Chapter 58 …
One thing had become clear.
“I understand the royal family’s hostility toward Rekrit.”
Whether it was the royal family itself or someone else who had sealed Ikael’s dantian, he could not say.
But whoever it was, if they dared show hostility, he would gladly crush them.
Swish!
Ikael drew his longsword.
“If you truly wish to duel, I will face you.”
He glanced around.
The surrounding area was nothing but grasslands.
Only he and Edgar were present—just the two of them.
‘Perfect for giving them a little scare.’
Ikael deliberately flashed his eyes.
Behind the sword god, the blue gaze of the wolf gleamed, radiating an aura that dared no one approach recklessly.
Yet Edgar drew his weapon and advanced.
“I am glad you are the true Rekrit.”
‘This one is impressive too.’
After watching him slice through goblins with such ease, he still had the nerve to challenge Ikael.
A prince is a prince, indeed.
‘I was only planning to scare him a little and end it.’
Flash!
Ikael’s eyes shone.
Now, he had no intention of going easy. He would deliver a decisive defeat to the prince.
Snap.
“Come at me.”
“Hah—”
Kaang!
Prince Edgar swung his sword.
‘Refined and precise movements.’
Truly a prince trained in the royal sword style. Anyone witnessing this would have praised the royal techniques endlessly.
‘But inexperienced!’
Inexperienced did not mean Edgar lacked skill.
On the contrary, his swordsmanship was textbook-perfect.
‘And that’s the problem. It means no real combat experience!’
If he had ever fought in actual battle, he could not swing his sword relying purely on technique.
Watching Edgar’s swordsmanship, one could picture a nobleman training in a well-organized dojo, dressed neatly in practice robes.
Kaang! Kang!
Repeatedly, Edgar’s sword attacked.
Each time, Ikael received the strike lightly, observing him carefully.
Edgar was displeased by this.
“Why aren’t you attacking?!”
Hoo!
Ikael bent his body as if preparing for a deep cut.
The prince instinctively crossed his sword to defend.
But—
Kaang!!
Instead of cutting, Ikael knocked the prince’s sword aside.
Clack!
The prince’s sword flew high into the air and crashed into the corner.
“Th-this…!”
Prince Edgar could not continue speaking. It was a perfect defeat.
“Why…!”
“Why do you not take the fight seriously?”
Ikael looked down at the prince.
“There was no need to take it seriously. I would have won anyway.”
“!”
Edgar opened his mouth to argue, but the more he spoke, the more foolish he would appear.
It was Ikael who fought the goblins, who had won in just a few moves. The victory was clear to anyone.
Edgar did not make excuses like those he usually despised in others.
Instead, he said to Ikael:
“Today, I have lost.”
Hearing these words from a proud prince, Ikael was somewhat surprised.
“But one day, I will surely defeat you, Ikael! I swear it on the honor of a prince!”
“I’ll remember that.”
Ikael smiled faintly.
‘Breaking his momentum once is enough.’
There was no need to provoke the royal family unnecessarily. If this had happened in a place where people were watching, Ikael would have wisely avoided the fight.
There was no reason to appear as a reckless boy in front of others.
Ikael sheathed his longsword and returned to the clearing where the other participants were.
The clearing was bustling.
In the meantime, Isitor had hunted a massive number of beasts.
“Ah, Ikael! You’re here!”
“Look at the beasts Isitor has caught! Truly impressive, having such a brother.”
“Sixty-five in total… This surely makes Isitor number one!”
Ikael silently nodded.
“Hmm, excellent.”
“Did you catch many as well, Ikael? We saw you heading far away.”
“Nothing remarkable.”
In truth, the goblins Ikael had hunted in the grass alone exceeded thirty.
Had he revealed that, he would have easily taken first place. But Ikael did not care for numerical rankings.
There was no need to compete in the noblemen’s childish display of strength.
‘Ikael… capable of first place, yet he refrains.’
Prince Edgar, watching from afar, looked distinctly displeased.
Sometimes, the hidden thorns are more dangerous than the visible ones.
Ikael had concealed his strength, only briefly showing it when he was alone with Prince Edgar.
The wrist he used to deflect the sword still tingled.
‘Humph!’
Prince Edgar clenched his fists.
‘Ikael… soon, I will show you the greatness of the royal family!’
…Later, the goblin hunt concluded.
“This concludes the goblin hunt!”
“Waaaah!”
With the cry of the palace steward, the hunt came to an end.
The participants raised their swords, savoring their victory.
Covered in sweat and dirt, the hunt was over. Now, it was time for the grand party.
“The first place of the hunt goes to Isitor of Rekrit, and second place, by a narrow margin, goes to Prince Edgar.”
“Waaah!”
The participants cheered.
Edgar showed no sign of joy, and Ikael, unconcerned with rank, had even dismissed it. It was no wonder Edgar felt no pleasure in the outcome.
“Now, everyone, let’s proceed to the annex!”
At the royal forest’s annex, a splendid party awaited.
