Holding my sword and looking ahead, I see my older brother standing as naturally as ever.
There’s no sense of tension in his posture at all. It may seem arrogant at a glance, but that’s not it.
It’s only natural. Who would get tense when a fly is buzzing right in front of them? The gap between my older brother and me is that kind of difference.
“I can’t win, not at all.”
I’ve changed my mindset from the past, struggling in various ways.
To win just once against Lucy Alrn. To not fall behind that Freya. To prove my worth to others. I’ve given it my all.
But if you ask what the origin of all this effort is, I would, of course, point to one person.
Rene Soladin. The first prince of Soladin. A genius no one can deny, and my older brother. The goal I have to surpass.
“...Don’t mock me. I didn’t create walls because I wanted to.”
I kept pushing forward. But suddenly, walls appeared before me.
From the start, Freya wasn’t even a wall. I haven’t been overtaken yet.
I ignored the fragment’s words and kept moving forward, when my older brother waved his hand with a fresh smile.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, I am.”
“If you want a handicap, tell me beforehand. I’ll accommodate most things.”
“I’m fine with this.”
“...Really?”
“You don’t ask for a handicap when you face little brother, do you?”
“That’s because he’s an idiot. If he’s going to get crushed, he’ll use all his strength until he collapses.”
“I’ve become an idiot too.”
I said firmly, and my older brother froze for a moment before giving me a playful grin.
“Ha, really?”
There was no sign. Before I knew it, my older brother was right in front of me.
The sword, without my hand, flew toward my head.
There’s no aura.
Then there’s no reason to dodge.
I step forward, slowing the sword with a barrier of wind.
The moment I took my stance, the sword touched my head, but the impact was minimal.
I can hold on.
“Certainly.”
I gather aura at the tip of my sword.
Then, using my whole body as a shield, I thrust my sword forward.
Not just a thrust, but one that even surpasses the speed of an arrow, aimed directly at my opponent.
“You’ve become foolish.”
The sensation at the tip of the sword told me that my fastest thrust had landed perfectly.
The speed I had created to pierce Lucy Alrn’s shield was not wasted.
I know without being told. My older brother won’t fall so easily.
“I didn’t expect you to counterattack while receiving the blow.”
“You didn’t have the intent to kill.”
“Even though you accelerated so much, did you manage to discern it?”
“Because there’s a beast obsessed with speed beside me.”
Freya Kent doesn’t have the word “moderation.” He always swings his sword as if to kill me.
Compared to the time I struggled to survive in that storm, the sword speed just now is nothing.
“Want to try coming first this time?”
“Willingly.”
Physical enhancement through aura. Increased speed through wind magic. And on top of that, Kent’s swordplay learned from sparring with Freya.
I mix it all together and charge forward.
I’m not running with the wind. I’m piercing through the wind with all my strength.
I felt a rush of joy, thinking it might be even faster than during practice, and used a thrust again, only to see my older brother’s sword digging in.
“You shouldn’t reuse what you’ve already used. At least not in front of me.”
Even though my top speed was neutralized, a laugh escaped me.
This is my older brother’s specialty. The reason he was called a genius. His analytical ability, already at a level that could be called a blessing.
“You should’ve taken me down with the first blow.”
There are two major ways to respond to this.
One is to take my older brother down without giving him a chance to analyze. The other is to overwhelm him with a force so great that his analysis becomes meaningless.
I’ve already failed at the first, and I don’t have the strength to try the second.
If this were the old days, I would have declared surrender by now. The result would have been obvious if we continued exchanging blows.
But now, that’s not the case. Even if I don’t have a chance to win, I’ll charge in. I’ve seen that guy grab miracles even when the odds were against him.
Compared to him, I’m nothing, but still, as his friend, I can’t give up so easily.
“I’ll keep going.”
I still have many options left.
I try to block my opponent’s sight with a slash infused with water magic and make an attack, trying to bind his feet with earth magic.
But my magic misses, and the water barrier almost catches me off guard.
If I hadn’t been paying attention to the movements inside the water, I would’ve been attacked without even knowing why.
“How long are you planning to keep this up?”
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This time, I infused fire magic into my sword, planning to memorize even the parts it skimmed through.
But with the output I can generate, I can’t harm my older brother’s body. I only managed to scorch the hem of his clothes.
“Do you think you can reach me with just this?”
Even after trying several other methods, my older brother effortlessly countered all of my tricks.
Sparring with a smart person is difficult in many ways. Maybe it was a problem that I always sparred with the foolish ones.
Well. Fine. I’ve realized this isn’t enough, so I’ll go back to basics.
What I imagine is not Freya’s quick strikes, but the single blow of the strongest knight in the continent.
Overwhelming violence that could shatter even the night.
The knight’s sword is far too heavy for me to wield, but if I mix in all my tricks, I can probably create something like a furnace of fire.
“Let’s go.”
I don’t care about others' gazes. The need to prove myself to others doesn’t matter either. My mother wanted me to be happy, so self-satisfaction is enough.
“Let’s go!”
Even if I reach the result by imitating someone else, if I can be satisfied, then that’s the right answer!
The power within Soladin’s bloodline.
The power that has faded over long years.
A fairy tale.
