CHAPTER 14

"A Secret Strategy of My Own (1)"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"...Pardon?"

"I said, I'm not going to tell you."

"..."

Sir Gardin fell silent.

As if it weren't enough that his frail crown prince had suddenly been thrown into a duel with the second prince, now the worry was growing like a bumper crop waving in the blue meadows.

And it was only natural to be worried.

The second prince was no easy opponent. No, even by the standards of ordinary people, he was an elite so formidable that even daring to challenge him was overwhelming. Yet, the frail crown prince, who had suffered from illness all his life, claimed to have a way to win against such a formidable opponent.

For a moment, hope flickered.

Because he was the crown prince.

Surely, there had to be something.

He wouldn't say such a thing otherwise.

Sir Gardin had hoped for even the smallest glimpse of light. But the words that followed from the prince were far too cruel.

"I'm not telling. Why should I?"

"Your Highness?"

"What? Why?"

"It's all right. If Your Highness does not have confidence in winning, you can simply say so. No one will blame you. Who would dare? Who in this secluded palace—or rather, in the entire capital—does not know of Your Highness's circumstances? Isn't that right?"

He had tried his best to comfort the prince.

Or at least, he had tried.

It was an utterly unreasonable and unfavorable duel. How much despair must the crown prince himself be feeling? So, it was his duty to console and support him. As the prince's personal physician, it was his responsibility.

With clenched fists, he resolved himself and fervently tried to reassure the prince. But the only response he got was a laugh—one of sheer amusement.

"What do you mean, isn't that right? Not at all."

"...Excuse me?"

"It's fine. I won't lose. I'll win. Of course, I can't be certain just yet, and the odds are still slightly against me, but I have a chance to put up a fight. A small chance to win. Isn't that enough? Doesn't that put you at ease?"

"No, not at all."

"Tsk."

"Your Highness spoke as if you would reveal the secret to defeating the second prince, but now you won't."

"And so?"

"I was just wondering if perhaps... Your Highness was bluffing."

"Tsk, tsk. Should I just carelessly reveal my trade secret, then?"

"...Pardon?"

Sir Gardin flinched.

Trade secret?

The crown prince continued speaking.

"Think about it. Anyone would assume I'll lose to the second prince. Even if I were someone else looking at this situation, I'd think the same. But I have a secret strategy to try in this duel. A special method. And yet, should I carelessly announce such a thing in advance?"

"Ah…"

"Now, do you get it?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Exactly. A strategy that leaks early is no longer a strategy. If the second prince hears of it and prepares accordingly, then I'd be doomed. Isn't that right?"

"Indeed, that makes sense. However—"

"However?"

"It's disappointing."

"What?"

The crown prince raised an eyebrow at him. Sir Gardin replied, looking somewhat dejected.

"It's just that Your Highness is speaking as if, were you to reveal your strategy, I would go around spreading it. I am not so loose-lipped."

"Haha. Is that so, Sir Gardin?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And that's why you're disappointed?"

"To be honest, a little, yes, Your Highness."

"If you keep being honest, you might start talking back to me."

"Of course n— I mean, no, Your Highness."

"Tsk. Anyway, I'm going to sleep. Check me over before I lie down."

"...Understood, Your Highness."

Sir Gardin barely managed to keep his expression in check.

His face had been hard with concern.

'So His Highness is bluffing.'

No matter how one looked at it, the second prince was bound to win. Yet, the crown prince was boldly claiming he had a way to win.

Did such a strategy truly exist?

'Probably not.'

Even after wracking his brain, even after looking at the situation with the rosiest lens possible, he couldn't see a way for the prince to win. He couldn't find any hidden trick.

No, it simply seemed impossible from the start.

'The second prince has a strong physique and has trained under excellent swordmasters since childhood. Rumors say he has already surpassed the level of a knight-in-training.'

That level was beyond what any ordinary person could handle. And the crown prince? He wasn't even as strong as an average person.

'How could he possibly win…?'

The prince still wore a composed expression.

Seeing that, Sir Gardin had to swallow down the sigh threatening to escape. A heavy cloud of anxiety settled in his heart.

♣

The early morning arrived.

When he woke, the sky was filled with thick, heavy clouds—just like his mood.

But the crown prince seemed different.

"Oh, Sir Gardin, you're up? If you're awake, could you step outside for a moment?"

"...Pardon?"

"I have a guest."

Indeed, there was a stranger in the prince's chambers.

Sir Gardin tilted his head in confusion.

'A visitor? At this hour? Already?'

The eastern sky had only just begun to lighten. Yet, someone had already come to the prince's secluded palace?

Moreover, the visitor's appearance was odd—too plain, too simple. He didn't seem like a noble. If anything, he looked like… someone who worked all day sweating—

"He's a royal blacksmith. I called him."

"...Pardon?"

"You must still be half-asleep. Just step outside for now. I have something to commission from him."

"Ah, yes, Your Highness."

He was practically pushed out of the room.

Sir Gardin glanced at the guards outside the door, silently asking with his eyes.

One of them shrugged and answered briefly.

"He is indeed a royal blacksmith."

"..."

What in the world was the prince planning so early in the morning?

Sir Gardin's curiosity and unease surged.

Pressing his ear to the door, he strained to listen.

But he could barely hear anything.

No, he could almost hear something—then not.

It felt as if crucial words were just a hair's breadth away from reaching his ears.

Fidgeting, he suddenly noticed something odd.

He turned his gaze and met the eyes of one of the guards.

"... …"

"Ahem! Cough!"

Flustered, he quickly stepped away from the door.

And he made a decision.

'This is too suspicious. I'll ask the blacksmith later.'

The fact that the prince had summoned a blacksmith at dawn. The fact that he seemed to be commissioning something.

Could this be the "strategy" he mentioned?

It seemed likely.

And that worried him.

'Why is he having something made? I don't know what it is, but… if he's attempting something reckless, if his health suffers because of it…'

He desperately hoped that wasn't the case. If the prince was planning something dangerous, he would stop him.

He would find out.

And so, he waited for the blacksmith to emerge.

Just then—

From the far end of the corridor, someone approached in haste.

It was the palace chamberlain.

"Chamberlain? Why are you in such a hurry this early in the morning?"

The chamberlain's face was filled with urgency.

His reply was even more shocking.

"It's serious, Sir Gardin. His Majesty has just made an unbelievable announcement."

"An announcement?"

"Yes. About the duel between His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince. His Majesty has declared its location."

"And where is that?"

"Roy-Habi Bridge—right in the center of the capital, where thousands of citizens will be watching."

"...What?"

Sir Gardin was utterly stunned.