Chapter 69: Purge Battle (5)

Kalin, dressed, frowned. The imperial soldier's uniform had been laid out the previous evening.

In the north, the frost that had formed remained, leaving a cold and unpleasant dampness on the skin. The stench was just as bad.

He held his breath to keep the smell from reaching his nose and neatly placed the sword he had received from the emperor.

The sword, named Moonlight, was one that stood out when used at night. Even on a night with almost no moonlight, it was the same.

Now, he only had an ordinary long sword, a dagger, and a short sword. Just in case, he also took a smoke bomb.

Kalin took a short, deep breath and pushed off the ground.

'Quickly.'

It was speculated that the Second and Third Princes would move after midnight, so the First Prince and the Princess moved around 9 o'clock.

Since the spies had already been dealt with, there would be no preparations.

In terms of time, the Princess would soon reach the Third Prince's camp. The First Prince would likely do the same.

Kalin increased his speed a bit more. A wind rose in the dark, moonless night, moving at a gale-like speed.

By the time Kalin arrived, the First Prince was already attacking the Second Prince.

'Did I arrive a bit late?'

Kalin shook his head after checking the time. The First Prince had simply moved faster than planned. He was worried that the attack might leak out.

Fires began to break out in various tents on the outskirts. The sound of metal clashing amidst screams and chaos was countless.

Since it was dark outside, Kalin's entry was not a problem. He approached while using the wind to gauge the situation.

Kalin assessed his target.

Two Swordmaster candidates and one of the Prince's close aides.

The one in front was the one who would truly become a Swordmaster later. The right-hand man of the First Prince, he was a difficult opponent.

He was the one among the two knights who needed to be dealt with first.

The First Prince and the two knights were in the front lines. The close aide remained in the safe rear.

'Let's start from the back.'

Kalin made his decision. Although the chaos was intense, it was not yet the time to target the front.

The close aide was also a major target. The brain of the Prince, he was the one who would receive a dukedom in the future.

The fires caused by the chaos now illuminated the area in a crimson light.

Since it was a surprise attack, most of the soldiers lying dead on the ground were the Second Prince's. The First Prince's soldiers could be identified by the cloth tied to their helmets.

The battlefield, viewed from the wind. The mounted aide was gradually moving forward along the front lines.

Beside him was one of the Prince's bodyguards. Though of high status, he was not a significant threat.

Kalin picked up a spear from a fallen soldier. Behind the tent, in a blind spot, he walked slowly.

It was a fight that depended on the moment. The calculated distance. Kalin held the spear and waited. The aide was getting closer.

'Now.'

Kalin pulled back his right arm, which held the spear. The muscles expanded and contracted, his fingertips scraping the spear shaft.

He thrust the spear and pushed off the ground simultaneously. His senses were guided by the wind.

The space between two tents was narrow, barely wide enough for a person, but it was not a problem.

With the wind's assistance, the spear, hidden in the small space, tore through the air at explosive speed. Yet, it was silent.

By the time Kalin took a step, the spear had already left the space between the tents.

The guard noticed something was wrong too late. The spear pierced the future duke.

"Ugh-!"

"Sir Misen!"

The spear, still trembling from the impact, was embedded in the body. The weakened body collapsed to the side.

A moment later, shouts erupted. Kalin ran without looking back.

After passing four tents, the Second Prince's soldiers came into view. They were not hostile, as they could now distinguish friend from foe.

Amid the chaotic soldiers trying to regroup, Kalin approached his target.

"Hey! Who are you! Where are you going!"

The voice calling to him reached his ears, but he ignored it and continued moving.

Assuming he had been given orders, the soldier did not chase after him again. As soon as he rounded a tent, four of the First Prince's soldiers appeared.

He drew his sword and slashed. One at a time, with a single strike. It took less than two seconds to deal with all four.

Kalin quickly changed his helmet and turned the corner again.

Now, the Second Prince's soldiers were attacking. They mistakenly judged him as a lone, isolated prey, a normal but incorrect assessment.

After dealing with the soldiers, Kalin ran towards the First Prince's side as if being chased.

A soldier, surprised by Kalin's sudden appearance, stopped mid-stab with his spear.

