14 – I wanted to hear those words.
Astia Levolun.
She put the sword that had been stuck in the ground back into its sheath.
She quietly watched the retreating figure of the fallen prince, stumbling away.
The noble attire of the prince had now become even worse than tattered rags.
It was torn in many places, and the yellowish dirt and dust clung to it like bruises.
Of course, it was not clearly visible under the melancholic hue that had dyed the whole world.
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It was the result of a duel that had lasted for hours.
The prince, who had defeated Ruphus Erdante, who had lived a life of luxury, in a despicable way.
She never expected him to challenge her to a duel first.
She wondered what he believed in.
In the past, she wouldn’t have known.
But now, if she set her mind to it, she could kill him with her bare hands.
If she even held a sword, there was a possibility of accidentally killing him.
That’s why she decided to fight with just her bare hands.
The murmuring knights began to leave the training ground one by one.
Astia stood in the middle of the spacious training ground, feeling like a solitary stone.
The prince had become smaller, like a dot, in the distance.
“Eos.”
It was a name she hadn’t called in a long time.
The now dethroned prince, Eos Caldebrion.
He was her childhood friend who had always been together with her.
Even without sharing blood, he was considered family.
Was there anyone who knew him better than himself?
No. Absolutely not.
He had always been proud of that fact.
Especially when it came to him.
He knew him better than the Emperor, the late Empress Mother, and even his own mother.
That’s why.
During the days when the palace was emptied by the Emperor’s orders.
Even when he heard the rumors that Eos had killed his mother.
He didn’t believe those words alone.
He was certain that there must have been some misunderstanding.
Even when everyone condemned Eos as a cruel butcher.
He alone defended him.
Even as he wiped away his endless tears, he was certain that he couldn’t have done such a thing.
Of course, it was true that Eos had changed.
Five years ago, after the death of the Empress Mother.
One day, he suddenly became violent, as if he had become someone else.
He would unjustly punish the servants, the maids, even the soldiers who were patrolling nearby.
He no longer treated himself with the same familiarity as before.
But Astia knew.
Eos could never bear to kill someone.
So I asked.
And I heard.
– I killed them all. Stop bothering me and get out of my sight right now.
It was a question asked with great courage, but the answer that came back was despairing to the point of being unbelievable.
It felt like the sky was falling.
As if the whole world was.
It felt as desolate as a house made of mud that children trample on without mercy.
I knew in my head that I had to kill the enemy who betrayed my faith and killed my mother right away.
The tip of the trembling sword against Eos’s neck while he was asleep happened more than five times.
But every time.
The bright and gentle face of young Eos from the past kept flashing before my eyes, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
In the end.
My heart wouldn’t allow it.
So I gave up the escort.
Every moment in the palace felt like watching a dying life that had swallowed poison.
So.
I threw away even the glorious name of the Royal Knights, which had been my lifelong dream, without any regrets, and quietly left the palace.
And so, four years have passed.
In the first two years, I gave up everything and spent my time contemplating only death.
It was due to a despairing sense of revenge that had turned into a bitter self-loathing.
How foolish.
Driven by determination, I couldn’t forgive myself for not even being able to seek revenge for my mother.
So I cut off meals and water.
I fearlessly approached death.
And then, it was the moment right before dying.
The face of the decrepit prince, who had been shouting to die with a malicious expression, came to mind.
His malevolent gaze vividly resurfaced.
Thinking of that shameless face that showed no remorse until the end, I couldn’t possibly let it end like this.
So I stood up again.
Since I was going to die anyway.
It was late, but I had a conviction that it was right to complete my revenge and die.
The death of the decrepit prince caused by revenge.
I knew it would bring about a war.
But still, I vowed to kill.
No matter the cost or sacrifice.
I swore to repay my mother’s enemy, looking up at the sky.
So the remaining two years.
I devoted myself to training like a madman.
And I meticulously investigated my mother’s death.
Four years ago, I knew about the tragedy and went around talking to everyone involved, gathering as much information as possible.
It was for the sake of revenge without regrets.
Absolutely.
To not hesitate.
To make the determination to kill the Crown Prince sharper than a newly forged blade.
I had promised countless times that I would definitely kill him.
If it was true that Eos had killed her own mother.
I had every intention of ending the life of that deserving scum with my own hands.
But the more I investigated,
There were more than a few strange things.
The horrific murder case caused by the Crown Prince at that time.
In just one night, a total of fourteen people were killed.
However, after that day, there wasn’t a single living witness, which seemed quite unreasonable.
