During the night, the prime minister, who had been awakened, sighed upon hearing about the assassination attempt on Cleo.
"Perhaps Prince Linus acted too hastily."
Before engaging with the formidable Calvin, he had intended to eliminate the minor threat of Cleo.
He must have thought it would be that simple.
However, the outcome was far from satisfactory.
The assassination attempt failed, and he ended up being defeated.
Linus was competent and had effectively united his faction.
He was not unintelligent, but this incident would likely determine his future evaluation.
There would be no turning back, and his chances of becoming the crown prince had vanished.
More importantly, the prime minister had something on his mind.
"Who, exactly, managed to move a Sword Saint?"
There are currently four recognized Sword Saints in the empire.
Someone had directed one of them to assassinate Cleo.
Of course, it wasn't the prime minister.
It's possible that the Sword Saint, seeking advancement, cooperated with the assassination, but it's strange to think that a swordsman who values strength would seek power to such an extent.
The report states that the Sword Saint acted on his own judgment, but it's more likely that someone gave the order.
The prime minister's lips curled up as he read the report.
"Still, I didn't expect such strength."
One of the empire's recognized Sword Saints had been defeated by Liam.
Liam himself is Cleo's greatest supporter.
It's written that he drew his sword to protect Cleo and fought.
The prime minister changed his clothes.
When he touched his wristwatch, his nightwear instantly transformed into his work attire.
"Well, it's going to be a busy day."
The palace must be in an uproar.
Not because of the assassination attempt on Cleo, but because of the fall of the second prince, Linus.
â
The day after the incidentâby noon, I still couldn't leave the palace.
I had been under interrogation since last night.
The location is a conference room, but as the next duke and current earl, I have a luxurious one prepared for me.
I sit in a plush chair, drinking tea prepared by a maid while being interrogated.
Not only high-ranking officials but also knights and soldiers serving in the palace surround me.
This is not a relaxing environment.
"Hey, is lunch ready yet? Since I'm here in the palace, you should at least serve a full course meal."
The maid is not very considerate.
If you're going to have me entertained, bring in more beautiful women by the dozen.
I'm an earl, after all!
A high-ranking official, irritated by my attitude, asked, "Earl Banfield, do you know what happened last night?"
A royal assassination attempt in the palaceâthis is a major event, but in this world, such bloody struggles are a daily occurrence in the palace.
After all, the palace encompasses the entire continent.
It's not surprising for incidents to happen almost every day.
"What's the fuss about? It's just like any other day."
"Can't you understand how serious this incident is!?"
In front of the high official who demanded I understand, I drank my tea elegantly.
Still, the high officials and military personnel gathered to interrogate meâaren't they of low rank? Bring in someone more important.
I feel disrespected, and I have no motivation.
"Haâmore importantly, I have a lecture this afternoon. Can we finish this quickly?"
The high official held his head in frustration at my attitude.
"The future of the second prince is at stake. You need to show more tension."
"That's a problem. I was worried about it too."
"You can say that so easily?"
"It's the truth."
No, I was genuinely worried about Prince Linus.
I pitied him for mistaking his opponent and picking a fight with the wrong person.
It was fortunate that he had a quick temper.
A straightforward approach would have been more troublesome.
It would have taken time, and I intended to drag out the succession dispute, but thanks to Linus, one rival is gone.
By Linus himself.
This might be a big deal for them, but to me, it's a settled matter.
The second prince, Linusâalready a finished man.
He was no match for me.
I never thought I would lose.
It was like kicking a pebble out of the way and rolling it aside.
I never intended to be interrogated in the first place.
But since my victory is certain no matter what, this is just a form of condescension.
I'm just humoring the palace people.
"By the way,"
"What is it?"
I asked the high official.
"Who should I submit an application to become a Sword Saint?"
The title of Sword Saint is more important to me than the Linus incident.
"Earl! Stop joking!"
"Joking!? I'm serious. Listen, I need to spread the One Flash Style to the world. Promoting it as the strongest style is a way to repay my master! So, give me the title of Sword Saint."
"What are you talking about?"
I may be a villain, but I intend to repay the kindness I've received.
I owe a lot to my master.
However, the world still considers the One Flash Style a minor martial art.
If so, I have to spread it myself.
I must make it known that the One Flash Style is the strongest.
"Fine. Then bring the remaining three Sword Saints. If you can defeat all three, the empire will recognize you as a Sword Saint, right?"
The high official held his head in frustration in front of me.
â
Midday.
Linus was slumped in a large room where the nobles had just left.
Until a moment ago, the nobles of his faction had gathered for a strategy meeting.
But Linus laughed weakly.
"What do you mean, 'don't give up yet'?âI'm finished."
He noticed the nobles' insincerity but lacked the energy to be angry.
Linus was not incompetent.
He never thought he could turn things around from this point.
"I misjudged Cleo. No, I underestimated that boyâLiam. My defeat is undoubtedly due to that man."
He had underestimated the boy who was playing the part of a provincial noble.
He should have crushed him with full force from the beginning or brought him into the fold by any means necessary.
If he had known the outcome, Linus would have bowed his head and brought Liam into his faction.
Such hypothetical scenarios are meaningless, but Linus couldn't help but think about them.
Where did I go wrong?
It was undoubtedly when he approached Liam.
"The prime minister's prediction was accurate. That man has been manipulating the empire from behind the scenes for years."
As he muttered this, a man slowly appeared from the floor.
He was not kneeling but held a bottle of wine in his hand.
A man with a maskâsomeone Linus knew well.
Linus laughed.
"Are you here to kill me?"
He was part of the organization Linus had joined.
"Prince Linus, you no longer have any value to us. Our new master is deeply troubled by this incident. We have been instructed to resolve it quickly."
