The Seventh Prince Runs Away from Awkward Situations Chapter 76

Dito’s gaze did not fall from the afterimage of his flame that was devoured powerlessly.

Eventually, turning his head towards Ratel, his expression was hardened coldly without even a trace of ridicule.

“You, answer properly without dodging this time. What is your identity? Why did you suddenly appear?”

“No need to know my identity, and the purpose is one.”

As Ratel raised his finger in the air, a lump of light the size of a fingernail was created.

It floated up and slowly approached Dito.

The drop of light vanished like a candle blowing out right in front of his eyes.

“To take everything from you.”

Ratel was grinning.

***

“To take everything from you.”

Thanks to the silence that came after his appearance, Ratel’s arrogant and unlucky voice could properly reach the door where the children ran out, crossing the room.

Furthermore, even behind the fragments of the broken statue where El and I were hiding.

It was Ratel.

The protagonist of the novel [Dark Header].

Knowing every nook and cranny of the guy’s life described in the book but seeing his face directly for the first time like this, it was truly ironic.

It’s a natural story, but he looked exactly like the description in the book.

No, does he look a bit older than I imagined?

Whether it was because he was tall or because he had no expression, even though he was one year younger than the 7th Prince, it seemed there wouldn't be much age difference with me from modern times.

“I know. Is it that child? Is that child the protagonist of the prophecy?”

Thanks to the excited fist pumping of El, who transformed into a squirrel like me and was guarding my side, my impression of the protagonist concluded with ‘looks old for his age’.

At the voice excited with expectation, I nodded.

The squirrel’s furry face brightened.

“As expected! His spirit is definitely different from you who are always murky and lack motivation!”

He talked a lot for someone who followed a guy with no spirit for months thinking he was the protagonist.

Thanks to this bastard not catching the Little Duke properly, I had to call Duke Piteos all the way here in a very ungentlemanly manner.

I also sweated a bit pushing Duke Piteos, who followed the squirrel wearing the Little Duke’s ring around its neck knowing nothing, into the secret passage.

By now, would Priest Anna have noticed that the Little Duke’s gold ring she kept preciously in her bosom had disappeared?

The ring of the Piteos Ducal family, which exhausted its power in luring him out, returned to its returned owner.

Anyway, thinking about how I sweated fearing I might be late, I should have grabbed this irresponsible squirrel by the collar and shaken him, but I held back.

It was goodbye now.

Getting out of here was a priority over holding the guy accountable.

I captured the three facing the final battle in my eyes for the last time and turned my body.

Since the stairs were too high for a small squirrel to go down quickly, I, having returned to human form, moved my steps diligently.

“Where are you going?”

El’s flustered voice pierced the back of my head, and I heard the sound of the guy chasing me to the front of the stairs.

“Is it okay for you to chase me now? The conclusion will come soon.”

At my words, El turned his head towards Ratel and Dito.

A sign of conflict appeared on the guy’s face.

I didn’t know the reason, but he was a guy who wanted to help with Ratel’s work enough to throw away even his life.

It was plainly visible that he wished I would help even a little longer.

But I had no intention of watching what the guy did obediently anymore.

Getting hit in the back of the head once was enough.

Ratel wouldn't need my help anymore beyond this either.

Because everything was rolling more favorably for the guy than the situation in the original work.

Since Rasia Abalan didn’t die, Dito couldn’t grow his power as much as in the original work, and Duke Piteos, who was a war potential, was standing in a better state than in the original work.

Although it was embarrassing to say he was healthy, compared to the original work where one leg was cut off and he almost lost sight in one eye, he could be called fine.

Elements for the guy to die here were not visible anywhere.

The clumsily pieced-together original work would flow smoothly starting from today.

The guy will destroy Dito’s raw stone, grasp victory or at least a draw, and leave on an adventure.

The servants working at the 7th Prince’s castle all know that I followed the other Imperial Family members to the temple.

There would be no better excuse than the powerless 7th Prince getting swept up in the commotion and losing his life.

Furthermore, there was no perfect opportunity to escape like this moment when it was certain that Ratel was holding Dito’s feet.

“From tomorrow, I will become a dead person. There is nothing good about getting involved with Ratel anymore.”

