The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go

 

The hand that Brian was using for holding the sword shook.

 

“You little bastard…!”

 

But his attack didn’t work. Although I was much smaller, I was faster.

 

‘In the first place, I have Caliberne.’

 

In a pure sword-to-sword battle without the intervention of any other external factors, Caliberne’s win rate reached nearly 100%.

 

It was only plausible if someone with a considerable talent for combat regularly practiced their swordsmanship, but I met both requirements.

 

However, the fact that my weapon broke indicated that Brian had taken force.

 

‘Even in such a situation, Caliberne could still achieve a 70% win rate.’

 

As long as Brian didn’t have another dirty trick left, a half-sword would be enough to defeat him.

 

“What the hell did you do!”

 

It was funny to see him shouting like a gorilla.

 

‘Well, I’m not the one who pulled tricks here, it was you.’

 Clank— 

Two blades of swords collided in the air.

 

At one stroke, the sword in Brian’s hand flew into the air. The great sword that left the human hand fell helplessly to the ground.

 

Just then, I saw Brian’s face turn white with both eyes.

 

All this happened in less than two seconds.

 

“Uh, what—”

 

“No way!”

 

Around me, I could hear the voices of the Knights.

 

Ignoring their gibberish, I pointed the blade at Brian’s neck, who had lost his weapon

 

The lower half of the sword was all that was left after the upper part fell aside, but the blade was still razor-sharp.

 

Blood started to form as the sword was pressed a little closer to his neck.

 

When a drop of dark red blood finally dripped down, I put my sword back down.

 

“It’s over.”

 

If you make the other person bleed first, you win.

 

It was a complete victory by any means.

 

Brian, who was still pale, caught Ciel’s gaze as she raised her eyes and muttered, “Since I won, you must leave the Knights.”

 

Brian’s face became distorted in an instant.

 

“What nonsense—”

 

“You promised to do that before the duel.”

 

Then Brian gritted his teeth, and said, “No way. This isn’t valid. What the hell did you do? Ha! What kind of trick did you use?”

 

“What do you mean by a trick? A drop of blood was dripping down your throat. Anyone could tell that I won, right?”

 

“That’s ridiculous!”

 

Now my ears are starting to hurt.

 

If this had happened in my past life, I might have attempted to sue Brian for compensation for the harm he caused to my eardrums physically and mentally.

 

“There’s no way it’s possible to block my great sword with a half-broken sword!”

 

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m sure you saw it a little while ago.”

 

Are his eyes decorative? Or was his brain just a decoration?

 

I don’t know exactly what he did, but it was he who broke my sword.

 

“And I’ve told you over and over again. A great swordsman doesn’t care about tools.”

 

“Shut up!”

 

I smiled brightly at him and said,  “However, it’s a pity that Tekarke, who said that the great sword was his specialty, lost to me who was a person

‘without the basics or skills’

.”

 

I remarked while glancing down at the broken great sword in half, it was something I wouldn’t normally say.

 

But at that moment, I was quite angry.

 

“If you lose to me like that, I don’t know if you would ever become an apprentice, let alone a sword master.”

 

The crowd that had been bustling for a time quieted down, and silence followed.

 

“How dare you…!”

 

Brian strode at me as his face went red with rage. His bloodshot eyes appeared like a madman.

 

“Someone from a slum where things that are less than beasts and infested–”

 

He approaches me with a strut while clenching his right fist.

 

“Don’t stop me!!”

 

It was just then.

 

“Stop.”

 

When Brian heard the eerie voice echoing across the hallway, he froze.

 

A small, crimson flare of light struck Brian’s right palm at the same moment.

 “Argh!” 

He screamed and clasped his hand.

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

I recognized the owner of that voice.

 

And whose red light was it anyway? It was still frail and thin, but no one else’s color was as distinct.

 

“I, Your Majesty…!”

 

Turning my head, I saw Cedric standing with his sword pointed at Brian.

 

“Your Majesty, this…”

 

“Silence!”

 

The voice was cold and sounded a lot like the Emperor.

 

He had never made me feel that way before, but now his voice radiated an immense feeling of nobility, akin to the Emperor.

 

‘Was that all?’

 

The gentle camellia eyes, which always had tears on them, radiated a glimmering red blood color.

 

For a brief while, the image of Cedric, who had turned into a tyrant, appeared before my eyes just as it had in the original story.

 

“What should I do with that big mouth of yours?” 

 

Cedric muttered as he lowered his blade and fixed his piercing gaze on Brian.

 

“What a disgrace to the Imperial Knights, to use a fist instead of a sword. Brian Tekarke.”

 

“I, Your Majesty! Please listen! It wasn’t me, not me—”

 

“Not because of you, but to Lord Ciel Minerva?”

 

Cedric said in a voice cold as ice.

 

“Paul.”

 

At that word, Paul, who mixed himself among the knights, strode out and threw a skinny man in front of Brian.

 

As soon as an individual in a cloak appeared in front of Brian, his face went pale.

 

“He had used his power to break Lord Minerva’s sword, and I witnessed it with my own eyes. Nonetheless, he was the one who gave the order.”

 

“…”

 

“A strong excellent sword wouldn’t have snapped with merely a sword collision, in my opinion.”

 

Only then did I know. The fact that Cedric had been watching since the middle of the duel.

 

“Y-your Majesty, forgive me…!”

 

Brian got on his knees and started to beg Cedric. He must be aware of the severity of the situation.

