บท 30: My Prince
Karmic opportunity is best when it's meticulously hidden somewhere to be savored.
Much like the inner elixir of a spiritual creature hidden in a gloomy cave in martial arts novels contributes greatly to the increase in one's inner strength.
The karmic opportunity residing in the warehouse where the Knight Commander, a fabled creature, resides in Histania boasted the finest flavor.
Especially so, stealing the karmic opportunity of someone who will become an enemy later has the tastiest reward without any backlash.
Demonic sword Tirbing.
It's the weapon wielded by the Greedy Archbishop, who instigated a massacre in the capital.
In the middle of the novel, there is an episode where Malik escorts the cursed sword, but it ends in tragedy due to a heretic spy.
As a result, Malik was robbed of the sword, and the Greedy Archbishop used it as a vicious weapon to kill the Mage Tower Master.
The effect of Tirbing was nothing special.
It could cut through magic.
Sharper than any other sword.
Only enhanced the efficiency of sword energy.
The problem was that it cut too well, but aside from that, it was an unremarkable sword without any particularly impressive effects.
It wasn't a holy sword with an ego that incessantly gave advice, nor did it have the ability to pass down ancient skills; however, it was a sword with unparalleled cutting power.
It did come with a penalty, however, as the aura of dark magic it emitted could drive its user insane, making it the perfect weapon for the heretics who enjoyed madness.
And coincidentally, it was also highly suitable for me, who had a natural resistance to dark magic.
I intended to ignore it because it felt somewhat creepy
-Ricardo the sword sucks.
-But miss, its the sword you said you were going to gift to Michail, purchased for 100,000 gold?
-When?
-When you were at the Royal Academy.
-Why does Ricardo have it, then?
-It looked nice, so I stole it.
-Oh good sleight of hand! But it sucks, doesn't suit Ricardo at all.
Provoked by the young lady's taunts, I made up my mind to steal it.
I felt uncomfortable that it was a gift intended for Michail, and it had to look a bit grand at least, so that the lady could take pride in our house butler using a demonic sword.
I decided to steal the karmic opportunity, certain that the lady would be ashamed if I carried around a flimsy sword made by dwarves.
It was absolutely not because of the petty vengeance I felt for Rowen's strange request; I just thought it was time I received some compensation for psychological damage. That's why I came.
[Poison Resistance' resists the deadly toxicity of Potion of Stealth.']
A potion focused solely on the efficiency of stealth.
It was my own creation.
Although it was a potion with a fierce toxicity that would certainly kill Yuria, who specializes in divine power, even with the slightest consumption, thanks to my steadily built-up resistance to poison from a young age, I was the only person able to drink it.
A unique potion that only I could make and consume.
Despite its fatal flaw that the effect would wear off with the use of aura, this potion allowed me to effortlessly obtain Tirbing.
The sword had a black blade.
Sleek and well-crafted.
Being a cursed sword, it seemed to have an aristocratic air.
To an ordinary person, it would seem like a very beautiful sword, one strong enough to draw one to touch it. I left the mansion with a satisfied smile, pleased with the sword's strong aura.
It would be troublesome to be caught by the homeowner.
As I climbed onto the roof to run away without paying
-How about apologizing to Hanna?
An intriguing melodrama unfolded underneath the roof.
*** ***
Hanna was crying.
"Why are you doing this to me"
Clutching her fists tightly, Hanna, full of resentment, hurled her pent-up emotions at her father.
She had been engrossed in thought after reading the letter.
Asking why he's leaving her be now.
Questioning why her father who ignored her all this time is suddenly seeking her now.
"You said you didn't need a daughter like me! always treating me like dirt, and now your doing this Why!"
"I've never treated you like dirt."
Hanna scoffed.
"You say you never did? Then why did you ignore my sparring every time?"
"Because your brother has the talent to lead Histania"
"That damn talent. I'm sick of hearing about it."
Distraught, Rowen carefully began to speak, but to the tearful Hanna, full of indignation, it was as if she heard nothing.
