Chapter 44

[Translator: Dawn ]

[Proofreader: Alissa ]

Chapter 44: [Side Story] Evangeline Cross (2)

Ring! Ring! Ring! 

Lucky Strike’s slot rotated furiously, and the number that showed up was 777. 

Triple seven. 

The maximum damage of this meme weapon showed up. 

“Goddammit, why here?!” 

Although I was the one attacking, I screamed in fright. No, no! Not the 777 damage!This would kill most boss monsters in one hit. If this was to hit a person, that person would most definitely die! 

“Evangeline! Dodge…” 

Of course, that was impossible. 

Because this damage slot activated the moment my fist touched Evangeline’s shield. 

7, 7, 7! 

[Congratulations!] 

[☆★☆JACKPOT!★☆★] 

Firecrackers celebrating the jackpot exploded around the system interface. 

Immediately after, the system window disappeared. And at the same time, 

Flash-! 

A laser was fired from the tip of my fist. 

“……” 

No, I’m not even kidding. 

Literally, a rainbow laser was fired. What the fuck. 

Booom! 

The beams of light shot brilliantly, tearing through the air around the area. 

“Kyaaaaaah-!?” 

And Evangeline, swept away by the laser, was sent flying far away… 

Swoosh— 

After the dust clouds settled down. 

The entrance to the mansion’s stone wall was blown clean by my fist (the laser from it). 

“……” 

“……” 

Lucas, standing bewildered on the charred ground, looked at me and broke into a cold sweat. 

“Y-Your Highness. That was surely a very excellent punch. Just how did you… I mean, that’s not the main problem here.” 

“……” 

“Even though she was the one who attacked us first, I believe this is a very harsh punishment for a child…” 

“No, no! I didn’t mean it!” 

I only wanted to get her attention by hitting her with a light punch. 

I only had the good intention of stopping the fight! How could I have known that I was going to get a jackpot from there? 

Evangeline flew away and knocked down one side of the stone wall of her mansion, leaving her buried in the wreckage. 

Patter… 

It was very concerning to see her standing motionless even when stone dust fell on her head. 

“I-is she dead?” 

I shuddered at the guilt of unintentionally causing both the father and daughter to die here. 

Oh my god of slot machines! Why would you pop a triple seven here, why?! 

Lucas hurriedly ran to Evangeline’s side and awkwardly smiled at me. 

“No. Thankfully, she is breathing just fine.” 

“Really?!” 

To think that she could survive the maximum damage of Lucky Strike. One could say that it was expected from an SSR-rank tanker. Thank goodness she was sturdy. 

“There are minor bruises, but they don’t seem to be vital at all. However…” 

Speechless, Lucas looked to his side. I too looked to the side. 

I saw a shattered eagle shield and a saber spear broken in half. All of them were Evangeline’s armaments. 

As the cost of taking the hit of Lucky Strike and protecting the wielder, the equipment was destroyed to the point of scrapping. 

“Those looked expensive…” 

“Yes, they did…” 

They look to be at least SR-rank at first glance. I mean, ‘looked like’ SR-ranks. 

I groaned as I picked up the broken eagle’s wing. What should I do? Can these even be repaired? 

Lucas carefully lifted Evangeline, who had passed out, out of the rubble of the stone wall and helped her up. 

“Anyway, that was quite amazing, Your Highness. You were able to knock out an opponent that I was having trouble with in one strike.” 

“It wasn’t me. It was a prank from the god of dice, that bastard.” 

“Pardon?” 

“Whatever. This shit garbage luck-based game.” 

At that time, people seemed to have heard the commotion near the front gate, and rushed out of the mansion. 

I shouted at Aider, who ran out first. 

“Aider! Contact the temple and call for a healer! Prepare a room for this girl to sleep in too!” 

I glanced at Evangeline, who had lost consciousness, and let out a long sigh. 

For now, let’s be thankful that no one died and the situation was settled… 

Evangeline was dreaming, 

It was about her childhood. 

She was in the corner of a spacious old mansion. Since her birth, this has been the room Evangeline used. 

