Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 66

066

Vernon Styler.

Alphonso, a man nicknamed ‘pug nose’ due to his notably stubby and large nose, approached him.

“Sir Vernon, the weapon the Prince commissioned at the royal smithy is complete.”

“It took longer than I anticipated.”

“There was a slight delay due to the coming-of-age ceremony and the subsequent festival.”

“Understood. I’ll inform Adol.”

“Thank you.”

Vernon promptly located Adol practicing his swordsmanship on the training grounds and led him to the royal smithy.

“Adol.”

“What is it?”

“Have you ever wielded a spear before?”

“Two or three times at the academy, perhaps? Have you ever used an axe?”

“When chopping firewood, maybe?”

The two exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

To suddenly be given a spear and an axe when they had been using swords since before entering the Royal Knight Academy… No matter how extraordinary the Fifth Prince was, this was quite unexpected.

Still, the reason they were heading to the smithy without complaint was because…

– ((Die!!))

– Kwaaaang──! Crash!

The image of Jo’s Dao [a type of Chinese saber], emitting an ominous Aura, shattering into pieces remained vivid in their minds.

Vernon, perhaps alone in this thought and knowing others would scoff, secretly believed the Fifth Prince was the reincarnation of the founding king.

There was simply no other explanation.

Regardless of the fact that the sword he was holding was [Varisada, likely a named magical sword], how else could he have broken Jo’s Dao, which was empowered by Aura?

‘Yes, he must be remembering fragments of his past life.’

The legends of the founding king he had heard growing up.

Stories of him beheading enemy knights less than a month after first holding a sword, causing the sword to sing as soon as he awakened his magic, effortlessly mastering sword techniques after seeing them only once, and those he mentored becoming renowned powerhouses.

After growing up, he had dismissed it all as nonsense and embellished lies.

But as Evan’s escort knight, he had directly witnessed him performing feats that mirrored the founding king’s legends.

The thought that the legends might not be entirely false gradually morphed into the conviction that Evan might indeed be the reincarnation of the founding king.

“Adol.”

“What is it now?”

Vernon was on the verge of sharing his thoughts with Adol but stopped himself. Even to his closest friend, it would likely invite ridicule.

In fact, he had no idea that Adol was harboring similar thoughts as they walked to the smithy.

“What? You called me; why aren’t you saying anything?”

Under Adol’s narrowed gaze, Vernon blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Actually, I always wanted to remain by the Prince’s side. Honestly, if you hadn’t stepped up, I would have stayed put, you know?”

“…Sorry.”

“No, it’s not that what you said was wrong; I agreed with it. It’s true that we’re lacking. It’s a little embarrassing for others to witness.”

“Let’s just go get the spear and axe the Prince instructed us to. He must have a plan in mind.”

An awkward silence descended.

The two continued onward without another word.

Then, as they approached the main gate of the palace, Adol spoke first.

“Your younger sibling had their coming-of-age ceremony recently, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t they mention applying to the Royal Knight Academy? They must be busy with only three months left.”

“I advised them to apply to the Military Academy instead of the Knight Academy.”

“Why? They have talent, don’t they?”

“They do. But if you ask whether they can pass the Knights of the Guard [elite royal guard] after graduation… well? If they graduate with mediocre grades, they’ll end up in a local lord’s knight order. For commoners like us, becoming an officer in the royal army is preferable.”

“That’s true. Still, giving up the Knight Academy can’t be easy. How did you convince them?”

“I haven’t yet. I’m planning to ask Royer for a favor later. Getting beaten up by a two-year-old sibling who wants to go to the Naval Academy should knock some sense into them.”

Vernon said that, picturing Royer receiving swordsmanship lessons from Reina.

He was among the top three talents he had ever seen. For reference, the other two were Evan and Reina.

Even that guy is considering going to the Naval Academy, but his sibling wants to go to the Knight Academy? Sorry, but no way.

As he thought this, Vernon’s eyes caught sight of a carriage attempting to leave the palace.

The windows were wide open, allowing him to see who was inside.

