Chapter 444

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 444: Princess of the Sun (1)

For about three thousand years, Princess Parina of the Sun has been in seclusion training.

It was a shocking introduction.

But the planets of the solar system, apparently already familiar with the fact, showed no signs of surprise.

In contrast, Yeongwoo, who was fated to marry her, could only be stunned.

"Seclusion training? The Princess of the Sun... what is she training for?"

Was this the beginning of his life as a protagonist already?

Yeongwoo felt his mind reeling from this completely unforeseen obstacle.

Then the Sun raised a tiny fist and spoke.

『Our Parina reveres martial strength… her only goal in life is to become stronger.』

"...Wait. Are you saying the princess is currently practicing martial arts?"

It was an unbelievable story.

But the Sun nodded as if it were the most natural thing.

『Yes. Parina is constantly growing stronger, even at this very moment. Unfortunately, forming a pact through marriage will be difficult.』

The Sun spoke with a tone suggesting they should consider another way.

But Yeongwoo couldn’t accept that.

Not only was the marriage with Parina recorded in Records of the future, but according to Earth, the only way to form a pact at present was through marriage.

“Why not just tell your daughter to stop training already? The planetary system is on the brink of orbital collapse—what’s with the seclusion training?”

When Yeongwoo said this, the Sun shook as if exasperated and looked up at the sky.

『Parina listens to no one. Even if she comes out of her training voluntarily, she wouldn’t agree to marriage with…』

The Sun trailed off and quietly scanned Yeongwoo from head to toe.

Parina, the Princess of the Sun who reveres martial strength.

She had dedicated nearly every moment of her life to martial arts training.

Not only would she have no intention of marrying, but even if she did, she wouldn’t choose someone weaker than herself.

“What kind of look is that? Are you saying I’m too weak to marry a princess who reveres martial strength?”

『…….』

The Sun answered only with silence, and Yeongwoo’s jaw dropped.

“Are you serious? The planets have finally united to overcome their innate limitations, and we’re giving up because you can’t convince your daughter?”

『I’m not saying we’re giving up…』

“Then what do you call it when marriage is the only way to form the pact and we’re not doing it?”

Planetary ships were said to be rare in the universe.

So it was impossible that the birth of such a planetary vessel hadn’t been noticed throughout the universe.

Which meant many beings out there were already watching.

Among them were bound to be those hostile to planetary ships.

So now that they’d transitioned into a planetary ship, the most urgent priority was to gain mobility.

Bluntly put, if warships showed up outside their orbit and started shelling, they had no way to stop them.

“I’m not planning to force someone into marriage either. But can’t we at least ask her?”

Yeongwoo pleaded, and the Sun finally closed its eyes tightly.

『Fine. Let’s see if she can at least pause her training.』

With that, the Sun waved a hand lightly through the air.

Whoosh!

A rift in space, about four hand spans wide, opened in the air, and from within emerged a glowing, flaming sigil.

“…What’s that?”

Yeongwoo asked, wide-eyed. Earth answered in a low voice instead of the Sun.

『That’s Princess Parina’s sigil.』

“Parina’s sigil?”

『Yes. To put it simply…』

Earth mimed knocking on a door with the back of its hand.

『This is the Sun knocking on his daughter’s door. In this case, her training chamber.』

“Ah.”

In other words, this was the first attempt in 3,000 years for the Sun to communicate with his daughter.

The rift in space the Sun had opened was a link to Parina’s training ground.

“So that’s… part of the Sun?”

No one knew exactly where Parina was training, but the most likely answer was somewhere inside the Sun itself.

Just like Earth’s command center was hidden deep inside the planet.

“…!”

With that realization, Yeongwoo quickly pulled out the coordinate locator from his pocket.

「Coordinate Locator」 - Artifact tool

【It shows the coordinates of visible points.】

It was a square metallic object small enough to be held in one hand.

Earth tilted its head.

『Why?』

“I want to check if I can read the coordinates of that space.”

If the sigil summoned within that rift really marked a point inside the Sun, maybe the tracker could detect its coordinates.

It was purely a hypothesis.

But there was some circumstantial evidence to support trying.

Namely—

‘President Lemu gave me the Sun’s coordinates. But if those aren’t for summoning the Sun or destroying it, then…’

Could it be that they were coordinates to summon Princess Parina?

As Yeongwoo activated the tracker, a hologram flashed above the rift in space.

Gasp.

Just as he suspected, the coordinates exposed through the rift were visible.

And the coordinates revealed by the tracker for the princess’s training ground were—

Flaaash!

