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

Chapter 258

Bloom in Difficulty (4)

A brilliant corona of light embraced Adelia. Her face, bathed in radiance, looked terribly reverent and noble. It was like long ago, in the ruins of the giants’ castle, when the founder of the Bavaria family completed the first verse of [Poetry of Sudden Change].

However, it wasn’t exactly the same.

While Agnes dance poem was a song of hope dedicated to all suffering humans, Adelia’s was solely a song of devotion and worship toward her master. I was still looking at Adelia when a messenger voice I hadn’t heard for a time whispered to me.

It explained what I would get from the poem’s effects, which was finally perfected after achieving the condition. I don’t know whether we could feel each others’ existence no matter where we were. But I did know that, in some cases, feelings and willpower could indeed be shared. If certain conditions were fulfilled, it was indeed possible to sing a dance poem with separate verses.

The message didn’t really get into my head, but it had gone something like that. The only thing that mattered to me right now was the presence of my dear Adelia. Because of me, she unwillingly walked upon the road of knighthood.

She was a simple woman who was far happier when she stood behind me instead of unleashing her sword, even while being one of the best knights in the kingdom.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Adelia. Her dignified appearance was so dazzling. She stood still, her eyes closed, with her sword basking in radiant light.

I was impressed, and the tip of my nose started itching.

Until I first saw Adelia for what she was, I would never have imagined that we would be in this relationship. At the time, she was only a poor girl who suffered from an idiot prince’s abuse; she would jerk her shoulders in surprise at the slightest sound.

I felt the strong bonds between Adelia’s soul and mine. It was as if we had been one from the very beginning — as if we had never been separate. A kind of fullness I had never felt before uplifted my soul.

The light faded, yet the fullness that filled one side of my chest did not disappear.

Just then, Adelia opened her eyes.

Even now, when the aura of light that had surrounded her body disappeared, the golden light flickering in her eyes remained. And then, even it faded away completely.

I could see that there was a sense of embarrassment in Adelia after the changes had occurred.

“Your Highness,” Adelia called to me.

I quietly nodded. The doubts and shame that had been so strong in her eyes quickly subsided, and she, in turn, gave off a bright smile.

Then, in a clear voice, Adelia once more spoke the promise she had made that day.

“I will live the rest of my life only as your Highness’s sword.”

“Adelia Bavaria offers her sword.”

Her curt words became poetry, became an oath.

of Subordination] changes[—]

[—][Poetry of Subordination] becomes [Poetry of Oath][—]

Her oath once again became a new poem, experiencing a truly ironic fate.

A dance poem written by a woman who had no desire to become a knight was now a song about a knight’s oath. However, it wasn’t all that surprising: Adelia’s ancestor, Agnes a knight beyond knights, a great hero once called the Queen of Knights.

No, it wasn’t surprising for Agnes’s descendant to make a true knightly oath. Of course, considering Adelia’s nature, it might seem a bit surprising, but it didn’t matter at all.

No matter what poem she formed, even if it was one so ominous as to be catastrophic, to me she would always be my dear Adelia.

It was like that in the past, it was so now, and it shall be so in the future. Knowing of that constant loyalty, I also looked at Adelia with trusting eyes.

In that moment-

[—]There is a new verse in [Poem of Dominance], which before had only a name and no verses[—]

A message now popped into my mind.

“I sing of the prince’s grace as I dedicate my sword and soul.”

‘I will make you a knight, so be brave, faithful, and loyal,’ was a phrase that I wouldn’t have thought of, but as soon as I heard Adelia’s song, it came to my mind. I laughed brightly.

“Thanks, Adelia.”

She also laughed with me without knowing why I laughed. We looked at each other for some time as we laughed. I then gave a downward glance.

“Your Highness?” Adelia, staring at my face, came to understand the meaning of my glance and knelt before me one moment later. But still, I saw that she didn’t understand exactly what I was trying to do; her face was full of questions.

I drew Twilight, and standing in front of Adelia, I raised my sword high, twisted the blade flat, and tapped it upon her shoulders.

Then I looked straight at Adelia with a blank face and sang [Poem of Dominance].

“I make you a knight. Be courageous, faithful, and loyal.”

Adelia’s eyes stretched wide.

“Well, your Highness…”

Her eyes filled with tears. She smiled and lifted her chin. “For my entire future, you are my sword.”

“I will be a great knight worthy to serve in your Highness’s name.”

I nodded. No more, no less — it was enough for Adelia to remain as she was.

“Well, your Highness…”

Adelia looked at me, her voice trembling as she spoke and then shut her lips tight. In the past, tears would have burst from her right away. As I watched Adelia hold back her tears, she stood up and straightened her back. An arrogant emotion arose from my heart, feeling both sad and unique — Boldness.

Was this how a father felt toward his mature daughter? Does Siorin’s heart when he looks at Arwen feel like this?

However, although the emotions were similar, there was a decisive difference between Siorin and me: I have already raised countless knights and watched them leave my hands.

Regret was nothing to me. I knew it; I definitely thought so.

The tip of my nose was itching a lot today. I didn’t know if it was because of feeling the first true emotion in this human body, or because I had always felt guilty about Adelia. All that was certain was that she was no longer a sore finger to me; she had mastered herself.

