The Max Level Hero Strikes Back!

Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt!

At the noise, a man’s face appeared on the otherwise transparent bead.

[How are things going on your end, Grand Duchess Kathryn?]

“There’s more to him than I expected.”

[Ho… You’re telling me that the Grand Duchess has grown fond of that prince?]

The man sounded surprised by Kathryn’s statement.

“Whether I like him or not, I have to admit to you the truth. At the very least, Her Highness the Imperial Princess would not get hurt if she’s with him. He’s someone that we must keep as an ally.”

[I can’t believe that the strict and meticulous Grand Duchess is saying such things. I was quite worried that he would abuse the deal that he has with His Majesty, but it seems like things went well.]

Aeria had a lot of enemies within the Empire even with the protection of Grand Duchess Kathryn, Crown Prince Alberth, and Emperor Deorte, who was hailed as the Supreme Emperor. Due to the deep hatred and disgust towards beastfolk that the empire’s citizens had, many still looked down upon her. That was why she required protection.

[You suddenly appeared and asked for a spar, so he must have been unprepared. Aeria will probably get mad at you once she finds out. She’s a kind and gentle child, but her temper is quite bad too.]

“I don’t intend to pass this complicated problem to the princess. All she needs to do is experience pure young love. Whether the princess chooses to become a concubine or a legal wife, I will fully support her decision.” Kathryn smiled as she continued to speak calmly, “But if things continue to drag on like this, then an accident might happen.”

[With that wooden prince’s personality and inability to differentiate beans from barley, it might really take years for them to develop feelings naturally.]

“The prince turned down my offer of engagement. I just nudged him a bit, but our strategy was too obvious for him. He’s a careful person. Very meticulous and considerate.”

[This… Then our dear youngest must be having a hard time. Is there no other way?]

“I can’t guarantee anything right away, but…” Lowering her gaze, Kathryn said, “…how about sending an official engagement proposal to Rowane Kingdom? The prince might leave this opportunity behind, but I don’t believe that the king would do the same.”

Davey was strong. Having personally sparred with him, Kathryn was very confident of this conclusion. That was why they should not miss this opportunity. They had to keep a monster by Aeria’s side so that those who targeted Aeria would not even dare to touch a single hair on her body. If they had to spark love between the two, then so be it.

“That’s a good idea. We’re backing this up, so I believe the Rowane Kingdom would view this political marriage positively.”

Alberth, who was standing in the video, smiled.

[You seem to like Prince Davey quite a lot.]

“Of course. I have never seen such a monstrously strong individual in my life before. If he did not stop towards the end, I would not be standing here and talking to you right now.”

Beastfolk warriors always respected the strong, and Alberth believed that anyone who could beat Kathryn was worthy of high respect. That was why Alberth could not help but murmur in disbelief after hearing Kathryn’s unexpected remarks.

[I have heard all the rumors, but even you feel that way? Not just anyone, but you, the Grand Duchess Kathryn?]

“He did not even use the sword, which is his main weapon. That in itself already reveals the difference in our strength and skills… That last attack was real and genuine…” Kathryn recalled the sparring session and couldn’t help but shiver. Goosebumps rose all over her skin.

Upon meeting Davey’s gaze back then, Kathryn had felt a fear that completely froze her in place. To her, Davey’s gaze had been that of an apex predator. She would only feel that way when going up against a true powerhouse that overpowered her. In fact, she had never felt this way in decades.

[If the Grand Duchess says so then he must be no ordinary person. Where the hell did such a person suddenly appear from…?]

“I don’t think he’s a mere child. The way that he looked at me with those eyes… he has too many untold stories for a mere child.” Kathryn gulped nervously. “I don’t want us to miss this opportunity. If he really is the kind of man that I believe him to be, then we can safely leave our Imperial Princess in his care.”

Kathryn giggled before her smile turned grim. She tried to end the conversation.

The surroundings were becoming more lively and cheerful, since the festival was about to officially begin. Aeria was already in the middle of preparing to enjoy the festival under Davey’s guidance. It took quite a bit of time before the red and blue-haired twins got used to the two of them together.

‘Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon.’

Although their names were quite unusual, it was true that Prince Davey was raising them as his daughters.

‘It doesn’t matter since they're cute, huh?’

Kathryn believed that the children were not a problem, since Aeria liked kids.

[However, the boy is very stubborn. Even if we send an official proposal, do you think it will work…]

“We need to create an opportunity to spark something…”

Kathryn would make the impossible possible. From what she could see, the prince did not really dislike Aeria. The problem was that the boy seemed to look at Aeria as if he was looking at a cute younger sibling.

Davey was a handsome man and Aeria was a beautiful woman. The two would definitely look good together, and even Kathryn was envious of them.

“Our Imperial Princess has a very enchanting and beautiful body. The prince just needs some persuading. If it were me, I would have already eaten Her Highness up.”

[If you try to do something weird to my sister…you will not be spared. Don’t even think about it.]

Kathryn just waved her hand at Crown Prince Alberth’s threat. She said, “Come on, I am the Grand Duchess, the Flaming Fox. I learned how to catch a man’s heart from my mother.”

The hungry would never refuse a meal that was presented to them.

“It will only backfire if I drug them and lock them up in a room. I’ll just give them a gentle push. There’s a festival today, so there will be a lot of people.”

Alberth shook his head. After hearing Kathryn’s words and seeing her vicious smile, he could feel cold sweat pouring down his back.

