A Failed Knight Who Went to the Academy To Get Married

010 A Betrothal for a Curse

King Shiandar, tense with anticipation, gripped his sword firmly.

Before him stood Traine, mocking him…

The overwhelming presence emanating from Traine made it impossible to approach rashly.

Traine, with a distasteful smile, said to the king,

“Come at me, you weak and incompetent king.”

“You b*stard!”

King Shiandar struck down at Traine with all his might.

But Traine effortlessly blocked the blow with his bare hands.

Even yawning leisurely while doing so.

“What in the world are you?”

King Siandar, once a hero who saved the nation with a single sword.

To think his own sword could be blocked so easily.

With such skill, perhaps entrusting Princess Sia to him wouldn’t be so bad.

But…

“Hey, Siandar. Since your daughter’s going to die soon anyway, mind if I play with her before I discard her?”

“Don’t joke! I will make sure you’re the one to die!”

King Siandar began to wield his sword with genuine intent for the first time in decades.

***

Train watched, spellbook open,

As the king swung his sword wildly into the air, all alone.

Train’s new spellbook was ‘The Bremen Town Musicians’.

A tale of small animals pretending to be monsters to scare away thieves.

It seemed this spellbook belonged to the category of illusions.

To be precise, a spell that made the caster believe they were an overwhelming force.

Yet, far from losing his will, the king seemed to become more ferocious.

“Die, you rascal!”

Despite his furious expression, the king’s swordplay was calm and sharp.

One wrong move too close, and you could get caught in the fray and have your throat slit.

In the end, Train could do nothing.

Train cautiously asked the knights of the king’s royal guard nearby.

“Excuse me, can’t you stop this duel?”

“No matter that he’s the king, we cannot interfere with a sacred duel.”

What in the world is this blasted duel…

It was then that Princess Shia spoke.

“Just hold on a little longer. My father is getting on in years; he’ll soon tire and collapse.”

What exactly is this princess’s aim?

It was clear from the circumstances that this duel was Princess Shia’s doing.

Train glared sideways at Princess Shia with all his might and asked.

“What on earth prompted you to start this mess?”

“Who knows? I haven’t done anything, have I?”

The playful expression on his face made it clear it was all planned.

Even more, he was holding a camcorder in his hand, prepared at some unknown time.

And it was unmistakably the same model that Prince Shiran had used before.

“Why are you filming?”

“Of course, I want to capture Lord Train’s valiant efforts.”

“What’s the purpose of keeping such a recording?”

“Plus, the footage of father’s embarrassing moments could come in handy for blackmail, or rather, negotiations later on.”

Just then, Prince Shiran could be seen approaching from a distance.

He walked straight up to Princess Shia and said,

“Hey, don’t you think your pranks are a bit too much?”

“Father needs to exercise once in a while too.”

“Make sure you send me the video you’re recording now.”

Train shouted at Prince Shiran with a hint of annoyance in his voice,

“You should stop fooling around and do something about it!”

“I’d like to help, but this is a duel after all.”

At that moment, King Siandar finally succumbed to exhaustion and knelt down.

“You… must… I will…”

Then, Princess Sia and Prince Siran cheered excitedly.

“Train-nim! Now is the time!”

“Behead him!”

“Have you all lost your minds?”

At that, King Siandar sprang to his feet and shouted towards the sky.

“Very well! If you insist, I shall show you my true power!”

As he slammed his palm to the ground, the earth began to tremble mightily.

Princess Sia and Prince Siran murmured in unison.

“This is bad. Train-nim, it might be best to surrender for now.”

“You can handle it somehow, I’m sure.”

Train, flustered, asked them both.

“What! What’s happening all of a sudden?”

Beneath King Siandar’s feet, a giant pillar of rock surged upwards.

And soon, it began to take the form of a rock golem.

Its size was at least twice as large as the massive sword that Train had summoned earlier.

From atop the golem’s head, King Siandar shouted,

“Crush that rat into oblivion!”

The golem suddenly started running.

Due to still being caught in an illusion, it ran in a bizarre direction,

but as fate would have it, that direction was towards the gymnasium.

Train cried out in desperation,

“Someone stop it! If we leave it be, people inside will get hurt!”

But no one responded.

To think no one would intervene in such a situation, even under the guise of a duel.

Train, closing his grimoire, shouted towards the golem,

“Where are you going? I’m right here!”