I rubbed the tip of my nose, unable to stop myself. As I rubbed and soothed my frown, I suddenly felt a sense of incongruity. Our surroundings were strangely quiet.

I felt countless gazes that seemed to prick over my skin. I turned my head.

Almost all of the troops, both from above and below the fortress walls, were looking at Adelia. Even the mercenaries were looking our way through the wide-open gate.

There was Vincent; there were Eli and Carls.

Vincent looked at me in a somewhat apologetic manner, as if I was asking him what he was doing here. What dissatisfied me was Eli, who only grunted and stood with his mouth agape. At first glance, Carls looked the same, but when I looked closely, I saw that Carls had a regretful face, which I did not understand.

Jordan and the rangers were grinning and laughing, loving the entire event very much.

I watched them all, then turned my head back to Adelia.

Her entire face may have been red with shame, but she did not lower her shoulders, even while facing the gaze of so many people. Rather, Adelia had quite a solid appearance as she stood with her back straight.

It felt so wonderful and lovely to look at her.

It would have been even more so if it weren’t for the dark red bloodstains on her chest and sleeves. I reminded Adelia that she had just returned from a gritty mission, and I ordered her to take a break.

Instead of rejecting my order, Adelia entered the fortress, saying she would get a clean dress and then see me again. She walked proudly, conscious of the surrounding gazes.

Watching her, I laughed and smiled, and glanced at Vincent and the others, urging them to follow me.

Vincent and Carls understood my intent just by looking at my eyes and walked after me. But I had sent the eye signal to three; only two sets of footfalls were following me.

I looked back.

There were Vincent and Carls standing right behind me, and over their shoulders, far away, there was the dolt Eli, staring our way.

“Why aren’t you coming again?”

Eli frowned, looked around, then raised his finger and pointed at himself.

“Yes, Eli. You.”

Only then did he hurriedly jog up and fall in behind me. “Next time, tell me to follow you.”

I sighed as I heard the guy grunt, and then we started moving again.

* * *

“What was that light?”

Once we were in the fort’s council room, Vincent asked me a question.

I gave a rough explanation of Adelia’s new dance poem, and hearing this, everyone was impressed.

“Sir Adelia has woven her knight’s oath into a poem,” Vincent expressed his pure admiration.

“The knight’s oath…” Somehow, the voice that faltered was Eli’s.

“For the first time, I am envious of mana hearts, not rings.”

The unusually depressed voice was Carls’s.

I grinned and burst into laughter as I Still laughing, I called Carls.

“Yes, your Highness?”

“Get on your knees.”

Carls, his eyes wide open, knelt in front of me. He was so surprised that his knee thumped onto the floor. He was unknowingly expressing regret a while ago; his look quickly turned to one of anticipation. Looking at that face, I felt like I was going to burst into laughter. But instead of laughing, I drew Twilight and tapped Carls’ shoulders.

Then, in a solemn voice, I recited the verse of [Poem of Dominance], just as I had done with Adelia.

“I make you a knight. Be courageous, faithful, and loyal.”

“I will do my best!”

At least Carls’ solid answer was the same as before, but the results were abnormal.

‘Hwaak!’

A soft light flashed from my body and surrounded Carls. The three rings in his body began to resonate with my heart mana. In such a shocking situation, Carls raised his head and looked at me.

“You are my shield.” Instead of explaining things, I spoke curtly and turned my head.

Eli, also kneeling before me, seemed to subtly anticipate that I would come to him.

I merely passed him by, and Vincent smiled as he met my gaze.

“A duke’s knees are too precious.”

Countering my words, Vincent knelt before me without any hesitation.

I sang [Poem of Dominance] and accepted Vincent as my knight.

“You are my final wall.”

Vincent looked at the light surrounding his body as if it was marvellous and then stood. Even then, Eli was looking at me, still on his knees. His face, so utterly confused, looked ridiculous. I wondered if I would give it more time, but decided instead to stop playing around.

“Bernardo Eli.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

I tapped Twilight over Eli’s shoulder, with him responding unnecessarily excited. And via the [Poem of Dominance], I declared to the world that he was my knight. Eli raised his head and looked at my lips with anticipation.

“You are my,” I said solemnly, looking at him. “You are…”

However, I could not finish my words. My mind was blank.

“You are my-” I hurriedly said, and then grew silent, unable to form the next words; all as I watched Eli lick his lips.

“You are my…”

His eyes and expression were so overwhelming that I looked around me desperately.

Then, after a while, I finally looked back at him and said, “You’re my knight.”

Eli’s facial muscles wriggled. He wasn’t smiling or crying, and with such a strange expression, he looked straight up at me.

Then he asked me after a while, “Is that the answer?”

I didn’t respond.

“The other people are swords and shields and walls, but I’m the only one who’s just a knight?”

No, I couldn’t answer Eli at all.

“You’re not really much of-” Eli tried to spew out his resentment of me, but before finishing his words, a dazzling flash entwined him.

I glanced at Eli, who was bathed in light. Then I looked at Vincent and Carls, saying, “When Arwen returns, she will also take the oath.”

They both asked me a question.

“What the hell is this light?”

“Why are we being knighted again?”

I answered them in a somewhat supportive voice. “It’s not like a simple knight’s oath. It’s an act that has a much greater meaning than that. Okay, so to speak…”