NEOMA wasn't surprised when a few of the candidates stepped forward.
[Good thinking.]
The guilty candidates probably thought it would be better to come forward after she promised that they wouldn't be charged with treason. It was better than getting caught later. Moreover, the guilty candidates were probably banking on the possibility that they could overpower her.
[That's where their plans go wrong.]
Admittedly, Neoma and her people didn't have enough time to investigate or do a thorough check on the candidates and their belongings.
But they had a reason for that.
Neoma laughed softly while looking at the seventeen men who stepped forward. "You might think the security here is lax. But did it not occur to you the reason you weren't thoroughly searched before you entered the palace is because there's no reason for us to do so?"
Most of the men who stepped forward flinched.
She shrugged as she already knew what most of the candidates were thinking about her anyway. "You're probably looking down on me because I'm "just" the Imperial Princess, and most of you know that the de Moonasterion princesses are treated like shit by the Imperial Family."
Fucking hell.
Just how many had she cursed by now?
[There goes my 'pure image' as the Imperial Princess.]
"Unfortunately for you, that's a thing of the past now," Neoma said casually. "But I'm not here to flex about how loved I am. I'm just trying to say that if you came here thinking you'd bag a trophy wife in order to form an easy connection with the de Moonasterios, then you're wrong. Don't expect my Imperial Father and the Crown Prince to welcome you to the family with open arms."
She heard a laugh in the crowd.
[That's definitely Trevor. Gosh, that punk almost got me distracted.]
"That also means my father and my brother would be happy if I accidentally killed some of you," Neoma said, then she smiled at the candidates that she was about to fight. "So, let's sign a waiver first before we start the fight." She looked in the direction of the person she needed at the moment. "Trevor, prepare the contract."
***
[IT'S ALREADY too late to save this child…]
Mona's heart broke for the dying child on the bed.
She was well aware that this was the fake saint that the crows used to steal Prince Skylus' position as the new Moon Saint. However, to see a child dying…
[This is heartbreaking.]
"Your Majesty, Dahlia noona, please save Dustin," Prince Skylus begged them. "Please… he can't die like this."
Mona felt a pang in her chest.
"Prince Skylus, we will do our best to help Dustin as much as we could," Mona said to the baby saint. Although she knew it was too late to save the dying child, she could at least lessen his pain and extend his life with Dahlia's help. "Please leave it to us."
She turned to Manu.
The Moon Priest then quickly picked up the baby saint. "Prince Skylus, our divine power didn't work on the child. Perhaps it's because Prince Nero used his Roseheart Blood to purify the Darkness in the child, so let's leave it to Her Majesty."
Prince Skylus still looked hesitant.
"Your Royal Highness, I heard from Prince Nero's secretary that the Crown Prince has sent summoned King Glenn to the palace. Hence, your father will be here soon," Dahlia said gently. "Moreover, we've already prepared the room where you can contact Her Majesty, Queen Brigitte."
Hearing about his parents instantly helped the little prince to calm down.
"Mommy… Daddy…" Skylus said, burying his face against Lord Manu's neck. "I want to see them…"
Lord Manu excused themselves as the two left the room quietly.
Now only Mona and Dahlia were there.
"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Dahlia asked worriedly. "It seemed like Prince Nero's purification ability is too effective."
"It has this kind of effect because the insides of this child are full of Darkness already– his heart, his Core, and even his soul," Mona said, her eyes glowing as she checked on the child's condition. "All we could do now is to slow down the purification to lessen the pain, and extend the child's life for at least a few days."
The Black Witch fell silent for a moment before she hesitantly spoke. "Your Majesty, are we… going to extract the divine power from the child? This is the perfect opportunity to do it. After all, it would be hard for us to extract the saint's divine power from a dead body."
Dahlia was right to be concerned about that.
The saint's divine power was alive.
Once Dustin died, the divine power would immediately escape the dead "shell." It would be hard to locate it after that.
[In fact, we haven't found the last piece of the saint's divine power yet.]
"That would be the wise thing to do," Mona said in response to what Dahlia said, then she let out a sigh. "But I'm afraid Prince Skylus wouldn't be in the right state to receive what's rightfully his."
***
SWORD MASTERS were celebrated heroes everywhere in the world.
But Neoma thought the Sword Masters were pretty easy to beat.
The Sword Master's life was their Aura. Apparently, Aura could cut and slash everything– even a mountain.
Aura couldn't cut Neoma's Dome, though?
[I'll give these Sword Masters an A for effort.]
After Neoma blocked the five Sword Masters' Aura, she then proceeded to break their swords into two with her bare hands.
The swords' blades were supposed to be covered with Aura, but she didn't feel anything.
[It's probably because I was born with natural monstrous strength as a de Moonasterio.]
Neoma threw away the broken blades in her hands. "Next."
This time, four Beastmen attacked her.
As their name suggested, Beastmen were people who could shape-shift into animal forms.
The four handsome boys suddenly transformed into their wolf forms.
