MRG Chapter 12: Am I Going to Be Taller Than His Highness soon?

Translator: Kii

Editor: yuki_shuichi

Royal Palace Banquet Hall.

The sound of sharp and clear weapons clashing came from the arena. The contestants were dressed in heavy helmets and armor. The swordsman in a black helmet held a foil sword, with the silver blade directly pressed against the opponent’s vital points. The score board under the arena was constantly updated with every attack he made.

Although such cold weapons were no longer used in actual combat, the traditional competition segment, which was mainly for spectator effect, was still kept in the royal court banquets of the Oz Royal Family.

With every point Kyle scored, there was cheering from the audience.

The moment the display screen turned to 15, the guard on the side blew the whistle to end the competition, and the two people in the arena stopped their movements at the same time.

The royal competition had always been limited in scope.

Kyle’s opponent took off his helmet, and he smiled with a face full of sweat. “Your Highness’ swordsmanship has improved considerably.”

“You flatter me,” Kyle answered modestly, but the curve of his lips revealed his real feelings at this moment.

The two people on the stage shook hands with each other and the loser left the arena.

The arena’s surroundings were elevated mechanical stands; the King and Queen sat in the center of the stands, with the magnificent lighting enhancing the atmosphere to its peak.

Once the competition ended, Katherine was the first to applaud him and looked at Jorah with a smile, who responded with an approving look.

Winning the banquet competition was a great honor that was recognized by everyone.

In the somewhat empty arena, the guard looked around, then opened the passage to the arena. “Next challenger, please.”

There were murmurs of discussion all around, but no one dared to accept the challenge.

Kyle’s swordsmanship was indeed first-class, and he was a prince on top of that. He had also recently launched a passionate pursuit of the daughter of the chancellor, so no one at this banquet wanted to offend him.

In the continued silence—

The governor sitting next to Katherine gave a flattering smile. “His Highness Kyle has won five straight matches. I’m afraid no one will be able to bring him down from the arena today.”

In the arena below, Kyle walked around the edge of the ring with a sword in hand. Finally, his eyes landed on the group of young noble ladies in the VIP area. Then, Kyle looked up at the transparent container floating above with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

The glass enclosure housed an exquisite flower crown, a reward for the final winner.

The competition winner could publicly invite the person they like to crown them the flower crown. Out of respect for honor, no one would refuse the brave man of the night.

“Next challenger, please…”

After no one responded to the third challenge invite, Kyle exchanged glances with the royal guard.

The royal guard cleared his throat. “If there’s no one else who wants to challenge His Highness Kyle, then tonight…”

Creak!

His words were cut off by the heavy sound of the door being pushed.

The door was open slightly, and the person who came in had a falcon-like and handsome look below his dazzling blonde hair, along with a chilling aura emanating from his body.

Light wore casual clothes, indicating that he just came from the training grounds. He calmly entered the banquet hall.

“I will.”

The clear and deep voice resounded in the banquet hall.

As soon as he entered the scene, he became the center of the spotlight and the focus of the crowd. Those young ladies were even more unable to take their eyes off his handsome profile. Even though Light was only wearing an ordinary white shirt, he still had the right combination of a soldier’s coolness and a royal’s nobility.

Light took the silver sword from the attendant.

The moment he stepped into the arena, he overshadowed Kyle, who was wearing heavy armor.

With pearls and jades before you, it was difficult for mere stone tiles to compare.

Kyle’s expression changed; the curve of his lips completely disappeared.

He knew Light didn’t like this kind of royal banquet and had always avoided them whenever he could.

Last time Jorah tried to introduce him to a noble’s daughter at a court banquet, Light refused on the grounds that the border was busy with military affairs. Jorah was upset about this for a long time.

Now that the other party suddenly appeared, it was hard to believe it wasn’t to target him.

Light glimpsed at the dazed guard beside him and raised a brow. “I can’t?”

“You can, Your Highness.” The guard nodded hastily and gestured for him to go on.

The attendant bent down to hand Light protective gears.

“No need.” Light waved his hand at him and looked at Kyle thoughtfully. “Since this is a royal competition, us brothers will naturally stop at a certain point. I believe no one will get hurt.”

