The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 12: Side - Alcarion, Enraged

Chapter 12: Side – Alcarion, Enraged

A little while earlier—

The Prime Minister of the Holy Dragoon Empire, a high elf who had supported the nation for centuries.

Her name was Olga von Bartler.

As a high elf, her beauty was nothing short of breathtaking—so much so that even other women often pursued her relentlessly.

Right now, however, Olga was panicking.

(This is bad!! That idiot minister actually harmed the one who was supposed to be Her Majesty’s husband! Of all people!!)

Receiving urgent reports from her network of informants, she had rushed to the imperial castle in a frenzy.

Before that, she had already ordered all high elves and elves residing in the capital to evacuate immediately.

She had even issued a warning to the general public to prepare for evacuation.

For the citizens, it must have seemed like a completely nonsensical order.

But given that this command came from the Prime Minister—the woman who had guided the Dragoon Empire for centuries—people reluctantly obeyed.

(The real problem is—)

With her heart pounding in terror, Olga entered the imperial castle’s grand hall.

A place usually reserved for formal audiences.

And there, seated upon the throne, was Alcarion.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“—My darling has been kidnapped.”

For a moment, Olga felt as if her heart had completely stopped.

“My beloved… has been stolen.”

“I-I will arrange a search party immediately—”

“That won’t be necessary. I already know where he is. Rosemary is on her way to retrieve him.”

Her response was too fast.

But Olga, who had known Alcarion for centuries, understood the reason behind it.

The Empress possessed the Dragon Eyes—

A power that could perceive all things, reading the fabric of reality itself, even glimpsing into the infinite branching paths of possible futures.

“Don’t worry, Olga. I have no intention of going on a rampage like in the past. That being said… it is frustrating, isn’t it?”

“…I sympathize, Your Majesty.”

Most people might assume that with such a godlike ability, she could have foreseen the kidnapping and prevented it before it even happened.

But that assumption was unfair.

Gods are closer to machines than living beings. A perfect being has no emotions, no desire to reproduce, and no wants or needs.

That is precisely why Alcarion chooses to remain imperfect.

Because the more she unleashes her full power, the more her sense of self deteriorates.

That is why she constantly suppresses most of her abilities.

And this time, it backfired.

“You evacuated the citizens, I see.”

“Y-Yes, I took the liberty of doing so without permission.”

“A wise decision. Last time, I lost myself… and nearly wiped out the continent.”

Olga let out a quiet sigh of relief.

At the very least, she was reassured that Alcarion wouldn’t go on a rampage like she had centuries ago.

“That said… I will execute every last person involved in my dear’s kidnapping. —You won’t try to stop me, will you?”

“…! U-Understood…”

“Good. You’re like family to me, Olga. I’d rather not have to kill you as well.”

There was an unspoken threat in her words—oppose me, and you die.

A shiver ran down Olga’s spine.

“A-Anyway, regarding the kidnappers…”

“I already know. The one who ordered Reyshel’s abduction was the Minister of War. He seems quite eager for conflict. His plan was to pin the blame on the Agarham Kingdom and reignite the war.”

“…! S-So you were already aware…”

“Of course. Right now, I see everything. And it seems he’s plotting more than just this.”

Alcarion wasn’t even looking at Olga.

Her gaze was fixed somewhere far off—

In the present, the future, or perhaps even the past.

No one could say exactly when or where she was looking, but there was no doubt that an overwhelming flood of information was coursing through her mind.

Olga wisely chose to remain silent, waiting for Alcarion to close her eyes and refocus.

But just then—

A fat, self-important man, completely oblivious to the atmosphere, waddled into the grand hall.

“The… Minister of War…”

“Your Majesty!! This is a dire situation!! Lord Reyshel has been kidnapped!! There were traces of Agarham-made magic tools at the scene—it must have been their doing!!”

Olga groaned internally, pressing a hand to her forehead.

Every citizen of the Dragoon Empire knew that Alcarion could see everything.

But only long-lived races like Olga truly believed in the extent of that power.

The Minister of War was a human, barely fifty years old. He wasn’t alive when Alcarion had nearly wiped the continent off the map.

He didn’t believe that deception and political schemes were completely useless against her.

