“Show your respect—now!”
The Royal Guards’ enraged shouts brought the party to a standstill. Prince Alan watched with an arrogant smile. Yes, this was the expected reaction.
No matter how much they praised the Hero of the North or the Executioner, it was ultimately insignificant compared to the royal family’s might. Even an ignorant barbarian who couldn’t comprehend civilization had no choice but to submit to the intimidating presence of a dozen Royal Guards.
‘Hmph. I was hoping for a bit more resistance. What a pity.’
Alan was pleased to avoid the troublesome process of recruiting the Executioner through the Black Winged Duke’s champion. His initial plan was to provoke the barbarian into a fight, subdue him through the Royal Guards, and then forcibly bring him under his command.
But seeing no resistance, just silent compliance, was quite disappointing. He expected the barbarian to react aggressively based on the rumors, even if only half of them were true.
Nonetheless, this had its own advantages. It implied that subduing and training him would be easier. Alan’s smile deepened.
“So. How long are you going to just stand there? I’ve already introduced myself.”
“Show your respect and declare your identity—now!”
Thud. Thud.
The Royal Guards stomped their feet with aura, amplifying the pressure. The commotion drew the attention of countless onlookers, and Alan raised his chin, urging a prompt response.
In the midst of this situation, where even the bravest warrior might falter, the barbarian at the center seemed indifferent.
‘What’s this guy babbling about?’
Khan was here seeking a connection with the royal family by visiting the Black Winged Duke’s city and had coincidentally encountered the second prince. He understood that much. Considering his own goals, he should be pleased to skip past unnecessary procedures.
However, the attitude of the prince annoyed him greatly.
It was well known that the basic manners of Midland nobles were despicable, but the man in front of him surpassed those norms by far. Using his armored entourage to intimidate from the outset? The guy was old enough to know better…
‘Clearly, this guy didn’t receive proper upbringing.’
Such individuals made disciplinary measures, timeless across ages, ever relevant. It was time to impart a lesson in traditional Confucian manners, Khan concluded.
“Don’t hit him.”
At that moment, Aries, in a voice barely audible to the party, restrained Khan. Leo, who had been quiet, was startled by her words, his glance questioning, ‘Were you really planning to hit the prince?’
‘Do they think I’m some uneducated barbarian?’
Irritated, Khan frowned and spoke up.
“I had no such intention.”
“No. You would have hit him. If it’s you, definitely.”
“Sir. Even so, resorting to violence against a member of the royal family is a bit…”
“My lord. I’m ready to fight. Facing the Royal Guards… it’s thrilling.”
“You lot—!”
A Royal Guard, angered by the party’s banter while leaving Prince Alan awkwardly standing, drew his sword. Yet, the party remained calm and unflinching, a demeanor that seemed to fuel the guards’ fury even more.
Buzz!
The sight was staggering: multiple brilliant auras, making the Argon knights they’d encountered thus far seem insignificant. It was as if a blue sun had risen near the city gates.
“How dare you fail to show proper respect when facing the rightful heir of Argon’s noble lineage! You deserve to lose your heads right here—right now—!”
The aura amplified his voice to a thunderous volume, more potent than a nearby lightning strike. Yet, Prince Alan, despite his proximity, didn’t flinch or cover his ears, spared from the impact by the knight’s precise aura control.
“Haha. Sir Adrian, don’t be too harsh. Have they not shown signs of fear?”
“Your Highness, please step back to safeguard your person. Who knows what kind of ruffian acts these uncouth individuals might commit.”
“Surely not. Can someone who’s righted a rebellion in the North behave so rudely? Must be a momentary shock.”
Isn’t that so?
Prince Alan’s slender tone had an unveiled threat within it. The implication was clear: if they didn’t respond, the Royal Guard’s blades would fall.
It was a blatant act. A typical intimidation tactic where Sir Adrian frightened them, and Alan played the forgiving prince.
“So. Here I am, being gracious. How long will you make me wait—”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“…What?”
Alan’s face froze at the incomprehensible response. Even if he wasn’t the crown prince, how many had the audacity to outright refuse him, the second prince?
But he picked the wrong opponent. This was someone who had seen the world’s end multiple times over and was a savvy modern-day corporate worker who survived on wits.
In the brief moment spent in meaningless exchange, Khan had already grasped the situation and smirked.
“If I say I don’t want to tell you, what can you do about it?”
***
“You dare—”
As Adrian stomped his foot, his figure blurred. He enhanced his leg strength with aura, closing the distance in an instant. Known as the Steel Wall of the Royal Guard, his skills were among the best within the Royal Guard.
‘The hero of the demonic realm subjugation? How laughable!’
In his eyes, a barbarian who couldn’t even wield mana wasn’t worth the effort.
Covered in a thin layer of aura and donning the specially crafted plate armor provided to the Royal Guard, there wasn’t a force capable of penetrating his defenses. Even Pashantu, the champion of the Black Winged Duke, had lost to the Black Winged Duke because she couldn’t break through his defense.
‘This one will be the same.’
“Haah!”
With a short battle cry, his aura flared like wildfire. No complicated moves were needed. Adrian poured as much aura into his specially made sword as it could withstand, intending to crush the barbarian with pure aura strength.
However, contrary to his expectations, the one who blocked his path wasn’t the barbarian but a handsome young man who appeared to be his companion.
“My lord! Leave this to me…!”
The young man, Leo, holding a shield made of pure white alloy, had a radiant glow in his eyes.
Recognizing this glow instantly, Adrian was momentarily taken aback, but only for a moment. The resounding clash between the charging Royal Guard and the apprentice Paladin rang far beyond the city gates.
