“Deus, now.”
At Ian’s signal, Deus unleashed a pre-prepared attack spell.
Whoosh.
Kyle neutralized the incoming spell with his aura blade, but some of the pursuing knights were injured by the sudden magical assault.
“There’s a high-level mage among the enemy. Be on guard for magical attacks.”
The warning from Kyle’s personal guard slowed the pursuing knights’ pace.
“How frustrating.”
Kyle momentarily channeled mana from his heart into his legs, enhancing his strength before shooting forward. He quickly closed the distance between himself and Ian, swinging his sword without hesitation.
“So, you’re the leader of this group.”
‘What a monstrous…!’
Ian, who had no talent for swordsmanship, couldn’t react to Kyle’s sudden movement.
Clang.
Thanks to a sword and a barrier that appeared beside him, Ian’s life was spared.
“Ugh…”
The impact from blocking Kyle’s sword was more significant than expected, causing a trickle of blood to escape from between Katarina’s lips.
“You have a good subordinate.”
At Kyle’s low remark, Ian quickly assessed the situation. While Kyle held him in check, the knights under Kyle’s command, who had been wary of Deus, had caught up with Ian’s group.
‘The Emperor couldn’t have broken his promise…’
Despite his confidence in the insurance he had received as a reward, Ian thought he needed to buy more time since help hadn’t yet arrived.
“Isn’t this a bit too harsh, considering we might be on the same side?”
“On the same side, huh? What do you do with a dog that doesn’t listen to its master? Usually, I boil such dogs.”
Kyle once again swung his sword at Ian, filled with aura. Katarina tried to block it with her own aura-infused sword, but her sword was unexpectedly cut in half. Kyle’s sword easily sliced through Deus’s barrier and was about to strike Ian when he tripped over a stone and barely dodged it.
“Lucky. A small stone saved your life.”
“Whew, I guess I’m a bit lucky.”
Though Ian spoke nonchalantly, he momentarily feared for his life again.
“Alright then, let’s see you block this sword too.”
As Kyle prepared to swing his sword again, a woman with purple hair stepped in to block it.
Ting!
Contrasting with Kyle’s red aura, the woman’s sword shone with a purple aura. Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise, seeing a woman who could block his aura blade, something only swordmasters could do.
“Who are you? Only the Emperor and Duke Duncan can block my aura blade in the Empire.”
Ian sighed in relief seeing the purple-haired woman. Getting insurance from the Emperor first was a wise decision in a world where swordsmanship and magic, deadly powers, ran rampant.
‘The Emperor and Duncan took notice. To be a swordmaster at a young age similar to Kyle’s…’
“It seems fewer people listen to me these days. Well, I’ll subdue you first and then talk.”
Angered by the repeated blocks, Kyle’s sword surged with a vibrant red aura.
Clang, clang.
Despite facing a swordmaster’s aura blade, the purple-haired woman silently blocked Kyle’s attacks. Before long, she even started pushing him back.
“Your Highness!”
As Kyle’s guards saw him being pushed back and tried to join the fray, Ian heard a voice in his head, presumably from the purple-haired woman.
[Your Highness, please retreat. I will buy you time. I will escape on my own.]
Nodding slightly at her words, Ian called out to Katarina, Wiz, and Deus.
“She will create an opportunity. We need to escape quickly.”
As Deus prepared another speed-enhancing spell, Katarina and Wiz signaled their men.
Once the group was ready, the purple-haired woman infused her sword with aura, causing an explosion.
Kyle, to counter the explosion, filled his sword with red aura.
Boom!
As the auras clashed, a massive explosion created a cloud of dust.
“Now, let’s go.”
Once the dust cleared, Kyle spotted Ian’s group fleeing in the distance and shouted.
“Where do you think you’re going? Stop!”
Kyle’s blood-red eyes turned to his knights within the dust cloud.
“What are you doing? All knights, pursue them! I’ll handle this woman.”
Despite Kyle’s command, his knights hesitated as the woman filled her sword with purple aura again, instinctively recognizing the threat.