(Fool. Still, from what I’ve heard, Lord Reyshel doesn’t seem like the ruthless type. If he thinks mass execution is excessive and convinces Her Majesty to stop, we might avoid a full-scale massacre…)

Over the past few centuries, fewer and fewer people truly understood how cruel Alcarion could be.

There had already been three instances—at least, as far as Olga knew—where Alcarion’s unchecked fury had driven the people to fear her, leading to the downfall of the very nations she had built.

For all she knew, there could have been more before those.

Among all the countries Alcarion had ruled, the Dragoon Empire was the most prosperous.

Executing the Minister of War’s entire bloodline would only spread unnecessary terror among the people.

Somehow, she needed to get to Reyshel before Alcarion carried out a mass execution—he was the only one who could stop her.

Just as she was thinking that—

“—Tell me. Did you also abduct my daughters?”

Alcarion’s golden eyes pierced through the Minister of War.

For a moment, the man looked genuinely confused, as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

But it didn’t take long for him to realize exactly what she meant.

“W-What… are you talking about?”

“‘The incompetent Second Princess who does nothing but drink, and the lazy Fourth Princess who sleeps all day—let’s get rid of them both together.’“

“…!?”

“‘If we pin everything on another nation, we can restart the war. A war would bring in profits. We need the empire to be at war—it’s good for business.’“

“Y-Your Majesty, that’s…!”

“Those were the words you spoke, just ten days ago, when you met with one of your personally controlled military supply companies.”

As the Minister of War broke into a cold sweat, Olga simply sighed in exasperation.

“I don’t particularly care if you profit from war. That’s just human nature—it’s something humans do. But… you laid hands on my husband and daughters. You touched the only treasures I value more than my own life.”

“W-Wait!! P-Please, just listen—!”

“‘I only want to assist Her Majesty in unifying the world, just as she desires.’“

“…!?”

Alcarion had read his mind. She repeated his very own words back at him.

Then, still expressionless, she continued.

“Shall I tell you why I seek to conquer the world? Why I wage war against all others?”

“…What?”

“Because it makes me feel alive.”

It made her feel alive.

She didn’t desire the world itself. She didn’t care about destroying other nations.

She simply wanted to dominate others—to act on that instinct, to define herself as something more than a mere being.

It was the action of a creature that was no longer human—a being beyond human.

“I wage war to keep myself from losing who I am. When you live for as long as I have, you go insane if you don’t have something anchoring you. But lately… I’ve found something even better than war to make me feel human. Love. Affection.”

Humans create life through love. They nurture it by loving their children.

That was the only reason she stopped waging war.

Alcarion knew of no act more human than love.

And so—war was no longer necessary.

Because loving Reyshel with all her heart made her feel more alive than anything else ever had.

“W-Wait—!”

With zero hesitation, Alcarion struck the Minister of War with a swift, clean hand chop—severing his head instantly.

Then, without a flicker of emotion, she turned to Olga and spoke.

“I thought I could hold back this time… but now that I know they went after my daughters as well, that won’t be possible. In a short while, I will go on a rampage. Olga, evacuate.”

“U-Understood…!”

“I will contain my fury for three days. By then, I should be able to calm down. Until then, no one is allowed near me.”

Olga ran from the scene at full speed.

Not because Alcarion told her to.

But to minimize the damage to the imperial capital.

She headed straight for the Dragoon Knights’ barracks and reached for the magic communication device inside their relay room.

The only person she could contact now—the one sent to retrieve Reyshel—was Rosemary.

“Her Majesty is enraged!! Lord Reyshel is the only one who can stop her!! Hurry back to the capital, now!!”

After sending the urgent message, Olga immediately fled outside the city.

And moments later—

A massive white dragon, spanning several hundred meters, appeared over the imperial capital.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “Man… I wish someone would love me this much…”

R: “You’ve got me!!”

Author: “I WANT TO BE LOVED BY A BEAUTIFUL GIRL, NOT A HAREM-PROTAG SHOWOFF LIKE YOU!!”

R: “…And that attitude is exactly why you’re still single.”

If you thought, “Alcarion in full rage mode is terrifying,” “Olga really has it rough,” or “The author totally deserves that,”—then don’t forget to leave a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, and review!