King Milliard, ruler of Avalon, had come on a friendly visit to the nation state of Spada, bringing along Nero, Avalon’s first prince, and Nell, the first princess.
The second prince of Spada, Wilhart, and princess Nell had been recently betrothed to each other and were currently together, bonding supposedly―― While Nero went too meet Spada’s third princess, Charlotte, his childhood friend.
“NEROOOO!! I HATE THISSSS!!”
“I get it, I get it, calm down will you”
The conversation alone could lead to wild misunderstandings, but that Charlotte in denial was the one who held on to the prince tightly, she refused to let him go. Having a beautiful young lady, a princess no less, crying on his chest, it would be quite an emotional scene if it were any other man, but Nero showed no sign of unease, to him, it was her usual childish whining.
“Uhuuu… I wonna mawwy yuuuu… ”
“C’mon, calm down, it’s fine, alright?”
Nero, unlike his sister, wasn’t quite the sympathetic type, but even he, though reluctantly, attempted to console Charlotte as a friend he’d known for so long.
He sat there on the large sofa, stroking the silky red hair of the princess physically stuck to him, for nearly an hour… After which she’d calmed down, perhaps tired out from the crying and screaming.
“You’re taking this way too seriously than you need to”
“But, but… It’s been so long since I saw you, but now…”
“Yeah, I know. Can’t really blame you for crying”
Nero of course knew the reason Charlotte had been wailing like a baby for the past hour.
It was due to that out-of-the-blue decision that she would be the adventurer Kurono’s fiancee.
“Nero, can’t you tell me anything about why this is happening?!”
“Why, huh… To be honest, I can’t really tell how much of it is true”
Apparently, the Pandora Temple in Spada had pushed for this development.
Claiming that Kurono was a prince from the fallen Daidalos.
The country that’d been a long rival to Spada.
But really, who was it that benefited most from the marriage of those two?
“Char, have you heard anything?”
“No, nothing at all… I’ve asked father so many times, but he just keeps saying its ‘for the good of Spada’ or something”
King Leonhart wasn’t so gentle as to overturn his decision just because his daughter cried to him.
Which meant that this was no whimsy, he must’ve had a reason of utmost importance to want to welcome Kurono as a son-in-law. A reason that would convince even that willful king that it would bring great prosperity to his nation of Spada.
“Oh, there’s one thing”
“What?”
“He said something about the Black Pantheon giving their blessings. Father doesn’t usually say stuff like that, you know? So I thought maybe they found out in the temple that Kurono got some big shot god or goddess as his patron”
Even Charlotte didn’t really believe that an engagement as important as this could be decided by some simple fortune telling.
As for Nero… The Black Pantheon, those who were called as gods, these existences were always involved when things didn’t go his way. He wasn’t exactly fond of them.
God this, God that, God in everything. Every time he failed horribly, there was always someone tooting the name of their god.
So he’d stopped, he stopped praying to any god. The founder of his country of Avalon, the ancient demon lord Mia Elrod, he despised hearing that name everywhere.
He didn’t pray on gods and didn’t rely on their power either. He would carve out his own fate, towards the direction he himself would choose. He would not lose more.
No matter which great God or Devil blessed Kurono―― Nero would never lose to something like that, if only to spite its greatness.
“I see, got it. You can rest assured, Char, I won’t let Kurono have you”
“Uuh, Neroo…”
Charlotte looked glassy eyed at Nero who’d said words that only came naturally.
“My sources told me that the guy was heading towards Karla Marla right now. That’s the far edge of the continent. It’ll take a while before he can get back, so you don’t have to worry about getting married off all of a sudden”
“Oh!”
“And I’ll work towards getting the engagement broken off. I really can’t figure why, but both king Leonhart and my dad are being pretty adamant about this, so it won’t be easy. Don’t worry, I will do something―― But, if worst comes to worst”
“Th-then what?”
“I’ll save you, even if I have to take you and run”
When she heard that, Charlotte’s body heated up. Her cheeks red, the princess made her resolve, closed her eyes, and let herself――
“Stop that. Right now, we can’t be seen as anything other than childhood friends”
The walls had ears and eyes, as they say. He was at the Spadan Palace, in a way, enemy territory.
Even if he was the first prince of Avalon, it’d be disastrous if word got out that he laid his hands on the unmarried princess who wasn’t even his fiancee.
The situation was already bad. He didn’t want his actions to make it worse.
“Mmm… Okay, I’ll wait”
“Char, you don’t need to think so hard, just act like normal. Besides, now you’re a knight in Spada’s second battalion, Tempest, aren’t you? Congrats”
Nero said casually as he patted away at her head like she was a child, blowing away the pink atmosphere from just now.
