Chapter 22

"Brother…"

"It's okay. You did well."

"Choke! Did, did you see that? I made that barrier, Brother."

From the way he spoke with a weak smile, it was clear he didn't want to worry me even a little.

He's just a young boy, only fourteen years old.

At an age where he should be crying if he's sick, he was thinking so deeply.

I felt as if my heart had sunk to the bottom of the earth.

If I hadn't intervened, Baris would have lost his life in this match.

And it wasn't just anyone; it was my younger brother, the only one who had ever stood by me in that cold palace.

"Go inside and rest."

"Ugh…"

"Baltian."

After having Baris carried away on a stretcher, I climbed back up to the training ground.

My dream is simply to live a quiet, ordinary life, eating well and living well.

It's a humble dream for someone who, in both my past and present lives, has never lived long.

Life in the corridor was not a proper form of living.

Therefore, I couldn't stand out too much.

No matter how outstanding a person is, they can't survive with everyone as their enemy.

As the saying goes, a protruding nail gets hammered down. Objectively, I possess a range of abilities that are beyond average understanding.

If only my potential were considered, I would be seen as a dangerous element.

Especially in a situation where I have many enemies within the Round Kingdom.

As I approached the boy with a cold aura, the knights quickly blocked my path.

Baltian's transformed appearance was no longer that of a human but a monster.

The knights, who had drawn their swords and widened their distance, naturally did not allow me to get close to him.

"It's dangerous to get any closer. Please step back!"

I ignored the knights and looked at the boy.

I wondered if such words would have any effect on him, now that he had lost his mind.

It was annoying.

How should I deal with this?

Should I tear off his limbs, even if it means going to war with Boltez?

Or should I take another approach?

As I was pondering this, the boy, who had been still, began to move.

"Crack! Crack!"

Blood tears began to flow from his bloodshot eyes, and he lunged at me.

"Stop him!"

"Do not let Prince Baltian get any closer!"

His charge was…

"Choke?!"

So powerful that even the skilled knights struggled to block it.

Swish!

The boy, who had cut through the knights with a red sword aura, lunged at me.

"Brother!!!"

Wynri, who had followed me, screamed.

Just as everyone thought it was too late due to his sudden action,

"Move."

A girl with flowing blonde hair burst onto the training ground, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me back while swinging her sword at Baltian.

The small girl, barely over 150 cm tall, with a greatsword as tall as herself, had discarded her usual cold expression and struck the boy with a half-mad look.

Boom!!!

A tremendous vibration echoed, and the magically protected stone floor shook and cracked.

It was just one strike.

The girl's overwhelming blow forced the boy to kneel and fall to the ground.

"Crack! Crack!"

This time, the boy let out a loud scream, clearly feeling the impact.

The girl, Ilena de Falan, known as the Princess of Swords, appeared with a blue aura around her body and glared at him with constricted pupils.

"Vampire…"

As if she had some deep-seated grudge against vampires.

Half-mad, she kicked the boy away.

Given her speed and intensity, the knights, who were trying to create distance to counter his attack, couldn't stop her.

Moreover, with her overwhelming skill, it would be more practical to help her subdue the boy rather than try to stop her.

"Crack!"

The boy, now a monster, tried to counterattack, but Princess Ilena, like a wild beast, relentlessly pursued him.

"Princess… The Princess is winning! Join her and subdue him!"

As the boy, no longer a prince, began to thrash wildly, the knights, regaining their senses, raised their swords to follow her.

The mages managing the training ground quickly cast attack spells, and the priests, who had been waiting to heal the injured, channeled their divine power to pressure him.

It was clear that the boy, now a monster, couldn't continue to thrash about.

Everyone thought so.

"Crack."

If the boy, who had been pushed to the far end of the training ground, hadn't pulled out a strange gem from his chest.

'Blood Polaris?'

The sanctification of a vampire.

Without further thought, my body moved first.

Unlike Baris, who had been carried out on a stretcher, Wynri was here.

Instinctively, I enveloped Wynri and raised my energy. Almost immediately, the terrifyingly red gem that had been pulled from his chest emitted a massive light.

The light transformed into a fog, as if it were alive, and soon completely enveloped the surroundings.

* * *

It didn't take long for the massive blood-colored fog to envelop the entire arena.

In the blink of an eye, the area was shrouded in a crimson fog, as if volcanic ash had been blown from an exploding volcano.

In the space where one couldn't see a thing, only two things glowed.

