Although the one week given to Karl might seem like a lot of time, in reality it was so tight it might as well have been nothing at all.
First, an entire day was gone in an instant just receiving and checking various items.
Then he had to spend another full day going over information about the Hillpin Barony which he hadn’t even known where it was located as well as reports on the monster subjugation.
Harmon’s help was invaluable in this.
By studying the reported information on the monsters and their tactics and gathering the thirty soldiers who would accompany him and at least putting faces to names, the third day had already passed.
Then, bringing Catherine and Bilford took up the fourth day in the blink of an eye.
Before he knew it, it was already the fifth day, and Karl found himself in a situation where he had to depart in just two days for the monster subjugation.
The problem was that, being so busy, Karl hadn’t even been able to attempt the things he immediately needed, like practicing horseback riding or learning swordsmanship.
Even ordinary nobles typically learn horseback riding and basic swordsmanship as part of their education before the age of ten. So the fact that a sixteen-year-old prince didn’t even know how to ride a horse came as a huge shock to everyone.
With handwriting so terrible it was unacceptable for a prince, and lacking basic refinement, Karl spent the entire morning in the library. Then, barely managing to find some time, he went to see Catherine in the afternoon.
Although Catherine had her dissatisfaction about becoming Karl’s knight, she was at least satisfied with the privileges that came with serving a member of the imperial family.
She was training alone without any disturbance in a spacious room located in a remote part of the imperial palace. Normally, she would have been pestered by high-ranking nobles and forced to waste time on various bothersome tasks.
“Lady Catherine, I need your help.”
But in the end, Karl had come to see her, so perhaps it wasn’t much different.
Catherine sighed inwardly but replied calmly without changing her expression.
“Yes, please give your command.”
With only two days left before departure, what could it be?
Thinking that, Catherine felt dizzy at Karl’s next words.
“I want to learn horseback riding and swordsmanship.”
First, the fact that he didn’t know those things at the age of sixteen was shocking. Then she was baffled as to why he had come to her instead of learning through the imperial system.
“Yes, let us go right away.”
Still, following orders without complaint was Catherine’s way as a knight, so she coolly escorted Karl straight to the training grounds.
“Bilford.”
“Yes, Lady Catherine.”
Bilford who was still nothing more than a mere squire quickly ran off, and Harmon who was Karl’s attendant perceptively left to take care of his own tasks.
Thanks to the privileges granted to the imperial family, Karl was able to use a training ground reserved exclusively for royals within the palace.
Disturbingly, there were children not even ten years old who should be holding their mothers’ hands riding horses and swinging swords there as part of their education.
Karl had quite a few younger siblings. However, in the original story, their names were never even mentioned, and in reality, they held no real power.
Like Karl himself, they were nothing more than “devices” that demonstrated his ruthlessness by being purged collectively after Eingir became Emperor.
The problem here was that Karl, already sixteen and effectively an adult, would be training alongside them. And worse, he would be taught by Catherine, who was merely a knight. It was something that simply couldn’t be seen in a positive light.
To begin with, the First through Third Princes were all highly talented and had been raised with enough support to receive separate training as soon as they reached a certain age. They had never even properly used this training ground.
“……”
“……”
While Bilford and Harmon had gone to bring the horses, Karl fidgeted awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable with Catherine, who stood completely still. Trying to ease the tension, he forced himself to speak.
“Lady Catherine, is there anything you’re curious about?”
“No.”
“……”
Even as he said it, he realized it was a mistake. In an awkward situation with a superior, that kind of question ranked among the most unwelcome.
Of course she wouldn’t be curious. In the first place, she probably didn’t even want to know. And even if she did have questions, it wouldn’t be easy to ask them honestly.
At Catherine’s firm reply, Karl awkwardly fidgeted with his breastplate and the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Catherine who was slightly flustered darted her eyes to the side. It would have been easier if he had acted arrogantly and issued orders like a typical superior, but Karl treated her just as a knight with unusual politeness and caution for a prince.
“I know you’re dissatisfied with me.”
“……”
At Karl’s low voice, Catherine’s fingertips twitched.
“I know what you think of me. But… I’m sorry. No, that’s not it. …I need you.”
Karl erased the apology. Even that kind of sentiment was a luxury.
Catherine repeated his words in her mind for a moment, then, after what seemed like a great deal of internal deliberation in that brief span, she spoke.
“I don’t understand why you chose me.”
However, Catherine was the type who, once she made up her mind, didn’t hold back, so her words came out sharp, almost like an interrogation.
Fortunately, knowing she wasn’t good with words, she quickly added more to avoid misunderstanding.
