Chapter 93 - A Scoundrel Anyway (2)

ROLL, ROLL.

Marquis Montpellier's eyes darted around busily.

The tightly closed doors, the Royal Knights, and the First Prince.

The way he rolled his eyes here and there made it seem like he had a lot on his mind.

"You seem to have a lot of useless thoughts."

Looking at the imperial ambassador, the First Prince spoke in a low voice.

"I will help you."

SHING.

With an eerie sound, the First Prince's favored sword revealed itself to the world.

"Are those useless thoughts gone now?"

The Marquis did not answer. He merely stumbled backward, terrified.

"Not yet?"

The First Prince strode over to the Marquis.

"It seems you need a few cuts on your body for those distractions to disappear."

Those were not empty words.

Anyone could see the First Prince was entirely serious. If left alone, he looked ready to chop off at least an arm.

"Y-Your Highness!"

Freaking out, the Royal Knights stepped forward to block their master.

But before they could even take a step, Marquis Montpellier moved first.

THUD.

"It is a misunderstanding! Your Highness!"

The imperial ambassador cried out as he dropped to his knees.

"I was only being careful that our relationship might be exposed because there are many eyes watching. I did not have the slightest intention to disobey your words, Your Highness, so please do not misunderstand."

The Royal Knights' jaws dropped open.

To think that Marquis Montpellier, who looked down even on the monarch of the kingdom and abused his power while backed by the empire's might, would kneel and beg for forgiveness without caring that his silk clothes were getting dirty.

It was a sight no one in the kingdom could have ever imagined.

However, the First Prince remained as cold as ever.

"A misunderstanding, you say."

The First Prince spoke, still not sheathing his sword.

"Is deceiving and tricking me also a misunderstanding?"

At the First Prince's words, the imperial ambassador sweated profusely.

"I will explain all of that to you as well."

The way he spoke while repeatedly bowing at the waist made him look just like a servant.

"But there are many listening ears here..."

The ambassador said slyly.

The First Prince withdrew the sword he had been aiming.

SWISH.

But he did not simply withdraw the sword.

Swung so fast it was hard to follow with the eye, a faint red mark appeared on the Marquis's neck.

"Huh? Ah."

Startled, the Marquis touched his neck. Seeing the faintly oozing blood, the Marquis's face looked like his soul had left his body.

"Next time, I really will cut you."

The Marquis nodded like a madman.

"Follow me."

Saying that, the First Prince turned around and entered the palace. The Marquis hurriedly followed behind him.

"What in the world is..."

The remaining Royal Knights looked at each other before scattering in all directions.

Some headed toward the quarters where the First Prince and the Marquis had disappeared, while others took up positions in the north, south, east, and west of the Prince's Palace to stand guard.

Gawain and his comrades blankly watched the scene.

"Was this what he wanted to show us?"

One of the men said.

The kingdom's monarch who walked on eggshells around a mere ambassador, and the Prince who brought that very ambassador to his knees and treated him like a servant.

It was as if the First Prince was asking which of the two was more suited to be the monarch of a nation.

The men nodded.

However, Gawain did not agree with that thought.

What the First Prince wanted to show was not his own prestige.

In fact, it was the opposite.

The fallen dignity of the royal family and the kingdom's spirit—Gawain thought that the cold reality of it all was what the First Prince had wanted to show.

In doing so, he seemed to want to make them question it themselves.

Asking if the kingdom's grand plan would have actually succeeded even if they hadn't broken their circuits.

"What a ruthless bastard."

Gawain chewed on his lip.

"He really is an unlikable bastard."

Though they each had different thoughts in mind, all the men nodded as if they agreed with Gawain's words.

* * *

The moment the sword touched his neck, the Marquis endlessly poured out everything he knew.

Whenever he showed even the slightest sign of trying to play tricks, I ruthlessly applied pressure and pushed the sword in. Each time, the Marquis screamed as if his head were being cut off.

"So tell me the truth."

"I am! I am telling you the complete truth!"

The imperial mainland had desired the kingdom's treasured sword—that is, my original body—for a very long time. However, the royal family's resolve was so firm that they refused to give up my original body, even going so far as to hand over a knighthood and seal away the Magic Tower.

So they had even attempted to sneak it out secretly.

What absurd bastards.

To think of sneaking into a nation's Royal Vault like thieves, and even thinking of stealing an item that symbolized the royal family.

That, too, had all ended in failure.

"W-Well... we somehow managed to bypass the double and triple magical barriers, but the problem was the Dragon Slayer itself. Everyone who laid a hand on it died on the spot, so there was absolutely no way to bring it out. Because of that, we ended up losing precious Mages and knights."

The Marquis said, studying my reaction.

But I did not get angry. Those fearless fools who laid their hands on my body had already paid the price.

At the time, I had formed a provisional contract with those who inherited my close friend's blood, and there was no one who could touch me unless they were a contractor. If there were such a bold person, they would immediately become my daily bread and be stuffed into my stomach.

That did not change even while I was asleep.

That was why that Montpellier bastard had incited the Scoundrel.

