NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 6
Chapter 6: An Unexpected Opportunity (3)
…Wait, hold on.
What’s the point in figuring this out? This is my final regression—there’s no next time where I can use this information anyway.
“Fine, I’ll drink it.”
I braced myself and brought the mysterious elixir to my lips. Just as I began to swallow, Rania spoke softly.
“It might not be immediately noticeable, but over time, the growth elixir will certainly take effect. However, there may be some… discomfort right after you drink it, so please don’t be alarmed. Girls, now!”
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, four maids rushed into the room. As I emptied the bottle, a tingling sensation spread through my limbs—a precursor to the storm that was about to hit.
“Ugh… AAAAHHH!”
The pain hit like a truck, feeling as if my bones were being crushed and electric currents were coursing through my body.
“Forgive us for our rudeness!”
“We’re sorry, Your Highness!”
“Hurry, hold him down!”
The maids grabbed my limbs to keep me from thrashing around. At the same time, Rania placed a cloth-wrapped finger into my mouth.
“Bite down, Your Highness! You’ll feel better soon!”
“Mm…”
“We understand you’re in pain, Your Highness, but please—”
“Mmmph, mmph…”
I shook my head, indicating I was fine. Rania, startled, quickly pulled her fingers out of my mouth.
“Th-that’s strange. This elixir typically causes extreme nerve pain…”
“It’s fine. It hurt for a bit, but the pain has subsided.”
In truth, the pain had been nullified by the PainKiller spell I had cast earlier.
The maids, still holding me down, quickly stepped back, bowing deeply in apology.
“Forgive us, Your Highness. We’ve committed a grave offense.”
“It’s fine. You were just trying to keep me from hurting myself. Get up.”
“Your Highness…”
The maids rose, visibly relieved. However, Rania still wore a troubled expression as she bowed her head again.
“I’m deeply sorry. Though the pain wasn’t as severe as expected, I wanted nothing more than to restore Your Highness’s growth, even if it meant subjecting you to this. Please forgive me.”
“Stop that. You’re doing this for my sake, so what’s there to forgive? But more importantly…”
Although the pain was gone, a nauseatingly strong scent kept rising from within me, causing me to shudder repeatedly.
“Ugh, the smell… This stuff tastes like something I never want to drink again.”
“Unfortunately, Your Highness will need to drink this elixir at least once a day for it to work properly.”
“Every day?”
That’s a nightmare! Even if it does make me grow taller…
…No, wait. My current height is about 145cm.
No matter how much I train, it’s impossible to expect peak performance with this physique. I tried during my fifth regression, but I hit a wall.
But what if I could grow to 175cm—or even just 165cm?
If that happens, there’s hope! I can revisit all the opportunities I missed in previous regressions because of my weak body. I might even be able to seize every advantage this time around.
“Head maid.”
A tall, sharp-eyed maid suddenly entered the room, cutting through my thoughts.
“A messenger from the imperial palace has just arrived. When told that Your Highness was still resting, they left this and returned.”
“Meredith, you must greet His Highness properly before delivering a message. This is a serious breach of protocol,” Rania reprimanded her.
Meredith, the maid in question, bowed deeply in my direction.
“My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. I have committed an unforgivable offense.”
“No need for that. Who are you? I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“I am Meredith. I typically work in the estate’s basement, which is why I rarely leave.”
Her manner was stiff, and her tone formal. Of course, I know exactly who she is.
Most of the maids in the Lunembreth estate are selected by Rania, all of whom show aptitude for apothecary work.
Meredith, in particular, has a talent for gathering ingredients, spending most of her time foraging in the wild and working in the estate’s basement to process her findings.
If I take the apothecary route, she’ll be an invaluable asset. In my second and third regressions, I even developed quite a close relationship with her.
“Meredith, is it? Nice to meet you. So, what did you bring?”
“This is a letter from Prince Jess, the regent.”
Rania accepted the scroll on my behalf, biting her lip.
“Your Highness, if I may, can I review it first?”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you. Let’s see…”
With a serious expression, Rania scrutinized the scroll, checking for any signs of foul play.
