ALL NOVEL Chapter 55
“Notepad?”
I absentmindedly reconfirmed Acella’s question.
She seemed to suspect my demeanor and stressed it once more.
“You jotted down strange sentences countless times. About destruction, death, and you even crossed them out!”
“W-wait, you saw that?”
“You should have been more careful.”
This was a bit of a setback.
The notepad contained Acella’s physical information and treatment prescriptions, so I always kept it close, never letting it out of my sight.
If I needed to move to the next volume, I’d transfer only the necessary info and burn the previous one.
What Acella mentioned must be the Bad Ending List.
Now that I think about it, I had written that down once.
The status window only displays the ending names and doesn’t explain the content.
There was a time I was recalling exactly what situation each ending was and organizing it to connect with current events.
“When did you sneak a peek at that?”
Feeling slightly annoyed wasn’t worth it right now.
If Acella learned the specific contents, it could serve as inspiration, directly leading to a Bad Ending.
Realizing the possibility made me aware of how careless I had been.
From what she was saying, it didn’t seem like she had read the sentences accurately.
I could still smooth things over.
I chuckled softly and replied to Acella.
“Oh, I thought you thought I had written nightmares after looking at that memo.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’ve been really into a novel lately. It’s about to wrap up, and fans are debating how it will end. I tried imagining it myself, but since I’m not familiar with the story, I couldn’t figure it out after thinking for a while.”
“Was that about a novel?”
“Yes. It’s a story about a war between two families, and it seems like the main character will either die or the world will end.”
I did have something from the novels I casually read that could fit into my story.
This was the only way to go.
Acella narrowed her eyes like a cat, clearly suspicious.
“I didn’t know the prince liked novels.”
“It’s more interesting than I expected. If you’re interested, I can recommend a few.”
“I don’t have that kind of time. Seriously, why did you write so much about novels? What was it again, something about a magic explosion?”
“Haha, did I even write that? I can’t really remember….”
While I was making excuses, I met Acella’s gaze.
Was it because we were too close? Or did I hear the specifics of the Bad Ending directly from her lips?
“Get out of the way! Move aside! Gothberg!!”
“Ahh, why, how could my magic circuit…!”
Before my eyes, Acella was leaping around. The magic circuits inscribed all over her body were glowing like crazy. Suddenly, uncontrollably, mana burst forth from Acella, and my vision was drowned in golden light.
BBOOM, an explosion deafened me.
The sensation of death surged vividly from my fingertips as my vision flickered.
“Ugh.”
I couldn’t hold back my nausea and clumsily sank to the floor.
“Prince?”
Acella’s flustered voice reached me.
I quickly covered my mouth and sprang up like a spring.
Acella was trembling with pale lips.
No wonder. If the attending physician collapses before the patient, I wouldn’t be able to trust my body even if I were the patient.
I waved my hands dismissively to express that I was fine.
“I must have danced too long. I felt a little dizzy, but I’m okay now.”
“…You surprised me.”
Acella breathed out a sigh of relief.
“You really are pretty weak. How do you expect to hold up in the imperial family?”
“Haha, I’ll work on it.”
“Ugh… Are you really okay?”
“Of course. The dizziness is just a temporary symptom. A little rest will fix it right up.”
“Let’s head inside for now.”
Acella and I returned to the party venue after a short dance.
*
The music in the assembly hall had shifted to a gentle tune. The lighting had returned to normal.
After resting a bit next to Acella, I felt better and thought I could endure the remainder of the party.
The nobility had moved beyond mere greetings, gathering in small groups to share light drinks and casual conversations.
“Where is Lau having so much fun giggling with the Grand Duchess?”
Surrounding them were about twenty young gentlemen and ladies. That group was the social circle’s ace.
I also spotted some busy catering to the older generation while others sat in corners, exuding a gloomy vibe.
Social norms always seemed the same wherever you went.
“Prince, I have to mingle with the nobility again. Can you stay by my side?”
“Of course. If I suddenly vanish, it would look even weirder.”
“…Alright.”
Why did Acella seem oddly kind?
Though she wasn’t getting angry, it was still surprising.
Regardless, she was at least being a bit gentler around the sick.
I’ll have to work on feigning illness when I want to take a break later.
“Sigh.”
Acella briefly closed her eyes before opening them again.
Her expression transformed back into that charismatic aura of the imperial family.
From afar, the Duke of the West spotted Acella and approached with his guards.
He was today’s main target.
“Princess Acella, it’s an honor to meet you.”
The Duke greeted first with the proper etiquette.
“Congratulations on the victory in the Central Gorge Defense, Duke Schwarzsweik.”
As expected from Acella. She instantly established dominance, casually speaking in a familiar tone.
Though Acella held a higher rank, the other was a duke and a war hero, deserving of courtesy but she showed no hesitation.
From the look on his face, it seemed the Duke admired Acella’s confident demeanor. He lowered his head with a smile.
