The Shattered Pride of a Prince
“This… this is absurd…!”
The Crown Prince, Elpoldo Lionheart.
This man, born of royal blood and pampered in luxury, was currently—
“What are you doing?! You useless bastards!!”
—tasting a level of bewilderment that felt as if his entire world were collapsing.
The Royal Knights, who had effortlessly dispatched ruffians and completed highly perilous quests.
The Royal Knights, whom he had believed without a shadow of a doubt to be the strongest.
That very order was currently being pushed back in a downright pathetic display.
“Is that all you've got?! The enemy is a single man! Counterattack already!”
It was an unbelievable sight.
A sight he shouldn't have to believe.
To think a single man could parry the onslaught of three knights with nothing but a sword...
“Wow, this really is a great sword.”
“Right? We spent a fortune on it, so it better be good.”
“This makes me feel so guilty to Jane. I'll have to work hard to pay her back.”
And they were casually chatting about everyday things in the middle of it!
His skill in deflecting the flurry of consecutive strikes was artful.
He wasn't even breathing heavily; it looked as though he were merely playing around.
In stark contrast, cold sweat drenched the inside of the helmets of the knights who were desperately pressing the attack.
“Crazy bastard...”
one of the knights muttered.
His wrists were numb.
It was getting hard to even hold his sword.
Just one opponent.
With only a single sword and no shield.
While they had three.
Despite being outnumbered, his posture didn't waver in the slightest.
A massive boulder... no, a mountain... no, something far greater than that...
Even though they stood at the exact same eye level, for some reason, it felt like they had to look up at him.
“Haa... haa...”
“Why... why isn't it working? Normally, by this point, they should have...”
Another knight gasped for air.
Their pride was being washed away with their sweat.
They had always flaunted their power in their silver armor, acting as an invincible force. They had truly believed they were invincible.
“You...! You incompetent fools! Finish him already! He's not even fighting back!!”
The Crown Prince's commands and screams had already lost their authority.
All that remained were trembling sword tips, lowering shields, and a completely shattered sense of pride.
“So? What are we doing? Should we wrap this up now?”
“Hmm...”
The knights had already lost their will to fight.
Roan, pondering for a moment before them, asked for his companion's opinion.
“If we just let them go, they'll probably crawl right back, don't you think?”
“Absolutely. Just look at how they're grinding their teeth even now...”
Roan nodded at Belgard's words.
“Then, Jane, could I ask you for a favor? Neither Belgard nor I can really deliver the kind of shock value needed for this.”
After all, nothing beat magic when it came to showcasing visual grandeur and an overwhelming disparity in power.
Nodding readily at Roan's request, Jane began to draw upon her mana.
An endless spring of energy welled up from her petite frame.
Then, the gathered mana bloomed over Jane's palm.
First, a tiny candle flame.
Then, a fireball.
Expanding further, it swelled into a massive sphere large enough to swallow a grown man whole.
“W-what is that...?”
The eyes behind the helmets shook violently.
The searing heat of the blazing flame made it difficult to even speak.
Some even dropped their swords, feeling as if their airways were being scorched.
Rumble...
Before they knew it, the sphere, now resembling a miniature sun, floated up into the sky.
At the sight of this sun in the void, the clouds parted, revealing a clear sky.
An overwhelming mana that could clear the heavens with a single spell.
The petite mage they had looked down on just moments ago now appeared like an apostle of a god.
“What... this is magic...?”
“Even the court mages couldn't do anything like this...”
Though the knights had already lost their will to fight, Jane did not stop.
Her small finger pointed to the sun floating in the sky, and then swept down toward the ground.
As if in response, the blazing sun shifted its form.
Into the shape of a long, colossal dragon.
—BOOOOOOM!!!!
With a deafening roar, the dragon of flame swept across the ground before vanishing.
In its wake, absolutely nothing remained.
The strength to hold a sword and shield, their pride, their last shred of courage—
it felt as if all of it had been reduced to ashes.
“Done.”
The moment Jane spoke and withdrew her mana, a chorus of ragged, desperate gasps filled the air, as if they had all been holding their breath.
Overwhelming.
No other word could describe it.
Their own attacks had been utterly useless, while the attack directed at them had been devastatingly effective.
“Do you want to keep going?”
Roan asked the dazed men.
Flinching, they immediately turned on their heels and fled.
It was a flawless victory without a single scratch.
Promius, who had been quietly watching the scene, murmured softly.
“They are strong... far beyond what I, Sear, could ever measure...”
Though her voice betrayed her immense shock, her eyes still shone brightly.
In fact, as if viewing this spectacle as an opportunity, she sprang up from her seat.
“Del Roan, Debi Jane, Erian Belgard.”
She recited their three names in order.
“Thank you for showing Sear the pinnacle of strength. No matter what kind of power I must face in the future, I feel I can endure it if I remember you.”
