Chapter 953 – 953. Blood Curse (2)
Lenny, the court wizard of the Kingdom of Lucadia.
It was her affiliation and name.
Lenny was a great wizard whose skills were recognized throughout the kingdom.
A genius born with a lot of magical power.
She was not born into the kingdom’s historic family, nor was she even born in the Kingdom of Leucadia.
She was just her typical adventurer, using her own magic to earn her living.
Her orders were so famous in the area that even within the local adventurer guild where Lenny worked, she had a reputation for having outstanding skills beyond her rank.
Then one day, she received a special request from the royal family.
“Are you the greatest wizard in the current kingdom?”
In response to the greeting from the man who smiled brightly and extended his hand to her, Lennie held his hand without realizing it.
Lenny was standing still and couldn’t say anything to the man.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, ah, yes. Are you okay.”
The man’s attitude of belatedly examining her condition awakened Lennie to her senses.
He was the kind of man who exuded charm even when he was just sitting still.
Brightly shining blonde hair and blue eyes as beautiful as jewels.
I kept looking at those eyes as if I was going to be sucked in.
‘Why am I like this…’
From the moment I saw him, my heart started pounding and I couldn’t look at his face properly.
His pounding heart could not calm down.
He deliberately avoided eye contact and tried to somehow increase the distance, but this oblivious man smiled a fatal smile and offered to shake Lennie’s hand once again.
“I’m late to introduce myself. The first prince of the Lucadian royal family. It’s called Lexus Leucadia. This expedition. Please be kind to me.”
Lennie could no longer avoid Lexus, which had narrowed the distance between her and her.
He closed his eyes tightly and held out his trembling hand to shake Lexus’ hand.
“My name is Lenny Murence. “Please take care of me.”
“Haha. Yes.”
Lexus felt that Lennie’s attitude of being embarrassed but doing his best to shake his hand was somehow funny, and he burst out laughing.
Although he seemed to be very shy, it was refreshing to see him try to be as polite as possible.
This expedition mission in which Lexus Leucadia participates is to subdue the hordes of demonic beasts that have begun to appear within the large mountain range within the border.
Because it was extremely unusual for the prince to personally participate in the subjugation mission, the eyes of the adventurers hired by Lexus’ expedition team, including Lenny, were filled with questions and doubts.
Even though he was accompanied by guard knights, his behavior of throwing himself into danger was very different from the nobles and royals that adventurers knew.
“If demonic beasts from the mountains cross the border, it is the people of the kingdom who will suffer. “It is the royal family’s duty to protect them.”
The adventurers did not believe that.
There were too many rumors about the fierce battle for succession to the throne currently taking place within the Kingdom of Lucadia to believe that.
To the adventurers, Lexus seemed like nothing more than a showmanship to generate the necessary achievements and achievements in the battle for succession to the throne.
‘What can Ji do?’
‘At least they will use us as a shield and throw us away.’
‘Maybe I should come out to the battlefield and catch the demon beasts.’
Although they did not say it out loud, the adventurers all had the same thoughts.
He mocked Prince Laxus, who had formed the expedition, with just his eyes.
Even though Lexus was aware of those gazes, it did not reprimand them.
Because he had confidence in him.
When entering the mountain range and engaging in combat with the demonic beasts, Lexus defied all adventurers’ expectations and jumped into the forefront of the battlefield, sword in hand.
“Prince! “It’s dangerous!”
“What if you get hurt!”
Even though the guards who accompanied him to protect him were scared, he had no choice but to jump to the front lines.
This is because Lexus, whom they were supposed to protect, was right there swinging his sword and dealing with the demonic beasts.
“I have no intention of using the people I hired and my people as shields. “Kings are what people who stand on someone’s head should be.”
The sight of Lexus holding a sword in the center of the battlefield was completely different from the benevolent and dignified appearance he first showed.
He stood in front of all the adventurers as he slaughtered the demonic beasts.
Lexus was brave and had a charisma that overwhelmed those around him, showing off his excellent swordsmanship.
Laxus said to the adventurers who were just looking at Laxus with a blank expression, not caring about the dirty blood of a demonic beast staining his shining silver armor.
“I will not let even one person die. The people, and you too. So trust me and follow me.”
The adventurers realized that they had been mistaken.
Lexus was real.
A true royal family who can reign over the heads of others and the people.
At the same time, he is a brave knight who impresses others.
He was not an unscrupulous person who formed an expeditionary force and hid behind it, using the adventurers and soldiers as a shield just to make a mark.
The adventurers, and the soldiers who followed them on the expedition, had no choice but to change their minds.
And the expedition to subdue the demonic beasts of the mountain range ended successfully.
Although there were several serious injuries, there were no deaths.
He promised to take care of follow-up treatment by sending seriously injured victims to the temple along with a large donation, as a result of their devotion to the royal family and the kingdom.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Those were all he said, but everyone, adventurers and soldiers alike, looked satisfied with his greeting expressing sincere gratitude.
And while marching back to the capital to finish the expedition, Lenny found Lexus sitting alone in a corner of the forest with no one in sight.
“W-what are you doing here… ?”
Lennie spoke cautiously in a trembling voice, but his heart was pounding as if he had not yet calmed down.
In fact, I thought dozens of times in my head about whether to talk or not, but when I finally came to my senses, Lennie was already talking to Lexus.
This is because I could not take my eyes off the sight of him sitting alone, not in the commander’s barracks, but in a corner where the light of the campfire did not shine.
