Chapter 50: The Return of the Illegitimate Prince

 – The Purity of Yokai

The prince trembled, consumed by guilt.

He lamented his irreparable mistake, believing it had cost his mother the chance to achieve victory in the arena.

As his hands quivered, a soft yet cold sensation enveloped them.

The shock brought him back to his senses.

“Mother?”

The violet gaze of the Silent Swordsman locked onto his, showing a hint of displeasure, as though silently scolding him.

How could you falter over something as trivial as this?

Despite himself, the prince felt his tension ease under her unwavering demeanor.

“Now, hand over the weapon, the artifact, as proof of your surrender!”

The Bee-Woman’s impatient demand filled the air.

Maganon shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

“It’s too late! If we don’t surrender now, we’ll turn the entire arena’s audience and every yokai across the realm into our enemies!”

“Do not waver, Maganon. Mother clearly has her own plans,” the prince replied firmly.

“But we’re cornered! If we don’t surrender, isn’t that the same as saying we’re all doomed?”

Maganon’s panic was palpable, his resolve cracking under pressure.

The Bee-Woman, enjoying the chaos, watched the scene unfold, deliberately letting the tension simmer.

Her smug expression suggested absolute confidence.

She believed that even if she had granted the Silent Swordsman a chance, the swordswoman would fail to capitalize on it.

The stage had been meticulously set, and she was certain the outcome could not be overturned.

But against her arrogance, Hae Eung Eung chose not to convince the audience. Instead, she etched a single character onto the ground:

[ᄇ]

The prince immediately recognized its meaning. Hae Eung Eung’s belief in him resonated deeply.

“Sweet-talking lies!”

The prince’s shout broke the spell.

His unwavering trust in Hae Eung Eung dwarfed any doubts he may have held.

He remembered his father, the Yokai King, and his dream of an era of peace.

This was a crucial opportunity to reclaim that era.

The Bee-Woman’s vision of unifying the yokai realm, invading the human world,

and seeking revenge on the Great Yokai might indeed lead to peace.

Yet, even if that dream held merit, it was not the way the prince envisioned restoring harmony.

‘No matter how noble her words may sound, they come from yokai who once rejected my very existence.’

To the prince, the Silent Swordsman’s single, decisive action carried far more weight than all the Bee-Woman’s elaborate rhetoric.

Recognizing Hae Eung Eung’s intention, the prince found clarity.

“Do not falter, Maganon! Are you truly about to fall for such hollow sweet-talk? ”

“Surely you understand the true meaning behind her deceitful words.”

“Even if her honeyed lies sway every yokai in the realm, a lie that is universally believed becomes the truth. ”

“That is how the world works!” Maganon argued, still struggling with his doubt.

“Even so, there are unchanging truths,” the prince countered.

“The pathway to the human world cannot sustain the passage of every yokai.”

The Yokai Hermit had sacrificed the life energy of the Great Forest to create a single, narrow tunnel that connected the realms.

That fragile passage was barely enough for one person to traverse and had already collapsed after Hae Eung Eung’s crossing.

The queen’s connection to the human world might provide another route, but it too would undoubtedly have its limitations.

Hae Eung Eung had realized this fact long ago.

Once the prince understood and believed her, a spark of realization struck Maganon like lightning.

A shiver of awe coursed through him as the truth became undeniable.

“Impressive. I had long resigned myself to thinking this was a lost cause, but to uncover such a fatal flaw… Truly remarkable,”

Maganon remarked, a tinge of admiration in his voice.

“Stop hesitating and make your decision! Or do you intend to betray all of yokai-kind?”

the Bee-Woman snapped, growing increasingly agitated as the atmosphere took an unexpected turn.

But instead of cowering, Maganon burst into a resounding laugh.

“Hah! The queen’s pawn! Your sly tongue may be clever,

but it cannot blind the prince and the lady to the truth. I cannot help but laugh at your failure!”

While the Bee-Woman had won over the arena audience and seemingly all of yokai-kind with a single gambit,

Hae Eung Eung had used her one chance to firmly steady the wavering hearts of the prince and Maganon.

A fickle crowd versus loyal allies.

Though the Bee-Woman might have the numbers on her side, her bond with the audience and other yokai was fragile,

built solely on shared hatred for the Great Yokai—a relationship doomed to crumble.

“You may have rallied yokai under the banner of revenge and invasion of the human world,

but the truth is, the gate connecting the realms can accommodate only one hundred at best!”

“Lies… That’s not true—”

Thwack!

A stone, propelled by Hae Eung Eung’s precise Tanji Shot, shot through the Bee-Woman’s flowing hair,

leaving a clean hole before embedding itself into the arena wall.

Her raised finger pointed directly at the Bee-Woman’s head,

a silent but unmistakable warning: Interfere again, and the next shot will not miss.

“Even if you exhaust the last resources of this collapsing yokai realm to reach the human world,

only the queen’s faction will be among the chosen few who can make it!”

The reality of the dying yokai world was grim.

Those who didn’t belong to the factions of the Great Yokai or the Queen’s Court were left to await their demise.

The Bee-Woman had stirred them with the promise of revenge, while Maganon countered with the call to unity.

“The wise prince and the lady have already discerned the truth that the Queen’s plan is nothing more than a repeat of what the Great Yokai attempted before!”

The passage to the human realm, its capacity, and its longevity were shrouded in mystery, known only to the Queen herself.

But the hypothesis of capacity limits, brought forth by Hae Eung Eung, endorsed by the prince,

and boldly declared by Maganon, planted seeds of distrust in the minds of the arena spectators.

“Is the Queen really any different from the Great Yokai? Does she even have the right to speak of revenge?”

“Wasn’t there a rumor about the Queen’s involvement in the Yokai King’s death? How can we, ordinary yokai, trust her not to exploit us?”

