Chapter 5: The world is wide and there are many experts (1)

Five years had passed.

As expected, Prince Ellen had become a monster, and I worked tirelessly to keep up. And as a result…

“Princess Hestia.”

“…”

“You’re terrible.”

“Hey, you little…!”

I ran for my life as the tearful Princess Hestia exploded in rage.

My recent record against her: four wins, one loss, out of five matches. The fall of Princess Hestia, who once boasted unmatched skill among her peers.

Of course, her skills hadn’t deteriorated. In fact, they were growing steadily, in line with her talent, and she was still hailed as a swordsmanship genius. It was just that she kept losing to her monstrous younger brother and me, who was becoming a monster myself because of him! She was still a strong swordswoman with few rivals her age.

“So this is what they mean by ‘doping’.”

Even she, a natural talent, lost to me, a manufactured monster. The Commander hadn’t lied. With his full support, I experienced explosive growth day after day.

“I wonder if it’s okay to receive this much.”

Even though the prince’s instructor was an important role, normally, I wouldn’t receive more support than Princess Hestia. But the Fifth Prince, Ellen, made it possible.

Prince Ellen, growing at a terrifying pace, started going toe-to-toe with Princess Hestia three years ago and now boasted a ninety percent win rate against her. And naturally, I was swept along in his wake. I lost so cleanly that I couldn’t even feel resentful.

Therefore, a project to cling to Prince Ellen’s coattails, so to speak, was launched. The kingdom’s elite swordsmen, including the Sword Master Commander, took turns training me. Elixirs were a given, and the royal chefs tailored every meal and snack to ensure my physical condition was perfect. I even heard whispers among the other instructors that I might be the royal family’s illegitimate child.

I didn’t need to refute those rumors. Just one sparring match with Prince Ellen was enough to silence them.

“This is already scary.”

I had to face Prince Ellen again today, a prodigy who effortlessly defeated even senior instructors assigned to other princes. I already dreaded it, but work was always dreadful. However, the steady stream of income lightened my steps. In five years, I’d bought two properties near the Royal Palace, famous for its expensive land. One was a mansion, the other a commercial building. My retirement plan was already secured. Moreover, I was becoming known for my divine swordsmanship, ensuring I’d be treated well wherever I went.

“A business trip?”

I’d been focusing on domestic investments, but now I might have to go on a business trip. A long-term one, at least four years. What did this mean?

“His Highness is too strong.”

He stated the obvious.

“That’s common knowledge.”

“Yes. And that’s the problem.”

The Commander explained. It was time for the prince to attend the academy, and naturally, the Royal Academy within the kingdom was the default choice. While the Imperial Academy in the neighboring empire was generally considered stronger, in terms of knight training, it was at least an even match. Objectively, our kingdom even had a slight edge. So, there was no need to study abroad. However…

“There’s been a change in circumstances.”

The Empire prided itself on being the best on the continent, but they lagged behind our kingdom in swordsmanship and the Dale Kingdom in magic. The difference wasn’t significant, but for the Empire, which had to be number one in everything, it was apparently unbearable.

“The Sword Emperor has joined the Imperial Academy faculty.”

They’d recruited the Sword Emperor for the swordsmanship department and the former Tower Master of the White Tower for the magic department as next year’s professors.

“How?”

The Sword Emperor was the idol of all swordsmen and had influenced every renowned swordsman of this era, to varying degrees. Our King and the Commander both had connections with the Sword Emperor in their younger days. They had repeatedly requested him to assist the Royal Academy, but he’d always refused.

“We even offered him the position of chairman last time, and he rejected it.”

“Right.”

“He said he had no intention of being associated with any specific nation.”

“He did.”

And now, he suddenly appeared in the Empire.

“Did his granddaughter fall ill or something?”

“…How did you know?”

The Commander looked surprised, but I had years of experience reading web novels. A reclusive master emerging from seclusion to save his granddaughter was a common cliché.

“Well, not exactly his only granddaughter. His youngest granddaughter fell ill, and the Empire offered him the academy professorship in exchange for treatment. That alone would be enough to cause a stir, but…”

“What else?”

“His grandson is also scheduled to enroll next year.”

“The Little Sword Emperor?”

Whether commoner or royal, raising children was never easy. Sometimes, a good-for-nothing would emerge from a prestigious family, while a hero would be born from a drunken, abusive lower-class family.

However, bloodline was hard to ignore. The inheritance of skills through lineage couldn’t be dismissed. The Sword Emperor’s lineage wasn’t particularly special. He was born a commoner and remained one, even now, bearing the title of Sword Emperor. A recluse who rejected offers of nobility from numerous nations. That’s why he was even more respected.

His fame was built solely on his swordsmanship, and his lineage had unconditional access to his teachings. Of course, inheriting the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship was an arduous path. None of his own children were said to have inherited his skills. But rumors circulated among enthusiasts. If anyone were to inherit the Sword Emperor’s sword, it would be his grandson, Aslan.