“My family is insignificant, and my skills are nothing special. You could have chosen a far more capable knight.”
At Catherine’s painfully self-aware words, Karl pressed his lips together and stared at the imperial children playing around in the training ground as he spoke.
“I don’t have the power to control high-ranking noble families right now. I wanted a knight like you. Someone with nothing to fall back on, someone who can’t leave me.”
“……”
It was a cruel statement. But at the same time, it was an honest one.
“And as for your skill…”
Karl turned his head and looked up at Catherine, who was standing slightly behind him to his right.
“…Any imperial knight would at least have the minimum level of skill. The reason I chose you is because you were more desperate and more ruthless than anyone else there.”
“……”
“When we’re cornered, I need a knight who won’t run away, who won’t cut me down, but will fight to the very end, protecting me and carving out a way forward. You were the most desperate person there… just like me.”
Catherine did not respond to Karl’s words.
But she was certain of one thing. This frail and young Fourth Prince was far more thoughtful than the rumors suggested.
And also that he was extremely desperate.
A person this desperate would never make a decision without reason. He must have chosen her after careful thought, for his own reasons, doing the best he could.
That was enough. Catherine would simply do her duty to the best of her ability.
A brief silence followed.
But unlike before, it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable.
For reference, Karl learned horseback riding very quickly. In just a single day, he became capable of handling a horse with ease, and it didn’t take long before he could control it even at a gallop. It helped that the warhorse given to him by the Emperor was already well-trained.
Horseback riding was more physically demanding than it seemed, yet Karl kept up surprisingly well with unexpected stamina and strength which greatly surprised Catherine.
There was, however, one thing that bothered her.
Although Karl admired his magnificent white horse, he didn’t even bother to give it a name.
He simply followed Catherine’s instructions, stroking its nose and neck as if fascinated, then mounted and rode it.
Even when faced with such a fine and impressive warhorse, Karl showed no particular sentiment.
It was given to him, so he used it. That was all.
His desperation left no room to grow attached to something like an animal. To Karl, a horse was just a horse, nothing more.
In other words, it also meant that Catherine whom Karl had personally chosen held that much greater value to him.
Catherine found this sickly prince, who had supposedly spent his entire life in a bedroom, somewhat intriguing.
***
“It’s only the basics, so I’ll learn from Bilford.”
“But Bilford is just a squire.”
“That’s fine. You should use your time for yourself.”
Karl decided to learn swordsmanship from Bilford.
It was partly to build a relationship with Bilford, who would be of great help in the future, but also because he would only be learning the basics, so there was no real need to learn from Catherine.
Bilford, suddenly put in the position of becoming the prince’s swordsmanship instructor, looked at Catherine in confusion, but since Karl had firmly made his decision, there was no way she would oppose it.
Under Catherine’s stern gaze, Bilford hesitantly stepped in front of Karl with a wooden sword in hand.
Behind Karl, Harmon lowered his head, then raised an eyebrow slightly and shot Bilford a quiet glare. He too seemed somewhat flustered.
Harmon worried that Bilford might accidentally kill the frail Karl and that such an incident could jeopardize his own position, so he subtly signaled Bilford to be careful.
“Don’t make it difficult for yourself. I have to learn this anyway, so it’s better to learn from someone like you, the squire of the diligent Lady Catherine.”
“…Yes, Sir Karl.”
Though still confused, Bilford decided it was better to follow the prince’s command than that of a mere attendant like Harmon, and he tightened his grip on the wooden sword and took his stance.
Harmon let out a silent sigh and closed his eyes.
…This is the right thing, isn’t it? It’s right to follow the prince’s words.
“Please follow my lead and take the stance.”
Bilford stepped forward with his right foot, holding the wooden sword at mid-level and angling it forward.
Though he only meant to guide Karl’s posture, Karl felt an oppressive pressure as if the dull wooden blade were piercing through his throat.
“Sir Karl?”
“…Ah, no, it’s just…your presence startled me. It felt like my throat was being pierced.”
Flustered, Karl belatedly mimicked Bilford’s stance.
At Karl’s words, Bilford raised an eyebrow slightly, then lowered the tip of his sword and aimed at Karl’s chest.
Karl followed, stepping forward with his right foot and pointing his wooden sword at Bilford from mid-level.
Since Bilford was nearly two spans taller than Karl, the tip of Karl’s sword ended up aimed around Bilford’s solar plexus.
Unsure whether he was doing it correctly, Karl glanced down at his legs, adjusting the distance between his feet and the angle of his stance.
