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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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I can’t believe it. When the Fifth Prince first gave up magic and drew his Mana Sword, I thought it was merely an imitation of a sword formed with mana.
With the end of the magic swordsman era, the harmony between sword and magic was forgotten. However, not all teachings were lost.
Since it was possible to mimic the shape of a sword using mana, some mages learned light swordsmanship as a means of self-defense, ensuring it wouldn’t interfere with their magic.
But that was nothing more than an imitation. Compared to a true Mana Sword or an Aura Blade, its output was weak.
‘It can only be a mere imitation of a knight’s Mana Sword.’
The Fifth Prince had chosen the path of a mage, so he shouldn’t be able to wield a knight’s Mana Sword.
‘I was sure of that…’
“Urgh…! Guh…!”
It was real. The white Mana Sword had pierced through the black armor of the High Assassin and torn apart his heart. The Fifth Prince moved like a seasoned knight, stepping with precision and demonstrating advanced swordsmanship.
“Ugh!”
For a brief moment, two High Assassins stepped back. Though they quickly regained their stance and prepared to counterattack, for Raymond, even that fleeting moment was enough.
“How dare you raise a blade against me!”
Gestain, who had already executed the High Assassins that had restrained him, now charged forward like a fiend, forcing them to retreat hastily.
“Insolence!”
Gestain swung his sword, and a crimson arc of blood sprayed through the air. It happened in an instant.
Even the sharp eyes of the elite High Assassins couldn’t keep up with Gestain’s footwork.
Every time his fierce eyes gleamed and his deadly blade sliced through the air, a High Assassin fell. But he wasn’t unscathed either.
The High Assassins were no easy opponents. With each enemy he felled, new wounds appeared on his body. Yet, he did not fall.
The one-armed swordmaster, Gestain—he had sworn loyalty to the Fifth Prince, who had restored his lost swordsmanship, and had become a specter to protect him.
“Damn it!”
More than ten of them had been slaughtered. The last remaining High Assassin pressed against his deeply wounded side to staunch the bleeding, cursing through gritted teeth.
His name was written in the ‘Black Book,’ so he knew the target wouldn’t be ordinary. But he hadn’t expected such formidable guards.
He had been shocked when two high-ranking mages had massacred the Second Prince’s subordinates. But to think there were two more high-ranking knights as well?
‘Could this really be the power of a mere last-born prince of a crumbling empire?’
The High Assassin bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Even the Fifth Prince himself was no weakling. Everything was beyond expectation.
‘I must inform the kingdom of this.’
His eyes darted frantically, searching for an escape route.
“You dare point a blade at the bloodline of Philios! Even dozens of executions would not be enough to atone! You would need ten lives to pay for this crime!”
The Imperial Army, who had just finished slaughtering the Second Prince’s men, joined the encirclement. With Cassias’s furious shout, the soldiers gathered, their menacing presence filling the area. Seeing this, the High Assassin abandoned all hope of survival and bit down on his tongue.
“He’s biting his tongue!”
“Stop the bleeding!”
They had intended to interrogate him, but he had chosen to end his own life.
His breath ceased instantly. Cassias, who was the first to check his condition, sighed briefly and shook his head.
“Imperial Army Commander.”
“Give the order! The Imperial Army is ready to follow the Fifth Prince’s command!”
“Deploy fifty soldiers to search the area. If any remnants failed to escape, they must be captured alive.”
“Imperial Army Commander Cassias shall carry out the Fifth Prince’s esteemed command!”
He immediately selected fifty soldiers who had suffered the least injuries and had the most stamina left, sending them to sweep the surroundings.
Watching the Imperial Army swiftly disperse in an orderly manner, Raymond calmly spoke.
“Jayce.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
At the quiet call, Jayce, the retired Royal Guard, stepped forward and bowed.
“A perimeter with just fifty Imperial Army soldiers will have its limits.”
With such a small number, the encirclement would inevitably be thin.
