Chapter 897 THE PRICE OF ARROGANCE
DAHLIA was pretty surprised when Prince Nero froze the entire "lake."
It was no longer a lake, actually. It had turned into a huge warp hole that looked like a black hole because of its color.
To be honest, a portal that size shouldn't be easily forced shut.
But Zeru, Prince Nero's ice phoenix, froze it effortlessly.
[Prince Nero is really on a different level…]
"Argh!"
While Zeru was freezing the lake, Sev was freezing the fake Nero Roseheart.
The ice wolf bit the de Moonasterion bastard all over. Each limb that Sev bit had quickly been covered by ice.
Hence, it only took a few moments before the fake was completely frozen.
[The fake Nero Roseheart is really weak…]
Even so, Dahlia felt like the fake "lost" on purpose.
[We shouldn't let our guard down.]
"Good job, Zeru, Sev," Prince Nero said, his Soul Beasts turning translucent. "You may rest for now."
Whew.
Dahlia was relieved that Prince Nero asked his Soul Beasts to return because both Zeru and Sev were still injured from the Crown Prince's rampage earlier.
"As I thought, freeing the Soul Beasts by opening the Cage is the wrong answer."
"That seems to be the case, Prince Nero," Dahlia said, agreeing with the Crown Prince. But she was still worried. "Even so, I feel like something is off. Moreover, we haven't figured out what would happen if the Soul Beasts were freed once the Cage was open."
They only figured out that opening the Cage was the wrong answer because the fake Nero Roseheart smiled, suggesting that the fake was waiting for them to "force" him to open the Cage.
Ah, she also picked up something from that gesture.
"I noticed the condition that must be met because the fake Nero Roseheart could open the Cage."
Nero smirked as if he was proud of Dahlia. "I'm glad you're not completely na?ve, Dahlia."
Judging by Prince Nero's personality, that should have been a compliment.
[But why do I feel slightly offended?]
"It looks like the Cage could only be opened if a Roseheart wishes for the Cage to be opened," Prince Nero said. "That was how Mother and Neoma of the first timeline were able to open the Cage during their time."
Dahlia nodded in agreement. "That goes to show that the fake Nero Roseheart is really a fake. He probably posed as a Roseheart to make the Roseheart descendants lower their guard."
But it didn't work on Prince Nero whose heart was as small as a grain.
"I wonder about the real identity of the fake Nero Roseheart, though," Dahlia said, wondering out loud. "I know that he's a de Moonasterio, but–"
"That must be Sergius de Moonasterio."
"Sergius de Moonasterio…?"
"The emperor who created the first Soul Beast."
Dahlia covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped. "Then he was the mastermind behind killing the male Rosehearts to turn them into Soul Beasts?"
"The mastermind was probably Callisto de Luca and the crows," Prince Nero said indifferently even though they were talking about his ancestors. "Even so, he was the first de Moonasterio in history to execute that plan."
It seemed like the Crown Prince knew what he was talking about.
"Prince Nero, how are you so sure that the fake is Sergius de Moonasterio?"
"Because he reeked of flesh."
"H-Huh?"
"There was only one emperor in history who was frowned upon even by the most vile emperors in our bloodline," Prince Nero said indifferently. "And it was Sergius de Moonasterio– the cannibal."
Dahlia gulped hard, her stomach acting funny because the image of a person eating the flesh of other human beings made her want to throw up.
"I learned about Sergius de Moonasterio from William because the two were from the same era."
The 'William' that Prince Nero mentioned was the Grand Spirit– a male Roseheart who had successfully escaped the misery of being a Soul Beast.
[I remember how William hates His Imperial Majesty and Princess Neoma…]
"According to William, Sergius de Moonasterio revered the Rosehearts," Prince Nero said, his face darkened. "The problem was Sergius de Moonasterio had fallen for Callisto de Luca's words because that stupid emperor was a devout follower of the crows' cult. Sergius de Moonasterio believed it when Callisto de Luca said that he'd gain the power of the gods if he ate the flesh of the male Rosehearts. Unfortunately, even the highest-ranking nobles of the time followed suit."
