Chapter 91: How I Became a Swordmaster After Saving the Crown Prince

A lot has happened.

Even though I knew that the horse His Highness had gifted me was a Pegasus, I didn’t report it. I avoided my duties by using the excuse of participating in military training.

I also didn’t reveal my identity to His Highness, despite drawing the legendary sword, Lightbane, and instead, I took off riding the Pegasus.

But the greatest crime of all? I seated a woman named Eileen on the Pegasus, instead of Princess Yulia, my girlfriend.

I confess to all my wrongdoings. Please show mercy.

Ascal Erindale’s Letter of Apology @

****

“Don’t you think that’s enough, Yulia?” Said Ascal, captured and brought before the royal family.

The moment Ascal was hit with a barrage of arrows, he tried to turn the heavenly turtle around and flee. But with Lia, Arthur, and the Crown Prince working together as a formidable force, they managed to surround and capture him.

‘Is Fer going through a rebellious phase? If only he hadn’t resisted...’

More than anything, it was Fer’s refusal to listen that made the situation worse. Ever since Fer evolved into a golden Pegasus, he’d developed an odd sense of self-awareness. Maybe the trainer badge wasn’t enough.

Lia approached Ascal, who was kneeling. She gently straightened his messy hair with her hand.

“No, it’s not enough,” she said.

“Lia…”

“Are you speaking informally to a princess?”

“Please forgive me, Your Highness, Princess Yulia.”

No hair tie.

Right.

Lia was in full princess mode—tyrant mode.

“Ascal. Do you think I’m angry because you let another woman ride behind you on the Pegasus? Do you see me as someone that petty?”

“Yes.”

Lia pressed down on Ascal’s shoulder with her palm. The pressure increased gradually.

“No, no! Princess Yulia is most merciful!”

“What makes me angry is that you didn’t ask for ‘permission.’ Trust is the most important thing between a man and a woman. If you’d explained the situation beforehand, I would have helped you.”

“You’re absolutely right, Your Highness.”

This time, Ascal had nothing to say.

Think about it. If your boyfriend flew off into the clear blue sky on a Pegasus with another woman, how would you feel? The shock his girlfriend must have felt is unimaginable.

“Haa, more than anything, it was dangerous. Do you know how much I worried while you were gone? I wish you could consider my feelings, just a little.”

Thankfully, it seemed like her lecture was coming to an end.

“I’ll let it go this time, but if it happens again…”

“If it happens?”

Yulia flashed a dark smile as she tapped the gemstone pendant on her necklace.

“There are secret and dangerous spells in magic, you know. Like... a spell that traps someone inside a gemstone and keeps them there.”

“I... I need to find that hair tie.”

Ascal rummaged through his pockets but found nothing but dust.

“Ah. Is this what you’re looking for?”

Yulia dangled the hair tie from her fingertip.

‘She’s seen through me!’

The same trick won’t work twice, it seems.

Yulia gently patted Ascal’s head.

“Your silky, black hair… it’ll look great with obsidian.”

Ascal glanced at the jewel hanging from Yulia’s necklace. It gleamed with a black hue. He swore he could hear it calling out to him—Come on in. It’s so comfortable in here…

It must have been his imagination. Hopefully.

“I’m reflecting on my actions. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Good. That’s what I like to hear, my dear.”

It was only then that Yulia tied her own hair.

She was once again the Lia we all knew.

“You look exhausted after such a long journey, Sir Ascal. How about some warm tea with honey?”

“Honestly, Lia, sometimes your split personality is a little scary.”

“Hehe, if you behave properly, you’ll only see the sweet Lia,” she said, sounding like one of those training instructors who could either be an angel or a demon, depending on how well the recruits behaved.

“Ahem. Is the conversation over?”

“Yes.”

“So, are you two dating?”

Lia froze. Ascal froze.

Come to think of it, the Crown Prince still didn’t know they were dating. They had gotten so caught up in the conversation that they forgot to hide it.

“Congratulations! I was wondering when it would happen. How long has it been?”

“Not long. Just a few days.”

“A great time, then. But you ran off, leaving such a girlfriend behind? Tsk tsk.”

“I’m deeply regretting it.”

The Crown Prince patted Ascal on the shoulder, who was still kneeling, having failed to find the right moment to stand up.

“So, when’s the wedding?”

“Excuse me?”

“When will you hold the ceremony? Once you become Chancellor, you’ll be too busy to even catch your breath, so it’d be best to get it done now. You could even squeeze in a honeymoon.”

The Crown Prince was secretly pleased.

Marriage would be the perfect leash to bind Ascal to the Empire.

Ascal glanced over at Lia.

‘We’re still running away, right?’

‘...Yes. Let’s run away together.’

