Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
Chapter 486: Peeling layer after layer (3)
Translator: miraclerifle
Editor: Borderline Masochist
“...What about my ancestor?”
“...I said that he was a criminal?”
‘Is there something wrong with my ears?’
Alberu looked not majestic at all as he stuck his finger into his ear.
“I think something’s blocking my ears.”
“Ah. Then should I explain more clearly?”
“No need. My ancestor was a criminal, haha. How could I hear such nonsense?! Hahaha-”
“Your highness, you heard correctly.”
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
Cale and Alberu blankly stared at each other again.
The two of them were silent for a while. Alberu soon started to frown.
“This is probably the most shocking thing I've heard in a while!”
“...Is that so?”
“Is that so?!”
Alberu started to frown even more.
‘I was planning on telling him about the royal family’s secret and talk about if I deserved to be king... So, what the f*ck is up with this nonsense?’
He had decided to share this secret with Cale Henituse.
He was pretty much the head of the Crossman household already as he had the seal, but King Zed Crossman had seriously opposed his decision.
Alberu had ignored that opposition and brought Cale here.
Cale must have asked about information on the Crossman Royal family because he thought it might be useful to fight against the White Star.
Alberu knew this as well and wanted to help him defeat the White Star.
However, there was another reason as well.
‘...My weakness.’
His actions today were pretty much showing Cale Henituse his weakness.
First was the royal family's weakness.
The Crossman Royal family was said to have received the blessing and protection of the Sun God. However, looking deeper into it, it was a curse rather than a blessing.
The Crossman Royal family's power and fame would fall to the ground if this was revealed.
The second was his weakness.
The fact that he had Dark Elf blood and the darkness attribute inside him. According to the curse, someone who should never become the head of the Crossman household had tricked the family into becoming the head.
Alberu was able to reveal these two secrets and weaknesses because it was Cale.
‘Because he realized what I was.’
This bastard was someone who had recognized that he was quarter Dark Elf but had no negative feelings about them.
This bastard was someone who helped him.
This bastard was similar to him.
That was why he had brought Cale Henituse here today with a heavy heart.
But-
‘He’s speaking nonsense?’
He had thought Cale had a screw loose quite often, but Alberu could not stop frowning. He started to speak almost as if he was sighing.
“You see those words on the boulder?”
“Yes, sir. I can?”
‘Ah, this bastard.’
Alberu held back his anger and continued to speak.
“That boulder is the only record of the Crossman household other than the orally passed down information.”
Alberu focused on one sentence on the boulder.
< The moment a person with that darkness becomes the head of the household, the sky will be destroyed, and the ground will tremble. >
“It says the world will turn to chaos if someone with darkness becomes the king of the Roan Kingdom or the head of the Crossman household.”
“I guess so.”
‘What?’
Alberu was at a loss for words after hearing Cale agree with it so easily.
He then realized something.
‘...I thought he would be different.’
He thought Cale would not act like this.
He thought Cale would read those words and say something along the lines of, ‘Why should we care about the Sun God's curse? Darkness my ass.’ That was what he thought Cale would say.
“Ha!”
Alberu realized he had hoped to hear something from Cale and started to laugh.
He wanted to hear Cale say, ‘forget the record and do a good job ruling the kingdom.’
Alberu subconsciously raised his hand to brush his face. He was feeling very odd right now. It was hard to describe the emotion he was feeling right now.
Dejection?
Disappointment?
< The Sun will always rise. >
< The moment darkness is planted in your bodies... >
< The moment a person with that darkness becomes the head of the household, the sky will be destroyed, and the ground will tremble. >
“If one of you receives the power from the Demon World and ends up in possession of the sky attribute ancient power... The sky will be destroyed, and the ground will tremble as the world turns into chaos.”
Cale pointed to the last two sentences.
< The moment darkness is planted in your bodies... >
< The moment a person with that darkness becomes the head of the household, the sky will be destroyed, and the ground will tremble. >
“This seems more like a prophecy than a curse? Or maybe a warning?”
