Chapter 1

"Enough! I declare Ian the winner!"

A harsh voice echoed through the training ground within the palace.

The king, who had announced the winner, looked down at me and my half-brother Ian from the stands. And Ian, standing in front of me, also looked down at me.

Ian, who had been facing me, was expressionless, his sword pointed at me, while my sword lay a few meters away.

Anyone could see who had won and who had lost in this situation.

Yes, I had lost.

"Lloyd, this is the result. As promised, I will strip you of your title and make Ian the crown prince."

This battle between me and my brother was to decide the next king. Or rather, my father, the king, had decided to strip me of my title as crown prince, but because I threw a tantrum, this sudden duel was arranged.

I was suddenly called in and told I would be stripped of my title, and I couldn't accept it.

Of course not.

If I were incredibly incompetent and my brother were incredibly excellent, I might have understood. But there wasn't much difference in our abilities. If anything, I was good at magic, and my brother was good at swordsmanship. Otherwise, we were almost the same.

"Your Majesty! Please, one more time! My brother is indeed skilled in swordsmanship! But I have magic! Please allow me to use it!"

Why do I, a magician, have to fight with a sword? Even I know I can't win.

"No! In this Eddeltart, martial arts are revered. The king of Eddeltart must be skilled in martial arts. Haven't I told you this many times?"

Indeed, I had been told this since I was a child. But I didn't think that way.

What's the point of a king being skilled in swordsmanship? Even the king, who talks so grandly, has never actually been to the battlefield or wielded a sword.

"I can't accept it!"

"Whether you accept it or not is irrelevant."

The king looked at me with disinterest, stood up from the stands, and turned to leave.

"Your Majesty!"

"Enough! I will make you the lord of the borderland of Meil."

That means I won't just be stripped of my title; I won't even be a member of the royal family...

"Your Majesty!"

I called out to my father again, but he didn't turn back.

"Brother..."

My brother Ian lowered his sword and looked at me with pity in his eyes.

"Damn!"

I stood up, picked up my fallen sword, and sheathed it. Then, ignoring my brother, I left the training ground.

◆◇◆

After leaving the training ground, I sat in my room, lost in thought. But as night fell, I sneaked out of the palace, avoiding the maids' eyes. I went to the city and climbed an old watchtower, from where I could look down at the palace.

"Soon, I'll have to leave this place..."

I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

I had lived there for 18 years. That place was my world, and I thought it would be where my life ended. But now, I had to go to the borderland of Meil. That meant I would never be able to return to this land.

"Ha... Meil..."

Meil wasn't a good place. To put it simply, it was a rural area with nothing to offer.

"Tough..."

"Indeed."

As I was complaining, a woman's voice came from behind me. I slowly turned around and saw a beautiful young woman with golden hair, dressed in a white dress, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What... Risha..."

"It's not 'what.' What are you doing, Your Highness?"

"Can't you see? I'm looking at the palace."

Isn't it obvious?

"No, I mean, about the duel this afternoon."

The duel with my brother...

"Did you watch it?"

"Of course. It concerns your future, and by extension, my future."

Risha is a duke's daughter and my childhood friend. She is also my fiancée, which means she would have been the next queen.

"His Majesty seems to like swordsmanship."

"More like he dislikes magicians. He often calls magicians who don't go to the front lines cowards, even though he himself has never been to the front lines..."

By the way, this former next queen is quite a talker. And her attitude and personality are also bad. Of course, she acts demure in public, but I and the others who went to the same noble school know her true nature.

"That's what a king is."

"Well, yes... That's why I understand why you can't accept it. But you could have done something."

Done something...

"Should I have focused more on swordsmanship instead of magic?"

"No, you could have secretly used magic during the duel or put a laxative in Ian's food."

See? She's a real piece of work... But in a way, she's quite noble.

"I thought about it, but his guards noticed."

"You're not very trustworthy."

That goes both ways.

"What are you going to do now? If you want to break the engagement, I don't mind."

If we set aside her personality, with her looks and status, she could marry into a good family. She could even become the next queen by marrying Ian, who doesn't have a fiancée yet.