It was the Third Prince, who had his coming-of-age ceremony a few days prior.

He was moving his head from side to side, as if trying to imprint the palace in his memory one last time before departing, his face filled with regret.

Vernon asked Adol.

“Didn’t they say the Third Prince was going to be an administrative official in the south?”

“That’s what I heard.”

The Third Prince suddenly blushed when he noticed the two and hurriedly closed the window. The two were dumbfounded.

The Third Prince had heeded Evan’s advice to leave the influence of the First Prince and First Queen and seek opportunity in the east if he truly desired change.

The two had no way of knowing that he, who had chosen to settle for the present and was leaving for the south, felt ashamed when he saw them, Evan’s escort knights.

“Vernon, the Third Prince hurriedly closed the window when he saw us, right?”

“Yeah, I saw it too. Why? Wasn’t his face like a sibling caught doing something embarrassing?”

“Right. It was the same expression you had when I caught you crying in the Royal Knight Academy’s bathroom.”

“…Are you trying to start something?”

“Sorry.”

The two knew too much about each other’s hidden pasts.

“Let’s go to the smithy.”

“Yeah.”

The two arrived at the royal smithy.

A master craftsman with a short stature and a grumpy demeanor scrutinized them.

“Are you the ones? Hmph, I crafted these myself because an interesting request came in after a long time, but it was for youngsters. The Crescent Moon Glaive and Azure Flame Great Axe are over there.”

It was rude.

But he was a master craftsman recognized by the royal family.

There were rumors that he was on speaking terms with Councilor Bert. More importantly, his rank and position were higher than theirs.

The two quietly examined the spear and axe he had made.

“That’s a spear?”

“That’s an axe?”

It wasn’t the spear and axe they were familiar with.

The spear had a side blade resembling a crescent moon, and the axe was a long and massive double-edged axe that could almost be considered a spear.

“Ignorant fellows. I’ll explain the spear first. It’s called the Crescent Moon Glaive. It’s a spear used by the Moon Clan, who were wiped out because of the Hamel Empire. This part resembling a crescent moon is called the Crescent Moon. The axe is the Azure Flame Great Axe, similarly used by the Azure Flame Clan, who were wiped out due to the conflict with the Hamel Empire.”

Moon Clan? Azure Flame Clan?

It was the first time they had heard of them.

Without being prompted, the master craftsman continued his explanation.

“They were hard to distinguish from ordinary humans in appearance, but they possessed unique traits. The Moon Clan’s eyes turned silver when the full moon rose, and the Azure Flame Clan were a race that innately wielded blue flames. Well, whatever, each of you grab your weapon. There might be parts that need adjusting.”

Vernon grabbed the Azure Flame Great Axe as if compelled.

At that moment.

‘Ah!’

It felt like lightning struck his brain.

This was it, this was it.

It was the feeling of meeting the woman of fate he had been searching for his entire life.

Vernon turned his gaze slightly to the side and looked at Adol. He wore the same expression.

“Hahaha, look at those expressions. There might be Moon Clan and Azure Flame Clan members among your ancestors.”

The master craftsman smiled pleasantly, satisfied with the expressions of the two holding the weapons he had crafted.

***

Councilor Bert visited Emerald Palace.

Clang-! Clang─! Kkaang──!

“Hahaha. Take it easy, Sir Reina.”

“Haaaap!”

“Oh, my. So full of vigor.”

There were only a handful of people who could spar with Reina while she used her Aura to her heart’s content. Currently, she was exchanging blows with Bert, one of those individuals.

At first glance, it seemed like Reina was pushing him, but Bert’s face remained relaxed.

It was the expression of watching a cute granddaughter’s antics.

‘Is it natural?’

Bert is, well… he might not appreciate me saying this, but he’s like a gatekeeper standing before the threshold of becoming a 7-star knight.

He seemed to have discovered a clue to achieving 7-star knight status before I left for the east, but he still hasn’t crossed that threshold.

But, it’s not as if he’s failed either. Usually, it’s decided within about fifteen days whether you’ll succeed or fail, but this is a rare case.