"What, what is this?"

"Damn! I got lost!"

"You scared me!"

The soldiers' gazes briefly met, but in the chaos of the battlefield, no one lingered on the details.

In the dark night, though fires burned all around, it was not easy to see the faces inside the helmets. Kalin asked.

"Sir Banner! Do you know where Sir Banner is?"

"Don't know! Deal with these guys first!"

Calling out the name of the First Prince's centurion, Kalin turned as if looking for someone.

Now, he was close to the Swordmaster candidate.

Kalin focused on the wind. No one should see him. Seven seconds passed.

When no one was looking at him, Kalin quickly drew a dagger from the inside of his right sleeve.

Swish— He threw it with a subtle wrist snap. The wind compensated for the lack of power.

If he were more advanced, he wouldn't need to snap his wrist; the wind alone would control the throw.

It was possible now, but it wouldn't be enough to penetrate the armor of a knight who would become a Swordmaster.

The dagger cut through the air.

It passed between a soldier's abdomen and arm, grazing someone's back as it moved forward.

Again, there was no sound of the wind being cut. When the knight suddenly turned his head, it was already too late.

The silent dagger, coming from the allied side, was unpredictable.

The dagger pierced the knight's plate armor and embedded itself in his arm. A sharp pain. That was the end of it.

A moment's virtue.

True to its name, the poison was enough to cause death within 30 seconds. Kalin counted the seconds as he distanced himself.

When Kalin cut down an approaching Second Prince's soldier, the knight realized the dagger was poisoned.

He held his sword, hesitating for a moment.

'Too late.'

To survive, he should have cut off his arm immediately upon being hit. A moment's hesitation decided his fate.

The knight shouted, looking behind him.

"Merion!"

He was calling for a medic. Three steps back. The knight's legs gave out, and he collapsed.

Thud— Kneeling, he soon fell like a stone. It was a futile death for a future Swordmaster.

The shocked soldiers called out the knight's name. Kalin calmly looked for his next target.

'One down.'

However, the loud call for a medic alerted another target.

The First Prince was rushing over.

Kalin gave up. This was as far as he could go. Any more would be greedy. The most important thing was not to reveal his identity.

This was enough.

Kalin pretended to argue with the Second Prince's soldiers, then slipped away unnoticed.

The battlefield was being cleared, so he needed to hurry.

* * *

The hunt was over. The Third Prince did not move, and the Second Prince suffered the ruthless revenge of the enraged First Prince.

The First Prince, having lost his right-hand man, killed more of the Second Prince's knights and aides than initially planned.

Still, as a royal, the Second Prince's life was spared. Kalin found it somewhat ridiculous.

Assassination without revealing the identity was possible, but openly killing was not.

In any case, the order remained the same. First Prince, Princess, Third Prince, Second Prince. For the Princess, maintaining her position was fortunate.

Additionally, she had the best-preserved troops and the highest morale.

The Second Prince suffered the greatest losses from the attack, followed by the First Prince. The Third Prince also lost a significant number of soldiers due to reckless hunting.

Only the Princess maintained her troops almost perfectly. Kalin considered this mission a success.

'It went well. There were unexpected gains.'

This story would also spread among the soldiers. That those under the Princess would not die.

Of course, he would need to build on this, but the start was good.

"Soldiers, you have worked hard in a short time. You did better than I expected. The Emperor has promised a leave, so now return to your comfortable places and rest."

These were the words of the Princess to her soldiers upon arriving at the imperial city.

Though the armor-clad Princess stood before a thousand soldiers, they seemed quite moved.

Old or too young. The worst quality, which the soldiers themselves were worried about.

Yet, most returned unharmed.

Kalin followed the Princess, who turned and walked away without hesitation. It was time to meet the Emperor.

In the presence of the gathered Princes and Princess, the Emperor sighed deeply in silence.

"Disappointing."

The Princes gauged the situation. Everyone knew the disappointment was not about the conflict among brothers.

For the Second Prince, it was a defeat; for the Third Prince, it was being outdone by the Princess; for the First Prince, it was losing a recognized knight.

"First Prince."

"Yes, Father."

