“Why didn’t you stop the Saratov rebellion when you knew the future?”
When I didn’t answer, Eugene asked again.
“Do you think I could have done that? Overrated. Rather… … .”
“You could have done it.”
I tried to change the story moderately, but Eugene did not let go easily. I glared at Eugene without hiding my displeasure.
“Why do you think so?”
“You’re the crown prince, aren’t you? There’s nothing you can’t do if you want to. There are many ways, such as pressurizing the top to release food.”
“Why do you say this, but my position in the palace is not so good? You don’t know that you were imprisoned not too long ago, right?”
“I know. But couldn’t you do something like that?”
Yujin stared at me sharply and questioned me. I glared at Eugene, meaning that if you have something to say, say it.
“okay. If you have the ability to secretly come and watch the rebellion and fall for yourself!”
“Watch your mouth!”
In an instant, heat rose in my head. When he came to his senses, he unconsciously drew his sword and aimed it at Eugene’s chin.
“… … I was also trying to stop it.”
I cooled off and drew my sword. Why was he so angry, he couldn’t understand his own reaction.
“But things went differently than expected. That’s why I couldn’t stop it. The rebellion happened much sooner than expected and by the time I moved it was already too late.”
No, I didn’t want to understand the truth.
“Have you ever thought of stopping it?”
“… … .”
Because people are usually angry about the truth.
It was only observation, and I moved thinking that it would be to my advantage not to block it, but I was angry because I was caught.
“Surprisingly, you’re not good at lying, Crown Prince.”
I replied to Eugene’s words with a sigh. Against this guy, my tongue doesn’t roll as skillfully as I usually do when dealing with high-ranking people.
Is it because of those penetrating eyes? I think I know a little bit about the feelings of the aristocrats who are pushed by Eugene’s sophistry in the original work.
“… … At least I was trying to save you and your father.”
“Did other people care anyway? Did you decide that it would be enough to save my father and me, who have the magic of water?”
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t do that? Don’t talk like you’re quarreling!”
I’ve been working Yujin, who was about to say something more, shut her mouth and stared at me.
“Do you think that I, who was exiled until last year, can overturn the decision of the Sangvis army? Am I the one who heard the crazy noise?”
I strode closer to Eugene. When I asked, Eugene was silent as if he couldn’t deny it.
“Now don’t blame me for what you did wrong.”
And, just like Eugene did, he returned the facts. Silence lingered for a while.
“… … Let’s stop this pathetic quarrel. What’s left of hurting each other?”
It felt unsightly to stay like this, so I resumed the conversation with a sigh.
“Maybe I could have done better as you said. But for me at the time, that was the best.”
“… … okay. Maybe I was too harsh.”
“It was severe, saying I don’t know and sticking around, it’s very annoying, so stop it.”
An annoying apology on the same level as ‘I’m sorry if I offended you.’ I don’t know if you can call this sentence an apology in the first place.
“So what’s the matter now? Are you saying you can’t trust me for not stopping the rebellion even though you know the future?”
“… … To me, your words feel nothing but hypocrisy, something I’ve been indifferent to, and now go on a rampage after the existence of Parabellum and all that seems like a hindrance is revealed.”
“under. So are you going to keep quiet? At that time, the words I said to change the world must have gone through the other ear. It was a message from your father, but it made me sad.”
“The act of changing itself is not important. It only matters how it changes.”
I was very annoyed and sarcastically, but Eugene responded unperturbed. That expression was infinitely serious, so I felt like an idiot for being annoyed. Even annoying.
“I can’t trust you because I don’t know if the world you will change is the right one.”
“… … okay. Was it like that?”
I now know Eugene’s true intentions. It was for a much simpler reason than I thought, so I lost my Mac.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t trust me? But it makes no difference to me.”
I heard enough. Now it’s my turn to speak.
“Do you think you can trust a commoner who knows the crest of Parabellum, who may have come into contact with them and assimilated to its ideology?”
Actually I didn’t trust Eugene. Irregulars that move completely differently from the original, have been judged as uncertain beings who do not know whether they will be drawn into their allies.
“That’s it. We don’t need to talk any more. I am myself… … .”
“But I will still believe in you.”
I cut off Eugene’s words and affirmed. Eugene, who was about to turn around, stared at me.
With the conversation so far, I changed my evaluation of Eugene as ‘unreliable’.
Eugene is far more self-righteous, irritable, and rude than I thought——but he’s not a flexible enough person to assimilate into Parabellum’s ideology.
From noble mtl dot com
“Because you were a very nice guy in your previous life.”
I was convinced that only the outward attitude has changed, but the substance is the same as the original.
“… … then.”
Yujin looked at me and pulled out the sword she had inserted. I was guessing what he was going to say.
“Prove it with your sword. That you are someone you can trust and follow.”
Coming to such an abrupt conclusion was the same as Eugene in the original work. After arguing fiercely, it ended like this in the end.
“I don’t know what to do with a sword to prove it, but… … .”
Personally, it was a development that I did not like very much even though it often appeared in the original work.
“I feel like I want to cut you down a little bit, so please accept it.”
The sea that I was looking forward to now.
“If you prove it with a sword, you won’t use magic, right?”
He pulled out his sword and asked while maintaining an appropriate distance.
“I don’t write.”