All the maids and soldiers who testified that they saw the Crown Prince commit the murder with their own eyes.
As if it were a twist of fate, by the time only two years had passed, they had all turned into cold corpses.
Strange things didn’t end there.
The only evidence that determined the Crown Prince as the murderer.
It was just because he was found sleeping soundly with a blood-stained sword among the dead bodies.
It was a very weak and highly manipulable evidence.
Killing someone and then falling asleep in the same spot?
In the midst of fleeing or busy destroying evidence?
Moreover, at that time, Eos had already lost the abilities of an elf.
His physical abilities were lower than that of an ordinary boy his age, and he couldn’t even see spirits, let alone use magic.
So, no matter how you thought about it, it was strange.
It was as if someone had meticulously orchestrated the events to bring down the Crown Prince.
But it was now too late to uncover the truth.
There was no evidence, and the witnesses had disappeared.
There was no longer any way to uncover the truth.
That’s why he had returned.
To this damn palace that remained peaceful even after his mother’s death.
He had one purpose.
He wanted to hear the Crown Prince’s answer once again.
Whether it was true that he had really killed his mother.
Really.
With your own hands, did you kill the person who loved and followed you, he wanted to ask one last time.
And if he heard the same answer this time, he no longer hesitated to kill him in one swift stroke.
Of course, there was nothing he could be certain of.
He still had doubts in his mind.
Even just looking at his face was not an easy task.
When their eyes met for the first time in four years at the martial arts training grounds, it was not easy to suppress the surging anger.
And yet, he asked. While practicing martial arts.
“Do you really take responsibility for that day? For that terrible incident?” he whispered, demanding an answer in a voice so soft that only the prince could hear.
Even so, he clenched his fist and pounded his abdomen.
He didn’t intend to kill, but his anger boiled over and his strength naturally flowed in.
Whether it was with his fists or his feet.
With each strike, the sound of cracking rocks echoed.
And then, finally.
After rolling on the ground several times, the prince lay down with a large wooden staff and answered, his face covered in dust.
It wasn’t him.
As soon as he heard those words, tears welled up in his eyes.
Perhaps it was a phrase he had longed to hear so desperately.
No.
In truth, he really wanted to hear those words.
Of course, there was no evidence to support them.
After the Empress’s death, the prince had done all sorts of terrible things.
So perhaps killing someone was just an extension of that.
And yet, Astia had no choice but to believe.
Despite being beaten so badly. Because he always looked at her with clear eyes, just as he did when they were young.
She wanted to ask why he hadn’t told her earlier, but she refrained.
I didn’t want my choked-up voice to be heard,
so I had no choice but to forcibly swallow the words that rose to the back of my throat.
***
It has already been a day since I engaged in a merciless duel with Astia, where she unilaterally attacked me.
And now, I am here.
On the roof of the mansion, with the night descending upon us.
I was waiting for the lights on the lower floors to go out.
This place was right above Gurund’s office, who serves the Duke of Schlein.
By the way, Gurund is Glentino’s father.
I raised both of my arms in the air, like a fanatic worshiping the moon suspended in the night sky, and struck a triumphant pose.
My bones hadn’t completely healed yet, and the pain still lingered.
Indeed, Aqua’s healing magic was far inferior to Elaine’s.
Not only did it consume a lot of mana, but it also failed to properly mend my broken bones.
Speaking of which, yesterday’s duel was truly horrifying.
Although I did my best to defend myself using the spirits.
Astia’s combat prowess was too strong, and I sustained quite serious injuries because I took special care not to reveal the existence of the spirits.
Astia.
As expected of someone who would become a comrade to a hero, she had truly remarkable physical abilities.
She may just look like a tall and slender noble lady, but how does she possess such incredible strength without any visible muscles, I wonder.
Anyway, she…
She had remained silent when I told her that I hadn’t killed Yumo.
It was a kind of affirmation that she no longer saw me as an enemy.
Feeling that it was the right time, I proposed to her to return as my escort knight.
Although she didn’t give me any answer, her teary eyes were trembling with anticipation.
This morning, the palace was abuzz with talk of my glorious victory and devastating defeat.
Except for the exhaustion, everything had worked out perfectly.
As I waited for a while longer, unknowingly yawning, my private office finally grew dim.
Well, shall we begin now?
Today’s goal is to obtain evidence of the corrupt practices of Lord Gerund, the loyal bastard son of the Empress.
And now, to hand it over to the few remaining nobles of the anti-Empress faction.
After all, politics is not only about power but also about legitimacy.
With that alone, it should be enough to give the Empress and her cronies a hard time.