She hated everything.
Standing in this detestable mansion.
Having a father she couldn't communicate with.
She despised her father to the point where the proud name Histania now felt shameful.
The grinding noise of clenching teeth came from Hanna.
"I thought maybe I opened the letter thinking maybe, just maybe."
Thud. Hanna's tears fell onto the discarded letter.
The letter from her stubborn father, blurred by her tears, soaked in Rowen's words.
"I thought maybe you would have changed. Proud of you. Congratulations. Even if it wasn't warm words like these, I thought you'd at least say sorry."
"But what is this! what is this!?"
Hanna's screams echoed through the silent mansion.
She expressed her grief to Rowen, the heavy words shed never said in her life. She felt foolish for having even a sliver of hope that her father would change if she showed how she'd changed herself.
Rowen listened in silence to his daughter's resentment.
The best choice.'
That was the conclusion Rowen arrived at.
You haven't seen that illusion.'
An excuse that Rowen couldn't tell Hanna, his only refuge to rationalize his own mistakes.
However.
Seeing his daughter's tearful face made him wonder if something was wrong.
The thought that his selfishness, which had only considered the best, might have pushed Hanna to the brink, started to gnaw at Rowens mind.
If only he had trusted Hanna.
The terrifying thought that perhaps if he had been just a little warmer as a father, he could have avoided what the blue window had shown, tormented Rowen's mind.
Rowen furrowed his brows deeply in thought.
He always believed he was right.
Rowen had deceived himself into thinking that Hanna was just too young to go along with his choices.
I am always right Just as all of my choices have been.'
While his convictions were ready to scream at Hanna to give up the sword immediately, there was hesitation deep within, quieting his quivering lips.
Rowen struggled to articulate his thoughts.
"It's all for your sake. You may not understand now, but later..."
Hanna glared back at Rowen.
"What's for my sake?"
"..."
"What do you mean it's for my sake? Is disregarding me for not having talent for my sake? Is crushing your own daughter who is growing and thriving for my sake?"
Hanna could not comprehend Rowen.
As a child, she tried to understand and hold back the tears, justifying it by the thought that her brother had superior talent. But now, having outshone her brother with her achievements, she could not understand the father who was trying to stop her.
She didn't want to understand.
She had no intention to follow.
Having lived all her life under the shadow of her father's disdain, the years spent glancing at her family's faces at the table, where she forced herself to swallow down the food until she felt sick.
Why not even once did he consider her opinion?
Facing the unchanging image of her father, Hanna spoke with a voice drained of hope.
"Some butler from the remote areas mentioned it."
"..."
"He said I have talent."
It was a phrase she had never heard from her family, but from a man she had just met.
At that time, it seemed like nonsense.
She thought he was utterly insane.
But now that she thought about it, he was like a prince from a fairy tale who had allowed her to hold on.
Being trapped in darkness, only knowing how to blame oneself, and then someone offers a glimmer of light, this presence made Hanna's heart heavy with emotion.
Was this feeling now love? Or perhaps at this moment, she desperately longed to see that man.
She wanted to tell him it was unfair.
She wanted to ask if she was doing well.
With tears welling up, Hanna spoke to Rowen. She clenched her teeth saying there was someone who was a hundred times better than him.
"He said I have talent He asked if I would believe him if he said he could make me win against a person who seemed unbeatable That's what he said."
"At first, I thought he was insane. I thought he was just after money and saying things that sounded good. But do you know what was even more unfair?"
Looking straight at Rowen, Hanna continued,
"I was laughing with joy at the blatantly obvious lie like a madwoman."
Clang.
Hanna dropped the sword emblazoned with the Histania crest onto the floor and said,
"Do you think this is right, Dad?"
Hanna's shoulders were shaking. Rubbing her teary eyes and sobbing, Hanna couldn't say any more, overwhelmed with emotion.
Claiming it was all for her sake.
Yet, it made her feel like she was suffocating to death.
Hanna felt an unbearable tightness in her chest.
"Do you know that?"
