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“Wait!”

As if on cue, three men stepped forward from the group. They were the royal knights assigned by Duke Kairos.

“You cannot go any further.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A conflict has erupted in our territory. Neither of the two groups involved have been identified.”

The one speaking, a royal knight named Rivat, stepped forward as their representative.

In other words, he was implying that even abandoned wastelands were still considered territory. This was starting to irritate me.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? If you plan to meddle in other people’s business, just go back.”

“As you said, we’re just trying to fulfill our duty. To put it plainly, we can’t allow the princess to accompany you to such a dangerous place!”

Another knight, Palomo, added in a rough tone.

“And how can you dismiss this as someone else’s business? You’re the one who’s truly mistaken, Prince!”

“Mistaken?”

“This is a matter of our nation’s concern. As a foreigner, it’s not your place to interfere!”

My lips curled into a smirk.

“Aren’t I also a knight of this country, just like you?”

“If you truly see yourself as one of our country’s knights, then you should follow our words all the more. Have you forgotten? We are ‘royal knights’ of this nation!”

I shook my head.

“That’s just a title. It’s the position you’ve been assigned. What, are there ranks among knights outside of strength?”

“In our kingdom, royal knights take precedence over all others! You are in the Kingdom of Hart, so follow our laws, Sir Ancelot!”

The knight named Simmons downright tried giving me commands. At that moment, I heard someone click their tongue from nearby.

“If you wanted to die that bad, you should’ve just said so.”

“……!”

As expected, it was Marquis Foltaine, a man who shared my sentiments.

“Why are you doing this, Marquis? We’ve thought this through carefully, and it’s a reasonable……”

“Enough.”

I cut Rivat off mid-sentence.

“If this is indeed a dispute between outsiders, I believe that gives me even more reason to cross this wasteland.”

“What nonsense is that!?”

“If you are truly knights of the Kingdom of Hart, isn’t it your duty to thoroughly investigate and report incidents within your own borders?”

“That’s……”

“What are you going to say if you return and your superiors ask about it? ‘We found mysterious corpses scattered everywhere, so we had no choice but to come back!’ Is that what you’re going to say?”

“……”

My sarcastic remark finally silenced the royal knights.

“If you’re still determined to obstruct me, then I’ll show you.”

“……Show us what?”

“That I have the skills to uncover the truth behind this massacre. And that, right now, the princess is safest by my side.”

I beckoned them provocatively.

“Come at me. I’ll lay your needless worries to rest, right this instant.”

The three royal knights ground their teeth, no one wanting to be the first to act. Their gaze then shifted in unison.

“Oh, don’t mind me. I have no intention of getting involved.”

Marquis Foltaine, noticing their stares, replied nonchalantly.

“……Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. Why would I meddle in someone else’s fight? And besides, an old man like me doesn’t have the strength for that.”

“It’s just that you’re particularly close to this bast…… er, to Prince Andrew……”

“Don’t worry about that. I have no intention of missing this entertaining spectacle.”

Marquis Foltaine chuckled.

“I can already hear the sound of that old geezer’s underlings getting cut down. How could I pass up such a golden opportunity?”

The royal knights’ expressions stiffened. The marquis was under the assumption that they’d definitely lose.

‘You didn’t have to provoke them, did you?’

‘Hahaha, watching other people fight is the best form of entertainment.’

The marquis and I exchanged quick glances.

“……Prince, you put yourself into this situation. If you lose, you’ll have no choice but to turn back quietly.”

“Whether I’m ‘Prince’ or ‘Sir Ancelot’— just choose one.”

“……Ancelot, swear on your honor.”

Honor?

Did I ever have something like that?

“Fine, whatever. I’ll bet my honor, my parents who live in the Meeke Principality, or whatever. Just hurry up. We don’t have all day.”

“……”

As soon as I spoke, the killing intent directed at me grew stronger.

“……Killed one troll by luck and now you think you can take us too? What do you take royal knights for……?”

“Ha. Didn’t you hear me say we don’t have time? You know what? Just come at me, all three of you at once.”

“……!”

I placed my hand on my sword hilt.

“Don’t worry about your pride. I’ll still win, regardless.”

“How…… how arrogant and insolent can you be……!”

“That’s not it. ‘Arrogant and insolent’ are words that you should be using to describe yourselves.”

“What?”

“How many people here outrank you? There are two marquises here, yet you’re parading around like this just because you rely on your lord’s power. Is this why you came along?”

“……I see now that there’s no point in talking with you.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re out of things to say, aren’t you? You probably just think I got lucky with that troll.”

I could clearly see their thoughts. I’ve always focused on efficient combat. Having spent most of my life on the battlefield, it became second nature.

There’s no need for unnecessary showmanship. I focus on killing the enemy with as little effort as possible.

That way, I can kill one more enemy. That way, I can save one more comrade.

However,

‘That doesn’t mean I can’t put on a show.’

Those internal thorns are constantly obstructing my way. I wasn’t planning to drag them along into such a perilous place.

So……

“I’ll crush that mouth of yours right here, so I don’t need to hear any more of your barking.”

“……!”

At the same moment, the three exchanged glances and quickly formed a surrounding net. All of them were at least mid-level Experts.

Though they appeared dismissive, they instinctively knew. Challenging me individually wouldn’t end well.

‘End it in one move.’

‘There’s no need to think about our pride. The greater cause comes first.’

‘For the homeland!’

That’s what their expressions seemed to say.

And then,

Swish!

They each took their positions and shot towards me.

Hummm!

