Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 206

206―――――

I’m sorry.

I have a family emergency, so I must leave!

*Flap!*

Princess Vanessa looked quite disheveled and agitated, a sight no one had ever witnessed before.

Kim Yu-hyun and Rishikida, her close guards, exchanged confused glances.

“The Princess is acting strangely all of a sudden.”

“…That’s what I’m saying.”

The emotional state of the person they were guarding was a crucial factor.

They needed to understand the reason to prepare for any necessary actions. However, she had been behaving this way since returning from the commander’s union tent, where they hadn’t been present, leaving them completely in the dark.

“You two.”

Kim Yu-hyun and Rishikida turned simultaneously at the sound of the deep voice behind them.

Marquis Volko Redenen stood there, wearing his usual unchanging expression.

“I want you to arrange for the Princess to have some time alone for now.”

“Has something happened to the Princess?”

Marquis Volko paused, considering Rishikida’s question.

Rishikida was a promising knight from Nudia, both skilled and beautiful.

Initially, he had believed that the young Sion Clausen was making a mistake, simply captivated by her appearance.

Marquis Volko had been clearly displeased with the idea of him taking someone who had been a Nudian until recently all over the kingdom.

However, Marquis Volko had come to realize that Sion Clausen was not just a lucky kid or a flash in the pan.

He had proven himself in the battle against Nudia, at the Royal Castle, and in the Konean Fiefdom.

Again, in the Clausen Borderland, and in the North.

‘And finally, in the South.’

News had already arrived that the pirates in the South had been almost completely wiped out.

Along with the news that Prince Erader had sustained minor injuries, but nothing serious.

Marquis Volko had never imagined that Prince Erader would be able to conclude the pirate extermination, which had taken him several months previously, in just two months.

Clearly, this was Sion Clausen’s achievement; Prince Erader was merely a figurehead, while Sion had planned, executed, and finalized everything from start to finish.

‘He wasn’t a naive kid or someone who just got lucky and played an active role.

He truly is the best man in Hispania’s history that Lichten has produced.’

And he believed that there must be a specific reason why such a man had chosen this knight.

In fact, Rishikida had not made even the slightest mistake since becoming Princess Vanessa’s guard.

She acted as Princess Vanessa’s shadow and sword, and her demeanor was so cold that even Marquis Volko, when approaching Princess Vanessa, wondered if he would be stabbed to death.

Even though Nudia was her homeland, she didn’t even glance at the land or the people as she passed through it.

Rishikida’s eyes burned only with the determination to carry out the mission given by her master.

In the end, Marquis Volko recognized Rishikida as a knight and sword of Hispania.

“There was a backlash from the Holy Prussen side regarding the withdrawal.

However, Princess Vanessa was not at all shaken by that, as it was expected from the beginning.

But…

Hmm.

To be honest.”

“…”

“There was really nothing special.

Until Sion Clausen’s name came out of the mouth of a Nudian commander.”

“Excuse me?

Why Master all of a sudden…”

Marquis Volko chuckled briefly at Rishikida’s question.

The woman, usually as cold as ice, would transform into a woman filled with girlish emotions as soon as the two words ‘Sion’ were uttered, even blushing slightly.

It wasn’t just loyalty to her lord as a knight; there seemed to be something more between them as a man and a woman.

‘Well, that’s not something I need to worry about.’

Marquis Volko thought, and continued.

“He just made a really simple suggestion.

The Nudian side suggested that Princess Vanessa should return and instead bring Sion Clausen, who is currently the most famous commander in Hispania, as the commander.

I and the other nobles naturally thought that such a statement could be made, so we just let it pass, but suddenly Princess Vanessa made a very unpleasant expression.”

“…”

“And she stormed out of the conference tent without saying a word.”

Rishikida tilted her head, puzzled.

According to Marquis Volko, there was really no problem, so why did Princess Vanessa become so agitated and retreat to her tent?

“…”

Rishikida looked at Kim Yu-hyun, just in case.

The man who had been her teacher and guided her until now.

She was silently asking if he had any idea what was going on.

*Shake, shake—.*

Of course, Kim Yu-hyun was clueless when it came to women.

Naturally, Kim Yu-hyun shook his head vigorously as if he didn’t know anything, and Rishikida shrugged with a pitiful expression.

“Anyway, it’s best to wait around until the Princess’s mind calms down.”

“Understood, Marquis.”

“…Yes.”