Ascal thought to himself.

Can I really trust this? What if I wake up tomorrow kidnapped and at the altar?

“I’d like to enjoy this moment as long as possible.”

“Ah, young love. I won’t rush you, then. Anyway, congratulations, Yulia, Ascal.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“Now then—”

The Crown Prince tapped the desk with his fingers. His gaze changed.

He no longer had the look of a brother, but that of the Crown Prince responsible for the Empire.

“...Ascal. I’ll ask just this once.”

“Your Highness, please go ahead.”

“Do you hate the Empire?”

Lia looked a bit flustered.

“Of course not, brother.”

“I’m asking Ascal right now.”

The Crown Prince was genuinely asking Ascal.

“You’ve always wanted to escape from the Empire. And this time, you even hid your identity from me. Also, the lion tribe warriors and the saintess follow you, yet you’ve never mentioned any of this to me.”

You’ve kept important things from me.

How can I trust you?

“Just say it. Say you hate the Empire. If that’s the case, I’ll relinquish my position as Crown Prince and let you go. I can’t force someone who hates this place to stay.”

Speak. And I’ll let you go from the Empire.

It was a tempting offer, one that could lure anyone in.

Well, there’s no other choice.

The one who made this serious was the Crown Prince. Ascal was just the victim here.

Even someone who always smiled kindly had moments when they needed to be serious.

From now on, it’s a conversation between men.

“I...”

Ascal slowly reflected on his past.

The days when he worked as a 9th-rank official in the Empire. When his fellow officials were hunted down by the Emperor’s hounds. The constant wailing that echoed throughout the capital.

The Empire was the worst place imaginable.

“I hate the Empire.”

“I see...”

The Crown Prince muttered as if resigned.

“Is it really a country when they kidnap people at will, drain most of your wealth through taxes, and once you become an official, you can never retire? It’s more like a den of demons.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“Every time I walk down the streets, I see children crying. They say their parents never come home. One time, I bought them some bread because they were hungry.”

That was the Empire.

Corrupt, decayed, and ultimately destined for ruin. It’s no wonder Yulia turned into a tyrant. In this country, she didn’t have a choice.

“Then, the kid shared the bread with a child younger than him, saying crumbs were enough for him. Watching that, I thought to myself, ‘I really need to get out of here.’”

“Why didn’t you run away? The lower ranks don’t get chased too hard.”

“But if I worked just a few more days, I’d get my salary, meager as it was. It was enough to buy my food and help a few starving kids. So I kept missing my chance.”

Ascal had thought about it countless times.

Now, he understood.

The Empire he had seen during his past-life vision wasn’t just a vision—it had actually existed. Sushia was too naive to comprehend it fully, so he couldn’t explain it to her in words. But somehow, the message had still gotten through.

“Am I really someone the Empire needs?”

The Crown Prince thought deeply before answering.

“You are the Empire.”

The Crown Prince recalled:

The improved magic stones.

The hot springs in the wastelands.

The First Emperor’s sword.

Severin Cathedral.

The airship.

The jem frogs.

The purging of corrupt officials.

And all the things he didn’t even know about.

“If it weren’t for you, wouldn’t the Empire have already fallen apart?”

Then, the Crown Prince let out a hearty laugh.

“Help me out, will you?”

His attempt at testing Ascal had failed. His bluff was exposed.

This was the Crown Prince’s true heart.

“To be honest, I don’t really want to be Emperor either.”

He leaned back in his chair.

The smile was gone.

Kain Barba, truthfully, had always wanted to run away.

Governance, diplomacy—it was all tiresome.

All he really wanted was to drink on the plains and ride horses.

“Yulia, would you like to be Emperor in my place?”

“I decline.”

“Why?”

Lia began massaging Ascal’s ears, slowly and firmly.

“In this life, I’ve decided to stay by his side.”

“You speak as if there was a ‘last life.’”

“Yes, and it was dreadful. So, I understand how you feel, brother.”

“Funny joke. Then, Ascal, would you like to be Emperor?”

“Not a chance.”

Kain laughed, defeated. Ascal chuckled too.

“No one wants to be Emperor. I guess it’s up to me, then.”

It was amusing.

There were three people in the room, and all of them wanted to run away.

“So, Ascal? You’ve answered me. Not only are you important to the Empire, but without you, the Empire would collapse. Why did you run?”

“There are still two disasters left in the Empire.”

“Are there already disasters that have passed?”

“The airship—that was originally supposed to fail.”

“Ah. It really was a disaster waiting to happen.”

The Crown Prince shook his head as he imagined the scenario.

“The second one is an ancient dragon. It’s sleeping in Windwall Plains. In a few years, it’ll wake up and wreak havoc. We need to take care of it in advance.”