Princess Ilena, who had collapsed, emitting a faint light from her body, and me, who had enveloped Wynri and used my will to manifest a barrier to block the fog.

It meant that only three of us were still conscious.

If there had been Swordmasters, they might have been able to stand, but the Principality of Felicity had few Swordmasters.

What about Swordmasters from other countries?

According to the treaty of the state alliance, Swordmasters, who are essentially human weapons, are not allowed to leave their country unless it's a significant matter. Therefore, the knights here were, at best, below the level of Princess Ilena.

Given that there aren't many Swordmasters on the continent, the probability of them being here was low.

"Cough, Bro… ther?"

Wynri, who was coughing as if even breathing was painful, looked extremely tired, as if she hadn't slept for days.

"It's okay, Wynri. Everything is fine."

"Bro… ther."

Driven to a point where she couldn't even make a judgment, she finally closed her eyes.

"Rest well. When you wake up from a good dream, everything will be fine."

I said calmly, picked her up, and gently laid her in a corner.

Then, I stretched out my hand and frowned.

'Hurry up and move. If you're lazy, I'll mix you with command mana.'

Woo!

A faint white light, as if screaming, moved from the tip of my finger.

I have three types of energy: mana, command mana, and divine power, each with its own properties.

A change that only those who have reached a certain level and achieved enlightenment through communion with mana can possess.

It's not all bad. It increases efficiency, eliminates backlash, and can even draw out more power than I possess.

A high level of enlightenment, far beyond the Master level.

However, my current body maintains a slightly abnormal balance.

My mana has always been a bit peculiar.

Command mana, in particular, has a nature that fits the term 'psycho.'

Use me now! Otherwise, I'll scream!

This is the nature of command mana.

Therefore, it has the fastest recovery and highest efficiency.

The other mana, on the other hand, feels like a snob.

It's very prickly but reluctantly moves finely when I manifest my will.

And divine power, which shows the worst sluggishness.

This divine power is incredibly lazy and doesn't listen to me at all.

It won't move unless I apply pressure.

It only moves if there's a special medium, but isn't that the same as bribing a dog with food?

4th-level divine magic. Blessing of Radiance.

For a while, the influence of this cursed Blood Polaris won't affect her.

Not satisfied with that, I cast additional divine magic in quick succession.

"Whew…"

A large amount of divine power flowed out, and a strong light enveloped Wynri, causing me to let out a sigh of relief.

The pained expression on the girl's face soon improved, and her complexion began to return.

The arena already had many people, and they were all affected by the Blood Polaris, falling into a weakened state. However, I couldn't find a reason to care for them.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't protect each one with divine magic.

The highest level of divine magic I can currently use is 4th-level.

It's not a low level, comparable to 4th-circle magic.

After silently observing the two girls, I slowly stood up.

Then, I looked at the blonde girl, who was leaning on her sword and panting.

Her once lustrous blonde hair was now limp and scattered, and her once captivating face was pale.

Yet, her inherent beauty was still astonishing.

Indeed, a person's perfection is their first impression, their face.

Such superficial beautyism.

"Ha… Ha…"

She could barely hold on with the energy flowing from her body.

It would be difficult to expect her to fight at full strength.

Of course, I didn't need her help.

Silently approaching her and placing my hand on her back, she flinched.

She, who had been barely holding on with her half-broken greatsword, began to breathe more steadily as mana slowly flowed into her through my hand.

"Once you're better, step back."

"Wh… Wait…! You?!"

Only then did she realize my presence and look up at me in surprise.

Even as she panted, her expression showed confusion.

"You… How are you fine!?"

The blood-colored fog, which made everyone weak and collapse, affected even the skilled knights who could manifest mana.

Yet, I was fine.

She's not stupid, so she must know about my situation.

The unfortunate prince who fell into a coma due to an accident and didn't wake up for six years.

Of course, she might have heard about it for the first time here, but at least from the banquet the day before, she firmly believed I was a weak prince with no power.

"I don't know."

"Cough! I don't know how it happened, but step back. This isn't something you can solve by getting involved."

"Something I can solve by getting involved?"

"It's not like the duel at the banquet where luck can solve it!"

She said urgently.

"They are the nobles of the night, the demons of the night left in ancient texts. You must have heard of vampires."

I have, and I've fought with vampires of a certain level hundreds, even thousands of times.

As I silently listened to her, she, despite barely holding herself up, raised her sword to block me.