Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Gulp, gulp.
A sharp, refreshing sensation flowed down my throat.
At the words that it was an elixir that restored depleted vitality, I did not refuse and swallowed every last drop.
My body was fine.
No, rather, it felt more resilient than usual.
Perhaps it was because I had entered the realm of a top-tier Sword Expert due to what happened last night, but I felt sturdier than I had a few days ago.
“…Thank you.”
After emptying all the elixirs the Sword Saint had brought, I slightly lowered my head.
That was the highest courtesy I, who was not the emperor, could show to another.
Members of the imperial family—especially those of the direct bloodline—were not supposed to casually use honorifics or bow their heads to others. It went against their authority.
Anyway, these nobles really did live in an irritating way.
In some sense, it was a good situation for me. At least I would not get my head chopped off for being rude.
But the Sword Saint was different.
Through sheer martial might alone, he stood at the very peak of the Empire.
Even that powerful emperor would yield a move before him.
“I’m glad it seems your body has recovered.”
The Sword Saint spoke to me with an unreserved attitude.
I honestly had no idea why this old man was acting like this.
No matter how much of a mess I had caused, for someone who in the early part of the story had less presence than a dog passing by to push in this actively was baffling.
“I have been watching you for far longer than you think.”
“······.”
What was this supposed to mean now?
In the original story, the point at which Leios began to have dealings with the Sword Saint was when he had fully begun building his own power base and started opposing the imperial family.
The Sword Saint was clearly in an antagonistic relationship with Leios.
They would have been aiming for each other’s throats, not exchanging words in such a gentle tone with such an affable expression.
To be honest, the collapse of the character setting inside me was severe. Because of that, it was hard to grasp what kind of attitude I should show.
Should I continue as I had until now, as a brainless, ignorant imperial prince?
No, that would not do. I had shown him far too much already. Having finally reached a conclusion, I let out a deep sigh, frowned, and opened my mouth.
“So, what is it that you want from me. You found out that I was hiding my strength and seized a weakness, so are you planning to grab me by the leash and threaten me? Unfortunately for you, it has been a long time since all my limbs were cut off as an imperial prince. If you wish to inflate that paltry authority of yours, look elsewhere.”
A hidden powerhouse.
That was, in other words, me plainly acting out the image of an imperial prince whose abilities and ambitions had been laid bare.
That was the conclusion I had arrived at by briefly guessing what the Sword Saint was thinking.
Leios was rumored to be an incompetent brute. But somehow, the Sword Saint had discovered that he had been hiding his talent and ambition.
He must have thought that I had endured harsh training alone.
As I said before, the Sword Saint was a hypocrite. Which meant that he stood on the side of the weak. He felt pity for me and must have approached with the intention of helping.
“······.”
Whether that truly was the right answer or not, the Sword Saint twitched the corners of his mouth with an expression that said, “As expected.” But as if trying to hide his emotions, he soon cleared his throat, straightened his appearance, and spoke with a solemn face.
“I cannot even imagine how difficult the hardships you have endured until now must have been. But as you said, you endured them even as your arms and legs were cut away. Would it not be time for at least one person to appear to help you now?”
“······.”
If Leios, and not me, had been standing here, he would have shouted for him to cut out the half-baked pretense.
But I knew many things.
Why the Sword Saint chose to walk the path of hypocrisy himself.
Why Leios could not easily trust others.
Everyone had their own circumstances and wounds. The Sword Saint and Leios did not know each other, but I was different.
Because of that, I understood the Sword Saint’s intent, and I confirmed Leios’s wish.
“Become my disciple. If you do so, all the discrimination you have suffered until now will melt away like snow.”
The Sword Saint’s eyes were serious. He swore that he would become my strength and declared that he would accept me.
In response, I too opened my mouth and spoke.
“I refuse.”
It was an answer without even the slightest hesitation.
“Hoo.”
Cold air swept through my lungs. Winter was slowly retreating and spring was beginning to approach, but they said that in the imperial capital where the Imperial Palace was located, spring arrived later than in other regions.
Still, after running around the training grounds for hours on end, even that chill became familiar.
Although my abilities were restricted due to the Curse of the Veil, a body close to that of a Sword Master would not suffer frostbite in ordinary cold and instead radiated vivid vitality.
With about a month remaining until my admission to the Academy, I was focusing with all my might on drawing out my skills to their utmost.
Perhaps because I had reached the top tier of Sword Expert, my senses had become sharper than ever.
The clumsiness I once had in handling my body had disappeared, and I could move without the slightest sense of incongruity, as if it were originally my own body.
The greatest gain was that I had fully adapted to mana.
The mana that used to respond sluggishly no matter how hard I tried could now be completely controlled according to my will.
Tick.
I peeled off the Curse of the Veil, whose surface had begun to crack.
Since the story would spread anyway by the Sword Saint, there was no longer any need to hide it.
[SYSTEM: The Curse of the Veil has been lifted.]
[SYSTEM: Physical functions are restored.]
[SYSTEM: Skills are activated.]
