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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“I will join the Fifth Prince’s elite guards on the day I regain my swordsmanship.”
Gestain said. He was wise. Having already been betrayed once, he did not act recklessly.
He thought the Fifth Prince might be lying, so he expressed his intention to join only after regaining his swordsmanship.
A knight who had sworn loyalty but was ultimately betrayed and abandoned.
Understanding the wounds he had received, the Fifth Prince, Raymond, nodded silently.
“On the day you regain your lost swordsmanship, you must join my elite guards.”
“I swear it on my sword.”
A knight’s oath. While it cannot be fully trusted, it is also not something to be taken lightly.
“Old man.”
I quietly called the Blue Tower Master.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The Tower Master, Lysfield, approached and bowed his head.
“Give this to Sir Gestain.”
“Yes, understood.”
An empty space opened. As Lysfield waved his hand lightly, an old book emerged and was placed before the middle-aged knight, Gestain.
“What is this?”
“This is a swordsmanship book for one-armed swordsmen. Since you have talent in swordsmanship, you should be able to learn it on your own.”
“Of course.”
Gestain’s gaze was filled with various complex emotions as he looked at the swordsmanship book placed at his feet.
‘Could there be a sword for one-armed swordsmen recorded in that book? Is what the Fifth Prince said true? Is he not lying?’
Various thoughts mixed together, awakening confusion.
“You seem to be quite suspicious. If you don’t believe it, why not read it first?”
I could see the unease and doubt in his eyes. I encouraged him to take a look. Undoubtedly, a knight with talent like Gestain would change his mind the moment he opened the swordsmanship book.
“I will read it.”
Gestain set his sword aside for a moment and picked up the swordsmanship book, opening it.
“This, this is…?”
His reaction was just as I had expected. I barely managed to suppress a smile that was creeping onto my lips. Everything was going according to plan.
“Do you feel something coming?”
I asked, but there was no answer for a while. Instead, Gestain was flipping through the pages of the swordsmanship book as if possessed, scanning it intently.
He seemed ready to be sucked into the book at any moment.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, where did you obtain this?”
Having trained in swordsmanship for over thirty years, he had never seen a swordsmanship book like this. Curiosity began to stir within him.
“I will tell you slowly.”
If I lied, he would notice and doubt me, and even if I spoke the truth honestly, he likely wouldn’t believe it, so it was better to remain silent.
“I will give you three months. Can you regain your lost swordsmanship?”
Gestain was a talented knight capable of reaching the level of a sword master.
I thought it wouldn’t take long for him to regain his lost swordsmanship.
“That is sufficient, Your Highness.”
“I look forward to the day you come to me.”
As I finished speaking, I turned away from Gestain. I began to walk toward the royal palace, with Alex and Lysfield following behind.
“I never expected Sir Gestain to be in the slums.”
The captain of the Frost Shield Knights, Gestain, was one of the few high-ranking knights and was somewhat famous in the empire.
The fact that he had been betrayed was widely known, but the parties involved were such powerful figures that everyone remained silent.
“He probably wanted to escape the grasp of the Mountain Duke.”
So he must have hidden in the slums of the capital.
“How did you know, Your Highness?”
“There are always ways.”
There was no need to explain. After all, he wouldn’t believe me anyway.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, may I ask you something?”
Alex, who had been quiet until now, could no longer contain his curiosity and cautiously spoke up.
Raymond quickened his pace toward the royal palace as he replied.
“If it’s something I can answer.”
“Why three months, of all times?”
Seeing him skip the formalities and ask the question, it seemed he had been quite curious.
“The victory celebration for the great war.”
“Oh…!”
“I plan to completely shed the stigma of being a rogue there.”
Yes, everything would begin at the banquet in three months.
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“Fire Arrow.”
As I uttered the incantation, the completed flame arrow flew toward the target and struck it.
“Not enough.”
He wiped away the sweat trickling down his face. Having exhausted all his mana, his body felt drained of strength.
