191: the traitor prince and the sword emperor

    the rightful successor of the imperial family, known as the [benevolent princess]

    penelope von arkheim, furrowed her brows more fiercely than ever.

    though she was halfway consumed by rage, she quickly recognized the figure standing beneath her, looking up at her feet.

    she was none other than, the emperor’s closest confidant and one of the three sword emperors, the one penelope had admired since childhood. ulysses von fritschel

    ‘an ally of my father... in the end, has she sided with my brother? no, the traitor?’

    ulysses had undoubtedly been esteban’s ally.

    the founding emperor, once called the great sun that would swallow the entire continent.

    esteban von arkheim,

    ulysses, a knight sworn to esteban and the last heir of the fallen fritschel family,

    therefore, she was someone penelope had grown familiar with.

    the distinctive dark violet hair, now tangled like seaweed from the fierce battles of the battlefield. the shadow cast by the helmet, and above it, a face arranged in delicate features.

    this was the face of the one who had, on countless occasions, pushed penelope’s swing, stood guard while she bathed in the ark river, and saved her from dozens of assassination attempts.

    though she now stood as an enemy, penelope remembered those memories. they weren’t so far in the past.

    penelope legs trembled uncontrollably.

    the shock and sense of helplessness overwhelmed her, but she quickly regained her composure. this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

    ‘it’s so common that i’d trip over it. people i thought loved me, turning their backs and trying to kill me....’

    when penelope became accustomed to such things, she felt she was growing up.

    from the moment she severed the neck of her uncle, who had pointed a blade at her.

    to this very moment when her own blood, the first prince louis, was doing everything in his power to bring her down and seize the throne, she had been enduring the pains of growth all along.

    penelope clenched her lips tightly before muttering a single, trembling word.

    “ulysses.”

    “princess penelope, i apologize for meeting you under such circumstances.”

    penelope, keeping her expression as possible, stared straight into her eyes.

    the calm glow of the imperial family’s characteristic golden eyes met the fierce gaze typical of a knight

    “why did you make such a choice? was it to reclaim the family you lost in the past? father, was it to take back what esteban failed to give you?”

    removing her helmet and offering a moment of courtesy, ulysses nodded briefly.

    “... in any case, it would be best for you not to get too deeply involved in this matter. this is a story between our fritschel family and his majesty emperor esteban.”

    a reply as cold and sharp as frost. hearing this, penelope unknowingly clenched her fists tightly. her life up until now had always been like this.

    even when she gave her wholehearted love, shared it generously, not a single person tried to reciprocate that love.

    instead, it had only attracted parasite worms, trying to exploit that.

    it was the same reason why she didn’t easily open her heart to others.

    eleanor de rivallin.

    at first, she stood in direct political opposition to her. yet, when talking to eleanor, penelope felt a small sense of ease. she now thought she understood why.

    it was because both had been deeply scarred by others, not by each other. since it wouldn’t matter if either of them betrayed the other someday, they could share a conversation comfortably.

    ‘that was because of nox von reinhaver... it was thanks to him. though i don’t want to admit it...’

    suddenly, the brazen face of a man came to penelope’s mind.

    a man from a dark family, yet someone who had always been generous toward her.

    at first, it felt strange. that’s why penelope had doubted him, even refusing to grant him access to the ark river.

    but...

    ‘it’s definitely different from what i first thought.’

    now that she had barely regained her composure, penelope thought back to nox.

    he had always tried to save everyone without abandoning anyone.

    from the moment he rescued eleanor during the entrance ceremony, to when the ludger incident unfolded, it was the same. from the very beginning, he had acted as if he already knew what was going to happen, dismantling each situation flawlessly and earning trust along the way.

    that’s why penelope had worked hard to bring him.

    suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck. it narrowly missed the first prince louis shoulder,

    no, to be more precise, someone deflected it just in time.

    it was a scene that only an extremely skilled knight could have noticed. but penelope knew exactly who was behind it. it was just as it had been before.

    “now that the pleasantries are over, let’s begin in earnest.”

    “of course, ulysses.”

    cutting down the lightning with precision, ulysses started to show her sword skill.

    the enormous sword resting on her shoulder began to condense an impossibly dense amount of mana. that mana soon flowed into the blade, radiating a blue light. she raised her sword high, pointing it skyward.

    [heaven-breaking sword]

    initial stage, third form. sky compression (天縮)

    the sword, imbued with the meaning of compressing the sky, created rippling waves that spread outward in circular patterns.

    these waves coalesced into a massive force, directly striking penelope and the knights surrounding her. the swordsmanship perfectly nullified penelope’s lightning strikes, gradually building its power.

    this was the most fearsome aspect of sky compression.

    it grew stronger by consuming the surrounding mana. its ability to devour magic made her the ultimate counter against mages.

    this was the sword that cut through the world (天下), passed down to ulysses family.

    if it’s about destructive power, she was the upright existence that blocked the princess’s lightning strike, which its destructiveness was second to none.

    her feat of deflecting lightning attacks, famous for its dazzling and difficult-to-block with a single sword earned her the name of one of the three sword emperors, ulysses von fritschel.

    “you are strong, but not yet fully matured. princess.”

    ulysses’ cold evaluation.

    as she watched the first form of the initial stage sweeping through the allies like a storm, bloodshot appeared in penelope’s eyes.

    “ulysses...!”

    “the more i watch... i can’t stand this any longer. leon, take over here”

    “what? what do you mean...?”

    leon exclaimed in confusion. paracelsus suddenly intervened and straightened the old sword he had been holding.

    then, he leapt toward the first prince louis, channeling mana into his sword.

    [living sword]

    the initial stage, second form. [salvation sword].

    the explosive surge of energy hurtled toward the first prince louis.

    even though it was the basic form of the initial stage, the sword aimed for the vital spots, so its impact was beyond imagination.

    a shocking sword dance unfolded as numerous enemies blocking louis’ front were swept away, their blood rising under the sky.

    just as paracelsus showed no mercy.

    someone closed the distance and swung their sword at him.

    an overwhelming pressure that had never been felt before surged as sparks flew. with a clang, a shocking impact climbed up paracelsus’ wrist and up his spine.

    this is dangerous.

    instinctively, a small grunt escaped paracelsus’ mouth.

    this time, ulysses, who blocked the attack from this side, smiled faintly.

    she had a look of pure interest on her face.

    “that celsus. i wondered where he went in his old age... looks like he raised an interesting disciple and died. he was the weakest among us... well, i guess it’s not a big deal if he got caught up in some petty intrigue and died.”

    “.... don’t speak ill of the old man. i’ll kill you.”

    paracelsus said, showing his gritted teeth.

    but ulysses, the sword emperor with [heaven-breaking sword], the sword that literally breaks the heavens, only smiled faintly.

    “if you can, go ahead. young knight.”

    your sword is still far too weak to endure the long winter.

    ulysses added with a faint smile.

    in the cold, piercing gaze, paracelsus, for some reason, had the same expression as hers.