The Grand Prince Has Run Away - Chapter 2

Translator: Darling | Editor: Darling

The wind feels cold. Although it was deep in spring, there was still a hint of winter in the Grand Duke Carl’s property which was located at the northernmost part of the Yosrahim Empire.

I held up my middle finger out of annoyance at the clear sky as I wandered around the garden in the Grand Duke’s residence. It was a serious message with my honest feelings to the gods for this freaky happening.

Sending me back to the past. What the f**k is this.

“Damn it!”

I was now sure that I came to the past. From the dawn until now which is almost noon, I’ve been asking around to the servants and knights in the Grand Duke’s residence and they all said this year is the imperial year 358. Unless they were all crazy, I definitely came to the past.

And the generation of destruction to come in the future was definitely not the nightmare of the spring. I thought I had a very realistic dream so I held up the sword and infused mana which resulted in the formation of a beautiful aura blade.

Aura blade is a high-leveled skill that only a few master level swordsman who trains with mana can perform. In other words, it wasn’t a skill that mere expert-level, low-level, swordsman like me at that time can perform.

If I did not come from the despairing future, it would be impossible for the aura blade to appear from my hand.

“Damn it, what am I supposed to do!”

However, I couldn’t understand why I had to come to the past. There was a time when I thought for a second that it might be the god’s will to have me stop the horrible future but there was no better bullsh*t than that.

The generation of destruction that’s to come isn’t the future that can be changed by the hard work of someone who traveled to the past. It’s a universal phenomenon, the principle of creation, and the happening in the realm of the gods.

Furthermore, the gods were the ones who opened up the dimensional gaps that endlessly poured out demons. It is nearly impossible that those gods sent me back to the past to save humanity with a kind heart. This has to the god’s curse. Certainly, some god wanted to screw me over so he’s having me live the moment of destruction and extinction again.

“No! What deadly sin did I commit to go through this, seriously!”

To be honest, I have a slightly guilty conscience. I was a playboy who made numerous women cry and a reprobate who even looked down on the noble aristocrats of the empire.

However, it wasn’t all my fault. The women I fooled around with until now were the ones who approached me for my lineage and the aristocrats who kneeled before me were the hypocrites who approached with the thought of living off of the power that I’ll gain in the future.

I have the Grand Duke Carl, the second most powerful person in Yosrahim Empire after the emperor, as my father. Also, my mother is the current Yosrahim emperor’s only younger sister, Princess Grace, although she passed away now, and I’m the 9th in line for the succession to the throne.

Of course, there’s no way that many aristocrats and noblewomen would have approached me with a pure heart. The moment they take my heart, they would be able to enjoy the unimaginable amount of wealth and power.

I’m only guilty of taking advantage of their wicked intentions. It could be a little mean, but I never thought it would be something I would be punished for by the god’s curse.

Furthermore, I gave so many offerings to the gods. Periodically, I gave a vast amount of money to the temple as offerings and took care of the lives of the poor priests with enough money enclosures. Of course, I fooled around a bit with female priests who served the god of corruption, Degenira, but according to their religious principles, there was no problem.

The gods seriously shouldn’t be like this to me. This is a betrayal.

“This is driving me crazy.”

I sat on the garden fountain and pulled my hair out.

It was the time of despair I barely managed to put an end to with death. Tears cover my eyes at the thought of having to live through that time again.

Some might say that I’m lucky since I got a new life, but that’s completely not true. Those who lived through the age of destruction had a very terrible time that they envied those who died earlier. And that was especially true for me. After the demons destroyed the Grand Duke Carl’s property and the Yosrahim empire’s capital, I was abandoned by all my subordinates and acquaintances and had to live through hardships alone.

“No, if they were going to send me back why didn’t they send me back 5 years earlier.”

Five more years ago, there wasn’t anything special but I would have been able to see my dead mother once more so it could have been some sort of comfort at least. My mother, Princess Grace, was the only person who loved me.

