episode_0052

Her Majesty Herphina of Mersenne.

She was currently at the Crown Prince’s Palace.

After elegantly sipping her tea, the Empress spoke.

“It seems this is the first time I’ve disappointed my son.”

To say such words to her just awakened son, the Empress was quite irritated.

Despite her cold expression that seemed to have long abandoned emotions, Service felt extremely confused.

“I apologize, Mother.”

Being moved here after fainting was evidence of his defeat to that maid.

But was that maid truly that skilled…?

Looking at the puzzled Service, who tilted his head, the Empress slowly set down her teacup.

“Why did you commit such an offense?”

A smile formed involuntarily.

Service knew well what that expression meant.

An obsession disguised as love.

Or anger towards a world that had broken its wings.

Even before becoming Empress, her mother had always been like this.

-Service. Practice swordsmanship until midnight starting today.

-Never show laughter without reason to the lower ranks; I must have told you this several times.

As her son, Service could never afford to be imperfect even for a moment.

And today.

He wasn’t sure what had happened.

Surely, he had just experienced his first defeat in life.

But why couldn’t he remember anything at all?

Was it carelessness…?

“Me?”

Surely not…

“Start your swordsmanship training again from today.”

…Swordsmanship training.

He had already traversed countless battlefields on the empire’s fringes.

For him, who had achieved numerous victories, being asked to restart such simple training reminiscent of his childhood was perplexing.

“Mother, I no longer need training…”

At eighteen years old now, it took considerable courage to speak these words to his birth mother, a situation that was quite shameful for a Crown Prince.

Perhaps even as Emperor, he would never escape this suffocation.

Feeling that way again today, it was quite natural for his face to contort.

“Is it believable for a fallen prince to claim that dirt got in his eyes?”

“W-What…!”

Shocked by the unexpected statement, Service was left speechless.

“Though your subordinates are already under strict control by me, eventually, words will leak out. Humans are such beings.”

“So, before rumors spread that the Crown Prince was ashamed of his defeat, create an image of ‘striving to become stronger even after such a loss.’ Make it visible to everyone. Do you understand my words?”

Having said this, the Empress patted Service’s head, but he couldn’t help but shiver at his mother’s touch.

“I am just a tool of my mother…”

He had always thought that way since he was young.

That endless ambition was believed to be a mother’s duty, and he never doubted it.

But as he grew older, he realized not everyone was like that.

Only his own mother acted this way.

“I understand.”

But even so, what could he do?

Defy his angry mother’s words?

If he could, he would have done so long ago.

However, through multiple experiences, he had learned that such actions would only bring greater trials.

Thus, now, whatever the Empress commanded, he had no choice but to follow and see.

“Well then, start right away.”

With a bright smile, the Empress left the Prince’s Palace.

Just after the Empress left.

For a moment, Service felt a disturbing gaze as if someone was watching him.

Swish-

But when he raised his head, there was nothing on the ceiling.

“Sigh….”

What in the world had happened?

It felt like his memories had been cleanly wiped away since the duel with Astia began. He couldn’t recall anything after that.

In truth, anyone could have known.

The duel with Astia was more like a deliberate provocation than an actual duel.

He couldn’t remember how heated things had gotten since witnessing the Crown Prince’s engagement ceremony.

For the first time in his life, he got drunk and ended up smashing almost all the furniture in the bedroom with his bare hands.

Elaine Bart.

That beautiful woman turned out to be the fiancée of that trashy Eos guy.

Service didn’t know.

Why had that woman Elaine firmly planted herself in his heart in such a short time?

In fact, even at this moment, he only desired her without caring to understand why.

And he could sense it.

Without needing to investigate or analyze, he knew it would undoubtedly be a strategic marriage.

But a strategic marriage involved giving and receiving something from each other.

That’s why he couldn’t comprehend the marriage in his mind.

It wasn’t about the intentions of Lord Bart.

More importantly, what mattered was that he, who had never paid attention to women before, now ardently desired only Elaine.

Service had always thought.

Once he drove out the barbarians invading the western border as planned by Mohu, he would take Elaine from Eos.

Of course, the method was already decided.

If he killed the Emperor and pinned the blame on Eos, Lord Bart would have no choice but to announce the annulment to save his own life.

And to shift the blame, ultimately, there should be no witnesses.

The most obstructive were Astia, the constant companion, and Glentino, the noisy troublemaker.

Glentino might not be much, but the bodyguards were said to be quite strong.

So.

