To catch up with the Imperial Princess and her entourage required a lot of effort.
First, the entrance to Verlata Palace was a major obstacle. The guards from the Academy were stationed there year-round.
It was widely known within the Academy that my relationship with the Imperial Princess had soured.
Naturally, there was no way I would be granted access.
If it were up to me, I would have liked to show my Bloodletter Mark immediately and tell them to step aside. However, the circumstances surrounding my Bloodletter Mark were too complicated to show it to just anyone.
It was better for fewer people to know that I was the owner of the Bloodletter Mark.
So, I had no choice but to sigh and step back.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
The guard sighed in relief, as if reassured by my words.
With the chaos caused by the monster invasions, it was clear he was worried I might go on a rampage, given that I was labeled as a “mad dog” within the Academy.
Fearing something might happen, he even added a few words of consolation.
“Thank you for your understanding. The current situation is quite dire…”
However, the guard’s words were cut short.
With a crack, an axe lodged itself into his temple.
Although it was the blunt edge, the metal object was more than capable of functioning as a weapon due to its weight alone.
The guard’s eyes lost focus, and he collapsed.
One of his comrades, who had been watching closely, lunged forward with a spear and shouted,
“Madman! I knew this would happen…!”
But a mere guard facing me was almost impossible for him.
Riding along the trajectory of the spear, my body spun around like a leaf caught in the wind.
The one to strike first was the guard.
But in reality, I was the one taking the offensive. As my body dove in, rotating along the spear, the guard’s eyes widened.
That was his last reaction.
The axe, swung by centrifugal force, struck the guard’s temple hard. He collapsed without having made a sound, falling in the same position he had been in while thrusting the spear.
It had been a long time since I’d executed a deflective maneuver.
I had worried that I might have lost my touch, but the guard’s thrust was so slow that I instinctively responded.
He was a suitable opponent for practice against real-life situations.
However, the guards’ fear did not come from individual skill.
Typically, guards tended to overwhelm with numbers rather than ability.
The proof of that was evident, as four guards were hesitating in front of me.
Indeed, this was the dormitory for the royal family.
Even with the chaos outside, there were still six guards remaining. It was hard to believe that there were even any people left in Verlata Palace itself.
Perhaps they were still here, unaware of the existence of the cave.
I shook my head in disappointment and said,
“…Excuse me.”
And as one guard charged, I swung my axe at the spear.
The metal spear didn’t break with a single blow.
But it made a loud clang, sending a tremendous vibration through.
That alone caused the guard to make a dazed sound and drop his spear. In that space, two more spears rushed in.
The spears were aimed at my left and right. The point where those two spears intersected was precisely what my axe was targeting.
The axe descended with fierce speed, driving the two spearheads into the ground.
Then, using that momentum, I kicked the intersection where the two spearheads met again.
The two spears, unable to withstand the sudden change in altitude, flew into the air. The last guard was faltering.
He was a cowardly man.
So, I decided to alleviate his fears.
With a thud, my thrown axe struck the guard’s forehead directly.
I controlled my strength, so it wouldn’t leave a scar on the skull. However, the impact alone was enough to rattle his brain.
One guard collapsed, and now unarmed, I darted among the guards who had dropped their spears.
With my elbow, I struck one in the solar plexus, kicked another in the solar plexus again, and punched the remaining one in the jaw.
Thump, thump, thump — following a steady rhythm, three bodies fell to the ground.
I sighed and shook my hands, then walked over to pick up the fallen axe.
It hadn’t even taken a few minutes for six guards to fall.
This could be considered a significant display of skill, comparable to any expert. Nevertheless, the aura that lingered on my sword was still weak.
It wasn’t surprising.
No matter how high one’s level was, countless variables existed in a real battle. Judging victory or defeat solely based on magical power or the level of one’s aura was risky.
But the reason I felt so frustrated was that the ‘expert’ wall seemed to be just within reach.
Some would surpass this wall and join the ranks of the strong. Meanwhile, others might never cross this barrier in their lifetime.
Naturally, I wanted to be among the former.
Reaching ‘expert’ status signified more than just proof of stronger aura.
It was the starting point where one’s mental image materialized and distorted reality.
Of course, even swordsmen like Ceria who had barely reached expert status sometimes could not yet unleash the characteristics of their aura. But soon, Ceria would refine her mental image.
Then, she would gain an unrivaled advantage.
The power of aura was unpredictable and had endless applications. In real combat, it would inevitably act as an enormous variable.
For example, like when I battled Neoris.
That was an incredibly tough fight. To be honest, I was pushed to the brink of defeat.
Competing against an opponent skilled in utilizing aura was challenging and dangerous.
Lost in such trivial concerns, I suddenly recalled Professor Derek’s words.
He mentioned the need to awaken the ‘one thought.’
It was still too vague for me; my steps led me down to the basement of Verlata Palace.
