Chapter 6
Episode 6
'It's luck. Just dumb luck.'
Dominen desperately tried to deny reality.
Accepting the truth now would mean nothing but ruin for him.
So the Grand Prince before him had to be weaker than him.
No—he was weaker. That was the truth.
Self-deluded, Dominen gripped his wooden sword again, his eyes bloodshot.
"Raaaaah!"
With a battle cry, his entire body flushed red as he charged at Logan.
'Overheat. He's pushing himself too hard.'
But his opponent merely smirked.
Overheat was a technique that forcibly drew out power beyond one's limits at the cost of severe physical strain. While it amplified the force of a single strike, the gap between Logan and Dominen wasn't something that could be bridged so easily.
'You brought this upon yourself.'
Logan's eyes glinted coldly before his sword lashed out like a gust of wind.
Thwack!
"Guh...! Again—!"
Crack!
"N-Not yet—!"
Wham!
"T-This can't be...!"
As the duel progressed, Dominen's pupils lost focus, his expression going slack. Injuries piled up on his body—none fatal, but each strike carried enough force to incapacitate him instantly.
The only reason Dominen hadn't collapsed yet was because Logan was deliberately holding back.
And no one understood that better than Dominen himself.
"H-How...?"
No matter how much he tried to deceive himself, reality could no longer be ignored.
The Grand Prince he had dismissed as a reckless fool was far stronger than him.
Not just in physical ability—even his swordsmanship surpassed Dominen's.
'I wasn't underestimating him.'
At that moment, Dominen lost all will to fight.
Had he been the type to burn with fighting spirit even against stronger opponents, he wouldn't have stagnated for ten years.
"I... yield—"
Thwack!
"Gah—!"
Before Dominen could even finish his surrender, Logan's wooden sword smashed into his mouth.
From then on, Logan's strikes no longer avoided vital points—they rained down mercilessly across Dominen's entire body.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
'I can't let this end too easily.'
Logan had spent a full decade as a mercenary in his past life.
That experience taught him one thing: in any organization requiring hierarchy—especially among armed, rough-edged men—discipline had to be enforced decisively when the time came.
And the most effective way to do that was to make an example out of someone.
A knight order, broadly speaking, was just another gathering of 'armed, rough-edged men.'
'I've already shown mercy by giving him multiple chances.'
Now, the only step left was...
'Punishment!'
Recalling his past life, Logan swung his wooden sword even faster.
"Ugh...!"
"How cruel..."
Sympathetic murmurs rose from those watching the duel, but no one stepped in to stop it.
By now, everyone knew why Logan had challenged Dominen.
No one wanted to earn the ire of that Grand Prince just to save a knight on the verge of retirement.
Every spectator had already realized the Grand Prince's skill far surpassed that of an average knight.
"Hah...!"
"...That skill is real."
"How the hell did he change this much in just three months?"
"If he awakened his Force, maybe..."
"But can swordsmanship itself change that drastically?"
Logan heard every whisper around him.
And the moment he felt his performance had served its purpose—
He stopped.
The relentless storm of strikes came to an abrupt halt.
"Guhhh..."
Thud.
A lump of battered flesh—unrecognizable even to family—collapsed to the ground with a groan.
But not a single person paid it any mind.
The Grand Prince Logan defeated a knight!
The rumor swept through the Inner City in an instant.
Though unbelievable, there were too many witnesses—and too much buzz—for anyone to dismiss it.
Meanwhile, the man at the center of the commotion was finally having the private meeting he had long awaited.
"Impressive. It seems you've achieved awakening. What happened during your training?"
'As expected, he was watching.'
The question wasn't what Logan had anticipated, but his answer came without hesitation.
"...I resolved to abandon all greed and let go of everything. With that mindset, I trained—until one day, I felt my Force filling me completely, as if by some miracle."
To most, it would sound like nonsense.
But this was the very realization Logan had attained in his past life when he first became a Force user.
Back then, he had sworn to forsake everything for the sake of his family's vengeance.
It was a truth he had only grasped after crossing forty—after reflecting on his past mistakes and relinquishing all personal desires.
Any ordinary knight who awakened their Force through grueling, life-threatening training would find this absurd.
But Patrick MacLaine—a high-ranking knight who had walked that path before—slowly nodded.
"The realization of emptiness... It seems you truly have changed."
Just as Logan thought things were going smoothly—
"And the first thing you do after such enlightenment is assault a knight?"
"He committed a crime worthy of it. Didn't you hear the soldiers' accounts, Father?"
"I did. But was it necessary to reduce him to that state on the spot?"
"Yes. It was."
"Why?"
"He dared to deceive and mock the bloodline of the lord he served. Leaving him unchecked would have poisoned the discipline of our house."
Logan's reply was unwavering. Patrick stared at his son with an unreadable expression.
Under that piercing gaze, Logan felt his mouth go dry with tension.
Then—
Hmph.
"Dominen's wrongdoing was indeed grave. To forget his duty and deceive you from the start..."
'...Huh? That easily?'
Logan felt the tension drain from him.
"Thus, I won't punish you further. However..."
'Of course he wouldn't just let it slide.'
Just as Logan braced himself again—
"Your methods were excessive. Exercise restraint for the time being."
"...Pardon?"
The unexpected words left Logan dumbfounded.
"What? Do you want punishment?"
