episode_0051

It had been a month since dealing with Barbados.

The founding ceremony had ended successfully.

My engagement ceremony, held at Bayorn Square that day, had also concluded without a hitch.

Elaine, dressed in her gown, was dazzlingly beautiful.

The light peck on the cheek we shared must have felt enchanting for that reason.

Recalling the sweetness of that moment made my face flush once again.

Hmm.

Anyway, the public were truly amusing individuals.

From avidly criticizing me until my appearance, they transitioned to cheering and chanting my name with joyful faces after hearing the Emperor’s speech about preventing the war with the elves.

Initially dismissing it as baseless rumors, they eventually seemed to accept the words of the Emperor, a great conqueror known for his honesty.

Infamy could be easily gained but, as I realized that day, it could also be erased more effortlessly than one might think.

Of course, this was under the assumption that the Emperor had my back.

However, one concern lingered: Empress Shulein and Duchess Shurein, who had been elusive despite the considerable time passed.

Despite attempts like poisoning the maidservant and Glentino, along with several kidnapping and assassination endeavors, they remained inactive.

While Astia thwarted the abduction attempt and the spirit clones of Aqu within their bodies easily resolved the poisoning, it was still odd.

Even though my notoriety had significantly diminished, their lack of movement seemed out of character.

These were not individuals to give up easily, which left me feeling oddly suspicious due to their silence.

Hence, for now, I had released the spirits to intensively monitor the Imperial Palace, including the Emperor.

Tap-tap—

Suddenly, a knock was heard.

Perhaps Elaine?

“Come in.”

Through the slowly opening door, the first thing visible was, unsurprisingly, the radiant long blonde hair bathed in sunlight.

Next, sparkling blue eyes caught my attention.

As expected, the cautiously entering person was Elaine.

Her elegant dress, fitting for a princess, accentuated her slightly blushed face.

Due to her royal status, she currently resided in the Prince’s Palace.

Initially surprised when she suggested sharing a room to see her grandson quickly, I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks warming up again at the memory.

“Your Highness, I plan to visit that house today… I intend to spend a night with my mother.”

“Sure, have a safe trip.”

As soon as I said that, Elaine’s expression suddenly darkened.

Though she seemed to have something else to say, she appeared to be holding back tightly with clenched fists.

“Yes…”

For some reason, right after Elaine left with a disappointed look, urgent cries from the spirits were heard.

The message indicated that Astia, who was training in the drill grounds after a long time, was in a dispute with Service.

And the target happened to be Serbis.

I had a hunch.

Astia, who rescued the maid and Glentino from the danger of abduction, disguised herself with a blackened head and a mask. She was also the one who subdued the Pavels previously, tying down Serbis.

Perhaps Serbis suspected Astia of being the one hindering her at every turn.

Or maybe she intended to neutralize my escort before attempting any significant harm against me.

In that case, I couldn’t just stand by.

Astia was like a close childhood friend to me.

It was only right for me to assist her before she found herself in danger.

***

Upon arriving at the drill grounds, Astia and Serbis were engaged in a fierce duel.

Astia, with a sweaty face, pushed her mana to the maximum and exerted all her strength, but despite using minimal mana, Service was overwhelming her.

It seemed like she was in a much stronger state than Astia had anticipated.

“Service.”

Although the name was called from quite a distance, both Service and Astia froze in place.

Service smiled as if he had expected my arrival, while Astia, looking perplexed, shook her head at me.

The message was clear: Service was so strong that I couldn’t possibly compete with him.

Therefore, it was futile to even consider challenging him.

Moreover, engaging in such a pointless duel seemed like a sign that it was meant to test my abilities.

But it didn’t matter.

Protecting my people was the right thing to do.

After all, wasn’t I not the infamous fallen prince?

If one hides behind infamy, there is nothing one cannot do without being judged, and that man was me.

“Have you come, sir?”

A condescending gaze towards the subordinate.

Even during his time as the Crown Prince, Eos always treated this fellow in such a manner.

“Service. What gives you the audacity to interfere with my guard?”

Service appeared slightly taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

“Interfere, sir? I am merely imparting lessons to this knight. It’s not like I’m wasting my precious time for no reason.”

“So, what gives you the right to teach?”

“….”

“Is the position of Crown Prince so idle? Is your precious time so abundant?”

I raised the level of provocation.

“Then right away, make amends to His Majesty and step down from the position of Crown Prince. Someone more capable than you will surely fill the void.”

“Hahaha.”

Unable to find the right words, Service burst into laughter.

“Can you stand by what you just said, sir?”

“What did I say?”

“That insignificant thing you mentioned. Such words are something you can only say when you are stronger than me, right?”

“If I am stronger than you?”

Service’s face lit up as if he found it amusing.