Did I cause such a commotion just to create that small Fire Arrow? I felt a sense of helplessness that left me in a bad mood.
Unlike Raymond, who wore a stern expression, Lysfield, who was watching the entire process, could hardly close his gaping mouth.
To reach the level of an intermediate mage, even a genius would typically take over three years, and the talent of the Fifth Prince shattered that common understanding.
“Have you already reached the level of an intermediate mage?”
“No, it’s still insufficient. I just exhausted all my mana making that one spell.”
While the Spear of Sacrifice inherently contained mana, using it required sacrificing one’s life force.
If I did that, I would be out for several days, and the Emperor would be in an uproar. If I collapsed again, it might impose restrictions on my training.
“Even though you’ve exhausted your mana, you’ve completed an intermediate spell. It’s almost as if you’ve reached the level of an intermediate mage.”
“Thanks to the secret teachings.”
“That’s not it, Your Highness. The secret teachings also have their limits. Just because you learned this doesn’t mean everyone will grow as quickly as you. If that were the case, there would be many grand mages in the Tower.”
Lysfield’s voice lowered. Unfortunately, since the ancient era, as the Philios Empire began to decline, the Mage Tower Alliance, including the Blue Tower, had hardly produced any grand mages. Thus, everyone was filled with a longing for the level of a grand mage.
“The secret teachings of the Tower are indeed excellent.”
I spoke sincerely. Even with talent, without the ‘secret teachings’ that detailed mana cultivation methods and various growth techniques, I wouldn’t have been able to reach the level of an intermediate mage this quickly.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Tower Master slightly bowed his head. Thanks to the Fifth Prince’s consideration, which restored his nearly crumbling self-esteem, a faint smile spread across his lips.
“What about Desia Helly?”
“She is already advancing beyond the level of an intermediate mage and is nearing the level of an advanced mage.”
“Really? That’s fortunate.”
Unlike the Tower Master, who conveyed the news with surprise, Raymond nodded calmly.
Everything was flowing just as I had anticipated.
“How long do you think it will take her to reach the level of an advanced mage?”
“I believe it won’t take more than a month. Even geniuses take over five years to reach that level. But Desia has only been learning magic for about three years now. It’s truly remarkable.”
What was even more astonishing was that she had only crossed the threshold of being an intermediate mage just over two months ago, yet she was already on the verge of becoming an advanced mage.
While it is said that the speed of advancement in magic increases dramatically with enlightenment, wasn’t this a bit extreme? Lysfield thought. And on another note, he admired the Fifth Prince’s insight.
“The magic books you recommended have been a great help to Desia.”
It was clear that the Fifth Prince had met her for the first time. But how had he managed to see through her magical tendencies and habits, which even her master Philid did not know, and recommend the magic books?
In truth, it was because of the setting book, but the Tower Master had no way of knowing that.
“Then that’s a relief. Has there been any contact from Gestain?”
“No, should I send someone from the Tower?”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
I shook my head in response. There was no need to send someone; he would come when the time was right. Until then, I could wait leisurely.
And the waiting continued. With just a week left until the banquet, Lysfield visited the Fifth Prince’s palace again.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince. There is now just one week left.”
Though it seemed like he was urging me, the Tower Master, Lysfield, felt uncomfortable, but he had to inform me that time was running short.
To verify the personnel for the elite guards and go through the procedures, Gestain needed to arrive by this afternoon at the latest.
“He will definitely come.”
Raymond spoke in a quiet but confident voice. He believed in Gestain’s talent and his desire to regain his lost swordsmanship.
“Your Highness!”
Alex rushed into the garden. A smile spread across Raymond’s face.
“Has he arrived?”
“Yes! Sir Gestain has come! But…”
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Seeing Alex trailing off made me feel uneasy. However, his next response was unexpected.
“He didn’t come alone. He brought about twenty knights with him.”
Twenty knights? That matched the number of survivors from the Frost Shield Knights mentioned in the setting book. This was no coincidence. I could guess why Gestain had brought them along.
