"Summon Arden here." The king's voice boomed.
But before anyone could move, "slam," a servant burst into the throne room and rushed straight to the King seated on his throne. He handed the King a letter, which His Majesty immediately began to read. His face instantly contorted in fury, and he crushed the letter.
"Insolent brat, find him, bring him before me, now!" the King roared.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the servant replied.
Without delay, the servant bolted out of the throne room to carry out the King's command. With a flustered face, the King struggled to contain his rage. He rested his elbow on the arm of the throne to support his head, glancing at the crumpled letter in his hand. The contents read:
"Hello Your Majesty the King, or Papa. Sorry, I can't be bothered to see you because I know you're going to banish me from the kingdom, so before that happens, I'm leaving first, and please don't look for me. I have business in the Orthus Empire. Bye-bye."
"That insolent child! He's absolutely outrageous! All he does is laze around every day. Doesn't he know what everyone calls him? My intention in banishing him was for him to see the world and finally grow up, because he flat-out refused to go to the academy to study. But why is he going there now? What does that boy want? He's just giving his old father a headache," the King muttered to himself, his face red with extreme anger.
***
Hello, my name is Arden Larsen Fredonia. Just call me Ard. I am the third Prince of the Fredonia Kingdom and also known as the Trash Prince. I am 15 years old. The reason I've left is because I've already been through all of this. I have relived my life 9 times.
In my first life, I suffered greatly after being banished by my father. I was angry, annoyed, and held a deep grudge against the Fredonia Kingdom, completely unaware of my father's true intentions. I eventually joined a rebel faction and was killed by a Princess Knight or Ice Queen from the Orthus Empire who happened to be visiting and was in danger when the rebels attacked. I was 31 years old at the time. I fought her one-on-one and was successfully killed.
After dying, I woke up in the past, exactly one day before I was banished from the palace. I thought it was just a dream at first, but the next day when I faced my father and he banished me, I was instantly sure what I experienced was not a dream. Still, I was hurt, although I eventually decided not to join the rebel faction because I'd have a short life if I did.
So, I went to a small kingdom further east called the Ateras Kingdom. When I got there, I met a merchant named Reese. She taught me how to trade and do business. She also taught me a strange martial art I had never seen before. For 15 years, I managed to become a successful grand merchant.
Unfortunately, I got caught up in a war between the Orthus Empire, led by that Princess Knight—the Ice Queen—against the barbarian forces in the center of the continent a year later. At the age of 31, I was killed again by the same Princess Knight on the battlefield, just before she was due to leave for the Fredonia Kingdom.
Then I woke up again one day before my banishment. The next day, I simply agreed to whatever my father said so I could leave the palace quickly. Being a merchant in the Ateras Kingdom was fun, but I didn't live long. This time, I went south, to a small kingdom on the coast called Durnhill. I was well-received there and learned to sail as a fisherman.
I settled there, found a girlfriend, and lived a comfortable, peaceful, burden-free life. But when I turned 31 and planned to marry my girlfriend, my boat was wrecked while at sea. It was hit by a large ship crossing from the Orthus Empire to the central continent, and the thing that annoyed me the most was that the Princess was aboard that ship. Insane, I was killed at age 31 by the same person. "Seriously?" That was the main thought in my head when I woke up again one day before my banishment.
My fourth life was the same. I was kidnapped by bandits on the road and freed by a barbarian tribe, then I was killed by the Princess along with the barbarian tribe. My fifth life was also the same. I became an S-Rank adventurer, and when I turned 31, I accidentally encountered the imperial army marching toward the Fredonia Kingdom. I was mistaken for a bandit and killed on the spot by the Ice Queen herself after I managed to destroy some of her troops.
In my sixth life, I changed my name and became a knight in Fredonia's neighboring kingdom, the Rellios Kingdom. But it turned out the Queen's goal in approaching the central continent was to attack the Rellios Kingdom. Naturally, as a knight, I was instantly killed by that Queen, and I was 31 years old.
So frustrated with that Queen, in my seventh life, I went straight to the Orthus Empire and lived there as an assistant cook. I also studied magic and alchemy in the imperial capital of Orthus from a sage named Mirea. She taught me how to concoct potions, elixirs, and antidotes to cure all kinds of illnesses. She also taught me dimensional box magic to store items in another dimension, along with everyday magic.
Furthermore, I also learned Holy element healing magic and magic to lift curses and exorcise evil spirits possessing people—remnants of the demon kingdom that no longer existed in the world—using holy magic. For combat, I was taught body-enhancement magic and fire-element magic.
But at the age of 31, there was a tragic incident: the restaurant where I worked was destroyed by the Queen because one of her subordinates died after eating there. In the end, everyone was executed, including me, just before the Queen departed and of course, I was executed in front of the Queen.
In my eighth life, I was sick of that Queen. I still went to the Orthus Empire and lived peacefully and comfortably in a coastal village. I farmed there, but the end was still the same. The Queen's troops came to seize the villagers' harvest share and investigate rebel forces based in the village. I thought it was impossible for this kind of coincidence to keep happening, but it really did, and I died again at the hands of the Queen's personal knight squad because it turned out my friends were rebels.
"Waaaaaaaaaa." When I woke up again in my ninth life, I immediately screamed. My head was spinning; I was close to giving up. Was I really destined to only live until age 31 and always die at the hands of that Princess?This time, I decided I wouldn't leave the palace. So, when my father tried to banish me, I told him I would dedicate myself to the kingdom and no longer live recklessly, even if I didn't have to enter the academy.
Unexpectedly, my father changed his mind, and that's when I learned his purpose in trying to banish me, as well as his true intentions. Finally, my life became normal as a Prince in the Fredonia Kingdom. I tried to make my kingdom prosperous in all sectors with all the knowledge I had from my eight past lives. My title changed from the Trash Prince to the Genius Prince, far exceeding my father's expectations. I felt like I was on the right path and that this was the real reason I kept reliving my life. But apparently, I was wrong.
I thought, "Just come here, Queen, I'm ready for you now." And sure enough, at age 31, she came, but because the Fredonia Kingdom was now far more advanced, more prosperous, and better off than its neighbor, Rellios, the target of the Queen was the Fredonia Kingdom. She initially proposed cooperation, but because it only favored one side, my father refused.
Immediately after, she instigated the rebellion that I had previously eliminated, and of course, she captured me. Before my execution, I overheard senior guards talking about the Queen and how a tragedy during her time at the academy was what turned her into the cruelest Queen in the world.
While being led to the execution site, fear naturally seized my heart. Unlike before, this time I knew I would surely die, and afterward, I was afraid I wouldn't wake up again. I simply prayed to the gods for one more chance, and my goal this time was to save the Queen so that I could live to an old age, past 31, and no longer die a virgin.
As my head was placed in the guillotine, I managed to catch a glimpse of the Princess's face, which looked sad. The guillotine fell, and my head rolled. I died and woke up again when I was 15 years old. I was grateful for one more chance, and this time, I couldn't fail.
I immediately made a plan and preparations, then wrote a letter to my father saying I was leaving the palace for the Orthus Empire, but I didn't want to mention I was going there to enroll in the academy, because there was no point in entering the academy using my name, which was already famous as the Trash Prince of Fredonia.
The reason I was called the Trash Prince was because of my status when checked and tested using the black menhir magic stone—I was always locked away in my room like a useless prince. Now, I'm determined to enroll in the academy as a commoner, and my name is no longer Arden Larsen Fredonia, but simply Ard.