"Huff, huff…"
Yuri lay collapsed in the training arena, catching his breath.
"It's time you learned the mana method," Bernard said.
Mana method was usually taught after the onset of puberty.
Introducing mana too early could cause the body to collapse.
"You're going to teach me?"
"I could teach you my own mana method, but it would be far too basic for a prince of Briol."
"But you became strong using that mana method, didn't you?"
"That's because I'm exceptional, not because the mana method is."
Bernard habitually swung his sword through the air. True to his nickname, sword demon, he never let his blade rest, even for a moment.
"You should learn the Briol Method."
It was the name of the mana method passed down by the royal family of Briol.
"Why?"
"It's an excellent mana method. If I had to rank it, I'd say it's top-tier. Its energy is pure and extremely efficient."
Yuri had learned the Briol Method in his past life.
After becoming a mercenary, he had modified it slightly to hide his identity, but he had seen it through to its end, in his own way.
"I don't know…"
Briol was a nation of knights, and the royal family had produced generations of Swordmasters.
Whenever the strongest swordsman on the continent was mentioned, King Fiore's name was always brought up.
But for some reason, Yuri felt that the royal family's mana method didn't suit him.
"Are you planning to learn a different one?"
"I'm still thinking."
Yuri recalled something.
It wasn't a pleasant memory, but it definitely presented another option.
"Bernard."
"Yes."
"Recommend someone decent from the Royal Guard."
"You mean someone skilled?"
"No."
"Then… good character?"
"No…"
How could he ask someone like Bernard, a man obsessed with swords, about character?
"I mean talent."
"Not skill, but talent, huh. That's a tough one."
"If they're good enough to be in the Royal Guard, they've already got skill. I'm looking for potential."
"Hmm…"
In his past life, he hadn't paid much attention to the knights, so he didn't have detailed knowledge.
But Bernard had crossed swords with most of the knights in the royal palace.
There was a reason the Royal Guard tended to avoid him whenever he appeared.
"Jared is quite exceptional."
"That guy?"
Yuri shot up, then clutched his side while he'd been hit during training.
"Ugh… You're saying Jared has talent?"
"Yes."
"That bastard…"
Yuri thought back to his past life.
That guy had stayed until the end, defending the kingdom to its last breath. But he'd never stood out in terms of skill.
"He's a lot like you, Your Highness."
"Like me?"
"He's lazy."
"I train hard, though?"
"I meant the old Your Highness."
If what Bernard said was true, then Jared was a bit of a contradiction.
A lazy man was useless, but if he had the skills to make it into the Royal Guard despite that, then his talent was real.
Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered having a conversation with Jared like this:
"It's frustrating, Your Highness."
"What is?"
"If I could turn back time, I'd train until I dropped…"
"Hey, cut the crap."
When was that again?
Was it after a melee battle with the Imperial army?
Many knights had died.
And in the next battle, Jared was killed.
He'd always been good at running away, so maybe he hadn't gone seeking death on purpose.
The later stages of the war had felt like nothing more than a search for a place to die.
Only Yuri had survived, betraying Briol's vow.
"..."
While Yuri silently clenched his teeth, Bernard continued speaking.
"As for the rest…"
He listed names, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Yuri decided to judge them himself.
"Good info. Thanks, Bernard."
"I've been teaching you for years, Your Highness, and I think this is the first time I've ever heard you say thank you."
"Really?"
Yuri shrugged.
"Guess you just haven't done anything worth thanking me for until now."
"I suppose that's one way to look at it."
"Try harder, Bernard."
"Thank you for the encouragement."
"For what?"
"Thanks to you, I'll be able to hit you again tomorrow with a clear conscience."
"Hey."
"That's all for today."
After finishing his training and giving his body a rough shake-down, Yuri headed to the Royal Guard's training grounds.
It was a place he'd rarely visited in his past life.
One of the knights recognized him and saluted.
"Your Highness! What brings you here today?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Yuri replied.
"Inspection."
"Pardon?"
"I'm here to check on the discipline of the Royal Guard."
"Ah, I see! Loyalty! No issues during duty, Your Highness!"
Even in the past, the knights of the Royal Guard had put up with Yuri's mischievous antics. A child couldn't truly harm them no matter what he did.
It was the composure that came from true strength.
"Are the Royal Guards in training?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"They're training hard, I hope?"
"Of course. They're working just as hard as you are, Your Highness."
It seemed the rumors of Yuri's change had reached the Royal Guard as well.
"If you want to say you're working as hard as I am, you'd need to spar one-on-one with Bernard."
"That's terrifying. I'll revise my statement—slightly less than Your Highness."
"Quick to concede—just like a knight should be. Now, lead the way, Sir Rosso."
"Oh, you remember me!"
"You lost everything the moment you sat down at the card table."
"Yes… That's true…"
"Lead the way."
"Yes, Your Highness…"
As they approached the training ground, the sound of clashing metal could be heard beyond the wall.
Rosso opened the gate.
"Oh…"
Yuri let out a murmur of admiration.
Men with bare upper bodies clashed swords, their blades gleaming sharply.
No matter who he looked at, their skills were impressive.
"Amazing."
"Not quite at your level, but they're giving it their all."
With arms crossed, Yuri swept a sharp gaze over the knights.
"Who's Jared?"
"Who was that again…"
"The new recruit."
At this point, Jared had only recently joined the Royal Guard.
"Ah, the rookie. So you came to see a fresh face. I didn't know Your Highness cared so much for the Royal Guard."
"I'm always watching."
"It's an honor. Jared's over there."
In the direction Rosso pointed, a young-faced Jared was engaged in swordplay.
"So he is training, contrary to what I heard…"
Yuri stopped mid-sentence.