“Your Highness.” On the other side, Kyle’s attendant went to give him his helmet.

Kyle pushed the helmet away. “Since da-ge won’t use them, I will also do the same.”

The two men were guided by the guards back to the position of the horizontal line. The scoreboard in front of the screen returned to zero, the whistle blew, and the competition officially began.

Kyle lowered his eyelashes slightly; the white part of his eyes made him look sinister. He was the first to swing the silver sword in his hand.

If the other party wasn’t wearing protective gear, then his entire body was a weak point.

Overconfidence was arrogance.

Clang!

Weapons clashed.

The sword was only half way out before it was blocked.

Afterward, Kyle could only see the afterimage of the silver blade in front of him. His gaze narrowed and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes. When he came back to his senses, the blade of Light’s sword was already against his neck.

The fluorescent screen changed and the score became 1:0.

The cheers of the audience were never this ear-piercing. Kyle’s complexion turned completely dark. He adjusted his stance, attempting to turn the situation around.

But within the next two minutes, under Light’s swift and fierce attack, he could only retreat step by step.

He ended up retreating to the edge of the arena unknowingly, and in a haste to dodge, he stumbled over the fence and fell to the ground. The silver sword in his opponent’s hand, which had frightened him, pierced the ground diagonally, grazing a very shallow cut along Kyle’s eyelid. It seemed like a very careless mistake.

And yet, it was accurately grazed on the eyelid without any error.

Kyle’s pupils trembled and he glanced at the silver sword.

If the sword had deviated even a little, even if it was just a fraction of a millimeter, his eye would’ve been gone.

In Kyle’s panic-stricken and hesitant gaze, Light leaned down, his fingers slowly resting on the hilt of the sword, and he spoke in a low voice—

“That was a mistake…”

Kyle’s Adam’s apple rolled up and down; for some reason, he detected a hint of threat within Light’s calm tone.

“From today onwards, don’t appear in front of him again.”

“Otherwise, it won’t be a mistake next time.”

With a swish sound, Light pulled out the silver sword from the padded floor.

He extended his hand toward Kyle, showing the gracious attitude of a winner, but that condescending appearance looked more like the winner’s pity for the loser.

Amid the cheers of the entire audience, Light pulled Kyle up from the ground with an expressionless face.

The whistle blew, and the guard announced Light’s victory. Kyle left the stage with a dark expression. Once again, nobody dared respond to the challenge on the stage.

The guard went beside Light and said, “Your Highness, as tonight’s winner, you can choose any guest present to crown you.”

The flower crown in the air slowly descended before finally stopping in front of the VIP seats. Although Light was already engaged, the winner could choose someone they respected, wanted to be close to, or had affection for beside their intended partner.

The young ladies in the VIP seats started to whisper to each other, discussing who would have the honor to crown the eldest prince. Many of them blushed when Light’s gaze swept over them, lowering their gaze so as to not make eye contact with them.

In the next second—

Everyone just saw Light raise his silver sword, took the descended flower crown with it, and held it in his hands. He got off the stage without looking back. “I’ll just hold it myself.”

Guard, “…” Well it’s not like you can’t.

……

In the huge indoor lake.

A silver fish fin emerged from the shimmering dark water. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was not plain pure silver but more like it was coated with a layer of iridescent sand, which was more dazzling than any jewel.

In a flash, the fin dove underwater and disappeared.

The little merman’s underwater silhouette was like a sharp sword, except for the tail fin swinging up and down with precision; the rest of his body seemed to be still. This swimming posture allowed him to remain in a sprinting state the entire time.

Not far from Mu Chen, water splashed loudly, and a broad, giant tail swung out of the water. It was an adult sea beast that was nearly twice as long as he was.

Under the envelopment of the sea beast’s shadow, the merman’s silhouette shrank into a little ball.

The two were neck and neck throughout the whole process, but in the end, the sea beast reached the shore first.

In the instant the furry head emerged from the water, the sea beast immediately slapped its belly in happiness, then looked for the keeper nearby for food.