The piece, freed from several restrictions by Erginus’ modifications, can draw out this power from my blood.
“Let’s gooooo!”
The sword strikes down.
A sword, filled entirely with violence, charges toward my opponent.
An overwhelming force, breaking through anything in its way, moves forward.
And for the first time, an aura appeared on my older brother’s sword.
A black aura, thicker and more unpleasant than the one from the Fairy Forest.
Then, when I regained my senses, I was lying on the ground.
I had no idea what had happened.
Frowning at the pain in my head, I raised myself and saw the red liquid blocking my vision, laughing despite myself.
If someone saw me, they’d probably call me crazy, but what can I do?
The fact that my older brother hurt me meant that he thought he couldn’t stop me otherwise.
I staggered to my feet and grabbed my sword again.
I faced my older brother, who was staring at me with wide eyes.
And then again.
“Gah!?”
As I tried to charge again, someone grabbed me by the nape of my neck.
Who is this? Which arrogant person thinks they can interfere in a duel between princes? I don’t like wielding my authority, but this time...
“...Lucy Alrn?”
“Why is your nose bleeding before I even arrived? How much do you like me?”
“By the way, you’re not a fake, are you?”
“Of course not. What would happen if there were two such cute people?”
I turned my head and saw the knights surrounding Alrn Baek, unable to move or do anything.
This is hard to say. How many people could stop Alrn Baek from moving?
“Sigh. So, what are you here for?”
“I heard someone was trying to play with my toy.”
Lucy Alrn was smiling as usual, but her eyes were as fierce as when she was looking at an enemy.
Damn it. I know exactly what kind of misunderstanding this is.
“Hey, Lucy Alrn. This is...”
I was about to say it was just a serious duel, but as soon as I spoke, I felt divine energy flow into my body through her hand.
I knew Lucy Alrn’s healing was rough, so I bit my lip, but unlike usual, there was no pain in her healing this time.
“You.”
Surprised by the quickly fading pain, I raised my head and could finally see Lucy Alrn properly.
The form of a goddess that descended from the moon. A miracle that shone brighter than the sun, even under the sun.
While I was lost in her beauty, Lucy Alrn moved forward, smiling as she looked at Rene’s bloodstained sword.
“You’ve been going out a lot lately. The gloomy prince ♡ Has your mating season come? ♡”
Her irreverent words, even more than usual, caused shock among everyone in the training hall, but Rene’s expression remained unfazed.
“It’s about time to get married.”
“Is that so? ♡ They say males get aggressive during mating season, and it looks like what I read in the book was right! ♡ The gloomy prince couldn’t help but be a male after all ♡”
“The book is a repository of knowledge, after all. I truly respect your diligent research.”
“Ah, ♡ Is this how desperate you are, hearing such things? ♡ Why don’t you try crawling like a dog in front of everyone and ask? ♡ Maybe seeing such a pitiful sight will change your mind? ♡”
“Haha. That’s a bit difficult. I do have some dignity, you know.”
“Wow ♡ Really? ♡ This is the most surprising moment since meeting the gloomy prince! ♡ I thought you only had a brain down there! ♡”
“...Down there?”
“Now that I think about it, that can’t be true! ♡ There’s no way the brain would be in such a small place! ♡”
Lucy Alrn didn’t directly say the words, but her gaze and sneer clearly pointed where they were aimed.
As everyone’s eyes in the training hall unintentionally turned in that direction, Rene was the first to smile.
“It looks like the conversation will take a while. Shall we go inside?”
“Are you trying to seduce me to talk just the two of us? ♡ Hah ♡ You’re so awkward at flirting ♡ That’s what happens with a virgin who reeked of it ♡”
“That’s the same for you, isn’t it?”
Unable to stand Rene’s counterattack, Lucy briefly closed her mouth, then her smile deepened as she leaned her face forward.
“Me? ♡ Hahah ♡ Your imagination is poor ♡ Of course, what would a mama’s boy know? ♡”
Though it was clearly an act to not lose in a battle of words, there was one person who couldn’t brush it off.
“What... what do you mean by that, Lucy?”
Benedict, whose face had turned pale as if he were about to throw up, sat down helplessly, trembling all over.
“Alrn Baek, please calm down.”
“That’s right. It’s just...”
“...Who is this?”
“...Huh?”
“Third Prince. Is it you? I see. It must be.”
“Ah, Alrn Baek? I think you’ve misunderstood, but... Ugh!?”
Arthur barely dodged Benedict’s punch, facing the whirling scene.
If I had taken that hit, I would have died. I don’t mean metaphorically, I would have actually died on the spot and met the great deity.
“What are you saying, perverted dad?”
As Lucy kicked Benedict’s giant calf with a sharp voice, Benedict’s eyes snapped back to focus.
“Lucy! What did you just say?”
“I was just teasing that gloomy, virgin prince. Look at that pathetic face, so embarrassing. You won’t be able to move for a while, will you?”
“W-was it a joke?”
“Of course. Playing around with my foolish papa is the most fun for me~ ♡”
“Right? This papa is the most fun, right?!”
Benedict, holding Lucy tightly, spun her around in the air as he grinned at Rene and Arthur with a triumphant look.
It was a far too brazen and pathetic sight for someone who had committed the crime of attempting regicide.