[Wow, their coat is pretty.]
But Beastmen were easier to fight because both of them relied on their physical strength.
andasnovel.com A de Moonasterio would be stronger than the Beastmen, duh.
Neoma knocked the four Beastmen with just a single punch, just like her idol S*itama.
[I just feel bad because I feel like this is animal abuse…]
"I'm sorry, I'll ask my youngest to treat your wounds later," Neoma said to the unconscious Beastmen apologetically, then she turned to the remaining candidates who challenged her. "Next."
This time, three mages stepped forward.
[Gosh, so handsome. They all look deprived of sleep, but they're the type to be popular among the ladies for their aloof aura.]
It was just annoying that they had to be mages.
Neoma hated dealing with magic, especially people who could wield it. After all, she couldn't use magic the way Trevor, Paige, and Dahlia could.
Hence, she knew the three mages would be a pain in the ass.
Fortunately for her, the three mages had to utter some ancient spell or whatever.
Hence, Neoma had the time to trap the three mages inside her Dome…
… and then the magic that the men activated exploded.
[Oops…]
She didn't mean for the mages to be knocked down by their own attack, but they should have avoided getting trapped inside the Dome in the first place. Did they think they could break the Dome with their little bombs?
[Wait, that sounds like I'm gaslighting. I'm sorry.]
"Take them to the infirmary if they're still alive," Neoma said to the royal knights around as she collapsed the Dome. But seeing that her pink Hellgate didn't appear, it only meant she didn't accidentally kill the mages. "Next."
Only five men were left.
[Ah, this is pretty heartbreaking.]
It was because the last five men were all commoners, and they were clearly in the poorer side. To be honest, it was a shame since these five men actually passed the First Round.
[They could see the blobs of Darkness in the sky.]
That, or perhaps they were sent by Helstor's puppets to mess with the Selection.
[It's such a shame because they look like the cinnamon roll type– you know, those kind-hearted characters with a tragic past. They all look weak– I mean, soft. The gentle look on their faces is making me hesitate to harm them.]
But these gentlemen couldn't be plain innocent.
Just like how Neoma didn't notice the blobs of Darkness in the sky right away, she also didn't notice that these men had Darkness installed in their Cores.
And one's Core was located deep into their heart.
[That's why Mana users like me would often hit the enemies in the heart rather than the brain. You could always protect your head with a barrier, but it would be more difficult to protect the heart the Core could explode if you pressed it with too many barriers.]
"Y-Your Imperial Highness, w-we were told that if–"
"Shut up," Neoma said, cutting off the candidate, while combing her bloody fingers through her hair. Don't worry, that wasn't her blood. It was the blood of the Beastmen that she punched earlier. Ah, fuck. She forgot that her hair was white, so the blood probably painted her hair red. Gosh, her hair color was really inconvenient and very high-maintenance. "I know what's happening, so you don't have to explain anything."
She was afraid the Darkness installed in those men's hearts would explode if they said the wrong word.
Just like how House Spencer put a curse on Young Master Shane to shut them up.
"If you want to live, then trust me," Neoma said, smirking haughtily. She knew she should pretend to be nice and shit, but she couldn't do that. Her mask had already slipped off the moment she cursed, so why not just show her real beautiful face? "I'm Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio, and I'm the one who's going to fuck up– I mean, save the world– not that shit called Helstor and his damned cult."
[Yep, the rumor about the Imperial Princess having a foul mouth would definitely spread in the empire now. There goes my reputation.]
Neoma thought that her foul mouth would turn off the candidates who expected the one and only Imperial Princess to be soft and feminine, but what she didn't know was she just made more than half of those men fall in love with her…
… much to the chagrin of a certain group of young men dubbed as members of 'Princess Neoma's OG Harem.'
***
"DO YOU know what a war means, Nero Roseheart de Moonasterio?" Nikolai confronted his son, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. "And a Holy War, at that. Helstor might be a psychotic god. But a god is still a god."
Nero, who was removing the bloodied gloves that he had, smiled at him. "Father, just look at the bigger picture."
"What bigger picture? All I could see is our people suffering if a war suddenly breaks out."
"If a war breaks out, then Neoma would be forced to stop the Selection."
"…"
He waited for Nero to take back his words, but his son didn't.
To be honest, Nikolai was conflicted.
As a father, he wanted to agree with Nero because he also hated the fact that Neoma had to do a Selection at such a young age. If it was up to him, he wouldn't allow that Selection to happen in the first place.
But he changed his mind when he found out how little time Neoma had left.
[I can't say 'no' to my precious daughter after that.]
However, as the emperor, he couldn't let his son's whim endanger the entire empire.
Fortunately, he hadn't gone insane yet.
"Nero, you're on probation again until you realize how heavy the word 'war' is for you to carelessly toss it around," Nikolai said coldly. "Sanford Devon, Raku, escort your Crown Prince back to his room."
Nero looked at him as if he had just betrayed him. "Father!"
***
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