JASPER dropped the whip in his hand after watching the ridiculous video playing on the screen that appeared out of thin air.
Helstor, that damned ancient god, just announced that Princess Neoma was gone.
Then a short and clear video of Prince crying while hugging Princess Neoma's lifeless body came up.
If the Crown Prince was crying like that…
"No," Jasper whispered in disbelief. "Princess Neoma… my precious little sister…"
<"Jasper Hawthorne!">
It was Duckie– his Elemental Guardian– who called out his name.
<"I know you're damned shocked! I am, too! But the fucking reanimated corpses are already here! We need to catch them! If these little shits get past our life of defense, then they'll head straight to the palace! Most of the citizens of the capital are in the palace, so we must catch all the bastards here!">
Right.
Jasper volunteered himself and his private army to be sent as the first life of defense along with the Fletcher Twins.
He was confident that he could stop the reanimated corpses…
… until he was shaken by the tragic news of Princess Neoma's death.
[I… can't pick up my weapon.]
<"Princess Neoma would never forgive you if you fail to protect the people of this empire, you foolish child!">
Ah.
That snapped him out of his trance.
[Yes, Princess Neoma hates it when innocent people get hurt.]
Jasper picked up his weapon…
… but he couldn't pick up the broken pieces of his heart.
***
[PRINCESS Neoma… is gone?]
Rufus couldn't believe it.
He was in the middle of bringing the reanimated corpses that his private had caught to the Exton Estate when he received the tragic news.
Princess Neoma was like a daughter to him.
Needless to say, the news of the Imperial Princess' passing killed a part of him.
[If I feel this way, then His and Her Imperial Majesties definitely feel worse…]
***
"E-EAT them…" Brigitte said, her voice shaking, as she commanded the Ancient Monsters to eat the reanimated corpses that Duke Rufus Quinzel's army had brought to the Exton Mansion. "All of them…"
Her voice wasn't shaking because of the gruesome sight of Ancient Monsters eating the reanimated corpses tied together and placed in the middle of the ground.
She was shaken because of the tragic news of Princess Neoma's death.
Glenn, who was behind her while rubbing her shoulders, was also crying.
Brigitte tried to focus on her task, but her heart was elsewhere.
[This… this is unacceptable… Princess Neoma…]
***
HANNA covered her mouth with her hands after watching Helstor's tragic news.
That despicable ancient god even played a video of Nero crying while hugging Neoma's lifeless body.
Lifeless.
It was easy to tell that Neoma was really gone.
[How could this happen when Trevor Kesser left with Neoma?!]
"Princess Neoma is gone…?"
Ah.
Hanna turned to Lewis, then she felt a shiver down her spine.
Lewis' golden eyes were glowing and unfocused while his Mana fluctuated. Aside from that, his white tails also appeared one by one until all nine were out. He let out a feral growl, his fangs and sharp nails grew longer and sharper.
The fox was unstable.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Lewis suddenly went berserk.
And Lewis wasn't the only one who was on the verge of breaking down.
Juri Wisteria.
Jeno Dankworth.
Xion Redgrave.
Even Greko and Paige Avery who just arrived.
Hanna was worried as to why Greko was suddenly there, and why Paige Avery left when the Light Mage was supposed to look after her mother.
But she figured it wasn't the right time to ask.
Aside from Neoma's "children" who were all about to go on a rampage with the tragic news of Princess Neoma's death, the citizens who also watched the broadcast were thrown into chaos and panic.
"The Imperial Princess is dead!"
"We're already losing the war!"
"Shouldn't the Imperial Family just give up the throne and bow to Lord Helstor?!"
"Are we being punished for going against a god?!"
"Who will save us now?!"
Hanna held back her tears, then she slapped both of her cheeks with her hands pretty hard.
It stung, but that was exactly what she needed to do.
The sound of her palms hitting her cheeks was loud enough to startle Lewis, who suddenly turned to her with a worried look on his face.
[Oh?]
Lewis calmed down when he saw Hanna hitting(?) herself.
"Calm down," Hanna told Lewis, but it sounded like she was actually telling it to herself. She was Neoma's best friend so the tragic news devastated her. However, she couldn't forget that she was still the Crown Princess of the empire. "If Neoma was here, what do you think she'd do?"
"Princess Neoma is cruel," Lewis said in a cracked voice, his golden eyes brimming with tears. "He cares more about the safety of other people than her own."
And that was exactly why Hanna couldn't afford to mourn Neoma yet.
[I'm sorry, Neoma. I'll cry for you later. But, for now, allow me to fulfill my duty as the Crown Princess.]
***
"IF YOU try to break your contract once again, I'll show you hell," Trevor warned the fifteen gods who tried to mess with their contracts– forcing him to leave Princess Neoma's side. "You celestial puppets."
The floating red orbs around him glared at him.
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm It was eerie to see the red orbs attached to the white walls of the space where he was summoned to.
But Trevor didn't care.
[The only god I respect are those gods who are good to my Moon Princess.]
"Brother, did I do well?"
Trevor almost threw up on the spot when Dilan Crowell called him 'brother.' "I don't have a cockroach for a brother."
"This cockroach you're looking down on has the power to mess with the contracts that you made with gods, Brother," Dilan Crowell said smugly. "Don't you think that feat proves that I'm also a Kesser?"
"Listen, kid," he said, placing a hand on his hip. "I do not care about the Kessers. Heck, I don't even remember the faces of my parents. And the man you claim to be our father? I only consider that old dude a sperm donor, so you have him."
Dilan Crowell frowned. "Why do you talk like Princess Neoma now? Using unfamiliar words…"
He shrugged. "That's just a soulmate thing that you wouldn't understand."
