#79
At Ersen’s casually flowing answer and ambiguous smile, Skyle drew his sword with a flick of his wrist. A heavy metallic mana response spread through the air.
“A sword?”
“There should be days like this too.”
At the same time, Ersen also pulled out a thin seal between his fingers.
“What’s that?”
And after a moment.
Small curse characters began floating in the air, glowing softly like blue flames.
Skyle’s eyes sharpened.
“That’s something I’ve never seen before.”
“It’s my mother’s relic.”
A weapon that could only be handled by blood.
When Ersen showed him cutting his palm without any hesitation, Skyle uncharacteristically lost his words.
“Bizarre, isn’t it?”
“Your Highness. That kind of weapon is—”
“Dangerous? Haha, no. This is actually the most useful thing I have.”
“Your Highness.”
“First, let’s go inside.”
“Are we starting with an attack?”
“No. I’m thinking of having a conversation.”
Ersen’s smile contained a rare competitive spirit.
* * *
Actually, bringing this seal was for emergencies.
‘Before regression, I messed things up more than once or twice by going in without any preparation.’
I had to prepare at least one countermeasure to avoid being caught by enemies in emergencies.
This was one of the things I had found too late after ruining everything before regression.
Amara’s Seal.
Something that could only be used by pure-blood demons or their direct bloodline, and since it only required blood, it was a weapon I had used several times before regression.
Though I didn’t know how effective it would be against half-demons.
“You’ve come, Your Highness.”
I felt like I could at least defeat one half-demon who was acting as if he had been waiting for me to come.
* * *
Inside the warehouse.
Cold air, damp wooden walls, strangely echoing silence. The magic circle still held a faint light, pulsing like a living heart.
Three shadows gathered at the center of the magic circle, wary of the two intruders.
They didn’t move. Even their breathing was restrained. Their very presence was a weapon itself. Solid, calculated, mechanically suppressed emotions. Yet the threat felt from them rather originated from that silence.
Among them, one with pale green hair raised his head first.
Lindel. A person I had encountered before regression too. Not just his fighting ability, but he had a unique nervous system. Someone capable of analyzing emotions and reflecting them in mana structures. Perhaps that’s why when he moved, even the surrounding air felt like it vibrated minutely.
“You’ve come, Your Highness.”
Though he himself had been most flustered when the Prince appeared, now his voice sounded as if he had been waiting.
His tone was gentle, natural as if conveying an old greeting. But what was contained within wasn’t welcome but confirmation. A voice as if saying ‘you’ve arrived, as planned.’
The Prince walked in with heavy steps, laughing.
That smile was lightly made, but his steps were resolute. His emotions were controlled, and his mental calculations were meticulous. As if he were the owner of this space. Calmly, yet certainly taking control of the space.
“Do you know me?”
The question was light, but it was bait to draw out an answer. Who would speak a name first, who would break down barriers first. That single phrase was the center of psychological warfare.
“Of course. The Elder has told us much about you.”
Lindel raised the corners of his mouth slightly. His manner of speaking was polite, but what was contained within was clear superiority. A recognition that ‘you were a subject of analysis, and we have been observing you.’
“Oh, really? By the way, seeing you up close, you’re a familiar face. Nice to see you, Lindel.”
At Ersen’s words, Lindel’s eyes wavered very briefly. The fact that he called his name was already pressure in itself. An ordinary human couldn’t know this name. Moreover, if they had never conversed, even more so.
Rico and Lindel.
They were mid-level executive half-demons that Ersen had encountered before regression too.
At that time, they had regarded Ersen as nothing but a tool. They didn’t even speak to him, and seemed not to recognize his existence, let alone emotions. Like passing dust. But now it was different. The Prince standing before them—wasn’t the same as before.
Back then, they wouldn’t even converse like this and passed by me with contempt.
And if it was Lindel, there was one useful phrase for gaining the upper hand.
He wasn’t someone who was swayed by emotions, but he reacted sensitively to words that revealed relationships. Especially if that relationship was ‘something he wanted to hide.’
“How is Lady Marsien doing?”
