Chapter 8: The Bastard Knight (1)

It was a throw.

Of course, it wasn’t a pure throw.

It was a technique from True Martial Art called Hand-to-Hand Combat, which Raion had learned during his time in the Polar Unit in his previous life.

Jade, whose momentum had been redirected by the force, couldn’t avoid it and spun into the air.

Thud!

In the end, Jade’s back slammed into the floor of the training ground.

“Keugh―!”

It was a perfect execution. In that situation, Jade couldn’t evade or block it.

Raion, who had fallen along with him, brushed off his palms as he stood up.

“I suppose I won, didn’t I?”

“W-What on earth was that…?”

It was a technique Jade had never experienced before. Even within the Royal Knights, nothing like that existed.

“So, you’ll be my swordsmanship instructor now, right? You’re not going to back out after all this, are you? That’d be rather cowardly.”

At his words, Jade hurriedly stood up to face him.

“N-No, of course not. But what was that technique just now?”

“I haven’t heard your answer yet…”

When Raion pressed him for a clear response, Jade let out a deep sigh.

“Phew…! Fine! I understand! Now please tell me. What was that technique earlier?”

Caught by the technique, Jade had been unable to control his own strength and was helplessly thrown around by the smaller-framed Raion.

Naturally, because he didn’t understand the principle behind it, the frustration only deepened.

“Well then, you’ll be staying here from now on.”

“All right, but how did you do it? Please, tell me.”

As talented as Jade was in swordsmanship, his curiosity was equally strong.

“If you can predict the direction of force, anyone can do it. With a few tries, even Sir Jade should be capable of it.”

“The… direction of force?”

Recalling the moment just before he was thrown, Jade repeated his previous movement.

And then, he began to faintly grasp what Raion had meant.

“Ah…!”

“Seems you understand now. Then I suppose I don’t need to explain further.”

Saying that, Raion took a towel from Monica just as before.

“You’ve worked hard, Your Highness. You’re not hurt, are you?”

Her expression was filled with worry, likely from witnessing such a violent scene.

“Don’t worry about me. I made sure not to hurt him too much.”

“You’ve grown even more impressive, it seems. If the chance arises, I’d like to learn it myself.”

Patrick, too, seemed intrigued by what he had seen.

“If you’re interested, I can teach you.”

“Let’s think about that after I finish organizing this place. It’s quite large, and handling it alone is taking longer than expected.”

Patrick had been tending to the garden just moments ago.

It was largely due to Raion’s own decision that things had turned out this way, so he couldn’t really say anything in objection.

“My apologies for the trouble.”

“Did you know something, Your Highness?”

Patrick suddenly asked a strange question.

“What do you mean?”

“Your way of speaking—it’s becoming more and more like an old man’s.”

“Huh? Ah… Is it?”

Raion was twelve years old now, but he had lived twenty years as the original Raion, and thirty-two years in Korea.

Combined, he had lived nearly sixty years.

Naturally, his mental age was much higher, so his speech tended to sound like that of an old man.

“Ahem! Anyway, since Sir Jade will be staying here as well, please prepare a room for him.”

“It’s already prepared.”

“You knew he’d end up staying?”

“You’re the prince, after all. I thought it likely.”

Feeling embarrassed, Raion scratched his head again.

His hair was now neatly trimmed by Patrick—a sporty cut with the top slightly longer.

Though the air of nobility and boyish charm was gone, Raion himself found it far more comfortable.

“You seem to have great faith in me. Should I be thanking you for that?”

“I’ll decline the empty flattery, Your Highness. Then, I’ll return to tending the garden.”

Patrick excused himself, and Monica headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Only Raion and Jade remained in the training ground.

Still trying to grasp the technique Raion had shown, Jade spoke after overhearing the earlier conversation.

“So, I’ll be staying here and teaching you swordsmanship? Though, my skills are still lacking—I’m not sure if that’s all right.”

“Just think of it as us training together. But don’t expect it to be easy—you’d best prepare yourself.”

Being told that by a twelve-year-old prince left Jade at a loss for words.

“Hahaha… I believe that’s what I should be saying, Your Highness. I’m not sure you’ll be able to keep up with my training.”

“I plan to completely rebuild my body, so you needn’t worry about that. Now, pack your things and return.”

After giving his orders, Raion watched him leave, then turned toward the annex.

He needed to focus not only on strengthening his body but also on developing his abilities.

---

“Status!”

At Raion’s command, a translucent blue window appeared before his eyes.

The results of the abilities he had been training in his workshop were displayed.

[Status Information]

Name: Raion Canel

Age: 12

Occupation: Third Prince of the Canel Kingdom / Regressor / Arcane Sorcerer

Abilities:

Synthesis (合成) Level 2

Decomposition (分解) Level 3

Extraction (抽出) Level 3

Emission (放出) Level 2

Engraving (刻印) Level 3

Formation (形成) Level 4

Analysis (分析) Level 5

For now, Formation and Analysis had improved steadily through repetition—creating formless matter or analyzing targets repeatedly increased their level easily.

In contrast, Synthesis, Decomposition, Extraction, Emission, and Engraving progressed more slowly.

“Still, this isn’t a bad pace, I suppose.”