An idiot who could touch my original body and walk out perfectly fine, and who, if properly coaxed, would willingly hand over the royal treasure his ancestors had protected to the empire.

There had never been a more suitable candidate before, and there never would be in the future.

It was a misfortune for the kingdom, but they must have considered it a stroke of luck for the empire.

But those bastards probably didn't know. The fact that the Scoundrel's stupidity was absolute, completely indifferent to friend or foe.

Then again, who would have known? That the stupid bastard would take the royal treasured sword he had worked so hard to pull out and shove it right into his own stomach.

Thanks to that, their grand plot ended in failure, and the King tightened the guard around the Dragon Slayer even more than before.

He even prevented his own flesh and blood from approaching the Royal Vault. Judging by the attitudes of the old knight and the Royal Knights when they dealt with me at the vault, even if Maximilian had been there, they would have never handed over my original body.

It was dumbfounding.

The one who put my original body in danger was the Scoundrel, but conversely, the one who ensured my original body could remain exactly where it was, was also the Scoundrel.

If he had been even a little less stupid, I would have woken up not in the kingdom, but in that damn Bourgogne Imperial Palace.

"So what exactly were you planning to do after taking out the Dragon Slayer?"

At my question, the Marquis stammered his reply.

"I do not know. I merely took over a mission that the previous ambassador was assigned to but failed, and I was only trying to follow through with it. I do not know the exact reason... Eek! I swear it! Please believe me!"

I slightly applied pressure to the hand holding the sword. Blood quickly seeped into the fat of the Marquis's neck.

"I-I only heard rumors that the Dragon Slayer might possess power similar to the four divine artifacts held by His Majesty the Emperor of Bourgogne."

I stiffened slightly.

"What?"

"The previous ambassador said that the kingdom's treasured sword had the potential to be a divine weapon on par with the empire's four divine artifacts, so we absolutely had to obtain it."

At those words, I asked again.

"The four divine artifacts?"

"Y-Yes, that is... Your Highness! Please sheath your sword!"

The Marquis pleaded, but the Marquis's pleas were not important right now.

"By the four divine artifacts, are you by any chance talking about the sword and shield, the armor and helmet used by the Emperor of Bourgogne?"

The Marquis nodded with a face that looked like it would burst into tears at any moment.

"T-That is correct, Your Highness! Your Highness! It hurts! Please, your sword..."

As per the Marquis's wish, I withdrew the sword that had been pressed tight against his neck.

"T-Thank you, Your Highness."

The Marquis repeatedly stroked his neck and offered me his thanks.

But I had not withdrawn the sword out of consideration for the Marquis.

I had withdrawn it because if I kept holding the sword against his neck like that, I felt I wouldn't be able to hold back my bursting laughter and might accidentally slice his head off.

I laughed like a madman.

"Y-Your Highness?"

Watching me, the Marquis retreated in terror. He seemed to think I had lost my mind, unable to contain my anger. He had a completely terrified face, fearing that anger might be directed at him.

In truth, I was simply losing my mind trying to hold back my bursting laughter.

I bent over, clutching my stomach as I laughed.

It was so hilarious I couldn't bear it.

"Ah, this is driving me crazy."

It took a long time before I finally regained my composure. But soon, laughter slipped out again.

PFFT.

Four divine artifacts? Those shoddy pieces of junk.

"Y-Your Highness."

The Marquis looked at me while trembling, his gaze as if he were looking at a lunatic.

"Sorry. Sorry. It's just too funny."

I forced down my laughter and briefly organized my thoughts.

It wasn't hard to guess what the four divine artifacts were.

A sword with half of its blade gone, and a shield with its top cut off.

A suit of armor missing its matching set of pauldrons.

A helmet with broken horns.

The weapons and armor of ancient heroes that had existed 400 years ago, and even long before that.

Ancient relics deeply engraved with the scars of being gouged or sliced by someone.

"Those things are similar to the Dragon Slayer?"

I ended up laughing again.

Because that was truly absolute nonsense.

I knew the objects the imperial ambassador called the four divine artifacts better than anyone else.

Did I merely know them? I even knew exactly who had caused those hideous scars on them.

To think those things were divine artifacts. To think those pieces of junk were considered to have the same status as my original body.

"It's really been a long time since I laughed to my heart's content."

At my words, the Marquis cluelessly laughed along with me.

"Keep going."

The Marquis hesitated but continued speaking.

However, there were no particularly special stories. It seemed the Marquis didn't really know anything else either.

"This is everything I know."

That Montpellier bastard studied my expression. The way he kept looking back meant he wanted to run out that door right this instant.

I silently stood up and swung my sword.

"Huh?"

The Marquis seemed oblivious to what had just happened to him.

PLOP.

The Marquis looked at the floor. And then his eyes widened in shock.

Lying there was the Marquis's pinky finger, which had been perfectly attached just a moment ago.

"A-Aaaagh!"

The Marquis screamed.

But the scream didn't last long.

I unleashed my presence, and the Marquis looked at me with eyes steeped in pain and terror.

"That is the price for trying to use me."

