Chapter 499: The Genius Third Prince, But Bastard?

In the world of Overlord, the Kingdom of Riejestie.

After returning from the “Realm of the Heart,” Shengzai found himself awake in his luxurious bed.

Clearly, after he collapsed from overexertion, someone had brought him back.

Upon waking, Shengzai walked to the mirror and glanced at his reflection, feeling a profound sense of disorientation, as if he had crossed into another lifetime.

Yet when he clenched his fists, sensing the boundless power surging within him, and recalling the new memories that had surfaced in his mind, he finally realized that everything he had experienced was no dream.

“Bang bang bang bang bang—!”

As Shengzai rejoiced over his power surge from the system’s reward, a knock suddenly came at his door.

“Who is it?”

In response to his question, a girl’s voice came from behind the door: “Third Brother, it’s Lana. I heard from the Commander of Warriors that you collapsed from overtraining, so I came to check on you.”

Hearing the voice, Shengzai sighed deeply, then walked forward and opened the door.

“Third Brother, I’m so glad you’re safe. Father was very worried about you.”

Standing before Shengzai as he opened the door was a girl dressed in a light blue princess gown, with long golden hair and a red flower hairpin, her face exquisitely beautiful and adorable.

This girl was none other than Lana Tieer Shaldun Leir Vanshuf, the Fourth Princess of the Kingdom of Riejestie, famed throughout the land and abroad for her beauty and wisdom, hailed as the “Golden Princess.”

Before Shengzai could speak, the golden-haired girl in front of him grinned mischievously, then slipped past his arm and entered his room without waiting for his reply.

“Hey, Lana, I’ve told you many times—you’re grown up now, you can’t just barge into my room like you used to.”

“And you’re the Kingdom of Riejestie’s ‘Golden Princess’—your conduct should be more ladylike.”

Watching the golden-haired girl dart into his room, Shengzai wore an expression of helpless resignation.

“Prince Shengzai, I sincerely apologize—Princess Lana didn’t mean to—”

Standing beside Shengzai, equally exasperated, was Klem, Lana’s personal knight.

Klem had been rescued by Lana as a dying child and later became her direct bodyguard, deeply admiring and revering the Golden Princess.

Klem himself found it strange: in front of others, Princess Lana always carried herself with perfect decorum, embodying the true image of the “Golden Princess.”

Yet whenever she was alone with Prince Shengzai, with no one else around, she always revealed a childish side.

The royal family of Riejestie was small. In Klem’s eyes, King Ramboza III was a mature and composed monarch.

Crown Prince Babro was arrogant, utterly lacking in ability, and stubbornly self-willed.

Prince Zanak appeared easygoing, but was in fact proud, though his talent was merely average.

The last prince, the one standing before him now—Prince Shengzai Trans Ignar Leir Vanshuf—was the Third Prince of Riejestie, and also Klem’s most revered idol.

No, it wasn’t just Klem who idolized Prince Shengzai; at least half the people in the Kingdom of Riejestie held him in deep admiration.

Compared to the stubborn Crown Prince and the mediocre Second Prince, Prince Shengzai was the pride of the Riejestie royal family.

Even as a child, he displayed intellect and ability far beyond his peers, excelling in martial talent to an unmatched degree, far surpassing all others his age.

He also offered valuable counsel to the old king on state policy, greatly strengthening Riejestie’s power beyond its neighboring nations.

Prince Shengzai was not only exceptionally talented but also possessed great personal charisma; though born into royalty, he displayed not a trace of arrogance.

He often ate and lived alongside soldiers, and frequently took it upon himself to help commoners with their troubles.

Though it may sound disrespectful, if one were to ask who held the highest reputation in the entire Kingdom of Riejestie today, Klem would unhesitatingly answer: not the King, but Prince Shengzai, the Third Prince.

With Prince Shengzai’s immense popularity in Riejestie, and the King’s own pride in him, under normal circumstances, Prince Shengzai would have become the next king.

Unfortunately, despite his excellence, his birthright doomed him to never inherit the throne of Riejestie.

Prince Shengzai was indeed a member of the royal family, but sadly, unlike the other two princes and Princess Lana, he was born of a concubine.

In simple terms, while he was their sibling, he was not of the same mother.

The others were born to the Queen; Shengzai was born to a Consort.

This was evident in the fact that Babro, Zanak, and Lana all had golden hair, while Shengzai’s was the rare black.

Shengzai had no memory of his birth mother, for she died shortly after giving birth to him.

All he learned from the old king was that his mother was from the East, and that she had named him Shengzai upon his birth.

As a concubine-born third son, under medieval succession laws, he had no claim to the throne.

Many in the Kingdom of Riejestie felt this was a great pity.

Klem had been saved by Princess Lana as a child, so he knew that, compared to her full-blooded brothers, Princess Lana was far closer to Prince Shengzai.

“Klem, you don’t need to apologize—it was Lana who was in the wrong.”

“And as her personal knight, you shouldn’t always indulge her whims. Offering timely counsel is the true virtue of a knight.”

At Shengzai’s reprimand, Klem immediately stood at attention and bowed deeply: “Yes, thank you, Your Highness, I will be more careful from now on.”

Klem had always aspired to become an outstanding warrior, so he could properly protect Princess Lana and repay her kindness.

Prince Shengzai, known as the genius warrior of Riejestie, had long been his idol and object of reverence.

(End of Chapter)