Chapter 17
Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: When the Good-for-Nothing Just Good-for-Nothinged (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The talent of her ancestor who had massacred even the mighty Giant King with just a single sword—that was the legacy Adelia Bayern had inherited.
If A-rank genius spanned an entire kingdom, then S-rank spanned the continent itself. She possessed potential that surpassed A-rank, reaching true S-rank.
But there was a problem.
"Her traits are...?"
The words filling the traits section were gravely off.
Goes insane at the sight of blood—Slaughterer,
A madwoman obsessed with battle—War Maniac,
Yet her heart is fragile—Timid,
Specializes in looking after others—Supporter,
Dependent and passive—Slave Mentality.
This mismatched jumble of descriptors defined Adelia Bayern.
"Your Highness?"
Watching her gaze at me with those wide, doe-like eyes only deepened my confusion.
Utter chaos.
That was my state of mind right now.
What on earth was this horrific mongrel hybrid?
I wrestled with the dilemma.
Adelia Bayern's potential was undoubtedly something rare and immense. But at the same time, it was a taboo that should never be unleashed.
The culprits were Slaughterer and War Maniac.
A woman with unrivaled potential who was a bloodthirsty battle fiend? That could turn into a true catastrophe.
The descendants of the Bayern family had inherited their ancestor's sword talent and madness in full, but none of the reason to control it. She lacked the Sword Marquis's traits of Cold Commander and Cool Reason.
In other words, she had no means to rein in the madness within her on her own.
"Your Highness?"
Under my gaze, Adelia Bayern shrank back her shoulders. A face and posture like a frightened herbivore. The madness lurking inside her hadn't awakened yet.
Did I have the right to loose that madness upon the world?
I agonized over it. But the answer had been decided from the start.
"Adelia Bayern. Swear your loyalty to me."
The temptation of her S-rank talent was impossible to refuse.
"Y-Your Highness? What do you mean all of a sudden...?"
"Become my knight."
I commanded her deliberately, with iron force.
Right now, all I could trust were her Timid trait and Slave Mentality.
If she couldn't control her own madness, then I would seize the reins myself.
"Y-Your Highness. I'm just a lowly handmaiden employed by the palace household staff."
She prostrated herself on the floor, her face fraught with anxiety.
"Swear it right here."
"Your Highness, I couldn't possibly."
"You said your family was insignificant? You must have entered the palace to support them. I'll take responsibility for your house."
Her shoulders twitched. I couldn't see her face, but I could feel it—she was torn.
"Your Highness. What exactly do you want from me?"
"Swear loyalty to me and serve me as your master. That's all I ask."
After several rounds of insistence, Adelia Bayern finally spoke.
"Your Highness."
She lifted her head slightly, hesitating before asking,
"Will you truly take responsibility for my family?"
"Of course. If you wish, I can summon them to the capital so you can see them anytime."
At my response, she bowed her head again.
"Adelia, eldest daughter of the Bayern family, swears loyalty to Prince Idrian Leonberger. I shall serve my master devotedly for life."
Her oath was as rough-hewn as Arwen Kirguyen's had been. Prostrated fully on the floor, she expressed her submission with her entire body.
Thank goodness.
S-rank potential was like a flower bud on the verge of blooming at the slightest touch.
Even without me, her talent would eventually pierce through like a needle in a pocket. And that sharp tip might one day point at me.
It was karma piled up by this body's original owner.
Stupid wastrel. You don't go picking fights without looking at who you're dealing with.
Gazing at the scars etched into her fair skin sent a chill down my spine for no reason.
"From now on, obey my commands without question."
I emphasized it over and over, imprinting who she had to follow with that Slave Mentality of hers.
"As you command."
Adelia Bayern bowed her head deeply and glanced at me cautiously. She looked like she had something to say.
"Summon your entire family. I'll arrange a place for them to stay."
"Thank you, Your Highness. Truly, thank you."
I'd hit the mark perfectly—she expressed her gratitude repeatedly, her face on the verge of tears.
"Many people to call?"
"My parents passed five years ago. I have one younger brother under my care now. My aunt is looking after him."
The words "younger brother" made my eyes gleam.
Just as she had inherited the Sword Marquis's blood, so too had her brother. He might possess extraordinary talent as well.
"Unlike me, he's remarkably bright."
When I asked about him, she spoke with evident pride. I ordered her to bring her family into the palace the moment they arrived in the capital.
**
I informed the palace steward, who had rushed over at my summons, of my business.
"Your Highness. This old servant's ears must be failing me. Might you repeat that?"
"Adelia Bayern is no longer under the palace household staff. She's directly under me now."
"She was Your Highness's personal handmaiden from the start."
I wagged a finger side to side at the steward's words.
"I'm not talking about employment. She's my person now."
The palace steward still seemed not to grasp it.
"My words too difficult? Remove her from the palace staff roster."
Wrinkle lines creased the old steward's forehead. He looked utterly baffled by my intent.
"Has she caught your fancy, perhaps?"
"No."
I wasn't mad enough to view a woman with Slaughterer and War Maniac traits romantically.