He needed to incapacitate them in advance, ensuring they couldn’t stay by Eos’ side any longer.

That’s why he dueled.

Until the impending barbarian attack was over, he planned to separate Eos’ guards and ensure Glentino couldn’t remain in the Prince’s palace.

But what?

He had fallen for Eos?

That decrepit excuse for a Crown Prince?

How badly must he have been beaten that his face still hurt even though the healing was complete?

Of course, the pain on his face was nothing compared to the shattered pride in Mohu’s eyes filled with blatant disdain.

“Damn it….”

Yes, it was undoubtedly due to his carelessness.

If he hadn’t been careless, there was no way he would have been so severely beaten by that scum.

Service stood up from his seat.

He was ready to confront Eos again right away.

“If I do it properly this time, I will never lose.”

However.

“Why me?”

The Crown Prince he faced in the palace suddenly said.

“If we fight again, I will definitely not lose!”

Due to Astia and Glentino’s mocking laughter, his face flushed, and he unconsciously shouted back.

“So what?”

“….”

But a duel was something that couldn’t be avoided if the other party didn’t agree. Service couldn’t find the right words.

“I told you. If you’re so idle, hand over the Crown Prince position. Can you tell His Majesty that for me?”

In the end, Service had no choice but to head to the training ground alone.

“I will make sure you participate in the duel no matter what!”

There were countless ways to handle the situation.

Until he came to challenge me himself, I would use every connection, position, and resource at my disposal to torment him.

Killing the emperor would mark the beginning of a shameful defeat being avenged.

As I arrived at the training grounds for practice, Servis thought of the empress’s face.

Deep within, he quietly vowed,

Once I kill the emperor and become the emperor myself, I must eliminate even my own mother who would try to control me at every turn.

***

Upon returning to the Queen’s Palace, Herpina received a report from a servant.

“Elaine Bart has gone to the Marquis’s estate? Inform my father that on his way back, he should be kidnapped without a trace.”

After the servant left,

Alone in the palace, the queen organized her thoughts.

Strange.

No matter how much she thought about it, this was no ordinary occurrence.

Someone had targeted her son.

At just eighteen, he was a skilled knight and undefeated in duels.

A formidable swordsman who could match the best.

That was Prince Servis of Mersenne.

Yet, he fell victim to an attack on a dirt path?

The queen recalled what the knights had told her.

– While His Highness was scattering dirt, a sudden sandstorm arose.

– Though occasional gusts were common, such a dense one was unprecedented. It was so thick that visibility was greatly reduced.

A smile played on the queen’s lips.

A mix of anger and joy.

These emotions intertwined subtly, creating a strange sense of wonder.

“I see.”

The queen finally realized.

“Regardless of how it happened, he succeeded in deciphering it. He must have regained the elves’ abilities.”

If that were the case, it made sense.

In a moment of complacency, summoning a spirit to raise a sandstorm had rendered Servis powerless.

“No wonder.”

Elaine residing in the prince’s palace without any incidents further supported him.

Snick-

However, there was still something unsettling.

“A sandstorm alone? If Servis had wished, he could have blown it away effortlessly…”

Perhaps there was a special measure in place to prevent the Crown Prince Eos from using mana.

And the place where he obtained it was undoubtedly,

“Rivengard.”

The assumption that Eos had recovered his abilities and gained even stronger ones added a new dimension to the blocked train of thought.

“…Then everything makes sense.”

What about the blazing Matapju?

“He’s either dead or exiled.”

Barbadun, the barbarian king, was likely in a similar situation.

“Yet he put on such a show. The son of Wiblea. Truly remarkable.”

Herpina genuinely smiled with delight.

It felt good to encounter a worthy adversary after so long.

“Eos, this arrogant fellow. Let’s see who wins, shall we?”

Muttering to herself, the queen slowly began sipping the now cold tea.

In her mind, Elaine’s image was vividly present.

With just that child as a hostage, she could do anything.

Leaving the palace at that moment was surely an opportunity granted by the goddess Aurora to set things right.

***

I went to greet Elaine as he returned, riding the Matapju’s ship as a marquis.

Ardor…

He kept insisting on calling it the “Flying Ship,” despite its fine name Helios, prompting me to ask why he always referred to it as such.

Of course, right after he said that.

When he once again provoked Duke Pelios, who practically lived on the ship nowadays, Ardor seemed pitiful, so he subtly hinted that he would call it Helios from now on.

Shortly after,

As Elaine was summoned onto the ship, he looked at me with a touched expression.