NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3
I bought some clothes, and next, I just wanted to fill my belly.
So, I walked into a crowded restaurant. It must mean the taste is at least decent.
A girl in a suspicious robe was staring at me, but I couldn’t care less. My sole purpose was to eat.
– Why are you just shoving food in your mouth?
But then, a giant with red hair decided to pick a fight.
I told him to mind his own business, and suddenly, he shot a bright red orb at me.
[Lv.103]
The number floating above his head was pretty intimidating.
But that red orb looked like something I could definitely parry.
So, I just parried it.
— It’s the Empire’s sword.
I just killed one of the strongest idiots in the Empire.
I couldn’t believe it.
*
“Move aside.”
From behind the shocked knights, a gentle voice rang out, almost screeching, “W-W-Your Highness!”
The First Prince of the Astes Empire, Schwarze von Astes, pushed the knights aside and stepped forward. But he didn’t enter the restaurant; he just stared at Duke Yuma from the doorway.
“I heard firsthand from the people outside that you killed Lord Keingal, one of the Eight Knights of the Empire. Is that true?”
Schwarze’s beautiful blonde hair flowed, and his eyes narrowed.
Lord.
That was how they referred to Duke Yuma, who slowly nodded.
“I did.”
Schwarze glanced at the girl with black hair sitting next to Yuma. If that guy supported her, things would get messy.
He turned back to Yuma.
“Can I ask why you killed him?”
Yuma pointed at the empty bowl on the table with his chin.
“He interrupted my meal.”
Schwarze’s brows furrowed.
“He… interrupted your meal?”
I thought it would be a valid reason as long as it wasn’t just to protect the girl. But the excuse sounded absurd. It wasn’t just Schwarze who was left dumbfounded; thirty knights, hearing Yuma’s words, trembled in shock.
Schwarze steadied his racing heart and continued.
“So, you killed the Empire’s sword… one of the Ten Knights of the Empire?”
Yuma’s blue eyes locked onto Schwarze.
“Do I really need a better reason?”
Schwarze swallowed hard.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
‘Without any violent force.’
He was overwhelming. And that made it even scarier. Schwarze couldn’t even begin to gauge what kind of monster stood before him.
Confidence that he could manipulate any situation to his liking against any adversary. That’s how Schwarze saw Yuma’s actions and words.
Berche felt that Yuma’s actions and words seemed that way.
Schwarze gazed at those beside him.
Always steadfast, his loyal bodyguards.
On the left stood a knight clad in red armor, wielding a spear. Roark, the Spear Demon, one of the Empire’s Ten Lords, just like Keingal.
And on the right was Leonard, his personal bodyguard.
“Can you kill him? For sure?”
The Spear Demon Roark slowly shook his head.
“I can’t be certain.”
“What if you two work together?”
Leonard’s gaze shifted to Keingal’s corpse. The body with a gaping hole in its torso was more shocking than he had expected. Especially for Leonard, who knew how strong Keingal was.
“Even then, I can’t assure you.”
Schwarze once again looked at Keingal’s body.
The wretchedly cooling corpse.
His arrogant behavior was definitely backed by real power. In that case, he couldn’t give the order.
Not when all the Empire’s Ten Lords weren’t obediently following his command. He couldn’t risk losing one who was already compliant to a gamble.
Schwarze shifted his gaze back to Yuma.
“…I won’t hold you accountable. My business lies with the woman next to you. May I ask you to leave after seeing my matter?”
It was a clear declaration of defeat.
The prince, tasked with safeguarding the Empire, was saying he would forgive the one who killed one of the Empire’s swords right in the capital.
Yet, despite the prince’s ridiculous and pitiful state, the knights couldn’t utter a word. They too had long been swallowed by fear.
Yuma stared quietly at Schwarze.
A brief standoff.
During this standoff, someone else appeared in front of the dining hall.
“Schwarze, dear brother.”
It was a woman with pristine white hair.
With deep blue eyes.
Schwarze turned his stern face to look directly at her.
“…Brigitte.”
Princess Brigitte von Astes, the First Princess.
“That child is my guest. I should have come to greet her, but I’m late.”
Schwarze furrowed his brow.
His eyes narrowed suddenly.
“Damn it.”
He had mobilized even Keingal, one of the Empire’s Eight Lords, just to prevent this moment. Contrary to his fiery personality, he was a very calculating hunter when searching for someone to kill.
“Because of that guy.”
Because of the man who suddenly dropped from the sky with a languid expression, everything had gone awry.
Schwarze decided to make one final effort.
With a seemingly friendly smile, he looked at Brigitte.
“But Brigitte, she’s a seed of the witch. No matter how magically gifted the child is, taking her in could cast a shadow over the Empire.”
Brigitte shook her head without any change in expression.
“Being the daughter of a witch. There’s no evidence that she would inherit her parents’ nature, dear brother, as you know.”
Without hesitation, I stepped inside the restaurant.
A knight clad in bright white armor who had been standing behind Brigitte followed me in. It was Michael, Brigitte’s personal knight.
