Chapter 6: 6

I’m Bored, So Fight

 

Amid everyone’s silence.

“Y-Your Highness!”

Only Alfred raised his voice. Once he was told to gather all the employees, it seemed like the bloody winds would blow. That was exactly what he expected. The change was only temporary.

One day the Prince, addicted to drinking, started training and studying. But he couldn’t overcome the pressure and disappointment in himself, so he returned to his old ways of picking fights and killing the servants caught in his sights. That was just how the 11th Prince was.

A repetition of the pattern. Again, this was just a repetition of the pattern. So when the Prince told him earlier to gather the servants, Alfred left the poisoned wine as it was. After all, he wasn’t the shadow protecting the Prince. This had already exceeded his authority enough.

The victim was a fool, and the Iron Castle was where tragedy repeated itself countless times.

Alfred watched this procession play out again, ignoring the small expectations of hope that had recently blossomed. However.

“Why would you drink the wine?”

The mad Prince drank the poisoned wine even though he had a stronger obsession with life than anyone else. Alfred unwittingly raised his voice when faced with this unexpected situation.

“You’re making too much fuss about it.”

Alfred shut his mouth at the Prince’s indifference. Was this the 11th Prince he knew? His boredom transcended calm.

But following that, the Prince continued to eat like nothing had changed.

“By whose order was it?”

“…T-that.”

“No, don’t answer. It’s annoying to listen to you. Alfred.”

“Give me your orders.”

“Find out whose order it was. Afterward, arrange a meeting. I want to see some blood.”

“…Me?”

“The Prince was poisoned, and there must be someone behind it. Is there not enough reason already?”

“No.”

“It is a condition to pay back one of the lives you owe me. That price will be enough.”

“…Yes.”

The Prince glanced at Alfred and smiled. He was too relaxed for someone who drank poison. Wasn’t now the time to worry?

“I will call a doctor and a priest.”

Alfred, who had regained a semblance of sanity after seeing that smile, tried to fulfill his duties.

“Alfred.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You’re acting foolish these days.”

“Yes?”

“It’s a normal thing, so don’t keep making a fuss. Are you going to turn me into a moron?”

“Ah. But.”

“The Iron Castle is a place where poison isn’t uncommon. Don’t you know?”

“Yes. I have been reckless.”

“It’s just a small disturbance that will pass quickly. Don’t be so noisy.”

It felt good to see Alfred unable to hide his bewildered expression. To see that person’s face like that…in the past, when I was educated to become a fake Emperor, the shadow directly under the imperial family tormented me a lot.

“Your life is fake. Dedicate that lie to the imperial family.”

“You have no ego, from your gestures to your voice to your thoughts. Be His Majesty. Be an extra life for His Majesty.”

When I first met Alfred, he was the imperial shadow and the leader of the Black Iron Squad. The cruelest and most ruthless instructor.

“After all, it’s a place where people take poison for their own dignity. A place where anything is acceptable as long as you overcome it. It’s that kind of place.”

“…It is just as Your Highness says.”

“That’s why I like it.”

I gave him back the advice he gave me while pretending to be the Emperor. The glimmer of light in Alfred’s eyes was unusual, but I could tell he was convinced. Alfred, the man who would become the leader of the Black Iron Squad, was certain of my change.

And he would report today to the Emperor that the 11th Prince’s behavior was unusual. That was enough.

After finishing the bizarre dinner, I got up and headed to my room. As soon as I closed the door, I fell into bed.

* * *

The sweet smell of wine and the fishy smell of poison carried on my breath. Slowly, I started to feel sick. Although it was painful, it wasn’t unbearable since I had already swallowed the flame. And…in my previous life, I had often suffered this kind of pain.

My life as a fake was one filled with learning. The dummies were all thoroughly educated about the tyrant’s life, and maybe I learned more than the real one. What kind of food did he like, what were his relationships like, and why did he kill everyone?

Among those lessons.

