SLDS 29

A deep anger was embedded in his commanding voice. He had no intention of going easy on him at all right now.

Cecil bit his lip hard and clenched the soft grass under his palm. Eventually, his trembling hand reached for Alexis’s longsword.

Without even brushing the grass off his pants, he hesitantly got up and took a stance. Alexis’s sword, which he was holding for the first time, felt incomparably heavier than the wooden swords Cecil had held until now.

Was that all? The sleekly drawn blade and the edge, honed to seemingly cut through the air itself, were more than a beginner could handle.

As soon as Cecil had more or less assumed a basic stance, Alexis stepped forward without warning. The distance closed in an instant, and the two swords clashed.

Clang—!Thud!

Two loud noises rang out. One was the sound of the swords colliding, and the other was the sound created when Alexis’s foot kicked Cecil’s knee.

“Pathetic.”

Alexis said coldly. There was no mercy in his gaze as he stared at the body that had been sent flying by a single kick.

“Get up.”

Cecil propped himself up on his knees with difficulty and barely managed to stand. The moment he gripped the hilt of the sword rolling on the ground, Alexis’s attack began.

Clang—!Clang—!!

Every time the metal clashed, a stinging sensation reverberated from his palm to his shoulder. Alexis’s swordsmanship was one of the basic styles Cecil had learned, but the fighting spirit it contained was incredibly fierce. He was often sent flying, unable to even defend himself.

Cecil dropped his sword several times and was sent rolling on the ground by merciless kicks. The clean silk fabric was stained with green grass juice and marked with black footprints, making it hard to find a pristine spot.

“Gasp, haah, ugh!”

“Again.”

The fight, disguised as training, was merciless. Unlike Cecil, who was even drooling, Alexis’s breathing was not disturbed in the slightest. He would watch Cecil’s suffering expressionlessly, only to kick the sword and push it in front of him.

“To think you acted so high and mighty with skills of this level. It’s boring to even bother with you.”

Cecil used the sword as a cane to barely get up. Even as his whole body staggered, the gaze he fixed on Alexis was clear and bright.

“…Yes. I am feeling to my very bones just how clear the difference in our skills is, Your Highness.”

“Seeing as you’re still running that damned mouth of yours, you must still have some energy left. Good. Today, I’ll properly fix that arrogant mindset of yours.”

The lightly held sword came crashing down once more. Cecil put all his strength into both hands and blocked Alexis’s sword. The impact, which rang out with a clang—, made his wrist bones ache, but he couldn’t let go of the sword this time.

However, his effort to block it was in vain as another attack followed. His stance collapsed against the speed he could not dare to match, and a kick flew at him without fail.

“Keuk!”

Cecil tumbled and crashed into the base of a tree.

It felt like his whole body was going to break. He must have bitten his tongue when he fell, as the metallic taste of blood spread inside his mouth.

Alexis walked up to him. The tip of the sword, held in one hand, was pointed at Cecil’s neck.

He was a truly annoying existence. Cecil Adrian’s every move grated on his nerves.

Should I just kill him right here?

It wouldn’t be impossible to just take off an arm. A momentary mistake, an unforeseen accident. There were plenty of excuses he could make.

But in that moment, the face that came into view seized Alexis’s reason. Again. That resigned face absurdly neutralized Alexis.

“Why are you making that face?”

“……”

“I’m doing what you wanted.”

Cecil barely managed to lift his upper body, which had fallen limply. A hollow voice came out on its own.

“My desire to learn the sword from you, Your Highness, was not because I wanted to improve my swordsmanship skills.”

“Then what was it?”

Cecil raised his head and met the cold gaze pouring down on him. His throat tightened, and his teeth chattered.

He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, I wanted to have time to spend with you.

“I’ll ask again. Just what are you scheming?”

“……”

Cecil closed his eyes. At his refusal to answer, the anger Alexis had been trying to suppress surged up again.

He grabbed Cecil by the scruff of the neck and hauled him up. His light body was forcefully lifted and slammed against the thick trunk of a sequoia tree.

“I can’t understand you at all. If you weren’t ordered by the empress, what is the reason you so persistently stay by my side? Why are you so interested in what I do? What is it you want to do with me?”

“Does my being by your side make you uncomfortable?”

“Do you think it would be comfortable? Your very existence is a harm to me. Did you think I would trust the empress’s bloodline?”

Cecil let out a hollow laugh. It seemed this person had an excellent talent for tearing him to shreds.

“It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can’t become your person.”

“Your nonsense is excessive.”

“Just consider me crazy. You have no intention of listening to me anyway, do you, Your Highness?”