"Hmph."
The steward stared at me blankly. Clearly doubting my words. His gaze treated me like some lecherous playboy.
Ah, seriously. One day I need to clean house entirely.
I scowled, about to snap at him, when the steward spoke first.
"Ahem. Then I'll send a replacement to fill her vacancy."
Quick on the uptake, this old man.
"Your Highness. If I may be so bold, how do you intend to handle her going forward?"
Even the smallest palace matters required records, so I replied curtly to the steward.
"I'll make her my personal knight."
The steward blinked dumbly before his face twisted in shock. As if he'd heard the most absurd thing.
"And summon her family to the capital, so discuss with her and prepare a suitable house."
Concubine! The steward's face screamed it.
"Out!"
I bellowed, shooing away the irritating old coot.
Shortly after sending the steward packing, the king's herald arrived. A summons from the king.
"I'm nursing a headache cleaning up your messes, and here you are dallying with women."
The king unleashed sharp words the moment he saw my face.
"First you make a Kirguyen girl your knight, now a handmaiden? Picked up a new hobby?"
He tsked, as if I'd developed a taste for women in armor with swords.
Palace steward, you bigmouthed geezer. You ran straight to tattle.
I inwardly cursed the steward's face. Meanwhile, the reprimands kept coming.
"Have some shame."
Rather than explain, I kept my mouth shut. No point; he wouldn't believe me anyway.
"Tsk."
The king's lecture dragged on for quite some time after that.
"See to it the palace isn't thrown into chaos by you again."
With that warning as farewell, the king dismissed me.
"Ah, what a pain."
Already sour from the king's nagging, my uncle showed up to grate on me further.
"You've given up on the duel?"
"No such thing, so shut it."
My irritated snap earned a tsk from my uncle before he stormed off.
"You really stirred things up good."
"Why are you here?"
No sooner had my uncle left than the 3rd Prince arrived.
"Turning a handmaiden into a knight? Heh. So very like you, brother."
"Just leave, please."
Thankfully, the 3rd Prince didn't linger.
"I look forward to seeing what grand knight emerges."
After a few barbs, he left with a mocking "good luck."
"Her Majesty the Queen..."
"Enough!"
I'd just lain down to rest when the queen arrived.
"You seemed to be mending your ways, but now you're back to your old self."
How could I mingle with such rabble, look at the messes it caused, do you know how worried His Majesty is over you—her endless scolding poured out.
Of course, I let it go in one ear and out the other.
"This won't do. It's all because I'm unsettled. No one to tend to me from within."
What was this now? As I scowled, the queen continued.
"It's far too late already. Should've done it ages ago, but your greed let your prime slip by, leaving you wandering like this."
Turned out it was about marriage.
"No interest in..."
"Have some bare awareness as a prince. You're the eldest, no?"
The queen's usual gentleness was gone. She spoke with rare sternness.
"Every other prince has their betrothed. Only you don't."
Now that she mentioned it, that was odd.
Sixteen years old—a wastrel or not, a royal should've been wed long ago.
"Trust your mother. This time won't end like the last."
Her words hinted at backstory. Curious, but asking would only drag out the tale, so I swallowed my curiosity.
Only after the queen left did I summon Adelia.
"That is..."
She hesitated long, face deeply troubled, before speaking.
"Every time a matchmaker was sent, some calamity would befall those families by coincidence..."
"Calamity?"
"Suddenly a servant falls ill and needs care, or the lady herself takes ill abruptly. Or..."
Rejected. Flat-out dumped.
How pathetic must he have been? A prince—no, the heir apparent—and he couldn't even land a match.
I could neither laugh nor cry.
Because that pathetic fool was me now.
The wastrel had left behind a mountain of shit. Now even saddled with the infamy of being rejected by women. Utterly ridiculous.
"Ha..."
I let out a hollow, absurd laugh.
But that lasted only a moment. My face hardened rigidly.
Nobles were sensitive to power's flow. And they'd all shunned the wastrel.
The implication was clear.
This guy's done for.
I recalled the king's face—devoid of familial warmth, not even treating me as human.
"Eh, none of my business anyway."
I'd ended up in this body by chance, but I had no intention of playing prince for real. Who got the throne? Didn't care.
"But why hasn't that Ilai punk shown up?"
I'd expected Bernard Ilai soon, but no word. Just unwanted guests all day. What a frustrating one.
"Shall I send word?"
"Yeah. Tell him it'll be no fun if he's late."
Watching Adelia write the letter, I snatched it away.
"On second thought, you're not a handmaiden anymore."
I forced her into a seat.
"Your Highness?"
"Swordsmanship can come later. Learn something else first."
At my words, her face lit with faint expectation.
"Could it be... I'll get mana too?"
She'd picked up on something somewhere.
"Yeah. You will."
A very special kind of mana, at that.
"Then let's begin."
The world had forgotten the Sword Marquis entirely. But not me.
The footprints she left behind,
The sword that danced at her fingertips,
And the resounding beat of her heart.
I remembered it all.