"Linus? He's not an enemy. Didn't I tell you before?"
In the bar of the hotel, drinking my drink, Wallace stood beside me, dumbfounded.
He had been looking unusually haggard lately, but he seemed to have woken up after hearing about the assassination.
"No way. You can't beat that Brother Linus."
Linus, who had failed in his hasty attempt to assassinate Cleo, was being treated as a bumbling fool.
The world is cold to those who fail.
However, Wallace had a high opinion of Linus.
"Brother Linus is the one who established his own faction and secured the second position in the line of succession through his own strength. It's hard to believe that someone like him would end up like this."
I glanced at the perplexed Wallace and tilted my glass.
"I told you, didn't I? Don't worry about it."
"No, I know you said it! But no one would think you could win!"
"I had a good chance from the start. Do you think I would challenge a fight I can't win?"
"Wait, but he's the second in line for the succession!"
I challenged him because I knew I could win.
Indeed, Linus had more forces at his disposal than I did, and he still had some cards up his sleeve.
However, Linus was also competing with Calvin, the favorite.
I just targeted that weakness.
It was a fight I could definitely win.
After all, Linus couldn't use his full strength against us.
A righteous battle is not what a wicked lord does.
The right thing for a wicked lord is to prevent the enemy from using their full strength.
And by defeating Linus, Cleo's reputation soared.
Taking everything for myselfâthat's what a wicked lord does.
But, the bonus stage is overâI'm thinking about my next opponent.
"But next is Calvin. He's a tough one."
Wallace seemed to agree.
"He's the crown prince. Many nobles support him, and the palace is likely to be on Brother Calvin's side. I was surprised you could defeat Brother Linus, but what do you plan to do now?"
"âThere's no trick."
"No trick?!"
Calvin, as the crown prince, is in a nearly unassailable position.
Linus would have fought without any regard for his reputation, but Calvin is not that kind of man.
In other words, he has no weaknesses.
The nobles gathered around him are numerous and of high quality.
Wallace was at a loss.
"What are you going to do? Brother Calvin is even more troublesome!"
"Don't worry. It will just be a long battle. In the end, I will win with luck on my side."
Losing is not an option.
Besides, I have a guideâthere's no way I can lose.
I just need to enjoy this battle.
After making Cleo the emperor, I'll do as I please.
Oh, I almost forgot the important part.
"By the way, Wallace, how's the group date going?"
Wallace looked at me and drank his drink in one gulp without saying a word.
"Hey, this is more important to me!"
Damn! I want to play around as a college student, but the imperial succession is taking up all my time, and I can't have a proper life.
I want to indulge more as a noble!
â
The capital planet was in an uproar.
"Did you hear? Prince Linus has fallen ill, and the second position in the line of succession is now vacant."
"Isn't the third prince going to move up?"
"No, it's supposed to be vacant. But the third prince can't do it, can he?"
With the death of the second prince, Linus, everyone expected the harem to become more active in the competition for the second position in the line of succession.
Indeed, the nobles supporting the princes below the fourth position were working hard to secure the second position for Cleo.
From here on, more princes and princesses would likely disappearâeveryone predicted this.
The reason is that similar events have happened many times before.
And there was another topic that was stirring up the capital planetâand the empire.
â
On a planet far from the capital planet, Anshi was trembling as he clutched an electronic newspaper.
On the screen, Liam was holding a press conference, and the video was playing on the paper.
Anshi was trembling.
"That bastard! He did it. He finally did it!"
Anshi cried.
Not out of joy, but out of anger and fear.
In the video, Liam declared boldly in front of the reporters.
"Sword Saint? Yeah, I defeated him. I, who have the master's license of the Ippanryu, did it."
The reporters were confused.
"You defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings? Really?"
"Stop making me repeat myself. I cut him down. But it's a system flaw that I can't call myself a Sword Saint after defeating a Sword Saint, so I've applied to the palace to be recognized as one."
"Are you going to call yourself a Sword Saint? Normally, you need to pass many tests before the emperor evaluates you after receiving a recommendationâ"
"Are you an idiot? The Sword Saint they chose lost. They have no eye for talent. I'm the strongest. I'm the Sword Saint. If they don't recognize me, bring the other three here right now! I'll cut them all down."
The scene at the press conference was chaotic, and the video conveyed the commotion.
Then, Liam seemed to remember something.
