Chapter 4: Became a royal sandbag (4)

My first thought upon meeting the Fifth Prince was simple:

“I’m Ellen.”

Relief. Those of us assigned to royalty would serve one royal for life, unless dismissed. While the Kingdom of Knights ensured that all royals learned swordsmanship from a young age, there was no guarantee there wouldn’t be another like Princess Hestia.

But my charge, the Fifth Prince, seemed timid at first glance. He struggled to even make eye contact with me, despite being royalty. Of course, being too timid was also a problem for a royal.

However, it was better than having a terrible personality. His timidity could be resolved by my fantastic defeats, boosting his confidence. That was my purpose, and the reason the kingdom trained specialists like me. For that, the most important thing was for me to be slightly stronger than the Fifth Prince, or at least close to his level.

I couldn’t simply lose. Until the very last moment, the outcome had to be uncertain. We needed a scenario where, after a fierce exchange of blows, he would narrowly achieve victory. A duel that would make the Fifth Prince’s chest swell with pride as he replayed it in his mind before falling asleep. A duel that would motivate him to continue striving without becoming arrogant. I had to be the pacemaker!

“Emergency! Code Red!”

So, the moment Princess Hestia lost, I dragged the Commander into a meeting.

“I-It must be a fluke.”

The Commander’s eyes darted nervously. It was Princess Hestia, of all people. A skilled swordswoman known not only within the kingdom but also abroad, famous for her obsession with the sword. Princess Hestia possessed both talent and diligence, two qualities rarely found together.

And that princess had lost. Only once, and she’d become more agreeable after our duel, but a loss was still a loss! Moreover…

“The way he won wasn’t normal!”

“Ugh…”

Our Fifth Prince’s skill was genuine. He would still probably lose nine out of ten times against Princess Hestia, but he’d reached a level where he might win once.

This was significant. Even a single victory was a world of difference from zero.

From absolutely no chance of winning, he’d progressed to a possibility of winning once. Now, we just needed to turn that one into two, and two into three. That was my purpose, and in that sense, this victory could be seen as a positive development. However…

“He must have been secretly learning swordsmanship.”

“…”

“Just tell me that’s the case!”

The Commander avoided my desperate plea, and I despaired.

“But, Your Highness has only been learning for a year?!”

He had only been learning for a year. Our goal was victory three years from now, not today.

“The prince seems to be a genius.”

The Commander replied, avoiding my gaze.

A genius. Well, our royal family had a history of swordsmanship geniuses, so it was possible.

“Isn’t Princess Hestia a genius too?”

The problem was that his opponent, Princess Hestia, was also a recognized genius.

“I guess he’s a genius who surpasses geniuses.”

“Aha!”

A genius surpassing geniuses. So that’s how he managed to defeat the genius Princess Hestia after only a year!

“I resign.”

Quickly grasping the situation, I presented the resignation letter I’d kept hidden deep within my heart. It was a shame to give up the position of Royal Instructor, but the Fifth Prince seemed to possess too great a talent for me to handle.

Well, I was only eleven. I still had a bright future ahead of me. I would manage even without being an instructor.

“No way!”

The Commander tore my resignation letter to shreds as soon as he received it. It was absurd, but also expected. If everyone who submitted a resignation letter actually resigned, Senior Lucia, Princess Hestia’s instructor, would have escaped long ago and be living a happy, normal life.

“Commander.”

“What?”

Learn from observing your seniors. That’s the proper attitude for a junior.

“I have more.”

Who was I? Adam Smith, the prepared man. Having witnessed Senior Lucia’s resignation letters being torn up weekly, I carried up to three copies with me.

“This kid…”

Another resignation letter was snatched and torn apart. Maybe I should make one out of steel next time. It wouldn’t make much difference against a Sword Master’s hand, but it would be a stronger statement.

“I have more, though.”

“…”

The Commander stared at the resurrected resignation letter with a dumbfounded expression. But I had a lot to say, too.

“I think my capacity is insufficient to handle the Prince’s potential.”

Even I, after extensive training as an instructor, could only barely win twice out of ten duels against Princess Hestia. And that was because she refrained from using her sword aura after our first duel. Still, it took blood, sweat, and tears for me to reach this level.

But I had been caught up to. Not surpassed, but… after only a year, the Fifth Prince was close enough to see my back.

“Some people start fast.”