Once it began, the noble children finally seemed to don the appropriate attire.
Smiles adorned their faces like jewels as they engaged in social activities.
“Seems Ikael has an outstanding brother; I envy him.”
“Outstanding brother, huh.”
Ikael narrowed his eyes.
The “outstanding brother” the participants praised was in the corner, thoroughly drunk.
‘Where did he get the alcohol… already making reckless friends.’
Ikael could have stopped Isitor from bringing alcohol to the hunt, but could not control others offering it to him.
He rambled drunkenly, consumed by excitement and drink.
“Hahaha! Just watch! When I turn twenty, I’ll become a true powerhouse. I could even hunt trolls with my eyes closed!!”
‘Ugh.’
Ikael clicked his tongue.
‘A dog when drunk. Best to put him to bed quietly.’
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Isitor collapsed. Ikael caught him as if he had been waiting for the moment.
In truth, Ikael had rendered him unconscious, though no one noticed.
“Uh, Isitor?”
“He’s quite drunk. I’ll lay him on the sofa.”
“Ah, yes…”
‘Now I can move freely.’
With everyone’s attention on the party, Ikael quietly slipped outside.
‘One last thing… investigate the troll!’
His goal was not childish competitions or rank disputes—it was to examine the royal magic.
In the forest clearing, the troll lay asleep under a spell.
It was the same troll brought by the royal family on the first day of the hunt.
Ikael had been suspicious from the moment he first saw it.
‘To restrain even a troll, advanced magic is required.’
Not temporarily, but permanently.
Naturally, this raised more suspicion.
‘Magic like this usually suspends organ function.’
Suspending organ function…
It resembled someone’s story.
‘With such magic, sealing the dantian would also be possible!’
Ikael quickened his pace.
Upon reaching the clearing, Ikael carefully drew aside the velvet curtain and entered.
Inside, the troll slept. Ikael studied it carefully. Its eyes were closed, but it seemed ready to awaken at any moment.
‘I need to find out who cast this spell.’
Then, a voice came from outside the curtain.
“Prince, what are you doing?!”
“Answer me when spoken to!”
Ikael immediately went still.
The voice outside was unmistakably Prince Edgar’s. He continued:
“How strong is the magic restraining the troll?”
“It was cast by the royal seven-star mages, so it is extremely strong.”
“How much force would it take to break it?”
“Prince Edgar, that question is…!”
“Do not make me repeat myself.”
Ikael could hardly believe what he had heard.
‘What is Edgar plotting?’
The full situation was unclear, but it seemed the prince might be planning to awaken the troll.
Why or for what purpose, Ikael did not know.
But one thing was certain:
‘Prince Edgar is scheming something!’
Edgar glanced at the velvet curtain.
“Prince? What are you doing?”
“Shh.”
He hesitated briefly, then approached the curtain without a second thought and pulled it aside.
Swish!
His expression became meaningful.
Inside, contrary to expectations, no one was there—only the sleeping troll.
Ikael, noticing the prince’s approach, quickly hid behind the troll’s shadow.
A troll several times the height of a person easily concealed Ikael.
“Prince? What are you doing?”
“…Nothing.”
Edgar silently closed the curtain. A single strand of shining hair brushed his hand.
Silver, like the winter snows of the northern mountains.
“Perhaps… there’s no need to worry.”
“Eh?”
Edgar turned silently, his eyes carrying an unusual certainty.
Prince Edgar returned to the annex party, face composed as if nothing had occurred.
“Prince, thanks to this hunt, I had a truly enjoyable time.”
“Is that so? For me, such a trivial hunt is a first.”
“Ah…”
Edgar’s blunt remark left his companion awkward.
He did not even glance at them, staring silently out the window, as if waiting for something.
Then it happened.
Boom. Thud. Thud.
A massive sound of footsteps echoed from the distant forest—clearly not human.
Everyone turned to look.
“What is that sound?”
“It feels like the ground itself is shaking…”
“Could it be a troll? Haha.”
But the next moment, all faces hardened. A joke had become reality.
A massive troll’s head emerged above the forest.
Thud. Thud.
With each step, birds and animals fled.
The nobles realized the reality: hunting a few beasts had been a trivial, sheltered concern.
What confronted them now…
“A troll?”
It was a shadow of death they had never felt before.
“We… we must escape…”
At that moment—
Kwaaaang!!!!
The troll’s strike smashed the annex door.
A finely crafted wooden door splintered like planks.
While everyone panicked, only Edgar calmly stepped forward.
“Everyone, fall back!”
“P-Prince!”
Edgar’s attendants handed him bow and arrows. He strung them as if expecting this moment.
But someone was even one step ahead.
‘The author…!’
“Ikael!!”
Ikael appeared, facing the troll.
The troll raised its massive hand, preparing the next attack.
“Ikael, dodge!!”
But in the next moment, the unbelievable happened.
Shing!
Blood gushed from the troll’s neck like a fountain.
Everyone realized:
“Rekrit…”
The massive being before them bore that legendary name.
