A bright red blood splattered.
“Kyaaaaah!!”
Whose scream was that, I wondered. I had no idea.
“Aike! Move!”
Father’s command echoed through the chaos. What was it that I needed to do right now? Above all—protect Reina and minimize the damage.
The one shedding blood was the Crown Prince. A long gash extended from his left shoulder down to his chest. He knelt, clutching his chest with both hands.
Reina, splattered with blood, froze in shock, her face pale.
The objective was clear.
This was the beginning of the succession battle.
Though the Crown Prince possessed exceptional abilities, making him the closest to the throne, not everyone supported him.
Clearly, factions existed among the nobility, and this was an ambush targeting him. Father must have known that too, which is why he told me to protect the Crown Prince.
The easiest way to undermine his position was to create an incident at the party he was hosting.
“An ambush!”
This was taking things too far, wasn’t it?
From all sides, masked figures attacked the defenseless nobility. Even if the succession was a crucial issue, did it have to escalate to this level?
“Aike! What are you doing?!”
I was frozen in place, scanning my surroundings when Father’s voice boomed in my ears once again.
Right. I couldn’t just stand still.
Move.
Reina said she wanted to create a world where everyone could be happy.
So I had to move.
The incident had already occurred. All that remained was to figure out how to resolve it.
If I didn’t know the answer right away, I had to act first to block them and protect her with my body as much as I could.
But—
“…Why?”
Why was I not moving?
I had trained to be able to act no matter what happened.
Day after day, I swung my sword, refined my magical powers, and repeated my training. Although it was only for less than a month, I had made efforts not to be embarrassed.
Yet why were my legs trembling?
Move. Move. Move.
Hurry and save the people.
Run for Reina.
“Move!”
I smashed my fist against my knee, but the shaking only intensified.
Why was I stuck?
Once again, blood sprayed in front of my eyes.
Seeing that scene—
“…I’m scared.”
It slipped out without thinking.
Suddenly.
That answer burst from my mouth.
Yes. To be honest, I was scared.
Even after tirelessly training for a month.
No matter how desperately I wished for a world where Reina could be happy.
In the end, I wasn’t cut from this world.
I knew exactly how the story was supposed to unfold.
I became conscious that it wouldn’t be a big deal even if I didn’t act.
It couldn’t be helped.
I was someone who had practically spent my entire life lying in bed.
Asking someone like that to swing a sword without any hesitation is just ludicrous.
“…Let’s run away.”
Yeah. It couldn’t be helped.
After all, Aike Akses was nothing more than a side character.
If I were to run away and disappear now, it wouldn’t change the main course of the story at all.
Then I would help Reina from the outside.
This was simply beyond my capabilities. Impossible.
What I wanted wasn’t this.
I imagined getting ambushed by just one or two people, only to catch wind of it beforehand and stop the incident.
Not a story where blood was spraying from all directions.
So it couldn’t be helped.
It was impossible for someone like me.
As I comforted myself and slowly lifted my head—
“Guh!”
I saw Reina, clutching a self-defense dagger, confronting an attacker.
Her once beautiful dress was already stained with the Crown Prince’s blood, giving off an ominous aura, and her skin bore shallow but numerous wounds.
Reina appeared to be on her last legs.
Though she was somehow fending off the assailant’s attacks, she was gasping for breath.
There was no one around to help her.
Despite suffering severe injuries, the Crown Prince could barely draw his sword, too busy looking out for others and blocking off additional threats.
In this room, Reina was isolated.
“No, don’t!”
Ultimately, Reina’s self-defense dagger was knocked from her grip by the assailant’s attack.
That dagger flew directly towards me as Reina and I locked eyes.
Aike.
I couldn’t hear her voice, but she was definitely whispering my name now.
“Don’t be ridiculous!!!”
The tremors in my body stopped, and my legs began to move.
Before I knew it, I bolted toward her, desperately running.
I poured all my magical power into my legs, achieving the fastest speed I could muster.
“…!”
But it was still too far.
There was no way I could reach her at this speed.
I could only watch helplessly as Reina was about to be stabbed by the assailant.
Just as the blade was about to pierce her chest—
「I will help you this once.」
I thought I heard a voice, vaguely.
“Who the hell is doing this?!”
All of the assailants collapsed, and the chaos finally subsided.
The one most injured was the Crown Prince, but thankfully, there were no fatalities.
“Thank you for earlier,” Reina said, bowing her head in my direction.
But that gratitude didn’t register in my mind.
The inexplicable sensation from before.
That feeling where my body felt alien.
Actions impossible by my own strength.
What on earth was that?
And who was that voice?
I had no answers, but one fortunate thing was—
“I thought it was over, so thank you very much.”
I was able to save Reina.
Yes. For now, let’s just be grateful for that.
Let’s sincerely appreciate that we prevented a future where we would lose everything and be filled with regret.
“…You remembered, huh?”
“Hmm?”
I wanted to ask Reina what she seemed to quietly say.
“Aike!”
A thunderous voice interrupted the seemingly endless reprimand from Father.
I turned toward the sound, finding a scowling figure of Father approaching, alongside the Crown Prince who had just finished his magical healing.
“…Father.”
“What on earth was that scene back there? To carry the family name and display such disgrace! I knew how hard you’ve been working. I believed you could shine without relying on talent! I’ve always been proud of you, but now you…!”
Even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn’t have known what to say.
“Knowledge and real combat are two different things, Aike. I understand why you were paralyzed with fear, but what on earth was that at the end?”