All of them channeled mana into their blades.

“You dug your own grave. Don’t blame us, Prince!”

“Blame your own loose tongue!”

The ones charging in from either side shouted with fervor. Meanwhile, the last one quietly approached from behind.

I tracked them, not with my eyes, but with my senses.

And then,

‘Just connect the dots.’

The enemies and me.

Find the shortest distance between us.

Clang!

The sound of metal rang out. It was the result of perfectly striking the center of their sword.

Before the first opponent could fully exert his strength, I had already moved.

Whirl!

Taken off guard, Rivat lost his grip on his sword, a look of shock spreading across his face.

“Oho. How can he be so agile?”

The admiring voice of Marquis Foltaine echoed just a moment later.

‘This is the pinnacle of the swift sword that Harun needs to master.’

By then, my body was already in motion.

“……!”

Next, I saw the startled face of the royal knight, Palomo.

Clang!

I lightly met his sword with mine, which was falling toward my head. The sound of metal rang out again.

I wasn’t clashing with brute strength. I simply changed the direction of the strike.

It was as natural as the flow of water.

‘Watch and learn, kids.’

They should’ve already grasped the basics when we fought those monsters earlier. That wasn’t training, but a real battle.

I wanted to ensure they wouldn’t forget the sharp instincts they gained from the battlefield.

Thunk!

“Oof!”

I used the charging opponent’s own strength against him. Deflecting his sword while simultaneously sweeping his legs.

Palomo, still gripping his sword, was lifted entirely off the ground.

Whirl, whirl, whirl!

His large body spun three times in mid-air.

Thud!

And then he crashed to the ground, landing awkwardly on his backside.

‘One more to go.’

I quickly spun around. The last knight’s sword was already inches from my face.

Sla-sh!

The tip of my sword, which had been pointing downward, shot upward like a volcanic eruption.

As a result

“Gasp!”

Startled, Simmons hurriedly retreated, barely dodging the tip of my sword as it grazed his hair.

The sword in his hand had already split in two, clattering to the ground.

‘A sword that doesn’t retreat, even if it means enduring a blow.’

The essence of the sword that crushes with sheer force.

‘Jan, this is the sword you need to learn from now on.’

Hoping the kids would take something away from this, I calmly surveyed the surroundings.

Soon, the royal knights, who had completely lost their will to fight, caught my eyes.

“Anyone still have a complaint?”

“……”

Of course, there was no response. Their pride must have taken a serious blow. In the heavy silence, I heard someone gulp.

“M-My goodness……”

“Was the prince always this strong?”

“Those knights are among the best in the royal guard……”

“I told you, didn’t I? The marquis’s judgment is always spot-on.”

The marquis’s knights began whispering among themselves.

“The mood’s a mess.”

“……”

“So, I think it’s best if the cause of it—namely you guys—leaves now.”

At my words, Ribat, the royal knight, flinched and prepared to speak.

“……Prince, even so, that’s……”

“You’re not seriously thinking of tagging along after all this, are you?”

“……”

Biting their lips in frustration, the three knights reluctantly stood up. After exchanging glances, they trudged off towards the forest like defeated soldiers.

A faint smile crept onto my face.

“Chivalry can be handy sometimes, huh? At least they care enough about their appearances.”

They would likely have a rough time on their way back. It would be no easy feat to get through the monster-infested forest with just the three of them.

“Now I understand what you meant.”

Just then, Marquis Foltaine approached me quietly.

“Youth really does have its perks. They can afford to deal with their problems head-on.”

“Is that how you took it? Honestly, I’m surprised. I didn’t think they’d leave so easily.”

“Hahaha. It’s a good thing they didn’t end up face down in the dirt. Three grown men got bested by a mere teenager.”

Marquis Foltaine gave me a knowing look.

“So, tell me. Did you provoke them on purpose?”

“You’re quite shameless, aren’t you? Coming from you?”

“I just read your mind and helped you out.”

Foltaine’s voice was low, but it carried clearly.

“If word gets out that something like this happened near our territory, the King or other nobles might use it as an excuse to confront the Empire again.”

“So, that’s what this was about.”

Marquis Milon approached us, nodding.

“Two unknown factions. One seems to be Verdant Vale, and……”

Milon glanced in my direction.

“……The Empire that is chasing Verdant Vale.”

“Judging from the outcome, they’re chasing their own traitors without seeking cooperation from another nation, and the pursuit led to a conflict within another country’s territory. Duke Kairos won’t stay still once he finds out. Those knights likely wanted to report it as soon as possible, which is why they left.”

“If that’s the case, it’s better if it’s reported now. If we enter Black Swan and it turns out the group isn’t from the Empire, the justification to expel them weakens.”

Both marquises fixed their eyes on me.

“How many steps ahead are you thinking, you crafty brat?”

“To be honest, I had a more important reason.”

“A more important reason? And what’s that?”

I looked off to the side without a word. There, the kids were deep in thought.

“……The outcomes of facing the unknown won’t always be positive. Sometimes, they’ll taste defeat like those royal knights did.”

“Haha. They’re gonna have a bitter taste in their mouths, alright.”

“Whether they collapse from it or use it as a stepping stone to grow is ultimately up to them.”

At that moment, the two marquises seemed to catch on to where my gaze was directed.

“In any case…… I’m curious to see how they’ll report on you once they return. I expect interesting developments when we get back.”

With my eyes still fixed on the kids, a faint smile appeared on my lips as well.

“I’m also looking forward to seeing how this journey ends.”

***