When he raised his head, he saw Bilford, with his greater height and reach, lowering his blade toward Karl’s unguarded chest. Instinctively, Karl swung his sword upward, which had been aimed at Bilford’s solar plexus, and blocked it.
“…Good. That was excellent.”
Bilford seemed to have much more to say but settled for praise.
“I don’t need praise. Give me advice so I can improve.”
“No, it truly was excellent.”
Bilford shook his head at Karl’s words and spoke seriously.
“The foundation of all martial arts is protecting oneself. Sir Karl, you are doing that very well right now.”
“…Do you mean I cowered in fear?”
“Huh? No! That’s not what I meant. You’re doing well!”
Startled by Karl’s cautious question, Bilford flailed his hands in panic.
Karl truly had done surprisingly well.
One could tell at a glance just by looking at his stance. It was obvious Karl had just picked up a sword for the first time. Above all, his grip on the sword was a mess.
And yet, astonishingly, after adjusting his posture a few times on his own, he managed to take a clean middle stance and block Bilford’s blade.
It was something simple, but countless people fail to do even this and spend their entire lives practicing the basics.
The basics are not called basics for no reason. Once one takes up the sword as a knight, at the very least, they must always be able to assume the correct basic stance.
If the tip of the blade drops even slightly by mistake, one could have their head split open by a basic attack.
In that sense, although Karl was somewhat passive and had his upper body leaning back, he perfectly managed to protect himself.
Judging purely by his form, he could be given a score of 40, but considering it was his first time holding a sword, even a perfect 100 would not be too much.
“Really? …I don’t think so.”
Even though he had taken the correct stance, Karl persistently pressed Bilford.
From Karl’s perspective, it seemed like Bilford felt intimidated by him and was trying to gloss things over with flattery.
There’s no way I have any talent for swordsmanship!
“The Fourth Prince Karl” had spent his entire life bedridden, and Han Chang-in had a peculiar “talent” for sending any ball that touched him flying off in random directions, so he had lived his whole life far removed from sports.
During a school sports day, when he was forced to join a soccer game due to a lack of players and was assigned as a defender with the simple instruction to just clear the ball, he had definitely kicked it with all his strength….yet the ball swerved sharply along the ground and landed perfectly at the opposing forward’s feet, earning him the opposing team’s MVP award.
It had been so precise that the opposing forward even ran toward Han Chang-in, thinking it was a pass from a teammate.
Because of that, even when taken in the best possible light, Karl couldn’t accept the praise at face value and became consumed with suspicion.
This guy! He’s mocking me in a roundabout way!
At this point, Karl even thought that Bilford was harboring dissatisfaction toward him and was employing a high-level, refined form of backhanded mockery.
Mocking someone through praise. This kid is quite sly and experienced. And to think someone like him grows up to become such a loyal knight; the ways of the world are truly hard to understand.
“Ah, um, lean your body a bit more forward…”
“Like this?”
“Yes, but just a little more… yes, that’s it. And when you hold the sword…”
“Rather than that, just adjust it for me.”
“How could I possibly lay my hands on Your Highness’s body?”
“Are you saying you don’t even want to touch me?”
“No!”
Bilford’s mouth went dry at Karl’s sensitive reaction.
Indeed, it was the kind of hysteria one would expect from a frail prince who had spent his entire life confined to a bed.
The fact that this man would now be the lord holding the lives of both Bilford and Catherine in his hands was truly terrifying.
Hmm, he’s teaching well.
Catherine turned at the raised voices, glanced at Karl’s posture, nodded in satisfaction, and then turned her head back again.
Bilford was a boy brimming with talent. At the same time, having been trained under the steady Catherine, he was a well-rounded warrior who valued fundamentals and the balance between offense and defense.
If it was him, he would teach Karl very well.
“Why aren’t you teaching me properly? Do you dislike teaching me that much?”
“You’re doing well! Please! Lady Catherine!”
Only after Bilford, in distress, clutched his head and cried out for help did Catherine finally grasp the situation.
“For someone holding a sword for the first time, you’re doing very well.”
“…If you say so…”
Seeing Karl immediately accept her words, Bilford was overcome with a mix of sorrow and indignation, quietly thumping his chest where Karl couldn’t see.
If he were being honest, he almost felt like punching Karl.
If he did, it would be assaulting an imperial member, so just this once… no, in any case, he held himself back. And if he really did hit him, the frail Karl might actually die.
After a brief hesitation, Catherine reached out and gave Bilford’s shoulder a light pat.
“You’re doing well.”
“…Yes, Lady Catherine!”
Praise from Catherine was rare. Bilford broke into a wide smile and nodded.
Teaching Karl might not be such a bad thing after all.
Leave a Reply