Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 58

058

One-Eyed Kaina.

She, the object of fear among the Hamel Empire forces in the northwestern border region, watched with tense eyes as the Fifth Prince and Drake faced each other, weapons in hand.

Drake, wielding a massive battle axe, spoke with a strained expression.

“I won’t bother with any false modesty about yielding the first strike.”

“Good. Complacency always invites disaster. Shall we begin, then?”

As soon as the brief exchange ended, they both launched themselves forward.

Woooong- Woooong─!

The sound resonating from the Fifth Prince’s sword filled the training grounds. In contrast, Drake’s axe, which should have unleashed a powerful roar, emitted only a faint murmur.

Clang─!

Sparks flew as sword and axe collided.

Drake’s axe, which had cleaved countless Hamel Empire soldiers in two, was deflected by the Fifth Prince’s sword.

‘He’s being pushed back in strength?!’

Kaina knew that Drake possessed the brute strength of a Herculean warrior.

The day she lost her eye…

That day when she, Drake, and three comrades she could no longer meet, faced the Empire’s Six-Star Knight, Drake had shown the ability to push him back in terms of strength.

‘Could it be the sword?’

She had initially thought that the Fifth Prince shattering the greatsword in the previous sparring match might have been because his sword was a legendary blade.

However, she quickly dismissed the thought.

What had just happened couldn’t be attributed solely to the sword being a masterpiece.

If it wasn’t the difference in strength, nor the sword, then there was only one explanation.

‘Skill!’

It was absurd.

He was only 14 years old.

Moreover, she had heard that he had only been seriously training with the sword for a little over half a year.

Her mind reeled at the incomprehensible sight of Evan overpowering Drake, who had survived countless life-and-death situations on the battlefield, with skill.

“Kuaaaaaaaah!”

Drake gritted his teeth and swung his axe.

A ferocious attack that made Reina, who was ready to intervene and stop the sparring at any moment, flinch.

However, Evan, with unwavering eyes, watched the axe rushing towards him as if to cleave him in two.

‘Sky Split.’

Evan-style Lionel Imperial Swordsmanship, Second Form.

The sword, split the sky.

Shwaaaak──! Clang!

Drake’s axe was cleanly severed as if it were tofu.

“Kuh-uh-uht.”

Having lost his balance, Drake rolled clumsily across the ground.

Raising his head, he saw the severed axe lying on the training ground floor, kicking up dust, and wore a look of utter dismay.

“My, my axe.”

Crack, crack.

Evan, lightly loosening his neck, now looked at Kaina.

“Next.”

Kaina quickly combined the hilts of her twin swords into one. With a clack, the sound of metal interlocking, a bow with beautiful curves was created.

“Your Highness, I am an archer; close combat is not my forte.”

She made no mention of being able to wield the twin swordsmanship that had slaughtered countless Four-Star Knights of the Hamel Empire.

She absolutely wanted to avoid her family heirloom, crafted by a master dwarf artisan, being cleaved in two.

Evan chuckled and turned his head to find his next prey. Everyone hid their weapons behind their backs, avoiding his gaze.

***

The moment I saw the Third Knight Order and the Northern Liberation Army facing off as if about to start a brawl, I gave up on trying to harmonize them.

On second thought, it wasn’t something that could be achieved in the short term.

If they clash enough, camaraderie will develop, won’t it? Even if they seem ready to bite and tear at each other right now, all that matters is that they do their jobs well.

However, to do that, I’d have to control them properly.

I sheathed [Barisada] and scanned the people gathered in the training grounds.

“From now on, if you want to complain, get my permission first.”

“······.”

A silent training ground.

I frowned slightly and spoke again.

“No response?”

Only then did a thunderous voice fill the training ground.

“Understood!”

I nodded in satisfaction. Sometimes, a fist is more effective than a hundred words.

“Get into formation before I get on the platform.”

I headed towards the platform at a leisurely pace. I could hear the sound of people scrambling behind me.

I climbed onto the platform and looked down. Perhaps because they were veterans, they had managed to line up in formation in that short time.

I amplified my voice with mana so that it could reach every corner of the training ground and began to speak.

“I had many thoughts before coming here. How could the Third Knight Order and the Northern Liberation Army work together?”

I paused and silently looked at the gathered people. Everyone avoided my eyes.

I spoke again.

“There’s no need for forced harmony. If you want to fight, don’t do it with your mouths; fight with your fists. But don’t forget to report it.”

I could see Berok and Drake glaring at each other as if they wanted to kill each other.

“Actually, more than what I just said, there was something I wanted to say first when I met you all. I express my gratitude to the warriors of the Northern Liberation Army who accepted the hand extended by the kingdom.”

I made eye contact with each member of the Northern Liberation Army. Perhaps because of the situation, they didn’t seem to feel wronged.

“I apologize on behalf of the kingdom for not acknowledging your efforts and equating you with lawless groups like bandits and train robbers.”

I sincerely bowed to them in apology. Then, I raised my head again and continued.

“There will never be a time again when the kingdom abandons you. I! Evan Lionel, the prince of this country, will make sure of it!”

Some of the Northern Liberation Army members’ eyes were slightly red.

“Finally, I promise you this one thing. The day you fall will be the day I fall!”

A moment of silence.

And then.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

“Long live the Fifth Prince!”

“I will stay with you until the end!”

The Northern Liberation Army’s roar seemed to echo throughout the kingdom. I waited for them to calm down a bit before speaking again.

