Chapter 6

(06)

A steward from the Main Palace arrived and left us with one bottle of ‘Tears of the Barren Land.’

Rudi didn’t say much to me when I returned.

“You must be tired. Rest,” was all he said.

For a few days, I thought about various things. I had managed to button the first clasp somehow, but probably, everyone watching me thought I was insane.

It was bittersweet, but I was used to such gazes. I just needed to earn recognition as non-threatening from one person.

However, their looks of shock were an opportunity for me.

I needed power more desperately than before my return. I had to appropriately prevent the betrayals, insurgencies, and revolts from my past life, along with the influx of magical chaos.

I had to ensure that she never crossed a line she shouldn’t or became a tyrant.

“Who else but me can protect this empire?”

The indifferent smile I wore while saying that line is still vivid in my memory. Compared to the adversaries I’ll encounter in the future, a maid wielding a dagger is nothing.

Still, I need to prepare for the possibility—I should miscalculate and completely ruin my relationship with Jeilliris. If that happens, I’ll either need the strength to endure her wrath or the energy to escape.

“I need to train again with the sword.”

But she was cautious about me acquiring the ability to rebel. Members of the royal family need permission to learn swordsmanship or sorcery, and naturally, no one had ever granted it to me.

I needed a pretext to practice the sword.

“Rudi, let’s go on a picnic,” I said.

“Really? Good thought,” she responded cheerfully.

“I was worried about you just lying down all these days. Where are we going?”

“To the Platinum Knight Drill Yard.”

“Excuse me?”

* * *

We had to leave the palace and ride a carriage to get to the drill yard.

“Lady Valen, aren’t the roses blooming beautifully?” Rudi asked brightly, sitting beside me.

It must’ve been a joy for her to leave the corner of a room where she usually waits on drunken ruffians, especially on this fine weather while crossing flower fields.

I was too harsh. Maybe from now on, I should come out more often.

“Rudi, this is just a precaution.”

“Yes, My Lord Valen?”

“In case I get beaten up, just watch.”

“Beat up? Aren’t we here to watch the knights train?”

“Yes.”

“Then why would you mention getting beaten?”

Without answering, I extended my hand out the carriage window. The sunlight was warm.

Central parts of the Empire were generally temperate, but by June, it got sweltering. What’s more, today was a perfectly clear day without a single cloud. Rolling around in gravel while wearing a full steel armor weighing over 30 kg would result in a lot of sweat.

Watching some ruffian royals lounging under the shade being fanned by a maid would probably irritate anyone.

If I irritate them just right, they’ll likely challenge me to a sparring or a duel.

While pressing my hand against the carriage window, I practiced an evil smile.

“I’m not here to watch sword skills, but to pay respects to the knights who toil in this heat.”

I repeated this endlessly to myself.

After a 30-minute carriage ride, we arrived at the training grounds of the “Platinum” knights.

In the vast drill yard, knights wore heavy training armor and sprinted, rolled, and swung their swords while carrying lead weights.

“Faster! Faster!” a trainer shouted.

“I can’t! My mana is depleted!” a new recruit gasped.

“It’s increasing right now! Keep running!”

“Can’t we increase mana sitting peacefully? It’s more efficient!”

“His Majesty doesn’t seem to think so. Run!”

“Damn it! Long live the Emperor!” An exhausted trainee followed his senior and picked up the pace.

In this world, with its high concentration of ambient mana, one can reach the level of a Sword User or even a Sword Expert by physical training alone. Once they reach a certain level and gain mana control, it’s usual to meditate to accumulate mana.

But the youngest-ever Sword Master, however, had some unique insight. He personally developed a training method that was infused into the knights.

“Who would’ve guessed that was a stroke of genius.”

“What?”

“Wrong one.”

This training would unintentionally bear unforeseen results in the future. All the imperial knights would subconsciously learn how to use mana with maximum efficiency.

