The Prince in Question Is Not Stable-Chapter 50: The Game Begins (Part 1)

The next morning, a carriage was prepared to depart for the station that led a locomotive to the capital, back at the academy.

Ymir, under the identity of Marcus, had requested a long leave from the academy. A rebellion that had already begun to collapse needed its pieces rearranged.

And since his butler died, and trade routes suffered a significant loss, Matthias didn’t push the matter much.

But now it isn’t just a political game behind the scenes, but the story of the game is also about to begin, with its first act being the introduction of the first fragment of Lunar’s flute, which was found on an expedition.

Darin, the protagonist, will officially enter the plot. The only difference this time is that Marcus or Ymir is not some extra caught up in the fall of the Kingdom.

Ymir was sitting inside his carriage, and opposite to him was Graves Corbin in his usual dark blue suit. While Ymir wore a black shirt with folded sleeves and pants that matched the black interior of the carriage.

*Click*

He opened a silver ring box, and inside was a black ring with platinum coating on its edges.

He took out the ring and wore it instead of his previous artefact, which had been used for disguise. And his appearance changed back to Marcus, with slightly tanned skin, needle earrings and black eyes.

"This seems to work," Ymir said, looking at the faint reflection in the windows of the carriage.

"Somewhat," Graves replied.

"Somewhat?"

"Well, you were able to break an artefact with a simple flare of your aura, and that was a year ago. What you’re wearing is not comparable to that artefact, but it can still withstand some of your aura," Graves explained.

"Some of my aura...an approximation?" Ymir asked, tapped the ceiling of the carriage, and it began to move.

"About seven or ten percent if you’re lucky," Graves said.

Ymir didn’t respond and just leaned back, closing his eyes.

"If I’m lucky, huh?" he whispered. ’Luck is for main characters...’

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Fuck, I’m so damn lucky!" screamed a student with dark black hair and silver eyes. He was wearing a white uniform with silver linings.

He had a bow in his hands, aimed at a dummy target he had just shot.

He was Darin. A knight cadet who pretty much excelled in every aspect of a warrior and a scholar. Last year, he ranked among the first-year cadets, and even now, he has maintained his position in the second year.

"That’s not luck," replied a magician cadet wearing the same white dress with a white robe over it, instead of the sword that warriors have on their waist. She had long brown hair, sharp black eyes, and a maintained physique for the agility of a hawk.

Ranked fifth, hailing from a noble house of Hawk. Hawks are among the Queen of Lunar’s closest aides; the only dukedom with snipers who hail from the magic and warrior classes.

Clara Hawk. She’s a sniping prodigy, and the raw power of her arrows can surpass the speed of a bullet shot from a revolver.

"That is definitely luck," Darin said, "I’ve never in my life used a bow and arrow."

"Yet, you shoot on the mark...if that’s not luck, I don’t know what is..." Clara replied and folded her arms.

"Try another shot if you feel unsure," she said, and a magic circle appeared in front of her.

Element: wood and earth. She can manipulate the flow of these elements down to the atomic level to produce the finest arrows, bows, and various kinds of weapons.

The strings of the circuit in her magic circle were brownish and silver, and they moved as if printing an arrow into reality.

"Oh~" Darin was amazed. He is amazed by magicians. He finds anything they do a miracle.

"Don’t just stare at it, load the bow," Clara said as the arrow hovered over the magic circle.

Darin nodded, held the arrow, loaded it on the bow and stretched its string, but the bow creaked unevenly under his pressure.

"Here goes nothing," He said and released the string, shooting the arrow as it made a swift swish sound and hit the tail of the arrow he had previously shot, tearing it apart.

"See..." Clara said, and other cadets who were in the training ground were also paying attention to this exchange.

This situation had occurred out of Darin’s curiosity, because he wanted to try bow and arrow, too. The rest of the cadets didn’t help him, thinking it was just a waste of time, but Clara taught him the basic stance, and Darin nailed the shot.

Clara and Darin knew each other from their first year. But Darin was so isolated in his training that he didn’t talk to anyone at that time. But now, he’s starting to open up.

"Maybe..." Darin mumbled.

"But, what’s with the personality change?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Darin asked back.

"You were so focused on your swordsmanship, which you excel in a lot, but why are you curious about new domains now?" She asked again.

"Well, it turns out doing quests adds skills," He replied.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I mean-- I’m trying out new things, nothing special," Darin staggered in his response for a moment, correcting himself.

"Is that so..." Clara mumbled in deep thought.

"Miss Clara!" Another student came running to them from the entrance of the training halls. She had long black hair and sleek eyes. Her uniform was the same as Clara’s.

Vesper, Clara’s personal assistant, is a cadet within the academy grounds. She herself ranked among the top ten.

"What is it, Vesper?" Clara asked.

"Hah- I just received the news, Miss," Vesper gasped. She had run a lot just to get to the training grounds.

"What news?" Darin asked, curious.

Vesper didn’t even acknowledge him. Her attention remained solely on Clara.

"Professor Marcus is back!" Vesper said. "And, he’s going to be our professor this time!"

"Really?" Clara raised her brows.

"Yes, it’s confirmed news," Vesper replied.

"Head professor Marcus?" Darin asked. "Why was he gone in the first place?"

Both Vesper and Clara looked at him like he was an idiot.

"His trade network took a significant hit last year, you don’t know about that?" Clara said.

"I did hear bits about it..." Darin mumbled.

"He’s a noble, and in cases of household emergencies that require a lot of time to recover, he can take a year-long leave, and look at the results...previously, Riles were just a major trade route, but now they’re the trade monopoly of the Lunar Kingdom." She replied.

"Either way, he’s assigned to our division, and this year is going to be a real hassle," Clara said.

"Why? Is he strict or something?" Darin asked.

"No, on the contrary, he’s the most lenient professor you’ll find in this academy," she said.

"Isn’t that a good thing?"

Vesper looked uneasy. "Not quite..."

"He doesn’t scold, or put restrictions or anything...but for him, there’s no second chance. And the curriculum of this academy is built on the repetition of years. So only the ace of aces can cross over beyond the second year in one try..."

"And Marcus never acknowledges those who fail to move forward," Vesper said.

"Sounds perfect," Darin replied, and stretched his bow strings again.

"Victory comes from making no mistakes," Darin said, casually holding the bow in place.

Vesper and Clara didn’t respond to it.

"Huh?" Darin felt something. Something he has never felt before.

The sound of the training ground dulled.

*Zzz-Sizzle*

A short glitch in reality.

It occurred for a moment and disappeared, staggering his balance.

"What the..." He mumbled.

He frowned and looked at both of the girls.

"Did you feel that?" he asked.

"Feel what?" they asked.

He didn’t answer and stared down, deepening his frown.

He looked up to his right, as if there was a screen floating in front of him, checking something.

But then he shook his head.

"Nothing..."