Chapter 188

The knights all drew their swords at once.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to draw, but rather a reflex ingrained in their bodies.

However, their reaction stopped right there.

The knights, unable to even point their drawn swords, stood awkwardly and stared at Leopold.

Their faces were filled with confusion and hesitation.

Of course, it was only natural.

The sudden change in the prince, who seemed to have been persuaded by Marquis Valenstein, and the content of his shouted words were utterly baffling.

Even I was stunned.

“Your Highness Leopold, what did you just say…?”

“Her Majesty Empress Isabella is a witch? Wasn’t the witch Ophelia? And now, a royal assassin…?”

“The last bloodline…?”

The knights began to murmur.

If Leopold’s words were true, pointing a sword at him would be tantamount to treason against the empire itself.

But believing his words without evidence was equally difficult for them.

In the end, the knights seemed to choose a neutral stance.

They wouldn’t attack first, but they maintained their encirclement.

—-

Marquis Valenstein glanced at the knights once, then lowered his head and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Your Highness Leopold. You’re going too far. I understand the desire to believe in your concubine, but… to accuse Her Majesty the Empress of such crimes? I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this if you sheathe your sword now. Falling for such a honey trap is unbecoming of a royal.”

**…She’s not a concubine, you bastard.**

Valenstein’s advice, as if soothing a child, was far too disrespectful for a prince.

It seems he’s starting to show his true colors.

Leopold, far from sheathing his sword, raised the tip of his blade toward him.

“It’s you who fell for the honey trap, Valenstein. Isabella’s skirt must be quite something, huh? Even a man nearing seventy drools over her shamelessly.”

Wow.

The words that came out were nothing short of astonishing.

Leopold’s accusation, having shed his diplomatic demeanor, was dozens of times more explicit than I expected. It was enough to make one doubt their ears.

“What… did you just say?”

Even Valenstein, who hadn’t changed his expression until now, furrowed his brow at this unexpected insult.

“Why are you so angry? I understand everything. After a lifetime of swords and self-indulgence, the first taste of a woman’s honey in your old age. How sweet that pleasure must have been! You threw away loyalty and honor just to roll around with her. I guess I’ll have another sibling soon. Different parents, of course.”

“…It seems you’ve been thoroughly bewitched by that woman. To the point of losing your sanity. Even His Late Majesty never spoke to me like this.”

“If you had seen yourself entangled with Isabella, Father would have thought differently. He’d be cheering for me now, wouldn’t he?”

Finally, Valenstein drew his sword.

The blade shimmered with a faint blue light. As he had boasted, this too was a sword of Jin Eun.

Leopold, swallowing dryly, turned to look at me.

His face, dripping with cold sweat, wore a faint smile.

“Since it’s come to this… we’ll have to fight. I’ll trust the princess.”

“Surprising. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d choose to fight here. Even knowing the odds are against you.”

I answered without taking my eyes off Valenstein.

There was no room to look elsewhere.

The moment he drew his sword, a mountainous pressure began to weigh down on me.

The Empire’s Greatest Sword.

Yes. Unfortunately, that reputation wasn’t unfounded.

“How much longer would I live anyway? At best, I’d end up like Ernst. One shouldn’t follow the words of those who can’t be trusted.”

“Bold of you. You should’ve been like this from the start.”

A laugh tinged with amusement.

Leopold also smiled and let out a dry cough.

Persval, who had been glancing between me and Leopold, sighed deeply and drew his sword.

“My fate…”

He muttered quietly, almost lamenting.

“Persval. Protect His Highness the Prince.”

I drew my frost-covered blade and slipped it onto my left arm, giving the order to Persval. His skills might be a bit lacking against them, but there was no other choice.

It didn’t seem like I’d have the luxury of worrying about the prince’s safety.

“Princess Ai-shan Gi-or. So, you’ve decided to refuse the wine of peace and drink the wine of war? You know full well what it means to engage in battle here.”

“Talking about peace wine now? An old man like you might drink whatever’s given, but unfortunately, I’ve sworn off alcohol!”

After a long wait, the sword of oath I finally drew shimmered with a cold light.

“That’s fortunate. Since you’ve refused to comply with imperial law and shown hostility… what you’ll have to drink from now on won’t be wine.”

Valenstein pointed his sword at me.

