Chapter 39

“Then, we will now begin the preliminary match between His Highness Yurion Aphahiel and Trebion Curington!”

The preparations had long been finished. With the referee’s shout, Yuwon’s preliminary match began.

At the very start, Yuwon stomped heavily and rushed toward his opponent. Maintaining that same momentum, his hand moved, and he swung his sword horizontally.

Swaeeek—!

The pure-white blade in Yuwon’s grasp ripped the air apart.

Kaaang—!

A moment later, two swords collided head-on. Blue sparks flew.

Neither side retreated. The two men exchanged fierce blows.

Kang! Kaang! Kaang—!

In the blink of an eye, their swords clashed several times.

The first to step back was Trebion.

“Kh-!”

Trebion, barely enduring Yuwon’s fierce onslaught from the very start, let out a groan.

The impact had been so strong that his hand gripping the sword felt as though it might tear apart.

‘What the…! Where does this strength come from…!’

The spectators widened their eyes as they saw Trebion retreat.

“The Fifth Prince is pressing him?”

“Isn’t Trebion just holding back?”

“To say that… it’s too fast and precise. I thought the bet between the Second and Fifth Princes was exaggerated… but perhaps it wasn’t a lie after all.”

It was too early to be surprised.

Yuwon took two steps forward, chasing after Trebion, who had retreated. Rather than letting him catch his breath, Yuwon pressed on mercilessly.

From Yuwon’s fingertips, the White Dragon Sword traced ever-changing forms.

Like a serpent, it slithered stealthily along the ground to strike at the ankle, then, like a falcon, it dove fiercely to strike the crown of the head.

At times, he charged fearlessly like a lion in a frontal assault, then deflected Trebion’s blade and, like a panther, swiftly aimed for his throat.

Kwahng—! Kwahng! Kwahng!

Not once did Yuwon allow Trebion to seize control of the battle.

Amid the relentless offensive, the pure-white blade grazed just above Trebion’s head, slicing off a chunk of his hair.

“Haah!”

Startled, Trebion gasped for air. Yuwon, too, was surprised.

‘I almost killed him.’

Had he applied just a little more force, or had Trebion been even a fraction of a second slower, his head would have been neatly severed.

The man deserved to die, but with so many eyes watching, killing him outright was troublesome. Controlling his strength, Yuwon adjusted his pace.

Yuwon once again aimed the sword toward Trebion’s throat and thrust forward. Trebion hastily drew a circle with his blade, deflecting the White Dragon Sword that lunged toward his neck.

‘Caught you.’

It was a feint.

The White Dragon Sword, repelled into the air, suddenly twisted midair—like a living serpent—and went straight for Trebion’s wrist.

Swaeeek—!

The speed was twice that of the earlier feint. If it hit, even with protective gear, his arm would be sliced clean off.

‘I can’t dodge that!’

Panicked, Trebion forgot his dignity and stumbled backward.

Thud—!

Then his feet tangled, and he fell clumsily on his backside. It wasn’t a tactical retreat—he had simply tripped in his desperate scramble to flee. It was a wonder he hadn’t sooner.

All Yuwon needed to do now was raise his sword and point it at Trebion’s neck. That would end the match.

But Yuwon simply stood still and waited.

“…”

A tense silence fell, and the spectators swallowed dryly.

Yuwon knew men like Trebion Curington well.

‘I saw countless of his kind in my past life. These types never admit defeat with their own mouths.’

So he merely waited. Yuwon hadn’t forgotten Terrien’s request—there was still something he needed to collect from the man.

Trebion, fallen in disgrace, and Yuwon, standing still in silence.

Their gazes crossed diagonally from different heights. Yuwon’s icy blue eyes gleamed sharply enough to cut.

The eyes of a monarch. The gaze of a victor.

Under that arrogant, downward stare, Curington grit his teeth and stood once more.

“Eeek…!”

Trebion had never once forfeited a match, even in defeat. Unless a sword was pointed directly at his throat, he could not bring himself to admit defeat.

He stood again and raised his sword. Only then did Yuwon speak.

“I’ll at least acknowledge your resolve.”

And with that, Trebion’s final chance slipped away.

The duel resumed.

A few meaningless exchanges followed. Each time Yuwon slashed or thrust, Trebion barely managed to block or evade.

‘The Second Prince is at least better than this fool.’