When I ran until my tongue hung out, I encountered him moments later.
The dark priest, Miltram, dressed in women’s clothing.
He was wearing a mocking smile.
The situation inside the cave was horrendous.
There were several fallen knight guards groaning on the floor. Their bodies even bore marks of explosions.
The center, believed to be the epicenter, had a large crater.
Typically, with a standard bomb, there would be burn marks all around. But the only signs of the explosion remaining were a handful of blood and scattered pieces of flesh.
Seeing that scene, I quickly thought of one possibility.
It was similar to self-destructing cat monsters.
However, given the size, it was unlikely to be as small as a cat monster; perhaps one of the knight guards had exploded.
It was a terrible fate. No matter how dark the cult, using people as bombs was unforgivable.
As I gazed at the smiling priestess, my expression hardened. With my growing animosity, she chuckled softly.
“Just as I was talking about you, Ian Fercurus… Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is…”
“Miltram.”
The name had come to me suddenly.
I had heard it from Reto. The dark priest’s name was listed in the orphanage’s ledger.
It was no coincidence that I thought of Flesh Nests and Flesh Seeds while facing the incoming monsters.
It was rare to find beings that could use life forms so contemptuously. And here stood the suspected origin of that existence.
The woman, who momentarily widened her eyes in surprise, soon bowed her head with a bright smile.
“…Correct. So, you already knew about me?”
“I owe you quite a bit since the orphanage.”
At my words, Miltram burst into restrained laughter.
It was just a stroke of luck, but Miltram seemed to have gained some kind of conviction through the exchange.
Malice glimmered in his eyes.
“So you’ve been following me since then… How surprising. To think such talent remains in the Empire?”
As the flesh that had been boiling began to restore Miltram’s severed arms, she glanced down at the fallen girl behind me with a relaxed attitude.
With dark hair and gray eyes, she let out soft moans.
Her gaze had long since gone blank. She seemed to have suffered from some kind of anesthetic.
It was a wonder she was still holding on to her senses.
The ‘Eye of the Dragon’ provided not only the ability to read hearts but also confirmed one’s dragon bloodline, meaning she would have strong magical talent and resistance to poison.
And it could be assumed that the lady knight lying beside Miltram was the same.
I had heard that she was the highest-ranking among the guards. Naturally, she would also be the best of them.
Though I still couldn’t recall her name.
With her beautiful appearance and refreshing blue hair, she belonged to the category of women that were hard to forget after just one glance.
For now, it seemed those two were the last remaining ones who hadn’t lost consciousness.
However, having no idea if they would be of any help, I cautiously averted my gaze back to Miltram.
There was an obvious sneer lingering on her lips.
“By the way, this exceptional talent was neglected by the great descendants of the dragons, wasn’t it? You did your best to save her, didn’t you, you… trash!”
With a crack, Miltram stomped down on the fallen Imperial Princess’s head.
The princess’s face was instantly buried in the dirt. As if struggling to breathe, she squirmed lightly.
“Ugh! Mmpf, ughmm!”
Even amid the anesthesia, her survival instinct seemed to linger.
Though the princess slapped the ground with her palm, Miltram merely continued to grind her heel onto the back of her head. The blue-haired knight was staggering to rise.
However, she half-raised her body before collapsing back down.
Even a skilled fighter would be finished once struck by a strong poison.
While they could endure longer than regular folks, they couldn’t detoxify the poison by themselves. That was why most knights kept antidotes on hand.
It seemed she had been taken down without even enough time to take the antidote.
My gaze settled calmly on Miltram.
Whether he genuinely intended to kill the princess was still unclear. It was better to remain as indifferent as possible to ensure the hostage’s safety.
“This… trash! All of you are mere potted flowers in a greenhouse! Right, Ian Fercurus?! You’re a noble too, but you’ve crossed the line enough to understand!”
Having trampled on the princess’s head for a while, he suddenly kicked her in the head.
The princess’s body flipped over, and a choking sound escaped her. Each time it happened, dirt from her mouth trickled out.
Her pristine white mantle, symbolizing her first-year status, had long been covered in dust.
This was no sight fit for royalty.
“In the face of true peril, you can do nothing! You’re only eager to uphold your meager pride using your power! This woman is no different, is she?!”
Tears began to fill the gray eyes of the lightless princess.
Then, a single tear streamed down her cheek. It was a drop mixed with fear, regret, and sorrow.
I accepted Miltram’s rage without a word.
“No matter how hard you try, there will be no reward! When something seems odd, you find the reason, yet you merely retaliate because you’ve been injured in pride… Hah, do you want me to tell you what this woman has done?”
As the princess gasped for breath, desperate emotions filled her gaze.
It was a plea for him to stop, but Miltram did not relent.
With every word he spoke, despair deepened in the eyes of both the princess and the lady knight.