“Stay put right there!”

With its hefty body, the golem managed to turn around swiftly.

I’m sorry, but I can’t assist with that request.

Prince Sirian looked at Train with a look of disdain and said,

“What a foolhardy lad.”

“And to think, even in the midst of a duel, he prioritizes the safety of others over his own.”

I learned that the easiest way to gauge a person’s true nature is through a duel.

Especially by observing their reactions towards the king.

That’s why, despite knowing it’s excessive, I prepared such a ‘prank’.

‘But then again, he’s quite the remarkable person.’

Winning a fencing match with wit alone, despite the odds.

And genuinely getting angry for Princess Shia’s sake.

He’s someone who makes Shia’s heart flutter in many ways.

‘I thought I’d never feel this way again.’

But the jesting ends here.

If things continue this way, Train might get crushed by the golem.

Princess Shia, lowering her camcorder, asked Prince Sirian,

“Shouldn’t we put a stop to the fight soon?”

But Prince Shiran scoffed and retorted.

“No. It’s certain to get interesting from now on.”

Meanwhile, the golem was still charging towards Train.

Any ordinary person would have been scared off by now,

but Train stood his ground, grinning slyly as he muttered.

“Even if the body perishes, the knight’s spirit is eternal. O Sword of the Dead, answer my will.”

A magical sword as massive as the golem materialized in his hand.

Was it due to the increased magical power?

It was a blue sword, shining so brilliantly it was incomparable to before.

“Come at me, you lump of stone.”

Princess Shia unknowingly raised her camcorder again.

Her heart was pounding.

Ever since she knew her destiny, her heart had been silent,

but now, it throbbed for the first time before that majestic sword.

King Siandar’s face turned red with veins popping as he shouted.

“Crush that wretch!”

As the golem lifted its foot to stomp on Train,

Train closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“You’re not my enemy. The one I must defeat… is much stronger.”

Just before the golem could crush him,

He swung his sword down with all his might.

Boom-

Dust filled the air, obscuring the view.

In that moment of silence, only Train’s soft muttering could be heard.

“Disappear from my story.”

The golem teetered and fell, splitting in half.

“Aargh!”

King Siandar screamed as he leaped away.

“Father!”

Princess Sia, slightly flustered, ran into the cloud of dust.

Fortunately, King Siandar was unharmed, sitting on the ground, shouting.

“Ugh! What kind of brute is this!”

Just then, Train pierced through the thick dust and approached the king.

Holding a giant magic sword, he looked down at the king and asked,

“Shall we continue?”

To which King Siandar dropped his head and replied,

“I surrender.”

“Thank you.”

As Train dispelled the magic sword,

King Siandar asked,

“Who are you, to be so powerful?”

Without hesitation, Train answered,

“There’s someone I must save, so I have no choice but to be strong.”

“…Can you take responsibility for my daughter?”

But Train could not answer.

Overcome by a sudden release of tension and magic intoxication,

he had collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

It was then that the knights rushed in to support the king.

“Your Majesty! Are you alright?”

Prince Sirian, with Train hoisted onto his back, remarked,

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Father so stirred up.”

Princess Shia, with a look of concern, inquired,

“Will Lord Train be alright?”

“It’s just a simple case of magic intoxication; no need to worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Do you think Train will be of help?”

Princess Shia, slipping the camcorder into her handbag, responded,

“Yes. Thanks to you, brother, I’ve finally found a knight we can trust.”

It was no empty statement.

A skill that could stand its ground even against the king.

The intelligence to notice Shia’s plans.

And above all, the blatant disdain for Princess Shia.

He would surely be the one to entrust Princess Shia’s fate.

Of course, Prince Shiran still seems to misunderstand Train.

“This guy, he’s quite devoted to you, so he’ll never betray you.”

To that, Princess Shia replied with a bright smile.

“That’s right. That’s why he’s even more trustworthy.”

***

“Miss Yuril, I’ve brought your breakfast.”

“Mm…”

The butler began setting breakfast on the table.

Yuril took her eyes off the book for a moment and stretched as she spoke.

“The newspaper today?”

“It might be best not to read today’s articles.”

“Let me guess, it’s about Train again?”

“Yes. But this time, it seems the newspaper has written an overly sensationalized false article.”

“Still, give it to me. We agreed not to hide such things.”