“As you know, we need a new name to call those of you who have accepted the hand extended by the kingdom. The Northern Death Squad? The Northern Militia? The Northern Guard? I’ve considered many options. Then, I suddenly realized, why am I so attached to the name ‘Northern’? I ask you: if the same situation as the North were to occur in the western, eastern, or southern regions of the Lionel Kingdom, would you turn a blind eye to them?”

My question silenced the training ground.

Regionalism is such a difficult issue.

Most of them were muttering, unable to speak. Some seemed ashamed of themselves, their faces flushed.

“Ah, no!”

“That’s right! No!”

Starting with someone’s statement, thunderous answers erupted from here and there.

Although it seemed that many were just following along because others were doing it, even if it wasn’t genuine, it was still a satisfactory answer.

“I have heard your answers well. Therefore, I would like to gift you the name Lionel Guardian Army. What do you think? Do you like it?”

– Lionel Guardian Army?

– Still, it’s a bit much to leave out ‘Northern’…

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

As expected, there were some who didn’t seem to like it, but when someone shouted, everyone was swept up in it and raised their voices.

“Good! From today onwards, you are the Lionel Guardian Army! Cooperating with the Third Knight Order, we will depart tomorrow to take down those island pirate bastards.”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

“Let’s sink those pirate bastards!”

The first meeting between the Third Knight Order and the Northern Liberation Army—no, the Lionel Guardian Army—ended safely.

And on the way from the training ground to the lord’s castle…

Reina asked a question.

“Your Highness, could you tell us what the sword art you used during the sparring was?”

“I’m curious about that too!”

“M-me too!”

Adol and Vernon, who couldn’t even handle swords properly yet, eagerly joined in.

“That’s not a sword art.”

“Yes?”

All three of them made dumbfounded expressions at the same time.

They looked at me with eyes that seemed to see me as a con artist.

“It’s called Howling. To put it simply, think of it as using sword energy [internal energy focused into a blade] to create an effect similar to that of a sword master.”

“Using sword energy? Is that even possible?”

Adol asked with suspicious eyes.

“It is possible.”

“Howling… Did Your Highness name it?”

Reina tilted her head, having heard the name. I looked into her eyes and shook my head.

“I didn’t create the technique.”

“Then who did?”

“There is someone. The great one-armed knight.”

“?”

Everyone had puzzled expressions.

There was no famous one-armed knight in this era. Even if there were, there was no way I could have met her.

I glanced at Reina.

She had a look of deep contemplation. Originally, it was a technique she created in the ‘future’ after losing her arm, while facing a barbarian with superior skills to her own.

That kind of situation would not come in this life.

As I was thinking that…

I saw a welcome spark ignite in Reina’s eyes. It seemed she had felt something after seeing the Howling I had unleashed.

I wore a slight smile on my face and resumed walking.

***

In the conference room, gathered to plan the pirate subjugation operation.

Sitting at the head of the table, I examined the executives of the Northern Liberation Army—no, the Lionel Guardian Army—who had joined this Eastern subjugation.

Three in total.

Butcher Drake.

One-Eyed Kaina.

Fire Witch Lydia.

Austin and one other remained in the North as nominal executives of the Northern Liberation Army.

In fact, not all of the executives fully accepted the kingdom’s proposal.

Especially two who led the hardliners: Drake and Kaina. I heard that they had gone back and forth between agreeing and disagreeing several times a day.

Ultimately, they had answered that they would watch me during the process of carrying out this Eastern pirate subjugation and then decide.

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought it.”

“Come in.”

Alphonso appeared, carrying a large map. He hung it on the wall so that everyone gathered in the conference room could see it.

It was a tactical map detailing the terrain of the East. I stood up and approached it. I pulled out a long pointer and indicated a part of the map.

“Drake, Morgana: the two of you, along with two two-hundred-man squads, will go to the Esport Estate here. Dyke, a former Five-Star Knight who kidnapped and murdered the young noble lady of the Count family he was escorting, leads the pirate band that will attack this place around 10 a.m. tomorrow. Time is short, so you’ll have to leave as soon as the meeting ends.”

I paired Drake with the knight Morgana.

I remembered Alphonso asking if it would be a good idea to team him up with Berok, saying that they might develop affection while fighting.

I immediately told him not to talk nonsense.

I had allowed them to punch each other if things went wrong, but there was no need to create unnecessary conflict.

Drake raised his hand.

“Fifth Prince, is this information reliable? I know that the reason they haven’t been subjugated yet is because they are so elusive.”

He said with an incredulous expression.

He acknowledged my martial prowess, but his eyes showed that he couldn’t easily trust my command. In fact, he wasn’t the only one. The knights also seemed to feel that way.

I don’t blame them.

I was only leaving the royal capital Barona for the second time. Everyone knows that I haven’t even commanded a single soldier.

“If there’s a team that goes to the place I instructed and comes back empty-handed, I’ll give them this as a gift.”

Swish──!

Thwack!

I drew [Barisada] and stabbed it into the table.

Greed flickered in everyone’s eyes.

It must be because they think that the reason I broke Berok’s greatsword and cut Drake’s axe like tofu was largely due to the sword’s influence.

I was planning to send troops only to the guys whose whereabouts had been confirmed after cross-verification through the [Library] [a mental database of information]. Those guys will definitely appear at the time and place I say.

「······ Want to die?」

It was a bit of a painful mistake not to have asked for Barisada’s understanding in advance.