I Got Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Destined for Getting My Punishment, but Since I Got Married to My Favorite Final Boss Heroine, I Shall Use My Knowledge of the Original Game to Make My Wife Happy - 53-54

Chapter 53: I Only Fight the Battle I Can Win

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“Emergency!! Prince Faraus has escaped from the dungeon!”

The royal guard’s voice seemed to echo throughout the throne room.

“What…?! Tch…! Now?!”

Veiron looked perplexed. The timing was suspicious indeed. It seemed way too convenient, like Faraus was trying to disturb the strategy meeting to defeat the Demon Lord Worshiper. At the very least, there must be someone that helped Faraus escape. Faraus was a prince, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he had loyal followers. But going as far as escaping from the dungeon implied he was planning something bad. 

“Just what is he thinking?!”

Veiron raised his voice, looking very frustrated. His reaction was understandable though. It would be hard to stay calm when his own son was causing a major problem by escaping from the dungeon.

“I’m sorry… I lost my composure back then.”

“It’s alright. King Veiron, if it’s alright with you… How about if I chase after Prince Faraus?”

“I don’t mind, but… What about the Demon Lord Worshiper? Are you sure you can handle everything alone?”

Veiron looked worried at me. 

“I’m confident I can. In fact, tracking down Faraus’ whereabouts might even resolve the Demon Lord Worshiper problem.”

“Could it be…?! Faraus is working together with the Demon Lord Worshiper?!”

“He might be, but at the very least… I can tell that Faraus has strong negative feelings toward you, King Veiron. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Faraus decided to work with the Demon Lord Worshiper instead.”

“Is that so? It’s true that Faraus and I sometimes have conflicting opinions, but… I never imagined he actually resented me this much…”

Verion looked visibly distraught by my assumptions. 

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Remember that, King Verion.”

Verion sighed and put his head in his hands. 

“I see. I will leave Faraus to you then. However, do you have any idea where he might have run off to? This is your first time in Spine, right?”

“Actually, I’ve placed a marking spell during my duel with Faraus.”

In the original storyline, someone from the Elf Kingdom had instigated the spark that caused the ongoing conflicts. In other words, someone within the Elf Kingdom had a deep connection with the Demon Lord Worshipers. 

“During the duel…? You’re truly something else.”

Verion said with a bitter smile on his face. He was struggling to keep his composure, but we didn’t have time to dwell on his problem. 

“Anyway… I will go after Faraus now if it’s alright with you?”

“Yes. I will leave him to you since you’re that confident.”

“Understood. Please wait for me.”

I said with a smirk. Perfect. I was able to make the Elf Kingdom owe me a favor with this. I only fought the battle I knew I could win. I was confident because I knew what to do. 

I readied the Staff of the Dragon Star and summoned a magic circle.

“Focus—Auto Search × Marking.”

I used both magic spells at the same time to pinpoint the location of Prince Faraus. For now, he seemed to be staying in one place. He hadn’t moved at all. In that case… I should be able to finish this problem in a jiffy. Great. More time to be spent with Luna then.

“Well then, I’ll be going now..!” 

I cast a physical enhancement spell on myself before heading toward the market location at full speed. The location of Prince Faraus was perfect for me. I had seen this exact place before in the original game. It seemed Prince Faraus was really in cahoot with the Demon Lord Worshipper.

I stockpiled another physical enhancement spell on myself, maintaining my speed as I broke through the barrier surrounding the Demon Lord Worshiper’s base. 

“Why hello there Prince Faraus. What a coincidence to find you here.”

I grinned wickedly like a villain. Faraus looked flabbergasted to see me and… Oh, there were few familiar faces here as well.

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Chapter 54: After Escaping From the Dungeon SIDE Faraus

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“Why am I being treated like this?!”

I, Faraus Rosegarden,was locked up in a cell in the dungeon of the royal palace. The cell had grimy stone floors and iron bars with rats crawling on the ground. As a royalty, such disgusting creatures wouldn’t be allowed to be seen in my presence. I was the eldest son of the elven royal family. I was born in an esteemed position, someone of higher standing than anyone else. No one could hold me down…Or so I thought. 

“I will kill you! I will kill you, Ike Hanbulg!! Veiron Rosegarden too!!”