“You pretended to help until now, but do you not care what happens to the owner of the prophecy?”

“This isn’t pretending to help, it’s already helping a lot.”

As I moved my steps as if really leaving, the guy looked at the confrontation between Ratel and Dito with an anxious look.

He must be nervous that the child of prophecy he finally found might get hurt.

“Don’t worry. The guy won’t die in this fight.”

At my words, the guy’s face changed subtly.

“How are you so sure about that?”

It is decided so.

Instead of answering the question, I changed the topic.

“You’d better be careful. If those two fight, the surroundings won’t remain intact.”

The guy laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“Enough. How long do you think I have waited for this moment? From now on, I won’t separate from the guy even for a moment.”

Then it’s goodbye here.

El turned his body completely away as if he wouldn’t stop me trying to leave anymore.

“The guy’s name is Ratel Loera. Not ‘that guy’ or ‘protagonist of prophecy’.”

Leaving the last words to say, I also left the spot without lingering attachment.

The stairs going down were long.

***

I couldn’t return to the Imperial Palace immediately.

I still had the mission remaining to guide the children trembling in fear under the stairs to the outside.

When I appeared in the form of a wild dog to take the guy called Seya and the guy who hurt his leg, the guys who had eaten fear whole quickly relaxed their guard.

As I repeated the act of pointing to my back and biting and pulling the Little Duke’s clothes, the guy obediently put the children on my back and followed me, and it was the same for the other children too.

Why do young children mostly like dogs?

The guy called Mir couldn’t erase the light of suspicion from his face until the sudden appearance of a wild dog, but he saved his words at the Little Duke’s persuasion that it would be helpful since dogs smell well.

He couldn't ignore the desperation of the child whose father was risking his life above.

This was the last conscience and responsibility.

For using the guys’ lives as bait to gather Duke Piteos and Ratel in one place.

Guiding them to the path Duke Piteos entered, that is, the path the Little Duke was captured and brought through, the basement of the distribution center that was stopped mid-construction appeared.

I saw Mir, Seya, and the Little Duke talking to each other, but I didn’t listen closely.

What happened after this was no longer my business to be involved in.

Finally, dropping the Little Duke in front of the Ducal mansion, everything really ended.

I heard the sound of the Little Duke shouting thank you, but I didn’t look back.

From behind, the sound of short legs running hard was heard.

He must be going to find Jack or Tollin.

To save his father.

Since the story was all connected, that guy’s life would branch out again becoming a side branch.

As I transformed into the most familiar crow and flew up, the capital covered in darkness was visible at a glance.

No particular sentiment was felt.

It was clear there was no time to become attached.

Most of the memories were monitored here and there while being tense rather than sightseeing, so there was no way emotions worth falling into sentiment remained.

Still, I captured every nook and cranny of the capital in my eyes.

The land of transformation and stagnation that I would probably never return to in my life if I couldn’t escape from this world.

***

“Lord Rasia Abalan has passed away!”

The scream and astonishment ringing through the Imperial Palace announced the derailment of the story that started again.

***

The entire Imperial Castle boiled with chaos at Rasia Abalan’s death.

It was no different for the 7th Prince’s castle.

No, in the castle where even the 7th Prince was absent, there was no one to manage the servants, so the chaos seemed to double.

Everyone, not knowing what to do at the sudden death of an Imperial Family member, came out to the hallway and buzzed all at once.

It was the same for Anna, but still, for a surprisingly calm response, the child shouted diligently towards those gathered in the hallway.

“Everyone, please calm down a little! We have to wait until the Prince returns!”

But the voice was buried in the buzzing sound, and those who heard it also had no intention of listening to a young child’s words.

Judging that it wouldn’t work anymore, Anna slipped out of the crowd of people and headed to the medical office where the 7th Prince’s attending physician stayed.

Sein had let go of work a long time ago, and it seemed people would listen a little if it was words from him, who was old.

The moonlight coming down through the window of the hallway illuminated Anna’s path.

It was the moment Anna, who moved her feet diligently, took a step onto the stairs going down.

The hallway became dark as if the moonlight illuminating the path along with the candle was blocked.