Then, all of a sudden…

[Hmmm? Is that true?]

Alberth’s expression hardened after hearing the sudden report.

“What’s the matter?”

[I’m sorry, Grand Duchess. We have to withdraw all of our plans. You have to escort Aeria back to the Imperial Palace right away.]

“Eh? You know how much effort I have put in just to create this opportunity, why are you saying that all of a sudden…?”

[An envoy from the Pallan Empire has arrived. It seems like something serious has happened.]

Kathryn’s irritated expression turned ugly. She was already done cooking the rice but someone had just sprinkled ash on it[1]!

***

“Phew,” Aeria sighed, trying to calm herself down. She looked at herself in the mirror.

Aeria had been waiting for this day ever since she had first met Davey. Regardless of all other concerns, she just wanted Davey and herself to get to know each other as a man and a woman. And if things went well…

‘A child in a peaceful home… No. Did he say that they were called Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon? Since he has them, then it’s alright to not have any more children, right? Then, with him and those two children…’

Aeria’s face immediately turned a bright shade of red, because she just thought of Davey playing around with the children in the garden and using her lap as a pillow. As if she had done something wrong, she quickly shook her head with an uneasy expression.

“You’re truly beautiful, Imperial Princess.”

“Thank you. I’m trying my best to look good in front of him.”

Aeria needed to use her charms to capture Davey’s attention. It was a bit sad, but she could tell that Davey was not attracted to her yet. However, even if that was the case, Aeria still wanted to stay by his side.

Aeria had already grown fond of the scent of cornel cherry[2]. She was also very grateful that she had successfully established herself as one of the six greatest beauties in the continent after recovering from the dreadful disease.

After finishing her cute and innocent make-up, Aeria donned a dress that highlighted her dreamy and curvaceous figure. And just in case something did happen, Aeria also thought of asking the maids to prepare lingerie for her. She could be an innocent beauty with a twist, right? The thought was a bit shameful, but Aeria was willing to do anything just to look good in front of Davey.

Thinking about how Davey’s scent would linger in the room once he came to pick her up, Aeria smiled right into the mirror.

As soon as they were finished looking around the beautiful festival, all she had to do was hand over the gift that she had prepared. The gift was a pendant, one that matched with hers. She did not know if Davey would accept it, but she would be very happy if he had the same pendant as her.

Clack—

“Ah… Kathryn?” Aeria looked over at her unexpected guest curiously.

Although her ears twitched when she noticed that Kathryn had a grim expression, Aeria was unaware of the impending doom. She simply shook the hem of her dress with her free hand and, with more courage than usual, asked, “Kathryn, how does my dress look? Do you think he’ll like…”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“What…”

“His Majesty has ordered that we return to the Imperial Palace right away.”

Hearing those words, Aeria dropped the box in her hands. She felt resentful and was suddenly reminded of an old adage: If you’re unlucky, your nose will break even if you fall on your back.

***

Under the World Tree’s instigation, the winds of war were slowly but surely blowing toward the Heins Territory.

Also, due to the small incidents that occurred with increasing frequency, the entire Pallan Empire was thrown into confusion. This was unsurprising, since this had always been the case for nations with granaries in the mountains like the Herlo Mountain Fortress located in the Pallan Empire’s southern region.

In a huge conference hall, several men and women exchanged glances. The atmosphere was especially gloomy.

“According to the message sent by the Imperial Princess, the situation on the battlefield is dire. Her report states that all their energy and resources are being used just to maintain the defensive line. We must send reinforcements right away.”

“Goodness… The White Bird is on the defensive?”

White Bird was originally a small knight order. However, it had now turned into a huge division inside the Pallan Empire. It had a huge number of knight orders and soldiers who were under Illyna’s command. Their prestige, solidarity, and shocking track record had long been a part of history. Needless to say, they were a strong and invincible force in the Pallan Empire.

“What on earth is that monster?”

“I don’t know… This is the first time that I have ever heard about such a monster. Such a strong undead is practically unheard of until now.”

It was a colossal undead dressed in an old robe. The monster had awakened from an ancient dungeon and had devoured a large area from their territories in just a few short days. In fact, the monster had not stopped and was still moving northwards as they spoke.

“I’m telling you, how can that be a simple undead?! If it’s using such a meticulous strategy…”

“The undead are using tactics and strategies. They ambush, lure, do a siege, and retreat.”

Some of the nobles shouted indignantly. All of them thought that this was ridiculous.

“Let’s all be realistic here. The crown prince had died in battle after setting out to subjugate this monster. This is no longer a simple skirmish.”

This was now a war between humans and the monsters that had awakened from the dungeon. The voices of everyone present turned mute at those words.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, was rumored to be extremely intelligent since he was a young child. He had distinguished himself as someone well-versed in tactics and strategies. Who expected such a clever prince to die in that battle?”

“We can’t let this go. The enemy even resurrected His Highness the Crown Prince and used his body in this war.”

The undead did not distinguish between humans or monsters in their troops. They brought back, resurrected, and absorbed everyone they had killed into their military force. The non-stop killing as the monsters advanced forward was like a nightmare in and of itself.

1. A saying about a work that was almost finished but it was suddenly ruined. ☜

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

2. 산수유 - Japanese Cornel Cherry, a tree that bears a fruit that turns red in winter. It is said that eating the fruit sans the toxic seeds, has a nourishing effect on the body and can invigorate men. ☜