This was the first time I ever experienced such humiliation. Not only was I trapped in this filthy cage, but I was stripped of my royal title as well. This foolishness was more than enough to warrant death!

I will make sure… I will make sure all of you regret it…! I will humiliate, torment and kill Ike Hanbulg’s woman in front of him! I will push him to the brink of despair and regret!! Of course, just killing him won’t be enough to appease my anger. I will invade the human nation next. I will enslave every single one of them and then… Maybe my anger can be satisfied. 

While I was thinking of all the things I could do to torture Ike Hanbulg…

“ARGHHHH!!”

I heard the scream of a nearby guard. Then, light streamed in along with the creaking of the already poorly made door.

“Prince. We’ve come for you. Let’s fulfill our long-cherished wish together. Join us, the Demon Lord Worshiper.”

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for you.”

In front of me stood a group of men dressed in black clerical robes. They were members of the Demon Lord Worshiper. I sighed in relief. 

These men were my pawns. I would be using them to restore the Elf Kingdom to its rightful state. Once I overthrew my father and became the king, I planned on rewarding them generously. Well, or so I told them. That was the promise I gave them just so I could use them to my advantage. But truly… This… This was the moment I had been waiting for.

“Prince Faraus, let’s return to the Demon Lord Worshiper’s base for now.”

“Indeed… It’s about time to put our well-prepared plan into action. We need to restore the Elf Kingdom to its rightful state.”

Escorted by the men in black, I began to move. Our destination was the base of the Demon Lord Worshiper hidden within the Elf Kingdom. It took us about an hour to get there. The base was located near the roots of Yggdrasil. It was pretty big. 

“Ohhh! There you are!”

I was greeted by Lycaon, the leader of the Demon Lord Worshiper in the Elf Kingdom. Lycaon had a perpetual mocking grin on his face. He was a bit creepy, but he was a necessary pawn for my goals too. Although I was reluctant to be associated with him, I had to put up with it. 

There were other humans that I occasionally saw, but… There were young humans that I had never seen before. 

“Well, those people are our comrades more or less. Your Highness, I’ve heard about it. You were humiliated by Ike Hanbulg, right?”

“Who-?! That lowly human dares to…!!”

“Wow~ Strangely enough… Everyone here besides me has been outwitted by Ike Hanbulg. Now then, let’s get along! We have a common enemy! Let’s torture and kill Ike Hanbulg together!”

Lycaron said with a sneer. 

“Wait. I’m the one who will kill Ike. He’s my younger brother. I have to be the one to kill him. I will kill anyone who dares to interfere!”

“What’s that? Do you have a problem if I want to kill Ike Hanbulg? How disrespectful. If you want to die so badly, how about I kill you first?”

How disrespectful of him, even though this was our first meeting. He said Ike Hanbulg was his younger brother, which meant he must be Ike Hanbulg’s big brother. I see… Both brothers were equally disrespectful indeed. Blood didn’t lie indeed. Maybe I should just kill him right here and now…

“Now, now… Calm down. If we can’t torture him to death together, then how about if we have a race instead? Let’s race! Let’s see who can kill him first! Besides, we have other jobs to take care of. It would be bad to lose sight of the bigger picture, Your Highness.”

“… You’re right. Just as you say, Lycaon. Purging the humans can wait until I have taken control of the Elf Kingdom. At the very least, leave Ike Hanbulg’s corpse in one piece for me. He will be punished to appease my anger, even in death.”

I said so and the man standing behind Ike’s big brother chuckled. 

“Sounds fun. Allow me to watch too, Your Highness.”

The crests on that boy’s right hand looked familiar… That should be the holy stigmata, the proof of a hero, but the mark looked a bit dull. The description said the mark should be glowing blindingly. But this mark… Was it always in that dull color? Maybe he wasn’t the legendary hero. Maybe he was just the hero of this era, hence the dull color?

Well, not like that had anything to do with me anyway. 

“Hm? Something is approaching.”

Lycaon suddenly looked up into the ceiling.

What’s wrong? Has he gone mad already?

So I thought to myself when… 

A sharp ‘crack’ could be heard before the ceiling above me split and crumbled. 

“Why hello there Prince Faraus. What a coincidence to find you here.”

Ike Hanbulg appeared before me with a villainous grin etched on his face.

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