I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 64

Jereuth and Elly were somewhat relieved by Dante's words that the reason Leonardo had collapsed was not due to some major illness, but because of overwork and a congenitally weak constitution.

“Hoo……”

“Haa……”

Jereuth and Elly let out faint sighs of relief and bowed their heads.

Dante, slightly avoiding their gazes, looked at Leonardo. Unlike his words that there was no major problem, Dante’s gaze towards Leonardo was quite heavy.

‘……The ‘Half-Elf’s Curse’ on Crown Prince Leonardo isn't just about having a weak body.’

He had simply said that to Jereuth and Elly, but in truth, it was a ‘white lie.’

Leonardo was afflicted with a much more serious curse. To be precise, it was not so much serious as it was a complex and troublesome curse.

‘The curse on the Crown Prince…… is a ‘ceaselessly visiting death’.’

Everyone is born once and dies once. So, when you die, it's the end. It's a matter of course.

However, the Half-Elf’s Curse on Leonardo was a ‘ceaseless death.’ In other words, Leonardo was fated to have death prophesied for him several times throughout his life.

‘Moreover…… from the looks of it, the Crown Prince seems to have already passed two or three of the deaths predicted for him. To have already avoided—no, overcome two or three deaths at only twelve years old. Should I call it amazing, or pitiful. What kind of future awaits this child.’

It was a truly strange fate. For what reason was he afflicted with such a curse.

—That was Dante’s honest thought.

‘That may be, but the reason he collapsed this time is indeed overwork and a congenitally weak constitution. Fortunately, this time it seems he will wake up with just some rest…… but as long as the Half-Elf's Curse is on him, he might not wake up next time. He could die like the mages who die from overwork.’

That was why Dante advised Jereuth to train the Crown Prince’s body. Dante didn’t know what kind of death was predicted for Leonardo in the future, but a strong body was the most necessary thing to overcome a crisis.

‘I will help in the areas I can. Though you will have to solve the fundamental problem of the curse placed upon you yourself.’

Thinking, Dante extended his hand towards Leonardo and used magic.

He was trying to do his best for Leonardo in his own way.

“Light that strengthens life. In the name of mana, make this one strong. The heart will beat with a beautiful sound, and the body that heart moves shall become as fierce as that of a beast. 「Vitarecta—Lumen」.”

‘I will use ‘half’ of my remaining lifespan as the price for this magic.’

Leonardo’s body was enveloped in a faint silver light.

‘I’ve made your body healthy using half of my lifespan, so don't die a foolish death. And show results worthy of it.’

***

—Caw, caw!

The sound of crows was heard. At that sound, I came to my senses. Like plugging in an electronic device that had been off for a long time.

“Umm……”

I didn't know how long I had been unconscious.

My eyes opened naturally. My vision was still blurry, so I couldn't see my surroundings well.

But seeing that it was dark, it seemed to be nighttime.

‘……I'm hungry. Is it because I was unconscious for a long time.’

That was the first thought that came to me as I regained consciousness.

‘Is it because I’ve slept soundly for the longest time since coming to this world…… my body feels surprisingly refreshed. Why do I feel so full of energy?’

That was the second thought.

I was hungry, but perhaps because I had slept well, my body and mind felt really refreshed. It felt as if some kind of magic had been cast on me.

‘It’s bright…….’

Perhaps because I had kept my eyes closed for a long time, my vision seemed quite bright even though there wasn't much light around.

At that moment, I heard the voices of three people simultaneously.

Elly, Jereuth, and the voice of an old man.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“You have awakened!”

“I told you, didn't I? That he would be waking up soon.”

First, I asked Elly, who was closest.

“Ah…… Elly. Have you been by my side all this time?”

“Of course I……!”

Elly’s eyes widened, and she was about to say something but closed her mouth. She didn't look well. I didn't know how long I had been unconscious, but she looked like she had lost quite a bit of weight from not being able to rest properly during that time.

“Sob……”

Suddenly, Elly bowed her head deeply and started crying with her face buried in my lap.

……Is she crying because she’s happy that I’ve woken up?

‘……Should I pat her back? Or a hug? Should I stroke her head? What should I do?’

There was no way I knew how to comfort a crying girl. So, for now, I let Elly cry on my lap and looked at Jereuth.

“You were here too, Commander.”

“……Of course. I am truly glad that you have awakened.”

Jereuth answered calmly, but I could feel that he was genuinely relieved.

“How many days was I unconscious?”

“One week.”

“One week……”

It was a pretty long time. The <Future Diary> only said that I would faint, but it didn't say for how long. So I didn't know I would be unconscious for a whole week.

“You are—.”

This time, I looked at the old man leaning against the wall. He was an old man I had seen before when I talked with the elders of the Mage Tower, and I remembered his face and name.

“You are Elder Dante.”

