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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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When the dust settled, standing in the duel arena was the Fifth Prince, Raymond Philios.
Desia Helly, the Third disciple of Elder Philid, lay collapsed on the cold floor, unable to move.
The elders were the same. They stood frozen in the audience, their eyes wide open, not even blinking. All that could be heard was the sound of their eyes rolling.
Their gazes alternated between Desia, who lay fallen in the arena, and the Fifth Prince, who was containing his surging mana.
“We’re not seeing things, are we?”
“I can’t believe it…”
Raymond spoke calmly as he observed the murmuring elders.
“Is this enough?”
It was a short statement. But its meaning was clearly conveyed to the elders. Someone nodded, and Raymond silently turned his head toward Desia.
Did she feel my gaze?
Desia struggled to lift her head. Then she weakly dropped it again.
Desia was a talented mage pursuing the truth of magic.
Having just demonstrated her secret teachings and talent, she would come looking for me in some way.
“Elder Philid, is this enough?”
Finally, the gaze turned toward Philid.
He seemed unable to believe the current situation, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, what on earth is this…?”
“I don’t think there’s a need for a response.”
With a short mutter, I turned my back on Philid.
And with the attention of the elders on me, I left the duel arena.
Once the Fifth Prince disappeared, the elders’ focus shifted to the Blue Tower Master, who had reportedly been training him until just moments ago.
“Tower Master! What is going on here?”
“Lord Lysfield, please explain.”
The elders crowded around. However, the Tower Master, Lysfield Dior, did not respond to any of their questions.
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“I have issued a gag order to the elders. The name of the Tower Master is not to be taken lightly, so Elder Philid will not easily spill information to the Third Prince.”
The Tower Master, Lysfield Dior, spoke in a calm voice. He believed he had complete control over the Tower.
“The problem is the royal knights who entered the duel arena under the pretext of guarding the Fifth Prince.”
“I know, it will probably leak out. To be precise, the information will likely reach my brother Aloken.”
“You seem to be quite specific in your assumptions.”
Lysfield’s eyes widened in surprise. Raymond then briefly recounted the events that had transpired.
After a five-minute explanation, the Tower Master nodded with a serious expression.
“I see that happened.”
“Even if I hadn’t encountered the Third Prince after five years of being in the palace, a report would have been made.”
There were eyes and ears everywhere in the palace, competing for the throne. They were used to watching each other.
“Although I was a rogue in the past, there is no reason to continue being one.”
If I continued to live as a rogue, I would die at the end of the first volume when the story unfolded.
I’m sorry, but I have no intention of dying, so I have no choice but to change.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince…”
The Tower Master felt a sense of alienation from the Fifth Prince, who was entirely different from the rumors, yet he continued to revise his evaluation of him.
“Elder Philid will likely remain quiet for a while, right?”
In response to Raymond’s question, the Tower Master, Lysfield, smiled slyly.
“Having seen it with his own eyes, he won’t be able to say anything.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
I nodded in response.
“Are you returning to the Fifth Prince’s palace now?”
“Yes, I have things to do.”
“Do come visit the Blue Tower occasionally.”
“I plan to visit often, even if the old man tries to dissuade me.”
I said with a slight smile. Lysfield looked a bit surprised.
“I’ve developed a bit of interest in magic.”
At that answer, Lysfield wiped the surprised expression from his face and smiled broadly.
“That’s fortunate.”
Perhaps it was something he was saying to himself.
He didn’t want to miss the Fifth Prince, who had outstanding magical talent.
Even if he couldn’t make him his disciple, he wanted to watch him rise to a high level. That was his honest feeling.
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Raymond returned to the Fifth Prince’s palace. Meanwhile, a royal knight secretly headed toward the Third Prince’s palace.
Those guarding the Third Prince’s palace opened the way for the royal knight as if they had made a pact.
As he entered deep within, a shadow dressed in black suddenly emerged from the darkness.
“This way.”
As the royal knight nodded, the elite guard stepped forward first.
The two entered the reception room of the Third Prince’s palace.
“The Third Prince will be here shortly.”
“I understand.”
The wait was not long.
The Third Prince, Aloken, opened the door to the reception room. Seeing the two elite guards accompanying him, the royal knight involuntarily swallowed hard.
The aura emanating from them felt sharp and refined, unlike the usual subordinates of the Third Prince.
“I will report.”
The royal knight conveyed exactly what he had seen and heard. However, immediately after finishing his report, Aloken’s expression darkened.
“Are you telling me to believe that?”
His voice was filled with disbelief.
“Your Highness the Third Prince! Why would I lie about something so serious?”
The royal knight felt wronged. He appealed with a sense of injustice, but the Third Prince’s reaction remained cold.
“To have reached the level of a low-level mage in just a week and to have defeated Desia Helly, who is close to the level of an intermediate mage, in a duel? That doesn’t make sense.”
While revealing the skills of a low-level mage could be explained by having hidden his level until now, defeating someone close to the level of an intermediate mage among Philid’s disciples was hard to believe.
“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t add up…”
“I swear, it’s not a lie!”
The Third Prince’s gaze fell on the royal knight. He didn’t seem to be lying, but it was hard to believe.
“I understand for now. You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Third Prince.”
The royal knight bowed his head and left the reception room. The Third Prince stared at the spot where he had stood for a while before speaking calmly.
“Captain of the elite guard.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Third Prince. Please give me your orders.”
“Contact my brother. Tell him we should test the waters one more time before making our move. He’ll understand.”
“I will do so.”
That night, one of the Third Prince’s elite guards secretly left the royal palace.
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‘You will face the Fifth Prince.’
