Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

Naturally, no one would believe it.

 

That the waist of Gray, a Sword Master, had been shattered by the hands of the Third Prince, who was smiling beautifully with a face as brightly bloomed as had been rarely seen in recent times.

 

As commonly known, embarking on the path of the sword was by no means an easy task. Although Gray came from a Knight Family and thus had an advantageous position in sword training compared to others, he too had suffered considerably before becoming a Sword Master. Yet the person he feared so much that he could not even think of revenge, despite having lost all the power he had worked so hard to obtain in an instant, was none other than the Third Prince Kalian.

 

Gray, who had not only failed to notice Kalian entering but had not even sensed him standing nearby and now saw Kalian who had somehow approached right before his nose, regretted for a very brief moment.

 

[I should have listened when Sillike warned me. I should not have gone to Cyriesus at all.]

 

While regretting this in his mind, his body reacted quickly. He could not have his barely mended waist shattered once again.

 

The first thing Gray did, springing up like a frog that had unknowingly stepped onto a heated sword, was to greet him.

 

“Greetings Prince Kalian.”

 

“Yes. It seems your waist has healed well. It does not appear to be creaking.”

 

Kalian, having received the fastest and most formal greeting from any Beurisen, nodded his head as if satisfied and replied.

 

“It bends well now. Healing techniques have improved quite a lot these days.”

 

And then he said these words that scraped at Gray’s insides.

 

It was fortunate that Gray had not touched alcohol the night before. If he had fallen asleep drunk, he would have unconsciously revealed killing intent at those words, and then his head would have fallen off right there on the spot.

 

“Did you meet a priest from Tansyll?”

 

“Yes, Your Highness. I met a person named Malcom Chetish and received treatment.”

 

Though Kalian had not asked for the name, valuable information flowed out smoothly.

 

“Malcom Chetish.”

 

[Is that not the very priest who had helped me when I went to the Latran Territory, which had now been granted to Master?]

 

Kalian was momentarily surprised in his heart to finally learn the hidden story of how Gray’s Dantian had been completely shattered while only his broken waist was cleanly healed.

 

Kalian, seemingly satisfied to have learned something he did not know, nodded his head and opened his mouth with a gentle expression.

 

“But… you did something pointless.”

 

A deep, deep smile appeared on his face that looked as if a spring breeze might blow at any moment.

 

“Since it will be broken again anyway.”

 

Thus, moving that truly only beautiful mouth again, he said these troubling words that brought gray clouds gathering over Gray’s life.

 

“To think you’d called out one of my people and tried to scheme something cute.”

 

Fortunately, being slightly smarter than Evan or Lannen, Gray, who succeeded in quickly recalling the words Kalian had spoken after arriving, made a very aggrieved face. He was so incredibly aggrieved that his body, which had been completely frozen in fear, and his trembling voice had calmed down.

 

“I did not call for him…”

 

“Enough with the excuses. I already know the whole situation.”

 

“You… seem not to know. Actually, that age…”

 

“I am curious what you said to entice that gentle Mage, who has lived knowing nothing but Magic training until now.”

 

[Gentle? Maybe. In front of Your Highness, he would be as gentle as a puppy. I do not know if there is anyone who does not seem gentle in Your Highness’s eyes and is still alive, but fine, he must be gentle. Gentle enough to be alive and breathing with an intact waist.]

 

Gray, who briefly thought of the sunken eyes of that ‘gentle Mage’ who had turned a carriage into debris, tried not to show his disgusted face and said.

 

“Your Highness. Not long ago, that Mage came to find me first. He came and…”

 

“I am somewhat tired from the long journey. I also did some other work last night.”

 

[…What other work did you do?]

 

Gray, who was trying to think positively that surely he had not buried someone in the ground, managed his expression while Kalian glanced at him with a slight smile and spoke again.

 

“To greet a distinguished guest so rudely. Not even preparing a seat. No matter if you are a Beurisen, your manners are terrible.”

 

[Rude? Manners? This is my bedroom. A distinguished guest who suddenly appears at the head of my bed saying he intends to break my waist in half again is talking about manners?]

 

[Something is obviously strange about this.]

 

[Tired? This is the sixth floor, after all, so others might be tired from climbing up here. But, how would High Highness climb up the castle’s outer wall that was made with not a single place to step if this alone would tire him?]

 

[Also, who did he bury last night?]

 

There were many things he wanted to say and even more things he was curious about, but Gray, who could not bring any of them out of his mouth, moved sluggishly. His waist was cold and his heart was cold, but because of those bright red and gleaming eyes that seemed like they would really thoroughly stomp on his limbs this time if he did not obey, he could not say anything properly and pulled out the chair in front of the table.

 

Kalian, who sat down in that seat with an attitude as if the Count was his attendant and as if receiving natural hospitality, tapped the table and opened his mouth.

 

“Sit.”

 

In the end, Gray sat across from Kalian without even being able to pay attention to his light outfit of just a shirt over his pants since he was about to go to bed. Kalian, who had been quietly watching Gray’s well-behaved appearance, opened his mouth.

 

“The scheme you were planning was so insolent that I came here wondering whether to throw you outside as soon as we met or to stomp on you again.”

 

More words of dark clouds gathering over Gray’s future came out.

 

And so, without giving him any chance to clear up the misunderstanding that it was not that, Kalian’s words continued.

 

“Since I have grown somewhat in patience these days, I will forgive you with a generous heart. However, if you pull such a stunt again, even I do not know what I will do then.”

 

Thus, he scolded, forgave, and warned.

 

Ah.

