Chapter 110 - Book Rabbit

Episode 110

The reason Aaron challenged Arpad to a spar was simple.

‘I want to experience for myself the strength of a royal, who is said to be a Sword Master from birth!’

Moreover, lately, he had begun to feel the presence of a wall blocking his path, making him even more eager.

Aaron had been known across the entire continent as a genius since he was around five years old.

He had defeated his first master at the age of ten.

As the sole heir of the Ducal House of Müzen, with a talent called a genius among geniuses, his life had been one of feeling no deficiency whatsoever.

It was, of course, the first time he had ever felt a wall he did not know how to overcome.

He had begun to feel his swordsmanship skills stagnating since last year.

‘If I can just get past this wall, I feel I could reach the realm of a Sword Master….’

But Aaron, experiencing such a wall for the first time in his life, could not grasp how to overcome it.

There was no one of comparable genius to offer advice from the same level.

‘Everyone says I will naturally become a Sword Master, but is it truly possible?’

Aaron had to feel, for the first time in his life, anxiety and unease, and a longing several times stronger than those feelings.

His mother had suggested coming to the imperial capital to find a bride, but Aaron had agreed for a different reason.

‘If I venture into wider waters, it might be different.’

At the tournament he first attended at fourteen, he could feel himself growing with each and every match.

He had come to the imperial capital hoping to feel that sensation once more.

And among Aaron’s expectations was ‘this very situation’.

A spar with a royal.

The royals, who inherit the bloodline of the dragon, are physically different from ordinary people from the start.

They possess from birth the sensitivity to and control over magical power that ordinary humans can only obtain through training to their absolute limits.

For this reason, royals did not participate in tournaments and other competitions meant for ordinary people.

Thus, Aaron had never had the chance to cross swords with Arpad or Ludwig.

The only time he could face Arpad was during the tournament awards ceremony.

At that time, Aaron had thought that this was a person he could never defeat, even if he died and came back to life.

That was why.

The reason he made a request for a spar that bordered on rudeness to Arpad.

‘If I cross swords with the Crown Prince just once, I might learn how to leap over this wall.’

To that was added the pure competitive spirit of a martial artist.

And the strength of Arpad, which he experienced firsthand by clashing blades….

It was beyond imagination.

‘It feels like facing a dragon in human form!’

Strength and speed impossible from a human body unfolded before his eyes.

Feeling pure admiration and exhilaration, Aaron immersed himself in the fight.

Barely parrying Arpad’s blade, he spoke in a voice filled with awe.

“I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but huff! They were not! Oh, rather the opposite!”

“What an absurd fellow.”

Though it was quite a loud voice, it was a situation where the two of them occupied a large space alone for their spar.

Moreover, the sound of two steel blades clashing dozens of times, metal scraping against metal, rang out noisily.

It was a conversation only they could hear.

Much like this spar itself.

On the other hand, Arpad was also somewhat surprised. It was not that Aaron’s talent or skill exceeded his expectations.

It was because of the look in his eyes, filled purely with passion and admiration, without any sense of intimidation or inferiority upon seeing his strength.

Considering that even Ludwig, born with the same dragon bloodline, could not hide his sense of defeat and inferiority when looking at Arpad, this was peculiar.

‘This fellow is a first, too.’

For the first time, Arpad asked a sincere question.

“Don’t you think it’s cheating?”

“Huh?”

“My very existence.”

Ordinary knights had considered Arpad a being outside of humanity since he was very young.

From birth, his physical strength, speed, and dynamic visual acuity were on a different dimension from ordinary people.

Arpad was already weary of the gazes that went beyond envy and jealousy to see his very existence as cheating.

But this one was different.

He was filled only with pure admiration and the exhilaration of the fight itself.

Aaron readily admitted it.

“Frankly, it would be a lie to say I’m not envious.”

“Is that why you picked a fight and requested a spar?”

Surely he wasn’t approaching Hilia for that reason?

Arpad made a wild conjecture that Aaron would protest was a baseless accusation if he knew.

Since becoming aware of his feelings, Arpad had been conscious that all his thoughts ended with ‘intro-rising action-climax-Hilia’.