“Of course. A skilled assassin could easily slip through a weak perimeter.”
“That’s why I need your help. Right now, you’re the only one who can move swiftly.”
Though retired, he was a former Royal Guard. From what Raymond had seen earlier, his level seemed on par with or even slightly above that of the high-ranking knight Gestain.
Of course, due to his age, his stamina wasn’t the best. After the battle, his breathing had been noticeably labored.
“My duty is to protect the Fifth Prince.”
Jayce answered in a calm voice. When Marquess Crayer had assigned him to Raymond, his role had been made clear.
That made it even harder for him to leave his post.
With Gestain, the commander of the elite guards, gravely injured, if Jayce left and Raymond were ambushed, the consequences would be severe.
“This isn’t an order.”
Raymond swallowed the rest of his words: It’s a request. But Jayce seemed to understand the meaning. Adjusting his red mask, he spoke.
“I won’t go far. I’ll do a quick sweep of the area and return.”
Raymond didn’t say thank you. He simply gave a warm smile, which was enough. With that, Jayce’s cloak fluttered as he leapt into the shadows and vanished.
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“The High Assassins have been annihilated.”
Siadin was horrified by the massacre that had unfolded before his eyes.
“Are they saying that the High Assassins, the pride of the Edryger Kingdom, were this powerless?”
The High Assassins were an elite assassination force of the Edryger Kingdom, reigning over the deep darkness. Their numbers were vast, but more importantly, their assassination skills were far superior to those of ordinary assassins. That was why they were called the terror of the night.
Yet more than ten of these High Assassins had gathered, and they couldn’t even inflict a single wound on the Fifth Prince?
On top of that, the two high-ranking mages, who were reported to be the main force, were busy dealing with the Second Prince’s subordinates and had not even been near the Fifth Prince.
Essentially, all he had by his side were his elite guards and a masked man of unknown identity. And yet, the ones who lost were the High Assassins, who had launched their attack with full confidence.
If not for the assassins guarding his side, Siadin would have already fled. But perhaps it was not too late yet.
Siadin drew the sword at his waist, preparing to fight against the assassins monitoring him.
“Wind, come to me!”
As he swiftly drew his sword, the energy of the wind gathered around it.
However.
“You’re already too late.”
The assassins who had been watching them lay on the ground, bleeding, while Sylvia sat there, defeated, with a look of despair.
“I wondered who dared to raise a blade against the blood of the Philios royal family. So, it was the elves?”
A cold voice echoed as a figure emerged from the darkness. It was Jayce, wearing his crimson mask.
The blade in his hand, hanging low toward the ground, was stained deep red, a clear testament to the countless enemies he had slain.
“So, the ones pulling the strings from the shadows were the remnants of an endangered race, barely clinging to survival since the Great War?”
A fierce killing intent surged forth. Siadin, who was only at the level of a high-ranking knight, could barely withstand the pressure.
“T-This is real killing intent…”
Sylvia felt her body trembling uncontrollably. She had faced the High Assassins’ killing intent countless times before and thought she had grown accustomed to it, but she had been mistaken.
The aura Jayce exuded was far colder and sharper than anything the High Assassins had ever produced.
“By all rights, you should be executed immediately. However, an order has been given to take you alive. Surrender quietly. The Fifth Prince is both valiant and merciful. If you cooperate, you may yet be spared.”
Could they really believe such words? Sylvia was doubtful, but she judged that taking even the slimmest chance was better than resisting pointlessly and dying a meaningless death. She turned to Siadin and urged him to lower his weapon.
“But, my lady…”
“We can’t win.”
She added in a barely audible whisper, “We have no choice but to resolve this by meeting the Fifth Prince.”
Even in Sylvia’s eyes, the masked man before them, Jayce, was far stronger than Siadin.
“Tch…”
“Make the wise choice.”
Jayce growled at Siadin, who was still reluctant to drop his sword.
