NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Chain Reaction (3)
“What? You don’t want the fief?”
“Yes… that’s correct. But could you hear me out first?”
The ministers around me immediately erupted in murmurs. I glanced at Jess, who was desperately maintaining his poker face, and then began to speak in a clumsy tone I had rehearsed.
“Well… I still don’t quite understand what happened… but when I used Turn Undead back at the fortress village, I heard a voice in my head.”
“A divine voice!”
The High Priest beside me interjected, his voice filled with astonishment.
Wow, this old man knows how to play along, even without a prior arrangement! This will enhance the drama of my story even more than I anticipated.
“Well, it wasn’t exactly a voice—it felt more like a premonition. Anyway, it seems that the undead army has an enormous main force still hidden in the Deathlands, far larger than the one we encountered.”
The Deathlands refer to the vast wastelands east of Elston County. Jess frowned, responding sharply.
“So? What are you trying to say?”
“What I’m saying is that my… premonition… suggests that even more undead armies will invade from there in the future.”
“And how would you know that?”
How do I know? Didn’t you hear what the High Priest just said? I heard the voice of the gods!
Jess, finally grasping the situation, quickly shifted his tone as he realized that all eyes in the room were focused on me.
“Fine, but what are you suggesting we do about it?”
“That’s why, instead of a fief, I ask for the authority to act quickly and head to Elston to stop the undead at any moment.”
“What?”
For a brief moment, Jess’ eyes stiffened. He couldn’t have imagined that I’d make such a proposal.
“The prince is actually volunteering for such a difficult task?”
“This is unbelievable. Has the rogue prince really changed?”
“Elston is as barren as Berit. There’s nothing to gain from such a task, is there?”
“Is it truly a miracle? Has that wretch sincerely repented?”
Good, I love these kinds of blatant reactions.
I ignored the comments pouring in from both sides and looked at Jess with a pleading expression. After hesitating for a moment, Jess regained his composure and asked coolly.
“So, are you asking for the title of commander over Elston’s regional forces?”
“No, I don’t need such a high rank. I just want to form a small task force to handle the undead army.”
“A task force? You mean you want us to create a new army or knight order just for you?”
“Oh, no, no! It’s just that it’s difficult for me to move alone….”
I shrank back, trying to appear small and frail in front of the ministers, and continued in a cautious tone.
“I’d just need a few people to assist me. Since pulling soldiers or knights from existing forces would be a burden to the empire, I humbly ask for the authority to recruit a few cadets from the Imperial Academy.”
The Imperial Academy, as the name suggests, is an institution run by the empire, where lower nobles and wealthier commoners send their children to climb the ranks through military education.
Since no one would protest if I borrowed a few cadets from there, it was a perfect solution.
The ministers were impressed, praising Prince Claude for his thoughtful consideration. Jess, likely calculating that this proposal was more affordable than expected, nodded.
“Very well. I grant you the authority to recruit a few cadets from the graduating class of the Imperial Academy for your task force.”
“Thank you, Brother.”
“However, to avoid pulling too many at once and disrupting their studies, I limit your recruitment to no more than five at a time, as you only requested a small task force.”
For now, five would be more than enough. I bowed deeply, expressing my gratitude.
“Understood, Brother. I will dedicate my life to defending the empire’s territories from now on.”
—
Jess always wore a cold expression.
But when faced with an unexpected situation, he wasn’t the kind of person who could maintain his composure.
Smart, but not wise.
Anyway, I had stammered and feigned confusion enough for him to believe I was still under the effects of the poison.
“Your Highness, please don’t drink that poison.”
Meredith, seated across from me in the carriage, glared at the bottle in my hand as she gave her warning.
It was the “Jess-special poison” handed to me by a royal messenger just before leaving the estate. I swirled the bottle lightly.
“Why would I drink this? I’ll keep it safe and hand it over to Rania later. The more samples she has to analyze, the better, right?”
“Of course. The head maid is the best elixir master I know.”
Meredith lowered her head, then began pulling out the various elixirs she had prepared.
“And before I forget, Your Highness, you must drink this growth elixir right after visiting the temple.”
“Again? I already drank one as soon as I returned to the estate earlier.”
“According to the head maid, to maximize its effects, you need to drink another dose before bed. She adjusted the ingredients specifically for that purpose.”
“Two bottles of that awful stuff in one day….”
“It’s better than drinking three at once. Since it’s already late, she suggested you take it in the carriage on the way back, so it doesn’t disrupt your sleep.”
Ah, that explains why Meredith insisted on riding with me. I chuckled, thinking back to my conversation with Rania earlier that afternoon.
– Of course, I always thought you were special, Your Highness… but holy magic? I’m still so shocked, I don’t know what to think.
