Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 120

120

For Charles, the Lionel Kingdom’s defeat of the Hamel Empire’s Black Knights was an unspeakable disgrace.

It wasn’t just a matter of personal feelings.

He would face accusations of tarnishing the Empire’s honor.

The Black Knights’ budget would undoubtedly be cut. In the worst-case scenario, the operation of the airship, Black Flame Dragon, could be prohibited.

But that was just Charles’s perspective.

For most of the delegation, what was happening on the dueling field was simply an entertaining spectacle they were unlikely to see again.

((A friendly match between 5-star knights, but the Crown Prince can handle a 6-star knight? Was the purpose of the friendly competition deception, not friendship?))

‘That’s a stretch.’

‘He must be really pissed off.’

‘Was it Yuran? That Black Knight didn’t seem to be at the 5-star level either. Prince Charles, as expected of someone from the Hamel Empire, has no shame.’

‘What will the Lionel Crown Prince say?’

Their gazes focused on Evan, who was about to speak, directed at Charles.

((I now realize that you might think that way. I apologize for not clearly specifying the rules of the gauntlet match as ‘knights who do not use Aura.’))

((I accept.))

‘Just like that?’

‘Something’s up.’

The delegation’s eyes twinkled at Charles’s quick acceptance of Evan’s apology.

As expected.

((However, as a knight myself, I would like to cross swords with the Crown Prince who, despite being at the 5-star level, has created a technique to face the Aura of a 6-star knight. How about it? Instead of the team battle scheduled later, how about you and I cross swords?))

‘The vice-commander of the Black Knights, Prince Charles, is known to be close to 7-star, right?’

‘He’s planning to humiliate him.’

‘The Crown Prince of Lionel has already gotten everything he wanted. Is there any reason to cross swords with Prince Charles?’

‘The answer will obviously be no, right?’

((Very well. If that can ease Your Highness’s anger, I am more than willing.))

‘!!’

The delegation, who had been watching the conversation between Charles and Evan with interest, widened their eyes at Evan’s unexpected answer.

***

A brief intermission.

Before heading up to the dueling field, I apologized to Reina, who had been focusing on special training to prepare for the duel with Charles.

“I’m sorry, Reina.”

“It’s nothing. I gained a lot from preparing for the duel. My only concern is Charles, and what he might do to you, Your Highness.”

“Don’t worry.”

“…Understood. Still, please be careful.”

I gave her a faint smile and stepped onto the dueling field, whispering very quietly so that only Barisada could hear.

“I’m counting on you.”

「Remember. You can only use Kangma [a technique that explodes potential] for a maximum of one minute.」

“That’s enough.”

Kangma, which explodes potential.

Compared to the 3-second time limit when facing Joe Bayley’s Aura at the 4-star level, it’s a whopping 20 times longer, isn’t it?

It’s not just thanks to my growth.

‘I have to thank Schuetz.’

The sap from the World Tree fruit that I gave him to heal Julian. There’s very little left. There’s an emergency medicine made using that.

That’s the time limit assuming I use it.

It would be a lie to say I don’t find it a waste, but…

If I, still bearing five stars, am to reveal that guy’s hidden fangs to the world, I have to mobilize everything I can.

‘It’s worth using.’

On the opposite side, Charles appeared, clad in the armor of the Black Knights.

I opened his status window.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━×

Charles Han Hamel

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Race: Human

[Stats]

[Skills]

[Relationship: Hostile]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Clearly, the relationship, which was ‘Friendly’ when we shook hands at our first meeting, had changed to the worst relationship, ‘Hostile.’

I thought back to the opponents I’d had with a ‘Hostile’ relationship so far. Starting with the Fourth Prince, Duke Moria Runtia came to mind in a row.

Every single one of them was someone who would cut off an arm if it meant they could kill me.

That means.

‘Charles, that guy is the same story.’

Charles is publicly known as a knight approaching 7-star, but I am convinced that he has crossed the wall of 8-star.

When I was actively working as Nave, the Empire was abuzz with the news that the Black Knights had successfully hunted the 7-star spirit beast, the White Horned Dragon.

