WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Prince of Rage ◈
Chapter 93
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“Say ‘dirty whore.’”
It was the voice of a boy who had only just entered puberty. Cruel mockery lay beneath it.
Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be a young nobleman. Children around his age giggled nearby.
The child he spoke to looked only about ten, much smaller than the boy who had just spoken.
The child was staring at someone. The boy urged him on.
“Come on.”
Whatever it was he feared so much, after hesitating, the child finally did as he was told.
To the maid curled up in the corner, his own mother.
“...Dirty whore.”
The giggling grew louder. They were openly laughing now.
The boy smiled faintly and handed the child a stone.
“Here, throw this too.”
The child took the stone. Perhaps because he had already uttered the insult once, throwing it was not difficult.
Still, he did not throw it hard. The stone struck his cowering mother and fell limply to the floor. Several stones already lay scattered there.
“Remember this. This is the difference between you and me, Karlek.”
After saying that, the boy led the group away.
Ten-year-old Karlek stood there for a long time, looking at his mother. That was probably when his heart died.
Around the time he turned twelve, the head of the house, a man he could not even call father, summoned him. When Karlek went to the study, there was an unfamiliar man dressed entirely in black.
As always, the head of the Wilping clan, or House Wilping, spoke as though issuing an order.
“This is ‘the Black,’ Halfdan. Follow him. Become an Einheri and return. If you cannot, die and remain there.”
What right did an illegitimate child have to refuse? No, he was almost glad for it.
“Understood.”
That very day, Karlek followed Halfdan.
They arrived at an abandoned monastery far from the royal capital. Children around Karlek’s age lived there in groups.
All they did was eat, sleep, and train with strict regularity.
Flexibility training was almost torture, strength training felt like it would tear their muscles apart, and endurance training sometimes killed children when they ran out of breath.
Halfdan watched the children, summoned them one by one, and made them memorize certain words. They sounded like prose poetry, or perhaps some sort of magic spell.
Those who failed to memorize them were whipped. Those who showed no improvement in tests were killed, because the verses could not be allowed to leak out.
Yet Karlek found that life manageable. Compared to living with his family, it was far more comfortable. He was not particularly afraid of dying either.
Then, at fourteen, he first felt something unfamiliar.
The power of runes.
From then on, Karlek received special instruction from Halfdan. He learned proper swordsmanship for the first time, began taking missions of lesser importance, killed someone for the first time, and learned various tactics for fighting alone.
At twenty, the rune-mages recognized him as an Einheri. He was granted an audience with the King for the first time and swore loyalty.
Then he returned.
To House Wilping.
Seeing Karlek’s return, the head of the house smiled with satisfaction and asked,
“Is there anything you want? I will grant you anything.”
“...Please let me hit my eldest brother just once. Just once. Then I will swear eternal loyalty to this house.”
Though he had already sworn loyalty to the King, swearing loyalty again to the head of the house amounted to a double oath. In reality, however, everyone followed their family’s orders. Only around five Einheri truly guarded the King.
Without much reaction, the head of the house turned to his eldest son and beckoned with his head.
The eldest son stepped forward with an annoyed expression and said to Karlek,
“How childish. So Einheri are nothing special after all.”
Those were the eldest son’s last words.
Karlek struck him in the face with all his strength.
Crack!
Something hard broke.
His cheekbone shattered, his eyeball burst out under the pressure, and his brain was crushed. He died instantly.
His limbs stiffened grotesquely as he collapsed to the floor. Then they soon went limp.
Even at that sight, the head of the house showed no surprise. Instead, he smiled with even greater satisfaction.
“One is gone, so one must take his place. You are my son now, Karlek. You will have the right to inherit according to your place in the succession. One person’s life is short, but a clan is eternal. Remember that.”
“...It is an honor, my lord.”
That was how Karlek became a member of the family through his own strength.
Though his mother remained a maid until the end.
The setting sun on the horizon seemed to ripple like water. Something unknown, or perhaps unmistakably incongruous, emanated from the figure standing with the sun at his back.
Rita rushed at him like an arrow. Knut’s dagger was in her hand, held in a reverse grip.
“I have to try it! You will be the first sacrifice! No hard feelings!”
She nearly reached the man silhouetted against the sunset, barely slowing as she changed direction as if coiling around him.