"Oops, sorry. The strongest isn't me, it's my master."
"By master, do you mean the head of the Ippanryu? Why is the head so unknown? If the sword technique is that strong, it should be more famousâ"
"Are you trying to insult Master Anshi?!"
Liam displayed Anshi's image.
It was a good-looking, sharp-faced picture of Anshi taken when he was teaching Liam swordsmanship.
He was showing it on a large screen in front of the reporters.
"Damn!!"
Anshi wanted to stop it, but it was too late since he was already watching the video.
Liam praised Anshi with bright eyes.
"The strongest man in this universe. The strongest swordsman I'm still chasingâyet I can't even imagine surpassing my master. Fighting my master is more terrifying than fighting a Sword Saint."
The reporters were amazed.
"Really?!"
"To be stronger than the one who defeated a Sword Saintâ"
"The strongest swordsman in the universeâAnshi! No, a Sword God surpassing the Sword Saint?!"
"Sword God Anshi!"
"The strongest Sword God in the universe!"
"Anshiâwhat are you?!"
The headline of the article was "The Strongest Man in the Universe, Sword God! â His Name is Anshi!" and it was prominently featured.
Anshi was terrified that such news had reached a planet far from the capital planet.
Anshi was trembling.
(Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerousâIf I stay here, I'll definitely be killed. I have to runâescape from the empire!?)
Liam's good intentions were driving Anshi into a corner.
In a dim, shabby house, Anshi was thinking about his future.
Then, the front door became noisy.
"Hey, bring out Anshi. Bring out the strongest man in the universe!"
The voice was that of a man.
He must have learned about Anshi from the news and wanted to defeat him to become the strongest in the universe.
His confidence was evident in his voice.
"Ah! Ahhh!!"
When Anshi looked at the window to escape, he heard the voices of his disciples fighting the man.
"What? Why do you think you can fight our master, you scum?"
"What a delusional guy."
Two of his disciples were at the front door, dealing with the man.
"âDo you think you can insult me, the founder of the Ippanryu, a kid like you? I've already cut down five famous knights!"
Cutting down five people is dangerous.
Anshi didn't think his disciples could beat such a man and was about to escape through the window.
Thenâthere was a thud.
It sounded like a wooden sword hitting a human body, but the sound was too loud.
After a moment, the man's scream was heard.
"Aaaaah! My arm! My arm!"
The disciples were laughing.
"Stop screaming. You're disturbing the neighbors. The lady next door is very talkative."
"Next, I'll crush your right leg."
The sound of flesh being crushed was heard, and the man was screaming.
Shaking, Anshi heard the man's companions shouting.
"Stop it!"
"We're leaving! We won't come back!"
"Please, forgive us!"
But the disciples wouldn't let them go.
"Did you really cut down five famous knights? You're so weak, I'm yawning."
The rough disciple had hoped the man might be a bit stronger.
Disappointed, he was getting frustrated.
"What? You believed his lies? Idiot."
The other disciple, who was laughing, even mocked the rough disciple.
While the disciple was laughing, the sound of flesh being crushed was heard again.
Anshi was drenched in cold sweat.
The rough disciple, who enjoyed scolding people while being relaxed, said to the other disciple.
"I'll kill you."
"âDon't you remember that we need the master's permission for killing among disciples? Ah, I'll tell the master."
"You, you!"
Killing among disciples is forbiddenâthis was a lie Anshi told as insurance when Liam challenged him. He had already told the two disciples, who were already stronger than Anshi.
Anshi got down from the window and, after confirming that the men had fled, went to the front door.
The front door was in a terrible state, but he made sure not to show any reaction.
He needed to maintain his dignity in front of the two.
(What dangerous kids. But, they can defeat Liam. They can also take care of the fools who come after me. No, maybe I should leave the empire.)
Anshi sighed as he looked at the two, who were covered in blood.
"You two, are you doing this again?"
The two quickly straightened up in front of Anshi.
"But, Master!"
"I tried to stop them."
Anshi screamed in his mind.
(You didn't stop them! Your attitude is scary!)
He had managed to maintain his dignity as a master while taking care of the two.
Now, both of them called him "Master."
"Both of you, clean up here, take a shower, and come to the back room."
When the two took a shower and came to the back room, Anshi gave them the tools to kill Liam.
Two swords for the rough one.