 

It was because Cedric, who was seldom furious, would act rudely toward him in front of other people.

 

“Forgiveness?”

 

But God didn’t seem to be on Brian’s side.

 

“Should I show such mercy to someone who calls me no better than an animal?”

 

The air sank coldly at Cedric’s scornful voice.

 

“Your Majesty! It’s a misunderstanding! How could I say such unspeakable things to Your Majesty!”

 

Then Cedric squinted and spoke, “… Did you think I didn’t hear you curse at Lord Minerva?”

 

“Your Highness…”

 

“You mean that you, a swordsmanship teacher, didn’t know that an insult to my master was also an insult to me?”

 

“Your Highness, please have mercy…”

 Bang—! 

Brian’s words were cut short by the sound of metal striking the ground.

 

In the Deamant Empire, the imperial family sits at the peak of power.

 

And the Deamant Empire holds the sword in the highest regard.

 

In other words, the order of the Imperial Family that the sword was absolute.

 

A cold, low-pitched voice said,

“There’s no mercy for you!” 

⚔️

 

Later, Brian Tekarke lost his credentials as a swordsmanship teacher for Cedric and was expelled from the Knights.

 

He also no longer had access to the main palace.

 

In simple terms, it meant that there was limited access to any main positions within the Imperial Palace.

 

The Tekarke family, who had held prominent official positions or served as magic swordsmen in the Imperial Knights from generation to generation, suffered a significant loss.

 

‘Brian had it coming because he relied on his familial lineage.’

 

As I grasped the nicely-trimmed wooden sword, I muttered to myself.

 

“Ciel.”

 

Cedric was panting for air as he sprinted hastily, I glanced to peer at the familiar voice.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

 

“I had a good rest. Did you get enough rest last night, Your Highness Cedric?”

 

“Yes,”

Cedric answered, rubbing his cheek.

 

“You’re starting swordsmanship class today, right, Ciel?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Ciel took over Cedric’s swordsmanship class after Brian had his qualifications stripped as the teacher.

 

I initially declined the offer, but I quickly changed my mind since I really enjoyed it, and Commander Farbe gave me his highest recommendation for the position of Cedric’s teacher.

 

The Emperor eventually urged me to take both written and practical exams.

 

Despite the words of encouragement, I was forced to take the test because it was practically semi-obligatory. After passing, the Emperor gave me permission to teach Cedric swordsmanship.

 

‘Well, I would prefer to believe it’s a good thing, but…’

 

That I could even handle the swordsmanship class now was a wonderful thing.

 

Naturally, my wage was raised.

 

But as the load and obligation mounted, it seemed obvious that I would have to spend more time with Cedric.

 

‘Let’s think long and hard in our hearts…’

 

I need to be more cautious and remain within the boundaries.

 

Well, we are, and we would never develop that kind of relationship.

 [Was that really up to you?] 

‘Shut up, I’m in control of this body.’

 [Teacher, are you confident that you won’t be shaken even if he says ‘I love you, teacher!’] 

‘If you’re shaken by that, you’re not a professional swordsman.’

 

Caliberne continued to crackle and irritate me, so I retorted inwardly.

 

‘He’s my student, and I’m his teacher. Being a professional, I have to be able to say that.’

 [A new knight who has just joined the Imperial Knights addresses the Crown Prince in such a manner? That wasn’t a sickness was it?] 

‘Oh, that’s what you mean,’

exclaimed Ciel.

 

That doesn’t help anyway.

 

“Shall we get started?”

 

“Oh, right…”

Cedric responded with a little stern expression.

 

Maybe it was because of our first official swordsmanship class, so I glanced at his face, but Cedric quickly avoided my gaze.

 

Even though I had a bad feeling, I chose to ignore it for the time being and concentrate on our lecture.

 

“Here you go. It’s a wooden sword. I’m going to teach with this for a while. It’ll be a lot lighter than the one you used before.”

 

“Oh, that’s true…”

 

Cedric held the wooden sword and swung it a couple of times. 

 

“I’m going to keep training you to swing this thing repeatedly.”

 

“Ah, uhh…”

 

Cedric tightened his fists and appeared to be unsure of himself.

 

To encourage him, I spoke as lively as I could.

 

“Come on, you can do it, Your Grace. Be confident.”

 

Then I guided Cedric to the right position stood by his side and said,

 

“Come on, let’s begin.”

 

After that, Cedric started wielding his wooden sword to my chant.

 

As opposed to when using the great sword, an energetic exercise continued for a while longer.

 

“Focus on swinging slowly and accurately, Your Highness Cedric.”

 

With a solemn expression on his face with his eyes focused on the tip of his sword, Cedric spoke.

 

“I’m going to start with the basics slowly.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Before long, sweat was forming on Cedric’s forehead.

 

After a while, Cedric’s movements started to slow down.

 

While I contemplated whether to stop with class, Cedric’s bright red face led the sword to slide from his grasp.

 

“Oh…!”

 

Cedric fell to his knees and reached his hand toward the sword just as I was about to pick it up and deliver it to him.

 

But his appearance was a bit strange.

 

“…Your Highness?”

 

Cedric didn’t respond back with anything.

 

The face was half covered by black hair, and the hand holding the sword was quivering as if exhausted from a match.

 

“Whew, ahh, ha…”

 

Cedric appears to be struggling for air as he breathes frantically.

 

He was exhaling heavily…

 

“Your Highness…”

 

Ciel reached out to him with an urgent call.