The 3rd Prince of the Fallen Kingdom Returns

2. Discipline (1)

“Huff, huff…”

Yuri lay on the training ground, catching his breath.

“It’s time for you to learn the Mana Method.”

Bernard said.

Mana Method is usually taught after the onset of puberty.

This was because introducing mana too early could cause the body to break down.

“Will you teach me?”

“I could teach you my Mana Method, but it would be too rudimentary for a Prince of Briol.”

“But you became strong using that Mana Method, didn’t you?”

“That’s because I’m exceptional, not because the Mana Method is.”

Bernard habitually drew his sword in the air. True to his nickname, the Sword Demon, he never let his sword rest for a moment.

“Learn the Briol Method.”

That was the name of the Mana Method passed down through the Briol Royal Family.

“Why?”

“It’s an excellent Mana Method. If I had to rank it, it would be top-tier. Its energy is pure, and its efficiency is outstanding.”

Yuri had learned the Briol Method in his past life.

Although he had slightly modified it to conceal his identity after becoming a mercenary, he had seen its full potential in his own way.

“Hmm…”

Briol was a Nation of Knights, and the Royal Family had produced swordmasters for generations.

Whenever the strongest swordsmen on the continent were discussed, King Fiore’s name was always mentioned.

However, Yuri somehow felt that the Royal Family’s Mana Method didn’t suit him.

“Are you planning to learn a different one?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Yuri remembered something.

While it wasn’t a pleasant memory, it was certainly another option.

“Bernard.”

“Yes.”

“Recommend someone from the Royal Guard who seems promising.”

“Are you talking about their skills?”

“No.”

“Then their character?”

“No…”

How could he ask about character from someone like Bernard, who was obsessed with the sword?

“I’m talking about their potential.”

“Not skill, but potential… That’s a difficult matter to consider”

“The skills are enough if they’re in the Royal Guard. We need to look at their future potential.”

“Hmm…”

In his past life, Yuri hadn’t paid much attention to knights, so he didn’t have detailed information about them.

On the other hand, Bernard had crossed swords with most of the knights in the Royal Palace.

There was a reason why the Royal Guard tended to avoid Bernard.

“Jared is exceptional.”

“That guy?”

Yuri jumped to his feet, clutching his side where he’d been struck during the sparring.

“Ugh… Jared has potential?”

“Yes.”

“That guy…”

Yuri recalled his past life.

That guy had stayed until the very end, defending the kingdom’s final stand. But he wasn’t someone with remarkable skill.

“He’s just like Your Highness.”

“Me?”

“He’s lazy.”

“I train diligently now.”

“I’m referring to the old you, Your Highness.”

If Bernard’s words were true, Jared was a rather ambiguous character.

A lazy person is unnecessary, but if he managed to get into the Royal Guard despite that, he must have some remarkable talent.

Come to think of it, Yuri seemed to remember having a similar conversation with Jared.

‘I’m frustrated, Your Highness.’

‘About what?’

‘If I could turn back time, I would train until I dropped…’

‘Hey, stop talking nonsense.’

When was that again?

Was it after the close combat with the Empire’s army?

Countless knights had lost their lives.

In the next battle, Jared died.

He was quite skilled at escaping, so perhaps he willingly sought out death.

The latter part of the war was nothing more than a process of searching for a place to die.

Only Yuri broke Briol’s oath and survived.

“….”

While Yuri quietly clenched his teeth, Bernard continued,

“Aside from him…”

He mentioned both unfamiliar and familiar names.

Yuri decided to see for himself and make his own judgment.

“Good information. Thank you, Bernard.”

“It’s been years since I started teaching Your Highness, but I think this is the first time I’ve heard you say thank you.”

“Is that so?”

Yuri shrugged.

“I guess you haven’t done anything to be thanked for until now.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Do better, Bernard.”

“Thank you for your words.”

“For what?”

“Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to hit you tomorrow without any guilt.”

“Hey!”

“That’s all for today.”