Though that did upset her, Charlotte quickly flipped into a wide grin as she replied,
“That’s right! For the one you see before shall one day lead that army!”
“Oh yeah, good luck on that”
“Ah~~, you’re making fun of me~!?”
“Not at a~ll”
Nero and Charlotte so began chatting jovially, talking about their time together at the academy and other such meaningless topics.
Some place apart from these two childhood friends were deepening their friendship―― Fiance and fiancee, prince Wilhart and princess Nell were also bonding, or rather, concocting their master plan.
“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril… I cite something inscribed in the runes spoken by a once famed tactician”
Historical excerpts such as that could be found all over the land of Pandora, their contents, quite basic.
“Furthermore, Love is War… Is that not a famous truism in your country?”
It was a well known all over that the ancient demon lord, Mia Elrod, had seven wives. Historical texts passed down in many nations of the continent, as well as various archives unearthed in the many dungeons all pointed to that as fact. And in present day, all seven of those wives continued to grant the people of these nations their divine protections. They’d become the goddesses of war, an undeniable truth.
Which meant, wait, what happens when seven of these totally-bad-news ladies, who were so battle crazed that they get renowned as war goddesses, fall for a single man?
Some theorists even suggested that Mia was known as the demon lord because he had the balls to handle these women.
“I shall give it to you straight, princess Nell. You lack the ability to analyze all the variables pertaining to the war you fight, not to mention you fall short of the boldness needed to win no matter the means you have to employ!”
“N-no, I, you might not know it, but I’ve done my best every single day just to have Kurono-kun turn my way!”
Faced with Wilhart’s harsh and accusatory finger pointed at her, Nell showed unexpected stubbornness, spreading her wings to put power in her words.
But Wilhart didn’t back away.
“Nay, you’re best does not even meet par! Your results have been an absolute null!!”
“That is not true!”
“Then, let me ask you, what do you suppose men want!”
“Ugh!?”
To which, Nell had no words.
“Let me ask you this as well, those arms of yours that sport mastery in ancient jujitsu and can kill even dragons, what use to you are any of those techniques in the art of love?!”
“UGUH!?”
Now the princess couldn’t even breathe, she was becoming increasingly pale.
“You must face facts, my dear princess Nell. You do not know your enemy, the heart of men, and neither do you know yourself, the application of love, admit that you know nothing”
“Uuu… Bu-but I, I’ve, I have been educating myself on it, a little…”
“Hoho~, might you be speaking of this piece of romantic literature currently en vogue?”
Wilhart said, full of airs, as he brought out a book with pale pink bindings. The title was inscribed in stylish lettering, it said, ‘Serene Love Letters’
“Ah! That, I’ve just recently finished that! It’s quite a wonderful story, I felt touched by the depth of the heroine’s soft-spoken love”
It was a book, like many others, that could put a smile on any young lady. The contents depicted a pure, and lovely romance.
“I may not look it, but in actuality, I am quite the consumer of prose. Thus I’ve also partaken in works that are aimed at female audiences, and yes, I too would deem this ‘Serene Love Letters’ as quite the gem”
Setting the stage on Avalon’s great port city of Serene, the heroine was the single daughter of an up and coming merchant, with her target of romance being a youth who’d recently become an adventurer.
The story itself starts off with the sickly-sweet, tip-toeing around each other that to-be couples do, but to gain fame as an adventurer, the youth soon sets off at the port of Serene. Yet, despite the great distance between them, they are both reassured of their feelings for one another through the exchange of their many letters… That is, until the heroine is suddenly engaged to a noble. Will she marry the noble for the sake of her family, or will she stay true to her love? But with the one she yearns for far away across the Remulia sea, what challenges will she face to meet her――
“But to any man reading such a story, this form of love is no better than trash”
“Wh, how dare you!?”
“Tis no reason to be vexed, just as ladies hold the right to aspire for love as lovely as this, gentlemen too possess the ability to write it off as bothersome garbage”
“It is NOT garbage! Their love is connected only through letters, and that is exactly what makes their love so strong!”
“Haah… The youth in the story is skilled in swordplay, enough to gain renown in all the lands. Furthermore he was extremely handsome, with silver hair, and heterochromic eyes. How can you believe that such a man wouldn’t find another woman along his travels?”
