Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Chapter 14: Drawing the Sword (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I couldn't believe it. When the 5th Prince first abandoned magic and drew his mana sword, I thought it was just mimicking a sword's form with mana.
The era of the magic swordsman had ended, and the harmony of sword and magic was forgotten. But not all teachings were lost.
It was possible to mimic a sword's shape with mana, so some mages learned basic swordsmanship for self-defense, as long as it didn't interfere with their magic.
But it was just mimicry, so its power was weak compared to a true mana sword or aura blade.
'It must just be imitating a knight's mana sword.'
The 5th Prince had chosen the path of a mage, so he couldn't wield a knight's mana sword.
'That's what I thought...'
"Guh... guhuk..."
It was real. The white mana sword pierced the Hashashin's dark armor and tore through his heart. The 5th Prince moved like a seasoned knight, unleashing advanced swordsmanship.
"Kuk!"
For a moment, two Hashashin fell back. They quickly regained their stance for a counterattack, but for Raymond, that split-second breather was enough.
"How dare you point your blades at him from what you thought was a safe spot!"
Gestain, who had just executed the Hashashin binding his feet, charged in like a vengeful ghost. The Hashashin had no choice but to retreat hastily.
"How insolent!"
Gestain swung his sword, and red blood sprayed into the air. It all happened in an instant.
Not even the sharp eyes of the elite Hashashin—renowned even among assassins—could follow Gestain's footwork.
With every flash of his demonic gaze and slash of his blade through the air, another Hashashin fell. But he wasn't unscathed either.
The Hashashin were no easy foes. Each one he felled left new wounds, large and small, on his body. Yet he didn't fall.
Gestain the One-Armed Swordsman had sworn loyalty to the 5th Prince, who had restored his lost swordsmanship, and became a ghost to protect him.
"Damn it all!"
Over ten of them lay dead as corpses. The last surviving Hashashin pressed his deeply slashed side to staunch the bleeding, spitting curses amid gushes of red blood.
I knew he wasn't ordinary—his name was in the 'Black Book'—but I never imagined he'd have such powerful escorts.
I was shocked when two high mages massacred the 2nd Prince's men, but who knew there'd be two high knights on top of that?
'Is this really the force a declining empire's youngest prince can muster?'
The Hashashin bit his lip until blood welled up. The 5th Prince's own prowess wasn't lacking either. Everything was beyond expectations.
'I have to report this to the kingdom.'
His eyes darted frantically, searching for an escape route.
"To dare point a blade at the bloodline of the Philius imperial family! Even a hundred executions wouldn't suffice! You'd need ten lives and still fall short!"
The Imperial Army soldiers who had slaughtered the 2nd Prince's men joined in, forming a siege net. Faced with Cassius's shout and the menacing aura of the gathering troops, the Hashashin gave up on survival and bit his tongue. He chose suicide over capture and torture.
"He bit his tongue!"
"Staunch the bleeding!"
They wanted to extract information, but suicide left them no choice.
The Hashashin's life ended in a flash. Cassius, who rushed over first to check him, let out a short sigh and shook his head.
"Imperial Army Commander."
"Speak, Your Excellency! The Imperial Army stands ready to obey the 5th Prince's command!"
"Mobilize fifty Imperial Army soldiers to search the surroundings. Any remnants who haven't escaped must be captured alive."
"Imperial Army Commander Cassius! We shall uphold His Highness the 5th Prince's sacred command!"
He immediately selected fifty survivors with minor injuries and low stamina drain, sending them to scour the area.
Watching the troops disperse in perfect order, Raymond spoke calmly.
"Sir Jace."
"Yes, speak."
At the quiet summons, the retired Royal Guard, Jace, stepped forward and bowed his head.
"A siege net of fifty Imperial Army soldiers has its limits."
With so few, it was bound to be thin.
"Of course. A skilled assassin could break through such a sparse net with ease."
"That's why I need your help. You're the only force agile enough to move right now."
Though retired, he was former Royal Guard. From what Raymond had seen, he was at Gestain's level or slightly higher.
Age had dulled his stamina, though—his breathing was ragged by the fight's end.
"My duty is to guard His Highness the 5th Prince."
Jace replied evenly. When Marquis Creyer assigned him to Raymond, the role was clear. That made it even harder to act freely.
With High Knight Gestain—the Guard Captain—severely wounded, leaving his post could leave Raymond vulnerable to ambush, putting Jace in a bind.
"This isn't an order."
He swallowed the unspoken 'It's a request,' but Jace seemed to understand. Adjusting his red mask, he spoke.
"I won't go far. I'll just quickly sweep the perimeter and return."
No thanks were needed. A friendly smile sufficed, and Jace vanished with a flourish of his cloak.
"The Hashashin have been annihilated."
Siadin was stunned by the massacre unfolding before his eyes.
