This Bastard is Too Competent

Ian had always wondered why Duke Garcia betrayed him in his past life. 

However, he still couldn’t understand the reason. 

It seemed obvious.

‘No matter how much I think about it, there was no reason for him to betray me.’

Despite Ian being the king, his role felt more like a puppet, granting Duke Garcia dominion over all of Kaistein. 

Yet, despite this, Duke Garcia had turned against him.

“If only I had met Your Majesty a bit sooner, perhaps things would have been different. But it’s too late now.”

Ian could never forget Garcia’s last words.

But at this moment, a realization began to dawn on him.

He could see why Duke Garcia had betrayed him. 

There had never been any bond between him and the duke. 

Not from the beginning to the end. At any moment.

Yet there was still an unsolved mystery.

‘What could the First Prince have offered Garcia?’

What could possibly be better than the position of second-in-command that he could provide? 

Even if being the second-in-command was just a title, how could there be anything better than that?

It was then that he heard a voice.

“You seem surprised, don’t you? I am equally taken aback. How bewildered must you be?”

At the voice of the Third Prince, Louis, Ian’s expression turned frigid.

“I don’t understand, brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Crown Prince—or rather, the First Prince—is alive. It doesn’t add up, does it?”

“Huh?”

“The First Prince, who would naturally inherit the throne without lifting a finger. It doesn’t make sense that he would pretend to be dead.”

“!”

It was a reasonable thought. 

The power struggle for the throne had arisen due to the death of the First Prince, which had worried the king about the future. 

The king wished to choose a successor who was more capable. 

That’s why the Second Prince, the First Princess, and the Third Prince had been fiercely competing against each other. 

There was no reason for the First Prince to pretend to be dead or to hide. 

“If the First Prince were to return, it would be as good as determining the successor to the throne, wouldn’t it?”

“That wouldn’t be the case.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re here.”

“!”

“Because His Majesty has taken notice of you.”

Ian frowned at Louis’ words.

He should have felt pleased to hear such recognition, but that wasn’t what was important at the moment.

“So, why has he been pretending to be dead?”

“Honestly… I don’t know the reason either.”

“What? You must be joking!”

A look of disgust crossed Ian’s face. It was a look that said, ‘Are you trying to fool me with such nonsense?’ 

But Louis shook his head.

“It’s true that the First Prince is alive. However, I also don’t know the reasoning behind it. I only found out about it recently.”

Louis’s expression seemed to suggest that there were complicated circumstances involved. 

Still, Ian’s gaze remained cold.

“The Crown Prince of Kaistein feigned death, manipulating both your mother and mine. And you expect me to believe that you are ignorant of the reasons behind his charade? How can you ask me to accept that?”

“…”

“Besides, Duke Garcia is a cold-blooded man. He treats even his own children as mere pawns.  Are you suggesting that he would aid a prince who pretends to be deceased and holds no claim to the throne?”

A prince who wasn’t eligible to be the successor meant nothing to Duke Garcia. 

Both in the past life and now, the Duke was a merchant who strictly calculated his gains. 

The Third Prince couldn’t say anything to Ian’s words. 

But right at that moment…

Ian was taken aback.

A slight tremor coursed through his body as he caught a faint whiff of blood emanating from the Third Prince, Louis. 

But that wasn’t all.

‘Is that the black feather from earlier?’

A black feather was falling from Louis’s arms, as if it were blood. 

Louis gave Ian a bitter look at his surprised expression.

“Did you see it?”

“Is it a wound? The scent of blood… Could it be from the injury you sustained in Bahara?”

“No.”

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“Then, were you attacked by someone?”

“Yes.”

“?”

Ian tilted his head. 

Who in the world could have injured the Third Prince in Kaistein? 

No, the premise itself was wrong.

‘Someone strong enough to injure the Third Prince?’

If that were the case, the opponent would have to be a skilled knight. 

Moreover, someone with that level of skill wouldn’t be unfamiliar with the royal family.

“Could it be that you fought against spies or agents from another country?”

Louis, however, shook his head.

“Not quite.”

“Then…”

“It was the First Prince.”

“What?”

“He is the one who injured me, brother. He tried to kill me.”

“!” 

Ian’s eyebrows twitched. 

But Louis didn’t stop talking.

“After the war in Bahara ended, I was searching for traces of the Seven Virtues in the royal library. The moment I stepped out of the palace, he attacked me.”

