Surviving a Shounen Manga

Chapter 52

A New Path

"Ooh"

An exclamation slipped out of my mouth at the splendid view.

Even looking at it with my own two eyes, it was hard to tell whether Id come to the top floor of the ship or had suddenly been moved to a resort.

The interior was divided into surprisingly diverse spaces, with a garden and pool on one side, a bar on another, and a performing arena at the third.

Id expected it to be roughly the size of a football field, but seeing it for myself, it felt as large as a full-fledged sports complex.

It was just too wide for mere words, and there were so many different things scattered here and there, too.

"Its big."

"Yeah. It looks a lot bigger on the inside, doesnt it?"

"Seems theres some spatial transformation involved. There are quite a few goblin elders that I know of who use this type of magic. Its not very rare. Its just a mix of a little mischief and some lies."

"Is that so? Im not a goblin, so its a little surprising."

Of course, I did know that such abilities existed. But theres a big difference between reading something in a manga and experiencing it in real life.

"By the way"

I took a look around us.

There was nobody to guide us, so we had to decide by ourselves where to go.

The space was very large, but there were few people using it.

However, I noticed some people sitting on the benches near the central fountain, fewer than twenty all in all.

They were also looking at us, but they didnt make any gestures to beckon or invite us.

"What heavy asses they have[1] Shall we drop by there first?"

I walked straight towards them.

As I got closer, the cast became clearer little by little.

It wasnt like they had a lot in common. They wore different clothes, and there was a wide variety of races and ages.

The only commonality was that they all looked rich.

"Hmmm"

At first glance, nobody particularly stood out among them.

Aside from a redhead whod been giving me a weird stare since I started coming their way, nobody else looked like they cared about us one way or the other.

Of course, the redhead wasnt that eye-catching either. If I had to say, he commanded relatively more attention than the rest? He was just at that level.

Actually, he just looked like a weird guy, nothing more, nothing less.

The secret masterminds in most shounen manga arent really that complicated or profound as characters. They arent very politically-minded, nor are they driven by any great beliefs.

In a nutshell, just as theres no particular reason for a thief to rob a bank, theres no particular reason why a mastermind does bad things. Theyre bad guys, and thats all the reason they need.

Therefore, if you look closely, the faces of these secret bosses often have Im the villain! written on them. (Yes, just like me.)

Of course, its often the case that in their first appearance in the work, they have half their face covered by the shadow of a curtain, or the readers only see a silhouette hidden in the dark. But even so, if you look closely, even the little bits you see often scream that theyre the worst type of scum.

Unfortunately, I couldnt see such a guy here right now.

If I had to say it, they all just looked plain stupid.

Of course, that wasnt enough to conclude that the secret boss wasnt hidden among their ranks, but it did make me relax slightly.

That was then.

"Oh, youre here!"

A certain black-haired young man approached us with a smile.

He was the most unassuming of the lot.

"Youre the new VIPs whove just arrived, right? The adventurers?"

"Oh, yes."

From the looks of it, it seemed that the most pitiful of them had to take on the guides role for us.

"Are you the captain?"

The guy looked at me and asked.

"Yes."

"It was clear at first glance. You look really strong!"

" Oh, is that so."

Outrageous. Wouldnt it be weirder if he couldnt guess at first glance?

The only people next to me were a little kid, a bigger kid, and a little princess who was shuffling on her feet and constantly looking around.

Of course, the princess and the other two werent actually weak, but I was still the only candidate for being the chief here, wasnt I?

This guy was quite a smooth-talker.

"Could you please come over here first? Thank you. May I ask you to please introduce yourself? Because thats the tradition here. You can just keep it simple."

Saying that, he led me to the centre of the fountain.

It was a bit iffy, but it looked like I couldnt avoid it.

"Ah, yeah. Were the ones lucky enough to become VIPs this time. Im Hiro, the leader, and next to me are the members of my team."

Even after finishing, there was no response.

Everyone just looked at me with curious eyes.

What else do I have to do?

It was a tad worrying, but I wanted to push the ball in their court, so I just stayed still.

