By Zephyria Thanks to the various conversations I had with Shayden early in the morning, I felt more uneasy than before when I went to meet Prince Rubel at the appointed time after lunch.
The issue of imperial succession was something I hadn’t considered when entering the Academy, so I still couldn’t quite grasp it.
It was natural that I didn’t know about the imperial family’s affairs.
Even those called ‘King So-and-so,’ one of the dozens of seeds sown by the Emperor, commanded thousands of conscripted soldiers and wielded great influence.
Wherever the imperial family couldn’t reach, the Martial World had established itself.
Between territories, in places where the imperial army’s reach was absent and ruffians flourished, tormenting the common folk, the chivalrous heroes took root. They gathered merchants, amassed wealth, and established Sects and Noble Families. They brought order and made them places where people could live.
Therefore, as a martial artist of the Martial Arts Alliance, the pinnacle of the Martial World, and a warrior of the Namgung Family, I had no choice but to live completely detached from the Emperor or the imperial family.
The five words, “The government and the martial world are inviolable,” firmly bound my thinking.
However, here in Sierren, a vast Empire comparable in size to the Central Plains, imperial authority was incomparably higher than in the Central Plains. Everything, whether scholar or martial artist, merchant or thief, was under the Emperor’s influence.
Tens of millions of people farmed and traded in their respective places, serving the Emperor. There seemed to be no corner of the mortal realm untouched by the imperial army’s reach.
Now, born as the eldest grandson of a high-ranking Noble Family, I had been destined to work by the Emperor’s side someday.
Just as one endures the rain when it rains and the snow when it snows, I had thought that when the Emperor was born, I had to serve him. The Emperor was there like the sun and moon, and I believed it was enough for me to do my part like the mountains and fields.
I had never imagined that I could shape the Emperor with my own hands.
That was how life was in the Central Plains.
Benjamin and I walked side-by-side towards the designated location.
A First-rate Warrior claimed a radius about five times the length of their extended sword. Rubel was the same. His dark gaze was steady, knowing Benjamin and I were approaching from a distance.
“Ah, you’re here?”
“You’re early.”
“Mmm, yeah. I just had some time to spare.”
It was even more unbelievable that the protagonist of such a story was this innocent, youthful boy with such a carefree demeanor. I looked into his eyes, which were so dark they seemed to gleam.
The boy, avoiding my gaze, offered a sheepish smile and led the way.
I followed behind him.
As Shayden had said, was Prince Rubel trying to recruit me into his faction? I pondered it, but I had no way of knowing.
What use was it for a supreme Emperor to act so pitiful and cute, without any intention of asserting his authority?
I looked up at the Prince’s back as he inserted the key into the lock of the training ground, the tumblers clicking.
I had readily accepted things he had given me before, like notes and advice, but upon reflection, this self-study in throwing knives wasn’t immediately necessary. I could take courses for throwing knife techniques next semester or next year.
Feeling that I needed to clarify things before they became more complicated, I blurted out, “You told me before that you had no particular desires from me.”
“Huh? Uh-huh. That… was what I said?”
“Can I trust your word?”
I brought up the question I had asked after receiving the world history notes, here again.
Rubel turned around, holding a heavy lock in his left hand and the matching key in his right.
The boy looked bewildered. His eyes, appearing even darker under the shadow, blinked.
Both Benjamin and Rubel had black hair, but Benjamin’s was a hazy shade that shone white in the light, while Rubel’s was a glossy, raven-feather black that gleamed bluish in the light.
As the boy couldn’t answer immediately, I focused on the way his bangs parted and how his dark, straight eyebrows twitched as if scratching.
Rubel gathered what he held in one hand and swept his other hand down his face. Though such a gesture might have seemed rough on someone else, it looked slow and graceful on Rubel.
The boy asked me in an anxious voice, “Do I… also seem a bit, you know? Like I have ulterior motives or something…”
“It’s just that you’ve been trying so hard to be good to me, I was wondering. I’m not very good at discerning such things.”
“Discerning such things…?”
“Like power struggles.”
“Well, things like that,” I mumbled the latter part into my mouth, finding it awkward to say, but I knew the one who needed to hear it had heard it all.
Seeing Benjamin, who had brought his throwing knives to train with us, tilt his head slightly without a word, I realized I hadn’t said anything I shouldn’t have. I stopped hesitating and met Rubel’s eyes again.
The Prince’s wavering gaze steadied.
“…I do want to be friends, but it’s not like that. You don’t have to worry.”
“I will trust you, Senior.”
“Okay. …Can we go in now?”
“Yes.”
That clean, firm expression was reassuring.
Dealing with people and mediating between them was not my role.
In my first life, I was born with a sword and grew up with a sword. I wasn’t given the right to think, so no matter how many died, there was nothing I could do. I could only direct my resentment towards the heights.
Now that I could judge and act for myself, I would never push my own blood relatives onto the battlefield.
In my previous life, I couldn’t refuse because I wasn’t the head of the family, but I thought that as the eldest grandson in this life, I would have that much authority.
Yes, even if it meant walking a path to my own death, I would not drag my family and relatives into power struggles again.
No matter what others bearing the family name said, I vowed inwardly to stay as far away from such political strife and battles as I possibly could.
As I stepped into the unlocked Flying Dagger Training Field, I felt the turmoil in my chest expand.
It was more spacious and open than I had expected. It was nearly as wide as the Magic lecture hall I had entered for sparring with Edwin Kiadris.
However, the building’s structure was unique.
The training field was a single-story building, with a ceiling over half of it and an open courtyard for the other half.