“Drinking poisoned wine changed your voice. Drink it all. If you can endure it, you will live. If you cannot endure it, you will die.”

There was also the process of reproducing the scars left on the tyrant’s body. The man’s voice was savagely cracked, but now my voice was too smooth and low-pitched even when I heard it.

Because I hadn’t been poisoned yet.

Alfred’s latest succession of signals saying not to call my family, saying that the 7th Princess was in a good mood. They were the power that tried to poison me.

So I purposely found their poison. I didn’t know why Alfred put it off until the end, but I could have avoided it by pretending not to know.

“Yet it was a hurdle I had to overcome.”

My way of survival wasn’t escaping but fighting back, and that was the answer.

‘I even drank poison.’

I had my own preparations and reasons to consider. First, the poison wasn’t that strong. At that time, the tyrant lost only his voice. Second, there was a way to decipher it. The flame in my heart burned out the poison.

I raised my will, and the flames around my heart began to flutter. It devoured the poison spreading through my veins.

Thump-thump.

My heart resonated with the red flame and beat violently. It didn’t last long.

Pssh-

Smoke spewed from my mouth. Detoxification complete.

“No, it was burnt, so it was disinfected, right?”

And my body and blood vessels were still burning.

[Sub-Fate Assassination Threat has been devoured! You have devoured your Fate by your own will and preparedness! You earned a lot of Modification Points!]

[You endured the pain using the Sub-Fate Pride, Self-Righteousness, Depravity, and Rebellion. The Noble Spirit is heightened even more. A new Fate is born]

[An astonishing achievement twists the direction of Fate]

[Your influence will change the Fate of the people around you]

[You acquired a large number of Modification Points]

[The poison was easily suppressed with the effect of Luck in Misfortune. You embraced the poison in the Flame with the activation of Weak Luck]

[You have avoided the Sub-Fate Scar with your physical abilities and the Flame of Heart. By devouring Fate, your weak constitution is improved]

I smiled as the satisfying notifications popped up one after another. Then, I closed my eyes. For the first time since becoming the real Prince, I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

It was noisy in the morning, starting off with a maid’s tearful scream.

“Huuump! His Highness! His Highness the Prince!”

“The Butler! Hurry up and call the Butler!”

The loud cries of the servants disturbed my sleep. I didn’t kill anyone yesterday, but they’d been disturbing me since the morning.

The moment I woke up thinking that these guys must want to get into trouble today.

“Your Highness the Prince!”

I could see Alfred’s astonished expression as he ran over. I seemed to be witness to that expression a lot these days. However, the intensity of it today was unusual.

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The reason is:

“Who set the Prince’s bedroom on fire!”

My surroundings explained it. Even though some of the furniture in my room was fireproof, none of it survived. There was the poisoning yesterday, so this time might be misunderstood as an arson attempt.

“Thank God, Your Highness. I guess there was no problem since you were in the center.”

Even Alfred looked puzzled.

“Gather back all the employees right now. I will question them along with what happened yesterday!”

He expressed his anger. Was that an act, or was he sincere? It was worth being angry because it was an assassination attempt against the imperial family. Still, it wasn’t necessary since the target wasn’t the Emperor.

I stared at him for a moment, trying to decide which it was.

“Alfred.”

“After poison, now it’s arson. Who is trying to assassinate you like this?”

“Alfred?”

“Your Highness, I will find it out myself. First of all, please get yourself together and….”

“Alfred, listen to me.”

“Yes. Your Highness. Shall I call them all? Would you like to interrogate the servants yourself?”

“Get out.”

“Yes?”

“Get out. You’re so noisy.”

“All right.”

“Go find out. I will sleep in another room.”

Actually, I couldn’t say that I’m the arsonist. What stupid Prince would say that he almost burned down his room while taking care of some poison? It was unacceptable due to my arrogant nature. After all, a tyrant wasn’t the type of person to admit their faults.

“Don’t bother me until I leave.”

