The surroundings were quiet.

As the broken sword rolled across the ground and came to a stop, that silence intensified. It was a single blow. The sword had broken as I intended, and I stood there with my blade aimed at his throat.

“I’ve won.”

As I spoke and sheathed my sword, a smile crept across Bapharos’ face. At first, it was just a slight tremor in his shoulders. Then his laughter quickly grew louder.

“You are a mystery. Thanks to you, I’ve realized that I was just a frog in a well”.

Bapharos was grinning broadly, obviously pleased with something. To be honest, it was the first time I had ever seen such an expression on his face. I had seen him smile at others before, but never at me.

“It looks like you’ve been using your swords for quite a while. You’re much more steady than I am. When did you first manifest it?”

“…….”

“May I ask when you acquired such experience? Your movements don’t resemble the traditional noble swordsmanship taught in manuals.”

“…….”

When I didn’t reply, he softly clicked his tongue.

“You’re always like that. You make decisions on your own without considering the opinions or reactions of those around you.” 

“Is that not allowed?” 

“Not for someone destined to be emperor. You need to be more mindful of the people around you.” 

“I’m no longer the crown prince.”

“But as the ruler of a nation… No, I misspoke. Let me ask you something else. You’ve never shown much interest in anything besides the throne. Yet, out of nowhere, you risked everything to save a child tainted by monsters. What were you thinking?”

…Was it true that I had no interest in anything beyond inheriting the throne? Did that mean I actually cared about the throne itself? 

Did I truly want to be emperor? No, that wasn’t it. The answer came to me easily, without needing any deep reflection. I had simply acted according to my position, having been born the first son of the Empress. As proof of that, I relinquished my claim to the throne without feeling any real emotion—no regret, not even the slightest twinge.

Bapharos waited silently for my reply. The students and instructors surrounding the training ground also seemed eager to hear what I would say. Why had I gone so far as to leave my position to save this child? What was so special about this child? Their eyes were filled with curiosity about Zetak.

If left unaddressed, their curiosity would only grow and someone might start an unnecessary investigation.

It would be better to redirect their interest in Zetak toward me, even if it meant attracting a bit of attention.

“First, I need to correct what you said. I have no interest in the throne.”

“You don’t?”

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not lying. I truly have no interest in the throne.”

“…….”

“To be precise, I don’t feel the emotion of interest itself. You know that—I have no emotions.”

“That is not true. I admit you’re more insensitive than others. But no one is completely devoid of feelings.

“……I see. Let me correct myself. I do have emotions, after all.”

Even though I was a monster, I could still clearly feel emotions. I might not understand human emotions, but I knew the thrill of tearing someone apart. So to say that I had none was a misconception.

But the moment I said it, I would be treated like a madman. So, long ago, I repeated the nonsensical words the court doctor had said during my examination.

“But even though I have emotions, I hardly feel them, so it’s almost the same as having none. You know there’s something wrong with my head. Until now, it has been kept a secret by imperial decree, but the court doctor said this is an incurable condition, so I should just give up…”

“What are you talking about right now?!”

Before I could finish, he rushed over and covered my mouth. But the crucial words were already out. As I had intended, the people around us began to murmur. Their interest in Zetak had probably shifted to me. The emotionless royal was said to have a problem with his head. There couldn’t be a more intriguing topic of gossip for the nobles.

I pushed Bapharos’ hand away from my mouth and continued.

“The Imperial Decree was meant to hide the flaws of those destined to be emperors. I’m no longer the Crown Prince, so I don’t violate the decree. As for my lack of emotion… Let’s correct that. Now that my flaw of barely feeling emotions has been revealed, your position will only be strengthened.”

“…….”

“If word got out that I had manifested my swordsmanship, my father might reconsider my reinstatement. But the doctors would be against it. They wouldn’t want someone with a mental illness to be crown prince.”

“You….”

