The anonymous girl’s lance struck directly into the carriage’s wheel.
Thwack! Crash!
The carriage wheel, decimated by the unforeseen attack, scattered across the vicinity.
“Aaaah?!”
The wheelless carriage scraped along the road before it came to a grinding halt.
The startled horses let out terrified neighs, dispersing in all directions.
“Ah, oh my… what on earth is going on…”
My thoughts whirled in the face of sudden chaos.
I understood a girl had sprung an attack out of nowhere, shattering the carriage wheel. But then what?
At that instant, the carriage door swung open, and Lucas poked his head inside.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?!”
I waved my hand in response.
“Don’t worry. I’m alright. Just a bit disoriented…”
“I’ll help you. Please come outside.”
With Lucas’s aid, I staggered out and planted my feet on the ground.
Fortunately, I was unscathed.
Upon ensuring I wasn’t hurt, Lucas let out a sigh of relief. He then turned to scold the assailant.
“Who are you!”
“…”
“Knowing who you menace, dare you point your lance, I’ll have you apprehended and severely dealt with!”
The mysterious girl who had wrecked our carriage stood in the middle of the road, a puzzling expression on her face.
Having finally caught my breath, I took a closer look at the girl.
Her platinum hair, flowing long, was lightly tied at the back of her neck.
Her keen eyes were a bright green, and tiny, pointed fangs peeped from between her tightly closed lips.
“…She’s just a child.”
Indeed, very young. Fourteen, maybe fifteen? She seemed even younger.
“Do not let her age deceive you, Your Highness. She seems to be a trained warrior.”
“Trained?”
“Observe her attire.”
Attire? What about it? Following Lucas’s cue, I scrutinized the girl’s clothing.
A white jacket adorned with gold embroidery, black skirt, and a red cape flung over her shoulders.
“…A school uniform?”
Recognizing the familiar style, I asked Lucas, somewhat surprised.
“That’s a school uniform, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s the uniform of the Imperial Royal Academy. The emblem on the cape confirms it.”
In other words, she was a pupil from a knight academy, an age still reliant on school meals.
“Why is a student from the Academy here?! State your identity!”
As Lucas demanded, the girl revealed her sharp fangs and growled.
“The ‘who are you’ query should be mine. You guys.”
“What, what? You guys?”
Taken aback by her unexpected tone, I bristled, but the girl remained nonchalant.
“If you’re older than me, you’re ‘you guys’ to me. That’s how it works, right? I’m correct, aren’t I?”
“Uh, uhm!”
Unable to counter, I clenched my fist. The nerve of these teenagers…!
The girl pointed towards the manor with the enormous lance she was holding.
“This was once my home. I returned after a long absence and found unfamiliar soldiers occupying it? Even the family banner that has flown for centuries has been carelessly removed.”
The girl’s sharp eyes squinted.
“Are they the persistent bandits I’ve been dealing with forever? Or has a foreign force snuck in? I was considering these possibilities due to insufficient information when you gentlemen arrived in a carriage, so I decided to ask.”
“Hey, you could’ve just asked! Was there a need to wreck the carriage!”
“Well, I was taught in school to first suppress anyone who might be an enemy.”
With a flourish, the girl nonchalantly swung her spear in our direction.
“So, who are you gentlemen? Why are you occupying someone else’s home? Depending on your response, things might turn a bit uncomfortable, so I urge caution.”
Lucas, visibly agitated, responded on my behalf.
“What rubbish are you talking about! This is the residence of the Lord of Crossroad, and it rightfully belongs to him!”
“…? What does that imply?”
The girl seemed genuinely perplexed.
“That the lord here is my father?”
A moment of silence ensued.
Lucas and I exchanged glances, comprehending the identity of the girl standing before us.
“So you are…”
I carefully spoke the girl’s name.
“…Evangeline Crossroad.”
Upon hearing her own name, the girl’s intense eyes widened.
“Do you know me, sir?”
“I’ve heard a great deal about you from your father.”
When our eyes met, I truly recognized that this girl was the daughter of the Crossroad Margrave. Her green eyes were strikingly similar.
‘Hold on a second, though.’
The Evangeline Crossroad I had seen in the game, an SSR grade tanker, was undoubtedly a tall and striking character.
However, the girl before me was not only youthful but also…
“…A lot shorter than I anticipated.”