Kim Yu-hyun gave a very concise answer, unlike Rishikida.

Marquis Volko stared at Kim Yu-hyun with the same scrutiny he had given Rishikida earlier.

At least he had ties to Raido at one time, and his only daughter, Lucia, had personally vouched for his identity, so he wasn’t as wary of him as he was of Rishikida, but it was still unsettling to have someone of unknown origin near the Princess.

Especially since he was a man, not a woman like Rishikida.

‘…Sion Clausen.

I’m tolerating this because of your handsome face.

Originally, only royal knights directly appointed by the royal family could serve as close guards, but the Princess insisted on having those two as guards, so I relented for now.

If there is a mistake, there will be no mercy then.’

Meanwhile, Princess Vanessa entered the tent and drank the water that was on the makeshift table.

She didn’t know why she kept reacting this way.

It had started right after talking to a woman named Ive Gie Restion from Nudia.

To be exact, the moment Sion Clausen’s name came out of her mouth, a fire suddenly flared up in her chest, and her composure crumbled.

‘Clearly, that woman had a look of affection for Sion Clausen.’

The other nobles, especially the men, wouldn’t understand or notice.

But as a woman, Princess Vanessa clearly saw and realized it.

That the woman in front of her harbored feelings for Sion Clausen.

That she wanted to meet him at least once someday.

‘Why on earth is a Nudian woman, even the only daughter of the Prime Minister, curious about Sion?

It’s like…’

It was as if she was showing a look that she was dying to know how much someone she had met once had grown.

Even though she had received an order from her father, King Edgar IV, she was feeling restless.

The entire order was to return to the kingdom immediately, specializing in magic, but there was a special code within that only the royal family could know.

‘That’s definitely a code that is sent when something is wrong with the body of the King or someone of equal status.’

Edgar IV was still taking care of state affairs, although he was weak.

Then the meaning of that code was only one.

That something big had happened to Prince Erader, who had gone to the South.

However, instead of the rumors or reports that he was seriously injured, the nobles only received news that he had joined forces with Sion Clausen to wipe out the pirates in a short period of time.

Of course, there was a part that he had suffered minor injuries and was currently recovering.

‘It’s not a minor injury.

This, this…’

It was announcing that a huge problem had occurred in the competition for the next King, to the extent that Prince Erader could no longer compete against Princess Vanessa herself.

So, Edgar IV gave the order as if he was trying to quickly call her in, take back all her power, and push her back.

Right now, the Holy Prussen and Nudia sides were also mistaken in thinking that they were appointing Prince Erader, who had made great contributions, as the next King, and calling in Princess Vanessa, who could disrupt the order by making contributions.

‘What on earth, what on earth is going on?

My father.

And my brother.

And…’

Sion Clausen.

Even though she knew she shouldn’t, the man with the magic charm and talent that does not allow comparison with others, whom she wanted to keep by her side and monopolize only for herself.

If he became the Queen’s consort, all of that would be tied up, and he would have to stay quiet like a dead mouse so as not to hinder the Queen’s reign, but even so, Princess Vanessa kept wanting Sion Clausen to be more than just her subject, but her own person.

‘…No, no.

Calm down, calm down and face reality.’

Sion Clausen is currently the heir to the Clausen Borderland.

Without him, the Clausen Borderland would have to re-establish a young child as the heir.

Naturally, there would be a weakness in the Clausen Borderland.

Is that all?

Until now, the monarchs of Hispania have not chosen spouses from powerful noble families but have only chosen from suitable places.

If the power of a great noble family becomes so great that even the royal family cannot handle it, then there will be no way to deal with it.

‘…If only I didn’t become King.’

It was a truly foolish thought, but it was also a truly appealing future.

If she left the Royal Castle, holding only the fact that she was the daughter of Edgar IV and giving up all the remaining rights of the royal family, she could be with Sion Clausen without any problems.

So, do I really want that?

Can I throw everything away—the position of Princess, the position of the next King, the position of Queen who will lead this country in the future—and just be by the side of a man as a woman?

‘…Nonsense.’

Princess Vanessa smiled and shook her head.

She knows herself better than anyone else.

Vanessa is a woman who wants to be King more than anyone else.

Until now, she had been trying to hide it and deny it.

Because there was Prince Erader, a brother with a strong justification as the eldest son.

Although his abilities and tendencies are less than hers, if bright subjects assist him, he will not be a tyrant, even if he cannot be a wise ruler.