"Your performance was good, given your strength. But the losses are significant. Do you still think you can command the Empire's army with such heavy losses?"

The Emperor already knew the strength and situation of his children. There were the Empire's dogs everywhere.

The First Prince, who had expected this, bowed his head.

"I am ashamed."

"Torun was poisoned, you say?"

"Yes."

The First Prince glared at the Second Prince. The Second Prince responded with a silent curse in his eyes.

Though the Second Prince did not understand what happened, it was not a bad outcome for him.

"A mistake in a favorable situation. A cornered rat will bite the cat."

"I will remember that."

"Of course, the problem is that Torun, with his skills, was poisoned. Managing subordinates is also your responsibility."

The Emperor, having finished speaking, turned his gaze to the Second Prince with a troubled expression.

"Second Prince."

"Yes, yes."

The Second Prince's voice trembled as he responded.

"Stupid. Didn't you anticipate this?"

"I apologize."

The Second Prince barely held back from saying that he never expected the First Prince to ally with the Princess.

The daughter of a woman accused of poisoning his mother. This was not a competition among brothers but a betrayal.

"But! Torun was not our doing!"

"..."

The Emperor clicked his tongue.

Having lost the most soldiers and knights and even the supply line, the Second Prince, feeling ashamed, could not continue.

"Third Prince."

"Yes."

"Are you a knight?"

"Excuse me?"

The Emperor's gaze was sharp.

"Are you a knight?"

"No, I am not."

"Then why are you engrossed in the battle before your eyes? Haste is the root of all evil. War is about the long view."

"...Yes."

The Third Prince's voice trembled thinly. He seemed to barely hold back his humiliation.

The Emperor punched the table.

"The loss of troops is greater than expected. Is it because you cannot command, or are you disloyal?"

The Emperor looked around the room. Everyone was taken aback by the accusation of disloyalty.

"You are not yet my army. They are mine."

"..."

"Or rather, if you had considered them your own, you would not have used them like this. Even if I had ordered you to wage war among yourselves, would you have used them this way? You treated them as if they were someone else's."

The wrinkled Emperor showed the extent of his anger through his eyes. The three Princes were speechless.

The Emperor finally turned to Erendil.

"In that aspect, the Fourth Prince, you were the best. Though your performance was slightly lacking, you brought everyone back safely. You have the ability to see the long view."

Though second place was not enough, to the Emperor, everyone except the First Prince was the same.

Erendil slightly bowed his head.

"Thank you."

"Indeed. Have you changed your mind?"

The Princess met the First Prince's eyes. A silent conversation passed between them.

"Yes."

The eyes of the Second and Third Princes were filled with shock. 'How dare you aim for our positions,' their faces said.

Given the positions, they could only suppress their anger, but their glaring eyes spoke volumes. The Emperor continued with a calm face.

"You have thought well."

The praise made the expressions of the Second and Third Princes even worse. Only the First Prince remained calm.

There was already a promise.

The Emperor looked at the bodyguards standing behind his children. But his expression remained the same.

"You have worked hard with these inadequate men."

The knights all bowed their heads. Though it was praise, it was also a rebuke for not providing better support.

The Emperor sighed and turned his head.

"Leave now. You are a sight to behold."

Everyone stood up at the dismissal. Erendil was the first to bow and leave the room.

The gazes of the Second and Third Princes. It was clear that staying behind would lead to trouble.

No one spoke until they reached the Princess's room. The atmosphere was good, though. She was the only one praised.

"Princess, you have worked hard. Now, rest."

The Princess nodded and looked at Kalin.

"Shurtaffen, come in for a moment. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes."

Emir looked at Kalin and the Princess entering the room with a worried expression.

In reality, they were discussing business, but to the middle-aged knight, it looked different.

A young and beautiful man and woman often talking alone. It didn't seem to be like this at first.

Emir, considering whether to talk to Kalin separately, thought it might not be bad.

In the past ten years, it was the first time the Princess had been so close to someone, and Kalin, from what he had observed, was not someone who would act improperly.

Emir, who had thought this, immediately shook his head.

No, even so, what cannot be done is still not allowed. He resolved to talk to Kalin separately.