"What are you saying? I won't marry two men. I'd rather die than do that."

How noble of you...

"So, it's Meil for life, then?"

"Meil...?"

Risha's shoulders slumped, and she looked like she had bitten into a bitter pill. She clearly didn't like the idea.

"If you come with me, that's what will happen."

"Coup..."

Risha muttered something outrageous.

"Who would follow me? As you and His Majesty always say, this country values martial arts. Who would join a coup led by a magician?"

Magicians aren't hated, but they are looked down upon.

"Ha... I guess so. I don't like it either."

Risha, being from Eddeltart, also values martial arts. Her swordsmanship is quite impressive. She doesn't carry a sword in the castle or at home, but she always has one when she goes to town. Even now, she has a sword in her left hand. For a duke's daughter...

"We have no choice but to go to Meil. When Ian becomes king, if we beg him, he might do something for us."

If we say we hate the countryside, he might give us a suitable position and let us return to the capital.

"Ha... How pathetic..."

Risha shook her head in disappointment.

"It's better than Meil, right?"

"Well, yes."

Risha and I stopped talking and looked down at the palace together.

"Risha... I'm sorry I couldn't make you queen."

I muttered softly.

"No... I'm the one who's sorry. I couldn't make you king. It's my fault."

It's my fault, though...

I glanced at Risha and saw that her beautiful face was wet with tears.

"Don't cry..."

"You too..."

I hadn't noticed, but I was crying too.

"I'm just frustrated. I'm frustrated that magic isn't recognized and that I lost to my brother."

We weren't that far apart in age, but losing to my brother hurt.

"I'm frustrated that I couldn't become queen. I was told by my parents from a young age that I had to become queen..."

Silence fell between Risha and me again.

"My brother will make a fine king."

"Well, maybe. Ian isn't exceptionally talented, but he has a good character."

Neither I nor Risha have that.

"But it still stings to lose to my brother."

"I understand. I feel the same way."

I know, right?

"That's why I'm going to show you something good now."

I said that, turned my gaze from Risha, and looked at the palace.

"Something good? What is it?"

"Just a little prank, or revenge."

"Doing that is why you were stripped of your title..."

Shut up.

"Well, this much is fine, right?"

"What did you do?"

"I set up a fire-starting magic talisman in the palace. Remember, I gave you one before?"

"Ha... Are you a child...? But, well, it's quite a coincidence."

What do you mean, coincidence?

"What do you mean by coincidence?"

"I also set up a fire-starting magic talisman in the palace that you gave me."

Huh... What!?

"Wait! What are you doing!?"

"That level of fire is just a minor prank... At most, it will cause a commotion and some sleepless nights."

"Where did you set it up?"

"What? Where?"

"That magic can cause a chain reaction."

Each fire by itself isn't much, but with two or three, it can spread quickly. In fact, that's how it's supposed to be used. I modified it to start fires for campfires and such.

"Well, of course, I set it up in the less crowded Elrin's palace to avoid casualties—"

The moment Risha started to speak, the palace suddenly lit up.

"Ah... Huh?"

Risha stared in shock at the palace on fire.

"Really a coincidence. I also set it up in Elrin's palace."

Because there's a lot of water there, it would just be a small fire.

"…………………………"

"…………………………"

Risha and I stared at the fire, which was definitely not just a prank. Then, the sound of alarm bells began to ring through the city.

"…………………………o"

"…………………………o"

Risha and I spoke at the same time.

"Damn you, terrorists who attack the royal family!!"

We both drew our swords and pointed them at each other...

Thank you for reading. If you found this story interesting or are curious about what happens next, please consider bookmarking it or giving it a five-star rating. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Additionally, this work is available as a book from KADOKAWA BOOKS. The book version has been revised and expanded, so I hope you will enjoy it. The illustrator, Yuno Hito, has done a wonderful job with the artwork, so please take a look at the cover at least. (Link below)

(Addendum)

The manga adaptation is also available on Kadokom and Nico Nico Manga. I hope you will read it as well.

Thank you very much!