Chapter 86 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Sparring Out the Truth
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"…!"
Adelbert's face turned deathly pale.
I let go of his clothes.
"Forgive my rudeness. Things ended up like this while I was trying to save you."
"...."
Even after I released him, he remained frozen in shock, not bothering to straighten his attire.
"What…."
The nobles stared at us with stunned expressions, as if shocked that a disaster had nearly occurred.
The noble who had staggered into Adelbert spoke up in a fluster.
"Y-Your Highness, are you all right? I had too much to drink—no, I was rude to Your Highness. I'm sorry."
"…I'm fine."
The prince replied without taking his eyes off me.
The noble turned to me and bowed.
"Sir Ernst, thank you so much. You saved his life."
"No need. Since nothing happened, why don't you head inside? Your Highness, it was just a mistake, so it's fine to send him on his way, right?"
"…Do that."
"You should go now. His Highness must have been quite startled, and a noisy place will only make it worse."
"Y-Yes, right. I'll be going."
The nobles glanced back repeatedly as they cautiously retreated.
I looked at Elias, who seemed utterly bewildered, and Adelbert, still deep in panic, before saying,
"Shall we talk?"
* * *
"...."
Only the crackling of flames from the fireplace filled the room.
I cast a soundproofing spell and sat in a chair.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"...."
Adelbert kept his head bowed and his mouth shut.
Elias, who hadn't had a moment to grasp the situation amid the chaos of the falling Adelbert, now seemed to understand from the atmosphere and sat quietly, his face unusually calm.
"Your Highness nearly tumbled down the stairs after being shoved by Excellency Orli. And right below was Duke Elias."
"...."
"Excellency Orli thought he'd simply stumbled from being drunk?"
Adelbert's shoulders twitched.
Elias continued to watch him with an expressionless face.
"But… from what I saw, it looked like he was drawn by mana and tripped. Isn't that right?"
All color drained from Adelbert's face again.
At this point, one might expect excuses, but he just sat there trembling, unable to speak.
Instead, it was Elias who broke the ice first.
"Evidence?"
"None."
Elias raised an eyebrow at my words and looked at me.
"There's no record left, and any lingering mana in the air has dispersed by now. And…"
"And?"
"Above all, what made him stagger was Your Highness Prince Adelbert's unique ability, so there wouldn't be any mana residue left, would there?"
"...."
Adelbert's unique ability—the power he could wield freely without training—was control over wind.
That was the reason he'd skipped grades. Manipulating natural elements was rare.
Elias let out a breath and said,
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"If it was to shatter Duke Elias's leg again, would that be answer enough?"
"...."
"…Well, Your Highness fell too, didn't you?"
"It's hard to crush a leg just from tumbling down stairs alone, so you'd need to add weight. It'd hurt less than the person underneath, and it'd get you off the suspect list easily. Even I'd fall with you."
I wanted to say it had succeeded in re-injuring the already damaged leg, but…
I couldn't.
Fortunately, Elias seemed to find my reasoning sound.
Unable to ignore it any longer, he pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.
"…Your Highness, answer us."
"...."
A long silence followed. It didn't seem like he'd open his mouth no matter what.
In the thirty minutes since we'd arrived, he hadn't uttered a single word.
"If you're thinking up excuses, you might want to consider that Excellency Orli's hair was swept back for a split second before he even tripped… though I suppose I'd have to say I was mistaken."
Elias let out a hollow chuckle at my sarcasm.
After that, silence reigned again. No one spoke first.
I had plenty to mull over myself, so I had no need to force words out.
'What to do.'
I was only maintaining decorum because he was royalty. Truth be told, I didn't even want to look at his face.
He was the type who'd end up imprisoned in the underground dungeon by his mid-twenties after constantly meddling in Elias's affairs. Should I just nip it in the bud now?
He was at that emotional age, but not everyone lived like this.
No matter how much you hated someone, who actually went through with pushing them down stairs?
'…Still, there's one thing that bothers me.'
The Adelbert I knew wasn't this sleazy.
He'd relentlessly challenged Elias for the crown prince's throne, but he'd never resorted to foul play.
Even now, he could call the guard and have us thrown out, yet he just sat there trembling.
'....'
I needed to get him talking.
It'd be great if Narke were here, but bringing him now would look suspicious, and it wouldn't do for imperial folks to know we were close to Narke.
Anyway, since I had a hunch…
'I'll start by getting him to open up.'
