Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Sword King Croft
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―Even in death, I will resent you, Reinhardt.
Vivid memories, as if from yesterday.
Just seeing those cold eyes filled my mind with the horrors of that day.
She had been burned alive after her limbs were severed. It was because she clung to her beliefs until the end that she was purged before the eyes of the nobles.
She was Isabella, the 'Saintess' who had led a rebellion on behalf of the common people as the figurehead of the war opposition faction. And now she stood right before me.
Looking at her left a bitter taste in my mouth.
If, after ascending to the throne, I let past events unfold as they did before, she would become a major obstacle.
She was one of the key figures behind countless assassination attempts on the emperor, the palace fire, and even rallying 200,000 commoners for a revolt.
Of course, that was a tale for the future.
The her of today was nothing more than the daughter of an ordinary countess.
A pitiful girl sold off due to the greed of adults.
'Still as beautiful as ever.'
The me of the past had fallen for her at first sight.
Breaking half a year of seclusion in the Crown Prince's Palace had been solely to see her. It was my will alone, heedless of my father's orders or the dukes' urgings.
The girl I had danced with at a ball when we were young.
She had been too young to remember.
Not understanding that, I had pressed her until she slapped me.
What happened after that?
'My memory cuts off after the slap.'
Mania had taken hold. A surge of excitement had snapped the reins of reason.
When I came to my senses, I was drenched in a sea of blood.
Whose blood?
Surprisingly, it was my own.
Reins, the maid by Isabella's side, had been a trained swordswoman.
Sensing danger to her lady, she had slashed at me.
Afterward, Reins was executed, and Isabella and I crossed an irreparable river.
Isabella's family had no choice but to offer up three years' worth of taxes, and her house fell into ruin.
"I'm... sorry. I'm sorry. I've shown you a wretched side of myself."
I apologized sincerely.
But it wasn't easy to do so.
There was instinctive resistance.
Perhaps because my life had been far removed from apologies.
"...It's alright."
At my apology, she looked surprised and quelled her anger.
The distance between Versailles County and the capital took a full month by nonstop carriage.
It was natural to feel uneasy arriving to first witness blood and flesh, yet she understood her own position.
Still, I didn't know what to say.
Facing her with a sound mind wasn't easy.
"Was your journey here comfortable?"
"Thanks to the carriage provided by the imperial family, I arrived without issue. Thank you for your consideration."
Stiff speech and expression.
This situation must be deeply uncomfortable for her too.
Realizing I wasn't the only one feeling awkward brought a wry chuckle.
"I'm glad it was comfortable. You must be tired and hungry from the long trip, so let's taste these before they get cold."
The table held thirty dishes: soups, creams, and sides.
Seeing them made my stomach roar with hunger.
My mouth watered involuntarily, and my pupils dilated.
Gurgle rumble!
My belly was signaling too.
'What's going on with me?'
This was far beyond the reaction to skipping half a day's meals.
I was flustered, but my body craved food.
Fiercely, as I'd never experienced in my life.
"Mm!"
The moment I sat, draped a napkin, and shoved a piece of bread into my mouth, a groan escaped me unbidden.
Delicious. No, "delicious" didn't suffice.
It was the sensation of emptiness being filled.
Did the imperial chef change?
No, it was the same.
Then was it hunger making it taste better?
My hands moved busily. My mouth too.
"... ."
Isabella sat still, fork and knife in hand, watching the crown prince's display.
Anyone would think he'd starved for three days.
Gluttonous was the word. Far from noble dining etiquette.
The problem was that the subject was the empire's one and only crown prince.
Even after seeing blood moments ago, his appetite overflowed.
Fitting his infamous title of mad crown prince.
'...He's eating well.'
But it was genuine enjoyment of the meal.
Gulp!
Wondering just how delicious imperial cuisine must be for the crown prince—who ate it daily—to savor it like this, Isabella grew curious.
Yet she had to hold back.
She wanted to enjoy it too, but the setting was what it was.
Chomp! Chomp!
Didn't he say just a taste?
Isabella had never seen someone devour food with such relish in her life.
Among nobles, it was trendy to pick at meals while prattling about etiquette.
Stuffing and chewing chunks whole was taboo.
And the crown prince was shattering that taboo with utter delight.
'I'must endure, Isabella.'
In an instant, nearly all thirty dishes were gone.
Then our eyes met.
His gaze asked why I wasn't eating.
But it was fleeting.
His fork darted toward the bread in front of me.
'Ah... .'
I hadn't planned to eat anyway, so why this pang of regret?
After polishing off even the last bread, Reinhardt raised his hand.
Toward the chef watching proudly from afar, face beaming with pride.
"Bring more."
"Yes!"
Isabella felt like she'd fallen into a strange wonderland.
