Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Crown Prince (1)
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And so, Demian’s journey to the capital was decided.
“My son has been summoned by His Highness to the capital!”
“Dear, what a joyous day this is.”
Father and Mother’s reactions were tremendous. It was only natural, as the Haksen Viscountcy had supported the king for generations.
They couldn’t help but rejoice at being chosen by the very person they had loyally served.
“Demian! You have to work hard when you get there! You’re going to be teaching no one less than Crown Prince His Highness!”
More than anything, history was full of cases where the teacher of a new king who ascended the throne seized real power.
That was why the role of instructing the crown prince was a position everyone coveted.
Father and Mother already knew this political calculus, which made them even happier.
“Yes, well, I’ll do my best.”
Demian himself, the person in question, was utterly indifferent.
To him, this was just doing a favor for the family.
He had no particular intention of pledging loyalty to the king, so he felt no excitement.
“Demian, take good care of yourself. They say food and water in a strange place don’t agree with your body. Be picky about what you eat.”
“Sister, Brother’s not a child anymore; he’ll handle it.”
“Uncle, safe travels.”
After exchanging goodbyes with Luise, Abel, and his sister-in-law Olivia Copperhead, Demian set off for the royal castle with the knight order.
* * *
Demian rode toward the royal castle alongside the knight order.
Despite their name, the White Horse Knights, the horses ridden by the members were all different colors.
“Sir Demian, how much do you know about Prince Oliver?”
Perhaps bored from riding nonstop, Liam Bluegreen asked Demian.
“Not much, I’m afraid.”
In truth, he only knew the name, but he couldn’t very well say that outright.
“Well, you’re not from the capital. It’s hard to know more than that.”
Liam Bluegreen stroked his goatee and continued.
“Prince Oliver takes after His Majesty the King in his younger days. Dark brown hair, golden eyes… even that playful curve to his mouth is a perfect match.”
Liam Bluegreen’s eyes grew slightly distant, as if lost in fond memories.
“And that’s not all. He even inherited His Majesty’s sharp mind. No matter how thick the book, he’d memorize every detail after two or three reads. And he understood it all perfectly, too.”
“Then teaching him shouldn’t be too difficult.”
A sharp mind and physical prowess were separate matters.
Still, intelligent people tended to have quick comprehension, so swordsmanship lessons should be straightforward.
“Hmm… we’ll see about that.”
Liam Bluegreen said with a peculiar smile.
“Sir Demian, since I like you, consider this a heads-up… you’d best steel yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“You asked why His Highness summoned you specifically when there are plenty of sword instructors in the capital. There’s always a reason for it.”
The smile playing on Liam Bluegreen’s lips deepened further.
“What on earth is the prince like for you to say that?”
“Telling you ahead of time would spoil the fun, wouldn’t it?”
With that, Liam Bluegreen winked one eye.
Demian stared at him in disbelief.
“Now, now, no more questions. I’m not the sort to ruin someone’s enjoyment.”
Liam Bluegreen said in a firm tone. Demian only grew more exasperated.
There wasn’t much he could do when the man was being so stubborn.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he was dying to know the answer.
‘The crown prince of Apple Kingdom…’
Even rummaging through his past-life memories didn’t bring much to mind.
‘Well, if I don’t like him, I can always grab a club.’
The club he’d used to reform Soulbound Veronica Sanchez was still in his subspace.
It might be a bit disrespectful to use on a crown prince, but a little polishing would fix that.
‘Bigger problem is figuring out how to stop the raid on the royal castle.’
Strangely enough, hardly anything was known about the castle raid.
There were few witnesses to begin with, and the Apple royal family had covered everything up.
‘Dealing with that seems more of a headache than playing sword instructor.’
Demian fell deep into thought atop his horse.
* * *
After a full week of travel, Demian and the White Horse Knights finally arrived in the capital, home to the royal castle.
“Sir Demian! Congratulations on entering the capital!”
Liam Bluegreen shouted from horseback, arms spread wide. His booming voice drew the stares of passersby.
“Have you ever been to the capital before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
This life, at least. He’d visited once in his previous one.
“Haha, I see. What do you think? Impressive, isn’t it?”
Demian lifted his head to survey the capital’s streets.
The avenue stretching from the gates was incredibly wide. Three- and four-story buildings lined both sides.
The throngs of people passing by looked like swarms of ants.
“…….”
Suddenly, a scene from his previous life flashed in his mind.
Back when he was a Death Knight, Demian had personally razed this very street on Archlich Dorgo’s orders.
He’d commanded his undead to massacre the citizens and unleashed his Aurablade to topple every building.
He had dyed the streets with blood and screams as he marched on the royal castle.
“Sir Demian? Your face darkened all of a sudden.”
Liam Bluegreen said, sounding concerned. Demian snapped back to his senses.
“It’s nothing.”
“Hmm… if you’re not feeling well, tell me right away. Illness only gets worse if you ignore it.”
