episode_0006

There wasn’t much for me to do in preparing for my studies abroad.

Since it was a royal’s education, there were many things to arrange, and I was more like an afterthought—so the kingdom took care of everything for me.

All I had to do was find someone to manage my estate in my absence, sign long-term contracts with the merchants in my commercial district, and inform the people around me about my imperial studies.

“You’re finally leaving!”

Looking at the woman who seemed the most delighted, I replied with a voice full of disappointment.

“Senior Lucia. Isn’t this a bit too harsh on your junior?”

Unlike usual, her crimson eyes—matching the color of her hair—were sparkling brightly.

For a beloved junior to be leaving for a distant land, and yet she was this happy?

What a cruel senior.

“You’re the cruel one! Do you have any idea how much Hesitia throws a fit every time she loses to you?!”

Senior Lucia immediately pouted, but I could only shake my head.

Sure, people curse the king behind his back, but to casually refer to a princess of the kingdom in informal speech?

Of course, it was Princess Hesitia who had insisted on it, but to spit it out so naturally…

Senior, it’s already too late for you.

It was clear she’d spend the rest of her life by Princess Hesitia’s side.

“You should start carrying around contracts instead of resignation letters, just like me.”

“Junior, what are you even saying…?”

“You already know it’s too late. If you can’t escape, at least make sure you’re well-compensated.”

“W-what nonsense! This year, I’m definitely resigning, finding a man, and meeting someone to promise marriage to!”

I could say with certainty:

That’ll be tough.

Senior Lucia wasn’t lacking in family background, looks, or personal ability.

No, if anything, she had more than enough.

And that was the problem.

Finding a decent man would be easy enough, but…

“First, that man would have to get past Princess Hesitia, wouldn’t he?”

Princess Hesitia was the type to draw her sword the moment she heard someone was being considered as a friend for her younger sibling.

For her most precious sandbag—no, friend—Senior Lucia, she wouldn’t hesitate to charge in with a sword in each hand.

“Junior, what kind of nonsense is that…?”

“Don’t you know better than anyone?”

She knew. She just kept running away from it.

She refused to admit it, but she probably understood her own future better than I did.

“You’ll be happier if you just give up.”

The Knight Commander would never let go of a high-caliber talent like Senior Lucia, but even if the commander and the royal family did, Princess Hesitia would never allow it.

“Adam is right. And our role is to support the pillars of the royal family. Do not try to flee from such an honorable duty.”

Turning toward the monotonous voice, I saw a man grinding coffee beans in a mill.

Blond hair, blue eyes, a face like a painting, and an aura that screamed nobility with every breath.

This was Senior Daniel, the first-ranked among current royal instructors and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the future king’s right-hand man—the instructor to the First Prince.

The oldest among active instructors and a figure of attention in high society as the future king’s confidant.

In other words, the de facto leader among the royal instructors.

And yet—

“Easy for you to say, Senior…!”

This was Senior Lucia we were talking about.

The woman who, despite being superior to Senior Daniel in every way, had her resignation letters torn up by the Knight Commander three times a week—only to write three more the next week.

“……”

Even the illustrious Senior Daniel averted his gaze under the weight of her intensity.

“His Highness Allen isn’t like Princess Hesitia!”

Senior Lucia cried out with all the bitterness in her heart.

And she wasn’t wrong.

True to the kingdom’s reputation as a land of knights, Prince Allen had trained in swordsmanship since childhood and possessed considerable talent—enough that he wouldn’t be easily beaten.

But he had long been groomed as the next king.

No matter how much the kingdom valued martial prowess, ruling a nation required more than just brute strength.

Thus, Prince Allen, as the crown prince, had devoted himself to studies and politics from a younger age than Prince Ellen, honing the qualities of a king.

Inevitably, this distanced him from the sword—and by extension, his instructor, Senior Daniel, had also drifted away from it.

“Anyone want coffee?”

“Me.”

“Me too. But don’t change the subject.”

Sniffling, Senior Lucia glared with teary eyes, and Senior Daniel fell silent.

Prince Allen had set aside the sword, and so had Senior Daniel.

Honestly, if they fought now, Senior Lucia would undoubtedly win.

“You don’t even go to the training grounds anymore.”

“I go sometimes. Sometimes.”

Truthfully, no one could be a more ideal royal instructor than Senior Daniel.

The sparring sessions between Prince Allen and Senior Daniel had long since devolved into something resembling the golf outings of wealthy elites in movies and dramas from my past life.

Pure socializing.

And that was, in essence, the original role of a royal instructor.

So, even as he glanced at Senior Lucia’s pouting face, Senior Daniel spoke with confidence.

“To be honest, I’m not the only one like this.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Every instructor assigned to a prince or princess had their own circumstances, but compared to us, they were all closer to Senior Daniel’s situation.

“You two are the odd ones. It’s not like I did anything wrong.”

Every word was true.

Princess Hesitia and Prince Ellen were exceptions.

No matter how much the kingdom prided itself on its knights, royalty didn’t spend more time in training grounds than in social circles.

It was just that Princess Hesitia loved the sword to an abnormal degree, and Prince Ellen was a freakish monster.