“That’s true.”

In the long marathon of life, some people started fast. Many of them lacked stamina and fell behind later.

But you could tell. No, you couldn’t help but know.

“But that’s not the case with the Prince, is it?”

As someone who crossed swords with him directly, I knew.

This kid was on a different level. On the first day, he could barely hold a sword, but the next day, he was wielding it with ease. After a month, he had the aura of someone who’d been training for a year. After six months, I started to get nervous.

“I think our Prince will be fast in the beginning, fast in the middle, and fast in the end.”

Compared to him, my only advantage was a fast start. It wasn’t that I lacked talent for swordsmanship entirely, but my mental maturity played a bigger role, allowing me to avoid wasting my childhood years. I had been running diligently while others were still crawling, or just standing still.

“Unfortunately, I think this is my limit.”

Unfortunately, this was the limit of my talent. That’s why I could confidently submit my resignation without any regrets.

****

Commander Calyx watched Adam politely offer his resignation letter and thought:

‘He’s right.’

Calyx was a Sword Master, having achieved the dream of every swordsman. Even to him, the Fifth Prince, Ellen, possessed a talent that could be called monstrous, beyond genius. In comparison, Adam’s talent with the sword was slightly lacking to be called a genius. He could only be compared to geniuses thanks to his mature personality and unwavering effort, unusual for his age.

Therefore, Calyx could say with certainty:

‘Only Adam is suitable for Ellen.’

In the Kingdom of Knights, many children learned the sword. Many realized their talent early and were called geniuses. However, genius was relative. If Ellen continued to grow at this rate, or even half this rate, the renowned geniuses of the kingdom would become ordinary.

‘The higher you climb, the harder you fall.’

Many geniuses in the kingdom would despair in the face of Ellen’s talent. Of course, some would rise again and move forward, but it would take time.

But Adam was different.

‘He’s not frustrated with his own skill.’

He simply reached a logical conclusion that he could no longer fulfill his role. He judged that his talent was insufficient to be a match for the prince. He wasn’t broken, even after witnessing and experiencing that brilliant talent firsthand. Was that a good mindset for a knight? Absolutely not. It meant he lacked the pride and competitive spirit of a swordsman from the very beginning.

‘However…’

Did anyone in the kingdom, or even in this era, possess a talent similar to Prince Ellen’s?

‘Unlikely.’

Even if such a genius existed, they would aspire to rise to prominence on their own, not be a prince’s sparring partner.

‘I can’t let him go!’

The important thing was an unbreakable sparring partner, a mental fortitude that wouldn’t crumble even against overwhelming talent! And Adam demonstrated that very quality even as he submitted his resignation.

Therefore…

“Double your base salary.”

“…”

Calyx set aside the resignation letter and pulled out a contract.

“Are you trying to buy me with money?”

“Triple.”

“…That won’t magically give me more talent.”

“We’ll provide top-grade elixirs.”

“Ahem. Even so…”

“We’ll provide the best instructors, just for you.”

“Even with that, talent is…”

“And a separate bonus if you manage to match the Prince’s level.”

“…”

Adam’s eyes began to dart around. He seemed to be considering whether it was worth the challenge.

‘Is the Smith Count family that desperate?’

According to the royal family’s investigation, they weren’t as wealthy as other prominent count families, but still, they were a count family.

One of the forty-eight families in the kingdom, holding the title of Count, the first gateway to being considered high nobility. A family that could comfortably live for at least three generations without working, unless they committed some serious offense.

‘Why?’

It was puzzling that someone born into such a well-off family would be so obsessed with money. However, the easiest people to manage were those motivated by money.

“Even if you fail the mission, we won’t take back the compensation.”

If it didn’t work out despite all this support, it was simply impossible. Calyx knew that Adam always put in the effort commensurate with the rewards.

“Just stay by His Highness’s side. Prevent him from becoming complacent.”

The Fifth Prince, Ellen, wasn’t that type of person, but you never knew. It wasn’t unheard of for someone to lose interest in the sword or stray down the wrong path due to overwhelming talent. Even if he couldn’t be a pacemaker, being a good friend and a positive influence was enough.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Adam looked unsure, and that pleased Calyx even more. None of the other senior instructors were as diligent as Adam. Many were enthusiastic about swordsmanship as individuals, but none took their duties as instructors seriously.