It was startling even from a distance. To the person facing her, it would have seemed as though she had suddenly vanished before their eyes, enough to make one feel possessed by a ghost.
Thud!
Before Rita could do anything, she was suddenly flung backward. Not as though she had been struck, but as though she had violently collided with something immensely heavy.
Perhaps she had lost consciousness. She rolled roughly across the ground and, by chance, stopped in front of Karlek. A scorched imprint in the shape of a shoe sole had been stamped into her chest.
Her mask had come off. Her eyes were stretched wide open, and her mouth hung agape.
Sizzle...
There was no need to inspect her. Rita’s insides had burst, and she had died instantly.
She was an Einheri.
Of course, just as not all knights possessed equal skill, not all Einheri were equally capable. Even so, it was hard to imagine witnessing something like this.
A chill ran from Karlek’s toes to the top of his head. One thought passed through his mind.
They were on a different level.
He hurriedly looked up at the man standing before the sunset. Knut’s stolen dagger was in his hand. Karlek could not begin to judge the precision or speed of what he had done.
“Rita!”
Ronnie arrived too late, saw Rita’s corpse, and went wild. He let out a strange cry and charged like a bull with his shield before him.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Ronnie had become an Einheri through almost pure strength rather than skill, so few could face him head-on.
Yet the man stood without moving. Then, in an instant, he drew the sword at his waist and brushed past Ronnie’s side.
Then, for some incomprehensible reason, a tremendous sound burst forth.
Crash!
It sounded like thunder. Ronnie’s thick waist split in two along with his shield, and he sprawled across the ground. Electricity ran along the sword in the man’s hand with a crackle, then immediately disappeared.
“Hm...”
As if killing Rita and Ronnie meant nothing to him, the man tilted his head slightly and examined his sword. Then he turned to Karlek.
The red sun had nearly fallen beyond the western mountains. Only then did the man’s figure become faintly visible.
It was Valerie.
Karlek could not collect himself before the shocking sight and overwhelming power. What he had seen was not something one could achieve through talent or effort.
Whether chosen by fate or one who had resisted it, this was a realm only those walking a path from myth or legend could reach, people who might not even appear once in an age.
Karlek was too stunned to recognize Valerie at first. Only after some time did he finally realize who he was.
“You...”
“The Einheri are pathetic too. I would be offended if I were grouped with them.”
Even though he had changed for the better in many ways, his nature was still cold. It seemed his way of speaking would not change so easily.
Just then, Knut and Yorick were on their way over. Brynhildr, who had regained consciousness, approached with Ivy while leaning on Eldwin.
The Third Prince’s forces had also restored order and were belatedly pursuing the trio.
But neither Valerie’s friends nor the Third Prince’s forces dared come close after witnessing such monstrous power.
“We have met before, but we have no particular affection for each other, do we? We have no grudges either. Let us finish this quickly.”
Valerie lowered his sword and naturally lowered his gaze slightly, not even looking at Karlek.
Karlek looked behind him, then back at Valerie. A light wind stirred Valerie’s battle robe. Through it, the fire dragon scale armor beneath gleamed faintly.
“Valery The Hügnisbani... So that was you.”
Though his opponent was a prince, Karlek took his stance and raised his sword. He had no other choice.
He spread his feet slightly, held his sword in both hands, and let it hang naturally downward. Then he slowly rotated it in a circle, leaving several afterimages.
The last red light of sunset tinted even those afterimages crimson.
“Do not rely on tricks of the eye. Put everything into one strike.”
Valerie offered that advice.
At the same time, Karlek stepped toward him.
Afterimages trailed even his body, making it difficult to tell whether he was moving quickly or slowly, and difficult to judge the distance between them.
But Valerie simply cut through all of it at once.
Rumble!
Each time he swung his sword, it sounded as though thunder had struck. Those watching from afar flinched. The blade flashed as well, not by reflecting light, but by producing its own.
Thus, in the dim evening, the sword’s path shone clearly. It resembled a bolt of lightning.
Yet although Valerie had slashed broadly through every afterimage, he felt nothing catch on his sword.
When he turned around, Karlek was already fleeing into the forest. It was absurd, but an excellent choice. Valerie did not even feel inclined to blame him.