That was then

"I heard you won the first place in this Adventurer Qualification Test."

I turned to where the voice had come from.

Yeah, hed been holding himself back for a while, hadnt he?

It was the polite red-haired man whod been staring at me for a while.

"Yes?"

"This isnt the whole of your group, right?"

"Ah, thats"

I stopped talking for a bit.

Not because I wanted to properly explain the ins and outs of the situation.

It was simply because that red-hair looked and sounded so rude.

Wed never met, though, right?

"Theres another member, but wed taken the test with four people. These two little kids here, me, and another one who isnt here."

The red-haired mans expression strangely distorted at my response, but then he just gave a mocking laugh.

" The exam is no longer how it used to be in the old days."

""

Hmmm.

I scratched my head.

Did this guy read my thoughts or what?

"This is Sir Xavier, an S-class adventurer. He scored very high in the Adventurer Qualification Test, too. And hes been promoted to S-class in only two years."

Because our guide, the black-haired young man, promptly told me what I was curious about.

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"Ah"

How outrageous. He was talking about the old days, but he passed only a couple years ago?

"Then were you the number one in your year?"

The man flinched for a moment before he slowly spoke.

" I got third place. I missed the first place because our stupid guide took the wrong path. But as an adversary, I didnt lose to anyone. Even though there were as many as six adventurer groups whod flocked to the same treasure as we did."

"Oh, really? Good job."

I was praising him sincerely. Didnt the Leo Adventurers also get third place?

But,

" Cheeky."

The red-haired guy was staring at me and grinding his teeth for some reason.

""

It seemed that his sense of entitlement had taken a hit.

I quickly turned to the black-haired young man. Before I got entangled with this tiring guy for nothing, I wanted to change the topic a bit.

That was then

"I came here because I heard there was a new VIP but somehow I see a familiar face."

A voice came from some distance away.

I turned to see who it was, and boy, was it a shock.

"Huh?"

The speaker was in a whole other league compared to the guys Id seen so far.

A real hardcore type.

So slim that a stiff breeze could tip him over, a mane of hair that had turned all white, sunken eyes shining brightly, a heavily wrinkled face with a long beard, and a scar that ran diagonally from the top of the left eyebrow to the bottom of the right cheek.

Maybe this was the hidden boss?

While I was carefully observing the middle-aged man as he approached

He abruptly turned to the side.

And the direction he faced was none other than

"I hope you dont plan to call yourself an adventurer, Princess Thermis."

The side where the princess stood.

" Minister Tamar."

The princess muttered softly.

From the stiff expression on her face, this was what shed been worried about.

"I thought you were living in comfort after running away somewhere, but it seems that youve decided to come back to Eastland again? I suppose you were worried about the lives of your people after all?"

"Well, thats."

"The first prince was very worried. He said he didnt mean to hurt so many people. Does that even make sense? What does it mean to be the first prince of the empire? At the very least, he shouldnt be weak enough to flinch after proposing to the princess of a small country once."

""

I didnt know the true identity of this guy who looked so much like a secret boss, but he seemed to have great power. Those remarks that looked down on the first prince of the empire, and maligning somebody from a royal family to their face, although she was the princess of a foreign country, was proof enough.

Although, he didnt seem that smart. If he kept talking like that, who knew when his spine would get folded in half by the princess?

"Even Lord Baatar, the royal teacher himself, is on board this ship. Even at his age, he came all the way here just to persuade you, princess Isnt that absurd? For our empire, the royal teacher should be valued a little more than you. Although, hes still just an old man wholl die any day now."

"I definitely told him to go back, but he"

"You mustve lacked conviction in your words. Now, lets stop this shilly-shallying, shall we? How about finishing this song and dance right here? Either get married, or run away. If youre sure what youre going to do, either way, Im all ears."

It was bizarre. I was feeling more irritated at his words than the princess.

Who the hell was this guy and why was he so rude?

"This ship was originally supposed to be anchored in Nanma Port for two weeks, but if you ask, princess, I will tell the captain to set off again immediately after anchoring for a day. If you get off at the port of Aimag, you can reach the imperial capital in two days from there."

