Chapter 56: A Prince That Never Stops Working Hard [2]

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His eyes widened. He had expected great agony like the other methods, but unlike them, this one felt surprisingly smooth… yet incredibly slow.

“Hmm…”

He spent a full hour creating only a single unit of Heavenly Divine Essence. Afterward he felt his soul on the verge of shattering into countless pieces, so he stopped and rested, taking Soul Elixirs his father had given him earlier.

“Only one unit… and to refine a single Spirit Soul Vein, I need one hundred,” Louis clicked his tongue. “It is possible, but… very slow.”

Louis admired the small particle of Heavenly Divine Essence in his hand. No bigger than a pebble, it shone so brightly it illuminated the entire sky. Some people outside came running, wondering if day had suddenly arrived.

“Hah… well, it is not too bad,” Louis felt genuine happiness. This particle of light was part of his mother’s legacy. “I will absorb it for now.”

He placed the particle inside his Fantasy Heart. It slowly merged with his Fantasy Domain, becoming a star amid the dark void above the ash desert.

“My mother’s legacy… I need to gather the other fragments, but how?” he wondered. “If Dragon Fang Spearmanship and Holy Lance Style were part of it… Wait, maybe learning Holy Light Magic from the priests of her Church could work…!”

Aside from that, there was also Dragon Magic he was trying to master, which might or might not contain another fragment of her legacy.

“But I have no Light Affinity… How could I conjure spells using my ashes?” he wondered. “It might not work properly, but… right, I have her.”

By Louis’ side, a very worried-looking fairy made of golden light appeared, gazing at him with concerned yet adorable eyes.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried about me? I’m fine,” Louis said. “I might have to ask for your help learning Light Elemental Spells. I hope you can cooperate.”

“…!” Belladine nodded adorably, fully willing to assist her master.

“Thank you,” Louis said, gently caressing her little head.

Then, from his right shoulder, a large black arm with a red eye in its palm emerged, glaring at them both.

Afterward, the Gravewalker manifested and sat beside Louis.

Then the floating skeletal hand of the Necromancer rested over his head.

And half of the Pugilist’s torso and arms appeared in front of him.

They were like needy pets demanding attention, which was frustrating.

“Tsk, you are all so annoying…”

♢♢♢♢

Although Louis continued training whenever he found time, he also had many duties as prince.

The next three days were spent moving from one meeting to another with various nobles, discussing politics, the economy, and the progress of the changes he had decided for the kingdom.

The Ice Walls had now fully recovered and grown larger, encompassing all of the Nameless Streets plus considerable extra space for new houses.

The Nameless Streets were also to be renamed, though the name had not yet been chosen. Louis had decided to hold a contest and let the people decide.

Every citizen could suggest a name. The top ten best suggestions would receive rewards, and the winner would receive an even greater prize.

This encouraged everyone to come together and think creatively. Though some nobles submitted mocking names, many excellent ideas emerged.

Melisa and Selene, now quite accustomed to castle life, suggested “Hope Town” and “Dream Land,” both adorable choices.

On the fourth day, while Louis ate breakfast with his growing group of allies—including Mirai, Zorba, Selene, Melisa, Catrise, Robert, Helena, Juliette, and even his father Gustaf—he spoke of his next plans.

“Before the year ends, I have to teach Anastasia the Sword Breathing Technique,” he announced suddenly, leaving everyone confused.

“…Huh?” Helena tilted her head. “What is Sword Breathing?” As an Esper who had never cultivated or practiced weapons, she had no idea.

“Shouldn’t we leave her alone though?” Mirai asked. “She is going through a lot… Mourning her mother might take years.”

“We don’t have the time,” Louis replied. “Anastasia is the only one who can inherit Niflheim, an incredible Divine Relic that could protect our country… if someone could wield it.”

“Anyone who has tried so far has been frozen into an ice statue,” Catrise sighed. “But why are you so determined to do this?”

“Simple. I made a deal with Niflheim,” Louis answered openly. “She has been teaching me Sword Breathing in secret. A fragment of her will now resides within my own Fantasy Heart.”

“What?!”

Everyone reacted the same way, even Selene and Melisa, who did not fully grasp the implications.

“Niflheim has been mourning Tisha’s death and wants to pass her legacy to her daughter,” Louis explained. He did not mention the vow he had made, that he would die if he failed to help Anastasia become worthy of wielding Niflheim within three years. “And I want to help her… I believe that through this, Anastasia will grow much stronger and overcome her trauma.”

“Hm…” Mirai sighed. “I… I think it is not a bad idea, but isn’t it still too sudden?”

“The sooner the better, Mirai,” Louis said. “Soma was one threat, but what if another appears that we cannot face properly? What if hundreds more die? We need to fill the power vacuum left by all those fallen soldiers, and by Tisha’s absence.”

“So you want the daughter to replace the mother and then die for the country as well, Louis? Is that what you want? Wow, you are so insensitive…” Helena shook her head. “I never thought you would grow up to be this selfish!”

“Not at all…” Louis sighed. “I don’t want her to die. That is exactly why she has to grow stronger. What? Do you want her to keep living while remaining weak? She will be swept away by the endless catastrophes we face and eventually disappear like everyone unable to fight back. What I want is to give her the power to fight back, not to die. It is the opposite: without power, she is far more likely to die than with it.”

“Ah… well… yeah…” Helena quickly realized her anger had no real basis. Louis was right. “I guess you are right… damn it.”

It frustrated her deeply. Tisha had been one of her closest friends, almost family.

But she could not deny Louis’ flawless logic. Why not grow stronger? The stronger she became, the fewer chances she would die.