After finishing his training and briefly composing himself, Yuri headed toward the Royal Guard’s training grounds.

It was a place he had rarely visited in his past life.

A knight recognized him and saluted.

“Your Highness! What brings you here?”

Yuri spoke with his hands behind his back.

“An Inspection.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m here to check the discipline of the Royal Guard.”

“Ah, I see. Loyalty! Everything is in order during duty, Your Highness!”

Even in the past, the knights of the Royal Guard tolerated Yuri’s mischievous antics. No matter what the young prince did, he couldn’t harm them.

It was the confidence that came from their skill.

“Are the Royal Guards in training?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“They’re training hard, right?”

“Of course, Your Highness. They’re working just as hard as you.”

It seemed the rumors about how he had changed had reached the Royal Guard.

“If you’re saying they worked as hard as me, then they should have at least spar one-on-one with Bernard.”

“That’s a bit scary. Let me correct that: we are training a little less hard than Your Highness.”

“You’re quick to acknowledge, like a true knight. Now, lead the way, Sir Rosso.”

“Oh, you remember me.”

“You lost everything as soon as you sat down at the gambling table and left.”

“Yes, that’s right…”

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, Your Highness…”

As they headed towards the training ground, the clang of metal clashing against metal could be heard from beyond the walls.

Rosso opened the gate.

“Oh…”

Yuri was impressed.

Men, stripped to the waist, were sparring with flashing swords.

Every single one of them was highly skilled.

“Impressive.”

“Not as impressive as you, Your Highness, but everyone is working hard.”

Yuri crossed his arms and scanned the knights with a sharp gaze.

“Where’s Jared?”

“Who…?”

“The new recruit.”

At this time, Jared had only recently joined the Royal Guard.

“Ah, the new recruit. You’ve come to see the fresh faces. I didn’t realize you cared so much for the Royal Guard, Your Highness.”

“I’m always watching.”

“It’s an honor. That’s Jared over there.”

In the direction, Rosso pointed, a young-faced Jared was engaged in a sword fight.

“I heard he doesn’t train, but that’s not…”

Yuri paused.

He soon realized what Bernard meant.

“That guy…”

Yuri furrowed his brows.

That wasn’t training.

Training should have the purpose of improving one’s skills, but there was none of that here.

Yuri muttered to himself.

“He’ll get rusty like that.”

The fact that Jared was able to get away with such lackluster training was evidence of his exceptional talent.

No wonder he always managed to survive even the most disadvantageous battles.

“Is something wrong, Your Highness?”

Rosso tilted his head in confusion.

He seemed oblivious to anything amiss.

“Nothing.”

Jared had successfully fooled the senior knights. However, Yuri’s sharp eyes, honed through years of mercenary experience, couldn’t be deceived.

Yuri shifted his gaze from Jared and observed the other knights.

Bernard’s assessment was accurate, yet also flawed.

He had only considered their innate physical potential, ignoring their mental aspects.

Most of the knights he had chosen hadn’t grown much in the future. In fact, those he hadn’t mentioned ended up reaching higher levels.

Those with exceptional talent were the ones who threw away their potential.

And Yuri was no exception.

“I understand the level of the Royal Guard well now.”

“Are they impressive?”

“They’re so pathetic I feel like lying down.”

“What?”

Yuri raised his chin.

“Give me a sword.”

“Oh, you mean you want to get hit and lie down?”

It wasn’t unusual for the Royal Family to train with the Royal Guard.

Cedric, whom Yuri respected, also used to train with the Royal Guard in the past.

Rosso eagerly asked.

“Who would you like to spar with? Who looks the weakest? Just point them out!”

Yuri pointed at Jared.

“That slick-looking one.”

“Oh, indeed. Well, as the prince, you should be the one establishing discipline for the newcomers.”

Rosso immediately set up the sparring area.

Yuri and Jared were each handed a wooden sword.

While Jared looked bewildered, the senior knights gathered and whispered to him. They seemed to be advising him to go easy on Yuri.