Eugene answered after a moment of silence.
“yes yes. Do you? Then do you think I will be excited to write it?”
I sarcastically responded to Eugene’s answer and completely released the mana that was slightly wrapped around my body.
In fact, if it was a boost, which is a form of mana flowing inside the body, Eugene would not notice it even if he used it. But my pride won’t allow it.
Just like when they briefly exchanged in Saratov before, they wanted to clash purely with swordsmanship.
“Let’s check how much we’ve grown since Saratov.”
“What are the rules of the duel?”
“Going by the Hope Rule.”
In response to my answer, Yujin expressed her agitation for a moment.
“Are you serious?”
“okay.”
Hope Rule.
The name was attached because it is a rule that is mainly used in duels in bars.
As it is used in a bar, the conditions for winning and losing are simple.
The side that leaves a scar on the opponent wins.
It is a rule that is concise but definitely sees blood.
“… … Even though you’re the crown prince, you know those rules well.”
“A subject you know.”
I grinned and lowered my stance. At the same time as I took a step forward, Eugene started moving.
The confrontation has begun.
Caang!
The first sums collided diagonally exactly at each other’s midpoints. The blade of heavy light unique to the sword that collided with mine reflected the moonlight softly.
No matter who said it first, he withdrew his sword and swung it again. He turned to the side and launched an irregular attack, but Eugene calmly blocked it. Sharp sparks flew as the swords rubbed against each other.
‘This sword is no different from a regular sword when electricity is not flowing.’
There was no superiority or inferiority of weapons. Rather, mine was slightly inferior. Unlike this one, which presupposes the use of magical power, the ritual sword is a weapon made under the premise that no magical power is used in the first place, so it is natural.
‘Let’s see how far we can stop it?’
I pushed Eugene’s attack to the side and poured in an Amerin’s unique erratic attack. I was excited because I hadn’t had a chance to do a proper sparring recently.
Saratov’s Eugene, who reproduced theoretically accurate swordsmanship, would never be able to counter it, a sword movement that completely countered the conventional swordsmanship——.
“Haap!”
Eugene blocked them all. There was only one step back.
“How amazing!”
An exclamation of admiration came out. I narrowly let go of Eugene’s counterattack, and then I slid across the ground to distance myself from Eugene.
“I didn’t expect it to take this well.”
“Whoa… … His attacks are as twisted as his personality.”
“Who is talking to whom?”
Mustafa taught the students using only the ritual swordsmanship. So Amerin’s swordsmanship must have been a first sighting for Eugene.
I didn’t think I’d be able to block it all with just one step back.
It’s a terrifyingly overwhelming talent.
“Who taught you the sword, Eugene?”
“It is self-taught.”
“Same answer as before. Is it true?”
“… … To put it bluntly, that night, I trained while thinking of your sword.”
To my questioning, Eugene answered by fixing his sword.
“Hoo. In other words, I am no different than your teacher.”
“Sounds funny!”
Eugene’s sword stabbed me sharply into my cheek. I turned my head and avoided it. A few strands of hair were cut and fluttered. At that moment, I pulled back and swung the sword wide without hesitation.
“Suck!”
My sword neatly cut off Eugene’s bangs and cut the air. It was a short car.
‘How the hell did the reflexes go back!’
It was a talent that I felt astonishing. At this point, I thought it was too much, so I laughed out loud.
‘Is this enough to be the main character of Munchkin?’
In the original work, Mikhail’s swordsmanship rank was B until the end. Sadly, that was the level he was given a little higher just because he was the crown prince. The only thing that excelled was mana.
And, despite being a freshman and being a commoner, Eugene’s swordsmanship was sufficiently superior to that of Proud, who had an A+ rank. Having dealt with both, I was certain.
Even though I was able to overwhelm him in the prologue before Eugene’s swordsmanship talent fully blossomed, it was only natural that I would lose if I fought with swordsmanship after the main story started in earnest.
A tragic villain who couldn’t even become a boss. Because that’s me, Mikhail.
Even if a boost could make up for the difference, that fact angered him.
‘To catch up with the difference, fraudulent talent… … I am… … !’
I focused my mind on the tip of Eugene’s sword that was aiming for my cheek.
‘I worked so hard to the point of dying!’
I hit it with my ‘fingertip’ at a speed that transcended the spinal cord reflex.
Yujin’s balance was greatly disturbed by that strike.
“… … !!”
Eugene staggered with an expression of disbelief and barely managed to keep his balance.
A normal body cannot withstand a boost. It is an act of forcibly amplifying bioelectricity and forcibly moving muscles. If you exceed your original movable limits, of course your muscles burst.
There is only one way to survive it. Getting used to bursting and healing over and over again.
In other words, just hardening.
During the preparation period before entering the swordsmanship academy, I used boost every single day.
My body, which suffered from electrical burns and repeatedly ruptured and regenerated to the limit, was pushed in an extremely efficient and abnormal way–.
“Goes!!!”
Even without boost, he has already surpassed human limits.
Kaga gak gak!
Eugene’s sword and mine collided with sparks like a grinder.
“Ugh… … !”
It was I who pushed the sword away.
Eugene’s posture is greatly disturbed.
The tip of my sword grazed the bridge of Eugene’s nose, and a few drops of blood flew through the air.