episode_0092

The princess’s body was shattered by a shock wave that exceeded the speed of sound.

―It didn’t lead to a tragedy. Fortunately, it didn’t happen.

I wiped away the cold sweat that was flowing down.

Even though I only targeted her sword on purpose, it had this much power.

He almost became a real royal assassin.

The princess, lying on her back, was breathing fine. On the outside, there was no significant bleeding.

“Uuuu…”

It seemed like he couldn’t get up, but he fell down and let out a strange groan.

“Well, it’s okay, right?”

“Gyaaaa……”

Uh…isn’t that okay?

I approached Leonor and looked at her face.

His pupils were turned upward, as if he was half-fazed.

Transparent saliva flowed from the weakly opened mouth.

It was a strangely happy expression, but it was not a normal face.

“Nigel, come here!”

“Oh, I understand.”

Nigel, who had been dazed, came towards me in surprise.

She also seemed surprised by the attack I showed her.

“Princess Leonor’s condition is very strange. Is there anything wrong with this? If it goes wrong, it would be a disaster.”

“Hmm…it’s just a fainting spell. It looks like my brain and organs were a bit shaken by the shock wave. There doesn’t seem to be any major problems except for the hands.”

hand?

Only then did Leonor’s fingers come into view.

The wooden sword was everywhere, and the white fingers were all twisted strangely.

The skin on my palms peeled off and blood oozed out.

“Looking at this, I think I should at least pour a potion into it. I can take it with me first, right?”

“If you have the character of Her Highness the Princess, I don’t think you will mind.”

He supported Leonor’s back and inner thighs and carefully picked up Leonor’s body.

My limp arms are shaking.

Hmm… it’s soft in many ways. Is it because I lost strength?

“Would it be okay to ask a man named Fel or other maids for treatment? I’m sure the Knights’ Training Center doesn’t have any restorative medicine.”

“Probably so.”

It’s an injury like this… it will heal quickly as long as there are potions and priests.

I went up the stairs of the underground training hall holding the princess.

Nigel followed me, carrying my weapons.

As soon as I left the training room, I ran into Fel, who was standing in front of the door as if he had been waiting.

Fel sighed lightly when he saw Leonor looking so happy and led us into a separate room.

He said he couldn’t have guests in the princess’s room without permission from the princess, so he told her to wait here and he would bring the healing potion.

I carefully laid Leonor down on the bed in the separate room and waited for him to return.

After a while, Fel came carrying several glass bottles and slowly poured the liquid inside the bottles into the princess’s mouth.

I poured the remaining liquid into my damaged hand.

It was an attitude that seemed very familiar, as this happened often.

Soon after, Leonor woke up.

—-

“Wow, that was amazing! The sword just disappeared before I could do anything!”

Leonor woke up and smiled refreshingly. I put up a pillow and leaned back.

Thanks to the recovery medicine I took as soon as I woke up, I looked pretty fine now.

“Does your body look okay now? I was a little embarrassed because I couldn’t get up.”

“Well, I’ll have to rest until tomorrow to get better, but I’m still fine like this! Thanks to you, it was fun.”

Leonor’s eyes were full of joy.

Was it that fun? In reality, I almost just got beaten up.

“I’m glad to hear that. I also had quite a bit of fun. It’s been a while since I swung a sword.”

I also felt a bit sore during this time.

Because I was so worried about recovering my energy, I couldn’t do anything.

“I feel like asking for it again later… but I guess that would be too much, right? It’s a pity, though.”

“…Sure.”

After the succession dispute is over, one of the two will be executed depending on who wins or loses.

…It could be worse than that.

I wonder if there is no way to make her avoid execution.

Should I talk to Leopold?

We talked about sparring with Leonor for a while.

Her weaknesses, her response methods, her karma, etc.

“So, what should I do to realize how to use karma? I don’t feel inspired.”

“Um, I don’t know…you often experience combat in extreme situations? When it comes to theoretical aspects, the knights of the empire will know better than me.”

“Everyone only says vague things. Turning your life around, burning out your beliefs. Melting my soul into a sword. Things like that.”

That sounds really ambiguous. Although that is the correct answer.

Well, if the truth is conveyed through words, I wouldn’t call it enlightenment.

—-

“Then I’ll go back soon. The injured person should rest well first.”

After talking for a while, I stood up.

Although he looks regretful, Leonor will still need to rest for a while.

You can’t attend a banquet with bandages on, right?

“Tsk, that’s true. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do. Talk to Fersen and he will take you to the academy.”

Fersen? Are you referring to the man you called Fel?

“Thank you for your consideration. Take care, Princess Leonor.”

“Yes. I’ll take a break here and go back tomorrow. Then, I’ll see you at the banquet.”

Is it a banquet…

“I think it would probably be difficult to talk on friendly terms then.”

“I guess so.”

Leonor smiled bitterly.

—-

“It was amazing.”

“Huh?”

In the carriage on the way back, Nigel suddenly opened his mouth.

“The last five consecutive strikes. Even I could barely follow with my eyes, so it would have been difficult to respond.”

