This Bastard is Too Competent

Chapter 26: The Price of A Life

The Duke's office.

Karan looked at his father sitting in the office with his forehead furrowed.

“Father, are you really okay with this?”

Karan was referring to the fact that Ian went to the training hall with the Second Prince.

At the words of his son, the Duke stamped the document as if it was foolish to ask.

"Did you get attached to him already?"

The Duke replied without looking at Karan. It was a very cold voice. 

On the contrary, Karan scrunched his brows in repulsion. It couldn't have been possible.

"At this rate, there will definitely be a problem with the legitimation ceremony. If there is something wrong with the Seventh Prince's body, His Majesty will be furious.”

"It doesn't matter. His Majesty won't care anyway.”

"What?"

The Duke spoke in an emotionless voice. 

"I said he wouldn't mind."

"No way. Still, he's his own child.”

"Child? He is the kind of person who deems it a waste of his blood if his children are weak. Moreover, someone like the Seventh Prince who comes from a humble origin and has not received a proper education. Do you think His Majesty would care? It will be a miracle if he shows up at the ceremony."

Karan couldn’t make out his father’s words.

"Are you saying he won't show up at the ceremony?"

"Isn't that obvious? If you know, stop talking. I still have a lot of work to do.”

Ian's legitimation ceremony had been decided by a letter from the royal family a long while ago.

Instead of the king, the legitimation ceremony of the Seventh Prince would be entrusted to the archbishop.

It wasn't only that. 

Privately and simply, only attended by a small number of distinguished guests and related people. It would probably be a modest occasion that was too ambiguous to even call it a legitimation ceremony.

‘Well, unfortunately, that's how far he will go.’

From the king's point of view, the serf boy could never have been welcomed.

Garcia of Gold had invested in this unprofitable work even while being laughed at by Lavaltor, but he had no other choice now that he had already lost the First Prince.

Karan looked completely unconvinced.

"Even though he arranged the legitimation ceremony like that, in the end, the king gave in to the request to wait and see the education from the Second Prince…"

Smack!

The Duke finally slammed the pen he was holding harshly. His blue eyes glinted coldly against the sunlight.

"If not?"

"What?"

“Are you implying that we should take the risk to deal with two monsters—the kingdom and Lavaltor—solely with Garcia’s power?”

"… That's…"

"If you don't have any proper countermeasures, you'd better shut your mouth. It'll only prove your incompetence."

Karan bit his lips.

He's a father he didn't like, but he was not called the brain of the kingdom for nothing. There was no way Karan could beat him with words.

Meanwhile, the Duke smiled sinisterly while staring at the letter in the corner of his desk.

There was one word sealing the envelope.

<Lavaltor>

The Duke smiled cruelly as he looked at his enemy’s name.

‘Lavaltor. That simple-minded and ignorant wild boar made a pretty good move in a short time.’

It was a letter from Duke Lavaltor. It was roughly asking the Duke to condone the Second Prince educating the Seventh Prince. 

Of course, if it was just Lavaltor's request, he would have ignored it somehow.

Right next to the seal of Lavaltor.

<Eloin Kaistein>

The king's seal was distinctly stamped.

As if he would never forgive the Duke if he refused or interfered with this decree.

‘Well, there's nothing I can't do with the two if I’m getting serious.’

The Garcia family was very powerful.

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They weren’t called Garcia of Gold for nothing. It was rumored that the entire kingdom could be bought only with the gold they had.

Even if they were faced with the kingdom’s numerous royal knights and Lavaltor’s invincible knights, Garcia could deal with them if they unleashed their wealth.

But. 

“Keep in mind. There are currently three suns in Kaistein.”

“!”

Karan opened his eyes wide.

Of course, the three suns the Duke referred to were the two ducal families and the royal family.

But why did he mention this all of a sudden?

"Do you remember Adria?"

There's no way Karan didn't know.

"Isn't it a ducal family that had once been called Adria of Intellect and served the kingdom as chancellor for generations?"

"Correct. Don't forget how such a family collapsed."

Karan laughed. He wondered why he brought it up again.

‘Are you afraid of them making a coalition?’

That's right, the Adria family collapsed under the coalition of Garcia and Lavaltor. Although it was possible because the royal family only watched their destruction on the sidelines.

In any case, it's natural that Garcia would be having a hard time if the two were to join hands. 