〔l||-Moro-001-483-0548-20〕

‘…What?’

The familiar pattern of numbers made Yeongwoo unconsciously hold his breath.

‘Shit. That lunatic Lemu.’

The strange coordinates Lemu had once sent in a flower wreath…

They were none other than the location of Princess Parina’s training chamber.

Lemu had essentially told Yeongwoo in advance that he would need to fire on the princess’s training ground.

And in the meantime…

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

『Ri… Rina?』

Moro cautiously spoke toward her daughter’s sigil.

As expected, there was no response.

At this, the Sun glanced at Yeongwoo and knocked with a different line.

『Our star system… is in danger!』

Suddenly, Parina’s sigil, which had been completely inactive until then, flared up violently.

Fwoosh!

『Danger? A danger great enough to interrupt my training?』

My training.

From her choice of words alone, Parina was clearly no ordinary person.

The Sun then leaned her upper body closer toward the sigil, wearing an unusually servile expression.

『You’re needed now more than ever in our star system. As a princess, you must come forth.』

『For a threat that dire, Mother’s demeanor seems unchanged.』

With that, the flames of Parina’s sigil began to dim once again.

『I believe I made myself clear. ‘Seclusion.’ Thoughtless disruptions like this are an insult to me.』

Then, Parina’s sigil started to fade rapidly on its own, without Moro’s permission to close the link.

‘This is troublesome. She won’t even listen to her own mother, the Sun?’

But that was precisely why Lemu had passed along this coordinate, wasn’t it?

“Can I input the coordinates myself?”

Yeongwoo asked in a low voice, placing a hand on Earth’s shoulder.

Earth’s eyes widened.

『W-why?』

“So it is possible. Open the input panel now. You can’t enter these coordinates, that’s why.”

『…!』

Earth instinctively gaped in shock.

Because right now, Yeongwoo had only one coordinate in his possession.

『Y-you’re not serious. You’re not…?』

“Or are you gonna be a cripple stuck in one place for the rest of your life? That it?”

When Yeongwoo threw the question back at Earth, the planet said nothing.

After all, to dare inflict physical damage on the Sun’s core… was sheer madness.

Beyond insubordination—an act that violated every ethical standard of the planetary order.

『You can’t handle this.』

“I can. That’s why I’m the one firing.”

With those words, Yeongwoo raised his hands as if typing on a keyboard, prompting Earth to let out a deep sigh.

『Crazy bastard.』

Then Earth transmitted the coordinate input field for the "Planet Hunter" to Yeongwoo.

Fwoosh!

『You don’t input coordinates like that.』

Just as Earth said, what appeared before Yeongwoo wasn’t a traditional keyboard of characters—but a massive blank space.

And in that void, the coordinate Yeongwoo had been thinking of was already written.

〔l||-Moro-001-483-0548-20〕

‘What the—? It reads thoughts directly?’

As Yeongwoo silently acknowledged the coordinates, unfamiliar symbols began to writhe beneath the blank space, as if alive.

‘…?’

Though Yeongwoo couldn’t visually comprehend the strange script, its meaning was crystal clear.

‘F…fire. Confirm.’

As he mentally read the meaning of the symbols, the “blank” space vanished in an instant.

Zap!

Immediately, Earth’s eyes flew wide open.

He realized Jeong Yeongwoo-07 had truly input the Sun’s coordinates into the Planet Hunter.

And this fact—

『Huh?』

『What? What’s happening right now…?』

『Earth! What the hell are you doing?!』

Even the other planets quickly picked up on it.

Because at that very moment, right across from Earth’s office, high-density energy from the Planet Hunter was beginning to form.

Wooooooong…!

『You… what are you…?』

Even the Sun was shocked by the sudden cannon activation.

She looked back and forth between Earth and Yeongwoo, letting Parina’s fading sigil slip away.

At least one of the two must have been involved in this firing.

『Who—what are you aiming at?!』

Instead of answering, Earth desperately looked toward the true culprit—Yeongwoo.

It was now his turn to take responsibility for what he had promised.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo was counting silently in his head.

‘Three… two…’

Then, at the three-second mark—

Zap!

The chamber went dark, and from a far-off place beyond space, a tremendous blast echoed.

BOOOOOM!

The legendary cannon, the Planet Hunter, had fired at last.

Drawing power from the Sun—to fire upon the Sun.

And just then, the insignificant Jeong Yeongwoo shouted at Parina’s sigil:

“Danger? The real danger is that we’re still calling ourselves a star system! Let’s see if all that ‘glorious training’ of yours can help you dodge this!”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]