Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! - P.M.U Chapter 249: The Princess of the Sun (2) (Part 2)

“It’s safe to say we’ve practically won.”

I scratched the back of my head.

It wasn’t just Pria who had changed.

Yoshua continued explaining what had happened since the battle in the forest.

After the 50th floor, the mercenaries, who had been scattered among different factions, had rallied under the name of the princess.

It was only natural. Pria had erased the eggs from existence while radiating a blinding light. They had witnessed a scene straight out of myth.

“Even though the empire and the church had put a bounty on the princess, anyone who mattered knew the truth. Those bastards did nothing while the empire was being attacked by monsters.”

“…….”

“Well, at first, my decision was based on returning a favor, a single gold coin, but over time, I realized that the only one who could save Townia was the princess. I used to think we didn’t need an emperor, but things have changed.”

Yoshua shrugged his shoulders.

Then, he looked at me with a serious expression.

“When this civil war ends, I plan to crown the princess as the new ruler of this land. The old noble families and the church have caused too many problems. It’s time for new blood. Don’t you think new wine should be put in new wineskins?”

Yoshua’s gaze was unwavering.

It was clear he was sincere.

“I don’t know where you’re from or what you really are, but… I’m grateful that you’ve formed a connection with the princess.”

“The conversation’s getting ahead of itself. The fight’s not over yet.”

“That’s true. It was difficult for me alone, but now that you’re here, hyung, I feel relieved. Lucky me!”

Yoshua laughed heartily.

His cheeky attitude was just like when he was a kid.

He then unfolded another map on the table.

It was none other than a full map of Townia. The areas that the princess’s forces had already conquered were marked in blue.

All the regions except for the imperial capital in the center and the holy city in the east were covered in blue.

‘This is the last fortress before the holy city.’

I sat on the wooden chair and rested my chin on my hand.

The civil war had progressed much further than I expected.

The war was nearing its end.

‘The only bosses left are the saintess and the prince.’

It seemed the two of them were isolated.

At least, we wouldn’t have to face them both at once.

Since we were near the church’s base, the saintess would be our first opponent.

‘If I kill them both…’

Would Townia’s scenario end?

Probably not.

The main course was still waiting.

Even if we took care of all the monsters, it would all be for nothing if we didn’t defeat the prince.

That guy was a monster who could bend the laws of physics. Just like El Cid.

The reason I accepted the contract with Goo Goo Con was to defeat him.

According to Yoshua, the prince had holed up in the capital after the 50th-floor battle and hadn’t been seen since.

If he had intervened, the tide of the civil war would have been different. It was a mystery why he hadn’t shown up.

Yoshua continued his chatter.

He told me how he rose to the title of mercenary king with that single gold coin.

Apparently, he had started managing famous mercenaries who explored dungeons.

‘Not that I was particularly interested.’

Suddenly, loud cheers erupted from outside the tent.

Yoshua muttered under his breath.

“It seems the occupation is complete.”

“Already?”

I glanced at the tent’s entrance, which was covered by a curtain.

[Stage Clear!]

[Han (★★★★★), Jenna (★★★★★), Velkist (★★★★★), Kishasha (★★★★★), Katiio (★★★★★) Level Up!]

[Reward – 100,000G]

[MVP – Velkist (★★★★★)]

There was no longer any doubt.

As Yoshua had said, this mission could be cleared without us doing anything.

Seeing that Velkist had been named MVP, it seemed like he had done a lot of the heavy lifting while I wasn’t around.

What kind of boss stage was this?

I even felt a bit disappointed.

‘…….’

Long live the princess. Long live the empire.

The cheers continued outside.

The tent’s entrance opened, and Pria walked in.

“It’s over?”

“This battle is finished. But….”

“The main event is still ahead.”

Yoshua muttered.

“The church’s elite forces are holed up in the holy city. Along with soldiers, there will likely be monsters as well. From here on, we must be prepared for casualties.”

“The saintess will appear, then.”

“She’s… quite troublesome.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle her.”

I leaned back in my chair.

I could now deal with her troublesome ‘evil eye.’

All that was left was to take her head.

I examined my body.

A white light slowly enveloped me.

It was the signal for my return.

“Wait a moment! I still have more to say….”

Pria quickly stepped toward me.

I shook my head.

“It’s fine. We’ll meet soon.”

“But…!”

“How many times have we been through this?”

“You said that, and then left me for three years! Now you’re leaving me again!”

Yoshua cleared his throat and quietly exited the tent.

Pria approached me with a pleading look.

‘She must have waited quite a while.’

I smiled faintly.

She had finally returned to the little girl I remembered.

“This time it’s for real. I’ll be back within a week.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Since the next mission was the assault on the holy city, it wouldn’t be long before I saw Pria again.

“I have something to tell you. You must return so I can say it.”

“Didn’t you say we should keep work and personal matters separate?”

“After the holy city falls, we’ll take a break.”

“I don’t mind then.”

“Promise me.”

Pria extended her pinky finger toward me.

‘Do I really have to do this?’

I hesitated for a moment but then locked my finger with hers.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, I had kept her waiting for over three years.

“I’ll be waiting, Han. Let’s meet again.”

As Pria’s smiling face filled my vision, the light engulfed me completely.

“W-wow, that gave me chills.”

In the rift of time and space, Jenna hugged herself, shivering in excitement.

“Is this a dream? It’s crazy that it ended like this.”

“When there are tough missions, there should also be easy ones, right? It ended easily this time, but next time, we’ll have to work hard. Don’t slack off on training.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll head out first. Good work, everyone!”

Jenna saluted me enthusiastically before leaving the rift.

Next, Katiio and Kishasha followed.

However, Velkist remained silently by my side.

“You met her, didn’t you, senior?”

“Who?”

“That princess.”

“It’s not what you think. I was just assessing the situation.”

“You might think so, but she might feel differently. I haven’t talked much with her, but even from afar, I could tell. Start keeping your distance. You’ll only find it troublesome later.”

Velkist finished speaking and slowly exited.

I closed my eyes.

‘Troublesome later.’

For me, only a year had passed.

But for Pria, it had been ten years.

‘Sigh.’

The flow of time was different.

More than that, after I finish climbing….

‘What a dilemma.’

I couldn’t decide now.

For the moment, I needed to focus on the next mission.

I clicked my tongue and began to walk away.

Hyung_Otaku

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!