Startled by the sudden change, Anna raised her head and looked at the window to check the identity of whatever blocked the light.

“Kyaaaaaak!!!”

Discovering a human figure stepping onto the window sill, Anna screamed before she could even check its owner.

Soon, the person who grabbed the arm of Anna, who almost personally expressed what it meant to fall backward in surprise, was gasping for breath.

“Is it true that the 1st Prince died?”

At the familiar voice, Anna lifted her eyelids that she had squeezed shut in preparation for the shock.

It was Ran Abalan.

“I asked if it is true that Rasia Abalan died.”

Gasping for rough breath, he asked again.

***

“I asked if it is true that Rasia Abalan died.”

Only after I asked for the second time did Anna come to her senses and nod quickly.

“How did he die? Was he murdered?”

Even though it was just a question, perhaps the content that an Imperial Family member was murdered was shocking, Anna shook her head violently.

“No, it is out of the question. They say he had symptoms of illness. They said when the servants entered, the bed was full of blood.”

Unless the neck is cut so it cannot be reattached or the heart is completely burst, an Imperial Family member does not die.

There is no poison in this world that can kill an Imperial Family member.

Since it’s neither, did they conclude it was death by illness?

I left Anna in the room and set out.

Surely they must have been treating him so his death wouldn’t be too early in the meantime.

Why did he die suddenly?

No, when did he die?

The 7th Prince’s palace was too far from the main palace.

***

Entering the banquet hall where they gather for a banquet once a month, the Imperial Family members gathered urgently, unable to hide their confusion.

The number was significantly smaller than when gathering for a ritual.

They must have called only the guys who could gather immediately.

Despite it being the death of the 1st Prince who was the most likely Crown Prince, handling things so urgently and poorly like this must be because his death wasn’t fitting for a descendant of God.

A sudden death far short of his lifespan.

And precursor symptoms of pouring nosebleeds and hemoptysis.

Because that took the form of an ordinary death, death by illness, which hadn’t been seen in the Imperial Family members of past generations.

The ripples brought by that strange death were spreading quickly in the wide hall.

At least for this moment, my black hair couldn’t become a particular topic among them.

I quietly looked at the seat of honor from my seat.

The seat of the dead Rasia and the seat of Dito, who would be fighting desperately with Ratel by now, were empty.

The whispering sounds subsided.

I saw the Emperor appearing through the front door.

Six attendants holding a golden coffin followed behind him who was expressionless.

Everyone knew what was inside it, but no one spoke of it rashly.

If only the 1st Prince’s seat, which was always filled, wasn’t empty, one would believe it even if they said what was inside was food for the banquet.

The Emperor did not look around the hall.

“Take it out.”

At his cold voice, the attendants showed a sign of hesitation for a moment, then carefully put their hands inside the coffin.

With careful movements as if scooping flowing water with hands, they took out the contents inside the coffin.

The pale corpse of Rasia revealed itself.

It was placed carefully on the Prasa.

Rasia, laying his head on the end of the triangle, looked clean as if they wiped all the vomited blood.

Unlike the original work where he collapsed on top of it covered in blood.

As the corpse found its place, the Emperor placed his hand on the Prasa.

At that sight, a little curiosity and excitement bloomed little by little among the Imperial Family members.

That was similar to the sentiment of having a precious spectacle in front of one’s eyes.

Soon, the Emperor infused power into it just like he did in the ritual.

A beautiful beam of light extended quickly over the center of the table to the lowest seat where I was.

That was the end.

The Emperor’s Manis faded slowly, no different from usual.

And, buzzing sounds burst out from everywhere.

Their voices mixed with confusion and contempt filled the venue.

It was natural.

[The banquet hall was covered in chaos in an instant. The quiet space was filled with whispering sounds. Someone’s muttering rang out exceptionally loud. “Manis didn’t come out.” With that as the end, the funeral ritual was finished. To them scattering in all directions, the Emperor did not give any explanation. “Burn him right now and finish the funeral.” That was the last gift the Emperor gave to his first son.]

It was the same as the original work.

It was already stolen.

That was a corpse left after all power was sucked out.

There was no way there would be any remaining Manis.