With the feats this youth achieved, if he wasn’t described as silver haired and super handsome, he seemed a lot like Kurono. Was it not unnatural for absolutely no other woman making a move on such a fellow as attractive as he? And the fact that all his adventurer companions were also handsome men in their own right, was that not a deliberate form of rousing service for the ladies?
“He wouldn’t! Him and the heroine have eyes for each other only!”
“Certainly, at least in the world inside the story, that may as well be the case. But why not take a look at the reality with Kurono?”
At present, Kurono had even boldly declared himself possessor of a harem.
The man that Nell yearned for wasn’t like the ones in her romance novels. He wasn’t conveniently free of other partners, nor was he looking at her and her only, in simple, pure love.
Although, they wouldn’t be having such a predicament if Kurono made his harem out of excess lust…
“From what I observe, Kurono has quite the pure heart when it comes to love. But please be aware that this does not mean he is a man devoid of base desires”
Nell had no objection to that. She had also observed this quality to Kurono and it was one of the reasons she fell for him.
“Hence, I suggest you learn of a man’s wants and desires, and I guarantee that the knowledge will serve you well in understanding Kurono’s heart”
“I, I see… however, I actually have no clue as to where I can start learning this”
A man’s wants, the male mentality, these were things she couldn’t possibly ask her friend and mentor, the Black Dragon Priestess, Belkrozen, as this individual was even to the present day, a virgin of 250 years. It was for her sacred duties that the woman had forbidden herself to all semblances of romantic love. Compared to Nell, the unfortunate princess who had come to face many trials in her love, the priestess could be described as exceedingly pure.
As for Cerise, her other friend from whom she could seek advice, she couldn’t be said to have much experience either. She had a fiance, yes, but their relationship still had the nuance of senpai and underclassman. In matters of love, neither Nell nor Cerise could be called more experienced than the other.
“You need not fret my dear, for I have for you the perfect guide to a man’s soul. Behold”
He plopped down a certain book, and the instant she saw it,
“Kyah! Wh-wh-wh-what is the meaning of this indecent book!?”
The book was similar to ‘Serene Love Letters’ wherein its bindings were also of a pale pink, but on its cover, was a drawing of a lovely young, yet for some reason, excessively large breasted, silver haired girl. This foxy girl whose body offered an imbalanced distribution of meat, also exposed ample skin due to her extremely risque clothing. She furthermore stood in a pose that accentuated her chest which, along with her seductive expression, horns, tail, and wings, made her unable to be described as anything but a succubus.
The title: Prim the Seductress ～ That Time When I Caught the Attention of this Big-titty loli Succubus and went from a Loser to the Strongest.
“Atrocious!”
Nell could only make it to the ‘Big-titty loli Succubus and’ before proceeding to toss away from herself, the object with such a lewd cover, and an even more salacious name.
“AHH! What are you doing to the holy book of adolescent males! These pages which contain my cherished memories!”
“I am appalled, second prince, Wilhart Tristan Spada”
“Spare me, please don’t glare at me with those cold, disgusted eyes while calling me by my full name, please”
In spite of his expression that told of unspeakable pain in his heart, Wilhart quickly retrieved the cherished literature of his youth that’d landed on the floor.
And after gently brushing off the cover, he made an ‘ahem’ and once again faced towards Nell.
“Listen well, this one book contains many of the essential facets present in any man”
“…”
Nell’s gaze was yet cold. He felt chills of a much lower temperature than when they had first started their discussion and Nell was deliberating on murdering him.
“Believe me when I say that my purpose in showing you this book is in no way a form of harassment. Similar to how young ladies in all the lands cherish their ‘Serene Love Letters’, the young boys of the world too cherish this ‘Prim the Seductress ～ That Time When I Caught the Attention of this Big-titty loli Succubus and went from a Loser to the Strongest’”
“Please stop speaking that title in full. It will dirty my ears”
“No, well, this excessively long title had actually contributed to this books popularity, surpassing rival works of similar nature by instantly grasping the attention of readers which――”
“Stop this”
A violent aura of mana began gushing out from Nell’s bodyyyy…
“Many young men like this ‘Prim the Seductress’”
He opted to return to the topic at hand.
“And you ask… That I read, this…”
“You will surely learn what men desire once you do”
“I, I cannot accept this, Kurono-kun woudn’t, this sort of… This is criminal”
“I highly doubt that Kurono would prefer meaninglessly exchanging love letters, to doing ‘this and that’ with a lover”
“H-how can you, so vulgar!”
Nell, whose face was dyed red, seemed to have all but forgotten about the time when she herself had begged him, “Sleep with me.”
