Translator: Darling | Editor: Coming soon…

Iris could see the silver light coming out of the destroyed underground crevice.

What happened though, she didn’t know.

Yet, she did know that one of them had fallen.

“Where’s Mr. Schweiss?” – Alia asked while approaching Iris from behind.

Just before this Iris had asked Alia to take the girl she protected somewhere safe.

“I don’t know. But, that blow from just now might have been the decisive strike”

“I see”

As Alia listened to Iris she sat down next to Iris.

“But just to be safe, don’t wait here”

“Well, then why does it look like you’re going to be waiting here with me?”

“Because you probably won’t listen, Iris”

“…Ah.. yeah, sorry”

“That’s no problem. Just treat me to ice cream soon”

Alta said he was going to win – With the title of the strongest, IRis was actually believing him.

Even if it wasn’t Alta that came out victorious, Iris was going to finish this herself.

For a mere moment, nothing really seemed to happen. And then – Gaaan – a loud sound came from one of the nearby buildings.

“!”

Iris and Alia reacted and took on their battle stances.

The sound was heard two or three times until the door opened.

And the figure that came walking out, was Alta.

“So the underground was linked to here it seems”

“Mr. Schweiss!”

Iris wanted to jump up to go and greet Alta, but she didn’t really have the strength to stand up.

She didn’t realize it yet, but she had suffered quite some damage.

It was therefor Alta that went over to Alia and Iris instead.

“Well then, that’s quite alright”

“Did you win, Mr. Schweiss?”

“Of course, as I promised” – Alta responded noddingly to Alia’s question.

If there’s anyone that can live up to the title of Swordmaster in this land, it has to be Alta, no doubt.

While thinking about that, Iris started laughing before she even realized it herself.

(He really is far better than I- No, that’s exactly why I am being thought by him)

I knew already from the first time we clashed swords. Alta was far stronger than Iris was.

“Um, Mr. Schweiss, I don’t know what to say…”

After she again saw that he was completely fine, Iris didn’t know what to tell him. She took a deep breath and cleared my mind.

Then she started talking again.

“Mr. Schweiss, really… Thank you so much. Even my father is repaid with what you’ve done today”

“No need to thank me. I just did what I could”

“… Truly, you’re amazing, Mr. Schweiss. There is no need to become strong like you, yet still, I want to work towards it. 

Together with my father’s will, I will get to the same heights as you”

Iris said, in a very clear manner.

But she didn’t want to become like Alta. She wants to become like her father, and be equal to Alta –

No, she might actually want to surpass him, that’s what she meant.

As Alta heard this he answered with a nod.

“If that’s your goal, Iris, then I will support you to get there. Since you’re also my student, I can also give you career guidance if you’d like”

“Career guidance for something like that, you say. Is that even a thing? Still, thank you”

Both Iris and Alia laughed at each other.

With this, the fight was over. However,

“The knights are coming over to us. Iris and Alia, you two should also take a health check-up, just to be safe”

“But I am unscathed?”

“Just to be safe”

“Alright, but what about you, Mr…”

“I am fine. I didn’t go that far after all. I just need to recover something”

“Recover something?” – Iris asked.

Alta nodded a bit and cast his sight away from Iris. 

“Well, it’s not really part of my job, you know” – He mumbled.

***

Within one of the rooms of the Royal Palace was a rather irritated Zeil Tyrock.

Even with all their strength, the Swordsman Gang was dealt with. He overheard this from a knight.

“Iris has been protected throughout all of this…? What the hell are they doing, those useless pieces of trash…!!!”

After all, they were hitmen, hired with money – He yelled as he tore down and broke everything in his room.

“All of them even told me that they could easily kill her, yet they all got done in just like that – Don’t make me laugh, really. The Swordsman Gang..”

As Zeil was spouting bad language about, he soon managed to change his state of mind.

If things just stay like they are now, then even though he is being suspected, they wouldn’t conduct an investigation on him – There’s even a part of the Escort Order of Knights that pledged loyalty to Zeil.

Even if their stories are being aligned, they couldn’t do much.

“–Report, sir”

“..What? Why did you come here?”

The one that suddenly appeared in front of Zeil was a person from the army. They wore a mask, Zeil quickly noticed.

In truth, this person was a troop as well as being an assassin hired with money.

Their voice was impossible to guess who’s it actually was since it was changed with magic, but Zeil was certain it was a woman.

She kneeled down and started explaining with a most uninteresting voice.

“Just now, two of the Swordsman Gang have been dealt with in- “

“I already heard this from the palace knights! You don’t need to be here to tell me this right now!

Except for the Swordsman Gang, all of you assassins have been of absolutely no help!”

– Zeil proclaimed with a most violent tone of speech.

If he is not careful his link to the assassins would be revealed – That’s why he explicitly told them to not come to the palace itself, yet all of the people he hired, including the Swordsman Gang members were really not aware of the dangers of this.

“This, this is why I hate your useless arses”

“Is that so? – So this is what it means to be blind to your shortcomings?”

“What did you say?” – Zeil asked while filled with anger, looking down at the masked woman.

She pulled off her mask.

“Wha- You’re…”

“Lord Zeil Tyrock, wouldn’t it be for the best if you were to actually understand who actually works for you?”

The one that stood in front of him wasn’t an assassin – It was the [Black Wolf Knights]’s Knight Captain, Remyl Ein.

Zeil’s expression soon changed flustered as he realized this.

“The words that you just have spoken have been relayed to this quartz crystal. This will serve as a testimony towards you wanting to kill Lady Iris Reinfell”

Remyl held a crystal capable of recording sound, which she used to record what Zeil had just said.

 – The fact that he hired assassins that is.

“T-testimony? That’s….”

“You must’ve already understood that we were suspecting you, right? What’s more, this mask originally belonged to Swordsman Gang member Fiss Medyn. 

This should be more than enough to actually make you a suspect, I think”

“!”

Pinned against the wall – That’s how Zeil felt right now.

Though he was already a suspect, as candidate for the next “King” and as a direct descendant of the current one, it was not easy to conduct an investigation on him.

But in the end, he was connected to the defeat of the Swordsman Gang members.

“If you’d please come with me”

“No, that won’t be an -“

Zeil quickly picked up the blade that was on his side.

He pointed the sword, adorned with his family crest, at Remyl.

“Are you going to resist?”

“Of course I am! You really think I am just going to be caught like this…!? Absolutely not!

Your arm was done like that by Fiss, wasn’t it…? Well, I can just escape via a secret route. After killing you that is!”

Zeil moved. 

He is confident in his sword technique – Aside from Iris, there seem to be more people that are willing to pursue excellence in the blade.

There is no way he was going to win from a Knight’s Captain, even an injured one. Yet –

“—-Wha?”

Before he knew it, Zeil found himself on the ground.

Taken by his, Remyl had put him there.

He immediately tries to stand up but is met with a sword right below his neck.

“You know – You really overvalue your own powers. Both your political one’s as your physical ones.

I don’t even get to use my dominant hand like this, yet I still don’t need any sort of trick to catch you”

“…!!”

Well, then, let’s try again. Zeil Tyrock, I am taking you in under the suspicion of you unsuccessfully trying to murder Iris Reinfell.

The “King”‘s approval has been given for this arrest”

Remyl was very clear in her words. 

After a big sigh, Zeil let go of the sword he was holding. 

– And so,  assassins coming after Iris was no longer.

The current King’s son left a few big marks on the other candidate for the next ruler though.