Father glared at me with clenched teeth; anyone could tell he was angry.
“A knight is someone who can risk their life for their lord. When their lord’s life is in danger, they are supposed to be the first to brandish their sword! I must have told you that countless times! Have you forgotten?!”
“No, Father. I remember.”
In reality, Father had emphasized that each time I trained.
Thus, I couldn’t say I forgot.
“Knowing that, you still prioritized emotion at the end? I know that Reina was in danger. But she was already severely wounded! And yet, you finally were able to move, and you still prioritized your feelings!”
This wasn’t just simple venting.
Father’s words had a torrent of emotions mixed within them.
Knowing that, I couldn’t offer any excuses.
“Wait a moment, Ados Duke.”
Surprisingly, it was the Crown Prince who interrupted Father’s seemingly endless lecture.
“I understand what the Duke is saying. However, he’s still just an aspiring knight. He hasn’t taken the knights’ oath.”
“…That is true.”
“And someone who can act for their friend despite being terrified— I think that’s exactly the kind of person who inspires trust.”
“Even so, this incident was a disgrace for our family. …But thank you, Your Highness.”
Father slowly bowed his head, and I followed suit after witnessing his action.
No matter what excuse I might offer, as the heir to a knightly family and an aspiring knight, my actions were wrong.
If exaggerated slightly, it could’ve been enough to be charged with treason.
Yet, the Crown Prince’s remarks just now suggested quiet discretion regarding this event.
Our family had clearly received a great favor from the Crown Prince.
“Very well. Then, Ados Duke, I have one request.”
“Yes, whatever it is, if it’s within my power.”
“May I have a moment alone with your son?”
The Crown Prince’s lips had turned upwards into a subtle smile.
★
Leon Aigis Astria.
The Crown Prince and number one heir to the Astria Empire.
What kind of person was he?
In the world of ‘She Heals the Wounded World,’ he is described as the greatest genius in history.
Power, intellect, and magic were all top-tier, and with his inherent charisma, he was the most suitable candidate to be the next emperor.
Yet his only flaw was—
That he was a perfect genius.
So outstanding that he could not understand ordinary people, leading the Crown Prince to grow weary of everything. He began to close his heart.
Outwardly, he maintained a kind demeanor but did not open up to anyone. Even his family was said to have become a wall to him.
The very character who would change this Crown Prince was the female lead.
…Yeah. Honestly, it was such a cliché setup, such a cliché story.
“Aike, since you’re 14, you’re my peer, so you can speak comfortably with me, right?”
So, what happened next was completely unexpected.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
This man, who had almost no interest in others, was now requesting a conversation with me.
“Aike. You can speak casually with me. It’s impossible in front of others, but when it’s just the two of us, I hope we can take it easy.”
The Crown Prince spoke with a seemingly calculating smile.
“It’s fine, Your Highness.”
“How unfortunate. Then let me get straight to the point and tell you why I called you here.”
“Yes.”
“Aike, I’d like you to be my friend.”
“…Pardon?”
In that moment, my thoughts froze.
In the original story, Aike and the Crown Prince had no relationship whatsoever.
There was no depiction of friendship or the lord-knight dynamic between them.
Aike was merely a device to portray Reina.
Why on earth was the Crown Prince saying this to me?
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just what I said. I want to be friends with you. Just to note, this isn’t an order but a request. Even if you refuse, I swear on my name that no problems will arise.”
What kind of answer was I supposed to give? Just how much of what the Crown Prince said was the truth? I had no way of knowing.
“The meaning might be difficult to grasp if I just say it like that, huh? Put simply, I want you to be on my side.”
The Crown Prince smiled slightly and continued to speak.
“I have talent. An overwhelming talent compared to my siblings. I can confidently say that I will lead the Empire in the future. …But that doesn’t mean everyone will follow me. The nobility have their own desires, and their supporters vary. And now, with today’s incident, my faction is in the worst situation.”
That was all true.
Still, the Crown Prince was Leon Aigis Astria.
Due to his overwhelming talent, he was someone whose position couldn’t easily be shaken.
“Of course, me being the Crown Prince doesn’t change. The fact that my abilities are insufficient to be shaken by such an incident is clear. However, if most of the nobility continue to support my siblings until the end, I could be stripped of my status as Crown Prince. Being a ruler isn’t important based solely on personal talent.”
“So you’re looking for someone who could sway the opinions?”
“I mentioned earlier, didn’t I? A person who can act on behalf of their friend is more trustworthy. When you become my friend and, in the future, you turn into my knight, I believe you would become my most reliable ally.”
…To be honest, it felt a bit unpleasant.
What the Crown Prince wanted wasn’t friendship.
He wanted an ally willing to sacrifice for him.
In the end, he was just looking for a tool to bolster his faction.
I had thought—perhaps this was before he closed off his heart.
But he was already the Crown Prince I knew.
His eyes did not smile at all behind the Crown Prince’s grin.
“…I’m sorry. I need some time to think.”
“What a pity. Well, I understand. I’ll hope to see you again later.”
I bowed my head as I replied, and as if understanding my meaning, the Crown Prince departed without reluctance.
It seemed his claim about it not being an order was indeed true.
After bowing to the Crown Prince, I stood up from my chair and exited the room.
“Oh, and the point about someone trustworthy being able to act for their friend was genuine. Really.”
As the door closed, I heard those words, but I didn’t reply as I walked down the corridor.