The atmosphere mirrored the fury of citizens betrayed by corporations and governments during a financial crisis,

when patriotism and collective efforts to save the nation were met with greed and exploitation.

“Will we be abandoned again?”

“Are they squeezing us dry, down to our very last coin?”

“I won’t let it happen again!”

The Bee-Woman and the Queen had utterly lost the trust of the people, their support plummeting into a bottomless abyss.

The sweet promise of a dream had soured into bitter disillusionment.

The audience in the arena, now disillusioned by sweet lies, no longer placed their trust in the Bee-Woman, the Queen’s pawn.

Like in the movie The Matrix, where one must choose between the red pill of harsh truth and the blue pill of comforting falsehood,

these yokai—having once chosen the blue pill and faced betrayal refused to fall for deceit again.

“As Mother and Maganon have said, there is no value in listening to the words of a lowly woman like you,”

declared the prince, raising his voice with a haughty expression.

“And now, I have a proposition for you.”

The Bee-Woman, overwhelmed by the hostile gazes pouring in from all sides, trembled.

To her terror, the prince extended his hand as though offering her a benevolent favor.

“Fold those tiny wings of yours and bow before me. Perhaps then, I might grant you an opportunity.”

“…!”

“The chance to hum that Bee Symphony of yours after receiving an education in grace—a concept utterly foreign to you. ”

“That’s the only acceptable sound that foul mouth of yours could ever produce!”

The prince’s words, though polished, were laced with venom, a direct jab at the Bee-Woman’s speech,

which had masked her deceitful intent behind feigned elegance.

By contrast, his blatant mockery exposed her fraudulent ambitions as a false prophet, stripping away any credibility she might have claimed.

Yokai in the arena and viewers of the broadcast, having witnessed every speech and declaration,

now firmly sided with the illegitimate prince.

“Down with the Queen’s pawn!”

“Down with her!”

“Do you think we’ll fall for your lies a second time?”

Is the prince a god?
We’re living in the age of the illegitimate prince.
Bee Symphony, lol.
He nailed it!

The audience’s chants escalated from “Shameless!” to “Bring her down!” to “She’s fleeing!” and finally culminated in cries of “Kill her!”

The Bee-Woman, who had sought an easy victory by deceiving everyone,

found herself betrayed by her own team’s faltering trust.

Her malicious schemes were turned against her by Hae Eung Eung, the prince, and even the awakened Maganon, leading to her humiliating downfall.

“Announcer.”

“Y-yes, Prince. Do you have a command?”

“Has the victory declaration been made yet?”

The finals of the arena tournament.

The result was unmistakable—an overwhelming victory for the team of Hae Eung Eung and the prince.

Scene 2

The Yokai Queen and the Yokai General.

The two powerful figures, who ruled the palace’s east and west wings respectively, recognized that their strengths and authority were evenly matched.

Unable to tip the balance on their own, they came to a shared agreement to seek additional forces from outside their respective domains.

“Only the victor of the arena and their warriors are permitted entry into the palace.”

“Very well. Let us show them that overwhelming strength isn’t the only path to power.”

Following this agreement between the two rulers, the yokai realm saw a long-standing tradition:

only yokai who pledged loyalty to one of the two powers managed to claim victory in the tournaments.

Blatant recruitment offers were standard, accompanied by covert attempts to sway competitors, encourage betrayal,

sabotage entry tickets, and block access to the arena. Every oppressive tool of power was mobilized to ensure control over the outcome.

For ordinary participants, overcoming such overwhelming odds to achieve victory was nearly impossible.

“The Queen summons you. Follow her.”

“The General has ordered that the victors’ safety be ensured. Our elite guards will take charge of their escort.”

For years, the tournament was their exclusive domain, a league where no outsider dared intrude.

To those who dared sully its sanctity, the two rulers showed no mercy.

“They’re openly scheming against us.

The Yokai Queen plans to kill us the moment we enter the palace,

while the Yokai General has us under surveillance to ensure we can’t escape before walking into a death trap,” remarked Maganon, offering his analysis.

Yet, the prince didn’t flinch or cower. Instead, he laughed heartily.

“What should we fear, when the arena’s audience stands with us? ”

“No matter the Yokai Queen or General’s schemes, they cannot match the power of the people’s will.”

The prince’s soaring popularity stemmed not only from his flawless victory over the deceitful Bee-Woman,

whose manipulations stirred bitter memories of oppression by greater yokai, but also from his ability to inspire yokai to unite under his banner.

His reputation as the most revered tournament champion in history was well-earned.

“Ahahaha! Bark louder, like the dogs you are!”

“Burn the palace to the ground!”

“Make the Yokai Queen sing the Bee Symphony!”

While their chants carried an undercurrent of questionable intentions,

such was the nature of yokai creatures unabashedly honest in their desires and unrestrained in their emotions.

The Yokai General revered yokai strength, while the Yokai Queen admired yokai cunning. Yet, the illegitimate prince remembered their purity.

“What do you see in the yokai gathered there?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do they scare you?”
“No, I’m not scared.”
“Are you afraid they’ll betray you?”
“Yes, I am afraid of that.”
“I am neither scared nor afraid of them.”
“Is it because Father is stronger?”
“No. It’s because I see their purity.”

Back when the Yokai King was alive, the prince received one lasting lesson:

“Yokai are honest about their desires. They worship strength to satisfy them and rely on cunning as a means. But at their core, they are pure.”

“Remember, the day you see their purity is the day they will follow you with the same untainted loyalty.”

The illegitimate prince a scorned outcast with tainted human blood, derided as a disgrace to yokai.

Having narrowly escaped the palace with his life, he had no allies, no future.

And yet, he carried with him a memory and a lesson, one that would define his journey.