“Oh, you remember my name. We only met that one time. Should I say thank you?”

He spoke bluntly, but I felt that Dante was quite pleased that I knew his name.

“Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? I've been continuously checking your condition, but you were unconscious for quite a while, so there might be something wrong with your body.”

“I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong. Thank you.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Dante said briefly and walked towards the door as if he had no more business with me.

As he was about to leave the room, Dante turned only his head to look at me and left a word.

“Crown Prince Leonardo.”

“Yes?”

“You woke up this time, but you might not wake up next time. Consider yourself lucky. Don't make me regret treating and helping you.”

“Ah…… yes.”

“I’ve told Commander Jereuth what needs to be done for your health from now on, so follow his instructions well. Then, I will be leaving.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Click—.

After finishing his words, Dante left the room. Then Jereuth, who was next to Elly, suddenly knelt down and bowed his head to me.

“Your Highness, I apologize. Even though I knew you were frail, I did not prevent you from overworking.”

Overwork? I collapsed due to overwork?

“Um…… that’s not your fault, Commander. It was my doing.”

“……”

After replying to Jereuth, I immediately spoke to Elly as well.

“If you are also blaming yourself, Lady Elly, it is absolutely not your fault either. My fainting was, what should I say…… a ‘likely event’ that happened. If there is any fault, it is mine, so please don’t worry about it.”

“……”

I spoke as if to comfort them, but neither Jereuth nor Elly could answer properly. Looking at their expressions and atmosphere, it seemed they were thinking of my fainting as their own responsibility.

“More importantly, has anything happened in the past week? Are the construction of the large farm and the rebuilding of the market progressing well?”

“……”

“……”

“Ah, and the recruit completion ceremony—.”

As I was speaking.

Jereuth, who had been kneeling, stood up and cut me off.

“……Your Highness, is this really the time to be concerned about such things?”

“Not the time to be concerned about such things? That’s the most important—.”

“Your Highness was unconscious for a week and has just woken up. Do you think it is right for such a person to be concerned about anything other than your own body, whether it be the farm, the market, or the recruit completion ceremony?”

Unlike usual, Jereuth spoke as if he were lecturing me. He wasn't angry, but I could definitely feel his authority. It felt like when Jereuth was dealing with other knights or soldiers.

……He’s like an instructor. It was scary. Only his tone was polite, but the voice within it was very stern and frightening.

To ease the awkward atmosphere, I smiled faintly and asked.

“Um…… I’m hungry, is there anything to eat?”

“Ah!”

Elly, who had been looking at me with teary eyes, reacted.

“I will bring a meal right away! Elder Dante said it would be best to have liquid food, so I’ve prepared several kinds of soup. Would that be alright?”

“Haha, yes. Thank you.”

There was no need to prepare several kinds of soup. But since she did it for me, I decided to accept it gladly.

“I’ll bring it right away!”

Elly, perhaps relieved by my smile, bowed to me and immediately left the room to get the meal.

Jereuth, who had been quietly watching Elly, made a strange remark.

“The Head Maid…… shows a completely different side in front of Your Highness.”

Head Maid?

‘Come to think of it, it was mentioned in the <Future Diary> I saw before I fainted. Jereuth calling Elly ‘Head Maid’.’

“Did Elly tell you, Commander? That I appointed her as Head Maid?”

“Yes, that is correct. And…… in front of Your Highness, she has the feel of a girl in love—.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Your Highness, there is something more important I must tell you.”

Jereuth didn’t answer my question and sat down in the chair Elly had been sitting in, continuing to speak.

“Elder Dante said it. The reason Your Highness collapsed is because you have a congenitally weak body and have overworked yourself too much. Fortunately, you haven’t contracted any illness, but it is by no means a matter to be taken lightly.”

“Uh…… yes.”

“So from now on, you will have to do physical training. I have also coordinated with Heinshtangl so that you will only handle the minimum amount of work.”

“Physical training? What kind……?”

“Exactly as it sounds, ‘physical training.’ I will personally assist you every morning.”

He’s going to make me exercise?

Honestly, I didn't want to. It's not something to be proud of, but I didn't particularly like exercising.

“I have a lot of work to do—.”

“Even if you have a lot of work, you must take care of your body. This has already been decided, so please accept it.”

“……”

“You don't have to worry too much. I have no intention of training Your Highness to the level of the knights. I will only train you to the extent that Your Highness will be healthy.”

Jereuth said ‘not to worry,’ but I saw a faintly blazing passion in his eyes. That passion was a will to make me ‘healthy’ no matter what.

……It seemed a path of hardship had opened up for me.

‘Well…… living with such a weak body for the rest of my life is a bit much. A simple physical training should be fine.’

I was a little worried about the training from Jereuth, a great knight called ‘a single ray of light illuminating the battlefield,’ but since he was making an effort for me, I couldn't show my dislike, so I forced a smile and said.

