Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 342: Playhouse - Constable
341. Playhouse - Constable
“Haha, your face is full of complaints. What, is Eric not treating you well?”
“...Just sit down.”
Rev’s expression was filled with irritation. Lean smirked and perched on the sofa.
“Where’s Lena?”
“Dunno. She said she was going out but hasn’t come back yet. But don’t change the subject—seriously, sit tight.”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. You need to go to the Aisel Kingdom and join the war.”
Silence. Rev blinked in disbelief and asked again.
“...Me?”
“Yeah. Persuade or threaten Count Herman Forte—do whatever it takes to keep him on the battlefield as long as possible. You know how he’s always in a rush to end wars and return home.”
“I know. But why?”
“To make Astroth let his guard down.”
Lean’s eyes glinted as he spoke.
“While you keep Count Forte tied up on the battlefield, I’ll lure Marquis Benar Tatian out of Orville. In fact, I already have a meeting scheduled with him.”
“What?! Are you insane?”
Rev shouted in shock.
“You’re going to draw him out? You don’t know this, but Marquis Tatian isn’t just anyone—”
“I know. Marquis Tatian has been keeping tabs on Astroth, right? That’s exactly why I’m drawing him out—so Astroth will be entirely free of oversight without even a Swordmaster around.”
“But if you do that...”
“And what if I do?”
Lean asked with a sly grin, testing him. Rev couldn’t suppress his concern, even as he knew it might betray his confidence.
“What if Astroth descends? Stopping him is impossible.”
Rev shivered slightly at the memory.
The manifestation of Grand Duke Astroth—the sheer enormity and blasphemy of that “creature.”
Astroth had leapt over Toridom, one of the continent’s most fortified strongholds, in a single step. Even the brave Rera had trembled, unable to stand upright under the suffocating terror he exuded. Defeating him was as feasible as slicing the night sky to turn it into day.
This was why Rev believed they needed to stop Astroth before his descent—through an ambush or any means necessary.
“I knew you’d think that way.”
But Lean only smiled faintly, as if he had already anticipated this reaction.
“Don’t worry. Astroth cannot descend. He needs to capture me and my sister for that to happen. In over twenty loops, Astroth has only ever descended when he managed to capture us.”
“...Are you sure?”
“Almost.”
Lean shrugged carelessly.
“If I’m wrong, then in the next round, we’ll abandon this plan and stick to Minseo’s original strategy. But I think this risk is worth taking.”
Why? Rev leaned back in his chair, too tired to ask the question aloud, and prompted Lean with a look. Lean pointed to the bottom-left corner of the air.
“Because of this.”
There, in ominous red, was the cycle limit: [23/24].
He was pointing to something imprinted in Rev’s vision.
“We’ve wasted too many loops. What I mean is... for example, you can’t use Aura yet, right? Neither can I, because we didn’t complete the Beast Hunt achievement in the last cycle.”
“...Right. That’s why I need to catch the beast this time—to ensure the next cycle’s Leo can use Aura.”
“Exactly. But I’m out of luck when it comes to Aura. Even if I catch the beast now, the achievement won’t update. I’m not the ‘Player.’ Only Minseo has the privilege to view or update achievements.”
“Ah, so you’re saying you won’t be able to help defeat Astroth?”
“Not just that—listen. This is only one example. The problem doesn’t stop there.”
Lean fumbled with his neck and pulled out a "pretty necklace."
It was still broken.
“This necklace hasn’t been repaired. It’s just as shattered as it was when I broke it as a child. Do you know what that means? The memory of me breaking it may be old, but the reality is we’re one lifeline short.”
This necklace had once shielded them from Astroth’s attack. Rev instinctively touched the "repaired pretty necklace" he carried and understood.
“Ah... Everything is lacking, isn’t it? The Aura, the necklace, and even...”
“Even the ‘King’ achievement. It could remain two short depending on your actions this round.”
Rev understood now. He saw what Lean was worried about. They were running headfirst into the constraints of the loop.
Minseo’s plan had been clear:
The 22nd loop was to achieve the true ending and repair the necklace. The 23rd loop was to secure the ‘King’ achievement. The final 24th loop would select the strongest scenario where Lena and Leo are betrothed, to finally face Astroth.
Of course, because Astroth was so overwhelming, they planned to draw support from the other two scenarios as well.
In short, three versions of Leo and three versions of Lena were supposed to gather in Orville to confront Astroth.
But Lean had pinpointed an oversight in Minseo’s plan.
[Achievement: King 4/6]
[Achievement: Beast Hunt - ‘0’; faint mana resides in your body.]
As expected, not all Leos could use Aura, and they were short one necklace. The ‘King’ achievement would offer some advantage, but Lean couldn’t access it. If they failed to secure it this round, neither could Rev.
To Lean, this “Raising Lena” scenario felt like a trial assigned to them, and defeating Astroth was their final test. But the situation had become far too tangled.
They were heading to a final showdown with incomplete resources. The stakes were life and death—for Minseo, losing this fight meant permanent failure.
So Lean had to think.
“That’s why we have to trick Astroth. Since we can’t prepare any more, we need to weaken the enemy instead.”
Lean continued speaking.
“As I said earlier, Astroth can’t descend without me and Leriana. And if he can’t descend, he’s just like any other Ashin. If a saintess catches him, he won’t even leave bones behind.”
“Of course, the saintess isn’t planning to deal with Astroth... but Astroth doesn’t know that,” Lean added.