I could judge from there.
I quietly asked the prince, who still had his head bowed.
"Want to spar?"
* * *
It must have sounded out of nowhere, but fortunately, just as I was wondering if I'd need another approach, the prince silently nodded.
It was the first reaction I'd seen from him.
'He must figure he needs this to even think about talking.'
Or maybe… he thought it would buy him a little time.
We arrived at Elias's private training grounds.
It was far larger and better maintained than the ones at the academy.
"To think Sir Nikolaus has grown enough to teach someone. What a nostalgic feeling."
Elias chuckled alone in the chilly air.
Perhaps because his leg hadn't been shattered yet, but it was odd to see jokes coming out with his cousin—who'd tried to cripple him for life—standing right there.
All I could say was that it was just like Elias.
"I'm not teaching."
"Then?"
Obviously, to wear him down.
He needed to loosen up from the excessive tension too.
Mental state is closely tied to physical stamina, so if his body gave out now—when he was already cornered and drained—even his iron will would crumble.
That's when you switch from whip to carrot. It's only natural.
No matter how desperate someone feels, it's not easy to dismantle their own convictions.
I couldn't torture royalty, so the only option was to push him to his limits in the way he wanted.
'Pushing someone relentlessly like a madman isn't easy.'
Maybe because I had so much experience being pushed to the brink myself. I'd crossed the line between life and death countless times because of Leo.
I didn't answer and walked to the opposite side of the training grounds.
"Let's begin."
His face looked half-dead, but the prince stood steadily on both legs.
I skipped introductions and assumed my stance.
"Wow, seeing the Bavarian Kingdom Army's formation in the imperial palace."
Perhaps worried the spar would turn serious, Elias sniped weakly.
Now that I looked, he didn't even seem in the mood for jokes, yet he kept at it.
'Of course he's not in the mood. Naturally.'
If his supporters grew, the emperor would grow wary of him.
The Elias in the novel knew this well. Right now, Elias was no doubt calculating the movements of his great-uncle, cousins, and countless pro-emperor politicians in his head.
And before, he'd said, 'This is when the emperor starts targeting me.'
This hadn't happened in the novel.
Of all timings, for this to occur now—caused by royalty no less—he needed to be on high alert.
Had I not turned back time, Elias really would have been on crutches for life. For a combat mage, that ended a career.
Much later, Adelbert finally assumed the imperial formation. In that instant, a flash lit the dim training grounds.
BOOM—!
'As expected.'
I tilted my head at the mana shards scattering against my barrier.
Just as I thought, he was the type to bulldoze with brute force.
It would work on nine out of ten people. They'd be too busy defending to counter, and once overwhelmed, they'd have no escape until the match ended.
Realizing I hadn't taken a hit, he stretched his wand long and slammed it into the ground.
As mana surged like a wave, a white line streaked toward me. I twirled my wand, reshaping it.
CLANG—!
It sounded like swords scraping.
Good speed. It had come so fast I hadn't even noticed, so he must have channeled mana into his legs. That reaction speed required seamless mana flow within the body.
I had no idea why he'd switched to sword form so hastily, though…
SCREECH—
With my inferior strength, dragging this clash out wouldn't help me.
I relaxed my grip on the sword and dropped low. It had already reverted to wand form in my hand.
"…!"
He lost balance and staggered forward. It was a split second, but enough.
BOOM—!
Mana erupted from my wand, hurling him far back.
THUD—
"Ugh!"
"Does he have basics or not…."
I understood why his technique score was a 2.
I approached the prince, who had crashed into the far wall and collapsed.
"If you meant to use a sword instead of a wand, you should've kept the mana in your legs when jumping instead of shifting it to your upper body."
"...."
"Your stance was solid, so they must've taught you not to dump all mana into your wrist during a clash, but no one told you that a weak lower body makes the whole thing useless?"
A whistle came from Elias behind me.
I didn't need to listen. A guy like Elias would just see it as me showboating anyway.
"Let's go again."
He propped himself up with effort and stood. The wand in his hand turned back into a sword.
SWOOSH—
I spun immediately, deflecting the attack.
Afterward, he kept coming at me stubbornly.
I had no choice but to switch my wand to sword and block.
'No matter how I look at it, this guy really came here just to get beaten.'
Who else would stubbornly repeat the exact move I just pointed out? He was like that to the end in the novel too.
It wasn't anger at him flaunting his sword that made me think this.