And he had not even suggested throwing her into danger; he simply wanted to ensure someone could wield Niflheim so it would not go to waste.

…And of course, there was also the secret he kept from them: he would die if he failed to teach her how to wield Niflheim within three years.

“Is anyone else opposed to the idea?” Louis asked.

“Well… okay, let us say you want to teach her. Do you want to go see her right now?” Gustaf asked. “I have heard from Pekorine, her other mother, that she has been closed in her room ever since Tisha passed away. She won’t take baths and barely eats. She has been crying and holding her mother’s pictures this entire time… Tisha and Anastasia had a very close relationship.”

“Hm…” Louis nodded. “I know how she feels. I will find a way. For that I will need some help too… Mirai, Melisa, and Selene, you three could help her feel better.”

“Me?” Melisa wondered. “But Prince Louis, I don’t know who Anastasia is…”

“Who?” Selene asked, tilting her head.

“We will explain who she is on our way to her house,” Louis said. “But you two are ’cute’ and children, so I suppose you could be adorable around her and help her lower her guard and open her heart.”

“Oooh! Got it!” Melisa said brightly.

“I am… not… adorable…” Selene mumbled. “Selene… ugly…”

“No, you are not ugly, Selene. You are really cute!” Mirai reassured her. “Right?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Juliette nodded. “There is no need to be afraid of how you look, young lady Selene.”

“Augh… no?” Selene tilted her head. Despite her incredibly fluffy body, she was currently wearing a cute pink dress with a little ribbon on top of her skull head. Her empty eye sockets glowed with pink light. “Really…?”

“Yes,” Louis confirmed. “That is your body, and there is no need to feel ashamed of how you look. Be proud instead. That body of yours is also what makes you so formidable.”

Louis had sparred with Selene occasionally—mostly holding back—but her strength, agility, and beastly fighting style were all incredibly effective. Like Mirai, she was the type of Sinner who was already strong from the beginning, without truly needing a Spiral.

“M-Master Louis, why am I not being asked to help?!” Zorba asked. “I-I can do it! I am reliable!”

“You are, but mostly in matters related to fighting,” Louis replied. “I am well aware of how you act and treat people, Zorba. I will leave you out of this mission.”

“W-What?! No please! I don’t want to disappoint you!” Zorba begged.

“Zorba, that is enough,” Louis said. “My decision is final.”

“…Yes, Master Louis,” Zorba lowered his head, deeply disappointed in himself.

“I suppose Catrise could come along as well,” Louis added. “But that is it… I don’t think my father will be able to help.”

“Hah, well, yeah… I don’t think so either,” Gustaf agreed.

“Before we go, I wanted to ask you about the Academy,” Louis said. “I am planning on letting Anastasia come with us. Is that okay?”

“Well, it is called Sinner Academy, but there will be Espers and Anomalies attending as well,” Gustaf sighed. “I was considering it, but seeing her current state, I didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. But you are right. I will invite her.”

“Thank you,” Louis nodded. “Then, once we are done with Anastasia and bring her back to the castle to train with her, we will move to the District Alliance territory.”

“W-Why that place out of nowhere?” his father asked, shocked that his son was so busy—busier than the King himself.

“I promised Agustina to help her with her poisoned crops,” Louis explained. “There is also a Dimensional Rift that hasn’t been closed yet, and the nobles there are becoming too cocky. I want to remind them who their prince is. Agustina will be a valuable ally. She owns a large part of the District Alliance, and her mother is a talented Spirit Artifact Master. We will be able to secure top-quality materials from her vast farms if we can earn her trust and save her from this predicament.”

“Huh…” Gustaf nodded, rubbing his chin. “I have been immersed in my job for so long that I never considered these things… The capital is not the entire country. I had concerns about the District Alliance, but because they have mostly remained neutral, I never considered what you are implying, Louis.”

“Well, if you are willing to help, send some spies to their territories so I can learn what they are doing,” Louis suggested. “And perhaps monitor them with drones or satellites.”

“I will try,” Gustaf agreed. “The VPI is still quite busy with the World Government Alliance right now… The Sinners Academy is not being developed solely by Frostbane, after all. Yamato and Camelot are cooperating with us.”

“Do they also have agencies like the VPI?” Mirai wondered.

“Not quite. They are more integrated with the government rather than operating independently,” Gustaf explained. “However, they are equipped with technology almost equal to ours, and they also have their own government agents who help handle Dimensional Rifts, Fantasy Fields, Anomalies, Entities, and Grievances.”

“So the three major superpowers will be cooperating to create the Sinners Academy, huh?” Helena mused. “Frostbane, Yamato, and Camelot. Formerly known as North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom.”

“Well, recently, Mesopotamia joined,” Gustaf added. “They have vast amounts of funds as well, and they insisted they wanted us to train their Sinners into proper fighters to protect their country.”

“Can we trust Mesopotamia though?” Louis asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I believe we can, especially since they are under the rule of the Leader of the Earth Dragons and your Uncle Drakda’s wife,” Gustaf replied. “But if you want to learn more history, the countries that once existed there were devastated in the past. The survivors barely scraped by and set aside their differences to fight back the apocalypse. After the Divine Earth Dragon Goddess, Amethyst, saved them and helped them unearth treasures from the large Fantasy Field known as ’Babylonia,’ the survivors gained enough resources to rise from the ashes. They named the new country after the cradle of civilization: Mesopotamia.”

“Huh…” Louis crossed his arms. “Well, alright… Anyway, I believe we should get going. The sooner we solve this, the better.”

Thus, Louis and his group of allies headed toward the Frostbane Magic School, where Druid Master Pekorine was teaching that day.

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