But so what?

Arpad admitted he was a greenhorn who had lost his mind over his first love.

Aaron’s eyes widened.

“Surely not?”

He barely managed to parry with his blade the pommel strike Arpad had thrust at his opening.

Clang!

That single blow shattered his guard.

If it had grazed him, his flesh would have been torn and his bones broken.

Aaron’s gaze, widened in shock, began to color with pleasure and excitement.

“More than that… I wanted to clash directly! With an absolutely insurmountable wall!”

A smile brimming with nothing but competitive spirit bloomed on Arpad’s lips.

Somehow, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

He was accustomed to being treated as a monster, but if asked whether it didn’t grate on his nerves, that wasn’t entirely true either.

A fellow showing such a reaction was refreshingly new.

That was why. The reason he treated him with something close to favor.

‘Since Hilia went to the trouble of drawing in the Ducal House of Müzen, it wouldn’t be bad for me to help a little, too.’

Crimson magical power bloomed from Arpad’s entire body.

In succession, aura enveloped his sword.

“!”

Aaron charged forward without dodging or deflecting, directly toward it.

Toward the Sword Master he was meeting for the first time.

Kang—!

Aaron’s sword was cleanly severed.

Immediately after, the blade Arpad presented touched Aaron’s chest.

There was no wound at all.

Soaked in sweat, Aaron instead declared in a lighthearted and joyful tone.

“I’ve lost. Whew, you are indeed magnificent.”

Arpad had no interest in Aaron’s clean acceptance of defeat.

Throughout the spar, his nerves had been focused on Hilia.

Arpad had calculated meticulously. From what angle he would look to Hilia, who was watching.

Standing at an angle from which he predicted he would look the most dashing, sharp, and beautiful, he lightly swung his sword and then sheathed it.

At that moment, as the muscles in his upper body tensed, the sound of threads tearing came from the front placket of his shirt, which already seemed ready to burst.

*Rip!*

And then two buttons popped off in succession and flew away.

Pop! Pa-pop!

“…….”

The mouths of the noblewomen, who had been about to offer words congratulating the Crown Prince on his victory, stuck together as if glued.

Their eyes involuntarily rolled toward Arpad’s suddenly exposed chest.

They swore it wasn’t done consciously.

It was merely an instinctive reaction, just like when Aaron’s single button had flown off earlier.

That was when.

Hilia stood up in a fluster.

“Uh, um! Your Highness!”

“Hm? Why?”

Arpad smiled brightly at his wife, who was running toward him in a panic.

It was a smile capable of inducing the optical illusion that sunlight was shining down only on Arpad’s head.

To the extent that the watching noblewomen could not help but lower their heads, which had reddened of their own accord.

And though they did not yet realize it, after returning home today.

The ladies would find themselves rubbing their eyes for a moment when looking at their own husbands and sons.

Having seen two handsome, well-built men, especially the artistically beautiful Arpad, the men at home all appeared to be squids.

No one yet knew this fact.

* * *

*Tap-tap!*

When she came to her senses, Hilia had already run forward.

‘What? Why am I doing this?’

But suddenly stepping back now would be strange, too.

Moreover, wasn’t it true that Arpad’s state was indecent!

‘With so many unrelated women here!’

After she herself had gone on about unrelated men and proper wives!

As soon as Hilia reached Arpad’s side, she took off the pale pink, thin lace shawl she was wearing.

“Here, put this on! Quickly!”

“Huh?”

Arpad seemed completely unaware of how embarrassing a sight he currently was.

She finally exploded in frustration and stretched out both hands holding the shawl.

Arpad was so tall she had to stand on tiptoe, but she succeeded in draping the shawl over his neck and shoulders nonetheless.

She did not forget to gather the two ends at his chest and tie them into a neat bow.

‘Phew. Now it’s finally not embarrassing anymore.’

Just as Hilia breathed a sigh of relief, she noticed something odd.

Arpad was wearing an excessively satisfied smile, his eyes narrowed to slits.

The meaning behind that peculiar, knowing look was all too clear.

‘Don’t tell me you did that on purpose, hoping for this?!’

Romance, Fantasy,