Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 14

014

“Mental training, begins-!”

I glared at Arkard rushing towards me, tightening my grip on the sword.

Dugun, dugun.

Mana spread from my core, through my heart, and into every corner of my body, awakening each cell. Power surged, and my senses began to expand.

Strengthening the body through magic—a hallmark of those who accumulate mana in their hearts.

Existing physical abilities are greatly enhanced. Depending on mana control, a difference of one or two stats can be sufficiently overcome.

Certain physical abilities may be particularly amplified from birth.

In my case, it’s my eyes.

It feels like they have a three or four times higher amplification rate than other parts. Because of that, I could clearly read where Arkard’s sword was aiming.

‘Right shoulder.’

Kkaang-!

I easily blocked the first attack.

Arkard’s eyes twitched.

It would be good to counterattack here, but unfortunately, his strength and speed both overwhelmed me. The next attack followed immediately.

‘Left abdomen.’

Chaeng-!

‘Right thigh.’

Kkaang-!

An unknown pleasure surged as Arkard’s expression distorted with each attack I blocked.

“You little bastard!”

With minimal movement, but with all my strength, I blocked his attacks, and a subtle sense of incongruity was felt.

An unknown force was very subtly correcting my movements.

It was so natural that I almost didn’t notice it. I was only able to recognize it because it was a sparring match with Arkard, who had superior strength and speed than me. It was natural that I hadn’t noticed it just by doing swordsmanship training alone.

I felt it when I was practicing magic, but learning a skill doesn’t seem to be just about having the theory engraved in my head.

“Block this too!”

Arkard raised his sword above his head. The memory of my head being smashed just before I became aware of my past life overlapped like a déjà vu.

Guardian Swordsmanship First Form, Mountain Split. His movement, taking that stance, felt very slow.

The openings were very visible.

‘Lionel Formal Swordsmanship Third Form, Rapid Thrust.’

Swish- Pow!

I stabbed his wrist properly.

It was a monumental first counterattack for me, the ghost prince of Emerald Palace, breaking down the walls I had built myself to separate myself from the world.

“Kuaaaaak!”

I couldn’t help but raise the corners of my mouth at the scream that echoed through the training hall and the thrilling sensation transmitted through the sword.

‘I’ve done it now.’

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

From the moment I arrived at the 3rd Knight’s training hall and first saw the 4th Prince’s group, I knew how to easily get out of this situation.

I just had to avoid fatal blows and get hit until he lost interest.

‘But what to do? I don’t want to.’

Let’s live a life without regrets.

On the first night I became aware of my past life, I vowed that while looking at the sky filled with stars.

Ah, that doesn’t mean I’m going to live a life like a moth jumping into the flames, knowing I’m going to burn to death.

I also know that living a life without regrets is no different from drinking a hot iced Americano [an oxymoron, like ordering a hot ice cream].

What should I say… rather than the literal meaning, it’s more about wanting to laugh and close my eyes, saying I lived my life properly at the last moment of my life.

There are holes everywhere in my memories, but the thoughts that flashed through my head at the last moment are still vivid.

I should have screwed over the director of the orphanage who habitually assaulted the children, I should have gotten up from my seat right away at the interview where it was clear that they were ignoring me because I was an orphan, the woman I met through a friend’s introduction… ha, to think that such memories filled the last moment of my life.

I don’t want to have such trivial regrets in the last moment of my current life.

I am well aware that the more I, who had been living like a dead person locked up in the Emerald Palace, show a different side from the past, the more people will be upset.

Haven’t pranks like [Poisoned Milk] increased as soon as the fact that I handle magic was revealed?

Well, whatever.

I don’t think beating up the 4th Prince is like jumping into the flames. Maybe it’s just fluttering my wings around there.

It’s earlier than I thought, but that guy was a problem that I had to solve and move on. I don’t know what kind of tricks he’ll pull in the future, but it’s better than getting hit directly.

“You, you, you little bastard!”

Arkard’s momentum changed as his face distorted like a demon. Red eyes and swollen blood vessels that seemed about to burst. It was clear that he was using mana beyond his capacity.

If I was careless and got hit properly, it wouldn’t be a big deal to have one of my limbs crippled.

Physical ability, magic. He overwhelms me in everything. But I didn’t feel much of a sense of crisis. For some reason, my heart was even pounding pleasantly.

“That face right now. It’s the most handsome I’ve ever seen.”

I could hear the sound of his reason snapping at my sarcasm.

“Dieeeee!”

With a rough roar, Arkard kicked off the ground.

Guardian Swordsmanship Fifth Form, Lion’s Roar. A rushing technique that aims for the opponent’s vitals. You can’t predict where he’s aiming until the moment he gets close.

‘If he had reached the realm.’

I could clearly read where he was aiming.

Heart.

There is an act that is forbidden in sparring between knights. It is to attack the heart where mana is stored. He was trying to do that to me now.

I stared at Arkard rushing in with cold eyes and put strength into both hands gripping the sword. My whole body was burning as mana spread through my bloodstream.

Swish-

I slammed the handle of my sword down on his sword rushing towards my heart.

Lionel Guardian Swordsmanship Fourth Form, Shatter.

A striking technique using the pommel [the knob on the end of a sword handle] at the end of the sword handle. Due to the influence of this technique, the swords of the Lionel Kingdom have very developed pommel parts.

A skilled knight’s Shatter can easily smash even a house-sized rock. I’m not that good, but if I hit the sword face accurately…

Kkagang-! Clang!

It’s enough to break an ordinary practice sword.

Pshoo- trickle.

One of the sword fragments scattered in all directions grazed Arkard’s cheek.

“Uh, uh, uh?”

I smiled brightly at him, who was making a foolish expression as if his reason had returned.