Hanna recalled memories flashing through her mind.
"The first time I met him, he told me"
Holding back her breathless sobs, Hanna barely managed to get the words out.
"He said swinging the sword would have killed me. He knew I was starving for praise, and thought maybe someday I'd rush to my death just to get a bit of attention"
She had thought that wouldn't apply to her. But peering deep within herself, Hanna had to admit,
"I thought it was a lie but back then, it seems like I really could have done that."
With eyes full of certainty, Hanna looked into the void and said,
[Would you like to view it?]
Hanna felt as if she might never see her father again.
"I don't know what you want, Dad. But what if."
Hanna let out a deep sigh,
"If I die..."
Then she threw words sharp as knives at Rowen,
"It would be you who killed me."
Rowen's face turned ice cold.
Not realizing anything was amiss until he saw Hanna's tear-streaked face,
But the damage was already done.
Rowen, with a trembling voice, said to Hanna,
"Even so I did it for you-"
"Stop it!"
Malik clenched his fist and shouted at Rowen. He didn't want to show this disgraceful scene any longer.
Knowing he was at fault for turning a blind eye, Malik didn't want to see Hanna hurt anymore.
Bracing himself for his fathers wrath and taking a deep breath,
-Crack!
Thump-thud-bang!
A familiar-faced man dropped from the ceiling. Malik looked at the man before him with startled eyes.
The red-haired man sitting down, looking confused as if he hadn't expected this to happen, while Malik responded with a stunned expression.
The man who had fallen from the ceiling muttered,
"What kind of ceiling is this weak"
After spitting out the irritated words, he slowly observed everyone present in the office.
Glaring at Rowen.
Smiling at Malik.
Winking at Hanna.
The man scratched his head and then, looking at Rowen's face, smiled brightly,
"God my blood was boiling... Sir, would you like to be buried in a sunny spot?"
Hanna's heart skipped a beat.
*** ***
Cold stares were piercing through me.
Malik with his taken aback expression.
Hanna was crying.
And
"What did you say?"
Rowen seemed to have gone off the rails.
A threatening atmosphere was emanating from Rowen. As though proving he was the strongest in the empire, a crushing murderous intent was directed at me.
I smirked wryly as I looked at Rowen.
I can handle this.'
Perhaps warding off the earnest murderous intent of the lady who had her chocolate snatched away was good training, Rowen's killing intent was bearable.
-Darn it! Don't dodge!
-Miss, that fork seemed to carry some murderous intent.
-Eek! It's because Ricardo is being annoying!
-No matter what, it's wrong to exude killing intent towards the butler.
-Then don't dodge!
-It's too slow to do that
-Yeeeek!!!
I decided to give the lady who helped with my training some chocolate as a gift.
I overcame Rowen's intensity and brushed the dust off my pants. The confounded expression of Malik was facing me, but I smiled nonchalantly and spoke to Rowen.
"I've delivered a presumptuous lecture."
"Why would you bring up such a topic if you knew better?"
"For the sake of the noble future of the Histania family head's retirement?"
Rowen furrowed his brow.
"Are you playing word games right now?"
I shook my head as I answered.
"Not at all. Its advice with sincere intentions."
"Living this way until old age, you won't be buried in a sunny place, people might not even visit your grave."
Rowen responded coldly to my heartfelt advice. It seemed that my sincerity did not reach him.
"Do you have a death wish?"
I answered Rowen's question seriously.
"No."
Rowen's expression grew colder. My genuine wish not to die did not seem to reach him.
I conveyed my true feelings again to Rowen.
"I truly do not wish to die."
The forcefulness emanating from Rowen grew more fearsome.
Histania Rowen.
A stubborn swordsman whose belief was as strong as Michail's view of the world being a rose garden. A self-made man with a steadfast stubbornness, believing his choices are right, his success as its validation.
The type of person I hate the most yet, at the same time, a figure whose achievements I had no choice but to acknowledge. His success was not a lie.
Still, I disliked Rowen.
'Because he made Hanna cry.'