A longer sword than usual for the mean one.
They were the best he could buy.
The money came from Liam.
The two received the swords, their eyes shining.
"Amazing! Master, can I really have this!"
"It's my sword!"
Anshi had also prepared clothes for the two.
He had gathered all the necessary items for their journey.
The reason was to have them kill Liam.
(With two of them, at least one will succeed. Once they leave, I can escape from the empire.)
Anshi looked at the two seriously.
"âI will grant you both the master's license."
The two looked at each other.
"What? Master, why? We still have training to do."
"That's right, Master!"
Anshi smiled, but he was drenched in cold sweat inside.
(There's nothing left to teach! Liam was the same, but these two are also quite dangerous.)
He didn't have much to teach them.
If he kept them around, he might slip up someday.
Anshi wanted to get rid of them quickly.
"Go out into the world and hone your swords. Find your own Ippanryu."
The two looked like they were about to cry.
But they were hugging their swords.
Anshi couldn't understand why.
(Why are they hugging their swords and feeling emotional? It's scary.)
However, he didn't tell them the real reason.
"Travel and hone your skills. You will likely face life-or-death battles. Your paths may diverge. But remember this: your fellow disciples will finish your swords."
The rough one was wiping away tears.
"Fellow disciplesâLiam? He's also Ippanryu, right?"
"Yes. You can't handle him now. So, go out into the world and hone your skills. Then, challenge your fellow disciple."
The mean one was sniffling.
"Is he that strong? We're strong too."
Anshi nodded in his mind.
(To be honest, I don't know who's stronger. To me, you're all monsters. Let the monsters kill each other.)
Anshi said.
"He's strong. You two must kill your fellow discipleâno, you must kill him. If you don't have that resolve, you two will be the ones to die. âChallenge him together. That's how much stronger he is than you."
(Well, if you two challenge him together, you'll win.)
The two nodded, crying, and Anshi told them that their travel preparations were ready and prepared clothes for them.
They were high-quality clothes. He had specially prepared them for the two, probably out of a sense of guilt.
He also prepared a large amount of electronic money, equivalent to several million.
With that much, they could survive for a while, and he thought they could earn more as bounty hunters.
"When you two leave here, I will also leave."
"Master?!"
"Why?!"
"To keep your resolve sharp. And I will also travel. I will continue to hone Ippanryu. We may never meet again, but I will pray for your safety."
(If you win against Liam, I'll call you back to be my bodyguardâno, that's not a good idea. I don't want to be with such monsters. It's unsettling. Besides, if you kill the current Liam, you'll be wanted criminals.)
The two were crying, so he continued to speak kindly to them.
When they changed into their new clothes and put on their swords, they came in front of Anshi.
"âYou've grown."
The two blushed.
The two thanked Anshi.
"Masterâthank you for everything. I'll come back to see you after I defeat my fellow disciple and become a real swordsman!"
"I'll prove that I'm your top disciple. Until we meet again, Masterâ"
Watching the two leave, Anshi smiled.
(Phew, finally they're gone. It took decades to raise them. Now I'm finally free.)
Anshi looked at the house they had left.
(âA little lonely, though.)
He had developed some affection for them while raising them.
But he couldn't stay here anymore.
(I never thought a man like me would raise children. Well, they were pitiful to be raised by me.)
Anshi decided to escape from the empire as quickly as possible and started preparing to leave.
Then, the neighbor lady barged in.
"Anshi! Your kids were making a racket again?"
"Neighbor! I'm sorry!"
"I don't know what kind of swordsmanship it is, but is it meaningful to work hard on something with no future here? Besides, you don't look strong at all."
The lady spoke bluntly, and Anshi laughed awkwardly.
"Ha ha haâmy apologies."
(Damn, saying whatever she wants! I never want to touch swordsmanship again! This will be the end of being afraid of Liam. It's a little scary to leave the empire, but I should have done this from the beginning.)
I'll go to a place where no one knows me.
Anshi thought this and felt refreshedâno, a little lonely.
He was strangely worried about the two who had left.
Tsuraiyan (´ďźĎďźď˝) "It's tough. If I don't say it's tough, I'll be treated as a fake or be parasitized by some weird plant. The way this Brian is treated is too harshâIt's tough."
Wakagi-chan (ăâă) "That's rude! I don't parasitize! I just take over! Besides, Brianâlook at your name."