These people had attempted to assassinate a royal. If they resisted any further, he might cast aside the order to take them alive and simply cut them down.
Had he not received that order, they would have already been reduced to a pile of severed limbs.
Siadin turned to look at Sylvia, who silently shook her head. Eventually, he let out a quiet curse and threw his sword to the ground.
“I’ll remember your cooperation. I will speak well of you to the Fifth Prince.”
Jayce was not one to make empty promises. He was furious that they had dared to target a royal, but he had no intention of breaking his word.
He activated a small magic artifact he carried and spoke.
“I’m going to bind you. Do not resist.”
Black ropes coiled tightly around the two elves, restraining them. Siadin bit his lip so hard it almost bled, furious at the humiliation. Sylvia, on the other hand, calmly closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts.
She understood that in the Philios Empire, royal commands were absolute.
Since the order was to take them alive, she was confident that they would not be killed.
Jayce, slightly impressed by her composure, silently admired her resolve as he fired a signal flare into the sky.
The crimson signal streaked through the dark sky, summoning the Imperial Army soldiers who had been searching the area.
“Sir Jayce! Are these the ones?”
A royal knight hurried over, leading twelve Imperial Army soldiers. His uniform was stained red, likely from wounds sustained in battle against the assassins.
“They dared to threaten the bloodline of the Philios Empire. They must be taken to the Fifth Prince immediately.”
“We shall fulfill our duty in the name of the Imperial Army!”
At the knight’s resolute response, Jayce nodded in satisfaction before vanishing into the darkness to assess any remaining threats.
“Do not resist, Sir Siadin. The Fifth Prince is our only hope.”
Siadin showed signs of resisting as the Imperial Army soldiers roughly handled them, but Sylvia stopped him.
As a Spirit Knight assigned to protect her, Siadin had no choice but to obey.
“Make way!”
As soon as they arrived at the stronghold, the royal knight’s booming voice echoed.
Soldiers of the Imperial Army, who had gathered to see the captured assassins, immediately stepped aside.
“These are the ones who tried to kill the Fifth Prince?”
“Why were they captured alive? We should cut off their arms and legs and let them live in agony!”
The enraged soldiers of the Imperial Army surrounded them, their fury palpable. Some had already drawn their swords.
“The Fifth Prince himself commanded that they be taken alive!”
At the royal knight’s declaration, the soldiers hesitated. As soon as they heard the order had come from the Fifth Prince, they sheathed their swords and stepped back.
‘The Fifth Prince has the absolute respect of the army…’
Sylvia let out a bitter smile. Until now, she had thought that the ones closest to the throne were the First and Second Princes. But there was an unexpected contender.
The soldiers raged over an attack on the Fifth Prince as if it were a personal insult. The moment his order was mentioned, they calmed instantly. That level of loyalty was not ordinary.
As they followed the royal knight through the camp, an enormous command tent came into view. Despite the battle, it was completely untouched.
‘Could it be…?’
Had these soldiers fought so fiercely, throwing away their lives, just to keep the prince’s tent undamaged? Was the Imperial Army’s fanaticism truly this extreme?
‘I thought their zeal had faded with the empire’s decline…’
The level of fervor displayed here was reminiscent of the golden age of the Philios Empire. Rumors had claimed that their downfall had weakened their once-unrivaled devotion. Until today, Sylvia had believed those rumors.
But she had been wrong.
This army was mad.
‘Could the Fifth Prince have done this?’
There were only about a hundred Imperial Army soldiers here. Yet, they fought like the fanatics of the empire’s golden age. They had given their lives just to ensure the Fifth Prince’s tent remained untouched.
This madness—what was it?
The moment she stepped into the stronghold and saw the undamaged command tent, she knew for certain.
‘The Fifth Prince has awakened the Philios Empire’s fanaticism.’
A truly terrifying thought. Because this was a sign that the great empire of old was beginning to rise again.
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