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“Simmons, Palomo, and Rivat.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“You three, escort Her Highness.”

“Understood!”

At once, three men stepped forward from the royal knights.

“……Your Grace.”

Before Duke Herman could voice any objections, Duke Kairos quickly added another comment.

“I’m sure you’re aware, but I’m responsible for guarding the palace and the royal family. I admit that Milon is an exceptional wizard, but he’s not enough by himself.”

Though he said ‘guarding’, what he really meant was surveillance.

“These three are some of the best in the royal knights. They’re all at least mid-level Experts. Shouldn’t that be sufficient to protect Her Highness?”

“……”

Though his intentions were obvious, Duke Herman couldn’t argue further. After all, he too had to consider the political risks. If anything happened to the princess, he’d be held fully accountable.

‘……This way, I can at least spread the responsibility a little.’

Duke Herman gave a bitter smile at the conclusion his thoughts naturally arrived at. At the end of the day, he was no different from the rest of the corrupt politicians.

“Alright, then.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

With the matter settled, Duke Kairos discreetly called the three royal knights over.

“Watch him carefully and report back immediately after you return.”

His outstretched finger pointed directly at Ancelot.

“Report on what kind of person the prince is. What he does. Don’t miss a single detail.”

“As you command, Your Grace!”

***

The Black Swan expedition had already set off and was a fair distance from the royal palace.

Clip, clop, clip, clop…… Snort.

Suddenly, the princess’s horse stopped moving.

“It should be okay to dismount now, right?”

“……?”

Marquis Foltaine, who was riding beside her, tilted his head.

“Your Highness, is there a reason you’re not using the horse?”

“Look.”

Winley pointed to the rear of the expedition. There, children around the princess’s age were marching on with small logs strapped to their waists.

“Fuuuucccckkkkk…… He said every second counts, so what in the world are we doing?”

“Sh-Shut up, Harun. Want that log to get heavier?”

“Walk…… Ugh. Faster! He said he’d leave us if we fell behind.”

Harun, Kirian, and Jan were drenched in sweat.

“I feel guilty riding comfortably.”

“But there’s a clear difference in your status. Why would you say such a thing, Your Highness?”

“No, I left the palace because I wanted to live a life no different from others, free from the walls of being a princess. And yet……”

Winley’s gaze remained fixed on the group of children.

“……If I neglect my duties as a princess but enjoy all the luxuries and privileges, wouldn’t that seem too shameless to the people?”

“……”

The Marquis Foltaine, quietly listening, soon smiled faintly.

‘When did the princess become so mature?’

Even the usually silent Marquis Milon widened his eyes in surprise at this unexpected situation.

“Whoa, whoa!”

Snort!

Immediately, Marquis Foltaine stopped his horse.

“Then I must follow as well.”

“What?”

“Your Highness is dismounting. How could I shamelessly ride on alone?”

“N-No, that’s not……”

“This is perfect. They say moving as much as possible at my age is the key to a long life.”

“……”

Milon, watching them in silence, found himself at a loss for words. He was sure he knew these people.

He’d crossed paths with them countless times within the palace. However, their current actions were anything but familiar.

‘Did you cast your magic on them, too?’

Milon’s gaze shifted to the very back of the group. There, walking leisurely while observing the surroundings, was the prince.

‘……But this journey won’t be easy.’

This Black Swan expedition was fraught with internal dissatisfaction. Since the expedition started, Milon had been using magic to enhance his hearing.

He could still hear the grumbling of the knights.

“This is ridiculous. Can we really reach Black Swan with kids like those?”

“Quiet. It’s the Marquis’s orders. Can’t you shut up?”

“……But Vice Captain, Prince Andrew is practically an enemy of the White Lion Brigade. We saw with our own eyes the tears of those left behind in the family.”

“This was the Marquis’ decision. Surely, he has his reasons. Are you betraying your loyalty?”

Milon sighed quietly as he listened.

‘As expected, they’re restless.’

The Foltaine Marquisate was known for its strict discipline. Even so, this was their reaction. Of course, there was a clear cause.

The feud with the Arsene family. That incident was probably the spark.