“Oh! I’ve heard that too. Crushing a knight who didn’t even use mana, smearing dirt on his face like a child. The moment I heard that, I felt even more ashamed. Even after disrespecting the royal family like that, you seem to feel no shame at all, sir.”

“Yes, I have done such things. Rufus Erdante. There was definitely a time when I crushed that clueless face of that guy who didn’t even know what the battlefield was. How about you? Can you defeat me without using mana? In my opinion, you also seem like a useless fool without mana.”

“Very well. I won’t use mana either. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Astia, hand me the sword.”

Swish!

With the power of Wiblea, the Astia’s longsword, which had felt quite heavy before, now felt weightless.

As a result, I did not falter at all while exchanging blows with Service.

Clang! Thud!

Even without much movement, I effortlessly parried his attacks, causing his expression to rapidly sour.

However, if I continued like this, my abilities would eventually be exposed.

In that case, the Empress and Duke Shurain would undoubtedly launch an attack against me with all their might.

To win as a villain should.

Until the foundation is laid, I must maintain this facade to keep my enemies off guard.

I deliberately gasped for breath, swaying my body slightly as if intoxicated by alcohol.

Gradually slowing my movements, I pretended to block his sword before subtly letting go of my own blade.

Subsequently, feigning imbalance, I pretended to fall to the ground.

“Oh, have you fallen, sir?”

Only then did he laugh as if it were expected.

With a throbbing buttock, I clenched the dirt in front of him.

“Surely, you wouldn’t think of sprinkling that on me, would you?”

“Yeah, I just threw it in a fit of anger.”

Immediately after saying so, I scattered dirt all around.

“What a crazy bastard!”

Though Serbis’s rough words were unfamiliar to me, he quickly summoned Wint and Rack to raise a thick sandstorm.

A vast amount of sand swirled around Serbis, converging on him like a swarm of bees.

Despite him closing his eyes and stepping back to avoid it, I rushed forward and grabbed him by the hair.

Perhaps thinking disgrace like Rufus’s was out of the question, he tried to draw mana in an instant.

But it was already too late.

The time spirit Aitas, disguised as a rooster, concealed within the dirt storm, stared him down.

As time reversed, Serbis’s mana sank, but he was unaware if time itself was rewinding.

Sand had filled his nostrils, hindering his senses.

Thud!

I grabbed his hair and drove my knee into his face without hesitation.

“Ugh!”

“You shouldn’t have let your guard down.”

Thud!

“Gah!”

“No matter how skilled you are, if dirt gets in your eyes, there’s nothing you can do.”

Despite immense pain, he attempted to raise mana, but I kept reversing time each time, preventing him from doing so.

Without rest, I kept delivering knee kicks to his face until he lost consciousness.

Empowered by the strength of Wiblea, my physical form displayed an extraordinary performance.

The formidable villain Serbis, with unmatched physical prowess, was knocked out cold by mere knee strikes.

Of course, had he been raising mana from the start, the situation might have been different, but that was none of my concern.

As the sandstorm that momentarily obscured our view dissipated, my image holding the unconscious Serbis by the hair came into view.

Upon seeing me in that state, the knights sent me disdainful glances tinged with a sense of bewilderment.

Of course, for someone who had once again scattered dirt, seized hair, and claimed victory in the duel, it was a fitting reception.

Thus.

The Empress of the Mersenne Empire, Herphina, was currently conversing with Duke Shurain.

“Why on earth do these barbarians still refuse to keep their promises!”

Of course, the ongoing discussion for several days was slightly unrealistic.

However, Duke Shurain had no words to offer.

Barbarian King Barbarudan.

He had suddenly cut off communication unilaterally, seemingly vanished, with no sightings across the continent.

Rumors even circulated about the barbarian king and his army being wiped out overnight.

Suddenly, a maid rushed in.

“Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!”

Slap!

The Empress immediately rose from her seat and slapped the maid’s cheek.

“Ugh….”

Of course, after slapping her, she glanced at her father.

It was as if she was indirectly blaming him for the anger caused.

The maid, seemingly accustomed to such incidents, could only whimper softly, unable to even scream.

“Speak up, or I’ll rip out your tongue unless it’s truly serious.”

“T-the Crown Prince is injured and has collapsed during the duel… Your Highness…”

Crack!

The Empress once again slapped the maid.

“To whom!”

“T-the Crown Prince Eos…”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

The Empress, seemingly unable to contain her rage, began relentlessly slapping the maid.

“Take her away now and rip out her tongue!”

Ultimately, she resorted to punishing the maid without reason, standing firm and resolute.

“Your Majesty, please! Please spare my life! Your Grace, I beg you to save me!”

However, even as she spoke these words, the maid, who had witnessed countless cases of her predecessors, knew all too well.

The series of failures that had befallen the Empress, who had never experienced failure before, were enough to paralyze her reason.