– Still, I’m relieved to hear that people are starting to speak well of you in the streets and markets.
– What were they saying before? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t very flattering….
– What? You volunteered to go to Elston County to stop the undead? Why would you take on such a dangerous task? I was already so worried during this last battle!
– Your Highness, really…! Ah, I’m sorry, I’ve spoken out of turn. Please forgive me, I’m just a mere maid.
Rania had fluctuated between hot and cold in mere moments. Of course, she was worried—her only nephew had practically signed up for a five-minute standby in the next war.
I told her to stop asking for forgiveness, explaining that I had only said it to ease concerns about my health. She was so touched that she immediately lined up several more elixirs for me to drink.
– This is a growth elixir for tonight, Your Highness.
– Next is a stamina elixir. Since you’re expected to stay out late, it’s best to take it in advance.
– Be careful not to drink it too late, or it might keep you up. And this is the night vision elixir….
Thanks to her care, even though it was late, I felt in great shape, and I could see the dark scenery outside the carriage clearly. After checking the oil in the lantern beside her, Meredith carefully asked,
“Your Highness, may I ask about something you discussed with the head maid earlier?”
“Hmm? What’s that?”
“The item you requested her to make… with sugar and honey…?”
“Oh, the ‘sugar bar’?”
What I had really wanted was a chocolate bar, but since chocolate didn’t exist in this world, I had settled for something made from caramel or honey mixed with nuts.
The reason I had asked Rania to make it was because the concept of “mana” consumed during magic casting was actually just mental concentration.
Casting too much magic drains your energy.
That’s why magicians often collapse after over exerting themselves with spells—they experience a sudden drop in blood sugar.
However, if you pump yourself full of sugar in those moments, you can temporarily recover your focus and keep casting! Of course, it doesn’t mean you can cast spells indefinitely just by eating sugar.
It’s like giving a student endless glucose candies—they won’t be able to study forever.
“Nothing special. I just want a snack for when I get hungry.”
But there was no need to explain all this to Meredith now, especially since she wasn’t a magician.
“That sounds like a good idea. If you want the growth elixir to be effective, it helps to eat more than usual.”
That explains why Rania kept serving me such large meals. I didn’t feel like I had grown taller yet, though….
“Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the temple.”
Clunk.
The carriage came to a stop, and the coachman’s voice called from the front. Meredith stood immediately and opened the door.
“Your Highness, I’ll go down first—”
“You stay here.”
I stopped Meredith from getting out and quickly jumped out of the carriage myself.
“I’ll go alone. It won’t take long.”
“Understood.”
Meredith nodded quietly. As I turned, I could see the enormous silhouette of the Grand Temple looming in the darkness, its grandeur clear even at night (thanks, of course, to the night vision elixir I had taken earlier).
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Several priests had already approached the carriage to greet me. Among them was the same old man I had seen earlier in the imperial palace.
“The High Priest himself?”
“Since I invited you, it’s only proper that I welcome you. Please, come inside.”
He was being quite forceful from the outset.
I had come because he asked, but… what exactly did he want to discuss that warranted summoning me here?
—
Essex led me through a long, wide corridor inside the temple.
“I apologize
, Your Highness, for the lateness of the hour and for not hosting a grand reception or banquet. But given the nature of our conversation, it’s not something that needs to be widely known.”
“It’s fine. I ate plenty earlier, so I’m not hungry. Besides, there’s no one around—can we speak freely?”
“Of course, but first….”
We hadn’t even reached the main hall when Essex suddenly stopped and spoke to a temple guard standing nearby.
“We’re going down. Prepare it.”
“Yes, High Priest.”
Unlike the other guards stationed along the corridor, this one held a thick book instead of a weapon.
The moment the guard turned and placed the book into a hidden slot in the wall…
Creak.
A section of the floor slid open, revealing a secret staircase leading down.
What is this? A secret route under the temple from the start?
“My apologies if I startled you, Your Highness,” Essex said, smiling at me. “But there’s no other place in this vast temple where we can speak quietly and without interruption.”
“Oh… You want me to go down there?”
“It’s not dangerous, so don’t worry. The stairs are steep, though, so please be careful. Now, follow me.”
Essex led the way down the stairs. What a stroke of luck. This alone was already more than I expected.
The secret underground path beneath the temple.
This is essentially the final stage of the temple’s tech tree. It’s notoriously difficult to reach, and in my nine regressions, I’d only succeeded three times.
And those three times were during the late stages of the game, after I had maximized my relationship with the temple.
Considering this had happened so early in my current playthrough… this was an incredible success, beyond even my expectations!
Phew, good thing I learned Turn Undead after all.
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