In addition, it was not a loss to the Duke if he were to neglect Ian.

‘If the price of sitting idly by is a thousand of Lavaltor's warhorses, it is a pretty advantageous bargain.'

Horses were one of the most expensive resources on this continent.

In addition, the horses raised by the mighty Lavaltor were of a special breed well recognized by the continent.

They were hard to get no matter how much wealth Garcia poured out.

But in exchange for overlooking the Second Prince’s atrocities for a moment, how many thousands of horses each of which was priceless would he get?

"And the Seventh Prince will be fine, so don't worry."

“!”

Ian had a trick up his sleeve just in case, all so that he could keep his life at the very least.

Instead, the Duke was feeling anxious as he recalled the strange energy he felt from Ian back in the drawing room.

‘Anyway, it doesn't matter. I can use him as long as he’s alive.’

Rather, it might turn out better if Ian would harbor some hatred for the Second Prince. 

Because he might need a malicious hound more than a docile puppet who only listened well.

If not, all Ian had to do was have the firm resolve to cut off blood ties.

It was when Duke Garcia was thinking so.

"How long will you be standing there?"

The Duke's sharp gaze turned toward the entrance. 

There were some unexpected people there. 

"Your Excellency, please allow me to go."

"The prince is in danger."

They were Nathan and Galon, who had been escorting Ian.

The two had been waiting in the castle as per the Duke's orders since early morning.

“Please reconsider. We…”

“What are you talking about? It was the Seventh Prince who made you go back in the first place.”

"Your Excellency, you know that's not what I meant!"

"You could have told him to stop!"

Nathan and Galon's faces crumpled in exasperation.

"Now he’s just a ten-year-old kid. He is also of a humble origin that has been living as a serf until now. There is no way such a child will survive the cruel Second Prince."

Nathan was sure about it as he taught Ian personally, but the Duke only clicked his tongue.

"I've put a shadow there, and they will move if needed."

“Those guys are going to just watch to the last minute! They don't even care if a prince's arm flies."

As Duke Garcia frowned and was about to say something. 

Bang!

"It's a big problem, Your Excellency!”

The door to the office was slammed open.

Annoyed with the door opened too rudely, the Duke was about to scold him, but the attendant urgently shouted.

"Th-the prince. The Seventh Prince! His arm! Arm cut off!"

Everyone looked as if the worst-case scenario had come true.

Galon bit his lip tightly, thinking he had failed to protect Ian, while the Duke clicked his tongue.

He did promise the royal family and Lavaltor that he would not be responsible for anything that happened, but… He couldn’t believe that bastard actually cut off his little brother's arm.

“Bring a healer to the Seventh Prince at once and send His Highness the Second Prince back."

“Ah, no, it wasn’t the Seventh Prince who had his arm cut off, it’s the Second Prince!”

They doubted their ears for a moment.

"What? Whose arm was cut off?"

"It's the Second Prince…"

“Speak clearly!”

“The Seventh Prince cut off the Second Prince’s arm!”

***

"You crazy punk. Do you realize what you've done?"

The Second Prince was glaring at Ian as if to kill him. Still, he seemed to be maintaining his dignity as a royal family member even though the pain must be unbearable. 

But Ian thrust the sword instead of answering.

"That's strange. Brother, you clearly said I should be able to take on anyone with a forked tongue and any attack from my own brothers that comes my way. Wasn't this part of your so-called education?"

"What do you mean?"

In the first place, Ian had no intention of ending this only with one arm. He aimed for the head as well.

And although he didn't agree very much, he returned the words the Second Prince had said to him in the past.

“Why are you so surprised? It's not like the one who attacks is too much—the one who gets hit first is an idiot. That is the principle and virtue of the world.”

The Second Prince of his previous life often tortured Ian to satisfy his sadism.

‘I will never leave any regrets.’

So, he pointed the sword at the Second Prince's neck.

Seeing that, the Second Prince cried out.

"Do you know that you won’t even be safe if you do this to me? Father… The royal family and Lavaltor, they will go after you!"

Ian coldly smiled at the Second Prince.

“Didn’t you try to do the same to me, Brother?”

"What?"

“If you are going to take someone else’s life with your sword, you should be prepared to have your own life taken as well.”

Ian no longer hesitated.