I don’t know why, but he looked so lonely and tired that I couldn’t pass him by without talking to him.
“Ah, you are Leni. “I was taking a short break.”
Lexus was letting out an ambiguous laugh, probably embarrassed that he had been caught shivering alone.
“In this dark forest… ?”
“Haha, it’s a bit gloomy, but I guess I should say that being alone makes me feel a bit more at ease.”
Lexus made a seat next to him.
“Would you like to sit down?”
“… Yes.”
Lennie carefully squatted down next to him.
It felt strange, like it was a secret meeting held just with the prince, without anyone noticing.
“Thank you for your hard work. This expedition. “If it weren’t for Leni’s help, we might have been in really big trouble.”
“No. “The prince had a harder time.”
“It can’t be. The magic that Lenny showed was truly amazing. “All I did was take the lead and lead the expedition members.”
Laxus smiled bitterly and recalled Lenny’s magic on the battlefield.
The wind and water magic, whose power was adjusted to prevent the mountain range from being swept away, dealt with the demonic beasts with precise attacks and at the same time provided adequate assistance and cover to the adventurers and soldiers fighting on the front lines, minimizing damage.
Lennie’s performance was so outstanding that everyone could recognize him as the top contributor to this expedition.
“If there were more wizards like Leni among our court wizards, wouldn’t it be easier for us?”
It was a bitter smile of regret, filled with many emotions.
Lennie asked without realizing it.
“Are you having a hard time?”
He looked very tired.
The bright, bright and elegant appearance that I showed for the first time.
And the appearance of a brave knight on the battlefield.
His last side hidden behind it all.
A complicated face stained with fatigue and worry.
Lexus smiled bitterly at Lenny’s short question that penetrated it.
“A little… “It’s hard.”
It was a feeling I never revealed to anyone.
Laxus himself didn’t know why he revealed his true feelings to Leni, let alone the others.
Was it just because she was comfortable?
Or did he have special feelings for her?
I couldn’t figure it out.
Once Lexus began to express the dull emotions that had been buried for a long time, he couldn’t stop.
“I am ashamed of my father. “So much.”
The first thing he said was a gossip about his father, the King of Lucadia.
King Lucadia was a very incompetent and selfish person whose greatest priority was to satisfy his own self-interest.
As the owner of the kingdom, rather than protecting the people and leading them to a stable life as a royal, he was busy using his position as king to enjoy his own reign.
“And there are a ridiculous number of governments that have it secretly.”
And it is not just about material things such as greed for wealth, but also the dark king himself who is only interested in lustful women and playing lewd games.
Just listening to the story, it was hard to understand how a man like Lexus was born to such a father.
“The kingdom is now facing truly dangerous times.”
Beginning with the fall of the Kingdom of Rendir, the western part of the continent began to be completely overrun with undead and demonic beasts.
Now, if they begin to overflow and reach other continents, the first to face the crisis will be the kingdom of Leucadia, adjacent to the west.
“I have made suggestions to Abamama several times. We need to strengthen border defense. We need to request support from other countries and prepare for that crisis. But… “It was not accepted in the end.”
It wasn’t just the king.
Even the country’s ministers, who were supposed to lead national affairs together, did not accept Lexus’ opinion.
They are also all people of the King of Lucadia.
They are scumbags who are only interested in the reign they can enjoy while protecting their illusory status, and have no regard for the country’s crisis.
Lexus clenched his fists in exasperation.
“Are all these things I’m doing really useless? “Am I doing all this for nothing?”
Even if you grab your sword and jump to the front line, subdue the demonic beasts and overcome the crisis, if this country does nothing and does not change, will all the efforts you have made have any meaning?
Although he was struggling to deceive himself and think that it would definitely have meaning, the truth was that he also knew.
That this country is now over.
“… Cheer up.”
That was all Lennie could say.
The weight and responsibility of being a royal that he carried was not something he could figure out how to relieve.
Nevertheless, I thought it would be nice if I could relieve some of the burden he was carrying.
Lenny held Lexus’s hand, which was holding tightly in anger.
“… “Lennie?”
Lexus looked slightly surprised by Leni’s sudden behavior.
After hearing his call, Lennie was shocked to realize what he had done.
“S-sorry! Suddenly the prince’s hand… !”
For someone like him to dare to take the prince’s hand without permission was tantamount to blasphemy.
He couldn’t understand why he did such a thing, so his face turned red and he tried to leave in a hurry.
Lexus grabbed Leni’s hand again as she tried to get up.
“Ah…”
Lennie, who was forced to sit on the floor again, let out a small sigh in surprise.
He carefully turned his gaze to see what Lexus was doing when he caught him.
Lexus was looking at Lenny with his straight eyes.
“I’m not mistaken, am I?”
“Well, that…” .”
Lennie immediately understood what was being asked.
Eyes with a bit of anticipation.
And Lennie hesitated in answering her eyes as she was so tired that she was looking for a place to rest on.
I felt the same way, but my heart was pounding so hard that I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.
Leni just closed his eyes tightly and held Lexus’ hand, which was holding his hand.
That alone was enough of an answer.
Lexus smiled happily and brought his lips closer to Lennie’s face.
“If you don’t like it, avoid it. “Don’t let me be mistaken.”
“… “It’s not an illusion.”
Leni kissed the prince’s lips as they got closer and closer.
Then, a few days after dawn and her expedition officially ended, Lenny took her entrance exam into the court wizard corps of the Kingdom of Lucadia.