“What…?”
“Stand back!”
Unexpectedly, the duel ended in a stalemate.
Adrian, one of the top knights in the Royal Guard, was evenly matched with an apprentice Paladin. Adrian was shocked, while Leo calmly pushed Adrian back with his shield.
‘How can this be!’
The recoil transmitted through the shield was unparalleled. Even clashing with another Royal Guard at full strength wouldn’t feel like this. Adrian immediately realized that this young Paladin was no ordinary opponent and adjusted his stance.
It wasn’t the barbarian called the Executioner, but the fact that he was forced back by a mere youth that bruised his pride.
‘Well, this is how it would turn out.’
For Khan, who knew of Leo’s future, the outcome wasn’t all that surprising.
Even though they were the royal knights of a frontier kingdom, they struggled against high-ranking knights of the empire.
But Leo was born into an imperial noble family and was a prodigy who broke records to become the youngest Paladin Commander. What’s more, he remained an apprentice simply due to a lack of experience and personal ambition.
Bang—!
Leo’s skill level easily surpassed that of an average Paladin.
Amidst the dazzling display of various aura techniques, Leo stood firm like a towering tree. Having not been pushed back an inch from his initial clash with Adrian, Leo appeared to still have plenty of strength to spare.
This was because Paladins were characterized by their resilience.
Swordmasters gained overwhelming offensive power through techniques that could cut through anything. Knights achieved versatility through their ability to utilize aura in various ways. Paladins, however, boasted incredible defensive capabilities born from their strong faith, their sacred power, and the blessing-based self-healing that allowed them to perform as impenetrable walls.
Unlike Aries, who was heavily focused on offense, Leo represented the most orthodox form of a Paladin.
“How dare this brat—!”
Adrian, irritated by Leo’s calm demeanor, signaled to the surrounding Royal Guards. It was a blatant indication that they should all gang up to crush Khan’s party. Leo turned to Khan as if seeking his opinion.
“Well, you said you’d handle it.”
“My lord…”
Khan’s response was only a delighted laugh, like a middle schooler who had found an entertaining fight to watch.
As Leo’s face turned sullen at the prospect of facing over ten Royal Guards alone, a flash of light shot into the middle of the skirmish.
────Boom!
The flash came first, followed by a delayed but deafening roar.
“Have you lost your mind, Adrian.”
At the low yet clear voice that followed, Adrian and the rest of the Royal Guards froze in place.
“You’re threatening non-citizens of the kingdom in a public place? You’ve become so obsessed with petty politics that you’ve forgotten your honor?”
“Vice-captain…!”
“Shut up.”
A woman, now retrieving a bolt the size of a spear from where the flash had struck, appeared. It was Lucia de Negras, vice-captain of the Royal Guards, who reprimanded them harshly.
“We’ll discuss your conduct later. And…”
Lucia’s gaze moved from Alan to the barbarian, who watched her with an amused expression.
“Prince and esteemed guests, it would be better to move inside where there are fewer prying eyes.”
Though her tone was polite, it was unmistakably commanding. Alan’s face twisted briefly before he complied with a nod.
“What about our guest?”
“Of course, let’s go.”
With Lucia’s intervention, the commotion at the gate was swiftly quelled, and Alan, along with Khan’s party, made their way to Negras Castle together.
“Everyone worked hard. Sir Adrian and Sir Lucia will take care of the rest, so please rest.”
“Yes!”
Alan, accompanied by Royal Guards who supported him, disappeared along with some of the court’s servants, while the rest followed Lucia to a room that was still fragrant from a recent meal.
“Hmm. It seems rather turbulent outside. Did something interesting happen, Prince Alan?”
“… Just a minor disturbance. Nothing for you to worry about, Duke.”
“Not something for me to worry about? If I don’t pay attention to beasts barking in my own yard, soon enough, the garden will be a mess.”
It was a shockingly frank statement. Even if he was not the crown prince, Alan was still of royal blood, and to call him a ‘beast’ was extreme. Yet neither Alan, Adrian, who served him, nor Lucia, the vice-captain of the Royal Guards, dared to contradict the middle-aged man. They couldn’t.
“I’ve always said moderation is key. Wouldn’t you agree, Prince Alan?”
“…Yes, I suppose.”
“And despite that?”
Annoyance was clear on the middle-aged man’s face as he stood up, filling the room despite his average stature. His presence was overpowering.
His neatly combed hair, set with fine oils, framed his brows and eyes, resembling those of a predatory bird.
“It was like this… Despite that, you show up unannounced at my castle and disturb the order? Is this how you respect me, the family head? Look at you, Prince Alan, acting as if you already wear the crown.”
“That’s not what—”
“Enough.”
The strongest knight of the kingdom, the sole duke, and publically a duke with a royal lineage, the Black Winged Duke cut off Prince Alan. He spoke with a stern expression.
“It seems Prince Alan needs a refresher in his education. In my day, nobility was supposed to embody ambition hidden behind modesty and smiles. Of course, I taught you this. But what is this? Jumping around like a pony with its tail on fire just because the king and the crown prince are absent? If you behave like this, what example does that set for your peers? It’s lamentable. In my younger days, nobility wasn’t about acting foolishly; we had to continuously prove our worth and achieve through our own merit. Just because one is born a prince doesn’t mean he is entitled to everything…”
As one lesson flowed into another without pause, Alan’s face crumpled and Lucia sighed. Meanwhile, Khan, who had been quietly observing, nodded in genuine admiration.
‘Everything he says is spot on.’
TL’s Corner:
Maybe he should be called the Nagging duke instead of the Black Winged Duke?