Deadmeat Saga

After discussing a bit longer, Gerhart and his group left, leaving Primo behind. He will stay in the palace in a specially arranged dormitory.

After Gerhart heard everything from Qold, this was the plan he came up with after consulting with Hope. After blessing everyone with Ray's Great Veil of Mysteries and the Deep Transformation he acquired, he had Primo use Bloodline Mimicking to mimic Havre's Sword God Bloodline.

It was because, one, the existence of the Sword Saint was powerful and honorable, so it was bound to draw their attention. And two- It was because they were exceedingly beautiful and handsome. He immediately thought about honey-trapping her when he learned the new Otherworlder was a young woman. Men were not the only ones helplessly attracted to outstanding women. The opposite was also true!

"Primo is doing well." Gerhart thought as he sensed the world through Primo.

Primo arrived at a living quarters with a dozen candidates, aged 18 to 30. Half were women, and half were men, and they had a competitive fighting spirit among them. Almost immediately after arriving, the candidates gauged Primo, but when they learned he was a Sword Saint with a pure Sword God Bloodline, they understood he was a seeded candidate. With Princess Libania taking one spot, they now had three spots to vie for, causing the pressure on them to rise.

And it was not as if they were the only candidates. More would come from the other towns, cities, and nations. They congregate in the capital for a chance to join the legendary heroic party! Only one of the candidates remained calm, a slim and enchanting young woman aged 19, like a beautiful but poisonous thorny black rose. When Primo analyzed her, he knew the reason. She was also a top-tier monstrous talent.

 

Name: Domentzia al Mutaism
Race: Human
Age: 19
Sex: Female
Level: 34

Skills: (+)

Base Stats:

Secondary Stats: (+)

Talents:

 

With five evolvable tier-5 talents, Domentzia was a top-notch monstrous talent worthy of joining a heroic party. Of course, she couldn't compare to Primo.

"Hm? Is she connected to Prisca al Mutaism? Is she her daughter or niece?" Primo thought.

As he looked at her, Domentzia noticed him and glared at him. Primo just returned her an honest smile. That caused her to blush and avert her face. The other women in the room also blushed when they saw his smile, while the men were envious.

"It's so easy when you are handsome. All you need to do is act confidently and honestly and give a friendly smile, and women swoon over." Primo warily thought.

He started understanding the power of being handsome. When it reached a certain point, it was like a weapon. People would almost automatically trust you and take your words as facts. You can woo most women you set your eyes on, chaste, married, or not. Coupled with his strength, no one could harbor ill intentions toward him.

While Gerhart lamented the power of charm, they arrived home without mishap. However, this was but an illusion. In truth, a hunter in the dark was gathering information on them.

"Gerhart, as expected, I sense someone with ill intentions has started gathering information on us," Hope said.

"Hm. Will the snake take the bait?" Gerhart asked.

"No." Hope shook her head. "They are as patient and cunning as old foxes. For now, they have marked us as. However, they are vengeful snakes who will attack when they see an opportunity and think the odds are in their favor."

"So the one targeting us is weaker than us?" Gerhart asked.

"Weaker than you and Havre but stronger than the rest of us." Hope corrected.

"That strong?!" Ray, who was on the side, widened his eyes in shock.

"Yes. Like an old tree with many rings on its trunk, they are sturdy and stable, unmoved by wind and rain, their roots stretching deep and wide, and their canopy blocking the sun." Hope explained.

"You're speaking in metaphor-speak again." To-Meri reminded.

"I apologize. It is just how I see the world now." Hope shrugged.

"Will they target the Otherworlder?" Gerhart curiously asked.

"Although they took notice, they are strangely unbothered, only passively monitoring them without harboring ill intention. It is as if they are afraid that attacking them would only make things worse and wish to avoid confrontation." Hope said with a bewildered look.

"So they know about the Protagonist Protection, hah?" Gerhart muttered with twitching lips.

"If they know about it, doesn't that make the otherworlder heroic groups completely useless?!" Gerhart mentally retorted.

Unless the Otherwrolders grew to the point of having prophetic powers or detection methods to find the Echos, they were useless for now.

"Protagonist Protection? I think I felt it. I had this strange foreboding that if I tried harming Himeko, not only would I fail, but I would suffer terrible retaliation from the universe itself." Hope nodded.

"Nya? You also felt it? I felt she had a stupidly huge amount of good luck. It was like she was wearing an impenetrable armor." To-Meri added.

"Really? I only felt she was a sweet and lovable girl needing protection." Ray scratched his cheek.

"You are not to blame, Ray. I also almost fell for it." Gerhart warily said and shook his head. "Oh, well. Next, we will head to the next city. We can't let that precious energy go to waste."

If you are reading this novel somewhere other than Scribblehub and paid for it, you were scammed. Please report to Bignt.

And so, they returned home with their haul.

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In the Youvamore Kingdom-

In Vlita-

A red-headed bombshell with emerald eyes and a brown-haired and well-proportioned beauty sat in a mansion, sipping tea together.