“Good.”

This was the privilege of a prince.

Jared looked flustered by the sudden challenge.

“I’m Jared.”

“Sir Jared.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yes? Rumors, sir?”

“They say you’re quite talented. That’s probably why you were able to join the Royal Guard at such a young age.”

“Th-thank you for the undeserved praise.”

Yuri raised his wooden sword.

“Sir Jared, will you show me what kind of knight you are?”

“Yes.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuri advanced.

The knights cheered.

“Your Highness, do your best!”

“New recruit! Do well!”

“Watch out, your thigh is open!”

They barely seemed to get any closer.

Jared was maintaining a persistent distance.

It seemed he wanted to finish the duel by keeping a safe distance.

There were many ways to deal with this.

Suddenly, Yuri widened his eyes and looked behind Jared, feigning surprise.

“Your Majesty?”

Jared instinctively turned around.

The knights watching the duel also turned their attention toward the entrance at once.

In that brief moment, as everyone looked in the same direction…

It was too late by the time Jared realized what had happened.

Yuri’s wooden sword flew toward his side.

Clang!

However, Jared blocked it.

This time, Yuri was a little surprised.

His reflexes were almost animal-like.

Jared retreated and swung his wooden sword.

The distance between them widened again.

“What was that?”

“Where is His Majesty?”

“It was a trick.”

“Wow…”

The knights laughed in disbelief.

Their troublesome prince was even more mischievous and competitive than they thought.

“Excellent.”

Rosso, who had brought Yuri, smiled in satisfaction.

For a young boy, especially one with such a strong competitive spirit, this kind of determination was exactly what he would expect.

He clapped his hands and shouted.

“Your Highness, go for it!”

Ignoring Jared’s attempts to defend himself, Yuri advanced once more.

The knights murmured among themselves.

Even though it was a spar without the use of Mana Method, the fight was surprisingly even.

“His Highness is better than I thought, isn’t he?”

“Right?”

Yuri always followed the optimal trajectory, a habit that had developed from his time on the battlefield.

“There’s no unnecessary movement.”

“Bernard taught him well.”

“When I was his age…”

Unlike the knights who were watching the spar with a light heart, Jared felt a sense of bewilderment.

It wasn’t that Yuri’s talent was too overwhelming or that he felt pressured.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing.”

The distance between them remained too consistent.

Whether evading or attacking, the distance between their swords and bodies, between each attack, remained unchanged.

Of course, Jared himself was maintaining a gap for the prince’s safety.

But the distance Yuri maintained was closer and consistently so.

That meant…

“Are you having fun?”

Yuri asked.

While Jared stared blankly into Yuri’s eyes, their wooden swords clashed once again.

It might have looked intense to those watching, but it was anything but for the two involved.

Even without the Mana Method, they could react with the speed of wild beasts and gauge distances with the precision of a ruler.

In other words, this duel felt more like a performance.

A mock battle where they merely pretended to fight, swinging their sword aimlessly to the air.

“Isn’t this boring?”

Jared was a genius.

His senses were sharper than those of ordinary humans, and his sense of distance was as accurate as if measured.

He could grow stronger without putting in much effort.

That’s why no one realized he was only half-heartedly training.

Because the senses of others were different from Jared’s.

But the prince was different.

He immediately saw through Jared’s lack of effort.

He was a genius, like him—no, even more so.

“I think I’ve seen enough.”

“What?”

“Of what kind of knight you are.”

“I am…”

Jared tried to come up with an excuse.

But the prince didn’t wait for him to finish.

“Now, it’s my turn, right?”

Yuri raised his sword.

That alone was enough for Jared to understand.

The constant distance that had been maintained between them began to shrink.

Less.

And less again.

When he took a step back, Yuri closed the distance by two steps.

Now, would it be just the width of a single strand of hair?

As Jared thought this, his brow furrowed.

Zero.

No, even less than that.

Yuri lunged forward.

They were already clashing.

“This time, I’ll show you what kind of person I am.”