It didn’t have a dynamic effect like using 3 mana to produce 5 worth of strength, but it was a method that let them generate 1.3 worth of power using 1 mana.

In the future where one fights to see who collapses first by exhausting their own health, the ability to fight longer using less mana would be an enormous advantage.

Of course, this is all far in the future, and not even the commander of the Platinum Knights understands the point of this training right now.

“I’m glad things are turning out this way.”

If they realized how significant and important what they’re doing is, they would probably be wary of me.

I unfastened three buttons on my shirt and sat under the shade, fanning myself with Rudi.

A young knight, having fallen behind the group, cast a sly glance at me.

Fantastic, it’s already having an effect.

Knights who had already run fifty laps around the drill yard reassembled in front.

With extremely heavy training swords and performing the Empire’s sword techniques developed by Jeilliris, they started their practice.

“I think I’m about to die.”

“This is an impossible movement without mana.”

“But I can handle it, somehow?”

“I wish I could just laze around with a maid under a tree like that prince!”

“At first, it felt like I was about to die. Now, it’s becoming manageable.”

The knights showed various reactions.

“Only three more times! Hang in there!”

The vice-commander, with his helmet on, shouted loudly.

Even the knights who were about to pass out rose weakly and resumed their sword techniques.

I sipped the cool tea handed to me by Rudi and observed their movements.

“The first stage of Imperial Swordsmanship: ‘All is Suffering.'”

They swung their swords slowly and majestically before, for a single moment, moving like magic, cutting through the air.

“All is suffering. Fighting is suffering. Defeat is suffering. Victory is suffering. However, there are degrees of suffering. Acknowledge the shadow and move toward the light. Do not fear the cost of victory; fight.”

These were the insights behind the first stage of Imperial Swordsmanship.

“Bold moves,” I said, memorizing every movement with admiration.

I wanted to use those techniques again already.

“After running thirty more laps, perform stage two. Prepare!”

“Understood! Commander!”

The knights re-energized themselves. I smirked and drank my tea.

The young knight glared as he noticed me watching.

“We’ll see about that.”

I pretended not to hear him.

* * *

The training was over, but the young knights couldn’t return to their dormitory.

“I’m about to pass out.”

“My legs! My legs!”

“I need more mana.”

They scattered across the wide drill yard, swinging their swords.

I sat near the young knight who had glared at me earlier.

As I sipped the watered-down wine Rudi handed me, the young knight stopped his practice and stared at me.

“Lord Valencia, what brings you here?”

His voice was filled with irritation.

“To witness the greatness of your training. But it looks easier than I thought.”

The young knight clenched his teeth at my reply.

“You just put on an armor, run, and swing a sword, right? For you all to be panting so much after such a training? You still lack practice compared to your seniors.”

The young knight became red with anger.

“Lord Valencia, it seems you are drunk. Servant, please escort His Excellency back to the Crimson Crescent Palace.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“By the way, I heard Lord Valencia recently doesn’t even properly inspect the rooms anymore.”

The young knight sneered.

“If I were to inspect, I would’ve done it thoroughly down to the angle of the sheets. What a pity.”

His voice clearly conveyed the desire to humiliate me.

“I am always grateful for your concern. Thank you for watching over my dream-filled escapades.”

I answered without missing a beat.

“Truly, you’re a drunkard and a ruffian, as the rumors say. And yet, you survive after raiding the Emperor’s wine cellar. Lucky.”

The young knight openly mocked me.

“My luck. But it seems your luck has run out. Everyone else has returned to rest, but you’re still rolling here.”

I calmly countered according to my plan.

*

Finally, the young knight cursed under his breath.

“Damn drunk ruffian!”

“You may only call me that under two conditions: the maid or His Majesty.”

I pretended to clench my fists in rage.

Rudi tried to intervene, standing up, but I gestured for her to stay seated.

With worry in her face, she sat down again.

“Valencia! I hear you are drunk every day, abusing your maid and harassing the cousin princesses. If you have any shred of shame, you should return and act accordingly!”