Her mother would occasionally visit her out of the blue at any time, giving Evangeline a hug. 

It wasn’t long before Evangeline noticed when her mother would come to give her a hug. 

It was whenever her father went to fight in a battle. 

Whenever the monsters invaded the city, and her father went to the front to fight them, her mother saw her father off and came to Evangeline’s room. 

And she hugged Evangeline for a very long time. 

‘I was worried that our daughter may be scared of the monsters, so I came here to comfort you.’ 

Said the mother with a smile, but Evangeline already knew. 

That the person who was scared of the monsters wasn’t her but her mother. 

Her mother trembled in fear as her arms wrapped around her daughter. 

Evangeline would pat her mother on the back and laugh bashfully. 

‘I’m not scared at all, mom. Because I know dad will take care of the monsters, right?’ 

Whenever Evangeline said that, her mother gave a somewhat sad smile. 

Evangeline found out later, 

That her mother was not afraid of the monsters. 

She was afraid of losing her father. 

And the fate of her daughter that one day would bring her to fight on the vicious battlefield.

[Translator: Dawn]

[Proofreader: Alissa]

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“…Mm.” 

In the pouring morning sunlight, Evangeline slowly opened her eyes. 

She heard the chirping of a bird that she didn’t know the name of in the distance. 

“…Huh?” 

Familiar room structure. 

The smell of freshly laundered duvets. 

The pattern on the ceiling that was imprinted in her memory. 

Looking around with her blank eyes, Evangeline noticed that this was her own room in her hometown, her mansion. 

“Ah…” 

Right, she came back to her hometown. 

Three years ago, after her mother passed away, she left this place as if she was running away, and she recklessly went to the central Empire. 

And she managed to enter the imperial academy in the capital. 

Within three years, she completed all of the lessons in her knight class. After she graduated honorably at the top of her class, 

She wondered where she wanted to head off to. 

After receiving the graduation certificate, thinking about it in a daze, she returned to her hometown as if she was possessed by something. 

It wasn’t because she had any particular goal or anything. 

It was only because it was her last chance to visit her hometown before being duly commissioned as a knight on another front. 

She was going to visit this hateful countryside city, and never come back ever again. 

So, she came back to Crossroad late at night, but… 

‘I can’t… remember anything after that.’ 

She remembered entering the city, but she didn’t remember how she ended up in her bedroom. 

‘Did I drink alcohol or something?’ 

She didn’t even drink on her graduation day because she was underage. She thought that, perhaps, she decided to have a drink because she felt comfortable coming back to her hometown. 

Evangeline, who was brushing her forehead where dull pain remained, noticed a sudden presence. Someone was sitting by the bed. 

“…Mom?” 

She muttered involuntarily, but immediately realized anew. 

That her mother passed away. Three years ago on that day. So suddenly. 

Her eyes teared up. There was virulence in Evangeline’s voice as she quickly covered her eyes with the back of her hand. 

“No, it must be you, dad.” 

“……” 

“It’s been 3 years. How have you been?” 

“……” 

“Well, I figured I wouldn’t have to ask anyway. You must’ve had a great time hunting down those monsters that you loved so much, right?” 

Ah. 

I didn’t want to say things like this. 

Evangeline bit her lips at the biting remarks that sprang out of her mouth. 

Her prominent fangs dug into her lips. 

I didn’t want to talk like this. I wanted, 

I wanted… something more… something proper… 

“Sorry to break it to you, Evangeline,” 

An unfamiliar voice flew in from her side. 

“But I am neither your mother nor your father.” 

“?!” 

Startled, Evangeline hurriedly raised her upper body up and pressed herself against the back of the bed. 

As she was trained to, she tried to grab the weapons that she always carried with her and press them forward, but her hands wrapped in bandages only grabbed onto the thin air. 

‘Bandage? Was I injured?’ 

Evangeline was confused because she couldn’t understand her current situation. Then she saw a man sitting in a chair next to her bed. 

He was a dark-haired young man. 

While handling the papers in his hand in a casual suit, he glanced at Evangeline and frowned at her. 

