288 The Emperor and the Princess

Jibblinplip's first wave of minions served as a wake-up call--that the ooze was an immediate threat, so the Emperor had sent letters to all Kingdoms, demanding their involvement for the purging of this menace once and for all.

Sitting on the golden throne was Emperor Vanadel Renais, an old man with a frame that would put any bodybuilder to shame. He was the first ever human to achieve the rare and final class of a Swordsman, [Paragon].

And to this day, he is the only human who had such a feat.

The only reason why the Human Continent managed to stand its ground against other continents was because of his leadership. And getting the final rare swordsman class [Paragon] was, of course, related to his quest.

But how to approach the seclusive Emperor, who mostly stayed inside his castle, was an entirely different matter. Unless an important gathering needed his presence, the Emperor wouldn't go out. He was already busy with the Empire's matters. Even the safety of his subjects was left in the hands of his Generals and battalions.

But this information was sourced from the insiders of the castle. There was another source who said that the Emperor liked to disguise himself as a commoner and sneak out from the palace to visit his realm, accompanied only by his few trusted guards.

There were also rumors that Princess Lorelai had the same 'adventurer' and 'rebellious' spirit as his father. She was spotted going out of the Empire's safe range to venture into the wild far too many times to count.

Rumors also had it that the Princess would wear a common guard's equipment, hiding her face inside her helmet before venturing into the unknown lands, leaving only a letter to her father that she would return soon. Sometimes she'd been missing for days, sometimes even weeks, and the longest was a month.

Soldiers were often dispatched to bring the Princess back, but every effort they made to keep her in the palace was futile. The Princess would always have a way to step foot outside the castle without anyone knowing.

This behavior of the Princess ignited the ire of the Emperor's right-hand man, the Grand Advisor, Salister Kane.

It was no rumor that the Grand Advisor and the Princess weren't on good terms.

More often than not, the Grand Advisor had brought the idea of marrying the Princess to allied Kingdoms to the Emperor in hopes that it would straighten her 'spoiled' and 'unladylike' character.

Dozens of men wanted to marry the Princess, all coming from far and wide. But until now, there has been no update regarding that matter.

"How's Jibblinplip's movement?" Emperor Vanadel asked his council members, who were sitting at the round table.

"According to the latest news, Jibblinplip is moving towards Roselake Town. As of now, the evacuation is still ongoing."

"And what have we achieved so far to stop this... menace?"

The council looked at each other. None of them wanted to break the news to him.

The heavy silence was deafening until one with a brave heart broke it. "We used barrages of arrows, siege weapons, and magical assaults, but all to no avail. Because of its composition, all physical attacks don't work against it, and anything that comes anywhere near it will be consumed by its jelly mass of body."

"The monster also developed resistance to magical damage, though it only lasted a day. But by that time, it had lost its resistance. Its HP and MP were back to the full because of all the things it consumed."

The Emperor sighed while the council members didn't dare to breathe.

"I think we should send the Empire's battalion, Father," a soft melancholic voice filled the room, coming from the only woman in the war council. She was garbed with the finest white silk and lace, and her face was covered with a thick veil.

Behind the veil that hid her face, her lips rose in a small smile. "Or... send me."

. . .

Deadly silence lingered after the Princess spoke. It was no rumor that the Princess often did 'odd' jobs every time she was outside the confines of the palace. These jobs were oftentimes killing threats that plagued the Empire.

Her most famous feat had been when she brought back a head of a tyrannical dragon who ran amok in the neighboring towns on the back of twenty wagons.

The Princess' strange powers were rumored to come from her mysterious mother, who no one knew and was the cause of the Empress' distress and tears every night.

Only the Emperor and the Grand Advisor, Salister Kane, weren't afraid of her.

"The Empire's battalion is the core that protects the realm. They shouldn't be out and killing monsters on a whim. The Empire will be left vulnerable without them," the Grand Advisor calmly said before addressing the Princess.

"And a Princess should never be seen fighting monsters and parading in the battlefront," the Grand Advisor added, eyes as steady as the mountain and his wrinkly hands clasped together on top of the table. "Princess Lorelai should stay here and perform her duties as a Princess."

"And what duty is that Grand Advisor?" challenged the Princess.

"It's the duty of all noblewomen born in the Empire... Strengthening allegiance by marriage."

The Princess snorted. Everyone looked away, pretending that they didn't hear anything.

"Enough." the Emperor took a deep breath. "Send scouts and report to me every detail of Jibblinplip's movement. If it's not stopped by today... then we'll send the Empire's Battalion. I don't want to see this monster alive the next day. The more days it lived, the stronger it got. It has to be stopped immediately!

"General Dozla of the Hog Unit and General Velimer of the wyvern unit, since your army is the fastest, I want the two of you to lead your unit to kill that threat. The rest will stay here and defend the Empire."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Head of the Scouts, see to it that every Kingdom would be sending at least a hundred of their finest soldiers to help with the elimination of this threat once and for all," the Emperor added.

Eventually, the meeting ended, and all went out of the room except for two--the Princess and the Emperor, who remained in their seats. Although the Grand Advisor hesitated, he still left in the end.

"I know what you're going to do," said the Emperor after they were alone.

"Pray tell, father. This daughter of yours is clueless."

The Emperor stared at his daughter for a good minute and uttered, "I know I won't be able to stop you, but promise me that you'll get home... safely."

"..." The Princess licked her lips before removing her veil and sweetly smiling.

"Don't I always do?"

[You have been CHARMED!]

[Your TEMPERED Body is immune to Charm!]

[CHARM doesn't work against you!]

A series of notifications flashed before the Emperor's eyes, but his whole focus was on the back of his daughter, who steadily left the room without uttering another word.

He could only hope that the Princess wouldn't cause a catastrophe more so than that of a World Boss'.

----

A/N

Please read DECEMBER Stretched Goals in Auxiliary for December goals and rewards, or read the Author's Note down below