 

What mature magnanimity this was.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

 

Since it was a face that seemed quite proud of itself, Gray conveyed his sincere gratitude without being able to explain Kalian’s misunderstanding. Since he had been forgiven anyway, it seemed about a million times better to be aggrieved for a moment than to have his waist broken again.

 

“Did you want to rise to the rank of Marquis?”

 

Thanks to that, he blinked his eyes, not properly understanding Kalian’s words that came out immediately.

 

If the butler had seen such a behavior in front of Gray, he would have immediately poured out all kinds of constructive criticism to better his Lord. However, Kalian, who was not good at such harsh words, just waited a little for Gray to understand his words.

 

“Why do you ask that?”

 

“You seem to want it.”

 

He had already had the same conversation with Arsene. Gray had informed Arsene on the spot that he had ambitions for the Marquis title and was steadily preparing to go to the Capital. But then Evan, who had joined hands with Plants, found Lannen and completely eliminated the position where Gray would stand, had he not?

 

“Yes, Your Highness. I do not want to spend my entire life blocking Tansyll’s border. Of course, I am doing my best to guard this position. But, I still have greater ambitions.”

 

“You do not seem to be blocking it particularly well. Did you not overlook the Knights of Tansyll crossing the border?”

 

“Overlook, no. That matter was when the King of Tansyll and Prince Randel disguised their identities and…”

 

“Overlook. Certainly. Even though you knew.”

 

Gray quietly closed his mouth.

 

“You, who have supported older brother Randel from the beginning until now, overlooked that Sillike poisoned my mother, overlooked that Viscount Lannen Beurisen obtained poison for me and delivered it to Sillike, overlooked all the circumstances of Viscount Beurisen stealing Divine Artifacts to deliver them to older brother Randel even though you fully grasped them, overlooked the Knights of Tansyll crossing the border disguised as priests, and also.”

 

Kalian, who paused briefly, stared into Gray’s eyes.

 

“Overlooked the circumstances of Marquis Evan Beurisen trying to attack me because he was angry about my mother’s posthumous honor.”

 

With the eyes of a snake looking down at prey, he looked deeply into the two eyes like those of a frog that could not even avoid his gaze while frozen in fear. And,

 

“Am I wrong?”

 

[So do you now have a head to understand my words?

 

* * *

 

‘Shall I reprimand the kind Prince for you?’

 

The early morning of the day after going to the forest with Kalian.

 

Plants ignored Rerik, who nodded his head toward Hina with her face full of the words ‘please let me scold him’, and answered.

 

“No need.”

 

Kalian always said it was pure sparring without any emotion at all, but no one believed those words.

 

The reason was simple. When sparring with Kalian, Arsene always had his uvula stabbed, and Plants always had his throat cut.

 

And Kyrie was fine.

 

Since it was like that, no one could think of it as sparring without emotion.

 

Hina, who would definitely do so if asked to scold him, smiled brightly.

 

‘I treated your wounds.’

 

Last night, Kalian had taught Plants how to handle Mana.

 

Of course, if one could hear that method in words and immediately accumulate Mana smoothly, that would naturally be good, but if the world were that easy, the blue-haired Mage in Wilhelm Hall could not have lived maintaining his pride against Royalty like that. Even if not Arsene, Mages who fought agilely against Knights would have been everywhere, and then Arsene’s lifespan would have been cut instead of his salary.

 

‘If you practice feeling and handling Mana once a day, when you later embark on the path of the sword, you will be able to convert the accumulated Mana into Aura.’

 

Those words seemed to contain an unfamiliar meaning. Whether what he noticed was not wrong, Kalian looked at the dark-colored sword he had gifted to Plants and added brief words.

 

‘That sword, it was a sword you used originally as well.’

 

Words he had not given when handing over the sword.

 

He did not say that ‘older brother’ had originally used the sword. He did not particularly mention how aggrieved he had been at not being able to have that sword. Whether the Plants of that time had embarked on the path of the sword, what kind of appearance he had at that time, he did not inform him of such things.

 

‘So work harder. If you want to raise a cat.’

 

He only informed him that he had used that sword, which could hold Aura, in the past as well. It was so that he could imagine the meaning himself and have more confidence in his own talent.

 

‘This time, he cut a bit deeper. Did you two fight again?’

 

Of course.

 

Only Kalian would know whether he had become just a little more emotional because of the memory of that day when he could not have what he wanted to have, which he had not spoken of regarding how aggrieved he had been.

 

“We did not fight.”

 

If they really fought, there is no way he would be alive, would he?

 

Therefore, Plants again answered simply this time as well. Hina, who did not know Kalian’s identity, showed another smile at the thought that the two were brothers who bickered quite a lot and sat across from Plants. It was because there was a little time left since they had to wait for Kyrie to come to escort Hina to Wilhelm Hall.

 

Hina, who took a bite of the biscuit topped with fresh strawberries and fresh cream that were maintaining their freshness well thanks to Preservation Magic, looked at the dark-colored sword that had been leaning against the wall and moved her hands.

 

‘Looks like a good sword, that suits the kind Prince well. A cool sword. I think it is a sword that suits not only the older brother, but also the kind Prince.’

 

Because it was a piece that fell from a star and remained solid after burning everything.

 

Thinking that the reason she thought so might become a wound again, Hina only said this without explaining it. However, Plants, who usually agreed with most of Hina’s words, shook his head this time and opened his mouth.

 

“It is more for my little brother than me.”

 

Kalian.

 

The guardian of the brilliant star.

 

Where else could there be a sword that suited someone with such a name better than this?