13 – Complacency is Yours
Thump, thump.
The sound of my heartbeat grew louder.
It felt as if my heart was inside my head.
Astia’s gaze contained that much intensity.
Yet, I
Avoiding her fiercely flickering gaze,
Slowly moved towards the center of the arena.
The distance closed in an instant.
No matter how slowly I walked,
It felt like the distance between her and me was getting shorter at an increasingly faster pace.
Astia didn’t take her eyes off me.
She didn’t move or say anything.
She just stood there, holding a sword in one hand, glaring at me.
Her clenched fists were as tight as if they were about to break.
And the cold tip of the sword trembled.
When we passed right next to each other,
I couldn’t help but tense up, thinking she might suddenly attack me.
But as expected, she didn’t touch me rashly.
She knew well what tragedy killing the crown prince would bring.
If I, the former empress who was once an elven princess, were to die,
The war that had been at a standstill would inevitably start again.
The hatred of the elves towards humans was something that could never be ignored.
As soon as they found out about my death,
The elven kingdom would declare war on the Mersen Empire.
Elves who command the spirits are never weak.
Whether they win or lose,
In the end, many people will die.
The weight of the people who died in vain will never be light.
Nor will the anger of those who remain.
Like blind arrows, they will wander in search of a target for their outburst.
To kill me meant just that.
They would bear the responsibility of war and be engulfed in countless blame and resentment.
This clear fact was known not only to the nobles but also to the commoners.
That’s why Empress Herpina, too.
She was only waiting for an opportunity to secretly kill me.
Astia wouldn’t be much different.
No matter how great their anger towards me, they couldn’t act rashly.
Yet, driven by an insatiable thirst for revenge, I had returned to the palace. At the very least, to spread words of curses upon me.
I continued towards where the knights had gathered.
Some were shooting arrows from a distance, while others were engaged in sparring matches.
Someone was swinging a double-edged sword.
Another person was impaling a scarecrow’s head with a long spear.
And then, one by one, they stopped and began to glare at me with cold eyes.
There was no trace of respect for the royal family.
It was only natural.
There was no one in the palace who would see me favorably.
Perhaps, that would be the case throughout the entire empire.
Not a single knight.
Not even a simple bow.
The glimmers from all directions were eyes filled with contempt.
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What emerged eventually was a silent disdain and a disrespectful posture.
But such a reaction was exactly what I wanted.
It was a necessary process to deceive the Empress completely.
This moment, now.
It was a moment to reveal my broken character, recklessness, and depravity.
Also.
It was a moment to prove that I lacked the abilities of an elf.
And as an added bonus.
I also had a plan to reinstate Astia as my personal knight.
Astia was a knight with exceptional talent, enough to become a future companion of a hero.
To enter the royal knights at the mere age of 14, there was no doubt about her skills.
If I could bring her to my side.
I would gain a powerful force.
However, in order to do that, I first had to unravel all the misunderstandings that had piled up.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I greet you.”
As I finally came to a stop, one of the knights approached, placing his right fist on his left chest and slightly bowing his head.
He was a man named Rufus, with glossy hair that flowed gracefully.
The recent reception was one of the few I had received, but it didn’t give me a good feeling.
His heavily wrinkled face seemed to have no room even for the smallest bit of pleasantness.
“What brings you here?”
His gaze was less intense than Astia’s, but it was still a fierce glare filled with disgust.
Of course, I had expected this attitude.
I had been waiting for it the entire time I walked to the central training ground.
But it seemed like he was still a bit lacking.
What was needed was a bit of shock.
I stretched and yawned in front of Rufus.
After tearing my mouth open with a yawn and wiping away the tears that had welled up with my finger, I spoke in a dismissive tone.
“I’ve been bedridden for a few days, and now that I’ve gotten up, my body feels a bit sluggish. How about you spar with me?”
No matter how much of a prince he was, there were things that should not be done in front of people.
Rufus forced a tight-lipped smile.
Veins were protruding on his forehead.
His gaze, as if he was looking at a bug, was silently screaming, “How dare you?”
It was a perfect face to add insult to injury.
What I had been hoping for was this blind rage, after all.
To be more honest.
I had been waiting for the fatal carelessness that blind rage inevitably brings about.
“Sir Rufus. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of me?”
Originally, provocation was not an easy task among peers of the same level.
But when a significantly weaker opponent, oblivious to the subject, disregarded the strong in the face of battle.
It was a way to have a greater impact without even resorting to insults than insulting one’s parents.
Especially for someone like me right now.
Having lost natural talent, wit, and even health.
If I were officially stamped as a disabled person, labeled as an invalid, it was even more so.
There was no unexpected danger, so there was no need to be cautious.
That’s why.
Just like Lupus in front of me, looking down at me and chuckling.
There was no need to distance myself at all.
“What if we used a real sword as a weapon?”
As soon as I spoke, I drew my sword, so it was more of a demand than a question.
“Not a bad idea.”
It was a very appealing proposal that had no need for refusal.
If the possibility of death was added, it would be even better for capturing attention.
Lupus spoke with a confident voice.
“Present your sword to His Highness.”
But no one willingly offered their own sword.
For someone like me, with a notorious reputation, even lending it for a moment was out of the question.
“Please use my sword.”
In the end, it was Astia who gave me the sword.
It was a situation that I had never anticipated.
“……”
It was a strange feeling to face someone who wanted to kill me up close.
Perhaps it was because she was forcibly hiding her boiling hatred.
The will to kill that was so clear from afar had now sunk deep beneath her expressionless face.
That calmness defied the context.
It was as if a mother who had lost her child pretended to love her enemy for the sake of revenge.
Of course, the voice that felt like a gust of wind, as if it could cut through me, revealed her hatred for me without reservation.
I accepted the sword with both hands.
