The Former Prince Who Lost Everything Becomes a Masked Strategist, Dominates from the Shadows, and Vows Revenge - Chapter 5.2

Eirik blocked with his sword, but the sheer weight of Alphonse’s blows made him wince. His wrist twisted slightly under the impact.

Taking a step back, Eirik grabbed his own wrist with a pained expression.

“D-damn brat…! How does a kid have this kind of power…?!”

“Now! Swing horizontally, Alphonse!”

“Waaaaaaaahhh!!”

Alphonse swung his sword sideways—his blade cutting shallowly across Eirik’s chest.

Eirik’s eyes widened in shock, while Alphonse froze in disbelief.

“I… I actually landed a hit on him…?!”

“Y-you little…!”

“We had a deal! Now let Lilliette go—”

“Screw that! I don’t care about any stupid promise anymore! There’s no way in hell I’m accepting that a brat like you managed to wound me! Never! I’ll never accept it!!”

Eirik roared in fury, raising his sword and charging straight at Alphonse.

Alphonse let out a small squeak of fear.

But I called out to him.

“Alphonse! Don’t be afraid! Keep your eyes forward! There are no enemies before us! You and I will change this kingdom—you through strength, and I through strategy! We promised, didn’t we?!”

“…You’re right. Yeah, you’re right, Grace!! Give me the next command!!”

“Dodge to the right!”

I read Eirik’s movements, predicting his next strike.

Alphonse quickly shifted right, just as Eirik’s blade slashed through empty air.

Eirik cursed and swung again.

“He’s coming with a diagonal slash! Duck!”

Alphonse immediately crouched—the sword slicing through the space where his head had been a second before.

“Now! Stand up and retreat! He’s going for an overhead strike next!”

Alphonse obeyed, quickly backing away.

“The next attack will be an upward right slash—block it with your sword sideways!”

Alphonse braced himself, holding his sword horizontally—preparing to meet the attack head-on.

◇◇◇◇◇

With a sharp clang, Alphonse turned his sword sideways, blocking Eirik’s strike.

No matter how many times Eirik swung, Alphonse deflected every blow.

Panting heavily, Eirik shifted his glare—not at Alphonse, but at me.

“I see… I get it now. The real threat here isn’t this brat—it’s that prince…! That damn prince has been studying my moves through our fight! His observation and memory are terrifying…!”

Every time a person swings a sword, there are inevitable preparatory movements.

After enduring countless hits, I had started to understand Eirik’s footwork and gaze patterns.

Taking a deep breath, Eirik spoke again.

“So that’s how it is! The prince is giving orders to this freakishly strong brat, making him dodge every attack! Damn it, I was a knight! How the hell am I getting outplayed by two kids?!”

Abandoning Alphonse as his target, Eirik turned his sights on me and charged forward.

But of course, I had anticipated that reaction.

In fact, I had wanted him to take this course of action.

“Alphonse! His left leg!”

At my command, Alphonse kicked Eirik’s left leg.

And in that instant—

The massive man staggered, his balance completely broken.

With a heavy thud, he fell forward, crashing onto the ground.

So he did have an old injury in his left leg.

All that time studying his movements had paid off.

“Alphonse! Finish it! Now!”

“Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”

Alphonse brought down the flat side of his sword, repeatedly striking Eirik’s head.

I knew Alphonse wouldn’t take a life—he was too kind for that. But…

Ah, I see. He was aiming to knock him out instead.

After several solid strikes, a large lump formed on the back of Eirik’s head. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Alphonse turned to me, his face filled with disbelief.

“I did it… I did it, Grace!!”

“Yeah, you did well, Alphonse. But…”

The other four thugs, who had been watching from the sidelines, now stepped forward.

The mocking expressions they had worn earlier were gone.

Now, they saw us as true threats.

“Y-you bastards! How dare you do that to Eirik?!”

“You little brats! We’ll kill you!!”

They drew their swords and advanced toward us.

Damn it—this isn’t good. Alphonse and I were both injured. Four against two… this would be tough.

What should we do…?!

“But Alphonse already carved out a path for us! Running is not an option!”

