NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
The pungent smell of blood hanging in the air was a nauseating scent I thought I could never get used to. Now, it was stinging my nostrils, having become a part of my daily life.
Turning my head, I saw a man covered in blood attempting to escape. As soon as our eyes met, he dropped to his knees.
“P-please spare me,” he stammered.
Before he could finish his plea, I slashed his throat with my sword.
Maybe his vocal cords were severed because he could only make choking sounds after that. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight, but I didn’t feel any revulsion.
Honestly, just thinking about the blood on my hands had made me tough enough to not feel sick at such a sight.
The man collapsed, eyes rolling back. Beside him were nearly ten men and women, their heads severed and strewn about like rag dolls. What caught my eye were the grotesque tattoos etched into the napes of their necks.
What can I say? These were the Emperor’s Eyes created to replace the noblemen who had died in the last auction.
“I had a feeling, but it’s true. Nobles aren’t exempt.”
The Balance of Libra was one reason for attending the Hunt Festival, but the main purpose was to confirm which scumbags had been replaced by the Emperor’s Eyes and to extract information from their markings.
“W-why are you doing this to us?”
The nobleman, holding a self-defense sword with trembling hands, took a step back, clearly from the Griff family. As I approached, he quickly stepped back again, nearly tripping over a rock.
“What a dirty feeling.”
The Emperor’s Eyes don’t know their identity. They are beings created by mimicking physical form, memories, and even thought, unaware that they have already been replaced.
The markings on their napes can only be seen by someone who has reached the level of a Grand Sorcerer, which makes it even harder for them to know.
They’re artificial humans who exist everywhere yet don’t realize they’re spies. That’s why they’re called the Emperor’s Eyes.
“P-please,”
Before he could even finish that, I pierced his throat with my sword. With that unpleasant gasp, the man fell. I pulled the blade out and carelessly threw it into my pocket dimension.
I was covered in blood, but it didn’t matter since it could be erased with magic. It’s not like anyone could tell whether it was human blood or monster blood if I proper disposed of the bodies.
“..What did you just do?”
As I turned toward the voice, I saw a familiar blond man with golden eyes. It was the Crown Prince, Leo von Shpenheim. What a coincidence to run into him in such a secluded area where most would hesitate to enter.
He had already triggered warning signs long before I arrived, yet he was oblivious to it all. Following the Empire’s Duke just to protect Estelle from Adele?
Is this romantic, or just plain stupid?
“Does he have no escort?”
Was this confidence or just foolishness? Did he really think he could take me on since he barely scraped into the Swordmaster ranks? Well, thinking in such a one-dimensional way makes sense; he was probably written as a stupid character who was used as a tool in the original story.
“I’m asking you what you did.”
“What do you mean, I did just what you see.”
The Crown Prince glared at me, his teeth clenched in fury at the horror before him. The golden aura around him began to rise. I suppose being royal blood has its perks, as he emitted a considerable amount of aura for a Swordmaster.
Though honestly, being barely a Swordmaster, the quality of his aura was lacking. Aura can only grow stronger and increase through constant training.
Relying solely on bloodline to reach the Swordmaster level means his power was only half-baked.
“I’ll kill you!”
He seemed to have lost his senses, drawing his sword and charging at me. I couldn’t help but chuckle. No matter how he died, the Emperor’s Eyes are beings capable of resurrection.
If he knew that fact, he wouldn’t have been so furious.
“How ironic that a princess with no succession rights knows more about the royal family.”
Isn’t it a bit ironic?
I snapped my fingers, and a white magic circle appeared in front of me like a shield.
K clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed. The Crown Prince’s golden aura couldn’t even slice through my magic circle.
Seeing his decisive blow blocked seemed to panic him; his eyes trembled slightly. Did he think I would just let his straightforward assault hit me?
He lacked combat experience, which was evident before even considering levels of aura or combat power.
“Array deployment.”
As numerous magic circles revealed themselves from all sides, the Crown Prince’s eyes shook more violently. Yet, noticing the situation, he didn’t step back to get into position, indicating that his situational judgment and reflexes were quite poor.
Given that he is merely a brat, why would it be expected otherwise?
Before meeting Estelle, he had only been drunkenly flirting with women, indulging himself. With the cruel power of a Swordmaster that was unwarranted for him, he had no qualms engaging in whatever mischief. That was Leo von Shpenheim for you.
With a dumb head and unnecessary strength, he behaved as if he had all the rights in the world, and he surely received a lot of backlash from readers. In the original story, he was one of the most hated characters after the author.
“Fire.”
White bullets shot from the magic circles.
He hurriedly swung his aura in defense, but the bullets easily pierced through it. No matter how much aura he had, that bad quality aura couldn’t withstand even a single bullet.
“Gah!”
With the sound of armor crumpling, the Crown Prince went flying. He crashed into a snow-laden tree, gasping for breath.
The sight of the Crown Prince, half-buried in the snow, spitting blood was oddly satisfying.
Was it the satisfaction of venting all my frustrations in the comments against him in the original story?
“You bastard..”
“The Golden Lion Knights.”
The mention of the knights caused him to pause.
The ambush that occurred after Adele and I attended a banquet together. Knowing the royal family’s combat techniques, I could quickly deduce the identities of those ambushers.
The Golden Lion Knights.
They were the order established to protect the royal family, and the Empire’s ultimate weapon, only wielded by the Emperor and the rightful heir.
What would happen if word got out that they had suddenly ambushed a Duke with significant influence in the Empire and his fiancée?
Well, the outcome would be pretty obvious.
What the Crown Prince did was effectively an act of hostility towards the nobility. If a rebellion didn’t happen as a result, it would be a miracle. As though reading my thoughts, his complexion turned pale.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
“H-how…”
“If His Majesty finds out about this, he would be quite saddened.”
Though, knowing His Majesty’s crazy personality, it’s doubtful he’d react that way.
“What is it that you want?”
Well, at least he comprehended the situation. However, it seemed he had no awareness at all, given he still held his head up high. I suppose the Crown Prince of the Empire would never have to worry about such situations.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
I kicked him, causing him to slam against the tree and let out a pained groan. My sudden action clearly startled him, as his eyes shook wildly.
“Seems like you don’t grasp the situation.”
I have the upper hand here.
You’re on the bottom.
“Your life is currently in my hands.”
Would the Emperor really shelter the Crown Prince knowing full well of his reckless actions? I don’t think so. He wouldn’t hesitate to cut him off. To the Emperor, children are merely tools for governance.
Having seen this as the Crown Prince up close, it wouldn’t be lost on him.
“What do you want?”
His neck remained stiff, but I guess that’s the best he could manage. It wasn’t worth pushing him further; better to get to the point quickly.
“The Emperor’s Sword, Luke von Shpenheim.”
“How do you know about that?”
Seeing his reaction to the mention of the Emperor’s Sword, it didn’t seem like he knew nothing about the royal family. Did he even know that the second prince, Luke von Shpenheim, became the Emperor’s Sword?
But he wouldn’t have known, given the second prince only became Emperor after the first prince, who had succession rights, was officially dead. There was a time when the second prince was viewed as the most likely candidate for the crown, despite not being of royal blood.
“Where is his mother, Luka von Asrikh?”