Even after the effects of the Tonic of Forgetting were gone, Nell herself had sealed away those hellish memories of not only having been rejected after she made such a bold request, but even having shown the disastrous NTR scene of her beloved making love to another woman (Fiona).
“You must understand that a certain degree of force is required if you wish to have Kurono recognize the feelings you hold for him. I will say this simply―― The man is too dense!!”
Wilhart declared, half in contempt towards his friend.
“Listen to me, princess Nell. The most important part of attaining a man’s attention is… ‘Wait, what if, what if she’s actually into me?’ Tis the moment that very thought occurs to him”
“Eh, but, isn’t it more important to clearly convey how I feel…?”
“You mustn’t rush this. Since times immemorial, woman has perplexed man. Meaning that, her ‘love’ for him is not easily made fact. Thus, men are allured. Does she truly love him, he is curious, he must know, and so, he chases her!”
“AH!?”
Nell’s eyes widened as if she finally realized something truly profound.
“Kurono is assuredly dense… But princess Nell, you too are at fault for always approaching the man while disguising your feelings of love. As a result, Kurono has designated you as ‘just friends’”
Wilhart keenly understood how Kurono thought.
Nell was of course quite attractive to him, but their social positions were quite different which barred any form of romantic relationship between them. Thus, so that he would refrain from crossing that line, Kurono strongly convinced himself, be it conscious or subconsciously, that ‘Nell is a friend.’
And Nell’s usual diligent personality was to blame as well for fueling this thought process. He would think, any other girl wouldn’t do all this… But Nell just might be someone who would. The love that would normally reach was obstructed by the wall known as the friendzone.
“My strong feelings for him will be naturally conveyed… Tell me, have you had that thought?”
“Uuuh, that is, how do you…”
“To my knowledge, women generally want the man to discern it themselves”
In both present day Spada and Avalon, confessions of love and proposals were considered the man’s task. If the woman were to do it, she would be seen as quite the fervent lover.
“Ah but men, you see, they haven’t a clue unless you spell it out for them”
Perhaps it is sad, this psychological difference in man and woman. They think differently, and these thoughts conflict. Yet they still feel the appeal of continuing on their chosen line of thought despite knowing its faults.
“You must, and I mean must, let go of this naive hope that Kurono might notice you somehow. That sort of thinking refers to plebeian love affairs, not your circumstances where you lose everything if you fail to capture his attention. Let me emphasize this, having such naive hopes is akin to holding a siege without even planning to call reinforcements!!”
“Y-yessir!”
“Listen well, your prime objective in conquering Kurono is to make him think, ‘Wait, what if, what if Nell’s actually into me?’”
This implicitly implied that she would need to destroy the fortress called friendship that Kurono had constructed between them.
A girl doesn’t stick to a guy so much for no reason… She obviously likes me.
It was easy to say, much more difficult to do.
“Once you demolish that wall of friendship, you can easily observe the favorable changes the action will manifest. He will have no choice but to recognize you as one of the opposite sex. And once he does, he will begin to reconsider all the actions you have taken towards him in the past under a completely different light… This is the moment he discerns your feelings”
“Ehh!? That, is, wonderful!”
That was the Goldilocks situation that Nell could only dream of. Her every interaction with Kurono sending his heart aflutter, that sort of sweet relationship.
“But, then, you said, I can’t directly confess to him, right? Then, how am I supposed to…”
“That is precisely why we have ‘Prim the Seductress’”
He once again presented the lewd book to Nell.
“B-but I…”
Nell was clearly hesitant. But she didn’t throw the book away like last time.
“Nell my dear, Prim is your friend, accept her. And she will help you grasp Kurono’s heart”
“… I, will read it”
With shaking hands, Nell peeked inside.
Phew, that shall take care of the first stage of the plan, Wilhart wiped the mental sweat on his brow.
“Kyaah!! I can’t do this, I just can’t do thiiss!!!”
She’d made it 5 pages in before once again tossing it away. Seeing his ‘Prim the Seductress’ soaring through the room, Wilhart sighed. They had a long way to go.
Such was The Melancholy of Wilhart.
Alright, I'd been reaally deliberating on picking this up, but I think I can do chapters (starting from 384, no autism this time) every 2 weeks, that's 14 days. As such, I'll try to post 384 in 2 weeks. As I said with nidome, if anyone feels they can do this better and faster, feel free. I'll stop if that happens.As for this chapter, I just did it cause it was funny. This is the latest chapter in the raws, came out a couple days ago. Spoilers (duh).
Also, join the discord (link below) if you can, it's kinda quiet in there... And I announce exact dates for chapter releases and other stuff(...)