Reluctantly, the butler handed over the newspaper to Yuril.

On the cover of the newspaper was a proud photo of Train.

A hero standing tall, wielding a giant magic sword.

Unknowingly, Yuril smiled and muttered to herself.

“What has he done this time?”

But as soon as she read the headline, her face quickly soured.

‘Knight Academy Leader Train, Engaged to Princess Shia.’

“…What on earth has he done now?”

“There must have been some mistake.”

“I know. Princess Shia is under a curse that will soon take her life.”

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“If he really forgot about me and got engaged to another woman, that would be a welcome turn of events.”

Despite her words, Yuril’s expression looked quite displeased.

In the end, the butler cleared his throat and spoke calmly.

“Miss, I would like to have your permission to take a stroll in the forest for a few days.”

A walk in the forest?

Having heard that excuse after quite some time, Yuril glared at the butler and asked,

“What for?”

“Just to meet an old pupil and have a chat.”

“…Do as you wish.”

Yuril shifted her gaze back to her book.

***

A few days later.

Despite the sun being high in the sky, Train lay in bed with the blanket pulled over his head.

“I want to die…”

In truth, Train had been asleep for two days due to magic poisoning following his duel with King Siandar.

Upon waking, he found, for some reason, that an article had been published announcing his engagement to Princess Sia.

As a result, Train had to endure a barrage of questions from reporters and other nobles.

“Please tell us more about the two of you!”

“Were you and Princess Shia acquainted from before?”

“Did you enroll in the academy for the princess?”

That’s why Train locked himself in his room as soon as he was discharged from the infirmary.

For days, he didn’t attend classes, living like a hermit,

Even going so far as to post ‘Absolutely No Visitors’ on his door.

He didn’t open the door even for friends who came to visit him while he was sick.

Princess Shia also came once, persistently loitering in front of his door.

“Train, are you feeling alright?”

“I’d like to talk about our future together for a moment.”

“If you come out, I’ll give you a magic tome.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Train chased Princess Shia away, even using the ‘Bremen Town Musicians’ to do so.

When Princess Shia ran away screaming, it was almost exhilarating.

“Should I just run away to another country?”

There was a reason why Train had become so twisted.

It was acute depression caused by the backlash of magic addiction.

And so, while staging a sit-in alone in his room…

“Fire!”

…Fire?

Wondering what was happening, he cracked open the door to check outside.

That’s when-

“Gotcha!”

Jeez suddenly grabbed Traein’s arm and yanked him out forcibly.

At the same time, other students from the Knight Academy each grabbed hold of Traein’s arms and legs.

Traein struggled and shouted.

“Let go, you brats!”

Then Instructor Eloi, with a look of disdain, said to Traein.

“Playing hooky, squad leader? You’ve got some nerve.”

“Just leave me alone for a few days!”

“That’s no longer an option. Because of you, the entire Knight Academy has been dragged into this.”

“Excuse me?”

Instructor Eloi cleared his throat once before unfolding a piece of parchment and exclaimed,

“It’s a royal decree! First-year knights-in-training must endeavor to lift Princess Shia’s curse within the year!”

“Ugh…”

“Should anyone succeed in breaking the princess’s curse, the entire knight department will be elevated in status!”

“Well, that’s fortunate.”

“But fail, and the wretched spawn of Train will face certain execution!”

“Don’t joke! How can students break a curse in one year that no one has ever solved?”

As Train slumped to the ground, Instructor Eloi placed a hand on his shoulder and said,

“Don’t be too disheartened. A robust support troop has come to assist, so somehow, it will work out.”

“Support troop?”

“The former Grand Knight Commander, Lord Elford himself, has come to offer you his aid.”

Train had no idea who the former Grand Knight Commander was.

But the name Elford was incredibly familiar to him.

So, with cautious optimism, he lifted his head and…

“Mr. Train, it’s been a while.”

Beside Instructor Eloi stood an old man dressed in a butler’s attire.

The respectable man with a monocle and short, white beard.

It was Yuril’s butler, Elford.

Train momentarily grimaced in a comical expression before forcing a smile.

“Oh, it has been a long time, Master.”

To which Butler Elford responded with a gentle smile.

“It’s good to see you looking well, for a coward who fled.”

“…I am without excuse.”

“Well then, since you’ve come all this way, shall we cross swords after such a long time?”