‘……This isn’t good.’

Milon’s gaze turned in another direction. Nearby, three men dressed in different attire. It seemed the royal knights sent by Duke Kairos had also heard the grumbling, as they had perked up their ears.

“Halt!”

Just then, a loud shout came from the lead scout.

“There are goblins ahead! Five in total!”

“……”

Milon lightly floated into the air using his fly spell. From above, he could see five pitch-black goblins sprawled out on the ground far in the distance.

They had just reached the entrance of the forest of monsters that led to Black Swan in the north.

The goblins appeared right at the edge.

“Wait a moment!”

“……?”

“It’s just goblins. Why don’t we let the kids handle it?”

At the familiar voice, Milon frowned.

‘That crazy prince, does he not understand the situation……!?’

But Princess Winley took it a step further.

“Me too! Let me handle it!”

Unable to hold back, the royal knights stepped forward with furious faces.

“Prince! Is this some kind of joke!?”

“What? What joke?”

“Have you forgotten the importance of this mission? We must send that empire back with this journey! If you’re taking this too lightly just because it concerns another country……”

Flinch.

The royal knight Rivat, who had been speaking, suddenly faltered. The prince, Ancelot, was approaching, his face menacing.

‘The face of a kid…… looks this vicious?’

While Rivat was lost in thought, and before he knew it, Ancelot was standing in front of him.

“If someone needs to take responsibility, I will.”

“……What?”

“Do your job and stop meddling in other people’s business. Did your captain order you to interfere?”

“……!”

The faces of the three royal knights flushed red with shame.

“If you insisted on coming along when you weren’t needed, then don’t try to pull anything funny. Just go back and file your reports before I hang you and beat you to a pulp.”

Tremble.

When had the proud royal knights ever suffered such an insult? Still, they had a final point to make.

“Prince, you may not know since you’re from another country, but the monsters in this magical forest are on a completely different level!”

The northern forest of monsters. As he said, the monsters that resided there were indeed extraordinary.

Their skin was all dark, and they were at least three times the size of ordinary goblins. The royal knights’ outburst, however, was futile.

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

“……?”

Before they knew it, four people were already sprinting past them.

“Finally, freedom!”

“No more logs, thank god!”

“Now I can finally warm up properly.”

“You’re all dead!!!”

With even Winley joining the fray, the scene had devolved into complete chaos. The royal knights, who were a step behind, quickly tried to catch up, but

Slash!

“This is light work. One down!”

“……!”

They all stopped in their tracks.

The boy leading the charge, with the same momentum, sliced a goblin clean in half.

“Wow, Harun, you’re getting the hang of it!”

The child executed such a clean and impressive strike that even the royal knights were taken aback.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Screech!

Another boy, arriving just a moment later, seemed much more timid in comparison.

“O-Oh, no!”

A massive club came crashing down toward the boy’s head. Unintentionally, Rivat let out a gasp, his throat tight with tension.

Clang! Slash!

“H-Huh……?”

The boy deflected the blow effortlessly with the back of his sword and, using the momentum, sliced through the goblin’s midsection in one swift motion.

“This is it!”

Kirian shivered as he felt a rush of exhilaration for the first time.

Slash!

“……”

The third goblin split in half with a ‘crack’, despite its tough skin.

The boy with the distinctive one-eyed gaze— wasn’t he the eldest son of the Arsene family?

“What in the world……?”

“Was Arsene’s swordsmanship always this formidable?”

“……Maybe the defeat of the White Lion Brigade wasn’t just because of a trap after all.”

The knights murmured among themselves.

Then……

Leap! Swish!

“L-Look over there!”

Their gazes quickly shifted skyward. There, like a butterfly, was Winley, leaping gracefully into the air.

Slash! Slash!

Like a shooting star, she dove down, swiftly decapitating the remaining goblins in an instant.

‘……I always knew Her Highness was skilled, but……’

The royal knights began to sweat, a cold chill running down their backs. How could they not know?

They had trained with her for years, sparring together and getting dirty in the training grounds.