After all, she now knew Jess had been the one poisoning me, so it was only natural to be cautious.
“It’s a summons.”
Once she finished reading, Rania’s eyes widened in shock.
The letter, filled with formalities, ultimately ordered me to appear in the imperial palace’s Chamber of the Empire by 3 p.m.
“The Chamber of the Empire is where the emperor meets with his ministers to discuss state affairs, is it not? Why would they summon Your Highness there?”
“I don’t know. But with the meeting at 3, I should start getting ready now.”
The journey from the estate to the imperial palace by carriage takes over three hours.
Flying there would only take 30 minutes, but I’ll have to stick with protocol this time.
“Right now, the palace is under Prince Jess’ control. And he’s the one who’s been poisoning you.”
“Yeah, our fourth brother was just the messenger. The real culprit is Jess.”
“There’s no detailed explanation in the summons, but I doubt it’s anything good. However, I urge you not to mention the poison, no matter how enraged you may be. Confronting Jess directly will only bring harm to you right now.”
Rania pleaded with concern. I smiled and nodded.
“I won’t say a word. I’ll just nod along, whatever they say.”
“Please, no matter what you hear, remain calm. At least for now.”
“I understand. I’ll listen quietly, follow orders if they give any. I mean, my reputation is already ruined. It’s time I start changing that, bit by bit.”
To be precise, I’m planning to flip my entire reputation in one fell swoop.
Jess’ reason for summoning me to the palace is to appoint me as the commander of the imperial reinforcements.
This is the event known as the Elston War.
It’s one of the most significant early-game events that always happens at the beginning of each regression.
Elston County, located at the easternmost edge of the empire, has been at war with the necromancer’s army for over a year.
Unable to hold out any longer, the county has repeatedly requested reinforcements from the imperial government.
Jess, who had been deliberately ignoring the requests, appoints me as the commander in a last-minute attempt to set me up for failure.
What happens next can play out in various ways.
In my first regression, I accepted the role without question and nearly died.
During my second regression, I managed to pass the command to Albert halfway through, buying myself some time.
But with Albert now dead, there’s no chance of him stepping in this time.
Regardless, I’ve already planned out everything. This is the moment I will transform from the “most notorious scoundrel in imperial history” into the “chosen savior by the gods.”
—
Jess, the second prince of the empire, is 26 years old, exactly ten years older than me.
With the emperor still in a coma and the crown prince bedridden with a mysterious illness, Jess, as the regent, wields full control over the empire’s affairs, supported by the most powerful ministers.
This is the first reason why Jess can’t be killed off right away, despite knowing he’s a traitor and the one who poisoned me.
Sure, I want to crush him where he stands for feeding me poison all these years, but if I kill him recklessly, the imperial government will collapse, leading to even greater chaos.
“So many people to kill, so little time…”
Muttering complaints under my breath, I entered the Chamber of the Empire, located at the heart of the imperial palace.
The moment I stepped inside, all eyes turned to me.
– Is that… Prince Claude?
– What’s going on? Does today’s important meeting have something to do with him?
– How shameless. After what he did last year, he dares to show his face?
– Wasn’t he supposed to be confined to his estate?
– He’s still so small. How can someone with imperial blood be so tiny?
– Rumor has it he spends his days indulging in debauchery, but he looks no different than before.
Ugh. These gossips.
No matter how many times I go through regression, I never get used to this kind of blatant whispering. Actually, it’s not even gossip—they’re talking about me right to my face.
“Silence in the chamber.”
Jess, who had been sitting on a makeshift throne, stood up and brought the room to order.
It wasn’t the actual emperor’s throne, but even so, Jess, who held full authority over the empire, cut an imposing figure.
“It’s been a while, Claude. Have you been well
?”
“Yes, Brother. Thanks to your concern, my health has greatly improved.”
I fought the urge to let my face twitch as I bowed my head.
This wretched snake.
He poisoned me for years, and now he has the audacity to ask about my health?