Chapter 9
Chapter 9
“This is a script I’ve never seen before.”
“Of course. It’s a language from the distant ancient past.”
That wasn’t exactly wrong either, because in this world, Hangul existed as an ancient tongue no different from a divine language.
Moreover, for some reason, the strategy for clearing a dungeon in which one of the powerful abilities the protagonist would later obtain lay dormant was written in Hangul.
When I asked the author why that was, they said that the protagonist wasn’t the first Earthling to have been transferred here.
The biggest reason was that they planned to write that story as a sequel, so they had left it as a piece of foreshadowing.
In other words, it was a place that even I, as I was now, could sufficiently clear.
The risk was low, but the return was great.
It was more than worth attempting, but since it was located at the edge of the continent, going there immediately was difficult.
The protagonist only found the clue around chapter 200 anyway, so as long as I got it before then, it would be fine.
“So, what does it say?”
“I told you. I glimpsed the memories of everything—past, present, and future. So what do you think it would be?”
“…It doesn’t seem like it’s obsessing over the past, and the present is the same, so it must be about the future.”
As she said that, Tyrfing looked at me with a peculiar gaze.
“Why?”
“No. You said you felt nothing even after obtaining me, but so that was the reason. In the future written here, do you meet me?”
“It was a bit further down the line.”
“I see.”
Tyrfing let out a small laugh.
“Up until now, many people have sought to obtain me.”
She raised her small finger and, one by one, explained the masters who had once wielded her.
The dragon slayer who, as a human, was the first to slay a dragon.
The sword master who had achieved the ultimate realm.
Stories of heroes who had roamed across the Artenia continent flowed from her lips.
“…So you are one who has finally glimpsed the future. I’ve met many kinds of humans, but your type is a first.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is a compliment.”
Contrary to her appearance, she was a rather un-cute sort.
She pushed my arm off the armrest of the chair and perched herself there, looking at me with a subtly suggestive gaze.
“Still, you do know that at the end of it lies ruin, don’t you?”
“…….”
Tyrfing was a demonic sword.
And as her title suggested, one that brought ruin to its master.
To obtain her meant that ruin awaited at the end.
…In that case, I could just throw her away at the very end.
Well, I knew it was nonsense. In any case, knowing the events that would unfold in the future, I had no intention of meekly accepting ruin.
After all, I still had a good resource called the ‘protagonist.’
“What do you want from me?”
Tyrfing’s pitch-black pupils stared straight at me. It was the same question she had asked Leios in the original work.
Some had desired overwhelming power.
Some had desired authority before which all people would bow.
And Tyrfing had granted all of it, and in the end, she had taken it all away.
In a way, her words weren’t wrong. At the end, there had always been nothing but ruin.
“Teach me some swordsmanship.”
But I had no intention of going down without resistance, not even in my dreams.
***
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the morning of Foundation Day, celebrating the birth of the Empire, dawned.
My palace, usually quiet, was bustling with many people moving about and decorating it, and I too was surrounded by several attendants.
“You want me to wear this?”
To mark Foundation Day, a grand event was held at the imperial palace.
Naturally, as the imperial prince of the Empire, my participation was expected. But that—no, that was not it.
Silken clothes that shimmered as if holding a green emerald hue, with pure white frills running endlessly along the edges.
At the dazzling ceremonial attire that looked like something a medieval French noble would wear, goosebumps broke out all over me.
When I frowned in disbelief, the maids around me flinched.
Only Parsi didn’t retreat and spoke to me with a puzzled expression.
“These are garments that Your Highness has worn until now.”
In the text, it had only vaguely said I was dressed lavishly; it hadn’t described each piece of clothing in detail. But I’d never imagined it would be this bad, so a long sigh escaped me on its own.
Would I even be able to move while wearing that?
“Bring something as neat as possible. If possible, something without those damned frills.”
“Neat garments, you say.”
Thinking the maids might start crying if this dragged on any longer, I finally made a decision.
The ceremonial outfits that had filled the room were cleared away, and new clothes once again took their place.
“…How about these, Your Highness.”
Perhaps because others were present, Parsi’s attitude seemed a little more distant than when we were alone.