That is why I stood before Rowen.
The incident of falling through the ceiling was not due to some fate of coincidence but stemmed from my own snapped cog, driven by Hanna's tears.
Hanna was my first disciple.
Though our relationship, tied by money, began with weeping and laughter, it evolved into one of trust between master and disciple.
At the same time, she was like a lifesaver who introduced me to Malik, the benefactor who would later become a great patron.
I decided to stand here, under the guise of coincidence, to protect my means of livelihood, as I disliked Rowens casual remarks towards Hanna, who would someday make an excellent patron herself.
Rowen was looking at me.
The sword, Tirving, once in hand.
The red aura rising from his hand.
Rowen's pupils started to narrow rapidly. Not enough with stealing the enchanted sword kept in the mansion, the brazen thief was doling out unsolicited advice.
Rowen spoke to me with an icy voice.
"I won't kill you. But I will sever that insolent tongue of yours."
As his words ended, Hanna's sword, which had fallen to the floor, began to float. A technique seen in martial arts novels.
Ethereal Sword.
Not the martial arts novel method of lifting the sword with inner power, but a technique made by manipulating the mana around oneself with one's own aura.
A kind of performance by martial masters to break the will of opponents. Even if I do not wield my sword, you cannot win.' It's a technique used to display such confidence.
'Crazy fool.'
Experiencing the sword master's might, I chuckled wryly and took a step towards Rowen.
-Whoosh.
Rowen's floating sword cut through the air and stopped right in front of my throat.
Just enough space for a finger to fit in, the sword stopped, issuing a murderous warning, but I maintained a calm smile and said,
"Is this how you judge the existence of talent?"
[Limit Break' tests the unique ability Nullify' of the enchanted sword Tirving'.]
Clang. Accompanied by a sound, Rowen's floating sword fell to the floor.
Rowen's pupils wavered.
"What trickery is this"
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"I just showed you a petty trick, not my fault you are going senile."
It doesn't seem like a skill I could use often. It felt like a great burden on my body.
Trying to hide my trembling hands, I walked past Rowen's fallen sword.
As composed as possible.
As if not frightened.
I had to deceive myself.
That way, I could deceive Rowen.
I couldn't defeat Rowen as I am now. I might have a chance if I dug up all the hidden resources and fully used my swordsmanship, but facing a sword master unprepared is like trying to break a rock with an egg.
But.
I managed to instill enough doubt with my crude trickery.
I wanted to create an atmosphere conductive to dialogue. It was the only way I could defeat Rowen.
If I could make Rowen doubt my power even once, that would then turn into certainty.
The Rowen before me was in doubt. Perhaps in his eyes, I appeared.
As my equal, or perhaps even greater.'
The effects of the invisibility potion made my presence undetected.
The powerless drop of Rowen's Ethereal Sword due to Tirvings effect.
And my unfazed expression, all combined to break Rowen's impetus.
As Rowen adopted a defensive stance, I seized the advantage and stared him down directly.
"I've disliked you from the start. A married man who is better-looking than me with impeccable manners. Especially, the thing that bothers me the most is..."
"..."
"Hmm...Forcing my precious disciple to give up the sword! that might be it."
Upon hearing my words, Hanna's eyes went wide with surprise.
At the mention of disciple,' her eyes darted once. At the word precious,' she was overwhelmed with emotion and lowered her head.
I watched Hanna with a bittersweet smile.
Should I have come out earlier?'
I felt regret at the sight of Hanna's trembling shoulders, but Rowen, listening to the conversation, didn't seem to take it the same way.
With a complicated look, Rowen retorted to me.
"It doesn't seem like it's any of your business."
"It seems even less of your affair, head of the Histania family, considering you have no interest in attending a parent-observation class."
"Stop joking around. This is your last warning."
"Do I seem to be joking?"
I looked straight at Rowen and let him hear the words he might have told Hanna over countless times.
"The talent that you, the head, speak of."
"..."
"Isn't that something you lack?"
"What did you say?"