“What?”

Was he expected to believe this? 

It was hard to believe that the First Prince was alive, let alone that he was trying to kill the Third Prince.

Even the fact that Louis had survived was difficult to accept.

“If we assume that the First Prince is indeed alive, does it make sense that you managed to avoid his grasp?”

Ian’s question was logical. 

The First Prince was renowned for his exceptional swordsmanship and had been identified as a gifted royal from a young age. 

King Eloin had swiftly designated him as the successor.

If such a person had honed his skills in secrecy, the extent of his power was beyond imagination.

No matter how exceptional the Third Prince was, escaping from him would have been no easy task. 

But now, here stood Louis, perfectly fine against all odds. 

Even for the current Ian, it would be a difficult feat. 

But Louis looked directly into Ian’s eyes.

“What I say is the truth. And my knights sacrificed themselves to protect me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Can’t you see from this that my knights remain only that much? That’s why I was hiding.”

Of course, it wasn’t all there.

But Louis gritted his teeth, saying that he had lost some of his favorite knights to the First Prince’s attack. 

His eyes appeared serious. 

But why had the First Prince attacked the Third Prince?

‘After all this time pretending to be dead, why now?’

Louis spoke at Ian’s curious gaze.

“He was aiming for what I possess.”

“What do you mean by ‘what you possess’?”

“You should already know. It’s one of the Seven Sins.”

“!”

At that instant, Ian felt as though lightning had struck him.

‘The Seven Sins!’

At that sight, Louis’s eyebrows twitched.

“Why the surprise? You must have been aware as well.”

“

“I also know that you have one of the Seven Sins. It may be weak, but it is there.”

Just as the Seven Virtues could recognize each other, the same applied to the Seven Sins.

“Don’t worry. I may not know why you are acting this way, but I have not disclosed to anyone that you possess one of the Seven Sins.”

But Ian didn’t hear Louis’ voice. 

He was preoccupied with something else at that moment.

‘Yes, that explains everything.’

Ian connected the dots. 

He understood why the First Prince had faked his death and why Duke Garcia had supported him

It was thanks to the recent changes in Jealousy.

‘The fragments of the Seven Sins grow through negative emotions.’

The fragment of Jealousy, which had only a mouth, had grown horns and teeth. 

Even though it was currently sealed by the power of Patience, it was still a significant development.

‘The fragments’ powers displayed by Ceres in Bahara. What if it was a ploy to cultivate the essence of the fragments?’

It would make sense if they had incited a succession war in Kaistein akin to Bahara to nurture negative emotions. 

Duke Garcia’s motives for extending the war in Ian’s previous life also fell into place. 

The only peculiar aspect was the hastened pace of events this time.

‘Could it be because the war ended quickly because of me?’

Unlike in the past, the fragments’ growth might have accelerated due to Ian’s interventions.

The conspirators might seek to reclaim the Seven Sins while simultaneously attempting to eliminate Ian before he grew stronger.

One thing was certain.

That the bastards themselves began to crawl out when their time came.

A faint smile played on Ian’s lips.

“You said you didn’t know why, right?”

“Yes.”

“They are gathering the Seven Sins.”

“I suspect that too, but it’s still too early to conclude.”

“No.”

Ian spoke firmly.

“Everything falls into place now. Why did Garcia target me, and why did he attempt to aid Bahara, our former enemies.”

“What do you mean…?”

“And now I can somewhat understand why they are revealing themselves.”

“What exactly do you know?”

The Third Prince’s expression turned serious. 

At that moment, he realized that Ian’s words were not mere fabrications. 

Ian responded nonchalantly.

“They possess fragments of the Seven Sins. To cultivate them, they need negative emotions—specifically, murder and war.”

“Wha… what?” 

Louis’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

This was information even he, a possessor of one of the Seven Sins, was ignorant of. 

Observing his shock, Ian couldn’t help but smile faintly.

‘My brother doesn’t know about the fragment or its growth.’

It was information that those who didn’t have a fragment wouldn’t know. 

Rather, those who knew it were the enemies. 

Which meant… 

‘I can win over Third Prince Louis to my side.’

Ian’s lips curled into a smirk. 

It seemed he had to completely ruin the First Prince’s plans. 

In fact, he had no choice but to do so.

‘If I were the enemy, I wouldn’t miss this opportunity.’

