Chapter 99

“The injury treatment center for the preliminaries.”

The students were so fired up that the treatment center was packed.

Still, the turnover was incredibly fast.

This was thanks to the professors and assistants from the Holy Studies department of each academy, who came out with their Holy Studies students for practical training.

Except for those students who had lost consciousness, everyone else was quickly leaving the treatment center.

I visited that very treatment center.

I had two lunch boxes in my hands that I had asked Card to get for me.

“I came to pick up a hospitalized friend.”

“Oh, okay. Please tell me the name.”

A student responded while pulling out a list.

The treatment center was extremely busy.

But since this was also a form of training for them, the students were quietly treating the injured.

“I’m from Jerion Academy, Seron Parmia.”

“Please head to room J-21.”

The student finished the reply and quickly left.

I felt a surge of urgency as well.

I moved on and soon arrived at the J-21 room the student mentioned.

I knocked twice, but there was no response.

Creek-

So I opened the door and stepped inside.

Just because there was no answer didn’t mean I wouldn’t go in.

Inside the room

On the only occupied bed lay a small girl.

Her injuries were all treated, but since she hadn’t regained consciousness yet, she was breathing in colorful ways while asleep.

I approached her and pulled out a chair to sit.

Then, I placed the lunchbox beside her so that Seron wouldn’t wake up.

“…Prince Sweet Potato.”

So she woke up just like that.

“You’re awake. You must be hungry. I brought you a lunchbox.”

“…I don’t get hungry right after waking up. Do you think I’m a pig?”

Seron whined just like usual.

But she looked somehow weak.

That wasn’t like Seron at all.

“I watched the preliminaries.”

Seron’s shoulders tensed up.

She rolled her eyes around in confusion.

“Uh, when did you see it? You were in the preliminaries too.”

“Our match finished quickly because I performed well.”

“Wow, showing off is really annoying.”

“I just speak the truth. I am amazing.”

Seron made a disgusted face.

What’s this?

Seeing that, I put my hand on my neck.

Then, I gently pulled back the bandage on my face to reveal Bickamon’s true face.

Seron froze in place.

I smiled broadly.

Seron’s eyes went wide.

“Seron, why don’t you say something annoying again?”

“Hik, th-thats, unfair, unfair!”

Seron struggled, pulling the blanket up to her face.

Her forehead was bright red.

Her tone, too, had become more modest.

“You said all those embarrassing things about being a prince and such.”

“Why did you have to hear that?”

Seron trembled.

Seeing her like that made me chuckle.

“Looks can be deceiving, huh.”

This made Seron’s shoulders tense up.

She muttered something under her breath and gripped the blanket tightly.

“…I don’t like you just because of your looks.”

Seron slowly lowered the blanket she was holding.

Her face was flushed with embarrassment, but she gazed directly at me.

“Well, you have no immunity to being a prince and all that, but I like you for who you are, whether it’s Bickamon-senpai or Hanon.”

Her earnest gaze shone brightly.

Her straightforward mindset was enough to make even me shy.

As I faced Seron, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

My feelings were quickly being shredded by the bandage on my face.

Love was fading, and so was my anger.

But when I looked at Seron, I couldn’t help but feel it vaguely.

This is what it feels like to like someone.

Just then, Seron’s face turned crimson and she looked like she might explode.

There was even steam coming from her forehead as she melted into a fluster.

“B-but still, it’s not okay right now. D-don’t smile like that!”

Seron waved her arms weakly while covering her eyes.

Yet, it seemed she wanted to see me more, glancing sideways at me.

I realized I was smiling without realizing it.

If I kept looking like Bickamon, Seron would break down.

I quickly wrapped the bandage back around my face and returned to being Hanon.

Then I stood up and lightly tapped Seron’s head.

“Seron, this is just my personal preference. I’m going to apologize to Ergo.”

“Ugh.”

Seron flinched, likely recalling what happened with Ergo.

Ergo had attacked out of anger even after the preliminaries were over.

As a result, he was disqualified after a conference.

There was no way they’d let a rule breaker into the finals.

This revenge should actually be Seron’s job.

“I simply can’t let my friend be treated like that without doing anything.”

I’ll live petty if it means doing something.

“So eat your lunch and recover your strength. You look prettiest when you’re causing a ruckus.”

“…Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Interpret it however you like.”

With a pouty face, she had a slight smile at hearing she was pretty.

What a consistent girl.

“So what now? Are you really going to go and get an apology? I’m fine with it.”

A hint of unease touched her gaze.

It made me glad that she thought that way.

But I didn’t want to be a burden on her.

Seeing her show signs of trying to stop me, I grinned.

“Don’t worry. We’re just going to have a little chat.”

“Telling me not to worry makes me even more anxious.”

“What do you take me for? I’m a gentleman, you know.”

Seron’s face grew more anxious.

Why does she see me as such a troublemaker?

I couldn’t understand it.

“I’ll really just apologize and come back.”

“Really, really?”

“Really.”

I left the room after making sure she believed me.

As I walked out of the room, I habitually loosened my neck.

A reflex warmed up my body before a fight.

Ergo was supposed to be sent back to his homeland since he was eliminated.

So I didn’t have much time to waste.

Of course, I didn’t plan to charge in blindly to fight.

Attacking royalty in a non-official match could lead to unpredictable punishments.

And besides apologizing to Seron, there was something else I wanted to obtain from Ergo.