“I’m merely honored by your kind words.”
“Thanks to you, the one hundred million citizens of the Empire can greet a morning free from invaders.”
“It’s the grace of the Empire’s banner flying valiantly that has secured this peace.”
After the formal greetings, Acella smoothly segued into the main topic.
“By the way, Duke, how many knights have retired due to injuries in this battle?”
In social circles, all conversations hold political intent and purpose.
Acella, a royal by status, might quite possibly rank higher than the duke, but his family was influential enough, practically on par with the imperial family.
On the other hand, Acella’s Moonlight Palace was one of the smallest factions among the five heirs.
Besides, this was technically the duke’s party.
The practical upper hand rested with the duke.
Thus, Acella presented a unique topic she likely wouldn’t have brought up with other noblemen, aiming to capture his interest.
The Duke showed curiosity at the topic Acella raised, indicating where the conversation was headed.
“Are you referring to the retirees? If so, there are one hundred and twenty knights who can no longer be healed due to life-threatening injuries.”
“Wasn’t the Bennet Knight a large-scale battle with thirty-two knights engaged? The fact that such a small number suffered injuries stands as a testament to your skill.”
She could have mentioned the Goddess’s favor or the Emperor’s mercy, but Acella deliberately chose to commend the duke.
Unlike others, she was clear about cultivating her connection with the duke.
She demonstrated knowledge of detailed combat statistics, proving her own capabilities.
“Your Highness’s grace in governing the Empire has been greatly beneficial.”
Despite meeting for the first time, the duke was yielding credit to Acella. He had grasped her hand in a handshake.
Every word exchanged was cloaked in propriety yet carried deeper meanings, making each one purposeful.
Political discourse is challenging.
Since the duke had shown goodwill, it was now Acella’s turn to reciprocate.
Friendships formed merely through words hold no weight in politics.
They must be underpinned by mutual interests.
What would Acella offer the duke?
One misstep here could render their back-and-forth ineffective.
“If we could have reduced the number of retirees to a hundred, it would have been a great benefit to your domain, don’t you think? What a pity.”
The duke raised an eyebrow in interest.
At this moment, Acella proposed two things.
One was the indication she wished to offer a way to bolster the duke’s military forces, and second was a request for permission to expand his knight faction.
After all, the size of any personal military force is limited by imperial measures.
Should a principality gain independence, the Empire’s power would wane.
Acella had baited the duke with a pretty appealing offer.
“And what means do you propose to achieve such a reduction in retirees?”
The duke inquired about specific means.
Acella tilted her chin up and confided the term to her lips.
“Have you heard of penicillin?”
Ah, so she was planning on selling me from the start.
As a result, the duke expressed considerable interest in the antibiotic, laying the groundwork for collaboration with the Moonlight Palace.
In reality, even a minor injury could lead to fatal infections like tetanus, which could necessitate amputations.
Antibiotics were essential medical supplies that could avert such situations from happening in battle.
Acella executed her pitch wonderfully.
She dangled the prospect of mass-produced antibiotics that would arise from dealings with the Gothberg family.
Naturally, it would take several years for this business to advance enough to mass-produce a sufficient quantity for a large-scale knight faction.
However, this wasn’t a time of great wars, so the duke’s family could afford to wait for that.
“This party must surely be a blessing bestowed upon me by the Goddess. I’ve met a most significant ally.”
The duke seemed highly satisfied with his exchange with Acella.
Should his territory expand, he might even gain independence as a principality, resulting in one more line stretching directly to the succession heir of the imperial family—he had every reason to be happy.
Of course, he was unaware that should Acella ascend to the throne, she’d likely tighten the reins on him.
To think she built a mutually beneficial relationship with the duke right from her first social engagement; Acella was indeed different.
“I’d like to make a toast. There!”
Upon the duke’s gesture, a nearby attendant brought over glasses filled with champagne.
Acella raised her glass with the duke.
I’d prefer to steer clear of alcohol if possible, but since it was low in potency and Acella looked cheerful, perhaps I could let one glass slide.
Just as I was thinking that.
[No. 040: Lethal Poison Trap 19% → 86%]
[No. 101: Magic Explosion 4% → 100%]
The moment I caught sight of the numbers on the status window, my body reacted instinctively.
A memory flashed back to when Acella died from a poison trap she had released before I could stop myself.
CLANG!
I smacked Acella’s glass, which she nearly brought to her lips, causing it to drop.
“Your Highness, you can’t drink that!”
THUD!
With the sound of a body collapsing, screams erupted around us.
Turning my head, I saw the duke gasping and rolling on the floor.
He must have rushed and already downed his drink.
“Diagnosis.”
[Injury Status: Neurotoxin Poisoning]
Was the target the duke, Acella, or perhaps both?
Someone aimed to poison.
First, the treatment.
I unbuttoned my formal coat.