With no walls or ceiling, only a wide net and pieces of cloth barely obscuring the view from passersby, the wind and sunlight swept and shone directly onto the targets.
What looked like a well-maintained lawn was, upon closer inspection, a faded green cloth. The frayed parts glittered in the sunlight.
I couldn’t help but feel admiration. The targets were round, painted red in the center, and marked with lines at regular intervals. As I had heard before, the targets were placed at different distances at regular intervals.
Seeing Benjamin place his bundle of daggers on a waist-high shelf, I mimicked him and placed my own bundle on the shelf. Prince Rubel also opened one of the shelves in a corner and took out his bag.
Three bags were placed on three shelves.
The Prince opened his bag first and took out about ten daggers of uniform size and shape.
“Have our juniors ever practiced throwing knives?”
“I’ve thrown a few times.”
“Hmm, not at all. I’ve only used them held in reverse grip in close-quarters combat.”
“Then it would be better to watch Young Master Claudian’s form first. Young Master Ernhardt also has a good eye, so it might be easier to follow after watching once. Is that okay? I’ll help with your stance and other things.”
“Yes.”
When Benjamin opened his bag and took out a set of daggers showing signs of use, I was greatly impressed. They were incredibly well-maintained daggers. I felt not just proud but deeply moved by this young man who showed such excellent all-around skill in martial arts training.
Benjamin Claudian, as if familiar with such a place, rubbed chalk powder from a shelf onto his hands and dusted them off.
I watched the white powder sparkle and fall in the sunlight. After dusting off his hands sufficiently, Benjamin gripped the handle of a dagger with his now dry, white hands. He stood with his legs spread slightly, his right shoulder drawn back.
I carefully observed him drawing his elbow back like drawing a bow.
Only after hearing a ‘whoosh’ of flight did I realize his hand had extended forward.
I marveled quietly at the dagger lodged about a hand’s breadth above the center of the closest target.
Prince Rubel also clapped his hands a couple of times, praising him.
“Your stance is very good. However, it seemed like your elbow didn’t fully extend when you threw the dagger… If you fix that part, your accuracy should improve. Have you ever tried channeling aura?”
“I haven’t been able to channel aura into objects I release from my hand yet.”
“Hmm, I can’t do that either, but… if you channel aura right up until you release the dagger, you can throw it faster and stronger. Let me show you.”
Rubel took out his own dagger.
It was a dagger wrapped once with a leather strap around the middle of its handle. The end of the handle was worn smooth, showing signs of dozens of uses. Yet, its edge was as sharp as new, which couldn’t be achieved by merely wiping the dagger with oil regularly.
Indeed, as he gripped the dagger and concentrated, a faint aura appeared above the blade. It was aura before reaching the Peak realm, but its skill was clearly outstanding.
He stood with his feet at a moderate width so that Benjamin and I could observe comfortably.
It was then that I saw Rubel, usually so careful and gentle, stand with his shoulders squared. The boy, not yet a young man, exuded the scent of a man.
Rubel spread his shoulders wide, opened his chest, and drew his right arm back in a straight line with his shoulder.
The line from his shoulder to his elbow was bulging and firm, visible even through his thin shirt. His left arm, dropped forward to maintain balance, was at an appropriate width and angle. Watching him, I roughly mimicked his stance.
With a light ‘whoosh,’ the flying dagger landed precisely in the center of the target.
Rubel turned to me and smiled with a proud expression. His slightly raised cheeks and sparkling eyes were as clear and lovely as those of any ordinary boy his age.
When I clapped my hands together with a ‘clap’ like he had done when watching Benjamin’s demonstration, he chuckled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders slightly.
“Your stance is very good. When you pull your elbow back and then forward, you should move it in a straight line like this. However, this training ground is open, right? When it’s windy or raining, you need to aim a bit higher. So… uh…”
He faltered mid-explanation, and I watched him intently. Rubel, stealing a glance away, continued in a strained voice, “Could I help adjust Young Master Ernhardt’s stance?”
“Please do.”
It felt absurd to be so formal between men. The hand that grasped my wrist trembled slightly.
Even Marianne Philodendore, who was in charge of the commotion in the Department of Magic, didn’t hold my wrist so carefully. My Father and Mother also had no qualms about simple physical contact within the family.
It must be that the imperial family’s customs were strict about contact between those who were not blood relatives, regardless of gender.
I willingly entrusted my body to Rubel’s hands. As he guided me, I spread my shoulders wide and raised my elbows high. It looked more like holding a bow than throwing a dagger.
As he held my left hand and moved it to the appropriate position, our fingers intertwined. Whether it was a slip or a delicate adjustment of my hand’s angle, I didn’t know. Puzzled, I looked up at him. He was so embarrassed that the nape of his neck turned a deep red.
After briefly adjusting the angle of my hand, Rubel’s fingertips slowly withdrew. Thinking it was nothing, I quickly looked away.
“…Done. Try throwing it like this.”
“Yes.”
Recalling what Rubel had done, I moved my arm.
For the first attempt, I gave up on trying to channel aura. Perhaps it was because I focused too much on my stance, or because I had pulled my elbow back further than usual. The dagger I threw missed even the closest target and fell to the ground.
A sense of defiance rose in me, so I immediately picked up the next dagger and corrected my stance.
“I’ll try again. Was there anything wrong with my stance just now…?”
“Ah, um. Your waist… Is it okay if I touch it a bit?”
“Please do.”
Seeing the boy’s delighted expression, as if teaching a junior was quite enjoyable, made my worries from the morning seem pointless.
Since he didn’t seem to care about imperial succession or anything else, I decided to focus on what I could learn.