By presenting the White Horned Dragon’s horn, a rare medicinal ingredient and a material surpassing Mithril [a mythical metal], to the Emperor, the Black Knights were granted an airship named Black Flame Dragon.

It was known to the world that the Black Knights succeeded in hunting the White Horned Dragon because it was molting to become an adult.

-White Horned Dragon? You mean the one near the Belkas Mountains? I’m sure that guy became an adult right before I died?

According to what Barisada told me while reading the newspaper, the White Horned Dragon hunted by the Black Knights was over 500 years old since becoming an adult.

It’s a story that it’s close to impossible to hunt with the publicly known power of the Black Knights.

To hunt an adult White Horned Dragon, there had to be three or four more 7-star powerhouses, or one 8-star powerhouse.

‘Considering the power of the Black Knights that was revealed in the process of Charles taking control of the Empire in the ‘future,’ it is right that he is an 8-star knight.’

I don’t even know if he became an 8-star knight after gaining enlightenment in the process of hunting the White Horned Dragon, or if he was an 8-star knight from before.

‘Well, that’s not important.’

Yes, what’s important is.

I need to expose the fangs that that guy is hiding and increase the chaos in the Empire.

And that too, with as little damage to me as possible.

What good is it if I reveal Charles’s secret to the world, but my mana hole is broken or an arm is blown away?

((Is that the Crown Prince’s sword? It certainly looks extraordinary.))

((The Black Anvil chieftain put his heart and soul into making it.))

((I look forward to it.))

Several of my cards will be revealed in the process of dueling with him today, but there’s no point in revealing even [Barisada].

Charles put on his helmet.

A black helmet with horns on black armor. It was a figure reminiscent of a demon knight piercing through the Demon Realm.

He grabbed his spear with both hands and took a stance.

***

Reina watched the two people facing each other on the dueling field with a tense gaze.

-Reina, Prince Charles Han Hamel, the 19th Prince of the Empire and vice-commander of the Black Knights, will be in the team battle.

Reina didn’t raise any questions to Evan, who said that the opponent delivered by the Empire was completely different.

‘Because it was Your Highness’s word.’

Look.

Even now, the Prince of the Empire is standing on the dueling field as he said.

Whether there was a slight miscalculation, the person facing him became Evan instead of herself, but isn’t that just human?

-I guess, no, I’m sure he’s crossed the wall of 8-star.

8-star powerhouse.

They can build a mental landscape that forces the laws they have established in a wide area, not just at the individual level.

Monsters called one-man armies.

-Ah, of course, he won’t build a mental landscape in the duel. As you know, the merits are overwhelmingly less than revealing that he is hiding the realm of 8-star, known as the end of 6-star. He won’t use mental landscape, let alone coercion.

Coercion is the power to temporarily deceive the eyes of the world and twist the laws using magic.

If you are an awakened magic user, you can’t help but know the moment coercion is exerted around you. It will feel like finding a black stain that has soiled a white drawing paper.

-Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s easy to deal with. There are two things I want to ask Reina. One, to reveal that he is a 7-star knight to the world. Two, to walk down from the dueling field. To do that…

When Reina thought that far.

Charles on the dueling field opened his mouth.

((I won’t concede the first move.))

Reina quickly shook off her 잡념 [japnyum – distracting thoughts] and grabbed the sword at her waist.

‘I hope you’re okay.’

She concentrated on their duel, determined to jump out at any moment if Evan seemed to be in danger.

Evan put on his helmet and took a stance.

((I won’t refuse.))

At the same time as he finished speaking, Evan kicked off the ground.

Kwaang!

The force was so strong that footprints remained on the floor.

Wiiiiiiiiing!!

The thread of magic surrounding [Barisada] rotated at high speed, spewing out a strange sword cry.

Eddy (渦流) [Karyu – vortex], a secret technique created by Reina and Evan, who always had to survive against opponents one or two steps above them in the ‘future’ to counter Aura.

Charles’s eyes flashed with a different light as he faced the Eddy that Evan was unfolding with all his might.

‘Aura with a half-hearted will will be torn apart like paper.’