Yuwon looked at Trebion with eyes full of disappointment. He had expected that, when cornered, Trebion might reveal something of substance—but the man fell far short of expectation.

Contrary to what Yuwon hoped, Trebion flailed desperately, barely blocking each attack.

Even from his twisted expression, it was clear how much he was struggling.

Even in pure swordsmanship, Trebion was nowhere near capable of countering Yuwon.

‘There’s nothing more to see… I’ll end it here.’

Had Yuwon gone all out, the match would have ended in seconds.

After about two minutes of overwhelming offense, Yuwon decided to put a full stop to the duel.

The moment he made that decision, his blue eyes flashed dangerously.

Pachiiing—!

A white line split through the air. And at the end of that line—

Kwa-jik!

Crimson blood burst forth.

The White Dragon Sword had pierced through Trebion’s right shoulder.

What had always been a pure-white blade was now stained red.

“Kh—Kraaaagh!”

Even without infusing it with mana, the White Dragon Sword had torn through his shoulder, its tip poking out from his back.

Trebion’s shoulder was utterly destroyed. Dropping his sword, he screamed in pain.

The match was over.

Neither the referee nor the gathered crowd spoke a word.

All stood agape, their mouths hanging open in shock.

‘The Fifth Prince defeated Curington…!’

And not just a victory—an overwhelming one.

The notoriously brutal Trebion hadn’t even managed a single proper attack. Instead, he’d been pushed back defensively until the end.

It was Yuwon’s complete and absolute victory.

At that moment, the Second Prince’s title as the Imperial Sword was on the verge of collapse.

On the first day of the swordsmanship tournament, Yuwon and Terrien each fought two matches.

Both achieved flawless victories.

The sight of their dominance before the eyes of countless Houkijisu competitors threw the Imperial Palace into chaos.

“What? The Fifth Prince won against someone?”

“Trebion, of course! Trebion Curington, heir of the Curington Count Family!”

“Don’t joke with me! How could that drugged-up White Dog defeat Curington?”

“Haigo, you still call him that White Dog? Go out now and ask anyone. Ask how the match between the Fifth Prince and Curington went.”

Those who had missed the match were startled once by the unbelievable news, and again by the countless testimonies that confirmed it.

The impossible was being told as if it were the only truth.

The Fifth Prince was not the clear overwhelming favorite like the Second Prince, but he had utterly crushed Curington, who had been considered a strong contender.

Although Tang Yuwon’s feat had somewhat been overshadowed, Terrien’s performance was also much talked about.

Results did not lie. Immediately after the preliminaries, the White Dog had become the White Dragon, and the once-ridiculed “Top Bastard Swordsman” had risen to become a contender for the championship.

Gossips united in singing the Fifth Prince’s transformation.

‘He possessed the courage to confront the Crown Prince and the chivalry to protect knightly honor. Not only had the White Dragon Sword chosen him, but he also had swordsmanship worthy of it. The Fifth Prince was no longer the White Dog. He was the White Dragon.’

‘This year’s champion will be the Fifth Prince!’

‘As expected, General Geiorn’s choice was not wrong. The Fifth Prince suits the White Dragon Sword.’

‘The Fifth Prince had never truly been a ruffian. The act of being a ruffian was merely an excuse to hide from his brothers’ eyes while gathering strength.’

It was not much different from the rumors that had circulated among attendants and eunuchs in the palace before.

Only this time, the speakers of such talk were Houkijisu competitors from across the nation.

The phrase once dismissed as mere rumor — “the Fifth Prince has changed” — now carried weight.

“I never imagined the youngest would be this strong. That brat… he must have had backing.”

Upon hearing the news, the Crown Prince no longer laughed.

“I couldn’t have caught Curington like that. That youngest bastard has been playing us this whole time!”

The Second Prince raged.

“That brat… I never thought he’d be this much… I’ll snuff him out before he grows bigger.”

The Third Prince expressed hostility without hesitation.

“Who would have thought we’d have to recognize the youngest as an enemy….”

The Fourth Prince acknowledged Tang Yuwon as an adversary.

The news reached the Emperor’s hall.

“Your Majesty. Worrying reports from the bracket: the Fifth Prince utterly crushed Curington.”

“Haha, truly he took down Curington. I knew Yurion held many secrets….”

The Emperor, too, was surprised. He had never expected that someone ranked within the Empire’s top three swordsmen among the Houkijisu would be defeated.