His voice was calm, his tone light. But the information contained within hit Lindel squarely. His fingertips flinched slightly, and the air flow became rough for an instant.
Acting as if he knew everything and taking the initiative first, Lindel looked at the recently strange Second Prince with peculiar eyes and spoke.
His gaze mixed exploration, wariness, and a bit of fear. The Prince he knew didn’t move like this. He didn’t engage in information warfare or psychological warfare. At least not on the surface.
Though it was just one phrase, Lindel made a hasty assumption due to the Second Prince’s leisurely attitude.
‘This isn’t simply human intuition.’
‘It’s not something he overheard by chance, nor something someone told him.’
He’s directly grasping everything now.
That the Prince knows that Lady Marsien and Lindel share the same master.
That was a strategic asset. Their master held quite an influential position even within the half-demons and was someone who followed secretive lines even internally. The fact that the Prince knew such private connection points—wasn’t simple coincidence.
“You know all sorts of things. Well, Marsien and such are just disposable pawns anyway. What we really want is something else.”
Those words were like deliberate deflection. Hiding emotions, deliberately pretending indifference. Marsien was an important piece to them, but now was the time to deny that importance. Only that way would emotional weaknesses not be exposed.
“Could you tell me what that ‘something else’ is?”
Ersen’s tone didn’t change. The light laughter at the end of his words remained the same. But his eyes were reading the bottom. What that ‘something else’ was—perhaps he already knew.
“Well. You probably already know.”
Lindel flicked his finger.
The sound was light, but the effect was anything but. As if tiny cracks formed throughout the entire space, the air that had been vibrating minutely suddenly ruptured. At the center, the curse magic circle tore through the air while making hearts race to their fullest.
Instantly, the space inside the warehouse swayed and the air currents twisted.
The sensation underfoot became empty like void for a moment. All the sensations that seemed to be standing on stable ground became distorted, rippling as if the floor was alive and moving. At the same time, two black shadows burst out from the wall side.
Two black shadows burst out from the wall side.
They didn’t even make sounds. Half-demon combat types, beings that moved without emotion and fought according to commands. Unlike ordinary soldiers, they were designed so that their mana-composed bodies wouldn’t delay reactions but would lead directly to attacks.
Curse waves spreading from the magic circle’s center scattered as if cutting through the air.
The air became sharp like blades, and the sensation touching skin was chillingly as if it would tear. A situation where every movement, every breath could become a trigger for attack. However—
Skyle moved without an inch of hesitation.
His sword quickly traced a trajectory. From the moment it left the sheath, it was already a trajectory that would pierce through and pass the opponent. That movement was fast enough to be difficult for even experts to follow, and simultaneously meticulous.
The sword was swung like lightning and pierced straight through the chest of the first shadow that burst out.
A blow that precisely stabbed the center of mana. Light rippled and burst out from within the half-demon’s body. Its body twisted as if tearing and bounced toward the wall, crashing straight into the floor. Skyle took his stance again without a single breath.
“Combat-type half-demons.”
He spoke briefly. The analysis was already complete. These enemies were structured to focus on quick attacks and breakthroughs rather than defense. So—
“Yeah. We’re properly caught.”
Ersen said while walking deeper into the magic circle. His expression remained calm, and even seemed enjoyable. Seeing those eyes, Lindel’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“May I leave the remaining two to Your Highness?”
Skyle asked. His tone was polite as usual, but it clearly contained the meaning that he trusted the opponent’s capabilities even in the midst of battle. Trust sometimes became defense in itself.
“Got it. I’ll leave it to you, Archduke.”
The moment he finished speaking, Ersen stepped on the circle and leaped beyond it.
Those steps had no hesitation. Even though the magic circle was gnawing at the surrounding space like teeth, he burrowed into the center. At the same time, with a flick of his wrist, he threw part of the floating seal.
Small pieces changed direction in mid-air and scattered in all directions. They weren’t simple metal chunks but triggers containing mana. Moving to find specific intersection points among the circle’s barriers, they caused small impacts one by one.
Skyle leisurely faced Lindel while taking in all those movements with his eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
