The expressions on the faces of Layana and Aurelia were truly a sight to behold.
Surprise and astonishment eventually gave way to a nearly ridiculous sense of disbelief.
“Beota, have you spent so much time in the military camp that everyone looks like a common soldier to you?”
Layana was the first who could not hold back. She looked Prince Wendy’s slender frame up and down before speaking bluntly.
“Dangerous? How is he dangerous? He can’t even produce a basic Fireball Technique.”
The Magic Dean looked again at Wendy’s impossibly beautiful face and suddenly changed her tone with a joke.
“However, if you are referring to a different kind of danger, I will admit to it. That face is indeed very dangerous—enough to make every woman on the Continent start a war over him.”
Layana’s voice was teasing, but the disbelief in her eyes was genuine.
Aurelia also smiled and agreed, her voice gentle as always.
“Beota, we appreciate your kindness. However, Prince Wendy has a unique constitution and cannot sense magic. His temperament is also quite fragile. Guiding him toward the path of Faith and using devotion to counter the troubles of the outside world is the most suitable choice for him.”
“Fragile?”
General Beota laughed.
She did not argue with the two women, instead turning her hawk-like eyes toward Wendy.
“I have seen the battle report submitted by the Valoran Kingdom regarding the Defense of Sunset Fort.”
At those words, Wendy’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately worried whether she had noticed something.
“At first, I also thought it was just those boastful Nobles bragging,” General Beota’s voice was not loud, yet it felt as heavy as a war drum beating against everyone’s hearts.
“A report claiming to have annihilated over 100,000 enemies while suffering fewer than 100 casualties? And doing so far from the city’s defenses while being vastly outnumbered? It sounded like a total fantasy!”
“Until I saw the deployment details regarding someone named ‘Wendy Black’ in the appendix.”
As her voice fell, the expressions of Layana and Aurelia began to shift.
They had certainly heard of the miracle at Sunset Fort, but everyone had attributed the success to Princess Astreia’s bravery after her awakening and the tenacity of the Valoran soldiers.
Who would pay attention to a ‘mascot’ Prince?
“Luring the Orc Wolf Riders into a ‘pocket,’ using a new type of Alchemic Explosives to collapse the mountain, and then harnessing the flow of the Hot Springs of Sunset Mountain to create a mudslide that completely buried the enemy’s elite cavalry while simultaneously sealing Sunset Canyon.”
“This move directly neutralized the Orc Legion’s greatest mobility and forced them into the only path left—the dead end of the Corrupted Marsh. Then, using that substance called ‘Cement,’ he quickly constructed a defense line at the marsh’s exit, waiting for the exhausted enemy to arrive before stopping them beneath a fortified wall.”
With every point General Beota made, the air in the office grew colder.
The contempt on Layana’s face had long since vanished, and even Aurelia’s kind smile showed an imperceptible crack.
“The most brilliant part was the final gamble.”
The old General’s gaze fell on Astreia before moving back to Wendy’s face.
“You actually dared to use the Princess of a nation as bait, letting her venture into danger alone to precisely tear through the junction of the Orc formation. This created the perfect opportunity for the remaining defenders to divide, surround, and deliver the final blow.”
“This…”
Laxana covered her small mouth, her violet eyes filled with disbelief.
She only knew that Astreia had slaughtered everyone after her Witchification, turning the tide of the battle.
She had never imagined that behind that tragic battle, the one moving the pieces on the board was actually this Prince whom she had always viewed as a plaything!
“Later, I became interested in you, so I looked into what you did in the Royal Capital.”
A look of unshielded admiration crossed General Beota’s face.
“As soon as you entered the Capital, you used an elite squad to execute a beautiful decapitation strike. In front of all the Nobles, you slaughtered the old dog of the Vied family to warn the others. Then, you intentionally left a weakness, allowing Princess Astreia to leave the Capital to integrate the rebel forces while you played the Empty Fort Strategy yourself.”
“At the same time, you used a new thing called a ‘Newspaper’ to stir a tide of public opinion. Without spending even one soldier, you completely muddied the waters of the Capital. Every rat and snake hiding beneath the surface was lured out by you. Finally, you used their own strength against them, naturally uprooting all potential threats.”
“Everything was linked, step by step.
Every move was like walking on a knife’s edge, calculated to the extreme.
In the end, you exchanged the smallest cost for the greatest result.”
The old General stared at Wendy with burning eyes.
“Do you know? In the underworld, those shady characters have given him a nickname.”
Beota grinned, showing a row of white teeth as she announced the chilling answer.
“The Scorpion Prince.”
Hiss—
Layana and Aurelia both gasped in unison.
The two of them whipped their heads around, their gazes focusing on the youth protected behind Astreia—the one who still wore a look of confusion and innocence.
The one they saw as having a ‘useless constitution.’
The ‘fragile lamb’ they had been fighting over.
The ‘precious material’ they wanted to research.
Was everything just a disguise?
Beneath this innocent and harmless exterior, was there actually such a deep and sinister mind, capable of stirring the winds and clouds of a kingdom?
At this moment, the two powerful Branch Deans finally realized what a ridiculous mistake they had made.
They had been arrogantly discussing the ‘ownership’ of Wendy, never once considering that the Soul inside this body might have been watching their performance with cold indifference from the very beginning.
He might even have been calculating how to squeeze the maximum value out of them.
A chill from being completely seen through—or even toyed with—quietly crawled up the spines of the two powerful women.
“…Ah?!”
Wendy opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
‘Wait… was I really that impressive? Why didn’t I know about this? During the Battle of Sunset Fort, it was clearly Astreia who went berserk and slaughtered over 100,000 Orcs by herself, right?”
“The reason I could achieve a decapitation strike without injury in the Capital was all thanks to the Little Queen giving herself up. The subsequent psychological warfare was just to help cover up Laxana’s abnormality… Also, that nickname is terrible!’
However, at this moment, framed by the terrifying title of ‘Scorpion Prince,’ the genuine confusion and hesitation on the Prince’s face appeared deep and unfathomable to the onlookers.
Only Laxana and Astreia quietly exchanged a glance.
A faint smile lingered on both of their lips.
They knew everything, but they said nothing.
“Now, do you still think Prince Wendy is as fragile as other ordinary men?”
Finally, Beota broke the eerie silence.
She ignored the ugly expressions on Layana and Aurelia’s faces and took another step forward, solemnly issuing an invitation to Wendy.
“Prince Wendy, come to our Military Branch. Start from here and forge your glory!”
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