The Last Adventurer

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 107 The Crown Prince (1)

1.

The atmosphere in the Ariant Kingdom was tense, as if something could explode at any moment.

“Damn it!”

There was no sign of the tension easing, and eventually, incidents broke out here and there.

“I can’t take it anymore! What did I do wrong? It’s the Ariant Kingdom that’s wrong!”

Some adventurers clashed with the Ariant Kingdom’s guards.

It was not a minor clash.

“Oh my god, fire! Fire!”

“There’s a casualty! There’s been a death!”

Fires broke out in various parts of the Ariant Kingdom’s royal palace, and there were even fatalities.

This was a very serious matter.

An adventurer killing an Ariant Kingdom guard in the royal palace was practically a rebellion.

Of course, no one considered it a rebellion.

Everyone knew that the adventurer hadn’t caused the accident to overthrow the Ariant Kingdom.

The Ariant Kingdom also treated it as an accident and didn’t punish the adventurers for treason.

Nevertheless, people’s worries deepened.

They knew.

“Isn’t this going to lead to a rebellion?”

“Oh, come on. The adventurers are going to rebel? There’s no reason for them to.”

“You never know, the Sand Bandits might move if the adventurers don’t.”

There was a real possibility of a rebellion.

“The Sand Bandits won’t just sit back and watch this chaos, will they?”

Especially with the royal palace’s security being shaken, it was like a lion showing its wounds in front of hyenas.

The Sand Bandits wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.

So most people were convinced.

“The Sand Bandits will move. One way or another.”

That a storm would soon engulf the royal palace.

However, the atmosphere within the Sand Bandits was different.

“We wait.”

They weren’t in the mood to move at all.

It was natural.

“Until the Cygnus Knights make their move.”

The Cygnus Knights were moving to capture none other than Queen Areda.

In such a situation, there was no reason for the Sand Bandits to make a fuss and ruin the Cygnus Knights’ position.

“I’m getting impatient.”

They even stopped their usual activities to avoid giving the Ariant Kingdom any unnecessary excuses.

“Be patient. If we wait, the Cygnus Knights will catch Queen Areda.”

“Of course. Once Queen Areda is caught, it’s all over.”

Moreover, the Sand Bandits had no doubt that the situation they desired would soon arrive.

“Even Queen Areda wouldn’t dare to scheme against a Cygnus Knight Commander.”

There was nothing Queen Areda could do.

That’s what they thought.

“S-something terrible has happened.”

“What is it?”

“Abdullah VIII has made an announcement!”

“An announcement?”

2.

“I will choose a Crown Prince.”

At Abdullah VIII’s words, all the gathered princes were surprised.

Choosing a Crown Prince meant that Abdullah VIII would eventually relinquish the throne.

‘That wicked woman?’

And Abdullah VIII stepping down meant that everything Queen Areda enjoyed would also become a mirage.

That’s why Abdullah VIII had never thought of choosing a Crown Prince until now.

It wasn’t just that he hadn’t thought about it, the word “Crown Prince” itself was a taboo that shouldn’t be uttered in front of Abdullah VIII.

But now Abdullah VIII was saying it himself?

One thing was for sure.

‘This is not a negotiation.’

It was unlikely that Queen Areda, cornered, would do this to negotiate with the princes.

That’s when it happened.

“But I won’t choose in the traditional way.”

At Abdullah VIII’s words, the princes’ eyes changed.

“Thanks to my rule, the Ariant Kingdom is enjoying unspeakable prosperity. And all of this is thanks to the Mystic Gates, a gift from God.”

And at the mention of the Mystic Gates, the princes’ eyes began to waver.

They had figured it out.

“Therefore, the next Abdullah must be more skilled than anyone else in conquering the Mystic Gates.”

What those words meant.

“So, princes, prove yourselves.”

The decisive blow was that word.

“Directly.”

Enter the Mystic Gates yourselves and conquer them!

It was absurd.

Some of the princes hadn’t even opened their Circles.

Even if they had, only a handful had proper adventuring experience.

But to enter the Mystic Gates themselves?

It wasn’t just dangerous, it was life-threatening.

It would be fortunate if only the prince’s life was at risk.

‘If things go wrong, it could be a complete annihilation.’

The problem was that conquering the Mystic Gates with a prince was on a different level than doing it with just adventurers.

Adventurers decide in advance who would be sacrificed and who would be abandoned.

But it was different with a prince.

Everyone had to sacrifice themselves to protect the prince at all times.

It meant that the difficulty of the conquest would be doubled, or even more.

That was the reason why the Prince’s Tombs were created in the first place.

Even the fourth prince, who was a skilled adventurer, ended up in a tomb.

But what if the prince lacked ability?

‘It’s a trap. Queen Areda’s.’

Moreover, the possibility of Queen Areda letting the princes conquer the gates smoothly was zero.

‘But refusal is impossible.’

Of course, none of the princes would refuse this opportunity.

At least, not Prince Kashan.

‘The justification is clear.’

First of all, the condition set by Abdullah VIII was reasonable enough, considering the current situation of the Ariant Kingdom.

It was impossible to make someone who didn’t even know how to conquer the Mystic Gates the king of the Ariant Kingdom!

If that happened, the people of the kingdom wouldn’t follow.

‘And this opportunity won’t come again.’

More than anything else, the opportunity to be chosen as the Crown Prince, stepping back from this was practically the same as giving up everything.

It would be better to die than give up such an opportunity.

