I Became the First Prince: Legend of Sword's Song

Chapter 196

Light a fire (2)

“A few years ago, I would have agreed in saying that the third princeps is the epitome of incompetence and greed. However, considering the skills the third princeps has revealed in the war with Dotrin, he can’t possibly be regarded as incompetent.”

It didn’t take Malcoy long to challenge my opinion after he learned who the enemy’s commander-in-chief was.

“The imperial nobles greatly appreciate the possibility that the third princeps has been hiding his abilities, waiting to bear them up until now. I agree with their opinion on him.”

Malcoy emphasized that the princeps was one of the most promising candidates for succession to the imperial throne, saying that I would not know of this because I am not an imperial.

“If, as past rumors go, the third princeps was such a greedy and incompetent idiot, he would never have been able to make such a great contribution in the war against Dotrin.”

Malcoy repeatedly warned me to pay heed to the third princeps.

“Your Highness wasn’t there, so it might not impress you. However, as a participant in the Dotrin invasion, I can say that it was no easy task to retreat to the mainland by marshaling all the troops after the occupied fortresses have collapsed, and while Dotrin’s forces were counterattacking.”

When I didn’t pay attention to Malcoy’s warnings, he sighed and started sharing his painful memories.

“Of the thirty or so legions of the Empire that invaded Dotrin, only the third princeps’ army became aware of the collapsing fortresses in advance. They did not suffer much damage and defeated Dotrin’s persistent pursuit, recovered other troops safely, and finally reached the mainland.”

Malcoy had spoken a whole lot up to this point, and his expression seemed to implore me that it would be worthwhile to be alert about the third princeps. Rather than being vigilant, I was on the verge of laughing.

“At his level, it should be said that the princeps has proved his ability to the extent of a true general.”

The third princeps didn’t just make mistakes; he made them over a long time. He never proved anything; he merely ate what I fed him.

“There is no way that the Dotrin Kingdom could have failed to notice the position of the third princeps,” added Malcoy, and this time his words were close to the facts. The Dotrin Royal Army fought while observing the circumstances of the third princeps from start to finish. When they harried his forces, they kept a proper distance so the princeps could save face. When the fort was destroyed, the third princeps was informed in advance so that he could avoid the collapse.

Even when Dotrin launched a frenzied attack on the imperial forces retreating from the front, they merely pretended to chase the third princeps’ army, though never launching a proper assault.

I explained all these circumstances to Malcoy.

“How did you do that?”

Of course, he didn’t readily believe me.

“It’s because I was also there. At that time, I was not a prince but a mercenary.”

Malcoy’s eyes eventually widened, and the surprise was evident on his face as he heard the strange words flowing from me. Malcoy’s reaction wasn’t that strange. It would’ve been weirder if it was easy to believe that the successor to the throne of one country cheated by fighting as a mercenary in another country’s war. I picked up the sword I had placed on the council room table.

‘A soldier, he dies, and becomes six silver coins

A knight, he dies, and becomes thirty coins of gold

Victory is nothing but an honor

And only in my death-filled hall

Will there ever be truth’

Within my mind, I recited the dance poem of the mercenary king, the one I had sung night and day on the frontlines of Dotrin. Malcoy looked at me blankly, confused, not knowing why I had suddenly drawn my sword.

I injected mana into my sword, making sure Malcoy had the blade in sight.

‘Pwa~’

A yellowish light burst across the blade.

“High Seabreeze Fortress. Sword Master of the Golden Aura Blade.”

“Hut!” Malcoy exclaimed as his head twitched back in surprise, his eyes wide as he understood the meaning of my words.

“Is your Highness the leader of the Veil Mercenary Company, Ian?”

“Veil was the title of the person dearest to me, and Ian was the nickname he used to call me.”

I gave a light chuckle as I shortly summarized all I had done in Dotrin.

“I was also the Swordmaster of Dotrin who captured the third princeps. I was the collaborator who helped the princeps escape. I imprinted the weaknesses of High Seabreeze Fortress into his mind countless times so that the stupid third princeps would not forget them while escaping in terror.”

I happily laughed when I saw Malcoy look at me, his mouth agape.

“Because the princeps was so stupid, he couldn’t eat what he was given, so I had to force the knowledge down his throat.”

Malcoy had stared blankly at me as I told him this; he now spoke.

“Then the original rumors are true? The third princeps is an incompetent and greedy idiot.”

Malcoy reorganized the current situation based on the facts I told him.

“The reason you increased the third princeps’ prestige by driving him toward greater success was to confuse the Empire by making the incompetent princeps the most powerful candidate for succession to the throne.”