As Raion continued to use his abilities repeatedly, he discovered several important applications.

“With this power, I could even create pure metals or alloys. If I develop it further, I might be able to manufacture modern weapons.”

The key to that lay in Formation, Engraving, and Emission.

However, at his current level, he couldn’t be sure if he could accurately reproduce them.

“I’ll need people who can make good use of the materials I create.”

He was referring to skilled craftsmen.

Aside from that, Raion needed a few more people to support his plans.

“I’ll have to start searching now. Twelve years from now, I’ll probably have a good idea where they’ll be—but for now, I don’t even know where to start.”

He was talking about the individuals who would become the core of the new future he intended to build.

Of course, the knight Jade was one of them.

Knock, knock.

A knocking sound came from the door, followed by Patrick stepping inside.

“Good timing.”

“Do you have a task for me, Your Highness?”

“I need to find a few people.”

“Hm… That’ll take quite some time. And I assume we’ll need to keep this hidden from the royal palace again?”

“Exactly. These are the people.”

Raion handed over a list of names he had written in advance.

Dike / Half-Dwarf / Male, early to mid-teens

Fordman / Merchant / Male, late 20s

Caldein Flavan / Mage / Male, 30s to 40s

There were three names on the list.

As Patrick read it, a small furrow formed between his brows.

“There’s no information about their origin or where they’re currently residing?”

“Aren’t you curious how I even know these names?”

Raion was only twelve and had never left the royal palace.

To know such names, especially of people outside, would seem strange to anyone.

“I simply fulfill my duties as a butler, Your Highness.”

“Ah! When you make inquiries, do it through a group called ‘Eye of the Moon.’”

At that, Patrick’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Your Highness… I’m not sure how you know about them, but… those people are dangerous.”

The Eye of the Moon was an organization that dealt not only in information but also in all manner of illegal affairs.

In 21st-century Korea, it would be comparable to a private agency run by an organized crime syndicate.

However, unlike those, this world’s version thrived amidst indiscriminate bloodshed.

Patrick, who had lived long enough to know such realities, couldn’t help but worry.

“The more dangerous they are, the tighter they keep their mouths shut to stay alive, wouldn’t you say?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Patrick nodded slightly, seeming to agree with that logic.

Raion then spoke firmly.

“Our movements must never, under any circumstances, be known to the outside. So make the request through the Eye of the Moon. But do you know how to reach them?”

The Eye of the Moon could only be contacted through hidden channels.

Some people didn’t even know the group existed at all.

As the name suggested, only those who had once stepped into the shadows could ever make contact with them.

“There’s no need to worry, Your Highness. I know the way.”

“Then why did you come to the workshop?”

“It’s time for your swordsmanship training. Sir Jade is waiting outside.”

“Already? That was quick.”

“I’ll be heading out for a while afterward.”

Raion left the annex with Patrick.

He trained his abilities in the mornings and evenings, while swordsmanship and physical conditioning took place in the early morning and mid-afternoon.

Every day was packed to the point of exhaustion.

At the training ground, Jade stood waiting with an unusually stern expression.

“You’re late.”

“I had something to discuss with Patrick. Shall we begin?”

At that, a grueling training session began—one intense enough that even a grown man would struggle, let alone a twelve-year-old.

Meanwhile, Patrick, having left Taron’s Palace, boarded a public carriage heading toward the eastern outer city.

That area was close to rugged mountain terrain, home to mercenaries and adventurers alike.

Once off the carriage, Patrick walked with familiarity through the streets before turning into a dim, narrow alleyway.

Step. Step.

Though narrow, both sides of the alley were lined with small taverns clustered together.

Patrick’s steps carried him toward one with a sign reading “Blue Sunset.”

Creak…!

The old wooden door opened, revealing a dark and murky interior.

Rough-looking men were scattered about, drinking.

Naturally, their gazes turned toward the newcomer.

But Patrick ignored them and approached the bartender.

“You look like a butler from some noble house. We don’t serve the kind of fine wine you’re looking for here.”

From his attire, the bartender had already guessed Patrick’s status.

Even so, he spoke curtly, as if to send him away.

“I have a different order. I need to borrow a hound to hunt a black pack… would that be possible?”

It was a strange thing to say—looking for a dog in a tavern.

But at that phrase, both the bartender and the men drinking nearby suddenly shifted their expressions.

The bartender glared sharply at Patrick, then pulled a dagger from beneath the counter and drove it into the table.

Thud!

The blade struck right in front of Patrick’s resting hand.

Anyone else might have flinched in surprise—but Patrick’s expression didn’t change at all.

Seeing that unshaken composure, the bartender’s face twisted into a harsher sneer.

“We don’t deal with hounds here.”

The phrase Patrick had spoken earlier was a coded request meant for the Eye of the Moon.

But as the men around him reacted with hostility, a faint twitch appeared on Patrick’s brow.

“Since when did the Eye of the Moon start refusing clients?”

Clatter! Clatter!

At those words, every man in the tavern stood up. In their hands gleamed knives and short swords drawn from who knew where.

“It seems you’ve all forgotten your manners,” Patrick said coolly. “It appears a lesson is in order.”