The crow suddenly fell silent.
[Is that a communication device?]
Trevor wondered while looking at the stud in Dilan Crowell's ear.
[Yep, that's definitely a communication device.]
Dilan Crowell suddenly smiled at Trevor. "Brother, Princess Neoma is dead."
Not gonna lie– that tragic news had shaken him up for a moment.
But it didn't last long.
[I already expected this to happen.]
"What's with the lame reaction, Brother?" Dilan Crowell asked, looking at him with distrust in his eyes. "Do you not care about Princess Neoma anymore?"
"Princess Neoma is someone who'll probably end up in hell."
His Moon Princess was kind, but it wouldn't change the fact that she had killed many people in both her first and current lifetime.
"Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
"Of course not," Trevor said, scoffing at Dilan Crowell's stupid question. "But I'm still part demon. Hence, it's easy for me to follow my Moon Princess to hell."
Dilan Crowell knitted his eyebrows. "Are you going to die with Princess Neoma?"
"If I have to, why not?" Trevor said, shrugging. "But don't you know that there's someone aside from me who's willing to give up everything for Princess Neoma?"
***
DAHLIA was torn between apprehending the crows and calming Prince Nero.
"Go," Calyx encouraged Dahlia with a triumphant look on his face. "We can't have Nero killing himself, can we?"
Ah.
So, this was why Calyx was calm despite Nero's silent rampage.
[Calyx knows I won't let Prince Nero kill himself.]
After realizing that they had already lost this battle to Regina Crowell and Calyx, Dahlia quickly ran towards Prince Nero before it was too late.
And then she heard that familiar voice boom in the sky.
"Nero Roseheart de Moonasterio, use your ice to freeze Neoma's body– now!"
Dahlia looked up at the sky, then she let out a sigh of relief.
It was Lord Ruto, riding on the back of his gigantic Thunderbird.
[Lord Ruto asked Prince Nero to freeze Princess Neoma's body, so it must mean Lord Ruto knows how to revive the Imperial Princess.]
"Argh. The villain is here," Regina Crowell said while glaring at Ruto. "Let's go."
"Alright," Calyx agreed easily. "I've already done what I need to do here."
Hmm?
That made Dahlia frown.
[What did Calyx exactly do? I've kept an eye on him since he showed up at the tent earlier. And he didn't do anything special in particular. He didn't even get to lay a finger on Prince Nero.]
That made Dahlia anxious.
She was about to follow Regina Crowell and Calyx, but stopped when she heard Lord Ruto yell.
"Prince Nero, wake up!"
Ah, right.
Not even Lord Ruto could stop Prince Nero at this rate.
The young lord had already landed on the ground, and the giant Thunderbird had turned into a small bird sitting on his shoulder.
Lord Ruto knelt down beside Prince Nero, shaking the Crown Prince's shoulders.
[It looks like Lord Ruto is so close to punching Prince Nero in the face…]
But Prince Nero remained still while gathering his Mana in his heart– with the obvious intention of crushing his own Core.
[Why do you always do that when you lose your loved one, Prince Nero?]
With a heavy heart, Dahlia forced herself to approach Prince Nero who reminded her of the Emperor Nero in her distant memories.
[My husband… no, he's not and will not be my husband in this lifetime.]
"Prince Nero," Dahlia said, kneeling on the other side of Prince Nero. Then she gently put a hand on his chest. "Please calm down."
The Crown Prince didn't stop with his self-destruction yet.
[His Imperial Highness is still out of it…]
Dahlia was then forced to wrap her arms around Prince Nero's body as she whispered in his ear. "Prince Nero, Lord Ruto asked you to freeze Princess Neoma's body. There must be a way to bring her back to life. But we need your ice, so please don't leave us."
Fortunately, the Mana gathered in Prince Nero's heart slowly scattered away.
[Good…]
"Princess Neoma can still be revived," Dahlia said. "We just need to work together."
"Neoma… can still be saved?"
"Yes," Dahlia said, pulling away from the hug. "So please help us, Prince Nero."
Prince Nero's red eyes soon returned to their normal color, the Crown Prince calmer now as he carefully put Princess Neoma's lifeless body on the ground. Then he put his hands on her chest. "I just have to freeze Neoma's body, right?"
"Yes, Prince Nero," Lord Ruto replied. "We can't let the gods steal Princess Neoma's body."
Hmm?
Dahlia was surprised to hear that.
She thought freezing Princess Neoma's body was a way to preserve it, but she didn't know it was also to keep her safe from the gods.
That realization made Dahlia upset.
[So, the gods wouldn't even leave Princess Neoma alone even in her death?]
***
[HOW MANY times must you let me see you die until you're satisfied, Neoma?]
Ruto clenched his hands tight while watching Prince Nero put Neoma inside the ice coffin that he made with his ability.
Although he knew there was a way to bring her back to life, that didn't make it less painful to see Neoma's lifeless body. A huge part of him died with the Imperial Princess. It still as devastating as the first time she died right in front of him.
[You should have killed me before you killed yourself, Neoma.]
He could tell that the wound in the Imperial Princess' chest was self-inflicted.
"It's done," Prince Nero said after putting Neoma inside the ice coffin, his voice cracked and his eyes swollen from crying. "What should we do next?"
Using an ice coffin to preserve Neoma's body wouldn't suffice.
They needed to hide her somewhere safer.
[I need to forcefully awaken Hanna Quinzel's ability for that matter.]
"The gods will soon come and try to steal Neoma's body," Ruto said. He may look and sound calm. But he was seething inside. "Let's go back to the palace for now."
***
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