Malcoy even quickly identified the intentions I hadn’t told him of. He didn’t figure out that I had purposes other than confusing the Empire, however. My desires were far greater: I hoped that the third princeps would become the emperor of the Burgundy Empire. I expected that his uncommon, disastrous nature would fully bloom and the Millennium Empire would collapse without leaving a cornerstone standing.

I clearly remembered the moment I had first met the third princeps.

It was a time when I had felt small, faced with the true power of the Empire as I crossed over its vast territories and through its prosperous cities. It was a time when a part of me believed that the Empire’s overwhelming national power would not collapse. Then, the third princeps appeared before me like a ray of starlight in the dark.

I was actually blinking at the time as if again seeing the arrogant and unscrupulous idiot prince of Leonberg before me. The princeps’ sloppy traits floated above his head.

[—][Nobleman] [Self-Confident] [Greedy] [Reckless] [Horny] [Violent][—]

The traits informing me of his trashy nature didn’t even catch my eye. An imperial princeps was born on top of the world and would be prone to be greedy, and it seemed natural that he did not know moderation. It must have been the same for Prince Adrian Leonberger, who was a ruined soul as well. What I noticed weren’t the traits of the princeps’ personality, but something more innate to his temperament. Something that couldn’t be changed by anything.

For example, it was like the characteristics of Adelia’s [War Mania] and [Butcher].

In truth, the princeps’ trait was so terrible that it made [War Mania] seem cute.

[Deathbringer]; the third princeps was born with the fate of a slayer. Since ancient times, those born with [Deathbringer] fell into two classes: Either they destroyed themselves by going mad on their own or destroyed their surroundings by committing many forms of evil.

The former persons belonged to the class that was incompetent enough to be unable to do evil in the world, while the latter belonged to the class that destroyed the world around them because of their skill. The third princeps, as I knew him, definitely fell into the former category.

He was born with the trait of [Deathbringer] but lacked any talent. He had even been unable to win the competition between the principes; he was trash that could easily be eliminated, trash that could only harass his subordinates without cultivating the grander traits within them. He would end up dying alone, causing his own demise.

I had no intention of watching the third princeps self-destruct. He was a human resource rare in this world, and he was born into the Empire! I would not let his birth be in vain. What would be worse than that? I could never let it happen, never let him go to waste.

If necessary, I would give him another ability to replace his lack of talent. I decided to talk to the third princeps if I happened to see him. It was fortunate that he was not the disaster of an ordinary family or the fool of a noble family. The third princeps also had another terrible trait, just as terrible as [Deathbringer].

[Destroyer] made the princeps the incarnation of entropy, of breakdown, giving him the excellent ability to destroy all things that are fine. And that such a man was the direct blood descendant of the Burgundy family, with rights to succession!

The third princeps now had enough justification and history to hold onto his power and make up for the lowly qualities and incompetence inherent to his body.

All he ever needed was a triumph and a good reputation, and in the war with Dotrin, his reputation had reached the point of overflowing. Now I just had to wait – we just had to wait for the moment when his disastrous traits bloomed. It will be a sublime pleasure to look forward to, to see whether [Deathbringer] or [Destroyer] would bloom first. If they bloom all at once, like Adelia’s traits in the past, it would be even better. While I thought about the third princeps for a while, Malcoy seemed to have put his thoughts in order. He was staring at me.

His gaze was strange, and it felt familiar somehow.

“To think that your Highness was the Swordmaster who played an active part on the Dotrin front.”

It was like…

“Countless imperial knights and wizards retreated, speaking of a lone warrior they had faced.”

Malcoy’s gaze was like how I looked at Jordan.

“And the same Swordmaster who was laughed at for proclaiming himself a one-man legion finally proved the truth of his words.”

The way Malcoy looked at me felt as if he was watching for something to scold me about. I wasn’t an infantry commander like Jordan, who had to be kept in line. I was the imposing Crown Prince of the kingdom, who had appointed Malcoy as a new member of my staff, and he dared look at me with such a scrutinizing gaze?

“It’s time to adjust all your operations,” I told Malcoy, and he suddenly looked at me with a gleaming face. “What I ask might be hard, but modify your plans so that we can gain some face for the third princeps.”

“How much should we offer up just to make him look good?” Malcoy asked, readily understanding my request.

I thought for a moment before answering.

“It would be appropriate if it’s a victory away from the main strongpoints on the border. If necessary, you can give up a small fort or citadel. In no case should Leonberg’s soldiers die in vain.”

“It’s difficult. Defeat, but don’t let the soldiers die.”

“Also, don’t forget that we should be able to take the victory back from the Imperial Army several times over later.”

“You’re creating an increasingly difficult order. Is there anything else I should have in mind?”

I gave the most important command without hesitating.