It was obvious. 

The Third Prince’s possession of one of the Seven Sins, combined with Ian’s Jealousy and the other Seven Virtues, presented an invaluable opportunity. 

Assuming they were gathering the fragments of the Seven Sins, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

Hence, Ian turned to the Third Prince with a bright smile.

“In that sense, brother.”

“What’s with that smile…?”

Louis looked slightly skeptical. 

But Ian didn’t care and continued.

“Let’s work together.”

“Huh?”

Louis’s expression shifted to one of bewilderment at Ian’s proposition.

***

Nathan scratched his head while watching the black sphere.

“I wonder how much longer it will take.”

It hadn’t been long at all. Perhaps just an hour, at most. 

Yet, sitting idle felt like torture to him.

‘Having to endure being around these sweaty guys…’

The trouble was that the Third Prince’s knights scowled at him.

They had a competitive sparkle in their eyes, particularly because of Galon and Fiosen, who were building a reputation under Ian’s leadership.

“So, they say you’re now called one of the Three Knights alongside Galon and Fiosen?”

“It’s truly surprising to see. The libertine who loved wine and women is one of the Three Knights now.”

“It seems you’re better with your mouth than your sword. Otherwise, how could you have gotten involved with them?”

Seeing their taunts, Nathan finally began to reach for his sword.

“What? Are you envious that they’ve named me one of the Three Knights?”

“Of course not. It’s just that I wonder if you actually deserve it.”

“I’ll throw those words right back at you. You people initiated this, didn’t you?”

“Don’t worry. Even if you lose, I won’t spread any rumors.”

Just as the tension between the knights was about to escalate—

Crack!

The black sphere in front of them began to transform. 

Initially, it had draped everything softly like a shadow, but now it was fracturing like glass.

Crash!

At the same time, two figures appeared. 

Ian appeared relatively unharmed, while the Third Prince, Louis, crumpled, coughing up blood. 

The alarmed knights hurried to their respective lords.

“Prince Ian!”

“Prince Louis!”

The Third Prince’s knights clenched their jaws, shouting in anger.

“How dare you attack Prince Louis!”

“Do you really think you can escape alive after this!”

It seemed they might draw their swords against Ian at any moment. nt. 

However, they were stopped by a voice that rang out.

“Stop. He is not my enemy.”

“B… but, Your Highness.”

“Enough. My wounds aren’t severe.”

Louis wiped the blood from his mouth with a pallid expression.

“I won’t succumb to injuries like these.”

“However…” 

“I know how you feel, but now is not the time.” 

“Yes?”

It was at that instant.

Startled!

Everyone except Ian and the Third Prince turned their gaze in one direction. 

It was inevitable.

Clang! Clang! 

“Attack! Don’t let them escape!”

A loud clash of swords and a strong scent of blood came from somewhere. 

It was a battle they had not noticed until now because they were keeping each other in check.

“W… where is that coming from?”

“Someone is attacking a mercenary group.”

“!”

At that moment, Nathan shouted.

“You bastards! This was your scheme all along!”

Drawing his sword, he advanced to shield Ian. 

Yet, the Third Prince’s knights gestured with their hands.

“We don’t know anything.” 

“Really. The knights here are all of the Third Prince’s current forces.”

At that moment, Ian smiled at the knight’s information.

“Is this truly the extent of your forces?”

“These fools…”

The Third Prince massaged his temples at Ian’s chuckle.

It seemed that within the black sphere, there had been some sort of deal made.

“You mentioned that only a portion of your forces is here. Have you hidden the rest within your territory?”

“Ahem. I’ve reserved about 30% of my strength for negotiations.”

“In that case, it appears you’ve exaggerated your power to 70%.”

The Third Prince Louis tried to deflect, but Ian paid it no mind.

‘After all, I was already aware that my brother’s forces were elsewhere. I just let it slide.’

What he truly wanted was not the knights’ fighting strength. 

It was merely those who were attacking his mercenary group and were now rushing toward them.

‘So, were they planning to ambush both of us?’

If that was the case, it was a huge mistake. 

He had prepared more than one or two things in case he had to fight the Third Prince. 

So, Ian smiled.

“Sir Nathan, initiate it.”

“Now… immediately?”

“Yes.”

Nathan shot a flare into the sky from his pocket.

Pheee~ Bang!

Instantly, red smoke billowed into the skies.