“How about we end it here, *hyung* [older brother or respected male figure],”

I muttered very quietly, only loud enough for Arkard to hear, ‘before you get hit more’.

“Th, th, that’s! Th, that’s because of the sword! Because of this garbage defective product! Bring me a proper sword quickly!”

Arkard’s face turned red as he shouted at his servants. It seemed like he was trying to come to his senses after getting hit.

Well, that was a good thing.

My heart was overflowing with the desire to beat him up like a dog so that he would never come near the Emerald Palace again.

I rummaged through my pocket, took out a handkerchief, and wiped my forehead. A handkerchief wet with sweat. I threw it at him, who was looking at the servant running with the sword.

Splat!

The handkerchief slapped Arkard’s face resoundingly. He had a look of not being able to judge the situation for a moment and brought his hand to his moistened face.

“Th, th, th, th······.”

He seemed to have grasped the situation quickly, but he couldn’t continue speaking.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t bring my gloves. If you don’t want to get hit, go back quietly now.”

I had to prepare at least the minimum safety measures, right?

Unless I cripple him, no direct punishment will be given to me no matter how much I beat him up if it’s a duel.

“You son of a bitch!”

Duel, established.

***

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Cough, cough, heuk!”

With each movement of Evan’s sword, refreshing impact sounds and gasping noises echoed through the training hall. Arkard, the source of those sounds, couldn’t understand the current situation.

‘H, how!’

It’s been a month. In just one month, Evan, who was like a living training dummy, and his situation had been reversed.

“Kuaak, you son of a bitch!”

Swish-

Arkard’s desperate thrust aimed for Evan’s head. A dangerous attack that could lead to blindness at worst, and death at worst, if he got hit in the eye.

Evan tilted his head to the side, dodging it lightly, and a chilling aura swirled in his eyes. Soon, Evan’s sword struck Arkard’s abdomen.

Crack! Wooduk.

A pain that felt like his ribs were broken. Arkard’s legs gave way as his mind went blank for a moment.

“Keueo······.”

Thwack! Thwack! Ppeoeok!

The continuous barrage made him forget the pain in his abdomen.

“St, stop- Keueok!”

Arkard wanted to shout that he would stop the sparring, but Evan didn’t even give him a chance.

Shouldn’t we stop that?

Most of the 3rd Knight’s members who were watching the two princes’ sparring had such thoughts and glanced at the 4th Prince’s attendants.

Even if they didn’t read their expressions, the two servants, except for George, who had a look as if his soul had left his body, were asking the escort knight to stop the two princes’ sparring.

“L, Lady Reina. Please stop them.”

“Something terrible will happen if this goes on.”

It wasn’t out of concern for the person they were serving. It was because they knew that the aftermath would fall on them later due to Arkard’s temper.

“It’s not sparring, it’s a duel. I can’t intervene unless one side admits defeat or becomes unable to fight.”

“Th, this isn’t a proper duel!”

“That’s right! What if the 4th Prince gets seriously injured? Severe punishment will be given! Lady Reina? Lady Reina! Are you listening?”

“Don’t worry. He won’t get seriously injured with that level. He’s hitting him well so that he doesn’t become crippled.”

“Wh, what does that mean.”

Reina Jeanne.

She graduated from the Royal Military Academy’s Knight Department with the best grades ever, and she was spending her days like a lone crane among a flock of chickens, exceptionally joining the 2nd Knight’s Order as a commoner [a person not of noble birth].

In short, she was an outcast… but she was spending quite a satisfactory daily life because she could solve three meals a day and had a place to practice her sword.

There were several unavoidable reasons why Reina, who was excluded from all Knight’s Order duties, was assigned to the 4th Prince’s escort duty today.

It was because the wife of the knight who was originally in charge of the morning escort gave birth earlier than expected.

It was because the knight who was supposed to be a substitute had a traffic accident with a carriage on the way to work.

It was because······.

Anyway, Reina was in this place now because of a series of coincidences that were hard to happen normally.

“Uaaaaa! Stop-”

Ppeoeok-! Eudeudeuk, thud.

The duel ended as the 4th Prince, who was hit in the chin by the sword face swung by the 5th Prince, collapsed like a doll with its strings cut.

The servants became busy.

“Y, Your Highness!”

“A stretcher! Bring a stretcher! George, why are you standing there blankly! You idiot!”

“Uh, uh. Ah! I understand.”

Reina stepped away from the commotion and looked at the 5th Prince, who was calming down from the excitement of the duel, and affirmed inwardly.

‘He’s a monster.’

Reina, who grew up in the hands of a group of prostitutes following a mercenary group. She had been living with one more sense than ordinary people.

The path the sword should move, the sword path.

With a thin line, with a sweet smell, with a beautiful melody… she felt the sword path through completely different senses from time to time. She had only struggled to reproduce it, but at some point, people began to call Reina a ‘monster’.

‘He’s the same as me.’

The usual haziness could not be found in her eyes. At first glance, it resembled that of a young lady who actually met the prince in her imagination and fell in love at first sight. To be exact, it was the joy of meeting a kindred spirit.

“Alphonso, let’s go back.”

“Yes!”

Reina looked around at the knights in the training hall and watched Evan’s back as he turned away, and unknowingly took a step to follow him.

She wanted to run up to him and ask right away.

If the prince was the same as her.

“Lady Reina! There will definitely be severe consequences for what happened today!”

“Th, that’s right! It’s all Lady Reina’s fault that Prince Arkard is like this!”

If the servants who were trying to pass the responsibility on to her hadn’t clung to her, she would have definitely done so.

***

「You have dramatically improved your relationship with Reina Jeanne.」

「You have acquired 5,000 RP.」

I stopped walking for a moment after checking the message that popped up on the notification window as I was leaving the 3rd Knight’s training hall.