He quickly realized what Bernard had meant.
"That guy…"
Yuri furrowed his brow.
That wasn't training.
True training requires purpose—a desire to improve one's skills. But Jared showed none of that.
Yuri muttered to himself.
"He's probably gone dull like that."
The very fact that he could fake training like that was proof of Jared's remarkable talent.
No wonder he always managed to survive even the most disadvantageous battles.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Rosso tilted his head, unaware that anything was amiss.
"It's nothing."
Jared had fooled the senior knights splendidly. But he couldn't fool Yuri, who had been through hell as a mercenary.
Yuri looked away from Jared and studied the other knights.
Bernard's evaluation had been accurate, yet incomplete.
He had judged only physical potential, excluding the mental side.
Most of the knights Bernard had picked didn't grow much in the future. In fact, the ones he hadn't mentioned ended up advancing further.
Those with talent had squandered their potential.
And Yuri had been no different.
"I've seen enough. The Royal Guard's overall standard."
"Is it impressive?"
"It's so unimpressive I feel like lying down."
"…Excuse me?"
Yuri raised his chin.
"Give me a sword."
"Ah, so you do want to be struck down and lie down, Your Highness?"
It wasn't unusual for royalty to train with the Royal Guard.
Yuri's respected sword teacher, Cedric, had once trained among them as well.
Rosso lit up with excitement.
"Who would you like to fight? Who looks like the easiest target? The weakest of the bunch? Just say the word!"
Yuri pointed at Jared.
"That slippery-looking guy."
"Oh-ho. Well, it is a new recruit—Your Highness should personally put him in his place."
Rosso quickly arranged the match.
Wooden swords were handed to both Yuri and Jared.
Jared looked flustered as senior knights gathered to whisper instructions—likely urging him to go easy.
"Good."
This was the privilege of royalty.
The opponent had to hold back, but Yuri could go all out.
Jared looked clearly confused by the sudden challenge.
"I'm Jared."
"Sir Jared."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I've heard quite a bit about you."
"Huh? Rumors?"
"They say you have outstanding talent. That's probably how you managed to enter the Royal Guard at such a young age."
"Th-thank you for such an undeserved compliment…"
Yuri raised his wooden sword.
"Sir Jared. Will you show me what kind of knight you are?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I'm looking forward to it."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yuri advanced.
The knights cheered.
"Give it your all, Your Highness!"
"Rookie! You'd better handle this well!"
"Hey, his thigh's wide open!"
But he couldn't get close.
Jared's sense of distance was relentless.
It seemed he intended to keep his distance and end the sparring session with minimal effort.
Those were plenty of ways to deal with that.
Suddenly, Yuri widened his eyes in mock surprise and looked behind Jared.
"Father?"
Jared instinctively turned his head.
So did all the other knights watching from the sidelines, their eyes snapping toward the entrance.
In that instant—when everyone looked in the same direction—
By the time Jared realized something was off, it was too late.
Yuri's wooden sword came flying at his side.
Clang!
But Jared blocked it.
This time, Yuri was the one who looked a little surprised.
His reflexes were animal-like.
Jared stepped back and swung his wooden sword.
The distance between them grew again.
"What the hell?"
"His Majesty?"
"You got tricked."
"Wow…"
The knights let out hollow laughs.
Their troublemaker prince was even more unpredictable—and competitive—than they thought.
"Not bad."
Rosso, who had brought Yuri here, smiled contentedly.
If you were a boy, and a proud one at that, this much fighting spirit was only natural.
He cupped his hands and shouted.
"Give it your all, Your Highness!"
Yuri ignored Jared's defensive stance and pushed forward again.
The knights murmured amongst themselves.
Though the sparring match was supposedly without a mana method, the pace was intense.
"His Highness is better than I expected."
"Right?"
Yuri always followed the most optimal path—a habit formed from surviving on battlefields.
"Not a single wasted movement."
"Bernard taught him well."
"When I was that age…"
While the knights watched with light hearts, Jared was starting to feel uneasy.
Not because Yuri's talent was overwhelming, or because he was under pressure.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing, Your Highness."
The spacing was too consistent.
Whether he was retreating or approaching, the distance between sword and body, between one strike and the next—never varied.
Of course, Jared himself was keeping a buffer for the prince's safety.
But the distance Yuri maintained was closer… and yet perfectly controlled.
That could only mean one thing—
"Is this fun?"
Yuri asked.
As Jared stared blankly into his eyes, their wooden swords clashed again.
To onlookers, it might've seemed fierce—but to the two of them, it wasn't.
Even without mana method, they reacted like wild beasts, gauging distance with uncanny precision.
This sparring match was more like a staged performance.
Pretending to fight, flailing swords in empty air.
"Not fun, is it?"
Jared was a genius.
His senses were sharper than most, and his grasp of distance was ruler-precise.
He didn't need to train hard to become strong.
That's why no one noticed he only half-heartedly trained.
The others' senses simply couldn't compare to Jared's.
But this prince was different.
He had instantly seen through Jared's lazy approach.
He was a genius just like him—no, even more so.
"I think I've seen enough."
"Pardon?"
"I know what kind of knight you are."
"I, uh…"
Jared tried to say something—maybe to explain.
But the prince didn't wait.
"Now it's my turn, right?"
Yuri raised his sword.
And just with that movement, Jared could tell—
The constant distance between them… was beginning to shrink.
Closer.
And closer.
He took a step back, and Yuri took two forward.
Now… just a hair's breadth apart.
Or so Jared thought, furrowing his brow.
Zero.
No—less than zero.
Yuri lunged.
They were already colliding.
"This time, I'll show you what kind of fighter I am."