So… what the hell is going on here?

Naturally, my expression twisted into a frown.

There was no other choice. The scene unfolding before my eyes was downright unpleasant.

Immediately after reporting to Renyah that I had taken care of the First Prince, the title of Swordmaster and the qualifications of a royal guard were suddenly decided.

But still, there had to be some minimum procedures to follow.

I mean, it just didn’t add up to recognize a guy who hadn’t even officially joined the Empire’s army as a Swordmaster.

So, for procedural reasons, I was stuck spending today here under their affiliation… but somehow, things were turning out a bit weird.

As soon as I arrived, I was summoned to some shady corner.

Several big knights surrounded me without a word.

This scene.

No matter how I thought about it, there was only one possible explanation.

“Get down.”

Just as I suspected, a blonde knight said that in a pushy tone while glaring at me. I had a hunch it would turn out like this.

Whether it was because they found out about my commoner status, or if these guys were just nasty, or maybe a bit of both… I didn’t know, but it was clear that some initiation ceremony was going down right now.

‘Now I understand why Lucy acted the way she did.’

When I was heading to take care of the First Prince and had a meeting with the higher-ups, she strangely insisted on following me. I had thought it was odd why she’d start doing that, but it was clear she must have foreseen this.

“Are you deaf? Get your head to the ground, you bastard!”

The blonde knight was glaring at me with a fierce look on his face. For a moment, I hesitated before replying.

I shouldn’t cause trouble.

It’s only for a day, after all. There’s no need to attract unnecessary attention. So maybe it would be better to just play along a little.

Thinking that way, I considered bowing my head to show submission, but…

“Me? To you? Why exactly?”

If it was for a greater advantage, I’d be ready to throw away my pride anytime. But there’s no way I had so little pride that I’d bow down in a situation like this.

So I asked, maintaining my calm demeanor while looking at the blonde knight.

The guy in front of me scoffed as if finding it ridiculous. Then, suddenly stopping his laughter, he adopted a serious expression and spoke in a low voice.

“Have you lost your mind?”

At that moment, I felt mana coursing through the air.

Thanks to absorbing the First Prince’s talent, I could read not just the mana in the air but even the one flowing through other people’s bodies.

I could sense all that mana concentrating in one spot.

It was clear he was about to swing a fist at me.

But… I didn’t dodge and took the hit head-on.

There was no need to avoid it at all.

Our eyes met.

I could see the look of panic washing over his face. He aimed precisely at my abdomen with that punch, even using his mana, and yet it didn’t inflict any damage. It was natural for him to be startled.

However, it seemed like he was used to being a bully.

He quickly masked his surprise, gritted his teeth, and said, “You’re asking for it, huh?”

It looked like he assumed I had reinforced my body with mana to block his attack.

Believing that some display of strength would make me back down. If only he’d kept the initiation simple, it would have ended already, but he had only made things more complicated.

He was the one who started this, so I hoped he wouldn’t come to regret it.

At the same time, not just the blonde guy, but the others watching from behind started to approach me.

A mob lynching.

It seemed they were all gearing up to attack me.

Maybe they thought I wouldn’t die so easily after withstanding that earlier attack. One guy even drew his sword.

Actually, nearly all of them pulled out their swords.

If they were swearing to protect the weak when they took those swords, this was the height of irony.

They were all so consistent about it.

Ten years must have passed, yet the Empire’s knights hadn’t changed a bit.

‘This won’t do.’

Honestly, I hesitated a little.

It was almost obvious I’d become an enemy of the Empire’s knights. Maybe letting these pesky kids be was the better option. After all, useless enemies could soon become the best allies.

But thinking back to their faces and the knowledge from my previous work…

It seemed that the entire Empire’s army was likely in the same mess.

In other words, there was no reason to let them be.

Not taking action when I could be would mean relying only on Renyah, who still helps us more earnestly than anyone else.

They all charged at me simultaneously.

The swords swung toward me. Instead of blocking them one by one, I simply stood still and watched.

The sound of metal clashing echoed.

The swords met my skin. The noise of metal clashing against metal resonated loudly.

That metallic sound grew louder, and every sword began to crack… and then snapped. All seven of them.

“…Huh?”

A dumbfounded sound slipped from his lips.

The blonde guy, now sweating cold, glanced between the shattered sword pieces and me.

He seemed to finally grasp that something was really wrong… but it was already too late.

I smiled calmly at the knights and declared, “If you want to live, how about you put your heads down quickly?”

*

I was gasping for breath.

My head was spinning.

Why on earth did they have to place the golf course so far away?

I was on the verge of collapsing due to mana exhaustion.

Still, the Division Commander kept running.

It was natural.

This was none other than the Second Prince.

Just offending royalty would shoot the difficulty level of life through the roof. To make matters worse, it’s a guy who’s touted as the most likely candidate for the next Emperor!

Not only would my life difficulty spike, but I’d also have to worry about my family’s safety or even torture after death!

Terrifying images filled my mind.

Knowing a lot thanks to my high position was more of a curse than a blessing.

As I ran, shaking in fear and drawing on every ounce of strength, familiar scenery began to appear.

Once I reached here, the story would unfold quickly.

After all, this absurdity was happening under his tacit approval.

I knew about where things were going down. Arriving at my destination, the first thing I saw was…

A man with his head down, buried in the filthy ground, looking like a total wreck.

This sight foreshadowed the potential collapse of his entire future.

Naturally, my heart felt like it was crumbling, and my legs quaked to the point I was about to sit on the ground, but…

“…?”

Something was very wrong.

Clearly, there should only be one newcomer, and there was no way Sian had used some clone technique.

Yet, the man on the ground was getting beaten to the point his face was unrecognizable — there were nine of them.

What an eerily bizarre situation.

I quickly understood what was happening as I spotted a boy approaching.

White hair.

And those blue eyes.

It was Sian.

A perfectly unharmed boy was walking toward the Division Commander.

Relief flooded through me in an instant.

Though my subordinates had gotten a beating, I was facing death myself, so worrying about them didn’t matter.

‘Thank goodness….’

If he had even a scratch, it would have led to something irreversible.

Those idiots turned out to be weaker than expected, and the kid that the Second Prince cherished was stronger than anticipated, allowing me to avoid the worst-case scenario.

All I needed to do now was simple.

Right in front of him stood a boy who still seemed at least two or three years away from reaching adulthood.

He wasn’t the Second Prince himself.

So there was still a chance to make things right.

I plastered on my best ‘I’m really sorry and repentant’ face, born from my years of social experience, and addressed the boy named Sian.

“I-I’m sorry. These idiots acted without knowing their place…”

As I spoke, I gave a hearty kick to the guys with their heads buried. They screamed in agony, having been already beat-up, but that didn’t bother me as I kicked them hard.

This was always a tried-and-true tactic.

When the other party overreacts first, it gets tricky for them to fly off the handle again.

“I’m just so glad you’re safe! I rushed over because I was worried. Seems like the guy you have your eye on is indeed someone special…”

And with some smooth flattery to ease his mood, that should wrap this up. It had to end right there.

It should have ended there.

It definitely needed to end there but…

“No, I’m not okay at all!”

Sian interrupted my words.

A bad premonition crept in. A very bad one, as usual…

“The 30th Division, allied with the Black Fangs, plotted to assassinate me, the Second Prince’s loyal subject.”

That ominous premonition never failed.

I shall drown you.

Staring at the boy, who smiled calmly while spouting such threats, he felt the reality of being in deep trouble sink in once more.