The young knight clenched his teeth as he turned to Rudi.

Great, rumors about the cousin princesses are spreading now.

Every such rumor contributes to completing my image.

“You know me well. Do you, by any chance, have a sister or older sister?”

Even saying those words reddened my face from shame. If it weren’t evening, the pretense might’ve been exposed.

But it was evening, and I am skilled at acting.

“How dare you say such things! How is it that you haven’t been dragged off already?”

He exclaimed, realizing anew the fall of royal dignity.

There was nothing I could do. With the emperor treating me as a potential rebel, even respecting me was something to be thankful for.

“Today, I’ll teach you the meaning of shame.”

The young knight threw a steel gauntlet in my face.

I dodged by stepping back and kicked it back into the air, hitting the knight.

“How dare you suggest such a crude object for my hands?”

The young knight broke into a fake laugh and pointed his practice sword at me.

The training sword had no edge but was as thick and heavy.

“Shut up and take the sword. Today, I’ll teach you the kind of lesson you need.”

His fiery temper was evident.

I took off my white silk gloves and picked up a training sword left by a senior knight.

At that moment, the young knight charged.

With the ferocity of an avalanche, his sword aimed to split my head open.

“Hmm.”

I swung the sword outward, deflecting his blow and stepped back to create distance.

His sword cut through the air.

The young knight, surprised, rushed at me again, aiming for my arm with diagonal cuts.

I leaned forward and braced my legs.

“Clang!” Our swords clashed, sparking.

I leaned into the clash, pushing his sword away.

At seventeen, trained thoroughly on bloodline and talent, my physical capabilities were surprisingly good compared to my expectations.

I missed the days when my body didn’t creak with every movement.

I shoved his sword aside, entered his guard, and kicked his shin.

The knight gritted his teeth in pain.

The moment the strength left his sword, I let go of my sword with my left hand and grabbed the knight’s right wrist, pulling it toward me while twisting.

At the same time, I tripped him, throwing him to the ground.

Bearing a training armor weighing over 30 kg, his exhausted body crashed unceremoniously to the ground upon losing balance.

The loud clatter echoed as the armor hit the ground.

“You, are you going to teach me about shame?”

I asked calmly, pretending I wasn’t upset.

He stood up immediately and glared at me furiously.

“I was trying to let you off easy by remembering you’re a royal.”

“Let me off? You charged at me, gritting your teeth, trying to split my head?”

I grinned mockingly, completely flipping my demeanor from moments ago.

“Shut up!”

He thrust at me like an arrow, fast enough for my eyes to barely follow.

I instinctively spun my body, narrowly dodging it.

Blood trickled from my side.

The young knight frowned.

Another arrow-like thrust came at me.

He smoothly transitioned to an extended lunge and followed with a cutting stroke, moving closer with each step.

But again, I dodged with a sense of being pulled.

My body felt hot.

As though every fiber of my muscles were wired like steel, I could move faster and stronger.

Though I’m not efficient at it, I remembered the method to enhance my body with mana.

I raised my sword overhead and slammed it down, pinning the knight’s upward strike.

When the steel collided, sparks flew, and the knight was forced back.

Without waiting, I kicked off from the ground, charging forward.

Grasping tightly on the sword hilt, I drove the blade into the dead center of the knight’s chest plate.

The impact felt like hitting a wall, and the knight was hurled backward, rolling on the ground.

Breathing heavily, I looked down at my body.

It felt warm and full of strength.

It was invigorating being back in this body before it was ruined by alcohol and drugs.

I could do anything.

The intangible energy coursing through my veins felt vivid.

Like spider webs, it entangled each fiber, soft and elastic, cushioning shocks, aiding movements, and amplifying strength.

As I observed this, the young knight, shakily standing up, eyed me with a cold expression.

“Lord Valencia, have you secretly practiced swordsmanship lately? The fact that you use mana… This cannot be overlooked.”

Wait, hold on just a second.