“…Indeed, the White Dragon Sword’s choice seems not to have been wrong.”

“Indeed… so it seems.”

“If that’s the case… ‘the Imperial Sword’ might not be the Second Prince after all.”

The Emperor thought Marquis Bradman’s remark might be wrong.

“You think so? No, no. Arencar will still remain the sword’s bearer.”

“…?”

The son who had deceived even the Crown Prince and his brothers — even the Emperor himself.

It had been an unprecedentedly perfect deception. The Emperor’s blood ran cold at the truth that his youngest had been deceiving the world for ten years.

The iron-blooded ruler felt fear emanating from his son.

It had been perfect concealment. Had he wished it, Yurion could have continued concealing himself as a ruffian for years more to build strength. But he had not.

‘He no longer hides.’

Now his son had straightened from his crouch, formed his own force, and had begun to wield his sword.

‘He is ready.’

The youngest, who had once had nothing, aimed to become the Emperor. It would not be a smooth road. Much blood would be spilled on that path.

After much deliberation, the Emperor spoke again.

“‘The Imperial Sword’ be damned. That child… that child will become Emperor.”

“…!”

The marquis nearly choked in surprise. Though he had stood by the Emperor all his life, he had never heard the Emperor speak of succession like this.

What the Emperor had feared had finally come true.

“Then I can only hope that child will be gentler than I.”

The black-shepherd of Aphahiel, Black Lion Yulaios Aphahiel, had seized the throne soaked in the blood of brothers and sisters; he had thought his son would tread the same path.

— Your Highness, this is Hastings. I must briefly leave the library due to an urgent personal matter. I apologize for failing to fulfill my duties as librarian of the Imperial Library.

— While I am absent, the attendants who usually assisted the library will also handle the librarian’s duties. You should have no major difficulty using the library. Until I can return to visit again, may your body remain in good health. Respectfully, Hastings Bartlett.

Tang Yuwon looked up from the letter he had been reading. It had been delivered to him by Marcellus.

“…Hastings left this for you?”

“Yes, I came to deliver it to Your Highness in person, but you were not present, so I took it to keep.”

It was ridiculous.

“So Hastings is not here now.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Hastings was gone. He had emptied the library.

‘No matter how urgent, Hastings would not leave like this,’ Tang Yuwon was certain. A nagging sixth sense made the back of his head throb.

There was only one reason Hastings would vanish so suddenly.

‘That toad-like little snake must have plotted something while I was away.’

Even if that were not the sole reason, Tang Yuwon and Marcellus had matters to resolve regardless. Tang Yuwon made a decision.

“Marcellus.”

Tang Yuwon called softly.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Stop the play. I know everything.”

Tang Yuwon exhaled a chill.

“A play?”

“You only delayed what had to be done. I spared you some mercy so there would be a little more breathing room….”

Marcellus feigned innocence with his shameless face, and Tang Yuwon clenched his fist in anger. Bones cracked audibly in his hand.

“…I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You—what is Your Highness saying… ugh!”

Marcellus, ever the talkative one, was cut off as usual. This time, Tang Yuwon did not stop him with words.

He moved like a thunderbolt and grabbed Marcellus by the scruff of the neck.

“Ugh, uugh!”

Tang Yuwon lifted Marcellus as he was. Muscles twitched in the forearms hidden by the wide sleeves.

“Y-Your Highness. I have sinned for my life. Please forgive me. Tell me what I did… ugh!”

Tang Yuwon had no intention of resolving things kindly. He seized Marcellus’s collar and plunged his head into the nearby washbasin.

Splaak!

Water exploded. Marcellus was plunged so forcefully into the shallow water that the liquid quickly stained crimson with his nosebleed.

“Uff, up. Uff!”

Marcellus flailed his pudgy limbs in the basin. Expressionless, Tang Yuwon gripped Marcellus’s head and held it fixed in the wash.

‘Whatever confidence he had in his scheme, he must have had backing. I’ll break his spirit first. Conversation comes later.’

No matter how much Marcellus struggled, Tang Yuwon remained unmoved. After about a minute, he roughly hauled Marcellus upright.

Now looking like a terrified mouse, Marcellus panted and asked.

“Guh, huff, huff! Your Highness! Wh-Why are you doing this all of a sudden!”

A brazen question, indeed.

“Why do you think I’m doing this?”

Tang Yuwon growled low like a beast in anger.

“I’ll make you remember starting right now.”