He did not pursue Karlek. Instead, he sheathed his sword.
Rita’s corpse lay nearby, her insides burst open. Ronnie’s body had been split in two at the waist along with his shield.
Holding Snow’s reins, Valerie walked toward his friends. Their eyes were wide, their expressions blank, as though they had seen something utterly unexpected and shocking.
Valerie drew Knut’s dagger from his waist and handed it to him.
“What were you doing here?”
“...”
Knut could only stare blankly at Valerie as he took the dagger back. He could not find anything to say.
“We would like to ask you that...”
Yorick spoke first.
“Ask what?”
“You killed a dragon... What in the world have you been doing?”
“Has the rumor spread already? It is exactly as it sounds. I killed a dragon. But more importantly, I met a good friend. His name is Ölvir. He may be the person I respect most.”
In truth, the news had spread rather late because of the mountain range and the rain.
“A dragon? You?”
Eldwin asked.
“Yes. I am Valerie. Valerie, who killed the fire dragon Húginnis with my friend Ölvir. Who are you?”
“I am Eldwin, daughter of Baron Grosner, and I serve the Third Prince.”
“The Third Prince? That is convenient.”
“What do you mean?”
“Guide me to the Prince.”
“...That is not something you can demand just because you say so. I respect your accomplishments and majesty with awe, but please refrain from discourtesy.”
“Discourtesy? Then should I be more discourteous? Guide me while I am asking nicely, before I kill you all.”
“...”
Eldwin was briefly speechless. Here, Valerie was a god and a king. Having witnessed the dragon-slayer’s majesty, she was overwhelmed by his power and could not say anything. He truly possessed the power and ability to kill them all.
But Valerie smiled faintly and spoke again.
“It was a joke. A joke. I will formally request an audience. If I must wait, I will wait, so please pass on the word.”
At the word joke, his friends’ eyes widened, as though wondering what was wrong with him.
“Um, Valerie.”
Brynhildr stepped forward.
“What?”
“Um, the Kingmakers and all that...”
Before they could even exchange greetings, she briefly explained that merely meeting the Third Prince could itself make Valerie an enemy of the Kingmakers.
Valerie already knew that, and it had never concerned him from the start. Now, it concerned him even less.
“This is not a joke. If they see me as an enemy, I will kill them all. That is all.”
That was how princes differed from Valkyries. Unlike Valkyries, who could be blocked at crucial moments, princes possessed the power to force their way through.
Of course, Valerie had not gained that power freely.
“By the way, should you not tell me why you are here first?”
Valerie asked his friends.
Knut put away his dagger and replied as though the question were ridiculous.
“No, that is what we should be asking.”
“But I told you. I said I killed a dragon.”
“You said you were going to meet someone. What do you mean, you killed a dragon?”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“You could have sent someone to tell us what happened along the way. From our perspective, you had suddenly gone missing.”
“Hmm. I suppose that is true. But I will not apologize.”
“Huh? We were not expecting an apology, but why?”
“Just because.”
It was absurd and baffling, but when Valerie smiled, the others let out incredulous laughs as well. He seemed like a different person.
Perhaps he had become more relaxed. He was even making jokes he never would have before.
Whether they were funny was another matter.
In any case, Valerie had killed a dragon and reunited with his friends.
“By the way, how did you kill a dragon? Was it small?”
“No, it was enormous.”
“What is this?”
Ivy pointed to the scale armor faintly visible beneath his battle robe.
“Fire dragon scale armor. Regin made it for me.”
“What? Those are dragon scales? And what is this battle robe?”
“It is what Cambrian warriors wear.”
“Cambri?”
His appearance had changed in many ways, and there was much to ask. But there was no need to hurry. Now that they had met again, they had plenty of time to talk.
From Eldwin’s perspective, however, it was difficult to tell whether these people were guests or uninvited visitors. A dragon-slayer heard of only in legend. She had no idea how to treat them.
In truth, Valerie’s jokes made the hearts of those who heard them drop. Valerie himself needed to learn how to make jokes properly. He had never done such things before.
The sun completely disappeared beyond the western mountains. Yet its presence remained, and the clouds spread wide along the horizon were dyed gold.
Winter had not yet come, and the promise was kept.
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