āWhat does he plan to do with our meager numbers? Was our princeās heart moved by princess Mephia or something?ā
āWho can say. Everyone says trash prince this trash prince that, but I bet that not even His Majesty would have expected him to be this trashy. To face over ten thousand enemies with just a few thousand is something only fools would do. Ms. Feli couldnāt stop him, or maybe she gave up on himā¦in any case, we better be ready for the worst.ā
The roughly 3000-strong Diestburg forces started moving towards the west gate. Leading them was none other than I, āTrash Princeā Fay Hanse Diestburg. The troopsā morale was low, and maybe because they had already reached their position, voices of dissatisfaction could be heard here and there.
āEven if we have to die here, it would be nice if it could serve to open His Highnessā eyes. If thatās what Ms. Feli is thinking, it might explain why our strategy is this reckless.ā
āā¦.in that case, if Ms. Feli accepted the plan of that idiot prince, she willā¦?ā
āSheāll die too, most likely. They sure gave her a sad roleā¦ā
The soldiers did not care to keep their dissatisfied voices quiet, but no one stopped them. Thatās how reckless the plan was.
I didnāt care about every little thing like that though. Normally, the soundest strategy would be to use our knowledge of the lay of the land to gradually whittle down the enemy troops. However, we might run out of time. If there wasnāt a āHeroā in the enemy ranksā¦
A āHeroā, someone who was said to be able to take on tens of thousands of soldiers alone. Even if I rushed to their position, I might not make it in time. More than anything, I had to make sure my promise with Logsaria Bornest was kept.
In that caseā¦
The only option available is for me to go to the frontline.
āIāll go by myself. You all wait here.ā
āWhatā¦..!ā
Who did the order surprise most? Even the soldiers who freely proclaimed their concerns until a moment ago turned silent.
āThat is my only order.ā
Not that it mattered, anyway. I knew what I had to do. Thus I had no intention of being swayed by the feelings or opinions of others.
āPlease wait, Your Highness.ā
One knight attempted to stop me.
āThis battle belongs to the kingdom of Afillis. Even if Your Highness falls, the battle will not end. On the contrary, it would simply make the Afillis kingdom and the Diestburg kingdom, forced to exact revenge, even more at a disadvantage. Or might you be planning to switch sides and save only yourself?ā
āWho knows?ā
I chuckled and turned back in the direction I was going to.
I knew there would be no point in indulging the knightās question, so I didnāt waste time replying.
āWhat you all should do is simply believe what your eyes will see. Moreover, as long as you are soldiers of the Diestburg kingdom, the orders of a member of the royal family are absolute. You have no right to stop me.ā
āā-please wait.ā
Another voice echoed. A clearer one.
āWhat now, head maid.ā
The familiar voice belonged to Feli von Yugstine.
āIf Your Highness goes to the frontlines, I shall accompany you.ā
āI ordered you to stay.ā
āHis Majesty ordered me to protect Your Highness. As a vassal of Diestburg, I cannot disobey His Majestyās orders.ā
āā¦is that so.ā
She really got me then, I thought to myself. Feli was stubborn, but if convinced she became reasonable. An order from father, however, couldnāt be reversed.
āI canāt guarantee youāll be back alive.ā
I lied. Honestly speaking, I wished to keep the people I want to protect close to me. Despite it, since I lacked trust at the moment, I had to order Feli to stay back with the rest of the troops.
Despite my intentions, things turned as I hoped, so my lips curved upwards a bit. Slightly enough that I barely noticed it.
āIf that happens, Iāll blame my poor luck.ā
āDo as you please then.ā
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I then turned my back to the troops and exited from the castle gate, with only Feli in tow. The scenery outside was a wasteland, vividly scarred with the traces of war: the shattered swords strewn everywhere told a clear picture of what happened.
This is the place where the Afillis army was ravaged by the āHeroā if I recall.
āHead maid, stay here.ā
I gave Feli the order and walked a few steps forward.
What I used was shadows. I concentrated fully, in order not to drag her in. As I did so, I picked up the voices of the soldiers behind us, wondering what I was going to do.
Is he going to beg for his life?
I bet heās going to switch sides.
So goes their conversation. I chuckled at the absurdities they spout.
How ridiculous. How many times did my mentor drill it in my head? If youāre going to beg for your life, slash your throat a million times first. There was no way I would ever do something like that.
If I ever switched sides, it would be after keeping my promise with Logsaria Bornest. I couldnāt afford to discard the only human trait I possessed.
I exhaled.
In the distance, I could see the countless troops approaching. The stampede would probably reach my position in a few minutes. Good, I made it in time.
āI didnāt want to show this to anyone other than my mentor, butā¦ā
As I spoke, I glanced at some silhouettes that appeared at the edges of my field of view. They were in a hurry, restless, or so they seemed. It was princess Mephia, leading a small rear support platoon, coming to accuse me of doing something absolutely reckless, but the soldiers held her back.
Mephia seems to be shouting something, but I paid her no mind.
āā¦a promise is a promise. Here goes.ā
If possibleā¦
This time, I didnāt want to lose anyone. I didnāt want to experience solitude anymore. I drew the āSpadaā resting at my waist and stabbed it into the ground. I tried to suppress my feelings as much as possible, forcing my mouth into a smile, and recalled a distant, nostalgic memory.
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I chuckled to myself and my lips formed a small smile.
I knew. I really did. My mentor told me that one thousand times already.
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In the previous world, everyone I knew said the same thing: youāre weak. Some of them had abilities more or less on the same level as mine, but even they called me weak. My heart was hopelessly weak. How many times was I told that I picked the wrong world to be born in?
At the very least, you should fake your appearance. Act like you belong to this world. Ever since I was told that, I tried to always smile and laugh, like my mentor did. I never forgot that teaching. Even now.
āHahahaā
I smiled, very typical of me, which I never showed in this world. A stupid, mindless laugh. This was already a battlefield, despite the smile glued to my lips. For me, someone truly strong is someone who can always laugh. Someone who always has the leeway, the luxury to laugh.
So I laughed too.
At least in form, just like my mentor, ever since the day I started praying to become strong.
āHahahahaha.ā
I couldnāt stop laughing. I wouldnāt stop. I donāt laugh at killing people: I laugh at my stupidly honest self, following my mentorās teachings so faithfully.
There was no hesitation left in me about killing. Thatās why I thought that the āTrash Princeā name fits me perfectly.
This was the heroic tale of trash who lived by the blade, turned into a beast, and still continued to swing his sword.
I kept smiling, just like my inspiration, my mentor. In the eyes of others, I might look like a fool. I might even look crazy. Even so, I would keep laughing.
I used the words my mentor always said, hoping that the more I did, the more I would become like him.
āāOne slash, one kill. My heart, my body is forever a battlefield.āā
I spoke the words with emphasis.
My āSpadaā, stabbed into the ground, rattled and shook, as if eager to swing forth, to cut. Before me, a seemingly endless horde of enemy troops drew near. But they didnāt mean much.
No one would ever stop me and my āSpadaā.
āYou found the wrong opponent. Lament your fate and die.ā