She was petite.
She appeared about two heads shorter than me.
She was compact and small. Her fingers, grasping the spear, were slender, unmistakably those of a young child.
She didn’t seem this young in the game, and she was much taller.
I couldn’t recognize her immediately because her image differed so much.
‘Why is she so different? Lucas and Jupiter resembled their game images, didn’t they?’
As I was comparing the game’s Evangeline with the real-life Evangeline, Lucas nudged me in the side. Huh? Why?
“Your highness, it’s disrespectful to critique someone’s appearance when they’re standing right in front of you…”
“Uh.”
I paused my thoughts and looked up. Evangeline’s expression was stone-cold. She seemed genuinely upset.
“No, no, Miss Evangeline! You’ve misunderstood. I’m not saying you’re short, but you’re a bit smaller than what I’ve seen in the game… No, smaller than what I’ve envisioned!”
“…”
I waved my arms in haste, spouting my honest explanation, but naturally, the situation did not improve.
Evangeline’s eyebrows twitched.
“To insult someone’s appearance up close like that, you don’t value your life much, do you?”
“No, I only have one…”
“Then you should’ve cherished it.”
Evangeline brandished the giant spear in her hand.
“I’ve reconsidered. I was just prodding a little to understand the situation before, but now, I’m going all out.”
Whoosh—
A tangible wave of battle aura emanated from the girl brandishing the spear.
Even a rookie like me could sense the mounting tension. This was serious.
Swish!
Lucas, having drawn his sword and positioned himself in front of me, spoke up.
“Lower your spear, Miss Evangeline Cross! The man standing before you is the third prince of the Empire, Ash Everblack!”
Evangeline scoffed at that.
“So, first, you trespass on someone else’s property, and now you’re posing as royalty? I admire your originality, but it lacks credibility, don’t you think?”
“What?”
“That notorious good-for-nothing third prince! Why would he venture to this remote backwater?”
No, he really did come here!
Thud!
As Evangeline stamped the ground, a shallow crater formed where her small foot had been.
I blinked, and the next thing I knew, the female spear warrior was hovering right in front of us. Her speed was akin to a missile.
Clang—!
Lucas brandished his sword, parrying the incoming spear.
Sparks scattered as the spear’s tip and the blade collided. A gleam flashed in Evangeline’s eyes.
“Oh, this man seems quite competent?”
“Naturally, Miss Evangeline. I was your senior at the academy…”
Regaining his composure, Lucas introduced himself.
“I am Lucas McGregor, the second-ranking student of the 369th class of the Imperial Royal Academy.”
Oh, second place! You were the runner-up, Lucas? That’s impressive!
While I was admiring, Lucas suddenly gestured at me.
“And His Highness, Ash Everblack standing behind me, is also your senior from the academy!”
Eh? Really? Was I also an alumnus?
“Among the 369th class students, he is truly legendary!”
What? I was a legend?!
“What kind of legend? What kind of legend was I, Lucas? Huh?”
“Uh, well…”
However, after merely uttering the word ‘legend’, Lucas didn’t provide any further details. Furthermore, he seemed to be avoiding my gaze.
Feeling somewhat uneasy, I cautiously asked.
“Lucas, can I ask you something?”
“Of, of course, Your Highness. Anything.”
“Well… What was my rank when I graduated?”
“…”
After a pause, Lucas, now visibly sweating, reluctantly responded.
“You were… first…”
“…From the bottom?”
“…Yes.”
I rubbed my forehead, which was now throbbing.
“So, that’s why I was a legend?”
“Yes, well… It’s not entirely incorrect… Since you indeed carry the Emperor’s blood! You were so passionate and confident that you disregarded your studies! And your aim was indeed to be first… from the bottom!”
“Well, such audacity, truly audacious! You’re right, if you’re going to slack, do it spectacularly, to the point of being last in the entire school. Good on you, Ash Everblack!”
“And now, pretending to be our school seniors… You gentlemen certainly have a range.”
Evangeline, who had been listening to our sincere, yet not quite sincere, jests, shifted her stance.
Her spear-carrying hand remained steady while the other reached out, then drew towards her chest as she inclined her body.
One foot was withdrawn, both knees subtly flexed.
Her curtsy was flawless and graceful. If only she weren’t brandishing a massive spear.
