Chapter 107: Return to the United Kingdom

On the special plane bound for the United Kingdom, a dark-haired man slowly awakened. He stretched lazily, still groggy as he glanced ahead. “Roger, have we arrived already?” The dark-haired man’s drowsiness lingered despite taking in the surroundings.

“You’ve been asleep for a few hours. Not bad, Your Highness,” Dr. Roger smiled. Turning around, he held a rather ordinary laptop. Although most people in this era preferred tablets, this laptop was standard equipment on the plane. Despite its bulk, it was convenient and had never been replaced.

“I haven’t slept this soundly in a long time! It’s nice not having to worry about anything,” the dark-haired man chuckled. Moments later, his hair instantly turned golden. “Your Highness, what’s the plan now? Suddenly appearing on the Kestan front like this will surely have a huge impact on the Eastern Alliance and even our United Kingdom,” Dr. Roger poured a cup of tea for Treshi and took a seat on the edge of what we can call the bed where Treshi lay.

“Hm? What’s there to fear? I’m not worried about what others might make of it. The Crown Prince of the United Kingdom personally fighting on the front lines, battling the Satanic vampire Dracula. Even if I collapse from exhaustion after defeating him, that would be a glorious tale, wouldn’t it? At worst, we just let the public review my direct confrontation with Dracula,” Prince Treshi said nonchalantly, as if such matters were trivial.

“Is there anything secret between you and Dracula? Something that shouldn’t be spoken of, like…” Dr. Roger considered carefully, but Treshi showed no concern. He pulled out a tablet hidden under the pillow and began to play with it on his own.

“The situation in the Kestan campaign isn’t bad! Coordinating with the Indian front, we’re essentially squeezing from three sides. But…” Treshi paused, staring at the screen.

“What is it?” Dr. Roger leaned in, curious. On the display, a puzzling issue caught their attention.

“There’s no sign of a Satanic base! I recall the Satan crisis started when the plane my teacher was on was mistakenly shot down by Kestan’s air defense missiles over a city. From there, the infection spread. Those high-intelligence Satans, like the partially transformed Kaya scholar, retained much of their intellect and were turned into advanced Satans. Fortunately, Kaya wasn’t subjected to genetic modification.”

“But the strangest part now is that aside from the initial crash site, there aren’t many special Satans anywhere—nor are their numbers significant.” Treshi pointed to the tri-border area of Kestan, the former Yugoslavia, and the United Arab Emirates. Israel had largely secured territory west of the Mesopotamian plain. The Ceylon Consensus Coalition forces were sweeping through central South Asia, while in Kestan, the Northern Union’s Eastern Alliance army and the United Kingdom’s mechanized division were making steady progress along the frontier.

“It almost seems too easy!” Treshi mused. Though largely self-taught, his teacher had given him some military guidance. Even his teacher knew that such a situation either meant the enemy was extremely weak or it was a trap.

“Seems that way,” Dr. Roger agreed. The front lines were still unstable; if a powerful Satan like Dracula appeared, the battle would be one-sided. Even with my mech suit, I wouldn’t be able to cover all fronts.

“Looks like during this so-called rest period, I’ll have to properly train Tylen Taylor and the others. Though we can’t arm the mech division with true war weapons yet, at least we can offer some support,” Treshi began to fret. “Next, I have to upgrade my own guardian-class mech, then attend a slew of meetings. I guess I’ll be dead tired juggling science and politics.”

“Don’t be so down!” Dr. Roger patted Treshi’s shoulder. “Want to hear something that might interest you?”

“Get to the point! If you keep beating around the bush, I’ll cut you off…”

“Your fiancée has arrived!” The single sentence abruptly ended Treshi’s teasing.

“Who? My fiancée? You mean…”

“I don’t know what you got up to in the Eastern Alliance back then, but you even gave her a ring. If she’s not your fiancée, then what is she? She’s been quietly watching over you outside your hospital room. If she had access privileges, she would have barged in already.”

“The Eastern Alliance…” Treshi seemed to have forgotten entirely. But if he truly had no memory, he wouldn’t be wearing such a hesitant expression now.

*Sigh.* “Is that really her? I suppose so! But I don’t have time for romance right now,” Treshi gave up struggling.

“Still, remember—even if that’s the case, she’s Cole’s fiancée. By tradition, my own fiancée should be a princess of the Gal Empire. The alliance between the Gal Empire and the United Kingdom has been customary since after the war in 2119.”

“But now that you’ve reappeared, you owe her some explanation, don’t you? You can’t just be engaged and keep dragging it out. You’re twenty-four now—fully eligible for marriage. Maybe the next time you show up publicly, it’ll be as the groom of the Gal Empire’s princess!” Dr. Roger’s words sent a shiver down Treshi’s spine. As the long-lost heir of the United Kingdom, if he finally returned to take his place, it would be earth-shattering news.

*Sigh.* “Looks like my troubles will keep coming non-stop.”

－－－－－－Side Note－－－－－－

I’m heading back this afternoon. Better write a bit more!