Originally, this sword was bestowed upon me by the emperor.
It was a special longsword made to celebrate Astia, who had always had exceptional strength since she was young, becoming the youngest member of the imperial knights.
Just by looking at its length, it seemed like I could wield it with just one hand.
But the excessively heavy weight…
Even for someone as physically strong as me, it felt quite burdensome to lift.
As I watched Astia, her red hair swaying, retreat, a few knights sneered.
“You’ve been after the crown prince since you were young, huh?”
“Just trying to grab onto a rotten life line, that’s all.”
“But you still can’t let go of your attachment?”
“Does it seem like I’m holding onto attachment even after killing my mother? Or is it just your own attachment?”
“You’re truly amazing. Your mental strength is exceptional.”
The Imperial Knights seemed to have many enemies in Astia.
Perhaps they were childhood friends of the Crown Prince.
It seemed they were envious of his outstanding talent and exceptional beauty.
I carefully observed their every aspect.
Dalsia, Herbak, and Freya.
They were all individuals whose names I knew.
When our eyes met, they were startled and quickly stepped back, but I had already memorized their names.
I must catch them at least once.
Thunk!
I simply lowered the tip of my sword and released my grip. The sharp blade sank deep into the ground.
I grabbed a handful of soil in each hand.
Then, I cautiously touched the hand that had struck the ground to prevent the soil from falling.
It was a common practice for most knights before duels or sparring matches.
It was to ensure they wouldn’t lose their weapon no matter how much sweat accumulated in their hands.
I drew my sword with my right hand only.
It was too heavy to hold with one hand, so I relied on the help of the wind spirit for a brief moment.
With my tightly clenched left hand, I carefully held what was inside and supported it under my right hand to prevent it from falling.
When I took a balanced stance with both hands, Rufus had an indifferent expression.
“Your Highness, please attack first. For a fair duel, I won’t use mana.”
Lupus seemed to be playing with a wounded mouse like a cat, full of energy.
But I was certain.
It wouldn’t take long for regret to show on his beaten face.
At most, it would take a minute.
The current me was in a much stronger state than before, when I fell to the ground, spitting blood from my mouth.
I don’t know the exact reason.
Somehow, my mana seemed to have increased even more.
Perhaps it was because the intense stimulus of facing death had accelerated my growth.
Furthermore, by my side now.
There was Rack, the earth spirit who had just returned after faithfully delivering my instructions to Glentino.
And above my head, the wind spirit named Wintra was also present.
I was in a state where I could easily overpower most knights.
Even a knight who didn’t use mana could be subdued much more easily than blowing my nose.
But since my goal was my goal.
The existence of the spirits must never be revealed.
Of course, the spirits in their disembodied form couldn’t be seen by humans.
Even a skilled knight or magician would only sense their presence.
Fortunately, here and now.
There was not a single person who could be certain of the existence of the spirits, although they could vaguely sense it.
There was no fear of being caught.
I rushed towards Rupers in a clumsy stance.
Even in my own opinion, it wasn’t a cool sight.
Tsk. As the distance closed, his mocking laughter became even more vivid.
He had no idea.
With my current self, I could have easily slit his throat in an instant.
But today, I didn’t come here to kill someone.
I had to win, but I had to win in a cowardly and ruthless way.
Whether it was early or late, it would definitely be reported to the empress, so I couldn’t win in a cool way.
What I wanted was a dishonorable victory that was no different from losing.
I swung the raised blade down with all my might, aiming for Rupers’ head.
Hwoong-
But he easily dodged it by taking a step to the side.
“hahahahaha.” Laughter that showed that he could have retaliated but deliberately didn’t came out, making me feel unpleasant.
How lightly he regarded me.
He didn’t even raise his sword.
With one hand, he casually brushed his hair aside.
“Thanks for letting your guard down.” I muttered silently, only moving my lips.
By the time I sensed something was wrong and his eyes widened like silver coins, it was already too late.
I had already let go of the sword.
The dirt I scattered with my left hand was now deeply embedded in the bastard’s eyes.
“aaah!!!”
It was a thrilling scream that even gave the onlookers a virtual sensation of pain.
It was only natural.
It was a swift movement that couldn’t be compared to swinging a sword.
In a state of carelessness, it was inevitable even if you saw it with your own eyes.
I grabbed Rufus’s hair that covered his face.
“This, this is cowardly…!”
Rufus’s criticism, still unable to open his eyes with a pained expression, was not wrong.
I admit it. I am cowardly.
But that’s what a real battle is like.
Fighting is not done with words.
Except for effective strikes, reasoning, excuses, explanations. They have no meaning.
Fair and square?
That doesn’t apply to someone like me, notorious as I am.
I pulled down his head.
As soon as I grabbed his hair, it naturally continued like flowing water.
Toward the heavily crushed face, as if it had swallowed dozens of glass shards.
Without any hesitation, I thrust my knee in.
It was a sudden and destructive movement, like a bolt of lightning.
In the moment of impact, I used Rack to cushion my knees with rocks.
Thud!
It was a refreshing sound that immediately drew gasps from the audience.
“Kuhak!”
What followed the satisfying sound of shattering was nothing but a pitiful whimper, already longing for lost consciousness.
Fresh red blood trickled down my battered face.
Thud-
With this, I had completed my first mission.
The rest would be taken care of by the witnesses, who would surely gossip enthusiastically.
During a duel. Against someone who had even declared not to use mana. A despicable scum who threw dirt in my eyes and viciously grasped my hair to claim victory.
That scum was truly an irredeemable wretch.
So now, all that remained was to be defeated.
Completely destroyed.
There was only one thing left to prove, that without a deadly method, I couldn’t even properly face a single knight.
I slowly turned my head.
My gaze met Astia’s disdainful expression.