Ignoring the pain in my body, I forced myself up and took position behind Alphonse.

Seeing me stand back-to-back with him, Alphonse tightened his grip on his sword.

“Prince Grace… As long as I’m with you, I feel like I can overcome anything!”

“Yeah, me too, Alphonse! Together, we can—”

“That’s enough!”

Suddenly, the door behind us burst open.

Stepping inside was Gilbert, leading a squad of seven knights.

Raising his hand, Gilbert gave his command.

“Seize them! Secure His Highness and Lady Lilliette!”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights stormed the room, swiftly overpowering and restraining the remaining thugs.

Alphonse and I could only watch in stunned silence as the fight ended in mere moments.

Then, Gilbert approached us.

Without a word, he pulled both of us into a firm embrace.

“What were you thinking, pushing yourselves this far?! Prince, Alphonse…!”

At that moment, all the tension left my body.

The feeling of safety made my knees weak.

Alphonse, too, seemed to lose his composure, bursting into loud sobs.

Haha… I really put him through a lot.

But in the end, there was no doubt—

Alphonse was the strongest, most reliable knight I could ever ask for.

It had to be him. No one else.

He was meant to be my knight…

My vision blurred.

“…Prince? Prince Grace!?”

Gilbert’s concerned voice reached me.

But my body had reached its limit.

My eyes… were closing…

“Prince Grace!?”

◇◇◇◇◇

“Prince Grace!? H-hey, are you alright?!”

Alphonse’s voice rang out, followed by Lilliette’s, who must have been freed from her restraints.

Through my fading vision, I saw the worried faces of the three hovering over me.

Then, my consciousness slipped away.

◇◇◇◇◇

Late at Night – The Agrante Family Manor, Gaston’s Private Chamber

Gaston glared at the servant standing before him, his irritation barely concealed.

“What?! You failed to abduct Lilliette?! What the hell were you doing?!”

“P-please forgive me, Lord Gaston! We followed your orders precisely! We hired thugs from the slums to kidnap Lady Lilliette, but… knights intervened unexpectedly, and the plan failed! I-I sincerely apologize!!”

“If those sewer rats start talking, my position as royalty will be in jeopardy!! You ruined my perfect scheme!! You’ll pay for this later—get out of my sight!”

The servant’s face turned pale with despair as he hurriedly left the room.

Gaston slumped onto his sofa, bouncing his leg anxiously, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“This was the best possible plan… How could it have failed?! Why am I surrounded by nothing but incompetents?! Damn it!!”

“…Kuhuhuhu. It seems Lord Gaston’s scheme has failed.”

A voice echoed from the room’s shadows.

From the darkness near the fireplace, a robed figure emerged, wearing the skull of a goat as a mask.

Upon seeing the figure, Gaston furrowed his brows in irritation.

“Hades…! How the hell do you keep getting in here?!”

“Kuhuhu. Lord Gaston, as I have told you before, there is only one path for you to take. If you wish to seize the throne and claim Lilliette as your own, my plan is the only way. Surely, you understand this now?”

“N-no, but…! Your plan carries far too great a risk! If we fail, my life will be on the line! Do you truly expect me to entrust my fate to some unknown sorcerer?!”

“And yet, your time is running out. Your attempt to kidnap Lilliette has failed, and if those slum thugs speak, you risk being stripped of your royal status. Could you truly endure a life among commoners? Eating bland food? Living without luxury?”

Gaston’s gaze shifted to the towering pile of cookies on the table before him.

His expression twisted in anguish.

“Ugh… Uuuuugh…!”

“Your only path is to gamble. You either gain everything… or lose it all. Kuhuhu. But fear not. My plans never fail.”

Hades chuckled ominously, the eerie sound echoing through the room.

Then, turning slightly, he gazed out of the window at the full moon.

In a voice too quiet for Gaston to hear, he murmured to himself.

“…So, the son of the Knight King is more capable than I expected. It seems bl00d does not lie.”

His reflection shimmered in the glass pane.

Behind the hollow sockets of the goat skull mask, his crimson eyes gleamed with a chilling light.