I felt slightly disappointed, but assuming she had her reasons, I didn’t show it and picked up the clothes she had chosen.
“Can these decorations be removed?”
“They can be removed, but…….”
“Remove them all.”
This was why power was good.
At my words, no one dared to utter a sound as they removed all the cumbersome decorations attached to the ceremonial outfit.
“Now this is more bearable.”
With the frills and ornaments that had looked like rags gone, it became an outfit that resembled a slightly high-end suit. Then the maids presented accessories studded with various gemstones, but necklaces, pendants, brooches—all of it was nothing but a hassle.
When I waved my hand to dismiss them, Parsi spoke with a worried expression.
“Your Highness, isn’t this a bit too plain?”
“It’s fine. I’m handsome.”
“…….”
At my words, Parsi made an expression of utter disbelief.
The other maids, seeing that, turned pale and sucked in their breath, but I simply punished that insolence with a light flick to her forehead.
Flick.
“…That’s too much.”
Perhaps I hadn’t controlled my strength properly, because tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Rubbing her reddened forehead, Parsi puffed out her lips with a sulky expression.
“It’s punishment for slandering the truth.”
I didn’t bother voicing the fact that she looked a bit cute like that.
‘Phew…….’
Despite my light behavior, my heart was tense to the extreme.
The story of the original work hadn’t even begun yet, but I had already twisted many of its flows. How those would come back to me was still unknown.
Moreover, Foundation Day was a gathering of countless nobles.
What kinds of people would be there and what kinds of incidents would occur could only be known once they happened.
That was why this was an extremely important moment for me.
No one would likely openly try to tear me down to my face, but given my reputation as the Empire’s mad dog, I was prime material to be picked apart and chewed on.
From here on out, managing my mental state was crucial.
This was a place where, even if I was humiliated, I couldn’t afford to make enemies.
I’d already made plenty by beating August into a pulp and smashing Darius’s face.
‘Let’s think of it as sweet potato before the soda.’
The refreshing crispness of soda only truly shone when there was the suffocating dryness of sweet potato beforehand.
I casually glanced at the ring on my finger and the single book lying quietly atop the table.
Veil’s curse and the demonic sword Tyrfing.
And my hidden ability.
‘The time will surely come.’
The moment I revealed my existence, the world would no longer be able to call me the mad prince.
“Then, the glorious Foundation Festival of the Ribera Empire…….”
A banquet hall filled with countless people.
A noble in charge of proceedings stood at its center, leading the rituals of the Foundation Festival.
Seated at the highest place of honor aside from the Emperor, I merely watched it all with bored eyes.
The banquet hall was undeniably splendid. Compared to this, the room of the First Prince Carius that I had seen before looked like a child’s prank. It was decorated with such dazzling extravagance, and the event itself was refined enough to please the eye without effort.
But even that only lasted a moment. Having to sit in a chair for over three hours was unbearably dull.
The nobles down below could at least watch while drinking and eating, but the imperial family, myself included, had to remain fixed in our seats until the meal ended.
“…….”
The three princes other than me chatted among themselves in hushed, giggling voices, as if something amused them greatly.
Turning my gaze away from their childish antics, I lifted my head and looked at the man seated at the very highest seat of honor.
‘That man is the Emperor.’
Gilgamesh von Ribera.
The author had said that the name Gilgamesh was taken from that legendary myth that existed in the early days of the ancient Mesopotamian Sumerian dynasty.
Thanks to a famous anime series, the name had become widely known and carried a clear image.
The Gilgamesh of this world, too, despite being close to fifty, showed no sign of his radiant golden hair withering.
Rather, the absolute dignity emanating from his entire being made everyone gathered here bow their heads without realizing it.
As the ceremony proceeded, there was no change on his face.
Whether he was bored like me or had something else on his mind, he simply watched with a blank expression.
The others, accustomed to the Emperor’s demeanor, carried out the proceedings with practiced ease.
The ritual honoring the Foundation Festival, which commemorated the founding of the Empire, came to an end.
The Emperor, Gilgamesh von Ribera, who had kept his mouth firmly shut until just moments ago, removed the hand propping up his chin and rose from his seat.
