TSKSML 34

Chapter 34

In the dining hall of the duke’s residence, a meal had been prepared for the knights.

Though the food on the carriage—brought all the way from the imperial palace—had included jerky, eggs, and bread in sufficient quantity, it couldn’t compare to freshly cooked food.

For the knights, whole calves and piglets had been freshly slaughtered and were being roasted over a fire pit.

The vegetables and fruits from Ikelang were renowned for their flavor.

Top chefs from Ikelang had laid out a buffet of high-quality dishes showcasing their skills.

The knights all piled food onto their plates and returned to their seats.

With just a few bites, the atmosphere had turned festive.

Above all, Ikelang’s wine was simply exquisite.

Young Jaina didn’t drink wine, but every time the knights took a sip, they couldn’t help but let out exclamations of delight.

Drunken soldiers began putting their arms around each other’s shoulders, singing songs that were off-beat and out of tune, and even Crown Prince Louishardt couldn’t hold back his laughter and doubled over.

That was when it happened.

The new recruit, Merland, perhaps too drunk, suddenly began to sob.

Thanks to the banquet, they had briefly forgotten—they were here to kill the giant monster.

At Merland’s sniffles, the knights’ laughter ceased.

“This might be my first and last drink…”

No one could tell if he was drinking tears or wine, but Merland ended up saying something completely ominous.

The knights, worried that Merland’s words would upset the crown prince and break the morale, dragged him away and locked him in a room.

“It might be the last…”

No one, including Jaina, wanted to even consider such a thought.

They would defeat Phemos, return as heroes of the Empire, and reunite with Ririana and April.

Since leaving the capital city of Rephia, Jaina hadn’t considered any other outcome.

No—she couldn’t allow herself to.

Even though Merland was removed, the mood had already plummeted beyond recovery.

And so, the banquet ended anticlimactically.

✦✦✦

Jaina entered the room to check whether Louishardt had gone to bed.

He was standing on the balcony, letting the night breeze wash over him.

Jaina assumed he was restless, unable to sleep due to unease.

But it was already quite late.

They would have to depart early in the morning if they were to reach Mount Bolton—where the giant monster resided—before sundown.

Jaina spoke up cautiously.

“…Your Highness, it’s already very late.”

But Louishardt didn’t turn around.

As he stood motionless, Jaina decided it was best to quietly leave. Just as she turned to go, his voice stopped her.

“…Do you also think I won’t be able to defeat Phemos?”

It was the first time Jaina had ever heard such a subdued voice from Louishardt. She briefly wondered if she had imagined it.

But when she looked up, he was staring straight at her.

She hadn’t misheard.

“No… I believe we can defeat Phemos.”

She deliberately said “we”, hoping he wouldn’t think of it as his burden alone.

The emperor had given Crown Prince Louishardt a severe trial.

Twenty soldiers, most of them unremarkable—rookie knights like Jaina, or others who had long gone without promotion.

But Jaina believed that together, they could overcome Phemos.

Louishardt let out a laugh at her words.

Her naive belief and clear eyes were both comforting… and somehow frustrating.

Where did she get such faith?

How could she stay so optimistic, even knowing the situation?

“…You say we—then who do you think will strike Phemos down?”

Jaina remembered the emperor’s order clearly.

The subject was always Crown Prince Louishardt.

The crown prince would kill Phemos and bring back its head.

The emperor wanted the glory of the subjugation to be credited to the crown prince.

“O-Of course, it will be you, Your Highness…”

Because he asked the obvious, Jaina’s voice lost some confidence.

Though he smiled wryly as if amused, there was a strange sadness in his eyes—and Jaina felt something was off.

Louishardt walked toward her.

His face getting closer, Jaina flinched and felt flustered.

If he tries anything weird—even if he’s the crown prince, I’ll kick him across the room, she resolved.

Louishardt reached out—close enough for Jaina to feel his breath.

His hand bypassed her shoulder and reached for the sword at her waist.

With a soft sound, he drew Jaina’s sword.

“…Your Highness?”

Louishardt had known the weight of his crown better than anyone since birth.

He believed keeping the burden to himself, never speaking of it, was the only way to endure.

But he couldn’t let anyone—no one at all—be sacrificed to the giant monster Phemos.

The rebellious crown prince figured maybe it was time to show a miracle to the soldiers who had no expectations of him.

To do that, he would need an accomplice.

He’d once thought of confiding in his old friend Andre, but this new friend Jaina didn’t seem like a bad choice either.

“……Ugh.”

Louishardt’s face twisted strangely as he held Jaina’s sword.

His face reddened, like he couldn’t breathe.

He looked as if he would suffocate and die at any moment.

“Y-Your Highness!”

Jaina panicked, not knowing what to do—but she had a good guess.

Louishardt began suffocating the moment he held her sword.

Sensing that she had figured it out, Louishardt threw the sword to the floor.

Clang.

As the blade hit the ground, his breathing slowly returned to normal.

Once he had calmed, Louishardt spoke again.

“…Over two minutes. That’s a new record.”

His bright tone was hard to believe, considering how he had looked moments ago, gasping for air.

“As you can see, I cannot hold a sword.”

It was a secret Louishardt had kept for a long time.

He hadn’t expected that the one he’d finally tell would be a bodyguard he’d only known for just over a month.

But looking into Jaina’s steadfast green eyes, he felt he had made the right choice.

“One of the assassins who killed my mother was a dark mage. He cursed me. I tried everything to break it, but they say it can’t be undone.”

Eight years ago, rebels had infiltrated the empress’s chamber.

Among the assassins was a dark sorcerer.

He had once been the royal court mage of a kingdom the emperor had destroyed. He decided the best revenge was to curse the emperor’s son instead.

The emperor had assumed Louishardt wouldn’t wield a sword because of the trauma of seeing his mother’s body sliced to pieces.

But that wasn’t all.

Louishardt was cursed—he couldn’t breathe when holding a sword.

He couldn’t bear to reveal to the emperor that his future heir was unable to wield a sword, or that he was carrying the burden of his father’s sins.

Though he had searched high and low, no way to break the curse had been found. He had given up.

“Jaina, be my sword.”

The crown prince looked straight at her.

The only sword he could wield stood before him.

“Strike down Phemos in my place.”

Louishardt spoke with a voice full of desperation.

✦✦✦

“Then take care and come back safely!”

At just one request to look after the Countess of Shakia, the rough-looking, intimidating men had instantly transformed into overly polite gentlemen.

They bowed so deeply their heads nearly scraped the ground, and Helene returned their bow before stepping out of the carriage.

Though it had only been two days since she left, it felt like two years since she’d been home.

Ririana must have heard that Jaina had gone to subjugate the giant monster, right?

Helene was used to spending nights out and probably didn’t care, but she worried whether Ririana and April had slept properly since Jaina left so suddenly.

By the way… what time was it?

Helene looked up at the sky. The sun was already high overhead.

Just then, a silver hawk flew across the sky.

Helene felt a wave of unease at the unusually large bird.

What is that enormous silver hawk?

Now it was circling above, like a crow in a zombie movie hovering over a corpse.

Could it be a magical beast? A spirit beast?

If that massive silver hawk decided to attack, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

In a near panic, Helene sprinted into the count’s mansion.

As she crossed the parlor on her way to her room, something suddenly sprang up from the sofa.