“How dare you!”
Kyle also infused his sword with aura and clashed with her again.
Boom, crash!
The even more powerful explosion created a dense dust cloud that completely obscured Ian’s group’s escape.
When the dust settled, the purple-haired woman had also disappeared from Kyle’s sight.
Ian’s group managed to reach a hidden safe house of the Katarina faction, a pre-determined destination.
Upon arrival, Wiz approached Ian.
“Your Highness, who was that woman? I never thought there would be a young woman capable of opposing the First Prince.”
Deus chimed in.
“Ian, we would’ve been dead if not for that woman. You knew who she was, right?”
“She is my personal guard, a reward from the Emperor for my achievements. She’s one of the Emperor’s eyes, always watching over me.”
“Wow, I never sensed her presence at all… She’s incredibly skilled.”
“I miscalculated about the First Prince showing up. I apologize to you all.”
Ian bowed his head.
“No, we also never thought the First Prince would actually show up, knowing he despises the back alleys. And if not for your personal guard, we’d all be dead.”
“At least none of us died, so that’s a relief, right?”
Alex’s lighthearted remark eased the tension in the room.
“Katarina, Wiz, do you still plan to keep dealing with me? The First Prince’s strength is beyond imagination.”
Before Katarina or Wiz could answer, Alex stepped forward.
“How could I betray you, Your Highness? Though I was the youngest of Frank’s group, I am not without loyalty.”
“Didn’t you already betray Frank’s group?”
Scratching his head, Alex answered Ian’s teasing question.
“Haha, a man must sometimes sacrifice the small for the greater good, right?”
“From what I see, the First Prince still seems bigger than me.”
“Oh, please don’t say that. If I joined the First Prince, he’d probably kill me immediately.”
Katarina and Wiz laughed at Alex’s remark.
“When I blocked the First Prince’s aura-infused sword, I thought of hitting Wiz for advising me back then.”
Wiz instinctively covered the back of his head at Katarina’s words.
“It felt like we were taking the harder path. But after facing the First Prince, one thing is clear. Even if we survive under him, we won’t breathe easy. Besides, he doesn’t like people from the back alleys.”
“So, can I take this to mean you’re fully with me now?”
Ian smiled.
“I can see you’re not just a tyrant. But this alone isn’t enough. If you fall to the First Prince, we’d be grateful just to be alive.”
“But there’s still hope, Your Highness. Our boss always bets on the underdog. She always said that betting on the underdog yields better rewards.”
At Wiz’s flattery, Katarina approached him and, like Kyle, used mana to strengthen her legs and quickly moved to smack the back of his head.
Thud.
Although Wiz winced in pain, he smiled at Katarina’s sharp gaze.
“Well, you’re not wrong. Sticking with the underdog and winning is more rewarding than joining the side that’s already won.”
Thinking of the purple-haired woman, Katarina added.
“And even if things go awry, we’ve confirmed that you won’t just fall to the First Prince. If not for that woman, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“I think the same as our boss.”
“Thank you for seeing it positively. I won’t forget that Katarina blocked the First Prince’s sword for me.”
Katarina smiled faintly, recalling the moment she stood against the First Prince.
“I think pretending to be a tyrant was a good strategy. No one would expect you to have such a personal guard. We were completely fooled.”
“Ah, no… mmph!”
Alex tried to explain Ian’s past tyrant behavior but was quickly silenced by Ian, who whispered a threat in his ear.
“The more I fight to survive, the more variables will arise. We need to be prepared for them.”
This incident made Ian reconsider this world. In modern society, violence wasn’t a solution, making it unlikely to face it. However, in this fantasy world, the most effective way to solve problems was through violence, disguised as swordsmanship or magic.
Recognizing the difference between the modern world and this one, Ian realized that without the Emperor’s insurance, he would’ve been in serious trouble this time.
The group in the safe house looked at Ian, whose eyes shone unusually brightly.
“Katarina, you all…”
Cliche Novel 