[Status Window]
Name- Leios von Ribera
Race- Human
Religion- None
Title-
-Third Prince of the Ribera Empire
-Cursed bastard
-Child of a prostitute
Martial Arts
-Sword Expert (Top Tier)
The Flower of Battle (Fiore di Battaglia)
-4 Classes (Master)
Skills
-Eye of Truth (A)
-Initial Recovery (A)
Crunch.
The moment I clenched my fist, I felt an uncontrollable power surge through me.
The difference before and after lifting the Curse of the Veil was truly like heaven and earth.
To be clear, my physical abilities even before the lifting were outstanding.
It was only because my skill had been lacking, but I had defeated August, who had reached the level of a sword user, and had endured Darius’s attacks several times after he rose to Sword Expert.
But now that the Curse of the Veil had been liftinged, they did not even enter my field of vision.
To be honest, even if the three of them joined forces and charged at me, I was confident I could knock every last one of them down within a minute.
Shing.
Standing in the middle of the training grounds, I drew the sword I had been using in place of Tyrfing.
Slowly, I drew up my mana, and it was soon converted into the swordsman’s innate energy known as aura.
Wooooong—
A bluish aura light surged forth from my blade.
If this were a martial arts novel, it would be the stage of sword energy. Watching it filled me with overwhelming emotion.
As someone who loved fantasy and martial arts novels, I had long admired it.
Sometimes, when I was alone at home during work breaks, I would swing a wooden sword I had bought as a hobby, imitating the bearing of a novel’s protagonist.
Of course, no sword energy or aura ever appeared.
I filled in that part with imagination, poured it into my novels, and that vicarious satisfaction was more than enough.
But look at this dazzling light blooming from my own hands.
It was clearly an unrealistic sight, yet my mind was colder and more lucid than ever, facing reality head-on.
“Whew.”
Even though I had reached the realm of a top-tier Sword Expert, maintaining an aura sword for a long time was still difficult.
Still, from now on, I had to get used to it.
The reason Leios had kept his head down within the palace was because he bore the constraints of being one of many imperial princes.
In other words, the reason others could not rashly lay a hand on him also lay precisely in the fact that he was an imperial prince.
But what if I left the Imperial Palace?
Unlike the other three princes, I did not receive the emperor’s attention. Just look at the poisoning incident. If that had happened not to me but to Carius—or at the very least, to Darius or August—the Imperial Palace would have turned into a sea of blood.
In other words, I was not the only one whose shackles had been loosened.
That was why I needed to strengthen my personal martial power as quickly as possible.
My primary goal was Sword Master.
Of course, top-tier Sword Expert was already an extremely high realm.
Even a talented knight could only barely reach it at the peak of their thirties—but my bloodline was exceptionally noble.
According to the Sword Saint, I had already once reached the threshold of Sword Master.
If that was the case, reaching it a second time would not be difficult.
In fact, once I became a Sword Master, I could breeze through everything up to the Academy arc while steamrolling all opposition.
Even that overpowered protagonist failed to awaken his abilities until then and merely floundered about.
On top of that, I could now obtain the hidden pieces scattered throughout the continent.
It would be exhausting to search for them personally, so if I hired people or built a force to explore for me, everything would proceed smoothly.
Of course, things involving people never went that smoothly, so I would need to prepare a thorough Plan B and Plan C as well.
“You have too many stray thoughts in your sword.”
My concentration—split between training and planning for the future—was broken by the remark of an uninvited guest.
Lowering my sword and turning to the side, I saw the Sword Saint, who had arrived without my noticing, leaning against the wall of the training grounds with an indifferent expression.
“I did not grant permission for entry.”
“If I were forbidden, could you even stop me?”
“······.”
At that shameless reply, a vein popped on my forehead.
Ever since I had refused his proposal to become his disciple a month ago, the Sword Saint had been trailing after me constantly.
I had refused—so what lingering attachment could he possibly have?
Become the Sword Saint’s disciple? It certainly sounded appealing.
He was one of the strongest beings in the setting. If I received instruction under him, I would undoubtedly grow stronger as well.
But in what lifetime?
The Sword Saint’s strength had not been achieved in a short span of time.
It was a realm reached after a knight with sufficient talent devoted his entire life to the sword, enduring bone-grinding training over a lifetime.
It was far more cost-effective to use that time to obtain even a single hidden piece and strengthen my abilities instead.
But perhaps shocked by my refusal, the Sword Saint questioned me again and again.
“Are you really sure?”
“Do you not know who I am? I am the Sword Saint, Sword Saint Yohanel.”
“If you become my disciple, you will inherit all the secret arts I have achieved over my lifetime. Others might pour out tens of millions and still fail to obtain even a fragment, yet all of it would fall into your hands with a single word agreeing to become my disciple!”
The way he spoke, pounding his chest in frustration, was quite amusing at first. But as one day turned into a week, and nearly a month passed, it became nothing but a nuisance.
“I will be entering the Academy in a month. I am busy because I must reach Sword Master before then.”
“That trivial Sword Master!”
At my words, the Sword Saint shouted angrily. Then, fixing me with a fierce glare, he continued.
“Give me just three days, and I will make it happen.”
That sight was so overwhelmingly forceful that I found myself nodding without thinking—though that secret I kept to myself.