The pressure that had been spreading in all directions now concentrated at the tip of his blade.

“By the sword of Kal Ros, Werner von Valenstein declares! As of this moment, Princess Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or of Ka’har is considered a suspect in the assassination of the royal family! All knights of the empire, prepare for attack! Fulfill your knightly duties!”

With a firm command, the empire’s strongest sword came crashing down like a landslide.

============

With Marquis Valenstein’s order given…

The knights couldn’t swing their swords for a while.

Securing Prince Leopold felt awkward, as pointing a sword at a royal was just… uncomfortable.

Empress Isabella’s decree only ordered the capture of Princess Ai-shan Gi-or, and the suspicion against the prince was merely Marquis Valenstein’s speculation.

If it turned out that Prince Leopold was also deceived… they’d be the ones in trouble for pointing a sword at him.

And then there was Yugh Persval, growling and raising his sword, which also made them uneasy.

Despite acting like a bureaucrat, he was an excellent knight in the Royal Guard, both in swordsmanship and mental strength.

In the history of the Royal Guard, he was the only one who could eat forty rye breads without water.

Even senior knights who had been active in the order for years shook their heads, calling him a tough nut.

But attacking Princess Ai-shan Gi-or? There was no opening to intervene.

A battle between masters, the top-tier ones at that.

This wasn’t a battlefield where ordinary knights could meddle.

– Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two swords clashed violently, unleashing thunderous strikes.

It was as if order and chaos were fighting each other.

Ai-shan Gi-or unleashed a storm of attacks, using her sword, left hand, legs—every limb.

Marquis Valenstein, on the other hand, calmly deflected all her attacks with a single longsword held in both hands.

“Is that the Beastman Devourer of Ka`har…?”

“To be on par with Marquis Valenstein… at that age, is that even possible?”

To the knights, the gap between the two didn’t seem that big.

Strangely enough.

============

The empire’s strongest sword, Werner von Valenstein.

Despite his reputation rivaling Or-han… fighting him felt surprisingly manageable.

“What’s this? Easier than I thought. Is the nickname ‘Empire’s Greatest Bubble’ actually true?”

She boldly continued her attacks while mocking him.

If this was his limit, then calling him a bubble was accurate.

But that didn’t mean I had the upper hand… not quite.

– Clang!

Her thrusting left hand was deflected by the sword’s tip, and her follow-up slash was also blocked.

She wasn’t going all out… but it shouldn’t have been this easy to block.

If it were Nigel, he would’ve at least been pushed back.

“Bubble, huh? A nostalgic nickname. Did you hear that from Or-han?”

Valenstein calmly deflected Durandal and asked.

…No, I saw it on a strategy site.

Did Or-han call him that too?

“Well, I don’t get along with my father, so…”

“Is that so?”

Valenstein, having sheathed his sword and straightened his posture, smiled coldly.

Every sense in her body rang alarm bells.

– Crash!!

Instinctively, she blocked the slash. The ground beneath her feet shattered in concentric circles.

The shockwave sent the knights flying.

Unlike his previous defensive stance, Valenstein’s first attack was…

twice as fast as she had anticipated.

“Impressive, you blocked it without even bending your knee. It seems you’ve inherited your strength well. I’m envious.”

“You’re just old and rusty!”

She pushed back, channeling her energy.

The vortex of life force swirling around her body glowed red and writhed.

“Materialized life force… I’ve heard of such things, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.”

Valenstein’s sword began to slowly give way.

While her life force and swordsmanship were inferior, her strength and speed gave her a slight edge.

A physical ability surpassing even knights who had trained for decades.

Even to her, it felt like cheating.

“True. I’m already old. I can’t match a young person in their prime with strength.”

“That’s a pathetic excuse—”

“…So I’ll have to do this.”

The moment Valenstein twisted the hilt strangely, the sky and earth flipped.

“Huh?”

A mound of dirt flew up before her eyes.

The impact on her shoulder made her realize.

The world hadn’t flipped—she had been slammed into the ground.

Even after experiencing it, she couldn’t understand how it happened.

– Crash!!

She slid several meters, digging through the ground with her shoulder.

“Ugh…!”

As she barely managed to stop herself,

– Whoosh!

With a sharp sound, three swords struck down above her head.

The knights.

Unable to resolve their doubts, they decided to stop thinking and obey orders.