“…….”
He had merely stood up, yet all eyes immediately focused on him. Even I flinched at the instant shift in the atmosphere of the hall.
“It is an auspicious day. Enjoy yourselves.”
A single short sentence that could hardly even be called a speech. Yet all the nobles raised their glasses high and praised the Emperor.
Soft music began to flow, and alcohol and food were laid out everywhere.
The banquet had begun in earnest, but seeing that the high-ranking nobles still remained in their places, it was clear that there was still something more to come.
“Your Majesty, both Leios and August will turn seventeen next year. It should be time for them to enter the academy.”
“Is that so.”
The First Prince Carius spoke to the Emperor.
I could feel, keenly and unmistakably, the attention of not only those nearby but even the nobles who had been drinking and chatting turning toward us.
“Leios, August. Come forward.”
Carius called us.
I moistened my dry lips and rose from my seat, and August, who had been across from me, also stepped forward without hesitation.
“…….”
August’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.
With both fists clenched tightly, he glared at me with eyes blazing with violent hostility.
“I heard you were defeated by Leios recently?”
The Emperor spoke with an intrigued expression as he looked at us.
In his eyes, which had been expressionless just moments ago, there was clearly a glimmer of amusement.
“It was merely a mistake.”
August replied, still clenching both fists.
“And you?”
You.
It was never a form of address one would use for a child or a relative. Yet from his mouth, the word flowed out with perfect naturalness.
In the original work, the Emperor was portrayed as a man who knew nothing but strength.
Strength alone was justice, and for the sake of becoming strong, he discriminated against nothing.
Even if it led to ruin.
That was why his attitude was utterly natural.
“It was only the natural outcome.”
I replied calmly to his words.
Perhaps my response was unexpected, because the Emperor’s eyebrows twitched.
“I was told you had never trained in martial arts. It seems that was just a baseless rumor.”
“…….”
The Emperor’s eyes swept over my entire body. I felt as though I were being stripped naked.
‘I’ve been found out.’
The curse of the Veil should have been sealing my abilities, yet the Emperor had clearly perceived the power sleeping within me.
So even a relic-grade artifact couldn’t escape his eyes?
“In any case, it’s probably nothing worth seeing. Do you really think someone like you could withstand my sword, a sword user?”
Despite being right in front of the Emperor, August spat out his mocking words without restraint.
When I lifted my head slightly, the Emperor showed no sign of caring at all, instead appearing lost in thought.
“Isn’t that right.”
“A mad prince, after all.”
At August’s words, not only Carius and Darius but even nobles from influential families who had no need to worry about my reaction nodded in agreement.
I felt a surge of indignation, but from their perspective, it was only natural to think that way.
Gilgamesh von Ribera was regarded as the strongest Emperor in history, excluding the founding Emperor.
And those three had inherited his genes strongly.
Compared to me, who had been conceived from a single night with a common girl on a whim of passing interest, they would think themselves fundamentally different.
It was infuriating, but that wasn’t wrong.
Leios had not received the unique blessing passed down through the imperial family.
Not only that, he hadn’t inherited any skills either, so all he had were the Eye of Truth and super-regeneration that he had acquired on his own in order to survive.
But he overturned that through effort.
Effort that surpassed talent.
Of course, as the Emperor’s bloodline, he had inherited a certain degree of talent. But what truly allowed Leios to grow strong was his indomitable heart that never gave up and his perseverance that never stopped.
But that was that, and this was this.
No matter how much I tried to endure it, feeling offended was unavoidable.
“Going to get carried out by a knight again this time?”
“…You little—!”
Emboldened by the words supporting him, he puffed out his shoulders with a smug expression.
Finding the sight unbearable, I leaned in and whispered into his ear, and his face turned bright red as he flew into a rage.
According to rumors I’d heard from Parsi, the fact that he’d been beaten into a pulp by me and chased out had become a hot topic in the imperial palace.
He had always been an authoritarian who treated those beneath him harshly, so he must have had many people who disliked him.
I hoped he’d be mocked for it for a long, long time.
Bastard.