[SUDDEN QUEST FAILED!]

Accept the King’s request to marry Princess Amelia!(FAILED!)

Penalty are given! Something very bad will happen!

..

Ahh... sothisis what that ominous feeling was about. I have to fight an enraged king just because I refused his daughter’s hand in marriage?! This is completely outside my expectations! I never thought King Aslan would bethishot-tempered when it came to his daughter.

CLANG!

I immediately drew my katana,[Kagegiri], from myDark Magicand parried King Aslan’s attack. Our swords clashed, sparks flying as I struggled to withstand his overwhelming strength.

The royal officials panicked, trying to calm the king down, but he ignored them completely. I caught a glimpse of Arsene, who also seemed desperate to stop him, but it was no use.

Then, I turned to Amelia. I expected her to be sad—maybe even in tears—but I was dead wrong. She was glaring at me furiously, as if she was about tokillme.

"Hikh!Her yandere aura is showing! This is bad!" I muttered in my mind.

Envi, my system, burst into laughter."HAHAHA! YOU IDIOT! This is exactly why I told you to accept the king’s offer! If you reject it, either the king will kill you... or Amelia will!"

"Shut up, damn it! I’ll find a way out of this!" I snapped at Envi, trying to focus on the fight.

I used[Yanagi-Uke], expertly deflecting the king’s blade, avoiding any direct hits. King Aslan’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but it only made him attack even more relentlessly.

I also activated the[Future Sight]skill, which surprised me by seeing King Aslan’s movements 1 second earlier, allowing me to predict his movements. I was optimistic that I could block all his attacks.

Even though I kept blocking his strikes, I could feel his powersteadily increasing. Each swing of his sword grew heavier.

I glanced toward Cain. He smirked and made a mocking gesture at me."You totally deserve this,"he mouthed.

That pissed me off, but there was nothing I could do except continue fighting.

I stayed on the defensive, blocking and dodging, but not counterattacking. If I attacked the king, it would be considered treason—and my punishment would be even worse.

I needed to calm him down while holding out against his assault.

I activated[Kasoseki], boosting my speed, and combined it with[Shadow Steps]to dodge, but to my shock,he kept up with me!

Ugh! How is this old man still so fast?!

King Aslan continued his onslaught, giving me no room to escape. Even though I used the [Future Sight] skill, I was still not used to it and couldn’t respond in time to King Aslan’s fast and powerful attacks.

Then—

BOOM!

A powerful slash sent me flying, slamming me into the wall. Cracks spread across it as I struggled to regain focus. My body burned as if it were on fire from the inside.

Wait—was this because of hisDivine Magic? Was it clashing against myDark Magic?

Sensing my distress, Envi chimed in,"You’re absolutely right, Nao! King Aslan is your worst possible matchup! Dark Magic is completely outclassed by Divine Magic! You could actually die here!"

Damn it...!No choice—I need to talk my way out of this!

"O mighty King Aslan, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding!" I called out while still blocking his attacks.

"Misunderstanding?!" He roared, slashing at me even harder.

"I didn’trejectAmelia! I... I just don’t think I’m worthy to be her partner yet! I’m not officially recognized as a hero! I don’t even know if I’ll survive the upcoming war!" I shouted sincerely.

This was the same answer I gave Lyra and Freya when they confessed their feelings for me. To be honest, I felt guilty. I couldn’t return their feelings, but I also didn’t want to lie and accept them out of lust.

IhopedKing Aslan would understand.

But instead—

His expression darkened.

"What do you mean by that?!Are you saying my judgment is wrong? That you’renotworthy of Amelia?! You insolent fool! Take this!"

[Braveheart Swordsmanship: First Form—Divine Slash!]

A blindingly powerful strike filled with divine energy tore through the air. The entire roomshookfrom the sheer force of it.

I quickly activated[Dark Magic: Veil of the Darkness], summoning a shroud of darkness to absorb the attack.

It was useless.My spell shattered instantly.

I had no choice. I braced myself—

BAM!

The attack struck me directly. It felt like my body wasburningfrom the inside out.

Envi screamed in pain."YOU IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THAT HEAD-ON?!"

MyHPdropped by1000.

And it kept dropping.

I tried to use[Resonance]to absorb the divine energy, but it was nearly impossible.Divine Magicwas one of the hardest elements to absorb—only a select few could even wield it.

My HP kept draining until it was at half.

Then—

[Power of Incarnation] Activated.

Suddenly, the pain faded. The damage I took was suppressed, allowing me to fully absorb the attack.

Goddess of Benevolence saved me again...If she knew this all happened because I rejected a marriage proposal, I’ddie of embarrassment.

I took a deep breath. Then—

Iredirectedthe energy.

[Skill Resonance Level Up to Level 4!!!]

[Absorbing skill...creating reversal skill]

[Resonance: Shinryuu no Issen (Divine Dragon Flash)]!

A streak of divine energy in the shape of a white dragon shot toward the ceiling—

BOOM!

A hole exploded in the roof, shaking the entire castle.

The royal officials werestunned. Arsene and Amelia gawked at me.

King Aslan’s eyes widened."Naoki...you can use Divine Magic?!"

"Actually, I don’t really—" I began to explain how[Resonance]worked, but—

"HAHAHA! JUST AS I THOUGHT!" King Aslan roared. "YOUARETHE PERFECT MATCH FOR AMELIA!"