“Now then, Rev, what do you think Astroth would do if both Count Forte and Marquis Tatian vacated Orville?”
“Well, uh...”
“He wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip by, would he? No one watching him, no swordsmen lurking nearby? How would he feel?”
“Hmm... Excited? So excited that—oh!”
He’d try to gather more divine power.
An image flashed in Rev’s mind: the chamber of King Karoman de Tatalia.
The innermost sanctum, covered with densely inscribed crimson runes. Astroth had shut himself inside, concentrating his power.
It was similar to the altar Malhas had once drawn, though on a far grander scale. Malhas had created a massive altar targeting the capital of Barnaul.
Perhaps Astroth had retreated under the pressure of Marquis Tatian—not out of fear of the marquis, but because of the Cardinal, the Cross Church, and the saintess looming behind him.
Besides, Astroth was patient.
He had waited ten thousand years; what was a few decades in comparison? He could wait until the day his pact with Leonel was fulfilled.
“Exactly. Astroth likely wants to expand the altar he’s been carving into his chamber—especially with Count Forte and Marquis Tatian out of the way. That’s why he orchestrated the war using the princess, even dragging Toton Tatian into it... though he couldn’t have expected the marquis to kill his own son.”
“Killed him?”
“Yep. We’ve seen it before, haven’t we?”
“True. He’s dead now. Why didn’t you stop it? You could have, easily.”
Since it was autumn, the event was relatively recent. Lean avoided Rev’s gaze.
“...I had my reasons. Anyway, Astroth will pour his efforts into expanding the altar. He’s already made an investment, so half the divine power he’s gathered will be consumed. That’s when we’ll...”
“Because of Jenia?”
“...No.”
“Don’t lie.”
Rev could see it plainly: Lean’s fidgeting, his restlessness over not being able to meet Jenia.
He must have known that Jenia and Toton Tatian had once been set up for a meeting.
“What’s your plan, then? Even if you’ve eliminated the competition, how will you meet Jenia?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“Sure, let’s go with that. What about Gilbert Forte? He had a date with Jenia too—wait, he’s still alive?”
“What do you take me for? I didn’t kill Gilbert. I didn’t stop him from kissing the princess, but I did prevent him from being sent to the Cathedral. His path can’t overlap with Lena’s... so now he’s accompanying Aunt Isadora to the Aisel Kingdom.”
It seemed Gilbert had gone into exile with his mother. That, too, was effectively exile—but how had Lean managed to convince Prince Vivian? Surely the prince was furious after seeing Gilbert kiss the princess right before his eyes.
When Rev asked, Lean chuckled.
“You really don’t pay attention to who I am, do you? I’m a prince of this country. Vivian is my cousin. I warned him in advance that Princess Chloe might act strangely.”
“A prince, huh? You were just a beggar dripping in filth not too long ago. Congrats on your promotion.”
“...Do you want to join Ray in prison? I can arrange a room for you, with plenty of ‘dupe’ to keep you company.”
“Oh, right! Dupe!”
“Hmm?”
“Astroth and the dupe! Don’t you remember? When Astroth descended!”
Whssshhhh— Black moss had spread across the fortress under the crimson moon.
The “fear” woven into a condemned man’s shroud. The dupe had seemed to welcome Astroth’s descent, covering the world with spores. Those black spores had showered the manifested creature...
“Oh!”
Lean realized something too and bolted out of the room. Rev chased after him as Lean stormed into his chamber, rifling through his desk until he pulled out a bundle of documents.
“Found it. Karoman de Tatalia—no, Astroth—wanted to expand the prison. He claimed it was necessary because it was overcrowded.”
“And?”
“And Marquis Benar Tatian rejected the proposal. Count Forte didn’t seem keen on it either. But why? If it’s overcrowded, why not expand?”
“Why? I think I know.”
“What role did the Baron of Hopenheim hold before their house was wiped out?”
“Lictor of Orville. For generations. I was a bastard child, so I became an attendant at the royal palace instead.”
A beggar with a broken arm—Javad Hopenheim’s response.
Astroth had used Javad’s insolence toward Princess Chloe as an excuse to exterminate the House of Hopenheim. The position of Lictor—Orville’s constable—had remained vacant ever since.
That was sixteen years ago, not long after Karoman de Tatalia’s ascension to the throne.
Orville had quickly fallen into chaos, with thugs swarming every alley.
With the king mismanaging the kingdom, no one wanted to expand the prison. Rev spoke with disgust.
“So that’s why Orville is overrun with thugs and gangs. Astroth orchestrated it. The Ashin of ‘Fear’ wants Orville’s streets to stay chaotic. He’s using the thugs as fuel for the dupe.”
Rev now understood the purpose of the dense runes Astroth had carved into his chamber.
Astroth was drawing divine power from Orville’s chaos and the ancient black moss he had planted long ago. The war he instigated was just a convenient means to feed that power.
“What a bastard.”
Lean summed it up in one word, then sighed heavily.
“Then Astroth... is much stronger than I expected. Oriax had Eric feeding him offerings for eleven years. Astroth has been reigning for seventeen years, so I thought their powers would be roughly comparable. I’ll need to start cleaning out the prison immediately.”
With heavy steps, Lean left the room. Rev followed, offering comfort, but neither of them knew...
Boris Ainar, the naïve barbarian who had discovered the Bronze Chalice in the ruins of Vadobona, had done so sixty years ago.
.
!
Chapter 342: Playhouse - Constable
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