Mu Chen lingered in the water for a while, moving slowly, before finally reaching the shore.

Water droplets slid down from his long, gelatinous eyelashes; he blinked his eyes to shake them off. Then he saw the sea beast approaching him in a flaunting manner and performed a fish-swallowing show. It chewed the delicious fish in its mouth with a crunching sound, obviously doing it on purpose for him to see.

Stupid…

Mu Chen turned his head away, not looking any further.

He was in a bad mood from losing just now, so he wanted to be alone.

Mu Chen found a rock, lowered his eyes, and quietly combed his long hair.

The intense exercise made his fair cheeks and the corners of his eyes red. His eyes were moist due to the water droplets, making it look as if the frustration over his defeat made his aggrieved face flush red and he was secretly wiping away his tears.

The livestream’s comments had long since exploded—

[Don’t cry Baby Chen! Mommy will hug you.]

[You were so close this time. You did great!]

[Yeah! And Baby Chen is still young, but can swim so fast already. When he grows up, he’ll surely be the fastest swimmer on the whole Blue Planet!]

Looking at the screen full of comforting and encouraging words, the little merman was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to explain himself. He could only use his fingertip to rub his eyes, trying to prove that it was just water droplets and not tears, but it ended up setting off an even stronger wave of pity and affection.

When Mu Chen was thinking about whether he should end the livestream, there was a creaking sound, and the palace door was pushed open.

The moment he saw Light come in, Mu Chen’s sad eyes immediately brightened. He put on a piece of clothing and then wrapped himself in a fluffy bath towel. He ran ashore with his legs stretched out, and then threw himself into Light’s arms, hugging his waist.

“Gege…”

His movements were smooth, and the drawn-out ending tone sounded as aggrieved as it could be.

As soon as Light entered, before he could clearly see the situation before him, he was hugged tightly by the other party. A soft ripple instantly appeared in his heart.

He held Mu Chen. “What’s wrong?”

Light looked around, and when he saw the “arrogant” appearance of the sea beast on the shore, he pretty much understood what had happened.

The little merman probably didn’t swim faster than the other party.

Mu Chen leaned in his arms and said muffly, “Nothing; I just want a hug.”

As soon as he acted cutely, the live broadcast room exploded again.

[Help, save me!!! Is this how the little merman usually acts cute? Who can stand this?]

[Sob, hurry, and hug him! Prince, if you don’t want to, let me do it!]

[It’s obvious that the Prince feels very burdened. Little merman, let go of your gege; I’m willing to bear everything in place of him.]

[This is too funny! I’m also willing to help the Prince share his burden.]

Light felt the other party’s smart brain vibrate from time to time. He lowered his eyes to look at the dense barrage of comments in the livestream, and without hesitation, he directly pressed “End Broadcast Mode.”

The audience who were left facing a black screen:

[??????]

[Damn it, I also want to see the little merman act cute; why won’t you let me see.]

[Prince, what are you doing!]

Light freed one of his hands and rubbed his head. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

He wasn’t good at comforting people, so he softened his tone and asked him an ordinary question.

Mu Chen shook his head, his cheek slightly puffed out. “I haven’t. I was waiting to eat with gege.”

Light was stunned for a moment. If he knew the other party was waiting to eat with him, he should’ve come back a bit earlier and not stayed so long in the arena.

Thinking of this, he handed over the flower crown he won to the other party. “This is for you.”

“It’s very pretty. Thank you, gege.” After receiving such a pretty gift, the little merman’s eyes and eyebrows were smiling. He casually placed the flower crown on his head and asked, “Is this how you wear it?”

A splash of color was added to the smooth, shiny silver hair, making it look gorgeous and vivacious and accentuating the little merman’s delicate appearance.

It was as if it was an ornament made specifically for him.

Light helped him adjust the flower crown’s position. “En, you look good wearing it.”

“How was class today?

His voice was as cold as his looks—always flat with and without any discernible tone.

If an ordinary person heard this, they would think it was an older brother reprimanding their little brother, the kind that would make the kid immediately feel resistant.

Yet Mu Chen became a chatterbox, talking endlessly to Light about the trivial things that happened during the day.