Demian took a deep breath. The fresh air cleared his mind a little.
* * *
Upon reaching the royal castle, Demian was granted an immediate audience with the king.
“Is it really all right to meet His Majesty like this?”
Travel clothes and all.
“Hahaha, no need to worry. His Majesty isn’t the type to make an issue of it.”
Demian made no effort to hide his displeasure, but it was lost on Liam Bluegreen.
“Then let’s go meet His Majesty. He’s probably enjoying a book in his study around now.”
Liam Bluegreen led Demian through the castle’s interior.
After some time, they stopped before a door guarded by two knights.
“Your Majesty, it’s Liam Bluegreen. I’ve returned with Sir Demian.”
Liam Bluegreen knocked as he spoke. A moment of silence followed.
“Enter.”
The two men opened the door and stepped inside.
The first thing that caught their eyes were bookshelves reaching all the way to the ceiling.
And there weren’t just one or two. They filled the entire room.
In the center of it all sat a rotund old man behind a wide, massive desk.
“Oh, Sir Liam! You must have had a hard journey! Were you tired?”
The king rose from his seat as he spoke, his face and voice brimming with delight.
Liam Bluegreen’s face broke into a wide grin at the king’s warm welcome.
“Hardship? Not at all, Your Majesty. It’s a joy for me just to carry out your orders.”
“You’re far too fine a knight for the likes of me.”
The king and Liam Bluegreen looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.
After laughing heartily for a while, the king’s eyes fell on Demian Haksen.
“Surely this is…?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This is Sir Demian Haksen.”
“So you brought him here… that means the rumors about him reaching mid-class are true?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. The rumors about Sir Demian were accurate. If anything, they fell short of the truth.”
The king gazed at Demian in astonishment, then nodded as if deeply moved.
“Sir Demian, I can’t tell you how glad I am that a knight of your caliber has joined the White Horse Knights…”
“Your Majesty, the truth is… he cannot join the knights.”
“Hm? Then why did he come?”
“Well…”
Liam Bluegreen leaned in and whispered into the king’s ear. The king’s eyes grew wider with every word.
“…It’s a shame he won’t be joining the knights, but I’m truly delighted to meet you all the same.”
The king approached and extended a hand to Demian. Demian clasped it and bowed his head.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
“The honor is mine. To share space with a talent who may etch his name in history.”
Demian regarded the king with a sense of wonder.
Despite his exalted station, there was no trace of arrogance or haughtiness. He felt like a friendly neighbor.
“Sir Demian, from what Sir Liam tells me, you won’t join the knights but you’re willing to grant my request… is that right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Hahaha, is there any better news than this? Let’s sit and talk.”
The king seated the two men in chairs opposite his desk.
“Sir Demian, ever since I first heard tales of you, I’d wanted to invite you to the castle.”
The unexpected confession left Demian a touch flustered.
“It might displease you to hear this, but… until quite recently, your reputation was… not exactly stellar.”
“Not just not stellar—it was the absolute worst.”
Demian said with a smile, and the king let out a hearty laugh.
“And yet in less than half a year, you’ve transformed so splendidly.”
“I put in some effort.”
“That’s precisely what I’m hoping from you.”
The abrupt statement left Demian puzzled.
“The method you used to change yourself… I want you to teach it to our crown prince. In other words, help change the crown prince a little…”
The king was in the middle of explaining.
—Sir Liam’s back? And he brought some weirdo with him!
—Your Highness! You mustn’t! His Majesty is receiving a guest right now!
—Let go! Don’t touch me! Who do you think you are, laying hands on me?!
The outside suddenly grew rowdy. Heavy footsteps and multiple voices rang out.
—I heard everything! That guy’s the new sword teacher Father’s hiring! You think I’ll just sit back and watch?!
The king’s face grew more despairing as the voice drew nearer.
Bang.
The study door flew open with a kick. A young man appeared through the doorway.
His face looked boyish, but scruffy beard patches dotted his cheeks, and his clothes were a mess.
To top it off, a strange smell wafted from the youth.
‘Booze and perfume… he was just at a brothel.’
The scents were familiar to Demian. The problem was why they were emanating inside the royal castle.
“Father! I told you! No more teachers!”
The youth strode boldly into the study. The unpleasant odor grew stronger.
“What is this behavior, devoid of all decorum! How can you call yourself the crown prince of a nation?!”
The king bellowed in fury. But the youth showed no fear whatsoever.
“Don’t change the subject! Why do you keep ignoring me?!”
“You insolent fool!”
The king and the youth began shouting over each other.
Demian, who had been quietly observing, turned to Liam Bluegreen.
“No way… that’s not…?”
“Afraid so.”
Liam Bluegreen’s face, usually wreathed in smiles, was shockingly rigid at that moment.
“That is none other than Crown Prince Oliver Apple.”
After a brief hesitation, Liam Bluegreen added one more thing.
“As you can see… he’s a complete wastrel.”