—And.
“Thank you for showing me His Highness the Crown Prince turning pale as a ghost. It was incredibly cathartic.”
After calmly expressing her gratitude, Promius's expression shifted, and she pointed at them with a bold, spirited gesture.
“Therefore, Sear intends to make you my goal and strive forward. I will train relentlessly until I can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, and until the moment comes when you must rely on Sear. So, prepare yourselves.”
An unyielding conviction.
The three of them had become the guiding stars in Promius's heart.
Did she even know? That there were still four more people ahead of her whom she would have to chase after.
Well, that's that, and this is this. There's nothing wrong with having a goal.
As long as one doesn't get consumed by it, a goal can serve as a powerful motivation in life.
And if it was Promius, she would surely be able to maintain that balance.
...Of course, it's not like I've known her for very long!
Since they had dealt with the orcs, Roan was about to suggest heading back, but Promius spoke up again as if she weren't quite finished.
“On that note, I intend to stop receiving your help here.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yes. You desire renown, do you not? You must take on quests immediately, and I cannot allow Sear to drag you down.”
Thanks to Promius's consideration, they were able to quickly achieve their original goal.
How did someone with the makings of such a wise ruler end up as an abandoned child?
Perhaps she simply didn't align with the direction Zerkoil was pursuing.
Roan fell into thought for a moment, but quickly brushed it aside.
There were far too many other things to worry about right now.
“Alright. Then we'll stop here and go our separate ways.”
“Yes. I understand. Still, I shall never forget your kindness. Once Sear has gathered enough strength, I will surely repay you.”
It was a heartening promise.
Having concluded the orc subjugation quest on a pleasant note, they saw Promius off.
...
Inside the guild office.
Roan laid out the money they had earned from the quest on the table.
“Alright! Shall we calculate today's earnings? I think we made quite a bit!”
“Indeed. The basic quests paid decently in their own right. I think we earned enough to stay at an inn...”
“Look at you.”
Jane, who actually needed the money the most, looked grumpy.
“Your grin is practically splitting your face. Did you take a liking to that princess or something?”
At her words, Roan touched the corners of his mouth.
He was indeed smiling.
“Well, of course. I like people of her character. Besides, it's nice to make a connection with someone other than just my comrades.”
A connection forged in this life, entirely unrelated to his past life.
That was why it held a far deeper meaning for him.
“Hmph. So it's not romantic?”
“Of course not! I don't have time to think about romance right now. My head is already full of thoughts about you guys!”
As Roan spoke with absolute sincerity, Jane's pout softened.
“You say the most embarrassing things without batting an eye.”
“How cruel!”
To think she would react like this when he had spoken from the bottom of his heart.
Roan wept tears of sorrow inwardly.
After finishing the calculations while chatting, the total amount left in their hands was 1 gold and 20 silver.
Since they had earned 1 gold from the orc subjugation, the rest had come from the basic quests.
For a full day's work, it was a rather disappointing yield.
Furthermore, they had made virtually no progress in terms of renown.
“...It seems trying to solve this solely through guild quests will take some time. There are so many outstanding adventurers around here...”
Belgard looked around the guild office.
There were quite a few adventurers dressed like battle-hardened veterans.
To make a name for themselves among such people, ordinary tasks simply wouldn't suffice.
“Wait a minute.”
Jane, who was jingling the silver coins, suddenly spoke up as something crossed her mind.
“Why don't we ask Cedric Rowell? He's done tons of adventurer quests. He probably knows a lot about this kind of stuff.”
It was a reasonable suggestion.
As a wandering knight who took on various requests all over the place, Rowell might indeed know something.
“Hmm... do you really think Mr. Rowell would help us...?”
“Hmm... probably not.”
Roan agreed with Belgard's assessment.
“We already clashed once, after all. That makes it even less likely he'll help.”
“Which is exactly why it's easier. We can just catch him again and threaten him.”
Well, she wasn't wrong.
Moreover, with his Ego Armor already terrified of Roan, it would be incredibly easy to pull off.
But!
Because of that!
threatening him was out of the question.
Even in his past life, Rowell had always preferred to work alone.
In other words, he possessed a fragile soul. If they handled him too roughly, they might push him past the point of no return.
“Still, let's at least try talking to him first. Like Jane said, he probably knows a thing or two.”
...As long as we don't scare him!
Since they lacked the scout who had handled information in his past life, they had to gather whatever intelligence they could from Rowell, who was at least somewhat knowledgeable.
After wrapping up their brief meeting, Roan's party set out once again to find Cedric.
...
“Ah, there he is!”
And this time, it didn't take them long to find him.
In fact, they hadn't even needed to search.
“He's drinking alone. He looks incredibly pathetic.”
Because he was sitting in a corner, quietly sipping his drink all by himself.