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Chapter 63
Chapter 63
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]
Chapter 63
Kane barely managed to shake off Isaac and returned to his quarters.
“What a persistent leech.”
Was it because he had too much free time now that he had become the Crown Prince?
“What did you get from the treasury?” Issac bothered kane about it for hours.
He was eager to interrogate him all day long.
If his quarters had been inside the royal palace, he wouldn’t have let him go until he talked.
It was a huge relief that his quarters were outside the royal palace.
“Isn’t that right, Blata?”
“…”
Blata’s voice was nowhere to be heard.
Curious, Kane turned around to see Blata sulking in the corner, facing away.
It was unmistakably the behavior of a puppy when it’s sulking.
“Are you going to keep sulking?”
“…”
Blata remained silent.
He looked pitiful and wretched.
Despite that, Kane felt an urge to tease him more.
Above all,
‘What a smart fatty, he’s trying to sneak a glance.’
Kane moved quietly.
As he expected, Blata was sneaking a sideways glance at him.
“What are you doing?”
When Kane suddenly surprised him,
“Ahhh!”
Blata, the supposed seed of evil, fell over backward.
Despite being from a ferocious evil breed, he was incredibly timid.
He was falling over from just a little scare.
“Wahhh! It’s unfair. My bloodstone was right in front of me.”
“It’s not yours, it’s mine.”
“Same thing! With that bloodstone, I could have instantly regained half of my original strength!”
“I didn’t know that.”
This was true.
It was something he learned for the first time now.
But he couldn’t give up the bloodstone.
The only weapon that could withstand his bloodlust was a weapon made from bloodstone.
“I’ll get you something similar to the bloodstone.”
Blata’s ears perked up.
Even so, Blata pretended to be uninterested.
“It’s a bloodstone, but it’s a shame. If I could absorb the power inside, I could regain some strength.”
Bloodstones aren’t as common as other elemental minerals.
They are stones that only come from a very few rare and strong mythical monsters.
“You’ll get me a bloodstone, what do you say?” Blata immediately showed interest.
“You know bloodstones only come from mythical or legendary divine beasts, right?”
“Yes, yes!”
“I’ll get you that bloodstone.”
Blata, who had been grinning, looked at Kane with suspicion.
“Even for you, divine beasts are tough to handle.”
“I never said I’d get it right away.”
“Then that’s that!”
“If I had a sword made from a bloodstone, I could quickly become stronger. Just endure a little longer until then.”
“Fine.”
Blata’s whining gradually subsided.
The door opened, and Camilla entered with some food.
“My Lord, it’s time to eat.”
There was stew with meat, bread, and fruit.
The smell of the food made Blata’s tail wag furiously.
“Let’s eat.”
Blata took an elegant pose to prepare.
He was dignified before eating, but the moment he tasted the food, he began to eat ravenously.
As Camilla put food in her mouth, she glanced at Kane.
“Do you have something to ask?”
“What did you take from the imperial treasury?”
“A bloodstone.”
Kane told her honestly.
Camilla seemed to understand immediately what the bloodstone was, her eyes widening.
“Didn’t you drink it right away?”
It was a well-known fact that things like the ‘Blood Star’ (Bloodstone) or ‘Light Star’ (Lightstone) were highly potent elixirs.
However, these elixirs were sometimes made into weapons or accessories.
The most efficient use was to make them into weapons.
“I plan to make it into a weapon.”
“Is that possible?”
“If it weren’t, I wouldn’t be telling you.”
“I’ve never heard of making a weapon from an elixir.”
“Of course not. This fact will only be known seven years from now.”
The bloodstone sword.
It was the sword held by the blood knight.
It was famous for having cut off one of the wings of the archangel Michael.
Of course, now that name is forgotten.
“How are Sasha and Rose?”
“I haven’t heard from them since we parted.”
“I guess I should find time to visit them.”
Since the first day, he hadn’t seen them at all.
“They must have been very surprised.”
“Of course. Master Sasha and Miss Rose hadn’t seen you in a long time.”
“Once the Star Ball starts, you’ll be busy, so you should see them beforehand.”
Kane nodded at Camilla’s words.
* * *
Fresia Imperial Military Academy’s First Training Hall
“That’s it for today. Review all the imperial swordsmanship techniques.”
The swordsmanship lecture had ended.
As the students’ chatter filled the hall, the new swordsmanship instructor spoke up.
“I have an order to convey from the school administration.”
The students’ eyes focused on the instructor.
“Any student who has ever bullied a fellow student should voluntarily come forward.”
The room fell silent.
The students exchanged uneasy glances.
When no one stepped forward, the instructor continued.
“If found out later, not only will you be expelled from the Imperial Military Academy, but your future in the Fresia Empire will be blocked.”
The instructor’s warning was terrifying.
“Even the heirs of noble families are not exempt. The Emperor’s decree states that all positions will be stripped. So come forward now.”
The students’ faces turned pale.
Hearing that no one was exempt, even those who had done nothing wrong felt their hearts race.
“Um, Instructor.”
“Are you confessing voluntarily?”
“No… Is it a crime to be a bystander?”
Everyone focused on the instructor’s response.
The instructor thought for a moment and then answered.
“Being a bystander can also be a crime. Ignoring injustice goes against the spirit of chivalry.”
At these firm words, students began to step forward one by one.
In the end, most of the students stepped forward.
“We will separate those who directly inflicted harm and those who were bystanders. Line up accordingly.”