***
Alberto, captain of the Golden Knight Order, clutched his severed pinky with a complicated gaze.
"Didn't you lose too obviously, Captain? It was so blatant."
"Kuk, but I scarred the crown prince's face, so even Empress Josephine should understand."
"You're impressive too, Captain. How do you act so convincingly?"
His knights were rowdy.
No one asked about his cut finger; it was all about that.
'Convincing acting?'
It wasn't acting.
He hated to admit it, but it was real.
In that clash of blades, at some point, Alberto had been overwhelmed by Reinhardt.
The true predator's gaze he'd never seen even in the current emperor.
The overwhelming pressure only battle-hardened apex predators could emit—Alberto had felt it from the mad crown prince.
He thought it a mistake, but it lingered.
Above all, Reinhardt had shown him 'mercy.'
As if saying, 'Now you owe me,' he'd cleanly severed just the pinky.
A neat cut, uncontaminated, attachable with holy power without issue.
And the crown prince's swordsmanship was real too.
He'd thought it lacked form, but it was purely battle-optimized, that's all.
'Has he been pretending to be mad all this time?'
Perhaps the crown prince was merely feigning madness?
But why?
With his investiture as crown prince, the throne was all but his.
Barring major scandal, it wouldn't change.
'Damn. No idea.'
His head throbbed. No answers came no matter how he pondered.
One thing was clear: he was no longer that 'mad crown prince' of before.
Whether his mania had cured or he'd been faking it all along—who knew? But if the latter...
Gulp!
'The sleeping dragon has awakened... .'
***
The day's duties ended.
Entering my room and gazing out the window, it was already evening.
I'd spent nearly half a day just eating.
It was unfortunate for Isabella.
[Bone density increases.]
[Muscle fiber production accelerates.]
[Unnecessary fat begins to burn and expel.]
[Excess glucose is stored.]
Zero was doing its job without my prompting.
Perhaps because of that, I felt like I'd gained some weight already.
Even I found it an appalling binge.
First time for this.
"What's causing this gluttony?"
[When the brain activates above average, it demands substantial glucose. Glucose is abundant in carbs and sugars like bread or chocolate.]
No wonder I'd fixated on bread.
My body was craving what it lacked.
"So I have to binge every time my brain activates?"
[Instead of storing excess energy as fat, my duplicates store spare glucose for maximum efficiency. However, Master's current body lacks muscle mass. I recommend eating as much as possible for a while.]
The past me had been oblivious to taste.
Drugs dull the senses. Taste fades first and fastest.
I ate just enough to fill up—and barely kept regular meals.
My skeletal frame was proof.
But from now on, it had to change.
'I need to build what's mine, my power.'
I'd felt it clearly today.
In this palace, almost nothing was truly mine.
Germin aside, I had no allies.
But one thing came to mind first.
'The Imperial Dragon Knight Order. My direct knights.'
The emperor had five sons, including me.
And with each birth, he'd appointed direct knight orders for protection.
I was no different.
The thirty Imperial Dragon Knights, made of renowned powerhouses—that was it.
Superior in skill and strength to other orders, but now virtually disbanded.
Most had left the order or requested transfers to provinces.
Those remaining in the palace could probably be counted on one hand.
And even they showed no interest in my movements.
No sign of them despite my first outing in half a year.
'The only knights untouched by the dukes' influence.'
Naturally.
First created for the eldest prince's birth.
Elites handpicked for symbolism.
Not just skill, but character—incorruptibly pure.
You don't mess with such diehards. Especially since their captain was still trusted by the emperor.
He'd left the palace after I became emperor.
I'd never seen him since.
Had he stayed, Malfiel couldn't have infiltrated so easily.
'One of the five Sword Masters guarding the imperial family. Among them, the only one permitted the title of Sword King—Sir Croft.'
Known as the strongest of the five, he served as captain of my direct knights, not even the emperor's guard.
With the Sword King title, he ranked among the continent's top ten.
He alone bore a king's title in the emperor's presence.
'If he becomes my ally, that's a solid card in hand.'
It wouldn't be easy.
He'd gone beyond disappointment to loathing me.
But I had to make it happen.
To escape the influence of those two dukes who even manipulated the emperor.
They'd deposed my father and placed me on the throne—effectively.
They'd exploited my mania to stoke war.
Confirm I was sane, and they'd install another prince in my place instantly.
'The emperor steps down voluntarily in five years.'
Then dies after seating me.
Foolish me learned too late it was the dukes' doing.
The current empire belonged not to the emperor, but those two dukes and pro-war nobles.
Theirs, built on long peace.
'I have to change it.'
The future.
My worth.
The first step was Sword King Croft.
My top priority, no matter what.
***
The next day.
Waking, I glanced in the mirror and couldn't help but flinch.
'...What the hell?'