“Tsk. Is she still not in her right mind? Maybe I hit her a little too hard yesterday…” 

“Ah.” 

She finally remembered what happened yesterday. 

Like a waterfall, memories of the previous night ran through her mind. Evangeline shouted, pointing her finger at the man. 

“You’re that mister from yesterday!” 

The man’s expression rotted in an instant. 

“No, I’m not a mister.” 

“You’re the mister that threw a crazy punch despite how weak you looked, right?!” 

“I don’t look weak at all… And no, I’m not a mister!” 

“You made fun of me for being short too! You damned long-leg! Good for you for being tall!” 

“I mean, yes I did make fun of you… I’m sorry for that, but… I’m not a mister…” 

The muttering man tossed his file aside and placed his hand on his chest. 

“Let me introduce myself again, Miss Evangeline Cross. I am Ash ‘Von Heiter’ Everblack. I am  the 3rd prince of the empire and am currently the lord of Crossroad.” 

Evangeline frowned her sharp green eyes. 

“Stop lying, I said. If you’re a prince, then I’m a princess of the duchy.” 

“Oh, you little brat! I’m telling you, I am the Imperial prince! Do I need to show you the imperial identity tag?” 

“Yes! Show me it! Now!” 

Evangeline nodded her head eagerly. 

The man reluctantly took out a black jade tag from his inner pocket and handed it to her. 

Evangeline’s eyes widened after looking at it. 

“Geez, it’s real.” 

“I’ve been telling you that!” 

“How is it even real…?” 

Evangeline looked at the man—Ash’s face once—then looked at the tag in her hand again, looked at her face, then looked at the tag, and repeated those actions over and over again. 

“For real? You’re the famous third prince of the Empire, Ash?” 

“Am I famous…?” 

“Of course you are! You’re one of the only three princes of the Imperial family!” 

Although she has been living for three years at the Imperial Academy, 

She heard often about the princes of the Empire. Because that was the capital’s best gossip. 

The cold, cynical soldier and a knight, the first Prince. 

A benevolent, gentle politician and wizard, the second Prince. 

And the crazy ruffian gangster, the third Prince. 

All three princes were the center of the gossip, but the stories about the third Prince were to be heard almost every day. 

Because he would cause all kinds of ruckus in the capital. 

First off, if something was to happen in the Imperial family, there was a 90% chance that it’d be the work of Ash. 

“I haven’t heard the latest news because I’ve been so busy preparing for my early graduation. I could never have thought that the prince would come down to such a remote rural area.” 

After returning the tag, Evangeline opened up the bag that was placed beside her bed. Then she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and handed it forward. 

“Can I get your autograph?” 

“Huh? What…?” 

“I said, can I get your autograph?! You’re a Prince so you must have one, right?” 

“Well, y-yeah, I do.” 

Ash signed the paper with a somewhat awkward posture. 

For some reason, it was written in some kind of a strange foreign language instead of the common language of the Empire, but she didn’t care much about it. After getting her paper back, she carefully folded it and put it deep inside her bag. 

Then she suddenly stretched her hand out. 

“Can you shake my hand?” 

“Uh, huh? Yes?” 

Ash, who couldn’t help but be bewildered, reached out his hand and shook Evangeline’s hand. 

“I am your fan!” 

“Sorry?”“I said, I’m your fan.” 

“Huh, a fan? Of me? So like the one I’m thinking of right now?” 

“Yes! Among the members of the royal family, I admired the 3rd prince the most! Even in the weekly magazine published every week in the capital, I only scraped the news about you!” 

Evangeline pulled out a scrapbook from her bag and opened it up. 

Ash received it and confirmed it was real. 

The splendid incidents that Ash committed every week were recorded there one after another… 

“R-right. You’re a fan of mine, I appreciate that, but…” 

Ash asked, unable to erase his confused expression. 

“But why? How did you become a fan of mine?” 

“There is only one reason!” 

Evangeline smiled brightly. 

She had the naive yet vicious smile of a teenage girl. 

“Because you’re the Empire’s nastiest lout!” 

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