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🕑 Added 2025-08-02 21:18:54 +0000 UTCEP.20 Yuno’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony (1)
“What? Yuno has entered the master’s realm and begun body change?”
The emperor jumped up from his throne, shouting in surprise.
The nobles, who had been murmuring about the main character of today’s coming-of-age ceremony not arriving on time, fell silent and listened intently to the royal guard’s report.
“Yes, Your Majesty! Master Aragon, the martial arts master of the Third Prince, said so herself, so it must be true.”
Murmur, murmur, murmur.
“The Third Prince, coming of age today, is a master? Isn’t that the youngest in continental history?”
“We should have known since Your Majesty awarded the dragon heart to the Third Prince… This is all thanks to Your Majesty’s foresight.”
“Surely the gods are blessing the empire. Congratulations, Your Majesty!”
Congratulations poured in from all sides.
“Y…Yuno? Is Yuno alright?” Empress Yuria, worried something might have happened, asked the reporting guard.
“Master Aragon is currently with the Third Prince, so there’s no need for great concern. Just in case, Viscount Speyer is leading the entire Royal Guard reserve in defense, so you can rest assured, Your Majesty.”
Relieved, Yuria let out a sigh, and the emperor’s praise followed.
“Excellent, quick action. Hahaha, to think the Third Prince would really reach the master’s level. He once shocked me by supposedly having no mana hole, but now he’s become a pillar supporting the empire. Thank you for raising Yuno so well, Empress.”
“Yuno grew up on his own; I don’t deserve any credit. Please take back such excessive praise, Your Majesty.”
“No, it’s because you’ve supported the children so steadfastly from behind that they could work so hard. I hear Isabella and Marie have also achieved remarkable things… Have you felt neglected because I haven’t visited?”
The emperor, who rarely spent daily life or even nights with Yuria outside official events, expressed a hint of regret to his wife.
“Not at all, Your Majesty. How could I feel neglected by the sovereign of this nation? Please do as you wish, always.”
Yuria had long since lost all affection for her husband, Emperor Karl III, so she felt no resentment. In fact, the thought of the emperor coming to the empress’s palace for intimacy now sent a chill down her spine.
“Haha, I’m glad you understand. I’ll give Yuno a great reward, so if you ever felt neglected, I hope this makes up for it.”
Karl III ran the empire well almost a wise ruler but his infamous taste for young women remained undiminished even in his eighties. Feeling Yuria was understanding, he rose, thinking to visit his newest concubine.
“Anyway… Chancellor, consult with the ministers and reschedule the Third Prince’s coming-of-age ceremony. Also, celebrate the birth of the empire’s seventh master with an even grander event.”
“I will obey, Your Majesty!”
As the emperor rose, Yuria also left. Crown Prince Prinz, the chancellor, and the ministers celebrated Yuno’s ascension to master together with the nobles, discussing what benefits an additional master would bring to the empire.
But not everyone was pleased by the news of Yuno. Some slipped away to another place the residence of Second Prince Heinrich.
Bang!
“What? That Yuno brat became a master? The youngest in continental history? He poured all his effort into martial arts and finally caused trouble!!”
“Yes, Your Highness. We must do something. The Crown Prince is close with the Third Prince if he gains Yuno’s support, it could be a headache.”
Heinrich, who coveted the throne over his older brother the Crown Prince, had been carefully gathering his own faction, which had grown large enough to threaten the Crown Prince’s position. But Prinz had firm support from the high nobility, and Heinrich, unable to overturn his brother’s legitimacy, now faced this new setback.
“Do something? Do you have any ideas?”
“He’s currently undergoing body change. He’ll be defenseless what about sending an assassin?”
Heinrich was about to agree when Count Dietrich, leader of the Second Prince’s faction, shouted,
“Nonsense! Didn’t you hear the report? Viscount Speyer, the Royal Guard’s vice-commander, is personally on guard. What assassin could get through? Even if they did, Master Aragon is personally protecting the Third Prince!”
The noble who made the suggestion fell silent. Then another young noble raised his hand.
“Then what about using magic? We could strike the palace from afar with a scroll. I’ve heard that during body change, even a slight blow can cause serious harm.”
Many in the group agreed. Count Dietrich nodded but raised some concerns.
“That might be possible, but there are problems. First, the prince’s residence has been reinforced several times due to his harsh training. Ordinary magic won’t do much. Second, who would take such a risk? If caught, they’d lose their head to Viscount Speyer if not worse, if the mastermind is discovered, we’d all be doomed.”
“We have no other options. My family has a legendary Hellfire scroll. That could damage the residence. If the Third Prince is killed, good; if not, we’ll try something else. As for the second issue, I have a servant in place. He has heavy debts, but if we promise his family a lifetime of comfort, he’ll use the scroll and then take his own life.”
Heinrich found this suggestion appealing.
‘If things stay as they are, I’ll never beat the Crown Prince to the throne… In that case…’
Heinrich decided to attempt Yuno’s assassination with long-range magic.
“Very well! I’ll leave this to you. I won’t ask about the outcome, but make sure there’s no trail. If you succeed, great; if not, so be it. And I won’t forget your family’s sacrifice for me.”
“I will obey, Your Highness.”
As soon as Heinrich gave the order, the noble quickly left.
‘It’s a shame to lose a master who could serve my empire, but he’d be no help to my rule anyway. So die quietly, Yuno. Heh heh heh.’
Heinrich grinned slyly and toasted with his loyal nobles, wishing for Yuno’s death.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the Second Prince’s plot, Catherine was dozing off while guarding Yuno.
“Snoooore… mm… huh!”
Even while sleeping, her superhuman senses were active, and she suddenly felt mana gathering in the distance.
“This… this is an attack spell! Damn!”
Catherine rushed outside at top speed, but the spell had already been cast a massive fireball was falling from the distant sky.
“Speyer! Use your sword aura! Everyone, do whatever you can to stop it!”
Hearing Catherine’s shout, Viscount Speyer and the Royal Guards finally looked up and scrambled to respond.
Catherine and Speyer, both masters, unleashed their own aura and sword energy, but the Hellfire only shrank a bit and continued to fall.
“Damn! Raise your shields! If it comes to it, we’ll block it with our bodies!”
Catherine and Speyer prepared to attack again, while the Royal Guards channeled mana into their shields and clustered together for maximum defense.
Whoosh! Crack! Crack!
As the Hellfire neared, another round of sharp aura and sword energy struck it. The combined force of the two masters reduced it to about one-eighth its original size, but it was still about to hit the guards.
“Hold your shields and withstand it with all your might! Remember why you exist! Even at the cost of your lives, protect the prince!”
Now Viscount Speyer also dropped his sword and raised his shield, gathering mana, while the guards braced for impact, eyes squeezed shut.
And at that moment
BOOM!!!
From the underground beneath the residence, a massive mana storm erupted, colliding with the Hellfire and erasing it completely. The overwhelming force of the mana storm not only destroyed the Hellfire but also roared across the night sky, leaving a tremendous sound as it vanished into the distance.