"N-No, of course not."
"Telling you to restrain yourself isn't praise. Don't misunderstand—never act like this again without permission. You haven't even been formally instated yet."
"I'll remember that."
"And... there's something else you should know."
"Yes?"
"Riina of House Ulvs will be visiting soon."
"Ah..."
The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Indeed. Both you and Riina will come of age next year—it's about time. The fact that they sent Kairan Ulvs' handwritten letter instead of using the Magic Communication means it's undoubtedly about that matter."
Misinterpreting Logan's sigh, Patrick continued calmly.
"Don't embarrass yourself in front of your fiancée after so long. Be prepared."
It seemed the leniency in his punishment was due to this.
'But... it's likely the exact opposite of what Father expects.'
Annulment.
An event that would once again drag the family's honor through the mud.
In his past life, Logan—wounded pride driving him to madness—had reacted explosively. Though not to the same extent, Patrick had been equally furious.
Yet Logan remained silent, quietly closing his mouth.
Three days after the incident with Dominen—
The Inner City buzzed with yet another rumor concerning the Grand Prince.
The Grand Prince's fiancée has arrived at MacLaine.
'Finally...'
As Logan steeled himself upon hearing the long-awaited news, Rick burst in with a bright grin.
"Whoa! You must be thrilled!"
"About what?"
"I just heard the other attendants talking—they say she's grown unbelievably beautiful!"
"Who?"
"The second daughter of House Ulvs! Your fiancée! I only saw her when we were kids, but seriously—!"
"So she's already entered the Inner City? I should prepare."
"...Huh? That's it?"
"What else?"
"'Wow! My fiancée's a famous beauty of the kingdom! Aren't you jealous?' That's the normal reaction!"
"...What exactly do you take me for?"
"Well, a reckless... haha. J-Just kidding! I mean—sorry."
Logan sighed quietly, recalling old memories.
Riina's visit.
It had been the catalyst for the unexpected annulment—and the moment he, driven by wounded pride, had committed that act in a fit of madness.
'Well, that's in the past. As long as I don't repeat it...'
Even without that, the household was about to be thrown into chaos.
Truthfully, the servants weren't particularly interested in the purpose of the Ulvs family's visit.
They simply hoped for a celebration—an engagement or wedding—now that nobles from another house were visiting.
In fact, under the lord's orders, the servants were already preparing a banquet.
But the moment the annulment was declared, all of that would be canceled, and bedlam would ensue.
The only person who knew that future could only offer a bitter smile at the bustling scene.
'All of this is pointless. Just focus on securing the money.'
The event that had driven him to commit his greatest sin in the past had to be turned into a new opportunity this time.
If left unchecked, that money would slip away again—he had to seize it.
As Logan reviewed his plans, a voice announced the time had come.
"Your Highness, the lord summons you."
"...Understood."
Unlike Rick's beaming grin, Logan's steps as he left the room carried a strangely combative weight.
"Presenting Lady Riina Ulvs!"
Boom.
The grand hall's doors swung open with the attendant's booming announcement, and a group entered.
"Whoa..."
"No way..."
"Lucky bastard..."
Gasps erupted throughout the hall as Riina and her entourage made their appearance.
Feeling the same stares directed at him, Logan could only smile wryly.
'Riina Ulvs.'
Skin like white jade, eyes dark as obsidian.
Her silver hair, cascading to her waist, shimmered with every graceful step, perfectly complementing her snow-white dress.
Behind her followed a single knight clad in wolf-crested armor and four attendants.
For the entourage of House Ulvs—one of the kingdom's top three wealthiest families—it was an unusually modest group. Yet no one found it lacking.
Riina Ulvs' presence alone was overwhelming enough.
Gulp.
The hall fell so silent that even the sound of someone swallowing was audible.
Under the weight of everyone's stares, Riina strode regally to the center before addressing Patrick.
"It's been a long time, Baron. I hope you've been well."
Her flawless, melodious voice sent another ripple through the hall.
'As extraordinary as ever...'
Logan—the only one who had once fallen for that beautiful face and voice, only to make a grave mistake—barely suppressed a frown.
After the formal (if amicable) greetings, Riina recited the letter delivered by her attendant.
"...Due to unavoidable circumstances, we hereby request the annulment of the engagement. Signed, Kairan Ulvs. That is all."
The moment she finished, the hall's atmosphere froze.
The lengthy, thirty-minute letter—filled with florid prose—boiled down to this:
We thought you'd become a Force user, but twenty years passed with no progress. And your son, our would-be fiancé, is in the worst state possible. There's no reason for us to lower ourselves by staying tied to you.
So let's end this here.
Patrick's smile vanished, his face hardening as the hall held its breath.
"An annulment without cause. Is House Ulvs insulting House MacLaine?"
His icy voice, thick with fury, filled the grand hall.
The air grew sharp—as if violence might erupt at any moment.
Then—
"...How could that be, Baron? Fearing you might misunderstand, I personally volunteered as envoy. I wished to clear any doubts."
A sorrowful expression.
"As a child, I spent nearly a year here. Those memories remain vivid to this day."
A voice trembling with emotion.
"The beautiful, tranquil days I shared with Prince Logan... The precious moments engraved in my young heart... I could never bear to discard them so callously."
Tears streamed down Riina's cheeks as she turned her gaze to Logan.