Brigitte stood next to the girl.
“I’m sorry, Cloney. I couldn’t come out to greet you when I called you to the capital.”
The black-haired, golden-eyed girl, Cloney, shook her head vigorously and bowed deeply to the floor.
“No, Your Highness! Thanks to the person next to me, I was able to be safe.”
Cloney’s brilliantly shining golden eyes turned toward Duke Yuma.
Cloney’s words also made Princess Brigitte glance at the man with dull gray hair, Yuma, who was sitting with a bored expression.
‘This guy…’
The man who had effortlessly taken down the Imperial Eight’s Keingal right in front of the entrance.
Brigitte approached Yuma.
“Thank you for saving my guest.”
“I wasn’t trying to save anyone. I just cleaned up the mess interrupting my meal.”
Brigitte couldn’t even question why Yuma didn’t use honorifics towards her, a member of royalty.
She instinctively sensed a similar aura to her own noble lineage radiating from the man in front of her.
A majesty that couldn’t comfort anyone.
“Still, thank you. As a reward for saving my guest, I’d like to treat you as a VIP. What do you say?”
Yuma pondered for a brief moment at Brigitte’s words.
He had already been thinking of a way to escape this place for a while now. Honestly, even if he just walked out right now, it didn’t seem like anyone would try to stop him.
It was pretty obvious that everyone around was terrified of him.
That was only natural. He had just killed one of the ten strongest individuals in the Astes Empire with a single blow.
‘But evading the situation isn’t the answer.’
He needed to reach the destination, the conclusion of this game.
To do that, he had to know about this world.
And who could know it better than the prince or princess right in front of him? There would be very few.
Choosing one of them meant a simple conclusion.
[Search Eye] had provided that conclusion.
Keingal, who was dead, had an evil disposition. Prince Schwarze had a neutral disposition.
Princess Brigitte and Cloney had good dispositions.
“Can I look forward to that treatment?”
At Yuma’s words, Brigitte smiled brightly.
“Of course.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Yuma stood up. Very gracefully.
The girl, Cloney, smiled brightly and stood up as well. Having Yuma with her made her feel very good.
Tread─
When Yuma stood in front of the door, the knights surrounding them stepped back simultaneously, as if on cue. The same went for Prince Schwarze.
“Brigitte.”
While biting his lip at Yuma’s bored gaze, Schwarze stopped Brigitte, who was walking behind Yuma.
“Yes, brother.”
“It’s all well and good to create those four, but you’ll have to take responsibility for the result too.”
Brigitte faced Schwarze.
“Let me give you a piece of advice.”
Their gazes crossed coldly.
“Please, don’t cross the line of humanity.”
Schwarze ground his teeth as he watched Brigitte’s party distance themselves.
Brigitte guided Yuma and Cloney into a vintage red carriage.
Clop clop─
Yuma momentarily stared out the window, then met the piercing gaze of someone beside him, unable to withstand it and returned the stare.
“Do you have a question for me?”
Fifteen years old. The black-haired, golden-eyed girl, Cloney.
‘She seems to think I saved her.’
Well, logically, she was right. It’s better than being accused of killing the Empire’s Ten Greats just for interrupting her meal. Saying you killed someone to help a girl in trouble is way more convincing.
Yuma had no intention of correcting Cloney’s misunderstanding.
“Um, may I ask your name?”
What a simple question made complicated.
“Yuma.”
“Thank you…!”
Cloney beamed with a smile.
Yuma thought it was funny that she’d thank him for such a trivial thing.
‘Lord Yuma.’
Cloney etched Yuma’s name into her mind.
“Yuma.”
It wasn’t Cloney calling him, but Brigitte, sitting in the front seat.
“Don’t you want to know what just happened?”
“Go ahead and tell me.”
Brigitte laughed with a chuckle, finding it absurd that a commoner would speak so freely in front of a princess.
“Yuma, are you a noble?”
“I’m a commoner.”
It was Brigitte’s direct bodyguard, Michael, who was more disturbed by Yuma’s nonchalance than Brigitte herself.
Seeing the fury in Michael’s eyes, Brigitte shook her head and calmed him down.
“Michael, you can’t win against him anyway.”
Michael dipped his head at Brigitte’s words. She was right.
Killing Keingal, the Red Star of the Empire’s Eight Seats, without a scratch—the thought was beyond his capabilities. He had confidence to stand on equal ground, but he couldn’t guarantee victory.
A strong opponent.
This rude commoner before him, Yuma, was likely a being beyond even a master, reaching a supreme level. It was an unavoidable deduction.
“I’ll explain the situation.”
Brigitte returned to the main topic and continued.
“The axis of this empire, my father, Emperor Agares, is on the brink of eternal slumber.”
It meant he was in a dying state.
“He hasn’t regained consciousness for half a year. We still can’t predict when he’ll wake up.”
Yuma could guess what Brigitte would say next.
“We need to choose the next emperor.”
Brigitte nodded.
“Yes, exactly.”