Episode 19

The duel was a mess. It was simply a sloppy fight between children who had just learned how to use a sword. The problem was that Prince Baltian, who came here to represent the Voltiz Kingdom, showed that childlike fight. Everyone already heard that I was a weak prince who just woke up from a coma; that topic lasted a long time in the flow of conversation. At this point, everyone would know my situation, even the royalty from other countries who had no interest in me.

Baltian was well-known for his talent in swords. However, he fell to the floor under my sloppy attacks. No one in the banquet hall seemed to want to break the silence in this ridiculous situation. The advantage of the drunken, or entertainment, sword was that my level couldn’t be grasped in the eyes of others. It was a randomly wielded sword, one that could be avoided easily.

However, it was said that giving a lesson was different from doing it yourself. It seemed like they could easily avoid it, but they still couldn’t. It was one of the strongest aspects of the entertainment sword. Originally, it was a sword technique that could distract the opponent’s attention, but it wasn’t just left to spontaneous luck.

“Oh, my arms and legs are sore.”

When I stumbled weakly, dropping my sword, Winley rushed over to help me.

“Davey! Are you alright?!” She shouted in dismay, looking up at me as she checked if I was hurt.

“Brother!” At the same time, Barris, who had been sporting a blank expression this entire time, followed a moment after her.

“Why were you so reckless?”

“I was lucky. Haha.”

“Brother!”

He let out a short sigh when I smiled awkwardly at him.

“The game is over,” Ileana said quietly, breaking the silence.

“Princess Ileana! This was a mistake.”

In response, Baltian hurried to get up and tried to find an excuse, but the cold beauty only gave him a colder look.

“Does one of the knight’s vows intend to reverse the outcome?”

“It wasn’t a fair game!”

“Yes, it was a very dirty game, far from justification that the Prince Baltian promised. Do you think you have the right to complain about it after you lost?”

It was a straightforward way of speaking that one could rarely see among the ladies in the social life. She stared at Baltian, standing by with a dumb expression, and soon turned to me. Then, she looked momentarily puzzled before she turned away.

“Huh, I’d better go.”

At that, she walked away as if she lost her interest. Oh, she was indeed an ice queen. I appreciated her beauty and her favor, but that stern look wasn’t my cup of tea. Except a few who were leaving behind her, the remaining soon turned to Prince Baltian.

“You have to keep your promise no matter what.”

His face flushed red with shame and anger as I spoke.

“Ugh…”

“It is too late to say no.”

“…”

He frowned at my words.

“That’s…!”

“Are you saying that you would go against what you said as the representative of the Kingdom of Voltiz?”

His body flinched at the calm words. The young aristocrats who followed Baltian from the Voltiz Kingdom looked growingly concerned since they could not stop the situation.

“I deserve an apology from you.”

He clenched his teeth as I said this. He looked like he was holding back his anger to kill me right away.

“Keep your promise! Prince Baltian.”

Barris shot back with a stern look on his face, which made Baltian clench his teeth and put his head down after he looked around. Then, he slowly knelt.

“I was disrespectful to Princess Winley and Prince David…I’m sorry.”

Losing face, he ground his teeth so hard that it wouldn’t be strange for him to kill a single person right away. But what could he do? A deal was a deal. It wouldn’t be easy for him to apologize to me, who had humiliated him in front of so many people.

There was an unbearable humiliation at the sight of his mumbling. Winley, who would normally have accepted the apology, grabbed my hand in anger. “Huh, let’s go back, Davey.”

“Let’s go, brother.”

It seemed difficult to stay in the banquet hall any longer because of the discord. I had no patience when it came to my precious sister, especially if anyone treated her disrespectfully. Turning around with a soft smile inside, I left the banquet hall, ignoring him with a clenched fist. I didn’t know what kind of spite he might have against me, but it was beyond my interest.

“Brother! You were reckless!”

“That’s right! Did you know you could’ve been in big trouble?”

Watching the two twins made me smile as they voiced their complaints as soon as we got to the carriage.

“It is all good now.”

He was a guy with that kind of personality, but he was still famous in the Voltiz kingdom for his talent.

“Do you know him?”

“Yes, I’ve seen him before during a joint event.”

