Episode 20: The Mob Prince Receives the Allegiance of an S-Rank Adventurer
I was in the secluded Prison Tower, receiving sword training from Master Gaine.
We were exchanging blows in a match format.
Master Gaine wielded a wooden sword without a blade, while my weapon was the [Dark Edge], its attack power reduced to zero.
There was no longer any need to hide my power from Master Gaine.
I was now able to practice swordsmanship using the [Dark Edge] as I had originally intended.
I boldly unleashed a series of slashes at Master Gaine.
“Not bad…! But still too soft.”
Master Gaine effortlessly parried my onslaught.
As expected, I was still no match for my master in pure swordsmanship.
However, my essence lay in being a magic swordsman.
The moment Master Gaine tried to evade my sword with a backstep, I extended the blade of the [Dark Edge] to pursue him.
This was a technique only I could perform, thanks to my ability to manipulate the [Dark Edge] as if it were an extension of my own body.
“Oh!?”
Master Gaine forcibly leaned back to dodge the attack.
But as a result, his posture was fatally compromised.
“Now!”
Not missing the opportunity, I closed the distance and unleashed a finishing blow.
However, Master Gaine barely managed to block it with his wooden sword, using his brute strength to push me back. In a contest of strength, the child that was me was at a distinct disadvantage.
“Hmph!”
Master Gaine disrupted my stance with his power and then unleashed a slash.
“Hedgehog Mode!”
I summoned countless [Dark Edge] blades from my entire body, like a hedgehog’s quills.
It was a trump card that combined offense and defense.
It blocked Master Gaine’s sword while also allowing the blades to graze him slightly.
“One point! Brother Luke wins!”
Diana, acting as the referee, shouted gleefully.
“Hold on a minute, Diana. That was just a graze, wasn’t it!?”
“Don’t be a sore loser, Ms. Dandelion. With Brother’s Luke’s Hypnos’s Demon Sword, it would have been game over at that point.”
“Guh… Well, that’s true.”
Master Gaine reluctantly conceded defeat.
“Haa… A shape-shifting, elusive [Dark Edge], huh? A swordsman’s nightmare, with its unpredictable range.”
“Thank you. If it works against Master Gaine, it should be effective enough in actual combat.”
Swordsmanship, when refined to its essence, is a game of anticipating your opponent’s moves, and if you can disrupt that, you can land attacks even on master-level enemies.
I had tested whether it would actually work against the unreserved Master Gaine, and I had succeeded in outmaneuvering him.
“And to think that breaking your stance is meaningless. Hedgehog Mode, huh? Most swordsmen wouldn’t be able to handle that and would lose.”
“In other words, Brother Luke is the strongest magician and the strongest swordsman. Dia is so proud!”
Diana puffed out her chest and rejoiced as if it were her own accomplishment.
“Well, I guess the princess is right. It’s frustrating, though.”
Master Gaine shrugged.
“If you were to use Hypnos’s Demon Sword or the Dispel Sword on top of that, there’s probably no one who could beat you one-on-one. Especially that demon sword of death…”
“But as a swordsman, I’m still no match for Master Gaine. I need to achieve a complete level of strength as a swordsman by the end of the year…”
“Whoa, mastering the sword in just a year or so is impossible, no matter how hard you try. What’s the rush?”
Master Gaine asked, looking puzzled.
“That’s…”
The reason I felt rushed was because I had indirectly understood Saint-Germain’s strength through this incident.
The strength of a guy who had lived for 1000 years was far greater than that of his disciple, Xylas, and it would probably be difficult for me to win against him in my current state.
I suspected that Saint-Germain was the one who assassinated my mother.
There were two reasons for this.
One was that Saint-Germain was responsible for eliminating enemies within the Empire.
I knew this because the Emperor had ordered Saint-Germain to annihilate the Ludwig Dukedom, and he had agreed without hesitation.
The other was that the guy, who should have been immortal, didn’t appear in the main story of the game.
If Saint-Germain had been killed by someone, the only one capable of doing so in terms of strength would have been Demon Lord Diana.
I should assume that she recognized him as the primary target for revenge.
“…As I said before, our family is surrounded by enemies. And they won’t wait for me to get stronger.”
But I couldn’t very well say that the Emperor would order Saint-Germain to target my mother’s life in a year.
My assumptions were based on game knowledge, after all. More importantly, if anyone were to overhear, they might think I harbored rebellious intentions against the Emperor.
“Master Gaine, as a reward for presenting Thanatos to the Emperor, you were given Empress Camilla’s assets in the inner palace. I’ll use that money to hire you, so would you please become my mother’s bodyguard?”
I made the offer to my master.
To change the future, another important thing was to increase the number of powerful allies.
I was able to defeat Xylas because I had Master Gaine’s cooperation.
“What are you talking about? You don’t need to give me money. I was planning to do that from the start. Luke is the benefactor who saved Rena and me. If there are enemies targeting your lives, then they are my enemies.”
“Eh…?”
“More than anything, I want Luke to become the Emperor.”
I was taken aback by the unexpected words.
“With the recent incident, the Fourth Prince Victor has fallen from grace. If you continue to overthrow those above you, it’s not impossible for Luke to become the Emperor, right?”
“Brother becoming the Emperor! That would be wonderful!”
Diana clasped her hands together and exclaimed dreamily.
“That’s right, Diana. If Luke becomes the Emperor, this country that only repeats wars will become a decent country. At least, it will be a country without corrupt nobles who use the people for human experimentation.”
…Aiming to become the Emperor. It was something I had been considering to some extent for a while now.
If I became the Emperor, those who would harm my mother and Diana would disappear from this country.
I had been thinking of taking the two of them and escaping from the Imperial Court when they grew up, but if I did that, I would be seen as a traitor by the Empire and would be hunted for the rest of my life.
That wouldn’t do.
That wouldn’t make my mother and Diana happy.
If I were to put their happiness first, then taking the seat of power—ultimately becoming the Emperor—would be the best option.
I would control everything and protect my precious mother and Diana from all dangers and enemies.
“I have my mother’s blood in me, so it will be a difficult path… But will you still follow me, Master Gaine?”
I was far from the line of succession to the throne, but fortunately, we were now in a turbulent period of war.
Looking back at Earth’s history, there were countless people like Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Napoleon who, in such times, rose from being ordinary soldiers to taking over the world by making great achievements in war.
I could say that I had a good chance of becoming the Emperor.
More than anything, I had presented the incomplete version of Thanatos’s research data this time, and the Emperor’s impression of me had improved.
It was a magic that put people into a coma, and the Emperor and Saint-Germain were pleased that it would greatly contribute to the strengthening of the Imperial Army.
…In reality, it was a magic that instantly killed people, but the truth would remain forever in the darkness along with its developer, Xylas.
If I used this achievement as a stepping stone, I would eventually have the opportunity to play an active role in the war.
“Of course.”
Master Gaine knelt before me.
“From now on, I swear my allegiance to Luke… no, His Highness Prince Luke. Use my power as you see fit!”
Thus, I had obtained my first vassal who swore allegiance to me.