‘This is a stroke of luck.’
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In front of the Fifth Prince’s palace stood over twenty men lined up.
Their appearance was shabby. They were armed with worn armor and swords.
But their eyes and aura were sharp.
So much so that the royal knights watching them were tense.
“Their aura is extraordinary.”
In response to Lysfield’s words, Raymond spoke calmly.
“They are the Frost Shield Knights, who have protected the empire from the northern Haifel for centuries. Although they have been in hiding for the past few years, their aura must be sharp.”
“Are they really the Frost Shield Knights?”
“Look at who stands at their center.”
Pointing with his finger, I indicated Gestain, the knight who had lost his left arm.
Only then did the Tower Master realize that the shabby-looking men were lined up around Gestain.
“I had forgotten that Sir Gestain was the captain of the Frost Shield Knights.”
“It’s alright; I’ve read that as you age, your memory tends to fade.”
“Your Highness, you certainly… are quite the jokester.”
It wasn’t a joke, but since we had already approached Gestain, it was best to end the conversation there.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince.”
As we got closer, Gestain stepped forward, bowed his head, and showed his respect.
As a knight, his salute was precise. The other men did the same. They all saluted the Fifth Prince in unison.
“I apologize for being a bit late.”
Gestain’s voice carried a hint of emotion.
Unlike before, his gaze toward the Fifth Prince now contained a mix of respect.
“Have you regained your lost swordsmanship?”
“Not completely yet, but I can wield a sword again.”
Having lost his left arm, his life as a knight had ended. He couldn’t kill those who betrayed him, nor could he take his own life.
But now, he had regained some of his lost swordsmanship. It would be impossible to wield it as he did in his prime, but this was enough.
He could now see the hope of fully regaining it.
“This is all thanks to you, Your Highness.”
Gestain bowed his head once more. The moment he felt certain he had regained his swordsmanship, he vowed to dedicate everything to the Fifth Prince and showed the utmost respect he could muster.
As a former high-ranking knight, he was well-versed in etiquette.
It seemed excessive, but there was no need to mention it now and embarrass him.
That could be corrected gradually. What mattered more was Gestain and the twenty knights standing behind him.
‘There’s no need to be overly cautious, right?’
Half of the royal knights here were likely aligned with the Third Prince, but even if I told them to step back, they would probably use stability as an excuse to stay within a certain distance.
There was currently no place in the Fifth Prince’s palace for a secret meeting with over twenty capable knights.
‘But that will soon change.’
The cold gaze sweeping over the royal knights mixed with the Third Prince’s people grew colder.
Now that over twenty capable knights were about to join, the interior of the Fifth Prince’s palace could be guarded solely by the elite guards.
The scope for acting secretly had greatly increased.
“Sir Gestain.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Are the Frost Shield Knights behind you also coming under my command?”
I didn’t bother to beat around the bush. I believed in being straightforward. As expected, a smile spread across Gestain’s lips.
“You knew they were the Frost Shield Knights, Your Highness.”
“Don’t flatter me; I just made an educated guess. But can you answer my question?”
“All of them have decided to follow you, Your Highness.”
Gestain spoke with conviction, as if making a declaration. The eyes of the royal knights among the Third Prince’s faction twitched.
Gestain and the Frost Shield Knights did not miss that. They memorized the ‘reactions’ of the royal knights they observed from their respective vantage points.
If I informed the Fifth Prince about these individuals, it would further broaden his scope for action.
This was a small gift offered along with their oath of loyalty.
“Excellent.”
I nodded with a satisfied expression. My gaze then shifted to Alex.
“Alex, provide them with elite guard uniforms and contact the royal palace to initiate the verification process.”
While the authority to organize the elite guard lies with the summoned royalty, those who wield weapons and guard the royalty must undergo at least a minimal verification process from the royal palace.
“Once Sir Gestain receives his uniform, he should come find me; Alex will guide him.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
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