Feeling offended, Winley swept her arm.

“Since then, he has constantly been pushing for marriage. He isn’t just stupid, but bad-sighted as well.”

“Hey!”

“Hehe!”

I didn’t know that he had harassed her before. If I knew, I would have broken his arm. It wasn’t easy for a sword trainer to feel Mana without talent. But it was also not easy to train and enter the expert rank. It was like saying that most knights couldn’t reach the master rank, even if they tried during their entire lives.

There were three Sword Masters in the kingdom of Al Rown, but even if the entire continent were combined, the number of Sword Masters would amount to less than 50. Despite this, the continent had a bigger population than expected.

“David, did you get hurt anywhere? Are you alright? With a tearful face, Winley held her tightly and asked.

“Well, I didn’t get hurt for sure.”

He couldn’t hurt me; he was dancing to my tune the entire time. However, I would have seemed to be in danger to the audience. It was the entertainment sword that I chose to humiliate the opponent without revealing my presence. The results were a little childish but quite satisfactory. It was possible that the conflict with him could worsen the cold war between the Voltiz and the Al Rown Kingdom.

“My stomach dropped! If you got hurt, how was I supposed to see you again?”

As Barris spoke wildly, I flicked his forehead without hesitation. I then smiled at him when he began shrieking in pain. I was thankful that they cared about me; that was probably why I cared more about these two.

“Brother, where the hell does your power come from?”

“It’s just a trick. And I’m not that patient, so I just did it without thinking.”

“Hum…that isn’t true.”

Barris’s gaze was the look of someone who knew me to some extent. That was how he looked.

“As long as it worked. It’s all right, isn’t it?

“Whoa…well, since you’re not hurt, I won’t say anything anymore. But please don’t do this again. I’ll do it for you. Brother.

“God helped you. You stumbled because you couldn’t bear the weight of the sword, which let down his guard.” Winley murmured in curiosity.

“Sure. He probably didn’t see what was coming.”

“Ha! To tell you the truth, I was grateful. You were amazing!”

Barris didn’t add anything to Winley’s remark, but his mouth was twitching, so perhaps he felt the same.

* * *

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

A furious boy threw everything in his room, breaking everything into pieces.

“Prince Majesty, please calm down!”

“Let go!”

The boy shouted coldly as if he were going to cut down the man right away.

“How dare he! I am the next Emperor of Voltiz Kingdom.”

“Prince Majesty…”

“Get lost.”

“Prince!”

The boy’s shout made the aristocrat who had been blocking him tremble.

“Get out of here before I kill you!”

“…”

No one could stop him anymore. The aristocrats went outside with their heads down without another word, leaving the boy to his rage.

“I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him!!”

His anger was aimed towards Davey, who mortified him in a great deal.

“Sigh…sigh…”

“Do you want to kill him?”

It was then…

He stopped, unquenchable anger burning in his eyes. The boy, frowning reflexively, turned his head, and a red-eyed woman was sitting by the window. She looked like she was in her early 20s. The woman’s red hair and red eyes were the only things shining in the darkroom in the night.

“Who are you?”

“Do you want to kill him?”

It was an alluring voice, perhaps meant to prey on those who gave into its charm.

“I asked who you are!”

Baltian, shouting furiously, pulled out the long-sword that was beside him. However, she didn’t seem to care. The woman simply lifted herself and walked towards him from the window.

“I can help you.”

Like a mother who comforted a child, or a sister who took care of her little brother…like a woman whispering love…

Baltian didn’t say anything as he saw her coming toward him.

“I can help you, baby.”

His trembling hands slowly began to stop with the seductive voice. At the same time, his eyes began to turn blank.

“Kill…?”

“Yes, your anger called me out. I’ll help you rip his flesh and take his bones.”

“Your…name is??”

“Sharis. Please remember my name.”

Baltian, who was looking at her with blank eyes, nodded unconsciously. Looking at him, the woman, her eyes shining red, gradually showed a cold smile. Then she moved closer, hugging Baltian and murmuring as she buried her face in his neck.

“Good boy. Leave it all to me. You just have to do what your heart tells you.”

Simultaneously, her mouth slowly opened, and her canines sank relentlessly into his neck within the darkroom.