He might have found his own unique method.

“Thank you.”

“Sir Reina, you’ve worked hard too.”

While I was pondering this, the sparring concluded. The two approached me. Reina wore a slightly frustrated expression.

That day when I beheaded Jo.

She swore allegiance to me, declaring she would serve me as her lord. She had become a ‘vassal’ [a feudal term for a subordinate who owes allegiance to a lord]. Witnessing me shatter his Dao, she believed I was someone she had to protect for the rest of her life.

Hmm… Thinking about it now, we had some slightly embarrassing conversations, but it was quite a solemn atmosphere at the time.

While Reina and Bert were wiping their sweat with towels, I glanced at the [List of People].

━━━━━━━━━━×

[Alphonso Einberg]

[Reina Jeanne]

[Ayra Merton]

[Adol Smith]

[Vernon Styler]

.

.

.

━━━━━━━━━━

‘Caution,’ ‘Distrust,’ ‘Hostility’… The [List of People], which was once filled with red letters, now has five vassals.

Ah! Adol and Vernon swore allegiance to me on the day they found their weapons. Thanks to the achievement ‘Path of the Monarch,’ which was unlocked with the creation of five vassals, I also gained a substantial amount of RP [Reward Points].

“It’s been a while since I’ve exchanged Aura with someone other than Gert. Let’s spar often in the future, Sir Reina.”

“It would be an honor.”

Reina’s eyes gleamed.

Bert’s pupils trembled slightly, as if he realized he had said something inappropriate. He must have heard about Reina’s sparring mania from his son Gert, the 3rd Knight Commander.

Well, he’ll avoid her on his own.

He averted his gaze from Reina and looked at me.

“I used some of my influence regarding the airship you requested.”

“Thank you. So, a medium-sized one?”

“Of course. Fran isn’t affiliated with the kingdom, but he’s a 7-star mage being sponsored by the Fifth Prince. If a small airship appears in Horizon with him aboard, how would other mages view the Lionel Kingdom and the Fifth Prince? I would gladly support a large airship if I could, but as you know, that’s a strategic asset of the kingdom. Please understand.”

“Of course. I wasn’t even expecting a large one.”

The Lionel Kingdom’s medium-sized airship is large enough to accommodate a maximum of about 80 people. It is also equipped with approximately 20 magic cannons, enabling the crew to handle most flying monsters encountered during navigation independently.

“By the way, Fifth Prince. Have you considered what I mentioned last time?”

He was referring to escorts.

Reina had become a 6-star knight, but even she, as a person, couldn’t closely escort me 24 hours a day.

His suggestion was to have 5-star knights from the 3rd Knight Order as escorts instead of Adol and Vernon.

Well, he’s not wrong, but.

“Let’s observe a little longer. The two of them will demonstrate rapid improvement soon.”

“I heard an interesting story. You gave them the Crescent Moon Glaive and Azure Flame Great Axe?”

“You know about it?”

“Of course. I used to travel the continent at one time, hahaha. I’ve even encountered members of the Moon Clan and the Azure Flame Clan.”

I recall hearing a story that he ran away from the palace and lived as an adventurer in his youth.

“The Moon Clan’s Moonlight Spear Technique and the Azure Flame Clan’s Azure Flame Great Axe Technique were both extraordinary. I was certain they were lost when the Hamel Empire eradicated them. Where did you obtain the secret manuals?”

“I acquired them from ruins excavated by the Northern Liberation Army, no, the Lionel Defense Forces. After examining the secret manuals, they seemed suitable for the two of them in many ways, including their body structure, so I instructed them to learn it.”

If I simply add the words ‘from the future,’ it’s not a lie. Bert smacked his lips at my confident response.

“When are you planning to depart?”

“I believe departing in three days, with ample time, would be ideal.”

“Be careful on your journey. People from all over the world will be gathering, so it will be an excellent opportunity to broaden your horizons.”

“Haha, you don’t need to worry.”

I said that, but I was actually a little excited.

It was my first time visiting Aden, a multi-ethnic alliance nation.