...Wait, what?

"This is a rare case! A Blackmore wieldingDark MagicandDivine Magic?! Who cares about the details?! YOUWILLMARRY AMELIA!"

He sheathed his sword and looked at me withsparklingeyes.

Oh no. This is getting worse...

If I think about it,everyonein the Braveheart family is insane.

Amelia is ayandere. Arsene iscunning. King Aslan isoverprotectiveandwaytoo pushy.

If I marry into this family, I’ll have aheadacheevery day.

"King Aslan von Braveheart, I—"

Before I could reject him again—

THUD!

It felt like somethingslammedinside my mind. My bodyfroze—

Envi had taken control.

"OHHH, KING ASLAN THE MAGNIFICENT! THIS IS THE GREATEST HONOR OF MY LIFE!"

He wassucking upto him?!

Envi teleported in front of Amelia, gracefully taking her hand.

"O fair princess Amelia, you are the radiant flower of this kingdom! Your beauty is unparalleled, your presence divine—much like your noble father, King Aslan!"

Amelia’syandereaura disappeared.

She... blushed?!

Envi smirked.

Then—

"King Aslan, I, Naoki von Blackmore, swear to become the greatest hero! I shall defeat the Demon King and return to claim Amelia as my bride!"

The room erupted into chaos.

Cain and Arsene looked like they’d seen a ghost.

Inside my mind, I screamed,"ENVI, YOU IDIOT! YOU JUST MADE IT WORSE!"

Envi ignored me, smiling smugly.

King Aslan grinned."Very well! I shall await your return, Naoki! But if you don’t fulfill your promise—"

He placed his hand on his sword.

"—I’ll personally behead you!"

"But I need assurance... How can you prove your love for Amelia? I will feel at ease waiting for you if you can show it to me." King Aslan gazed at me seriously.

"Oh, that’s easy, my King."

Envi immediately stood up, grabbed Amelia’s hand, and without warning, kissed her lips in front of everyone.

The kiss wasn’t just a short one—it lasted long enough for the entire room to react. Amelia, who was initially shocked, eventually responded and kissed Envi back.

Everyone in the room blushed at the sight. The older nobles covered their eyes and shouted in embarrassment. I even caught a glimpse of Arsene grinning mischievously, while Cain lowered his head, clenching his fists in frustration.

I also noticed King Aslan covering his face with his hand, his cheeks turning red.

"Alright, alright! That’s enough! I never expected you to do something like this in public!"

Hearing the King’s words, Envi finally ended the kiss and gently helped Amelia back to her seat. She still looked flustered, her eyes spinning in embarrassment. Envi then returned to kneel before the King.

"Ahem, I shall acknowledge you, Naoki von Blackmore. Not only have you achieved great feats in the previous dungeon raid, but you have also displayed your determination to become the strongest hero and pledged to marry Amelia. That is truly admirable... For now, I will keep your reward safe. You may claim it once you have defeated the Demon King. I will be waiting for that day." King Aslan spoke calmly, a satisfied smile on his face.

"I will meet your expectations, my King," Envi replied with a sly grin.

Cain, standing beside Envi, leaned in and whispered, "Damn you, Naoki. You already have Freya, and now you’re promising to marry Princess Amelia?! Have you lost your mind?!" He was clearly upset, which made sense since we had taken Freya from him before.

Envi casually responded, "Cain... I love them equally, and I will make them both happy. Besides, Cain, having multiple wives is natural for a future king! HAHAHA!"

"Ugh, do whatever you want. I don’t want to get involved in your ridiculous love story. But if you fail, I’ll be the first to laugh at you and beat you up." Cain let out a deep sigh.

After the atmosphere in the room calmed down, I finally regained control of my body. Envi returned it to me once everything had settled.

I wanted to scold him, but since he had managed to avoid unnecessary conflict, I held myself back.

Now, King Aslan gave his final orders before we departed.

"Cain von Flamemore, you will be deployed back to the frontlines against the demons. I know you recently lost your younger brother in battle... Are you ready?" The King asked with a hint of concern.

"I am ready, Your Majesty. My sword is always prepared to cut down demons. I will be more than happy to slay as many as possible to release my frustration... So, please send me out whenever you command." Cain answered with unwavering determination.

"Good. That is the answer I expected. You will leave for the battlefield in three days, as demon activity there is increasing."

Then, the King turned to me and said, "Naoki von Blackmore, as I mentioned before, you must take the Hero Trial next week. I hope you will pass. Once you are officially recognized as a hero of this kingdom, you will join the war effort—whether that means fighting against the demons or the Kingdom of Gildoria, I will decide later."

"I understand, Your Majesty." I replied firmly.

With that, the ceremony concluded. Despite the chaos, everything was ultimately resolved. The damage to the King’s chamber was easily repaired with Arsene’s magic.

As I stepped out of the throne room with Cain, we parted ways in front of the doors.

"See you on the battlefield, Naoki. I hope you survive the Hero Trial. If you don’t pass, I’ll come back here just to beat you up."

"I will definitely pass. You don’t need to worry."

"Tch, you’re so damn annoying." Cain muttered as he walked away.

Now, I only have two weeks before the Hero Trial... I must prepare myself!

...

..

---Volume 4 END---

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com