The latter quietly listened to him; his amber-colored eyes showed concentration.

“Oh…Mr. Black taught me piano today. He didn’t seem as bad as His Highness Lance had said. But I’m too stupid, so he probably doesn’t like me that much.”

“You’re not stupid.” Light used a towel to wipe the water droplets on the other party’s forehead. “You can take it slow. First, change into your clothes. Let’s go eat.”

“Okay.”

After being comforted by Light, the unhappiness from earlier was thrown to the back of his mind. Mu Chen trotted all the way to the bedroom wrapped in the towel, going as briskly as the wind.

Kuina, who was standing by the door, gave Light an awkward but still courteous smile.

Ah… How should she put it? As soon as the Prince arrived, the little merman’s dignified and calm qualities disappeared, and his personality became more and more jumpy.

After changing, Mu Chen ran over to the wall, straightened his back, and blinked his big eyes at Kuina.

Meaning he wanted her to measure his height.

This was something Mu Chen did every day before he went to bed. Behind him was a dolphin-shaped children’s height ruler with two horizontal lines, one marked high and one marked low, with a marker pen.

The higher one was beyond the range of the ruler—it was because Light had no choice but to measure himself under Mu Chen’s fierce and coquettish attacks.

Kuina smiled as she made a tick above his head with a marker. “You’ve grown taller again.”

The little merman stood on the tip of his toes, trying his best to reach up as much as possible. “Am I going to be taller than His Highness soon?”

Kuina lightly laughed. “You still have a long way to go.”

Mu Chen turned around and looked at the two far-apart tick marks.

“It won’t be long! I grew one centimeter today; tomorrow I’ll grow another centimeter, and the day after…”

“And the day after…”

After calculating it, he realized that only growing a centimeter a day didn’t seem like enough.

“What about the day after tomorrow?”

“Light pushed open the door and entered.

“Gege!” Mu Chen held Sharky and jumped into Light’s arms. “Look, I’m now taller than the height requirement for amusement parks. Can I play the virtual game pod next week?”

Light had previously said he wanted to take the little merman to the nearby amusement park in the capital to play, and Kuina only mentioned it casually at the time. However, she never thought that, although he never brought it up, he had been thinking about it in his heart.

“Sure.” Light pursed his lips and pulled the little merman up from his arms. “But you still have to get measured again when you get there.”

“Oh.”

Upon hearing that he had to be measured again, Mu Chen stood up somewhat reluctantly and slowly walked toward the dining room with Light.

But on the way, he talked nonstop.

Light listened attentively until his smart brain felt an unusual vibration and a red exclamation mark appeared on it.

He suddenly stopped walking and furrowed his brows as he turned on the smart brain.

A message popped out of the smart brain.

[General]

Only people in the military called him “General” and not “Your Highness.”

He went on the battlefield when he was eighteen. Everyone respectfully called him “Your Highness” and treated him as if he needed to be protected. His mecha was placed behind the fleet and army’s armored weapons and was used for long-range shooting for fear that Light might make a mistake.

The killing weapon, which was built for assault, hid behind a wall of people and became useless.

The first thing that Light did was have his superiors cancel the protection measure, then rushed to the frontlines and blew up the Zergs’ military fortress. When he came out of the cockpit, Light’s hair was soaked with sweat like all the other soldiers. When he turned to look at the heavy smoke, he said…

If this was the palace, then he was their prince. However, once they were on the battlefield, there should only be a military rank and not a social class difference.

From there on, they should address him as a soldier.

He had been addressed as such until this day.

……

The person who messaged Light was the deputy general, and his tone when speaking was rushed.

[Just moments ago, an anomalous magnetic field signal came from the outpost.]

Light asked him, [What level?]

The other party immediately responded, [Level 2.]

Anomaly signals at the border posts were categorized into different levels, from one to nine, with level one being the highest security alert level.

[In one minute, connect to the virtual conference room and debrief with me in full.]

After Light sent the message, under the inquiring of the little merman, he moved his lips before falling silent again. He repeatedly organized his thoughts before speaking.

“Sorry, I need to take care of something first. You eat first.”