‘I’ll settle it here.’

And if he was prepared to die anyway, it would be much better to take this opportunity.

It wasn’t just Prince Kashan who felt this way.

All the princes present had the same look in their eyes.

The look of challenge, determined to seize this opportunity no matter what.

‘And defeat them.’

At the same time, the look of seeing their brothers, who had been trying to overthrow Queen Areda and set the Ariant Kingdom right, as competitors.

This was the biggest problem.

No matter the outcome, many of the princes would face death.

The Ariant Kingdom would be plunged into grief.

However, Prince Kashan didn’t worry about that.

If he became the Crown Prince, and then the king, everything could be restored to its original position.

“I have prepared a 300-man Yellow Rank Mystic Gate.”

Abdullah VIII said to the princes.

“I will give the position of Crown Prince to the one who conquers it with the fewest people.”

3.

The adventurers of the Ariant Kingdom were on the verge of exploding with discontent.

“What? Crown Prince?”

But at the news of choosing a Crown Prince, the adventurers’ complaints suddenly subsided.

“To the prince who conquers the 300-man Mystic Gate?”

The adventurers couldn’t hide their surprise at the fact that the method of choosing the Crown Prince was to conquer the Mystic Gates.

Who would have thought that the new king of the Ariant Kingdom would be chosen in such a way?

“To the prince who conquers it with the fewest people?”

“Oh my god!”

And as the details spread, no adventurer talked about the Prince’s Tomb anymore.

It was that shocking.

“This is crazy.”

Moreover, it was shocking in a bad way.

The adventurers knew.

“This kind of competition is dangerous. The princes might all die!”

Conquering a Mystic Gate with fewer people than the recommended number was a valuable title for adventurers.

That’s why the adventurers knew.

Many of the adventurers who coveted such titles ended up as scars of the Mystic Gates.

And this was about the Crown Prince?

What if someone conquered the 300-man Mystic Gate with 200 people?

The next person would try to conquer it with even fewer people.

And all that awaited them was ruin.

And this ruin was on a different level than the failures of other adventurers.

“What happens if all the princes die?”

In the worst-case scenario, there might not even be a Crown Prince.

Of course, not everyone was thinking about the worst-case scenario.

On the contrary, most adventurers were excited.

They knew.

“This is an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“The princes have to conquer the Mystic Gates from now on, and they’re not going to do it half-heartedly, are they? They’ll gather the best adventurers. And it’s not just one prince gathering them, it’s several of them competing.”

“So?”

“Yeah, it means our value goes up.”

This Crown Prince competition would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for adventurers.

As expected, the princes competed to recruit adventurers.

“I’ll give you a unique item if you succeed!”

They offered generous terms.

With such offers from the princes, the adventurers of Maple World flocked to the Ariant Kingdom once again.

Naturally, no one was dwelling on their grievances against the Ariant royal family.

Everyone gathered in front of the princes.

Of course, they didn’t just go to any prince.

The adventurers knew.

“There are two princes with the highest chance of winning in this situation.”

Who to side with to benefit the most.

Thanks to that…

“One of them is Prince Kashan.”

Adventurers from all over the Ariant Kingdom and Maple World began to gather in front of Prince Kashan.

“I am Hassan, the Boss Hunter! I have come to see Prince Kashan!”

“I apologize. Prince Kashan does not wish to meet with any adventurers.”

However, Prince Kashan did not meet with the gathered adventurers.

“What do you mean? I am Hassan, the Boss Hunter! If you know my reputation, you cannot refuse to hire me!”

“I apologize.”

He didn’t even show his face to the famous adventurers who came to see him.

“Damn it! I will remember this day!”

Naturally, the adventurers who came on their own showed dissatisfaction and annoyance without exception.

They hadn’t expected such treatment.

That was it.

No one caused any further trouble.

No matter how famous an adventurer was, no one wanted to be disliked by Prince Kashan, one of the most prominent princes in the Ariant Kingdom and closest to the throne.

Of course, Prince Kashan wasn’t refusing to meet with the adventurers just to torment them.

Prince Kashan said,

“100 people. I will conquer the 300-man Mystic Gate with exactly 100 adventurers. To do that, I need to gather only those with certain skills, not those with mediocre abilities.”

He said they needed to be more selective than ever in choosing adventurers.

“The people who come to me are just so-so.”

So instead of accepting those who came, they had to go find the adventurers they needed and make deals with them.

His subordinates obeyed Prince Kashan’s words.

No adventurer reached Prince Kashan’s ears, and thanks to that, Prince Kashan was able to quietly take care of his work in his office.

That’s why…

“P-Prince Kashan. An adventurer wants to see you.”

Prince Kashan frowned more than ever at his subordinate’s sudden visit.

“I said I don’t want to see anyone.”

“B-But, you need to meet this person.”

The following words made Prince Kashan frown even more.

He was Kashan, the third prince.

But even after he said he didn’t want to meet anyone, he had to meet them?

“If I hear the name and it’s not someone worthy, I’ll have your head.”

Finally, Prince Kashan erupted in anger.

“So, who is it?”

But the subordinate didn’t waver at all in the face of his anger.

There was no reason to waver.

“It’s El Pam.”

“What?”

“El Pam, he wants to see you, Prince Kashan.”

“…Tell him to come in.”

Because someone Prince Kashan could never refuse to meet had arrived.

[TL/N: Just a reminder Sand Painting Group -> Sand bandits]

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

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