Gooooooo-

Black Aura swirled around Charles’s spear.

Charles, who was taking a defensive stance because he had conceded the first move. Evan raised his sword high. The place he was aiming for was obvious.

‘Head.’

Evan, who had reached right in front of him in an instant, struck down with his sword.

Evan-style Lionel Imperial Swordsmanship 1st Form, Breaking the Heavens.

Breaks the sky.

Charles’s expression hardened.

Because he felt the tremendous will contained in Evan’s sword that was rushing down like lightning.

If he blocked it carelessly, the spear would break.

Kwaaaaaang!!

A roar that was unbelievable that the sword and spear had met. The ground around Charles caved in from just the shockwave.

-Ooooooh!

-Is that the power a 5-star knight can produce?

-A clumsy Aura would have been torn to shreds.

The knights of the delegation, who had the discernment to recognize the extent of the power created by Evan’s attack, became noisy.

-But he blocked it.

-As expected… Prince Charles is rumored to become a 7-star knight within 10 years.

-Ah! Look closely at Prince Charles’s spear that blocked Crown Prince Evan’s sword!

At someone’s words, the knights’ gazes focused on Charles’s spear.

There were subtle cracks.

The spear of the Black Knights, which Charles had been confident would not break unless it was a weapon loaded with Aura. It was damaged by Evan’s sword even though he used Aura.

‘Even without using Aura, this is the power?’

Charles was shocked.

He couldn’t easily admit the fact that Evan’s will contained in the sword was overwhelming than his will contained in the spear.

But it actually happened.

‘I have to trample him down.’

Charles reaffirmed that his instinct was not wrong.

((The joke is over!))

Hwareureureuk!

His black Aura, which had been surrounding the spear, blazed like a flame.

Black Flame Strike, Black Flame Wind, Black Flame Energy.

The forms of the Black Flame Spear unfolded from Charles’s hand fiercely rushed towards Evan.

Chaeng-! Chaeng-! Kkaaaaang!!

A battle that was difficult to follow even with the eyes of a knight.

The spectators watching the duel through the magic screen floating in the air clenched their hands tightly and cheered silently.

To them, it was a scene where a black fire demon seemed to be swallowing Evan. Some people covered their eyes at the sight of Evan looking like he was about to burn at any moment.

But unlike their thoughts, Evan was blocking Charles’s attacks quite easily. He even knew the solutions to the Black Dragon Spear that Charles had not yet completed.

Blocking Charles’s spear, which was restricted from using mental landscape and coercion, was not that difficult.

Chaeng-! Chaeng-! Kkaaaaang!!

((It seems that I will run out of magic power before I fall to Your Highness’s spear.))

He even had the 余裕 [yoyuu – composure] to provoke.

The face inside Charles’s helmet was distorted.

‘The guy who leaked the Black Flame Spear. I will definitely find him and cut off the necks of his nine generations.’

Charles, who had blamed a non-existent culprit for a while, soon acknowledged the situation.

He wanted to end it neatly within the range of using Aura, but that was wrong. He decided to mix in the mysteries of coercion.

Charles grabbed the spear extremely short.

Black Dragon Spear 1st Form, Black Dragon Cannon.

Yuran aimed for Evan’s heart and broke his spear, but his own Black Dragon Cannon, the creator, is different.

‘Yuran, watch closely.’

A whirlwind blew, and Charles rushed into Evan’s arms. In the eyes of the audience, it looked as if the black fire demon, who had been aiming for Evan, had finally swallowed him.

Chwareureuk- Chwareureureuk─ Chwararak.

Evan, who was trying to step back, felt an invisible chain binding his body.

It’s not perfect coercion.

It’s such a level that a knight who has only one step left to cross the wall of 7-star unfolds.

“No!”

“Your Highness!!”

Screams erupted from here and there.

A smile appeared on Charles’s face inside the helmet after a long time.

‘The goal is the heart.’

The spear, fired like a cannon, aimed for Evan’s heart.

‘The aftermath will be troublesome.’

Charles looked at Evan’s eyes while thinking that.