’s not easy to restore authority to its former level.

The quickest way is to shed ‘blood,’ but that could lead to the empire’s division.

Excessive bloodshed always leads to division and ultimately causes a split.

‘Would the Emperor allow this?! He’d shout that it’s madness!!’

Ironically, the Emperor was actually saying, ‘I approve of this marriage.’

Unfortunately, Kyle, unaware of this fact, was desperately trying to stop this insane princess.

“Stop! Halt!”

Kyle stood still with a table between him and Yurika, who was glaring at him fiercely from the other side.

“Princess, please get a hold of yourself. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? No, you shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask! You are a princess! And I am merely a son of a baron! I’m not even the heir!”

“So?”

“It’s not just ‘so’! In the entire history of the empire, there has never been a case where a legitimate daughter of the imperial family married into a baron family! Not even once, as far as I know!”

Tisha was practically a fixture in the academy’s library.

And spending time with her meant Kyle also spent a lot of time in the library.

He couldn’t always exercise with books, and learning about the empire wasn’t a bad thing.

So, he had taken the time to read history books whenever he could.

Of course, the fact that this knowledge was now useful in stopping a princess’s marriage proposal was absurd.

“Don’t worry. I can handle that.”

“There’s a limit to what you can handle!”

“His Majesty will look at it positively.”

“See, even His Majesty… What?”

Did I just hear something wrong? Kyle thought, staring at Yurika.

The princess then smiled confidently and said in a firm voice,

“His Majesty will look at our marriage positively.”

“…You’re not serious, are you?”

“Who knows? What do you think, Kyle Jonathan?”

Of course, the Emperor would be furious and… furious…

Suddenly, a sense of foreboding washed over Kyle.

Come to think of it, Yurika wasn’t the type to deceive or trick someone with lies.

Considering the aura he felt earlier and the level she displayed during their sparring… Pushing forward stubbornly was her style. Deception didn’t suit her.

If, by any chance, the Emperor really thought positively about this?

If he was aiming for something else, even at the cost of abandoning the imperial authority?

If that were the case, Yurika’s words could very well become reality.

“The Emperor’s will is above all else, Kyle Jonathan. You know that, right?”

“I do. I know.”

“Then stop running away and marry me. That’s all you need to do.”

Saying this, Yurika turned around and reached out her hand.

“What?!”

“The Saintess is here too. She’s recognized by the church and can perform all the duties of a priest. You know that, right? If a priest witnesses the marriage, you can become a couple even without a formal ceremony.”

“I know that too. But in reality, you still need to have a ceremony and submit the paperwork! This is really not right, Princess. Please stop!”

“Why do you keep resisting? Don’t you like me? I’m a princess. And I’m strong too.”

Yurika, looking puzzled, tried to grab Kyle again.

At that moment, the Saintess, struggling to push Yurika’s hand away, shouted, “Stop!”

“What are you doing, Princess! No matter how close we are, you must stop being rude to Brother Kyle! If you continue, I will no longer consider you my friend!!”

“…Hilde?”

“Don’t look at me like that! This is really not right! What is marriage? It’s a sacred ceremony where two people who love each other become one, blessed and supported by those around them! That’s why priests personally witness it and offer it to the gods!”

“But there are cases where that’s not true.”

“If you’re talking about political marriages, I understand. But even in those cases, the parties involved at least show some agreement to the marriage! This is completely different!!”

Kyle was quite surprised internally by the Saintess’s firm tone.

He had always thought she only spoke in a bright and cheerful voice, never losing her smile in any situation.

Having only seen the Saintess’s usual demeanor, Kyle always thought she would remain that way.

But now, she was completely different from her usual self.

She was so stern in her tone that she seemed like a different person wearing the Saintess’s mask.

“I…”

“Enough!”

The Saintess cut off Yurika’s words harshly and took a bold step forward.

She stood firmly in front of Kyle and pointed to the door.

“Please leave.”

“What…?”

“This is a chapel. A very important and sacred place where we offer prayers to the gods. Causing such a commotion here is unacceptable, even for a princess. You’ve crossed the line.”

Her command was so stern it was almost icy.

No matter how much of a princess Yurika was, this place belonged to the church.

The imperial family had recognized the church’s authority here due to its contributions.

Therefore, within the chapel, the Saintess’s orders held more weight.

“…Alright.”

Yurika didn’t seem intent on clashing sharply with the Saintess.

Though her expression still showed she didn’t understand what she had done wrong.

“Think it over and give me your answer again, Kyle Jonathan.”

“I said leave now!”

“Alright. I’m leaving now.”

With those words, the 5th Princess Yurika truly left the chapel.

“…”

“…”

Kyle and the Saintess, who were staring at the spot where Yurika had been, both sighed deeply at the same time.

====

***

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“So, you failed to persuade him?”

“It seems that way.”

“Not only that, but it appears the Empire has already caught on to our actions.”

At someone’s grave voice, sighs of frustration echoed around the room.

They had tried to proceed in secret, but it seemed everything had been discovered.

This made the likelihood of avoiding war very slim.

“What is the Empire’s current stance?”

“They haven’t taken any significant military action yet. But they will definitely make the first move. They have enough justification and are just waiting for the right moment.”

“…I see.”

The middle-aged man nodded and suddenly stood up.

“Given the situation, we will initiate action first.”

“What do you intend to do? Are you planning a surprise attack?”

“A surprise attack, indeed. But not a mediocre military strike. Something far more dangerous and far more effective! A strike that will shake the Empire from within!”

The middle-aged man raised his arm and gestured.

Immediately, a group of men and women appeared and headed towards a distant open space.

“The Empire has long looked down on us. And we have been pushed and pushed by their oppression, until we were finally driven to this narrow western edge. Now, the Empire seeks to take even this small piece of land, our last remaining refuge.”

– Clap! Clap! –

The people standing in the open space grabbed something with determined expressions.

They were magical devices, tools for controlling mana.

They had strange mana circuits that had never been seen in the Empire.

“The time has come to exact bloody revenge on those imperial bastards. Our alliance’s wrath is ready to strike them down in one blow! We will spread out across the Empire, bringing them pain! The places where the Emperor resides, where the nobles stay! And even their so-called places of learning! We will fill them all with blood and broken bodies!”

“Ooooooh!!”

“Pain to the Empire! Bloody revenge! We will show them our resolve!!”

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, two men roughly dragged someone forward.

It was a spy who had been secretly passing information to the Empire.

“Since they started this, we will rightfully…”

Someone stepped forward and attached one of the devices to the spy.

Moments later, the mana rapidly expanded, followed by a massive explosion.