The rest of the royals were skilled, but they weren’t the type to stake their lives on the sword.

“From the moment you were granted the right to defeat royalty at any time, your paths diverged from ours.”

The Sword of Defeat.

True to its name, it was a sword meant solely for losing—yet, ironically, Senior Lucia and I had been granted the right to never lose.

Of course, the reason we received that privilege wasn’t because of anything special…

“It’s because we couldn’t win in the first place!”

It was simply that our opponents were so overwhelmingly talented that we stood no chance unless they deliberately held back.

“Still, having the privilege is different from not having it.”

“That’s true.”

The timing of an instructor’s defeat was decided only after careful deliberation by the kingdom’s senior officials, including the Knight Commander.

If the royals won too often, the thrill of victory would diminish—so they had to lose at the right moments.

But if handled poorly, it could ignite their competitive spirit, leading them to neglect their duties and studies in favor of obsessive training—just like Princess Hesitia.

But Senior Lucia and I were different.

We could win whenever we wanted.

Of course, this was the result of numerous overlapping circumstances and the fact that we couldn’t win even if we tried—but the mere fact that we had this privilege proved we were treated differently from other instructors.

And most importantly—

“And we’re compensated accordingly.”

As Senior said, the overwhelming bonuses Senior Lucia and I received.

Even Senior Daniel, the instructor to the crown prince, paled in comparison.

Add in the various elixirs and swordsmanship masters, and the benefits we enjoyed were nearly on par with royalty.

“Instead of that privilege, they should just accept my resignation.”

Senior Lucia might not see it, but I was satisfied enough to nod.

Two estates in the capital.

A phrase that never failed to warm my heart.

“So, Adam. Great expectations rest on you.”

“I’ll do my best, but don’t expect too much.”

Though I still had half a year left at the academy, the rumors were unsettling.

First, there was news of renowned swordsmen from famous schools enrolling.

Then, word came that royals from Dale—our kingdom’s rival—along with several prominent mages from the Magic Towers, would also be joining.

Of course, rumors were just rumors—not all of them would materialize.

But even if only half were true, it meant most of the continent’s rising stars would gather at the Imperial Academy.

“Just trust in Prince Ellen.”

As the sandbag of a genius prince, I had no confidence against real prodigies.

“……”

“……”

At my sincere words, the two seniors stared at me with expressions of disbelief.

“What? Why?”

As I frowned under their gazes, Senior Daniel handed me a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

“Truly a frog in a well.”

“A frog? I’d say I’m a bit too big for that.”

Senior Lucia muttered, her face twisting slightly—perhaps from the bitter coffee.

It was odd how their stares lingered, but I chalked it up to my imagination and dropped about five sugar cubes into my coffee.

“Coffee should be enjoyed as it is…”

Senior Daniel grumbled, but I was the one drinking it.

Whether I added sugar or salt, as long as I enjoyed it, what did it matter?

“Well, at least I won’t be getting beaten up everywhere I go.”

I might not be the kingdom’s pride, but I had no intention of embarrassing myself.

Aside from the Sword Saint and a dozen or so others, I should be able to hold my own.

Ranking around 11th among the academy’s swordsmen—wouldn’t that be just right?

“Think what you want.”

“Then again, I also thought I was weak before entering the academy.”

Senior Lucia spoke as if reminiscing about her own past, but I didn’t consider myself weak.

I just refused to underestimate the students enrolling in the Imperial Academy this time.

“The Royal Academy was full of opponents we already knew.”

Despite the kingdom’s title as the Land of Knights and the Royal Academy’s reputation for gathering exceptional swordsmen, most students were from Leon Kingdom itself.

Exchange students made up at most 10%, and even they were individuals the royal family had already assessed.

But the Imperial Academy was different.

We couldn’t rely on the royal family or the Knight Commander’s support.

Unlike before, we’d have to face them with pure skill alone.

The world was vast, and masters were plentiful.

Of course, even in this vast world, Prince Ellen would stand unparalleled.

But Sword Saint Asran and other famed prodigies of the continent would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

By meeting them, experiencing them, and sometimes clashing with them, Prince Ellen would grow even stronger.

After all, that was the whole point of studying abroad in the empire.

“I just need to stand by his side until then.”

Until Prince Ellen met those people.

So that his path wouldn’t be lonely.

So that he wouldn’t lose his way while walking alone.

That was my role.

“Well said.”

Senior Daniel nodded in satisfaction.

“Very impressive, indeed.”

Senior Lucia pouted and muttered under her breath.

But in that warm moment, filled with the rich aroma of coffee, none of us knew—

“……Huh?”

With a creak, my head turned unnaturally.

The gazes around me were filled with shock—all directed at me.

I looked down.

A gray-haired young man lay collapsed on the ground.

The fierce aura that had once filled his eyes was gone.

“……”

Quietly, I recalled his name.

Sword Saint Asran.

A swordsman whose fame, among this year’s enrollees, rivaled even Prince Ellen’s.

And the name of the opponent I had lightly sparred with during the entrance ceremony.

Literally, lightly.

I really did hold back.

So why—

“……Why?”

No, what the hell?

This isn’t a bed—why are you lying on the ground?

I genuinely don’t get it.