“Understood. Then, from the 375th early graduate class, Evangeline Cross extends her regards to our ‘senior classmates’…”
Immediately afterward, her emerald eyes flashed brightly,
“Greetings!”
She surged forward!
Lucas sprang into action without hesitation.
Clang! Cling! Screech!
The two knights locked in battle, their spear and sword crossing paths.
Their skills were evenly matched. A true stalemate.
This was to be expected, as they were both SSR-rated characters. Exceptional martial prodigies in this realm.
Their talent could be considered equal.
Ting! Crash!
However, the battle started to subtly tilt in Lucas’s favor.
Gradually, Lucas began to press the attack while Evangeline found herself on the defensive.
Evangeline was grappling to deflect Lucas’s incisive strikes.
Their talents may have been balanced, but perhaps experience was the key differential.
Lucas, who had honed his skills through numerous real battles to protect me, possessed a shrewdness that the still young Evangeline lacked.
“Tsk!”
At that moment, Evangeline, who had been backed into a corner, furrowed her brows and fastened something from her back onto her left arm.
“Are you better than our academy instructors, sir? I didn’t want to resort to this!”
It was a small shield shaped like an eagle.
Clang!
As soon as Evangeline affixed the shield to her left arm, the eagle’s wings spread outwards.
A spear in her right hand. A shield on her left.
Seeing this, it was undeniable.
‘She truly is the Margrave’s daughter.’
Evangeline, having reset her stance, lunged at Lucas once more.
“I’m going full throttle now!”
Lucas, with a serious expression, silently raised his sword to meet her.
Clash!
With the shield in play, Evangeline’s combat prowess saw a significant boost.
She used the shield to parry Lucas’s precise sword strikes, while effortlessly swinging her massive spear with her right hand to launch attacks.
Even though she had been on the back foot before deploying the shield, now they were on equal footing once more.
‘It’s truly a sight to see.’
The duel between the two highly skilled warriors was both dazzling and awe-inspiring.
Sparks flew each time their weapons clashed, creating a spectacle akin to airborne fireworks.
‘But as much as it’s a spectacle… someone could get hurt if this continues.’
In truth, neither of them were genuinely trying to kill the other. If they were, they would have been using their skills with abandon.
Yet, regardless of the absence of lethal intent, battle was fraught with peril.
I had to defuse the situation gradually. I took a step forward.
“Hey! You two, cut it out, enough already!”
Clang! Clang-!
“There’s clearly some confusion here. Can’t we just sort this out with a conversation?”
Tsukang! Changgang!
“Hello? Are you listening? Guys?”
Apparently not. The two knights were wholly absorbed in their duel.
‘Isn’t there a way to halt this?’
Their contest was at a perfect stalemate.
Under such circumstances, the only solution was for a third party to disrupt the intense atmosphere.
My gaze fell upon my hand. The SSR-grade weapon of luck, ‘Lucky Strike’, shimmered, craving attention.
‘There’s no other choice!’
It didn’t matter if the attack was feeble. I just needed to throw a wrench into the works of this duel.
Evangeline, whether fortunately or unfortunately, was completely oblivious to my presence.
She appeared to have her hands full just dealing with Lucas.
Stealthily, I sidled up to the duo, positioning myself right next to them.
It seems my existence as a contender was faint. They weren’t paying me any mind at all.
‘Just a light, very light hit should do the trick!’
My fist clenched, my breath steady.
Alright, let’s do this!
“Prince Punch~!”
With a half-hearted thrust,
“What, what?! When?!”
At my sudden outburst and flying fist, a startled Evangeline reflexively lifted her shield to block my punch.
The instant my fist made contact with her shield, a slot began spinning rapidly at the edge of my vision.
Ding!
7.
Huh?
As a solitary digit materialized, a wave of dread washed over me.
It was a form of gamer’s intuition.
Next, the tens digit.
Ding!
7.
The premonition of ‘something drastic’ surged through my mind like a bolt of lightning.
Impossible?
Hold on, just hold on. It can’t be, right? Seriously?
And the final digit, the hundred’s place was-
Ding!
7.
Aaaaaaaaaaah!
It happened! It truly happened, 777-!
In shock, my mouth dropped open.
Why would this occur here?!
–TL Notes–
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Ugh it’s that kind of character.
Kinda funny tho that he landed a critical hit right now, haha. Should have saved it for the next boss.