Her master, Philid, had said.
‘Is there any reason to duel with that rogue prince?’
She had always followed her master, but this time she couldn’t understand.
‘For my sake.’
‘I have no interest in trampling on the weak.’
As far as she knew, the Fifth Prince had no talent in either swordsmanship or magic.
‘I felt the flow of mana from the Fifth Prince. He is probably hiding the strength of a low-level mage.’
‘The reckless Fifth Prince is a low-level mage?’
That was an unexpected answer. Even though her perception of the Fifth Prince had changed slightly, the stereotype of him being a rogue was not easily broken.
‘Go and defeat the Fifth Prince; we must align ourselves with the Third Prince.’
‘…If he is a low-level mage, then he at least has the minimum qualifications.’
And so she headed to the duel arena. To punish the arrogant fool who hid his trivial power as a low-level mage.
She thought ten minutes would be enough. But it was she who collapsed in just ten minutes.
“What the…?”
She had thought of him as a rogue. But at the center of the blue radiance, there was no rogue to be found.
“Is this what a low-level mage looks like…?”
She felt like hitting her master for this, but her body wouldn’t respond.
In the end, she lost consciousness.
When she regained her senses, the first thing she did was not to seek out her master, who hadn’t even come to visit her.
She was heading toward the elevator that connected to the top floor, where the Tower Master’s office was located.
“Desia Helly?”
As she loitered in front of the elevator that connected directly to the top floor, a Mage Tower knight approached and asked.
Desia nodded in affirmation, but her expression was tense, fearing she might be denied entry.
Seeing her like that, the Mage Tower knight spoke with a faint smile.
“The Tower Master is waiting for you.”
“The Tower Master…is waiting for me?”
This was an unexpected development. Desia’s eyes widened in surprise.
The Mage Tower knight nodded calmly and guided her to the elevator without further explanation.
He accompanied her all the way to just outside the Tower Master’s office.
“I’ve already announced your arrival.”
With that, he stepped back. Desia knocked on the door with a tense expression.
She heard the Tower Master’s voice from inside, saying she could come in. She pushed the door open with determination.
“Welcome, Desia.”
The Tower Master, Lysfield, slowly rose from his chair to greet her.
‘Just as the Fifth Prince said.’
Raymond had mentioned that Desia would come to visit within a few days. When I first heard that, I never imagined his prediction would be so accurate.
I was a bit surprised, but it didn’t show on my face. Having lived for quite some time, I was skilled at hiding my emotions.
“Did you know I would come?”
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince knows everything.”
“Was everything an act?”
Though there was no subject, Lysfield could easily tell who she was referring to.
‘I couldn’t help but think that way too.’
The Fifth Prince I had met for the first time was calm and far from being a rogue.
When he manifested his mana and obtained the Spear of Sacrifice, I began to wonder if all his previous reckless behavior had been an act.
And when the Fifth Prince defeated Desia, who was regarded as a genius, I became convinced.
‘All the reckless behavior until now was an act.’
To survive in the power struggle for the throne, he had no choice but to act recklessly. Although there was a significant difference from the actual circumstances, I thought that way.
“Desia.”
“Yes, Tower Master.”
“Do you think that’s important right now?”
The Tower Master hit the nail on the head. A smile spread across Desia’s lips.
The reason she had come today was not for that.
“No, it’s not important.”
“Then please state your business, Desia.”
‘I wonder what she will say? Will it align with the Fifth Prince’s predictions again?’
The Tower Master was curious. It was exciting.
With a slight tension, she opened her mouth.
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“Ugh!”
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince!”
Just as I was about to get up after finishing my meal, my vision swayed, and my body lost strength.
If it hadn’t been for Alex rushing to support me, I might have embarrassingly collapsed.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Alex asked cautiously. Raymond nodded slowly with a stiff expression.
It seemed that using the secret teachings of the Tower too recklessly had caused my path of mana to get a bit tangled.
“I’m fine.”
I waved my hand dismissively and headed toward my bedroom. It seemed I needed to rest and untangle my mana road today.
As I left the dining hall, three royal knights who had been waiting followed me.
At first, I felt reassured seeing them, but after realizing they were the eyes and ears of the Third Prince, they became nothing but a nuisance.
‘I need to quickly establish my own elite guard.’
Today, I felt a desperate need for the elite guard, which was only allowed for royalty.
‘I need the One-Armed Swordmaster’
A high-ranking knight who lost his left arm due to betrayal; under normal circumstances, he would meet the protagonist in the second volume and grow into a sword master.
‘I can give him what he wants.’
That means I have bait to draw in the One-Armed Swordmaster.
As I entered my bedroom, leaving Alex behind, the air split apart, revealing the Tower Master, Lysfield Dior, dressed in a blue robe.
“Just as you said, Your Highness, Desia has come to visit.”
“And what happened?”
“She will be here shortly.”
With those words, Lysfield vanished from sight.
Knock, knock.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, may I come in for a moment?”
I heard Alex’s voice along with a light knock.
“Come in.”
“Your Highness.”
“Which mage came to see me?”
“How did you know…?”
“That’s not important; just bring that mage here.”
Alex said nothing more and stepped back. When he reappeared, he was accompanied by a blonde female mage in a blue robe.
“Alex, go and rest.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Alex left.
“Please sit.”
I gestured for Desia, who was staring at me intently, to take a seat.
She nodded slightly and sat demurely on the sofa.
“What brings you here?”
“I thought you would know.”
Seeing Desia speak boldly made me chuckle.
Just like in the duel arena, she maintained her manners toward royalty but didn’t seem intimidated. She seemed like the type to say what she needed to say.
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