The princess bit her lips thatd been pressed tight.

"No matter what I choose theres no way for me to survive."

Then the man called Minister Tamar let out a strange smile.

" Youre misunderstanding. If you were to be with the first Prince, youd be able to look down on the whole world. Of course, only if the wedding proceeds smoothly."

""

"If I had to give you one piece of advice, itd be to think of the people. Running away for your own sake would mean you lack the qualities of royalty. There is no other or better way to prove the nobility of your blood. When you have an opportunity like this"

At that moment,

"Opportunity, is it? How boring."

I couldnt control myself.

All their attention was soon focused on me.

I wasnt sure if he was the hidden boss or not. But how very irritating he was, wasnt up for debate.

"The whole country buzzing at her just because she said she didnt like a guy, who wasnt even her type, after he suddenly started bothering her? And what? A chance to prove the nobility of her blood?"

I took a step forward, towards him.

Then,

"The people are terrified, so go walk into the jaws of death on your own two feet? Hey, uncle. Why dont you come a bit closer so I can show you what that feels like."

I didnt leave any leeway in my verbal attacks.

""

The man flinched a couple of times, but didnt step back. Rather, tidying himself up, he faced me again.

But, of course, he didnt actually step forward.

" Friend, you should be the one who became an adventurer by taking the first place in the qualification test this time. I dont know how you got to know the princess, but dont you think youre overstepping your limits? Besides, your words are deeply worrying."

"Dont worry, I know my own limits. And I dont think youre in any position to lecture somebody else about how they talk, either."

"I didnt say anything wrong. No matter even if shes royalty, that cannot weigh more than the lives of the people. Running away to save ones own skin isnt that abandoning the duty of the royal family?"

"Youve got fantastic talent at threatening people. Shouldnt it be your job to make sure you guys dont start a war? Your prince got dumped, thats all. You should just take it on the chin and calm down."

""

He seemed a little perplexed.

"And it looks like you are a nobleman of the Skull Empire is it okay to talk like that? If the marriage really happens, the princess over there will become the crown princess-consort. Then she might even become the empress. And when she takes a look around, huh? Isnt this the guy whod been insulting me the other day? Huh? Why do I feel so pissed?"

""

"You dont think that could ever happen, do you? To the point where youre openly telling her to run to the imperial capital. If youre planning on doing something behind the scenes"

Of course, I also knew very well that my words were very exaggerated. However, the reason I dared to poke at him like this was because I wanted to make sure that this guy was the hidden mastermind.

That was then.

"Oh my, oh my why are you doing this the first time you meet, at the place where we should all greet each other with courtesy? Youre making me blush with shame."

The black-haired young man whod been guiding us interrupted suddenly.

"Come on, stop it, and lets just take our seats for now. Well try and organize a more fitting celebration party soon."

Then he gently pushed me aside.

" Hmm."

I pretended I couldnt overcome it and accepted being pushed.

It was a pity that I couldnt confirm the intentions of that son-of-a-bitch Tamar, but right now wasnt the time to stir things up further.

First of all, there were still many days left of our voyage. Also, people who looked like stewards were standing around looking worried that thered be a fight, and the red-haired man was also making me a little concerned. He was tapping his fists against each other and muttering something under his breath.

Thankfully, that son-of-a-bitch also backed away without making a fuss. I hadnt planned to clash with him here and now, anyway.

The black-haired young man took us all the way back to the front of the elevator and kindly told the manager to escort us to our new room.

And then,

"Oh, by the way, Princess Thermis. Its been a while since then, but wed met once when you were very young. I dont know if you still remember me?"

He left a meaningful sentence behind before departing.

"I am Nergui, the fourth prince of the Skull Empire."

The newly assigned room was gorgeous enough to make one gape.

Id thought our old first-class room had been luxurious, but this was in a whole other league.

However, I didnt have time for that right now.

I was reflecting on the recent events.

I hadnt noticed because I suddenly got angry and interrupted, but thinking about it, it was odd.