"The inability to recognize Hanna's talent. Even a young man like me can see it, but for a Knight Commander to fail to notice that's the odd part here."
"Say that one more time. This time, I'll tear that mouth of yours apart."
"Oh my! how terrifying, Hannah look! Your father thinks he is a threat!."
Rowen's expression began to change in real-time. The conversation about being hideous' started to emanate a vicious aura, and he began the release of an oppressive force that didn't concern itself with the fates of those around.
All the while, my words were digging into Rowen's heart.
Since you've insulted my disciple,
You should feel the same.
"A worthless father who couldn't even remember his daughter's birthday."
"To the point of wanting to cut open the goose that lays golden eggs Ha.. If that's not madness"
Just like the archbishop filled with regret over breaking Hanna's spirit in the novel, I touched Rowen's mood.
"You ought to have done at least one right. In truth, wasn't it you who lacked talent?"
"Shut up."
"Being silent also requires the talent to be able to do it. It's just that I lack the talent for silence. I am sorry for only lacking this much in front of you~"
I started to release a red aura from beneath my feet.
[Limit Break' is pushing the Limits of Aura]
In the art of aura manipulation, I was several steps ahead of Rowen and began to slowly cover his aura with mine.
As one who has been possessed, my skills produce results akin to overwhelming magic.
The knowledge of the original story.
The help of the system.
The diligence of my youth.
All these combined to create an impressive performance that would astonish everyone.
-Crack
With a resounding crash, the golden aura that once filled the surroundings began to be enveloped by my own.
Cracks began to form on the walls.
The mansion started to shake.
Rowen's eyes were shaking intensely.
I spoke facing the flustered Rowen,
"Talking about having talent isn't something that can be determined by just seeing this, right?"
"That's nonsense."
"I am indeed an entity that defies logic."
Rowen's eyes began trembling.
He was now witnessing the most perfect manipulation of aura he had ever seen. The aura encompassing the entire mansion without a single trace of magical energy leaking would appear more beautiful to a swordsman in pursuit of strength than any work of art, so I lifted my head with an arrogant expression.
"From now on, please lessen your involvement with my disciple. It's disruptive to her studies."
"..."
"If you have complaints I would appreciate if you could send them via letter. Ah and-"
I muttered to Rowen,
"It seems like the head of the Histania family should learn some humility first."
Though it's ironic for me, the furthest from humility, to say such a thing to someone.
I took Hanna's hand.
Hanna's hand was cold.
Drip. Tears from Hanna fell onto the back of the hand I was holding.
"Is it real?"
Hanna asked with a trembling voice,
"Am I really a precious person to you, the butler?"
I glanced at Rowen who was behind me and smiled,
"Yes, of course."
Hanna's face turned red.
Her heart was beating wildly.
***
In the peaceful residence of the young lady.
With Tirving, which boasted a black hue in front of her, the young lady was wearing an enigmatic expression.
"I want to touch it."
"If you touch it, you lose."
"Did you steal this?"
"No. It was a gift from Malik."
The young lady put a question mark above her head.
"Malik?"
"The owner, a friend from the forest."
"Oh, what a nice person. Be sure to get along well with him."
"Understood."
The young lady nodded and addressed Tirving,
"It looks beautiful. Almost like chocolate."
I spoke to the young lady,
"That would be dark chocolate, and so it's probably going to be quite bitter."
"Yeek"
The young lady, who was reaching out to touch Tirving, recoiled her hand as if startled.
With determination, the young lady said,
"It concedes defeat."
I smiled slightly at her,
"Yes, it concedes defeat."
Hanna, observing this, sighed deeply.
"No, what's with bringing out a demonic sword"
I smiled gently at Hanna and said,
"Miss Hanna, would you like to try touching it? You wont go mad from just touching it briefly."
Hanna sighed deeply and responded,
"No"
It seemed he was too much for her to handle.
But
Everything about him felt so precious to Hanna.
Hanna clenched her fists and whispered faintly,
"I love you."
It was a small act of courage from Hanna, who was learning about love.
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