The Prince went into another room as if nothing had happened. Was that the attitude of someone who just suffered a poisoning attempt and then arson? For a moment, Alfred watched the Prince as he left with an unreadable expression.

“Everyone has gathered. What shall we do?”

“Tell them to wait.”

“New Knights are coming soon.”

“Tell them to wait too.”

“But…how can I tell the Knights-“

“Tell them to wait! His Highness is sleeping!”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

For a moment, Alfred angrily wheezed. He then organized his clothes and, subsequently, his feelings.

“I’m going somewhere, so for now, do as I tell you. Tell the Knights to rest in the reception room.”

“Yessir.”

Alfred, confirming no one was around, melted into the shadows. There was a question bothering him recently.

‘The Prince is acting like a different person? Is it possible?’

It was hard for anyone to believe, but Alfred saw it. The Prince, who swallowed poison and remained calm in the fire, and the mystery of the Prince who breathed fire himself…what should he do if he really changed?

No, maybe he hadn’t.

‘What if this is his original self?’

It was a creepy hypothesis, but how else should he interpret the 11th Prince’s sudden and unexplainable change?

‘It is for the Emperor to decide.’

Alfred, clearing his thoughts, headed to the Imperial Palace.

* * *

“After all, he got on my nerves from the start.”

“…Why does it have to be us among the Imperial Knights?”

“We’re nobody, after all. That must be why.”

“It’s unpleasant.”

“Be careful what you say. He’s a prince.”

In the reception room of the Prince’s Palace, several men dressed in blue armor sat apart and muttered to each other. These were the low-ranking members of the 13th Imperial Knights. Though even if they were low-ranking, they, who were proud of their station, didn’t like the idea of being called by the mad Prince.

They heard a rumor that his call was a shortcut to failure. Perhaps that was why only the commoners and children of the lesser nobilities were selected from among the Knights to answer. They were being thrown away, so what loyalty could be expected from them?

“Hey, Commoner.”

“It’s Andre.”

“Right, Commoner Andre.”

A Knight with a particularly cold expression gritted his teeth and endured the insult. As a commoner who joined the Imperial Knights, such discrimination was natural.

“The first scapegoat is you. Keep this in mind; it’s you no matter what.”

“It’s unfair.”

“If you think it’s unfair, don’t be born as a commoner.”

“Should I endure injustice just because I’m a commoner? Why?”

“You’re just a mere orphan.”

When he was about to stand and strike his fellow at the unbearable insult.

“Are you going to fight?”

The Knights in the reception room turned all at once to face the drowsy voice. A handsome man watched them through the open door, a dangerous smile hanging on his lips.

It was strange. They were Imperial Knights who endured rigorous training to the point that they were said to have remodeled their bodies, but the moment he showed off his presence, all their complaints died down.

As the Prince entered, the room was filled with a somber madness and elegance. An unfamiliar sense of frustration bound them. Was it the madness or the Prince’s noble blood? Probably both.

The Prince regarded them with a bloody smile.

“I asked if you were going to fight.”

The Knights were forced to reply.

“It was immature for me to react to a knight who hadn’t yet been disciplined. I’m sorry.”

The senior, who insulted Andre as an orphan, bowed his head first and snuck a glance at the low-class knight. A small smirk crossed his face.

However.

“It sounds fun. Fight.”

“Yes?”

“I’m telling you to fight.”

Flop.

The Prince, sitting down, spat out an absurd remark. The reason was simple.

“I’m bored. So, fight amongst yourself.”

Just because he was bored. Mad Prince or not, they weren’t aware it was this bad. The Knights glanced at each other.

But the Prince’s mouth opened again.

“Hey, commoner orphan boy.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

“You set the stage for me, didn’t you? What are you doing? Why don’t you draw your sword?”

“…!”

“I like tough guys. Show me.”

The future Swordmaster and one of the rebel officers who died while being insulted by the tyrant, Andre, glanced at the Prince.

The Prince continued to smile.

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