Why did I get so angry?

It was simple. Because of my sympathy due to the princess situation. Because how irritating the whole thing was.

But that itself was the strangest part.

This wasnt the kind of development that would appear in a shounen manga.

Lets say my mission was to keep the princess alive.

If I focused only on that, there was nothing inexplicable about it. The main goal was to save her.

But the how was the problem. Marriage.

I kept feeling that something was out of place. As I myself had said, in the end, the princess was being forced to marry even if she didnt want to do so. To survive.

Was I supposed to encourage that? Really? Werent adventurers supposed to represent the freedom all children dreamed of?

Of course, this wasnt a mission given to Leo. Even in shounen manga, there can be no happy ending for everybody involved, unless its the main character who solves the problem.

But nevertheless, the situation kept rubbing me the wrong way.

In such a situation, even if she becomes the crown princess, how could she rise to the throne? Shes not familiar with the place, and shes not even from the imperial bloodline.

Eventually, I gave up thinking any further.

Searching for an answer by myself wouldnt give me any results.

So I started doing what I shouldve done right away.

"Princess!"

After a while,

" Are you calling me?"

The princess, whod been in the other room, poked her head out the door.

"Come, sit. I have something to discuss."

The princess came and sat down in front of me without a word.

"Actually, I also had something to say But, um"

"Okay, Ill go first. Is there no way?"

" Huh? What do you mean?"

The princess asked, nonplussed.

"A way to not get married."

The princess eyes filled with surprise.

" Well, I could run away"

"Not that. A way to make even the empire shut up. A way to avoid becoming an excuse for war. Isnt there anything like that?"

There could be. No. There had to be.

There had to be one.

Soon after,

" There is one."

After some hesitation, the princess finally spoke.

I knew it.

I perked up.

"It makes no sense to tell you. Because you youre the one who wants me to marry."

"Its fine, just tell me."

The princess hesitated again, but then slowly spoke.

" Its simple. I just have to become a warrior of the Skull Empire."

"Warrior? You mean, join their military?"

"Its a little different. Not an ordinary soldier."

The explanation that followed was perfectly in line with the shounen manga-like development I had envisioned.

In the Skull Empire, there is a very special warrior selection test called the Warriors Path.

Those who pass it are given the title, Heart of the Empire, and the right to choose who they will serve. At the same time, anybody else cannot force any choice or obligation upon them. Even the current Khan, cannot.

It really did exist. An effective and reasonable solution that an adventurer could pursue.

The Warriors Path Come to think of it, there was a setting that this woman went through something like that.

Of course, I didnt know how she actually rose to the imperial throne after that Well, just because it seemed difficult right now didnt mean thered be no way in the future, right?

After revealing all this, the princess sighed softly.

"Becoming a warrior was also my original goal, so I also wanted to overcome the situation this way. If I become a warrior of the empire, the cause behind this war will disappear anyway. But I thought it wouldnt be easy. Without anyones protection, I have to break through to the imperial capital all by myself. Whats more, Ive already been captured like this"

"Alright, Ive decided. Ill take you."

" What?"

"The Warriors Path, right? Im going to help you enter that. Of course, itll be up to you to actually pass it."

The princess gaped, blankly.

" Why?"

"You dont need to know. Were done for now. Now go, go."

I didnt say anything else and shooed the princess away.

It didnt matter how hard or easy it would be.

I only hoped that this irritation would disappear and a new path would open up.

It was only then that I could start surveying the room properly.

That night.

As the princess had said, it suddenly occurred to me that my plan wouldnt be particularly easy.

Clang! Tinkle!

A group of people swarmed in through the shattered window.

One, two, four, six, eight ten in total.

For guests whod come to a VIPs room, they had terrible manners.

Not only did they barge in without an invitation, they also werent dressed properly, and even committed vandalism.

Hey, didnt they say not to worry about security in a VIP room

The assassins assault had begun.

Editors Notes:

[1] (lit. heavy ass), in this context, lazy people who dont want to stand up once they sit down.