The red-headed and stacked young lady was Scarlet, the Blood Rage. Her delicate looks were deceiving, as she was a renowned B-rank berserker with immense talent. One of her talents enabled her to maintain a delicate look while her muscles carried explosive power.

Meanwhile, the brown-haired beauty was the 7th princess of the Youvamore Kingdom, Princess Lydia Farraday Youvamore, an active B-rank adventurer and top-notch archer.

"Scarlet, are you truly leaving for the Nehan Kingdom to join the Saintess's heroic group?" Lydia reluctantly asked, "I will miss you."

News of the heroic party spread like wildfire via message birds and communication devices to all nearby nations. The recruitment would last a month. Because of this, anyone who believed themselves to have great talent prepared to flock to Tabarga.

"Yes. I can contribute my strength to the Saintess and grow with her. Perhaps she will also be the solution to my uncontrollable anger." Scarlet gently smiled.

Due to her berserker talent, Scarlet had anger management issues. She didn't have a mental talent to counter-balance it, causing her to be overly aggressive when provoked, far more than intended. At least Scarlet didn't want to accidentally beat her future husband to death during passionate moments or hit her future children for being noisy. At heart, she was a kind and gentle soul!

When she heard about the heroic party, she immediately planned to join. It is because it is a fact that heroic parties have the power to reinforce the potential and talents of those in them. If someone in the party lacked something crucial, they would first gain aptitudes to cover their weaknesses. In her case, she would likely get a mental protection talent!

"Hah... I understand." Lydia sadly sighed.

Scarlet was one of her only real friends, unlike all of those bootlickers, noble bitches, and suiters.

"But let us not talk about me. What about you? You are as talented as I am. I am sure they could use a competent archer like you." Scarlet gently said.

"I want to... But you know how things are going now. My siblings are squabbling over the throne while my royal father still breathes, forgetting the bigger picture as the kingdom is about to plunge into civil war. I must stay to help stabilize the situation and prevent as many deaths as possible." Princess Lydia sadly said.

"But Lydia, what if we can save your father?" Scarlet suddenly suggested.

"All the best doctors in the land can't heal him. What makes you think- Wait, you mean the Saintess?" Lydia suddenly widened her eyes. "Of course... If it is the Saintess, then she must have the power to heal him!"

"And that is why you should come and join me. Even if you can't join the Saintess's group, I am sure a kind Saintess would heal his majesty the King. Think of it as a royal delegation." Scarlet explained.

"... Do you think it would work?" Lydia warily asked.

"I am certain it will," Scarlet said.

"Okay! I will go with you!" Lydia clenched her hands, her hazel eyes filled with determination.

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At the same time-

The 1st Prince, Zacharias Decker Youvamore, also heard the message.

"A Saintess gathering a heroic party, hah?" The prince muttered.

"What should we do, little Zacharias? If the Saintess arrives, she will cure his Majesty, King Antoine." His grandfather, Duke Fitzgerald, who sat before him, lightly asked.

"You speak of it as if it is a bad thing." Prince Zacharias frowned.

"I mean no disrespect to His Majesty. But if His Majesty lives, that would greatly delay your Highness's ascent to the throne." Duke Fitzgerald explained.

"I know, but it is better than civil war. I don't wish to fight my siblings, and they share my views. After all, internal strife invites outside trouble, and they are not blind nor stupid. They are my siblings, after all." Prince Zacharias lightly smiled.

What he said was correct. Civil war was never a good thing. That was especially true since he was already married and had a son! Even the warlike nobles knew the fact that civil war was not good!

Hearing his words, the Duke smiled, "I am proud of you, grandson. Never be blinded by short-term gains. If His Majesty Antoine survives longer, you can sit on the throne more naturally later. And even if you are not selected, the kingdom won't be in shambles." The wizened Duke said from experience.

"That was what I was thinking." Prince Zacharias nodded.

Clack*

"Daddy! Granddaddy!" A two-year-old toddler suddenly ran into the room, snot dripping from his nose and having an innocent smile.

"Fufufu. I am sorry, my prince. Our boy is too naughty." A beautiful young mother entered the study with a playful and loving smile. She was the prince's wife, Princess Charlene Osora. 

The prince and the Duke broke into warm smiles.

"I wish these times of peace will continue."

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Like the 1st prince, the 2nd princess and 5th prince also wanted to de-escalate things. After all, civil war is not a good thing for any of them. If they had a choice, they much preferred a peaceful ascension to the throne and having a complete kingdom instead of ruining their kingdom.

Things were looking well as merchants, bureaucrats, nobles, and princes began hoping for the Saintess to come, sending requests for her to heal their ailing monarch.

However, some were not so happy about it.

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Inside the royal palace-

The Prime Minister was having a chat with someone in private.

"The plans need to change. With the Saintess, Antoine might be healed." The Prime Minister said.

"It appears we must advance our plans and frame one of the royal brats. We will stir the water and make it muddy enough- You know what to do. Right?" The man opposite to him asked.

"Yes. For the Great One." The Prime Minister said as a red light flashed in his eyes.