“Come to think of it, I recall hearing from an astrologer that there were signs of something unusual there.”

“The Lion Tribe warriors and the Saintess have agreed to help. We’ll need your strength too, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince asked,

“Where was I on your list?”

“Fourth, I think… I don’t really remember.”

“Next time, ask me first. Being fourth is a bit of a blow to my pride.”

The Crown Prince joined the dragon raid.

“And what’s the last remaining disaster?”

“Well, that one’s a bit tricky.”

“Why?”

“They only show up when the Empire is halfway to ruin. Should I explain in detail?”

“No, that’s enough. Just let me know when the Empire is halfway destroyed. Though, I doubt that’ll happen.”

Ascal spoke.

“I’m training someone even more capable than me. His name is Sirius. He’s more than qualified to be the Minister of the Evaluation Department. If you want, he could even take my position as Chancellor.”

“Hm. I’ve heard rumors of a genius at Haven Academy.”

“Bernstein and Sirius—they are hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even without me, they’ll have no trouble leading the Empire.”

It was an honest evaluation.

Bernstein had the skills.

Sirius was just straight-up protagonist material.

“I’ll retire after we take down the ancient dragon. Please send me to the west.”

“…Understood.”

In the end, Ascal wanted to leave the Empire.

But...

‘There’s no way someone more capable than you exists in this world.’

The Crown Prince knew it all too well—he couldn’t let Ascal go.

****

“Hahaha! Ascal, you rascal! You were hiding a Pegasus from me!”

“Looks like I’ve finally been caught. Oh dear.”

“And to think it’s a horse I gave you? Honestly, you should’ve at least told me. Not that I’d take it back… well, I can’t promise that.”

The Crown Prince pleaded with Ascal.

“Just let me ride it. Just once.”

“Only once, for real?”

“Three times.”

“All right.”

For men of the Empire, horses were important. Especially when it came to courting women, there was nothing better than a prized steed.

An internal study by the Empire’s newspaper found that men with horses had three times the success rate of confessions compared to those without.

However...

‘Pathetic... A horse is a horse. Why make such a fuss?’

Lia shot them a cold look. One must be careful not to over-obsess with horses, as it could backfire.

“So this is… a Pegasus…”

The Crown Prince was awestruck when he saw Fer.

“His name is Fer. He likes carrots.”

“Ah… May I touch him?”

“Yes, stroke him along the grain to the right.”

“Got it. So your name’s Fer, huh? Good boy.”

The Crown Prince knew his way around horses.

Even Fer, who was normally wary of strangers, seemed indifferent at first, wondering, ‘Who’s this blond man?’ But once he felt the Crown Prince’s touch, he noticed something different.

This man was a master at petting.

“Hiiing!”

“It seems Fer likes you, Your Highness. That’s rare.”

“Good. Fer, would it be all right if I rode you?”

The Crown Prince slowly approached Fer. The Pegasus stood still, and as the Crown Prince drew near, Fer lowered his body.

“He’s saying it’s okay for one ride.”

“Ah…”

The Crown Prince gently mounted Fer’s saddle.

“This seating… the soft, rhythmic motion of his back… the scent of well-groomed fur… Without a doubt, a five-star experience. Absolutely perfect.”

He took the reins.

“Let’s go, Fer.”

In this moment, it was just the Crown Prince and the horse.

Seeing how utterly happy he looked, Ascal decided to step back and give him some space.

“Oh! Am I flying? Am I really flying? This is amazing! Incredible!”

Soon, Fer lifted off the ground, soaring into the air.

The Crown Prince’s hair fluttered in the wind as he flew. He looked truly ecstatic.

This was the perfect opportunity for the Crown Prince to blow off all the stress he’d built up.

“Perhaps I was born for this very moment!”

The Crown Prince tossed off his cumbersome outer robe.

“It’s getting in the way!”

Then he kicked off his shoes.

And with that, he performed a stunt, standing on Fer’s back with both feet.

‘Wait. This pattern…?’

Ascal froze for a second.

“This is amazing!”

“Hold on, Your Highness! Don’t get too carried away!”

But the Crown Prince, already soaring high into the sky, couldn’t hear Ascal’s warning.

At last, he stripped down to nothing but his underwear.

To feel the cool breeze on his bare skin.

“It’s still too hot! This isn’t enough!”

The final line.

The Crown Prince was about to remove his last piece of clothing.

In the original timeline, the Crown Prince had fallen off his horse and died from this very stunt. Could it happen again this time?

Ascal started to panic.

‘I need to do something!’

He hastily whistled to Fer, but it seemed the Pegasus didn’t hear.

‘No choice.’

Ascal pulled out a poison dart he had received from the Lion Tribe.

Carefully, he took aim.