‘The greatest punishment for refusing to participate in politics is to be ruled by someone inferior to you.’

At the very least, I hope that someone more outstanding than me will be my monarch.

But after hearing those words from Sion, Vanessa changed her mind.

She felt that she could not forgive herself if this country and its people suffered because of her wrong choice.

Since then, Princess Vanessa has been unknowingly fighting with Prince Erader over the throne.

Until now, she had stepped back and watched, but now she was boldly stepping forward and revealing her existence without regret.

‘Sion Clausen, I swore that I would work hard not to be ashamed as a King who has you as a subject.’

So, now was the time to prepare as a Queen rather than a woman.

Sion Clausen would also want and expect such a sight.

However, even though she comforted and pushed herself like that.

Princess Vanessa somehow couldn’t hide her feelings of resentment.

That’s why she felt even worse, and that’s why she wanted to return to the kingdom even more.

―

“It seems that Princess Vanessa will eventually decide to withdraw.”

“What are you going to do?

If Hispania withdraws, Nudia, which we have been working on, will also turn away, and if that happens, it will be difficult with Holy Prussen alone.”

A conversation taking place in a secret space, not in the expeditionary force’s camp.

The ones who were mainly talking were fairies, and the ones who were listening to the conversation were humans.

“There’s nothing we can do now.

It’s the last resort, but we have no choice.”

“Anyway, if we go a little further, it’s land full of demons.

Anyone could expect that an assassin came down there targeting the commander.”

“But can we harm Princess Vanessa?

After investigating, one of the close guards is a former high-ranking knight from Nudia, and the other is another skilled person who was active in the Royal Castle of Hispania last time.”

Unlike before, they seemed to have collected information about Rishikida and Kim Yu-hyun.

Therefore, it was an undeniable fact that they were strong people with first-class skills.

“…What are you going to do?

Descendant of the great light.”

At the words of a fairy, a woman who was standing in the center and listening to their words silently slowly opened her mouth.

“If we go a little further, we can establish light and justice in this land, but it’s truly foolish for those who say they’re going back now.

What can we do?

We must guide them to the right path.”

“If that’s the case…”

“I will take the lead myself.”

“Oooooh!”

At those words, the fairies and believers let out a low exclamation.

Thinking that the descendant of light, whom they believed in and followed so much, was taking the lead herself, even Princess Vanessa would forget about things like power and focus only on the holy war.

“I will visit that human woman myself tonight.

I will persuade her with words, and if not, I will have to give her a light punishment.

To guide foolish souls to the right path, that level of punishment is unavoidable.”

“That’s right!”

“We sincerely pray that you will give true teachings to those who take the teachings of light lightly and are wary of the believers!”

Listening to the words of the believers of light, the silver-haired woman slowly turned her body.

The pure white wings behind her fluttered, causing a light breeze around her.

*Kaga gag!―*

“…Sir Yu-hyun?”

While sharing a swordplay match again today, Rishikida noticed that Kim Yu-hyun’s sword had become considerably slower than usual.

Evidence that Kim Yu-hyun was thinking about something else while holding the sword.

It was a scene that was hard to see, so Rishikida expressed her doubts, and Kim Yu-hyun narrowed his eyes for a moment, let out a groan, and shook his head.

“Rishikida.”

“Yes, Sir Yu-hyun.”

“Let’s finish a little earlier than usual today.”

“Yes?”

As Rishikida blinked her eyes as if asking what that meant, Kim Yu-hyun wore a light smile.

“It seems like today’s match will be replaced with a real battle.”

The gazes watching this side had doubled since a while ago.

In addition, the number of those with subtle sharp energy suddenly increased.

Although Kim Yu-hyun was a zero when it came to noticing women.

Still, he was a master at feeling the energy that a fight was about to break out.

‘Please protect Princess Vanessa.’

A request from a man who didn’t seem like he would make a request.

Even more so, the content was a man’s request to protect a woman.

It was absurd, but Kim Yu-hyun didn’t feel too bad.

Because it meant that Sion now trusted him enough to make such a request to him.

‘I don’t know about anything else, but once I owe someone, I have to pay it back for sure.’

So, how should I catch and deal with them?

Kim Yu-hyun was having a happy dilemma for the first time in a while.

―――――――Author’s words―――――――

Run away…

Pigeon!

Run away, Forest!

Run!