“I found it fascinating even as I wrote it. Because it felt like the world had slowed down.”

Time slows down and the body becomes sluggish. Even the sound became muffled.

As if I had fallen into another world alone.

There was wonder in Nigel’s eyes.

“I’ve heard that famous and powerful people among masters experience such a phenomenon…but it’s surprising.”

“Still immature though. After swinging it five times, I was completely exhausted.”

In some ways, it was a technique that failed to control power.

Because it was like giving up on a long-term game and pouring all of your strength into one goal.

If your opponent blocks or dodges, you won’t be able to resist a counterattack right after.

Well, that won’t be a problem if you build up deeper karma.

“The basic rule is to maintain the power of karma throughout the battle. The more you use it, the more skillful you will be at handling it.”

“I guess so?”

Anyway, I’m going to use it tirelessly from now on, so I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon.

—-

It was around two o’clock when we arrived at the hotel.

It’s an awkward time to eat or go to lectures.

After filling my stomach with refreshments, I headed to the training room.

Now that my physical condition had recovered, I planned to train appropriately and get used to using karma.

“What a great attitude!”

Nigel was absolutely thrilled.

…Honestly, I was a bit negligent in my physical training. Although I worked hard to learn the technology.

That’s because my body doesn’t even lose muscle even after resting for almost a month.

“Hmm? Lord Hashal, no! I’m so happy to see you doing well.”

“Yes. You’re working hard today too, Calix.”

Calix, who was lifting weights, welcomed me.

His scaly biceps continued to wriggle.

“The right mind resides in healthy muscles.”

Nigel nodded repeatedly, expressing strong agreement with Calix’s words.

“Is that so?”

So, is Hershela’s muscle a diseased muscle?

No matter how much I think about it, her mind is not in the right state.

I said my goodbyes and started exercising.

By adjusting the activation of the karma little by little, I checked the level of strength I could exert throughout the battle.

The results were surprising.

No matter how much weight you increase, there is no limit.

The exercise equipment was unable to withstand the weight of my body and was on the verge of breaking.

“Are you a person?”

Even Calix was close to asking that.

Even in the eyes of a muscle-bound Yongin, this is abnormal strength.

I put down the barbell, whose support had become bent, and chatted with Calix, who was resting.

Watching from afar as Nigel devoted himself to training.

Perhaps because he was stimulated by me, his stomach was more excited than usual.

“The small monk will be dispatched again from tomorrow.”

During the chat, Calix brought up such a story.

Wasn’t this gentleman dispatched last time? It would have been a great help if it had been there then.

I mean, he’s a very unhelpful guy.

Anyway, since this was a power struggle within the empire, it was not for Yongin to be involved.

“Really? Pretty eager. It must not have been long since I came back. Who is the enemy?”

“This time, it is said to be a monster. Even half a year ago, the frequency of monsters’ appearance was not very high, but these days, it seems that the appearance of monsters has become quite frequent.”

It’s worth it to become more frequent.

It is a kind of omen. A sign that this world will change greatly in the future.

It’s still a bit early… but it probably means that the moment for change to begin is slowly approaching.

After all, monsters are the main enemies of this world.

In a way, it is also food for growth.

“Hmm…you must have had a hard time.”

Unlike humans, there is no particular accumulation of karma.

Combat experience will increase, though.

“All of this is about accumulating merit.”

Calix put his hands together and laughed.

—-

Finally, the day for the banquet arrived.

I put on my academy uniform and got on the carriage.

I didn’t really wear any other decorations. You do such useless things for someone’s benefit.

I was fortunate that the driver guarding my side was Nigel.

If you were an ordinary maid, you would usually make a fuss about dressing up at times like this, right?

Then, you would have to put on hair, make-up, and even a dress.

Like this woman sitting next to me.

“Huh? Do you have something to say to me?”

Friede tilted her head, looking completely different from usual.

Her neatly combed silver hair was only half-up and fixed with jeweled jewelry, and there was light makeup around her eyes and cheeks, making her look brighter than usual.

I didn’t even know where I had left the uniform I usually wore, but now I was wearing a loose-fitting dress.

A red dress that reveals her white shoulders and puffy upper chest. Even a sparkling jewel necklace around her neck.

“The shape is…so…gorgeous.”

Where did you hide our Friede?

Where does Mr. Friede, who is lonely and has no friends, go, and where does this beautiful young lady with hundreds of suitors go?

Since our destination was the same anyway, I was shocked when he asked me to come with him.

“Of course, you should dress up like this. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a member of House Palun. If I went to the banquet held at the imperial palace as usual, I would be criticized by all kinds of people. That is a dishonorable act that tarnishes the name of Palun.”

Friede smiled haughtily.

Since I was dressed like that, it suited me better than I thought.

Well, if you think about it, she was really the daughter of a great nobleman.

His actions and personality didn’t seem like that at all.

“So, please take care of the escort, driver?”

“Wow.”

“To be rude.”

Friede grinned.

Really, it was difficult to get used to.