Dahlia frowned after hearing Prince Nero's story. "I think Sergius de Moonasterio simply justified his hunger for human flesh. He must just be a cannibal, plain and simple."
The Crown Prince looked at her as if he was surprised, then he laughed. "That's plausible."
Oh.
She didn't feel bad that the Crown Prince laughed. It was because she could tell that he was laughing at what she said and not at her.
[But why does Prince Nero look so good when laughing… no, stop this useless thought.]
Dahlia avoided Prince Nero's gaze and looked around.
Her heart broke for the dead bodies of the Soul Beasts around. The cruel snowstorm and the pouring of ice daggers had already stopped, leaving only the bleeding corpses of the poor beasts.
"Don't be sad, Dahlia– they're finally free."
"Huh?"
Prince Nero raised his hands, his red eyes glowing. "Come out, Rosehearts."
Dahlia's eyes widened in shock when Prince Nero's hair suddenly turned pink completely.
Not a strand of white hair was left on the Crown Prince's head. Now he really looked more like a Roseheart than a de Moonasterio.
But her shock didn't end there.
Dahlia was once again shocked when the souls of the male Rosehearts trapped inside the corpses of the beasts came out of their vessels one by one.
It was just a little creepy because the souls still had their human forms.
[They all have pink hair…]
You could only tell the male Rosehearts around them were souls based on the fact that their "bodies" were semi-transparent.
[But those souls have such an empty look in their eyes…]
She felt a chill down her spine.
But she shouldn't be surprised.
[Prince Nero is a Roseheart, so something like this is possible for him.]
However…
"What are you going to do with their souls, Prince Nero?" Dahlia asked worriedly. "T-They don't look friendly…"
"Ah. They probably hate me because I have de Moonasterion blood in me," Prince Nero said casually, smirking. "But it won't matter once I devoured their souls."
Wait, what?!
Dahlia was shocked when Prince Nero's body was suddenly engulfed in some pinkish lights.
Then a warp hole appeared on the Crown Prince's stomach, and it began to absorb all the souls around them.
Dahlia was too stunned to speak.
[What's wrong with Prince Nero and Princess Neoma? Why do they keep "eating" things they're not supposed to eat!]
***
IT WAS one of those rare moments that Nero listened to his instincts without thinking much about it.
Hence, when his instincts told him to devour the souls, he did as he pleased.
And that was when the problem began.
[Huh?]
Nero was supposed to be in control.
But, all of a sudden, he was sucked into a different dimension while he was conscious. It was as if his soul was forcibly snatched away from his body and brought there.
And now he was standing in the middle of a dark room…
… surrounded by thousands of souls with pink hair.
"Thank you, young arrogant Crown Prince," one of the souls said, grinning. "Thank you for giving us your body so we could avenge our clan."
What…?
Nero, who was about to protest, stopped when his heart started to beat fast and hard as if it was about to burst.
And it hurt like hell.
[No…!]
The Third Calamity had begun.
***
RUTO was just planning on watching Princess Hanna deal with Larissa.
Of course, he wouldn't let the Crown Princess kill the former goddess because he promised Neoma that he'd let her kill the wench.
Even so, he thought Princess Hanna should also get her chance to beat up Larissa.
However, all his plans were tossed aside when the ground suddenly shook hard.
Then it was followed by the explosion of dark energy that shouldn't have been released if Prince Nero managed to avoid the Cage's trap.
[Did the Crown Prince fail after all…?]
"Is it Nero's Mana?" Princess Hanna asked, knitting her eyebrows. "But why does it feel… colder and darker than usual?"
"It's not Prince Nero's Mana," Ruto said, clenching his hands tight. "It's the wrath of the Rosehearts."
***
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