“That’s right. That’s what I intend to do.”

Alexis took a long breath, calming his excitement.

“I have already shown you enough mercy. There will be no more in the future.”

“……”

“You are forbidden from entering the training grounds. Don’t even think of coming near the Knight Order again.”

“Alexis.”

Cecil grabbed the wrist of the hand holding his collar. Alexis’s body stiffened at the warmth that reached him without warning. No, he seemed more surprised by the informal way Cecil called his name.

But Cecil gripped his wrist even tighter and delivered the final words he had to say.

“I’ll do as you say. But I hope you will definitely take care of Loco.”

“What?”

“Please grant my request just this once. You can do at least that much, can’t you.”

“……”

“I just can’t leave him like this.”

The words he utters, while looking like a rag, are to ask him to look after a mere squire. For a moment, Alexis was so dumbfounded that he snorted. He coolly shook off the captured wrist.

“Acting nice and putting on a fake show won’t change your reputation.”

“……”

“Don’t interfere in the Knight Order’s affairs anymore.”

The sword he tossed away landed on the lawn with a thud.

“Get this guy out of here.”

Alexis gave the order and turned away without a second thought.

The royal guards approached, but they didn’t know how to handle the situation and looked on cautiously. Cecil Adrian, who was famous for being tough, had covered his face with both hands and was swallowing his sobs.

Once again left alone, Cecil slumped down and leaned his exhausted body against the tree trunk.

The harder he tried to make things right, the more misunderstandings piled up, and a solid wall formed between him and Alexis. Now, it seemed even that could no longer be torn down.

From that day on, Cecil stopped visiting the training grounds. Not only that, but he also didn’t show his face in the Crown Prince’s office.

After about a week, small piles of things began to accumulate on the empty desk. Alexis glanced up while handling state affairs.

It was a relief not to see that annoying face.

Whether it was self-restraint or a protest, its intention was unclear, but it seemed certain that Cecil was cooped up inside the Peridot Palace. Perhaps he was bedridden from the aftereffects of being severely beaten.

He had expected him to go tattling noisily, but surprisingly, the empress’s side was quiet.

Rather, Empress Elizabeth’s people were hell-bent on the mining business that was being actively discussed in state affairs recently. Since the empress herself was leading this, it seemed she was in no position to pay attention to her son.

Alexis endured the faintly spreading migraine and pressed firmly on his temples.

He was quite pathetic for paying attention to Cecil in a situation where there were so many things to look into.

“There is no need to worry, sir. He’s been burned once, so he won’t dare to mess with Your Highness again.”

Then Claude, unable to watch any longer, chimed in. He too had been watching from the side for a while as Alexis’s gaze often drifted toward Cecil’s desk.

Since they hadn’t spent just a year or two together, he could see right through what the Crown Prince was thinking right now.

“When did I ever worry.”

“For someone who says that, haven’t you been looking at that spot continuously?”

“Why don’t you stop spouting nonsense and continue with your report?”

Alexis revealed his displeasure completely. As his extremely chilly gaze flew over, Claude covered his mouth with his fist and cleared his throat with a ahem. In an instant, he regained the dignity of a Knight Commander and continued his report.

“Construction has begun on the Black Forest guard post. The duration is expected to be about one and a half to two years.”

“What happened with the newly selected knights?”

“The total number of new knights has been confirmed at 130. As of yesterday, all squire training has been completed, and to prevent a recurrence of incidents like the last one, we plan to add regulations related to sex crimes and conduct related education.”

“……”

It was a flawless report. But Alexis seemed to find something amiss and was lost in thought for a moment. His long fingers tapped, tap tap, on the shiny surface of the desk.

“Was his name Loco Maxwell?”

When the unexpected name came from the Crown Prince’s mouth, Claude’s expression stiffened.

“How is that man doing?”

“As you ordered, he is under close supervision. He has been temporarily excluded from training, and I had a separate meeting with him yesterday. Fortunately… no, this is just my speculation, but I did not notice anything particularly unusual.”

“I should meet him.”

“What? You, Your Highness, directly? There is no need for you to do so…”

Without even a chance to stop him, Alexis shot up from his seat.

For him to meet a squire whose face and name were both vague, at a time when every minute and every second was precious, was actually an impossible thing to do. For the Crown Prince, who always prioritized rational judgment, this was an almost unprecedented action.

But the reason he was moved to act despite this was because Cecil’s request had been bothering him like a thorn stuck in his throat.

It seemed he would only be able to concentrate on his work comfortably once this was resolved.