"Don't worry. I'll tell others that you died in an unexpected accident during the fight, not because you lost to me.”

Ian's sword descended firmly toward the Second Prince's neck. The Second Prince was so terrified that he could not even make a sound.

Right then.

Clank!

Someone blocked Ian's sword. 

Ian frowned. 

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness the Seventh Prince!"

It was none other than the knight of the Second Prince who stood in Ian’s way. He was waiting outside, and he must have heard an unusual scream.

Ian asked in a cold voice.

"At first, when he started this disadvantageous fight, you sat by and watched. Now you are interfering with the honorable fight of others.”

“…”

The knight knelt right on the spot.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. But he's not supposed to die here yet."

Ian was feeling curious rather than angry.

He couldn’t believe that a knight of Lavaltor, who valued honor more than death, begged for his master’s life. 

It was strangely surprising that the object of his loyalty was such a nasty human.

Ian looked closely at the knight's face.

‘I don’t recall his face.’

Would that mean that he would have little impact in the future?

It was then.

"Knight Chris! I will pay the price for interrupting the honorable fight to the Seventh Prince.”

Chris drew a sword along with those words. It seemed like he was going to sever his own arm at any moment.

His face was resolute without showing any signs of hesitation.

Ian hurriedly stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

"If I could save the Second Prince with this, Your Highness, I am willing to offer you my two arms, not just one."

"Huh?"

Ian was speechless.

This knight’s loyalty stood out the most among the many knights he had encountered in his previous life.

Ian wasn’t sure how it went in ancient times, but the knights living in the present were extremely individualistic. It was said that their oath and allegiance were directed toward the knights themselves, not their lords.

Many viewed that it was a part of the principle of <Oath> that allowed a knight to make an oath to oneself.

That was why he thought it was a waste for such a rarely-seen loyalty, but Ian did not express it.

He just raised the corner of his mouth and said something else.

"So, you meant to say that the arm of a knight is worth the same as the life of the royal family?"

For an instant, the knight's expression froze.

"… Pardon?"

“How arrogant. To think that a mere knight's life can replace the life of a prince or of someone who will succeed the sun."

Chris trembled at Ian’s eyes that could not be thought of as a child’s.

"I-I apologize. Please forgive me! That's not what I intended! For me, it's…!

"Shut your mouth!"

Pretending to feel unpleasant on purpose, Ian aloofly said.

"I don't need your trivial arms or your humble life. I will take the price equal to a prince's life.”

"If you do so…"

Ian’s eyes gleamed.

"Instead, I want to meet Duke Lavaltor in person. Where could he be?"

The knight's eyes trembled heavily.

***

A man was sitting on the throne with his chin propped arrogantly. 

He was Eloin Kaistein.

The only king of this country, called the great swordsman, and the absolute sun that even the great nobles did not dare raise their heads recklessly.

In front of the king, the royal chamberlain fell to his knees.

"It's urgent, Your Majesty. His Highness the Second Prince has met His Highness the Seventh Prince."

“…”

The king didn't seem to be interested.

But upon hearing what the royal chamberlain said next, his indifferent gaze changed.

"Although he hasn't been acknowledged yet, His Highness the Seventh Prince cut off the Second Prince’s arm."

Flash!

The king's eyes, which had been drenched in boredom, lit up with vigor.

Straightening his back, the king asked in a serious yet overwhelming voice.

"Did Garcia help him?"

"No, it is said that the two of them fought each other without anyone disturbing them.”

The emotionless king raised the corners of his lips.

Seeing the spine-chilling smile, the royal chamberlain bowed his head in a hurry.

‘Dangerous. His Majesty has shown interest.’

The position of king of Kaistein wasn't something anyone could just become. Only the strongest and mightiest Kaistein could ascend to the throne.

And the current reigning monarch, King Eloin, was the one who ascended the throne after killing as many as twelve brothers.

The royal chamberlain, who had performed well enough to serve three generations of kings so far, realized that the atmosphere was unusual.

Sure enough.

“Interesting. That brat managed to beat him.”

The king laughed.

“I have to go to the legitimation ceremony.”

"Pardon? But, the ceremony this time will be held in secret and entrusted to the archbishop in the temple…!”

"No. Bring the Seventh Prince to me. I should see his face in person."

Throughout Ian's life, the absolute ruler, who never moved first, began to make a move.