Bapharos looked at me with a complex expression I couldn’t quite place. He seemed ready to say something, his lips moving slightly, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he took long strides toward me.

His gaze was no longer that of someone who disliked me. It wasn’t exactly friendly either. If anything, it resembled the eyes of a player who had found a useful piece on the chessboard. When he reached me, he lowered his voice so only I could hear.

“Since you’ve recommended me for the crown prince for whatever reason, I have one request. Would you be able to teach Karial swordsmanship? I will arrange the venue.”

Karial. As the name slipped from his lips, I scanned the crowd for the silver-haired girl. She was easy to spot in the crowd. But why was her name suddenly being mentioned here? Just as I was pondering this, Bapharos smiled at me with a strange glint in his eye.

“You know nothing, do you? Do you have any idea how long Karial has liked you?”

“Why would you be looking out for her?”

I asked without thinking, only to realize, ‘Ah, I see. Karial’s family was an influential count’s house in high society. At the same time, they maintained a position of neutrality.

Bapharos was trying to score points with me by connecting me to Karial. Ultimately, he wanted to ensure that good words about him reached the head of the family through her.

“Very well.”

Considering my father’s potential reconsideration, I decided to support Bapharos in solidifying his position.

“It’s reassuring to have a younger sibling who understands my feelings. I will arrange a meeting with her soon.”

The moment Bapharos spoke with a smile, I felt a thick, lingering bloodlust. It vanished in an instant, so that neither Bapharos nor the sword instructors, who were sensitive to such energy, seemed to notice. It was easy to tell who had unleashed this killing intent. After all, there was only one being capable of such an inhuman bloodlust in this academy: Zetak. He watched me with eyes that gave no hint of his thoughts.

***

I could feel the gazes of the nobles passing through the hallway as they glanced at me.

To be precise, the nobles looked at me oddly as I followed closely behind Zetak, who was walking ahead. It was indeed strange—a servant leading while a royal followed. But there was nothing I could do about it.

“Are you not going to tell me why you’re angry?”

“…….”

“I know you can’t speak, but surely you have some way to express your feelings, even if it’s just through gestures.”

“…….”

“Are you planning to say nothing at all?”

He had been like that since the duel with Bapharos. When I confronted him on the training grounds, he simply turned away. As he walked towards the dormitory, I ended up following close behind.

“Look at that. It seems the rumors were true.”

“Wow. Even a walking corpse can’t move in front of his lover. Is he sulking and being coddled?”

For a moment I was speechless as I heard the young ladies whispering behind their fans. Coddling a sulking partner… Could they say such a thing after experiencing Zetak’s murderous intent? If he sulked twice, he might end up being slaughtered.

Before I knew it, we had reached the room. Zetak hadn’t looked at me the whole way, and he didn’t look at me when we arrived. He was just concentrating on preparing for the next lesson. When I noticed that he was dressed in traditional attire for the upcoming lesson on etiquette, I clicked my tongue in disapproval.

“Are you telling me not to wash up before we go?”

Zetak’s hand, which had been turning the doorknob, suddenly froze. There was a noticeable pause after the swordsmanship lesson. Normally, the nobles would use this time to wash away the sweat they had worked up, with the servants naturally assisting in these preparations. 

For Zetak to forget his responsibilities was out of character. Making such a simple mistake hinted that he might be feeling unusually nervous. However, since he had halted in his tracks, it seemed he was now prepared to carry out his duties.

“I will not scold you. Go and do what you have to do.”

I thought I saw Zetak glance back at me for a moment. Whether it was my imagination or not, he proceeded into the bathroom and turned on the water. I followed him and watched as he added bath salts to the tub. As the water filled, he approached me, his movements steady as he began to undo the waistband of my training uniform, calmly unbuttoning it.

Watching him now, I couldn’t help but reflect on how time had passed. He had once been such a timid child, barely managing bath time on his own. The kind of child who would tremble at the thought of undressing someone.