There were only one or two students in the perpetrator line.
Almost all of them stood in the bystander line.
The instructor created a list based on this and approached Sasha.
“Check if this list is accurate.”
The instructor was displeased with Sasha.
He believed that Sasha’s issues had caused this situation.
“…”
“Is the list incorrect?”
Under the instructor’s intimidating demeanor, Sasha shook his head.
“N-no, it’s correct.”
At that moment,
“You sure have a lousy way of handling things. Asking if the list is correct in front of everyone, as if they’d really tell the truth.”
Kane entered the training hall with Camilla, approaching Sasha.
“Sir Kane…”
The instructor’s face hardened.
Memories of a few days ago resurfaced.
Kane’s ruthless nature.
He killed without a hint of hesitation.
He could be mistaken for a demon.
He was nothing like the guardian lord revered by the people of the Fresia Empire.
“Stop messing around and let them be.”
“Are you defying the Emperor’s orders?”
The new instructor was one of Crown Prince Isaac’s men.
He knew how much Isaac was concerned about Kane.
Therefore, he maintained his decorum.
However, hearing Kane challenge the Emperor’s authority made his tone unintentionally sharp.
“If you received the Emperor’s orders, you should conduct a thorough investigation. Your face shows you’re doing something you don’t want to.”
“Brother, stop it.”
Sasha grabbed Kane’s arm.
He still couldn’t get used to Kane’s new demeanor.
Despite Sasha’s attempt to stop him, Kane continued to speak his mind.
“Listen up, all of you. Anyone connected to Mateo, I will hunt you down and slaughter you.”
Kane’s low voice was filled with an icy, murderous intent.
It was the bloodlust he had gained from killing thousands, tens of thousands of enemies in the past.
How could mere 16-year-old children withstand it?
The swordsmanship instructor tried to protect the students from Kane’s killing intent.
But it was an overwhelming presence.
“Try hiding behind your parents. Let’s see if my sword is sharper or their shields are stronger.”
For a moment, the instructor felt his heart drop.
This was a completely different atmosphere from a few days ago.
‘Was he not showing all his power before? His presence is heavier and more solid than when I first saw him… damn.’
Despite being an High-Tier 4th-class warrior, he was crushed by Kane’s aura.
Some students even fainted because of it.
“Sir Kane, please stop. The children are struggling…”
“Brother!”
At Sasha’s plea, Kane withdrew his killing intent.
The heavy atmosphere dissipated as if nothing had happened.
“There won’t be a second warning.”
Kane left the training hall with Sasha.
—
At the Courtyard of the Imperial Military Academy
Sitting opposite Kane were Sasha and Rose.
Blata was bouncing between Sasha and Rose, gleefully causing a commotion.
“Hehe, I am Blata, the greatest guardian spirit of demons, sitting in such a high place.”
“Only because you’re Kane’s sibling do I let you touch me. Remember that, hehe.”
Kane pushed Blata aside.
“Move away so I can treat the kids.”
Blata refused to give up and quickly snuggled back into Rose’s arms.
“I can still help with the treatment.”
“You’re a distraction, fatso.”
“No!”
Kane and Blata bickered back and forth, neither willing to give in.
Camilla, looking around at the onlookers, finally spoke up.
“My Lord, there are too many eyes here. It would be better to go somewhere quieter for the treatment.”
“Why should I?”
“It’s just showing off the power you’ve been hiding all this time.”
“I have no intention of hiding it. Besides, no one will understand the true source of my power even if they see it.”
Only a few people knew about the Blood Rune.
Even if someone did know, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Keeping his power hidden only to reveal it with a flourish wasn’t his style.
“It could make our enemies more cautious.”
“Good for me then. They won’t move recklessly.”
“I know you’re strong, my lord. But the continent is full of powerful people. You need to be humble.”
Kane chuckled at Camilla’s concern.
He knew better than anyone how many powerful beings there were.
It was said that the Twelve Star Lords were the strongest on the continent.
But behind them were even greater monsters.
God’s agents and the Celestials.
The House of the sun was the most representative of such a lineage.
‘To move the Meyer Family, I must be the bait myself.’
One of the Meyer family’s duties was to prevent Blood Knights from emerging.
Blood Knights were beings far beyond human strength.
They were a threat to the gods.
‘The Meyer family isn’t helping Hatzfeld. They’re using them to keep Blood Knights from appearing and are messing up the continent in the process.’
This was a story that hadn’t been fully revealed when he played the game.
‘Once I was fooled, but not twice.’
Everything might have seemed spontaneous and emotional.
But Kane had thought through his actions.
One reason he aimed to establish the Belmore Military Academy was to protect and bring back Sasha and Rose, who were far away to near home.
And if they could gain real combat experience through demonic battles, they would become stronger much faster than before.
This would be a great help in destroying Hatzfeld and the Meyer family.
“Alright, just keep a good lookout. Stop anyone from approaching, no matter who it is.”
“Leave it to me!”
Camilla’s confident reply.
Kane wondered what might be coming that she could answer with such certainty.
He chuckled softly.
“I trust you.”
“Yes! As the great guardian spirit of-”
Blata interrupted, eager to assert his presence to Sasha and Rose.
It had been a while since he introduced himself.
“-I am Vladimir du Pavil Regil…”
Kane’s response was to ignore him.
Blata realized Kane was disregarding him.
But he pretended not to notice.
Interrupting his own name would mean admitting inferiority.
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]