Normally, I would have sliced his head off without a second thought. No matter how much the empire concerned me, daring to deceive and trick me was bad enough, but playing tricks with my original body was absolutely unforgivable.

But thanks to the Marquis's scheming, I was able to take over the Scoundrel's body.

He had committed a wrong, but he had also done something right, so this was my own way of showing leniency.

Of course, the Marquis would not agree.

"Next time, it really will be your neck."

The Marquis nodded over and over.

Whether he truly understood my warning or not, I couldn't tell.

I didn't want to know anyway.

If he hadn't understood, he would just pay the price when the time came.

I had already hidden a dagger right under the Marquis's chin. It was just that the Marquis didn't know it.

He wouldn't even dream of it.

To think that the Elf woman he had so desperately wished to meet, even in his dreams, was closely watching him 24 hours a day. And he probably couldn't even imagine that the woman belonged to a bloodthirsty race without a single ounce of compassion.

* * *

As soon as Marquis Montpellier was sent out, Karl came in.

"The ambassador's hand was covered in blood."

"Really? He must have caught it in something."

Seeing me feign ignorance, Karl let out a sigh.

"His pinky finger was cut off."

"My, my. That's a tragedy."

"Your Highness."

Karl called out to me.

"I have no intention of talking about future repercussions or the like. Judging by the ambassador's attitude, I can at least tell there is something between Your Highness and the ambassador that I am unaware of."

His expression couldn't have been more serious.

"I merely want to know. What you went through out there, Your Highness."

I quietly watched to see what Karl was trying to say.

"And what it is you plan to do from now on."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I cannot entrust myself to someone who will become my master without knowing their ambitions."

At Karl's words, I burst into a hearty laugh.

Before, he had taken a step back because he belonged to the Royal House, but it seemed he had finally decided to follow me now.

Today truly was a day filled with things to laugh about in many ways.

But I quickly wiped the smile from my face.

"For now, I plan to become king."

At my words, Karl grinned.

"It shouldn't take too long for you to be reinstated, then."

Although the chances were higher than before, I was still despised by the King; nevertheless, Karl had a look on his face that showed he didn't doubt for a second that I would become king.

Then again, being such a steadfast man, he must have been the one guarding the masterless Prince's Palace while I was gone.

"The North is cold."

"I will prepare fur clothes for the winter."

Even though I informed him that I wouldn't stay in The Capital and would be leaving soon, he didn't waver.

No, that wasn't all.

In addition to Karl, all the Royal Knights who had stayed behind to guard the masterless Prince's Palace swore their loyalty to me.

And just like that, I gained the royal knights that had long been given to the other princes, but never to me.

Even if the clothes they would wear wouldn't bear the crest of the Dragon Slayer that symbolized the royal family.

* * *

The King, who seemed like he would call for me at any moment to tell me the task for the test, did not seek me out for quite some time.

During that time, many nobles came looking for me.

I didn't meet a single one of them. The bastards who, in the past, would have confronted me and complained that I was taking it too far even for a prince, didn't lose their politeness and promised to return next time.

It seemed the bait known as the Magic Tower looked quite appetizing to them.

"He's dragging this out too much."

It had already been two weeks since I arrived in The Capital.

I had already achieved all my goals, and I couldn't just sit around waiting for the King's test forever.

So, I went to see the King myself.

And asked what the test was.

Tsk.

The King clicked his tongue, apparently displeased by my audacity. However, he didn't bother postponing what had already been decided.

"What you must accomplish is..."

The King stated the task with an expressionless face.

Beneath that mask-like face, a fleeting sense of petty triumph seemed visible.

But that didn't last long either.

"That's not difficult."

At the words I offered with a smile, the King's expression hardened.

"Did you fail to understand what I just..."

"I understood."

When I cut his words off mid-sentence, the King's face looked like he was about to have a fit.

"Is that all?"

I paid him no mind, and simply asked if that was all.

"That is all."

Perhaps he had been expecting me to make a troubled face, as the King retorted with a stiff expression.

"It will be accomplished before long."

But regretfully, the test the King gave me was neither difficult nor particularly bothersome.

In fact, it was even welcome.

Because it was a mission that also tied into my very essence.

* * *

After meeting the King, I immediately left The Capital.

And I stopped somewhere along the border connecting the Central region and the North of The Capital.

"I have my own business to attend to, so the rest of you can return on your own."

The lords of the North neither held me back nor asked for the reason. They simply followed orders.

The same was true for the party that remained with me.

Arwen was quiet by nature, and Adelia was never one to step forward. The secret knights of the royal family, who had become cripples and only recently taken up their swords again, were never in a relationship with me to have deep conversations in the first place.

The only ones left were the former Royal Knights who had newly tagged along.

"Your Highness. Why are you not heading north?"

At Karl Ulrich's question, I replied nonchalantly.

"Because we have to go to the West."

"The West?"

Karl asked.

Asking what business we had in the West.

"I need to meet someone."

The ones I absolutely had to meet in order to pass the test given by the King.

"Who might that be?"

"Dwarves."

The place I had to go to was not Winter Castle, but the kingdom of Dwarves.