As I sighed, I dug my head into the fountain water. It was icy cold but there was no better way to get my mind straight.

I shook my head and sprinkled off the water on my hair then kicked towards the statue standing next. No matter how much I thought about it, I got mad. I’ve always wanted life when I was alive but it was never this kind of life. The kind I wanted was a hopeful life even in the desolation, not the kind living in fear before despair.

‘But shouldn’t I let everyone know though?’

For a moment I thought about preparing for the future with all mankind but I soon dropped my head. Honestly, is there a need to make whole mankind live in anxiety for 8 years. I could be a low life but I’m not that much of a bad guy to trouble the whole mankind.

What can’t be done, can’t be done and what can be given up, have to be given up. I knew too well that struggling to live will only make suffering greater.

“True, how would they prevent it. If they saw the herds of demons who filled up the whole continent, they wouldn’t think about that. It probably is 100 times better to live in peace and die on the day of extinction without knowing anything.”

And who would believe in a wretch like me in this world, especially when it’s about the whole humanity dying in despair? It would be a relief if I wasn’t just treated like a crazy guy.

It would also be a pain in the neck if they do actually believe it.

During the generation of destruction, mankind doesn’t fall just because of the attacks from the demons. It also fell from the inside. Those groups of people who were swamped with religious triumph because of the fear of extinction and the prophecy became true. Just imagining seeing these psychotic groups 8 years earlier is horrendous.

But I feel a little unfair. That only I have to live with the fear of the future.

“Grand Prince!”

Paul was running towards me from the distance. I guess it was an urgent matter looking by the way he was sprinting. I sent a heartfelt gaze to Paul who was panting.

“Paul. 10 years later, the world is going to end.”

“Huh?”

Paul looked at me as if I was a crazy dude talking some nonsense. Seeing how his mouth moved, it seemed like he was very close to saying it. Just as expected. I slapped the back of Paul’s head strongly.

“Nevermind, why did you call?”

“It seems like you have to attend today’s luncheon.”

“Luncheon? Why?”

“His Majesty, the Grand Duke, is here.”

The Grand Duke is the iron-blood chancellor, my father, Grand Duke Carl.

“Father? Here?”

“Yes. And he ordered me to make sure you, the Grand Prince, attend the luncheon.”

He could have just asked me to eat lunch with him instead of telling me to attend the luncheon so coldly. This is the problem of the aristocrats. They formalize even small things.

Of course, I was worse than my father in the past but not anymore.

Try jumping into cesspool out of desperation and crawling through the sewers all day covered in muck. All those formalization and politeness disappears. People formalize because they are full.

“Father is traveling all the way here just to have lunch? That’s so inconvenient. He should have just stayed in the capital and govern. Sigh~”

“Isn’t it very quick if he comes through the magic portal?”

I bit my lips and raised my arm.

“You think I won’t know that?”

“Ah, sorry, sir.”

I sharply glared at Paul who looked away.

“Anyways, why is he here?”

“Hm.”

“You don’t know?”

“How can a lowly guy like me know the Grand Duke majesty’s intentions? I’m just following the orders.”

There was no way that Paul would have known. There was no way the Grand Duke would explain the reason for the command or order to a mere servant.

I rested my chin on my hand and pondered. It was to find out what would happen today.

‘Oh right! Today is that day.’

Now that I think about it, around this time, my father asked me about a very important incident in my life. It was to go to the Great Divinum Temple located in the southwest of the empire and train as a guardian. At that time I was very discontented but headed to the Great Divinum Temple because I caused great trouble. And there, I met my partner of life, Yojo.

“Of course, I should go. Let’s go quickly.”

All of a sudden, a smile appeared on my face. That was right. Time-traveling to the past also meant that I could meet Yojo again. Bad things are not the only things happening in the world. I never imagined, even in my dream, that I could meet Yojo again after my death.

‘Yojo, wait for me. I’m coming~~~’