I had originally planned to make a deal with Ergo.

This was shaping up perfectly.

Thus, I decided to challenge him in a very legitimate way.

I quickly moved my feet to locate a certain person.

Then I bowed my head to that person as soon as I found them.

“Lady Iris, please help me just this once.”

“Huh?”

She was Card, higher than royalty.

* * *

The Kingdom of Sky, with the longest history in the world.

Moreover, it’s the kingdom that descended from the great royal family of Paradon, who fought alongside the great hero Olfram.

And there was the overwhelming heir to the Paradon throne.

The only prince, Ergo Paradon.

Clad in a gold-tinged outfit, he currently wore a very displeased expression.

The reason was simple.

He was eliminated from the preliminaries for daring to punish a girl who spoke ill of him.

“You disqualified me? You wretched little pests!”

His teeth ground together in fury.

With a self-esteem as high as Everest, Ergo believed everything he did was justified.

Along with his innate talent, he was laden with traits of a tyrant.

However, it was a fact that he was capable.

Even as a tyrant, he was already making remarkable strides in the political arena.

So…

“Your Highness Ergo, the 3rd Princess Iris Haishirion has come to see you.”

Ergo couldn’t just ignore a visit from the 3rd Princess.

All signs of his fury washed away in an instant.

The 3rd Princess was one of the figures closest to the throne in the Haishirion Empire.

There was no reason to turn her away.

“Please, come in.”

Ergo straightened his outfit and sat down on his chair.

Click-

Just then, the door opened and two people walked in.

Ergo’s eyes widened in surprise at this.

One of them was the 3rd Princess, Iris Haishirion.

She had such striking beauty that it was rumored even beyond her homeland.

Standing beside her was a boy closely resembling her.

With black hair and red eyes.

A short boy, he looked quite young.

“Lady Iris, is this your younger brother?”

“Yes, he is.”

Iris, who generally maintained a polite demeanor, didn’t lower her tone for Ergo.

After all, he was someone who had secured his claim to the throne, destined to become the future king of Paradon.

“Nice to meet you. I am Hanon Irey, Iris’s cousin.”

Cousin.

Hearing that made Ergo smile broadly.

This revealed that Iris brought him along because she treasured him.

There was naturally no way he would act rudely.

“I see. Nice to meet you. I am Ergo Paradon.”

He knew that Hanon hadn’t inherited the Duke of Robliju’s name.

But he chose not to press the issue.

In this world, sometimes the value of a family name isn’t everything.

“I apologize, but I have come to see you today for my own matter.”

“Hmm? An affair? Please, go ahead.”

It felt a bit unusual that the matter was from Hanon rather than Iris.

However, he decided to be lenient and listen to Hanon’s story.

“Your Highness, you possess the Sword of White Nightmare, do you not?”

“I do.”

As soon as the Sword of Nightmares was mentioned, Iris cast a glance at Hanon for some reason.

Although Ergo found this suspicious, he didn’t bother asking.

“Would you be willing to trade that sword for the one I possess?”

“The Sword of White Nightmare?”

Ergo’s eyes widened slightly.

Ergo had a strong attachment to his sword.

Given that, it was only natural to feel displeasure at such a sudden request for a trade.

It might have been different if it were Iris, but his cousin asking for his sword was a different story.

As the tyrant’s tendencies began to seep out, he struggled to hold them back.

“I don’t see any sword with you.”

“Yes, not right now.”

As Ergo’s irritation began to surface, Hanon took something off from around his neck.

In his hand was a pendant.

And as soon as Hanon tapped the pendant, a sword appeared.

It was an old sword, but it still felt like a pretty good weapon.

But aside from that, it didn’t seem to hold much significance.

Ergo’s interest was waning when Hanon spoke up.

“This is the sword used by the legendary hero, Paradon.”

As soon as Hanon uttered those words, Ergo’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“The sword used by the legendary hero, Paradon.”

“What does that mean?”

Ergo’s face was filled with confusion.

Iris also seemed taken aback, staring at Hanon with round eyes.

But Hanon maintained his expression.

“If you recall the portrait of the Paradon dynasty, it’s probably a perfect match. If you want, it’s fine to confirm whether it’s genuine.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Ergo felt a headache from the sudden developments.

Pressing his forehead, he stared a bit dazedly at Hanon’s sword.

The portrait of the Paradon family was starkly vivid in his mind.

It was something he had seen throughout his childhood, so he remembered it well.

‘I’m sure.’

The sword undoubtedly matched the appearance of Paradon’s sword.

However, there had been countless replicas of Paradon’s sword up to this point.

It was still possible that this could be one of those.

‘But.’

The fact that he had come here with Iris was a thought that lingered.

Would Iris bring someone who would dare to deceive a descendant of Paradon?

On the other hand, another thought nagged at him.

‘The Sword of White Nightmare is a fine sword, but…’

Is it really worth trading for Paradon’s sword?

The sword itself didn’t hold any particular powers.

But the name alone would be enough to move the Paradon family.

Asking to trade that for the Sword of White Nightmare seemed incomprehensible.

“Oh, and I’d like to request one more thing.”

Ergo’s expression shifted as if to say “what now.”

Of course, everyone anticipated that Hanon would probably request something.

But what Hanon said next threw his expression off.

“How about a duel with the fake prince?”

Hanon smiled broadly.

“Hey, fake prince, let’s have a match.”