The Little Sword Emperor, Aslan. Already called a smaller version of the Sword Emperor, he was one of the most famous swordsmen on the continent, and one of the few the Commander believed could rival Ellen.

“Yes.”

And that swordsman, along with the Sword Emperor, was enrolling in the Imperial Academy. Thus, the royal family was in a dilemma.

“Well, I guess a natural rival is better than a manufactured sparring partner.”

“I’m not saying you’re lacking.”

“I know. I just crushed Princess Hestia again, didn’t I?”

“…Again?”

I was taken aback by his narrowed eyes and glare.

“Well, you told me to.”

It was the Commander himself who’d told me not to go easy on the princess and to aim for victory.

“No, that was two years ago, after you malfunctioned.”

That was true. I’d become so accustomed to Defeat Swordsmanship that losing became ingrained in my body. After the shocking incident where I lost to a newcomer assigned as the youngest princess’s instructor, I had to undergo some corrective training. I was supposed to lose only to royalty, not become a revolving door of defeat for anyone.

Being Prince Ellen’s rival meant I couldn’t lose to anyone except him. So, I had to learn how to win using Defeat Swordsmanship, and that included defeating Princess Hestia. Since Prince Ellen started consistently winning against her, his rival had to dominate her to maintain credibility.

“Princess Hestia is also royalty. Go easy on her sometimes.”

“That’s why I lose to her once every five matches.”

“It’s not about winning or losing! You taunt her every time you win! Lucia comes to me with a resignation letter every time!”

“Senior Lucia… she still hasn’t given up…”

I admired her tenacity in writing a resignation letter every time, despite having it torn up three times a week.

“Ahem. Getting back to the main point. The royal family and the instructors have concluded that studying abroad at the Imperial Academy would be more beneficial for the prince’s growth.”

“And for various reasons, my transfer is also confirmed?”

“Exactly. He’ll be lonely in a foreign empire. He needs a friend from home.”

As I said earlier, our kingdom had a slight edge in knight training. There was no need to study abroad; the Royal Academy was sufficient to become a top-tier knight. Of course, other departments, like magic, were lacking, but since most citizens aspired to be knights, it wasn’t a problem. Therefore, there were very few students from our kingdom at the Imperial Academy, considered the continent’s best educational institution.

“Even if there are, they’re in education or administration, not the knight department.”

“Aren’t other nobles going?”

“They’re waiting and seeing. The Sword Emperor’s name carries weight, but nobles have their pride.”

“I see.”

The Kingdom of Knights. That title was a source of pride for both commoners and nobles. So, despite the Sword Emperor joining the faculty, many still believed the Royal Academy’s education was sufficient.

“That’s understandable. And that’s how it should be.”

Both the royal family and the Commander were working to maintain that perception. However…

“Prince Ellen is different.”

He was too great a talent to be constrained by such pride. Frankly, the kingdom’s educational institutions couldn’t fully nurture his potential.

“To be honest, even before the news of the Sword Emperor becoming a professor, we were considering sending him to study abroad. We believed that experiencing a wider world and meeting diverse people would be more beneficial for Prince Ellen than just swordsmanship training.”

But now, there was the Sword Emperor. And his grandson as a classmate.

“Not only that. With the former Tower Master of the White Tower, mages will also be reconsidering their options.”

Unlike knights, mages could study abroad anytime to gain knowledge. Unlike our nobles, many magic nobles from the Dale Kingdom would likely consider studying in the Empire.

“A knight can’t just fight sword-wielding opponents their whole life.”

“That’s true.”

In that sense, the Empire was a good choice. While our kingdom was slightly behind in magic compared to the Dale Kingdom, conversely, the Empire’s magic surpassed ours, and their swordsmanship surpassed Dale’s. The level of mages Prince Ellen could encounter in our kingdom was limited, so for his magical development, going to the Empire was a sound decision.

“Um, and also…”

“Hold on.”

I could roughly guess what he was going to say next. And I understood why he was giving me such a lengthy explanation about studying abroad. He could have just told me about the Sword Emperor and his grandson going to the Imperial Academy.

“I have a scheduled training session with Prince Ellen this afternoon.”

“Y-Yes.”

“So, stop stalling and just show it to me.”

“…Ugh.”

At my firm words, the Commander’s face crumpled as he pulled a document from his pocket. A new contract, with the business trip as a condition.

“Money talks.”

I nonchalantly added a zero to the first figure on the contract. The Commander groaned.

“Damn, this makes your salary higher than mine.”

“If you’re unhappy, you can go yourself.”

“Can’t you reduce it a little?”

“I’m losing four years of investment returns here. I deserve this much.”

“It’s real estate! The capital’s land prices will only go up, not down.”

“But I’m missing out on the opportunity to increase my returns.”

After the usual thirty minutes of WWE-style negotiation, I settled for a slightly lower, but still higher than the Commander’s, salary. And then…

“Adam, you’re here!”

“…”

I could face being effortlessly defeated by the brightly smiling Prince Ellen with a light heart.