That wasn't my concern.
It just made it even clearer that he couldn't break his own stubbornness and hoped someone else would.
WHOOSH—
Mana rushed in along the sword's path.
I channeled mana into my sword, pushed back, then switched it to a wand and charged.
* * *
"Wow, this is why teachers matter. Did he only learn how to kill in training? His style's exactly like that guy's."
"…Hah, huff…."
The prince, too exhausted to even wipe the sweat dripping from his chin, knelt and gasped for air.
I ignored Elias's words and tried to refocus. But there was no need. His center of gravity had already vanished from his body.
THUD—
The staggering prince collapsed to the floor.
To be honest, I'd barely held out by reinforcing my stamina with divine power. I was on the verge of collapsing against my will too.
Elias stood over him, looking down.
"You won't walk tomorrow."
"…I can walk…."
"No, you can't. You always skim the surface of your studies, so you wouldn't know, but I—who trained harder—can guarantee you'll be wrecked tomorrow. Ride out three days of muscle pain, and you'll be fine."
"...."
The prince lacked the strength to respond and just kept heaving breaths.
He seemed to be trying to get up, but his eyes kept drooping, so pushing further would knock him out.
I caught my breath and sat beside him.
"Talk."
"...."
"Didn't you think you needed to be pushed this far before you could open up? I don't think you let me drain your strength for nothing."
"...."
"If Your Highness has nothing to say, there's nothing more I can do."
I waited a long time for him to speak.
After about ten minutes, he opened his parched lips.
"…All."
"What?"
"…Your guesses are all right."
Elias looked down at him silently.
"You pushed him."
"…Yes."
"Why?"
"...."
"You must've heard from your father. Did you want me unable to walk?"
The prince stared blankly into space with unfocused eyes, then swept his trembling hand across his forehead.
"…I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Elias let out a hollow laugh before turning serious.
"I have no idea how far your family has to drag me down to feel at ease. Do you hate me that much? What did I even do?"
That reaction was understandable.
Elias's light, carefree speech and actions stemmed partly from his nature, but also from an intent to avoid the emperor's suspicion.
But the emperor's children, unaware of this, had come to loathe Elias for it.
It was a vicious cycle.
"I hate you. Shouldn't I say why? I hate you, but…"
"Say it."
"…I didn't mean to go that far."
I could see Elias's fist clench.
"You little… You do all that and say you didn't mean to?!"
"S-Sorry, Elias. But I really don't know. I don't know what I was thinking."
"...."
As the prince's voice trembled on the verge of tears, Elias sighed heavily.
"…You drank too much. Alcohol turns idle thoughts into actions. Did you know and keep drinking?"
"...."
"Acting like this drunk means it's what you truly believe deep down. This is your bottom line. Doesn't it disgust even you?"
Much later, the prince gave a small nod.
Seeing that only fueled Elias's anger, and he grabbed the prince by the collar with a fierce glare.
"Ah, you bastard… The more I think, the more a fist seems right. Yeah? Don't even dream of becoming emperor. Know that I'll cut your throat that day and go to prison for it."
"...."
Somehow…
It felt like meeting violence with even greater violence.
Still, things were starting to take shape.
"Your Highness."
"…Yes."
"The alcohol from Crown Prince, it was tasty, right?"
"Ah."
Thinking I was mocking him again, he answered in a crawling voice.
"…I'm sorry, Sir Ernst. I won't drink anymore."
"...."
I'd become the dean.
"Anyway, you drank it."
"Yes… after you left."
I turned to Elias now.
" Your Grace, when did you tell your household about your leg?"
"What… a few days? Five days ago. Why?"
Without answering, I questioned the prince again.
"Your Highness, what did Crown Prince say about Duke Elias's news?"
"He said it was really good, despite how inconvenient it must've been."
"What did you say to Crown Prince?"
"...."
"No need to hold back now. Honestly, you didn't feel good about it, right?"
"…I said it'd be quieter for him to live broken like that…"
"Ah, this bastard really needs a beating…"
I pushed back Elias, who was rolling up his sleeves.
"Then, when did you receive the alcohol gift?"
"Yesterday. With the banquet coming, and my birthday soon… he said to take it to my room and drink when the mood struck…"
"I see. Crown Prince surely said it was just for Your Highness."
Elias, who'd been watching indifferently, gradually hardened his expression.
He'd grasped the situation.
"Curious… Could I have a taste?"
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