“The third princeps’ safety must be ensured in all cases.”

Malcoy gave me an absurd look as he heard this, finding it ludicrous that the enemy’s commander-in-chief was an asset to the allies.

“It is not easy to implement it just because you wish it. Will those who are imperial principes and commanders even be exposed to danger in the first place?”

Hearing Malcoy dismiss my request as if it was insignificant, I told him again.

“The third princeps must be saved.”

“I know. The third princeps will not be hurt in any case.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“If anyone hears us now, they will think Leonberg has won the war. You’re already trying to save the enemy’s commander-in-chief.”

Malcoy hurriedly pointed out my impatience, but I didn’t care. I knew that it was common sense to say that the third princeps, commander-in-chief, and candidate for the succession to the imperial throne, would not easily be injured or directly damaged on the battlefield.

The princeps was beyond common sense, however. He had already been taken prisoner in Dotrin, and I swear that neither I nor Dotrin’s forces intended to do so. It would have looked unnatural to let the defeated guy go, so I was forced to take him prisoner. Dotrin’s commanders were quite annoyed, as they were forced to modify plans that had already been established.

Of course, if it happened just once, you could chalk it up to an accident brought on by the zeal and motivation of a young princeps. However, that wasn’t the only time that the third princeps had exposed himself to danger.

If someone were to ask me what my most difficult moment was on the frontlines of the Domed Kingdom, I would answer without hesitation that every moment that the third princeps appeared on the battlefield was the most challenging.

The third princeps put himself into the path of dangers that he could not counter as if he had wanted to die. I had to run around like crazy so that the princeps was not killed by knights and soldiers who knew nothing of his value. And this without letting my allies or enemies understand what I was doing. I had to make the princeps avoid being killed or injured by a blind arrow or blade so that he could set up his reputation and leave the frontline intact.

So, I protected the third princeps throughout the first invasion. It was through fortune that he did not enter direct battle in the second invasion. If I had to keep up with the princeps in the forest, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it anymore, and I might have killed him.

It had been a very strange scenario. A lot of terrified men died in that forest, like ghosts, yet the princeps survived. I decided to warn Malcoy again.

“Malcoy. By all means, it is nice to hope that the last two wars have made the third princeps more careful.”

He might have changed so much that he now chose to protect himself behind a strong shield rather than being as reckless as his former self. Either way, I hoped he wouldn’t be as wild as a thunderbolt in this war.

Unfortunately, my wishes were denied far too quickly. It happened when the enemy’s main force had not yet reached our position; on the day when I secretly exited the citadel with a handful of knights, Percival included, to intercept enemy scouts who had crossed the border.

The third princeps was among those reconnaissance units that we targeted.

“I cannot turn away.”

I sighed, for I couldn’t ignore it; pretend that I had not seen them. The reason was that the princeps’ companions were very attractive prey: Five wizards, one paladin, and many pretty good knights. If we left them like this, they would cause harm to numerous of our allies.

I thought about it over and over again, but the answer had been determined from the beginning.

“The reason why the emperor did not remove the incompetent princeps, who might become a nuisance later, is because he obviously expected his son to be short-lived. Because he has the talent to find the place of his own death,” I mumbled, sighed, and then instructed the knights, who readied themselves to spring the ambush.

“Ready for battle.”

The knights silently pulled out crossbows as they heard my order. And at that moment, the enemy’s scouting unit, which had been approaching unsuspectingly, stopped. The paladin stepped in front of the princeps. He must have halted the ranks after he noticed signs of our ambush.

‘Pwoo~’

A wave of energy, different in nature from that of knights, materialized. One moment later, a translucent membrane appeared and covered the front of the reconnaissance unit.

It was a magical shield created by the wizards.

“The element of surprise is gone,” I noted.

Percival nodded at me.

“Shall we back down from this, then? The paladin and five wizards are already poised, as well as the regular knights. It will not be easy to face their power from the front- Your Highness?”

Percival’s words were already behind my back after I raised my lowered body.

The energy of the imperial scouting unit vibrated when they saw me. The wizards coldly laughed as they touched their lips while the paladin had a serious look about him as he blocked the princeps’ front.

“Kill all the knights and wizards,” I ordered.

I was looking at the idiot, who always searched for a place to die. He was staring around himself, not knowing what the situation was, with a face that looked as if he found the entire scenario to be a petty game. He didn’t even know that he was the prey and we the predators.

“I’ll let that stupid guy live and then look for a chance to let him escape again.”

I charged across the ground as I aimed my body toward the third princeps.

‘Bwshaak!’

At that very moment, flames created by the wizards, as wells as ice, snow, and thunderbolts, poured towards me at once.

I slashed my sword toward the mana storm without hesitating.