Alberu brushed his face with both hands.
“Pfft.”
He could not help but laugh.
He opened his mouth to ask.
“What about when I said the world would turn to chaos if someone with darkness becomes the king of the Roan Kingdom or the head of the Crossman household earlier? You said, ‘I guess so.’ Why did you agree with me?”
“Because the world would turn to chaos if the White Star bastard becomes king?”
“Ah, this bastard-”
Alberu could not hold back as he shouted toward Cale.
“You should have clearly explained yourself from the beginning if that was the case!”
Cale flinched at Alberu’s shout that sounded like a scolding while looking at the smile on Alberu’s face with a confused expression.
‘Why is he smiling?’
Cale found it odd that Alberu was smiling.
“...Your highness.”
“Hyung-nim.”
“Yes, sir. Hyung-nim. Umm, it might just be a hypothesis, but your ancestor might be the ancient White Star?”
Based on what Cale knew, the ancient White Star had suddenly appeared in the world and died in the final battle.
There were no records of his family, his past, or his relationships.
That was why there was no way of knowing whether he had any descendants, but for some reason, Cale felt like he was right.
‘Either way, it’s not something good.’
Cale frowned at Alberu who seemed to be happy for some reason. Alberu raised his chin and asked him back.
“So what?”
“I guess that’s true. You’re right. There’s nothing you can do about that.”
Alberu used his hand to suppress the corners of his lips from twitching after seeing Cale nodding his head.
Alberu had been shocked to hear that the ancient White Star could be his ancestor.
However, he wasn’t a villain like that.
Furthermore, the past kings of the Roan Kingdom he knew about were never evil nor harmed the Roan Kingdom’s citizens even if some of them were useless kings. The kingdom had been in difficult times because of their inability to lead properly, but the future generations took responsibility and fixed it in order for them to survive until now.
‘They thought that they could avoid the Sun God’s curse only by being the king of the Roan Kingdom.’
It was funny, but the heads of the Crossman household for generations had fought to survive.
That resulted in the Roan Kingdom being the oldest kingdom on the continent.
Alberu’s goal was to take the Roan Kingdom past this point of being just the oldest kingdom and making it even greater.
“Ah! Your highness, I told you that I was going to meet a sage, right?”
“Yes.”
He gently responded to Cale and waited for Cale’s next words with a relaxed mind.
“That sage was the World Tree.”
“Huh?”
‘Who did he say?’
Alberu’s jaw dropped. The World Tree was an existence he had only heard about in legends. However, Alberu’s expression calmed down after hearing what Cale said next.
“That World Tree said that you were fated to exist in the Roan Kingdom, your highness.”
Cale could now tell why the World Tree randomly mentioned that Alberu was fated to be here. That was why he calmly shared his thoughts without any hesitation.
“Hyung-nim, doesn’t that mean you becoming king and living as you wish is the right way to go?”
The crown prince truly needed to become king for the Roan Kingdom to prosper.
Cale once again made up his mind that he needed to push for Alberu to be king in order to live peacefully as a slacker without having to worry about the Roan Kingdom.
Cale firmly shared his desires with Alberu who was standing there looking at him with an odd smile.
“Hyung-nim. Please become king.”
Alberu started to speak as if he was accepting that will.
“Of course. I must become king.”
Alberu quietly brushed his face.
Cale could see his true quarter Dark Elf appearance as his dye magic was removed. Alberu looked at his reflection in Cale's eyes as he started to think.
‘Fate. I am fated to be here.’
Alberu thought that bringing Cale here was one of the best things he had done in life.
It helped him get rid of his self-doubt.
He quietly looked at Cale who seemed to be thinking about a lot of things while looking at the boulder before starting to speak.
“By the way, little brother.”
Cale’s stoic gaze headed toward Alberu.
“The Molden Kingdom. No, you want to flip over the Molden palace and capture the Monarch?”
He could see the corners of Cale’s lips twitching as they twisted up.
“Yes, hyung-nim. Should we do it together?”