“I understand, Commander. I’ll be in your care.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I will also do my best.”

“There’s no need to do your best, just lightly—.”

“Your Highness.”

“……Yes, I will work hard. Thank you.”

Thus, my conversation with Jereuth came to an end.

As if waiting for it, Elly opened the door and came in at a good time.

“Excuse me!”

Elly came in pushing the meal cart I often saw. Today, the amount of food was unusually large.

No, it was blatantly a lot.

“There’s a lot?”

“Yes, Your Highness. You must eat it all.”

“……”

“You must. You must eat it all. You must.”

It seemed Elly had also joined hands with Jereuth in the project to make me healthy.

“Haha…… yes, I’ll eat well.”

I straightened my back a little more and received the soup Elly gave me. It was my favorite mushroom soup.

Slurp—.

Today, the soup was particularly thick and had a lot of ingredients.

……It's hot.

***

Four months passed like that.

***

Swaaaa—.

“Hoo……”

I took a deep breath and exhaled while showering with cool water. It hadn't been long since I came back from morning training, so my breath was still rough.

‘I’ve been exercising for about four months, but I still can’t get used to the training. Even though the training is just running around one side of the training ground.’

That’s right. I had been receiving Jereuth’s ‘training’ since I woke up from fainting.

Thanks to Jereuth and Elly’s dedicated help, I had become quite healthy in just four months.

It felt a bit strange to say that I had ‘become healthy’ myself, but I was really feeling the effects of diet and exercise.

Click—.

I turned off the shower. Wiping myself with a towel, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

‘I’ve definitely gained some weight. My complexion has gotten better too.’

Even though I said I had ‘gained weight,’ this body was still on the skinny side. But compared to before when I was skin and bones, it looked much better.

Besides the external changes, I also felt internal changes. I had always suffered from chronic fatigue, but after paying attention to my exercise and diet, at some point, the chronic fatigue had lessened ‘to some extent.’

‘Well…… I haven’t gained any muscles, though.’

“Hup!”

I playfully tried to imitate a bodybuilder’s pose, but it looked utterly pathetic. Even shabby.

Usually, one looks cool in front of the mirror, but…… not at all.

I was only twelve years old, so it was a bit early to expect muscles.

Still, if I keep exercising hard like this, I’ll probably get a decent body.

Thud—.

After wiping myself dry, I came out of the bathroom, and the clothes Elly had prepared were neatly laid out on the bed. I still felt uncomfortable with someone dressing me, so I was still dressing myself.

As an aside, the ‘war on crime’ had been carried out in other cities over the past four months. Jereuth, citing concern for my health, did not participate in this ‘war on crime’ and remained in the royal capital.

However, even without Jereuth, the ‘war on crime’ was successfully concluded. Even without Jereuth, the thugs were no match for the knights.

I continued my thoughts.

‘‘Since we've eliminated all the thugs in each city through the 'war on crime'…… has the time come to start dealing with the bandits in earnest.’

I hadn't yet received any reports of bandits of a scale that could threaten cities or territories.

However, I was constantly keeping the bandits in mind. As mentioned in the <Future Diary>, the bandits would one day become a threatening existence, so it was natural for me to keep a close eye on them.

‘I’ve also told the lords to keep looking for bandits while developing their cities and territories, so if there’s any sign, a report will come in.’

Click.

I continued my thoughts while buttoning my cuffs.

‘It’s been four months since I fainted and woke up. Which means…… in about a month, the ‘Ingrid Island Pirates’ will appear on the southern coast of Misty Port city.’

Extrapolating from the contents of the <Future Diary>, the Ingrid Island Pirates are ‘righteous bandits.’

That’s why I had decided to meet them in person and persuade them to join my side.

Fortunately, the Ingrid Island Pirates were said to have a favorable impression of me, the ‘Crown Prince who purges nobles and implements policies for the people,’ so persuading them wouldn't be too difficult.

Still, there could be some variables I didn't know about, so I should always be tense—

‘……Let’s not even have such unlucky thoughts like there might be variables I don't know about. Each and every one of those thoughts is the starting point of a problem.’

I forcibly stopped my useless thoughts. Then I picked up the three bells on my desk at once and rang them.

Tinkle— Tinkle— Tinkle—.

These three bells. They were ‘calling bells’ to summon Elly, Jereuth, and Heinshtangl respectively, made by Benjamin, who was an elder of the Mage Tower. There was still no news about the development of the crystal ball that could be used for long-distance conversations—the ‘telephone.’

Anyway.

The reason I called Jereuth, Heinshtangl, and Elly was to ask them to prepare for a ‘journey.’

A journey to Misty Port to welcome the pirates.

I had rested well for four months, so it was time to get busy again.