With the king’s quiet approval, Princess Winley had steadily honed her swordsmanship, a talent even acknowledged by the kingdom’s Masters.

But still……

‘……Practice and real combat are entirely different.’

This was, after all, Princess Winley’s first actual battle. Most would hesitate in cutting down a living creature, even against monsters.

Facing the killing intent of a goblin’s club could easily freeze someone in place in fear. Moreover, aren’t the monsters’ appearances a bit terrifying?

“They look kinda cute after having faced a real brush with death.”

“……!”

Winley’s soft voice reached Rivat, who was standing nearby.

“Faced…… a real brush with death?”

Rivat’s eyes widened in realization.

Could it be?

Had the princess seen her arranged marriage as a fate worse than death?

‘……Maybe we were the ones putting her through something horrible.’

Of course, the royal knights held a special bond with Winley. It was a type of camaraderie, born from their time together.

That’s why they felt guilty, unable to help despite being aware of her situation.

However.

‘Compared to that bastard prince’s beatings, these goblin clubs are nothing.’

Had they known Winley’s true thoughts, their guilt might have been slightly eased.

Thud!

“……!”

Just then, Rivat, who was about to speak to Winley, flinched. The ground trembled ominously. Then, a suffocating sense of dread washed over them.

“……That’s?”

Roooaaarrr!

Had it been drawn by the scent of blood? Something massive came crashing through the trees in a mad rush.

When Rivat finally identified the creature, his eyes bulged wide.

“A-A troll!?”

A troll, native to the monster forest.

Without magic, its thick hide couldn’t be scratched, and it boasted monstrous regenerative powers, healing from injuries almost instantly.

“Y-Your Highness! Watch out……!”

Rivat hurriedly stepped in front of Winley to shield her.

Leap!

A shadow suddenly soared from behind.

No.

‘……A person?’

It wasn’t a shadow, but a person. Their hair, black as night, glinted under the sunlight.

The graceful figure etched itself into his vision. With movements as elegant as they were deadly, and with a beauty that was hard to ignore.

‘……The prince!’

At the same time as his recognition.

Slash!

A silver line was drawn in the air.

Whish! Thud!

At the same time, something rounded fell from the sky and rolled across the ground.

It was none other than the troll’s head. That terrifying creature had been felled so easily. By a mere teenager, no less.

“I…… can hardly believe it, despite seeing it for myself.”

Even the knights of the Marquis’ household were left speechless, too stunned to say a word.

It was, after all, the most shocking thing they had seen all day.

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – San]

[Proofreader – Abstract]

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

* * *

After the commotion had settled.

“We’ll camp here for the night and move again at dawn!”

As the sun began to set, the Black Swan expedition set up camp. No matter how skilled a group may be, the forest at night was dangerous.

Crackle, crackle.

Avoiding the others, I sat by the fire alone. At that moment, someone quietly approached.

“I delivered the materials to the Marquisate.”

“……You’ve got guts.”

I chuckled quietly as I recognized the person. It was none other than Narakas.

“Medicine that slows the heart rate…… I’ve never heard of anything like that. Where did you learn such a formula?”

“And you, now that you’ve got a proper party together, isn’t it time you started talking?”

“About what?”

Narakas replied, feigning ignorance.

“No matter what you say, I’m still going into that land of death anyway.”

“So, what exactly do you want to know?”

“Verdant Vale.”

“……!”

That had been the lingering question. Everyone knew that the Black Swan was surrounded by death on three sides.

To the north, monsters constantly appeared. To the east, the Dwarves would never allow humans to trespass in the mountains.

And to the west, the vast forest of the Elves was equally impenetrable.

“There’s no way the empire’s proud people lied about it. And those bandits— they’re still human, right? How are they surviving in that cursed land of death?”

“……”

Narakas remained silent, and I gave him a small smile. It didn’t seem like he was going to tell me.

“……I learned something important after you screwed me over so badly.”

“……?”

Narakas looked at me, half curious, half confused. After my near-death experience, I had a new, ironclad rule, Chapter 0.

“Are you going to talk, or are you going to make me beat it out of you?”

Never let the same person get the better of you twice.

***