'Are the Edriger Kingdom's proud Hashashin this powerless?'
The Hashashin: Edriger Kingdom's elite assassin group, masters of deep shadow. Numerous and far more skilled than common killers, they were called the Terror of the Night.
Over ten of them had swarmed the 5th Prince... and failed to land a single scratch?
The two high mages—his supposed main force—were busy fighting the 2nd Prince's men, not even near him.
Essentially, it was just his personal guard and one masked mystery man. Yet they crushed the overconfident Hashashin.
Without his escort assassins, Siadin would have fled already. But it might not be too late.
Gripping the sword at his waist, Siadin prepared to clash with his surveillance escorts.
"Winds, come to me!"
Wind energy gathered around his swiftly drawn blade.
But.
"Too late."
The surveillance assassins lay bleeding on the ground. Only Sylvia remained, slumped in despair, holding her position.
"I wondered who dared point a blade at the Philius imperial bloodline. Elves, was it?"
A cold voice emerged from the shadows: Jace in his red mask.
His blade, pointed downward, dripped crimson proof of the many foes he'd slain.
"So the subrace barely clinging on since the Great War is behind this?"
Killing intent surged like a blade. Siadin, merely an advanced knight, struggled against it.
'Th-this is real killing intent...'
Sylvia shuddered. She'd grown numb to the Hashashin's aura, or so she thought—an illusion.
Jace's presence was chillingly sharper by comparison.
"I should execute you on the spot, but there's a strict order to capture you alive... So come quietly. His Highness the 5th Prince is both valiant and merciful. Cooperate, and you might just save your necks."
Could they trust a promise to spare their lives? Sylvia doubted it, but it beat pointless resistance and certain death. She urged Siadin to drop his weapon.
"But, miss..."
"We can't win."
She whispered, 'We can only settle this with the 5th Prince.' To her eyes, the red-masked man outclassed Siadin.
"Kuk..."
"Make the wise choice."
Jace growled at Siadin's reluctance.
With imperial kin-slayers before him, any resistance might shatter his mercy.
Without the capture order, they'd be in pieces already.
Siadin glanced back at Sylvia, who shook her head silently. With a muttered curse, he tossed his sword to the ground.
"I'll remember this cooperation. I'll put in a good word with His Highness."
Jace wasn't one for empty words. Furious as he was, he wouldn't break his promise.
Activating a simple magic tool from his pocket, he said,
"I'm applying binding magic. Don't resist."
Black ropes tightly bound the two elves. Siadin bit his lip bloody in humiliation, but Sylvia calmly closed her eyes, steadying her mind.
She knew imperial soldiers held royal commands as sacred.
Captured alive by order, they wouldn't be killed. Jace inwardly admired her composure and fired a signal flare skyward.
The red burst gathered the searching Imperial Army troops.
"Sir Jace! These the ones?"
An Imperial Army knight rushed over with twelve soldiers. Half his uniform was bloodied from the assassin fight.
"They dared assassinate the empire's imperial heir. Escort them strictly to His Highness the 5th Prince."
"By the Imperial Army's name, the mission is ours!"
Nodding in satisfaction, Jace vanished into the shadows to check for more threats.
"Don't resist, Sir Siadin. The 5th Prince is our hope."
Sylvia restrained Siadin as rough soldier hands grabbed him.
The spirit knight dispatched to protect her had no choice but to obey, reluctant as he was.
"Clear a path!"
Entering the outpost, the Imperial Army knight bellowed. Troops gathered to see the assassins' faces parted instantly.
"These scum tried to kill His Highness the 5th Prince?"
"Why capture them alive? Chop off their limbs now and make 'em suffer!"
Knights crowded, venting rage—some even drew blades.
"His Highness ordered them captured alive!"
At the shout, the furious mob sheathed weapons and stepped aside.
'The 5th Prince commands real respect from the troops...'
Sylvia smiled bitterly. She'd assumed the 1st or 2nd Prince closest to the throne, but here was an unexpected dark horse.
They raged like it was personal over threats to him, then reined it in at mention of his order.
Following the knight briskly led to a massive tent untouched by the battle.
'No way...'
They fought so fiercely to protect even the prince's quarters? Was the Philius Imperial Army's fanaticism this intense?
'I heard it waned as decline set in...'
This zeal mirrored the ancient empire's peak. Rumors said it faded with accelerating fall—and Sylvia had seen that.
Not today.
This Imperial Army was mad.
'Did the 5th Prince ignite this?'
Just a hundred strong, yet they fought like the empire's golden age. Sacrificing all to spare the prince's quarters.
What madness was this? She'd sensed something off entering the outpost, but the pristine tent confirmed it.
'The 5th Prince has awakened the Philius Empire's fanaticism.'
A terrifying prospect. The harbinger of a great empire rising once more from antiquity.