Linus leaned back on the sofa.
He looked at the wine the masked man held.
"That's my favorite wine. You're quite considerate."
The masked man regretted Linus's calm demeanor.
"Aren't you going to cry and beg?"
"I've shown enough ugliness. In the future, I will be counted among the fools in the palace's history. At least, I want to make a good impression at the end. I'll prepare a glass, so wait a moment."
When he touched the wall, a mechanism activated, and a shelf appeared from the wall.
Not only dishes but also various wines were available.
Snacks were also prepared.
"This wine pairs well with this snack."
The masked man opened the wine bottle for Linus, who was preparing to drink calmly.
Linus regretted.
"Is this the last drink I'll have with you? I've thought about this possibility several times."
Linus poured the wine into a glass and drank it in one go, then held out the glass for more.
While eating snacks, he asked the masked man.
"As a parting gift, tell me two things. Who do you think is fit to be emperor? My brother? Cleo?"
The masked man chuckled.
"The current prince might have been fit to be emperor."
Hearing this, Linus drank the wine with a pleasant feeling.
"I'll take this as a sincere compliment. Nowâthis incident, who was behind it?"
To the second question, the masked man replied.
"Part of my job is not to reveal the identity of the client."
"Rightâso it is."
Linus smiled and closed his eyes, then breathed his last.
The masked man said,
"If only you had shown this side of you earlier, things might have been different."
The assassination incident caused by the incompetent prince was resolved with his confession of all his sins and his suicide.
â
About a week after the assassination incident.
In the palace, which had yet to return to normal, I met with Prince Cleo.
"Prince, you don't seem to be in high spirits."
"Is that so? Well, I guess so."
He didn't seem to be depressed, but he looked downcast.
Is this level of concern appropriate?
Really, a good person is so affected by the death of someone who tried to kill them.
He seems to think that defeating an enemy is not the end.
Prince Cleo started talking to me.
"I don't have many memories of my brother Linus. ButâI heard from a servant sent as a spy by my brother."
"Did he say anything?"
"He seemed to pity me, even though he looked down on me. I can't help but think that if I had done nothing, my brother would have moved to assassinate me."
What a kind heart.
But kindness is meaningless.
I experienced a terrible betrayal in my previous life, but I tried to accept that I was also at fault.
I endured unjust treatment.
And the result was that the villains made a laughingstock of me.
"Prince Linus was the one who came to kill first. There's no need to worry. Besides, if you lose, it will be your turn next. If you don't want that, you have to fight."
Prince Cleo looked at me.
"You are strong. Too strongâsurely you can't understand the feelings of the weak."
What a pointed remark.
But I want to say this.
I understand the feelings of the weak very well.
After all, I was a weak person in my previous life.
A weak person who was used by villains.
The thought of it makes me sick.
"I understand the feelings of the weak better than anyone. If you can, you should switch to the side that takes. You, Prince, sanctify the weak. Being weak is a sin in itself."
Prince Cleo looked at me and narrowed his eyes.
"Do you think a born strong person can understand?"
"At least, I understand better than you."
Just as I called him "you," Tia arrived to serve.
"Let's change the tea. Also, Lord Bryan, who is in the territory, said he wants to talk to Lord Liam."
She was suggesting a break.
I stood up.
"Calling me so casually. If it weren't for Bryan, it would be grounds for execution."
Then I left the room.
â
Cleo looked at Tia, whose conversation had been interrupted.
"You were rude to the earl. You should apologize later."
Tia respected Liam and thought he would be angry.
But Tia was just chuckling.
"What is it?"
Tia looked at the door where Liam had left.
"How much do you know about the Banfield family, Prince Cleo?"
"I've heard that Lord Liam improved the poor state of the territory from a young age. Was it thanks to securing a resource satellite with a large amount of rare metals?"
That's probably how Liam is evaluated by the public.
Everyone only evaluates his current power and military strength.
The recovery of the territory is attributed to the rare metals.
"I saw the records, but Lord Liam inherited the title of earl at the age of five."
"I've heard that some nobles force their territories on children. But it's true?"
The naive Cleo was surprised that the rumors were true.
After all, his interactions with nobles had only recently begun.
The main nobles who form his faction are mostly serious and stern lords.
There are no stories of forcing territories on children.
"The situation was dire at the time. They squeezed taxes from the people, forced them into hard labor, and even borrowed money to maintain their lavish lifestyle. I was shocked when I saw the records. I couldn't believe people could do such things."
"That's a terrible story. But I hear such stories often here. I've only heard them as stories, but are they true?"
"They are true. Many planets in the empire suffer, unlike Lord Liam's territory."
Tia imagined how Liam felt seeing such territories and felt pain.
"What did the noble and virtuous Lord Liam think when he saw such territories? He lived a frugal life for decades, even though his own life was difficult. The young Lord Liam must have been a beautiful and innocent boy! He was cuter, more adorable, and more precious than he is nowâsuch a boy endured a hard and poor life to develop the territory! He tried to be strong, trained himself, and even gained the strength to defeat a Sword SaintâNo, I can't stop drooling!"
She imagined the young Liam and regretted, "If only I had been by his side at that time!"
Cleo averted his gaze from Tia.
He thought it was kinder not to look.
(The earl's knights are quite unusual.)
They are competent, but Tia is a disappointing knight.
When her imagination ended, she apologized, "I'm sorry," and Cleo returned his gaze.
"Anyway, what I wanted to say is that Lord Liam was in a weaker position than you think. No, he was in a much weaker position than you imagine."
Cleo looked down.
"I see. I said something bad about the earl."
(He must have had a much harder life than I thought. My casual words must have been hurtful.)