‘This is my one shot.’

To retire in peace, he had to keep the Crown Prince alive.

By now, the Crown Prince had stripped off everything but his underwear. Pieces of clothing rained down from the sky.

And just as he was about to remove that, too...

Fwoosh—

The special poison dart from the Lion Tribe flew.

‘Direct hit.’

The Crown Prince looked puzzled for a moment before slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

Ascal rushed toward the falling prince.

This was bad.

‘Crap.’

The Crown Prince, losing his balance, began plummeting.

****

A scenario flashed through Ascal’s mind in an instant.

He’d be accused of the Crown Prince’s murder by “reckless negligence.” Even someone like Ascal couldn’t talk his way out of that one.

At best, it’d be an execution without pain. At worst, being torn limb from limb.

This was a critical moment.

Ascal summoned every ounce of strength in his body.

He focused all his power into his thighs, running as fast as he could and leaping with all his might. Had he ever pushed himself this hard before?

“Huff, huff!”

In this very moment, Ascal was shining the brightest.

Not just metaphorically, but literally. He was glowing with a golden light.

A life force he’d never felt before surged through him.

“Please let me reach him!”

With a jump that would put mountain deer to shame, Ascal executed a Golden Jump.

Whoosh—

“Got him.”

He caught the falling Crown Prince safely in his arms.

But the real challenge came next.

How was he supposed to land safely while carrying the heavy Crown Prince?

At this rate, it wouldn’t be the Crown Prince who had a problem—Ascal’s entire body was about to shatter on impact.

“Fer!”

Luckily.

Fer, realizing a bit late that his rider had fallen off, flew swiftly toward them.

“Fer! Crown Prince pass! Catch!”

Using the momentum, Ascal tossed the Crown Prince like a Border Collie fetching a frisbee. Fer skillfully caught the Crown Prince on his back.

It was a remarkable feat.

‘But what about me…?’

The ground was rapidly approaching.

‘Right! I have Lightbane!’

Ascal quickly unsheathed Lightbane.

「I was having such a nice dream... What’s going on, master? Wait, are we fall—」

“Extend your length as far as you can!”

Lightbane had the ability to adjust its length.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lightbane stopped talking nonsense and immediately extended its length.

It stretched out to the size of a pole.

It was like wielding the legendary staff of Sun Wukong.

Ascal drove Lightbane into the ground and slowly shortened the blade’s length.

It was an ingenious last-minute solution.​

Ascal finally landed safely on the ground, gasping for breath.

“Huff, huff…”

「Master.」

“Lightbane.”

The two exchanged glances.

Then, Ascal gave a high-five to the sword’s handle as it flew back to him.

****

“That’s what happened.”

“You’re not making this up, are you? There’s no way I just stripped off all my clothes…”

Ascal explained everything that had happened while the Crown Prince was unconscious—minus the part about the poison dart.

“I do remember riding the Pegasus and flying through the sky…”

But it seemed the Crown Prince, possibly due to the effects of the dart, had forgotten some recent events.

“I just remember feeling incredibly free. It’s like all my stress vanished.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Haha. Let’s do it again sometime. I still have two more rides left.”

Ascal nodded absentmindedly.

‘There’s no way I’m letting him do that again. Not ever.’

After leaving the Crown Prince’s room, Ascal felt strangely lighter.

His body felt...different. Every single muscle seemed more defined, more alive.

“Even drinking the heavenly water didn’t feel this good.”

And for some reason, he had a strong urge to swing his sword. In an empty garden, Ascal unsheathed Lightbane.

Then...

「Congratulations, Master.」

“What are you talking about?”

「I can tell. You’ve become a Swordmaster.」

“What nonsense is that?”

「It’s true. Try to feel it.」

Swordmaster? That sounds like a joke. If it were that easy, even the neighbor’s dog, Jax, would be a Swordmaster.

But as Ascal assumed a mid-guard stance with his sword, he found himself speechless.

A brilliant golden aura radiated from his blade.

Otherwise known as ‘sword aura’.

The definitive proof of a Swordmaster.

‘How…? What did I even do?’

****

――The most important step to becoming a Swordmaster is breaking past one’s limits.

――Many have faltered just one step short, unable to cross that threshold.

――True enlightenment often comes in moments of crisis.

――Only when powerful will and a disregard for one’s own life combine can the wall be shattered.

****

「You survived death twice, didn’t you? If you look at old stories, it’s not uncommon for a knight to become a Swordmaster after saving their lord.」

“Does saving a prince who almost fell off a horse while naked count?”

「A remarkable example, if you ask me. I’ll store this story deep in my memory. I’m truly moved, Master.」

Ascal Erindale.

He had awakened as the Empire’s second Swordmaster.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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