WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 90: I Will Trust You
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Imperial Knights were strong.
It was common knowledge within the Empire, but outsiders found it incredibly strange.
How could being a Swordmaster be the basic requirement for becoming a knight?
In weaker kingdoms, the appearance of even a single one would be enough for them to be hailed as a hero or champion.
How could that be the minimum requirement for knights in the Empire?
“Isn’t there some hidden secret?”
“There has to be something, some kind of secret art!”
“If we knew it, could we... do it too?”
“Producing Swordmasters! I really want to know how!”
Every nation outside the Empire devoted itself to analyzing the matter.
“Is it because they can focus solely on training, backed by incredible support and supplies?”
“Maybe their cultivation method itself is different? Their power comes from Sol Velos, after all...”
“I’ve got it! There must be some special training method! We need to find out what it is!”
Driven by the belief that analyzing Imperial Knights would allow them to produce Swordmasters, each nation poured a tremendous amount of time into the effort.
Yet no one discovered the secret.
By that point, people even began to wonder whether there was a secret at all.
They even wondered if people born in the Empire were simply stronger.
Unable to find an answer, the nations concluded that the Empire was special simply because it was the Empire.
Ironically, that conclusion was roughly correct.
The reason the Empire could produce Swordmasters was that it instilled overwhelming belief.
The belief that one could become a knight. The belief that one could become a Swordmaster. The belief that one could make the Empire strong.
The powerful belief that they would become knights of an eternal, indestructible Empire united mind, energy, and body as one.
Through absolute faith, unshakable energy settled within their bodies.
That energy transformed them.
The unwavering conviction that they could become pillars of the Empire produced Swordmasters tougher than anyone else.
Trust in oneself.
Overwhelmingly high self-esteem.
That was the Empire’s secret to producing Swordmasters.
That was why knights possessed unshakable faith in any situation.
Naturally, that belief differed from person to person.
Some had no doubt they would become the strongest, while others believed they would become shields that could never be broken.
And in the case of Tax Collector Knight Levi Möbius...
“Come closer.”
Whenever there was someone whose taxes needed collecting, he held the absolute belief that he would collect them.
Boom!
Golden flames consumed the inn in an instant.
The roof vanished in the blink of an eye, along with half the inn.
Watching it happen, Tax Collector Knight Levi Möbius calculated the compensation for the damage.
At the same time, he strode toward Asher.
“Do not resist. Do not struggle during forced enforcement. This is the greatest leniency I can offer you.”
Asher hurriedly formed a cloud of ash.
Gray ash suddenly appeared between Asher and Levi, disrupting Levi’s vision.
‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’
Asher had tremendous confidence in his martial ability.
He had defeated Swordmasters before and had never lost, even when facing many opponents alone.
The greatest strength that had always led him to victory was the power of ash.
It was Asher’s unique innate technique, born from his unusual constitution that turned Mana into ash.
He usually used it to disrupt his opponents’ vision and breathing, then drove his sword into them through the opening.
“Did you think that would work? Nothing can obstruct my vision when I have received the Imperial Crown Prince’s orders.”
For some reason, the Tax Collector Knight cut through the ash and swung his sword straight at him.
There was no hesitation.
Even when Asher positioned himself in a blind spot, Levi caught up with him immediately.
‘What’s going on?’
The ash Asher created was different from ordinary ash.
Since it had been transformed from Mana, anyone who sensed Mana would detect every particle of ash.
That should have made it impossible to distinguish Asher’s moving body from the scattered ash in real time.
Asher couldn’t understand how Levi was following him without confusion.
Then it occurred to him.
‘Is it this?’
He remembered the red tag stuck to the middle of his forehead.
A red tag that had somehow attached itself without any throwing motion.
It seemed to be sending his location to the Tax Collector Knight in real time.
“You cannot remove the Seizure Mark until you pay your taxes.”
As if he had read Asher’s mind, Tax Collector Knight Levi continued calmly.
“I will overlook it if you pay your taxes even now. Your attempt to flee rather than engage in a proper clash... is the typical behavior of frightened delinquents, so I can turn a blind eye to it.”
Levi’s words struck exactly where it hurt Asher most.
“...I chose to run? I’m scared? You’re out of your mind!”
Boom!
Asher’s sword, flamberge, collided with Levi’s blade.
The wavelike sword slipped past Levi’s blade as smoothly as its shape suggested.
Slash!
At the same time, it cut deeply into Levi’s armor.
“Looks like you wear good armor. It didn’t cut your skin.”
“....”
Shocked that his armor had been cut, Levi silently ran his hand over it.
“What? Are you scared you’ll die? Huh? Has it finally sunk in?”
“...His Majesty the Emperor personally bestowed this... this precious and beloved armor upon me, and now it has a huge scratch...”
“What? What are you talking about? Did you go crazy from fear? Well, I get it. I’ve slaughtered countless knights!”
“...The first stage of forced enforcement won’t resolve this... The second stage, payment in kind... no... the third stage, bodily repayment...”
Levi stroked the large cut in his armor as though he couldn’t believe it.
At the same time, everything from his hair to his armor and blade began to be covered in golden flames.
“Even the Imperial Crown Prince said it suited me exceptionally well when he saw me in armor... Yet a back-alley delinquent dares to damage my armor...”
Tax Collector Knight Levi Möbius never formed a knight order of his own.
Whenever he was asked why, he said it was because he preferred traveling alone.
But that wasn’t the truth.
They simply couldn’t withstand him.
“The final stage, Erasure of Existence... must be carried out.”
Ordinary Swordmasters could not withstand Levi Möbius at full strength.
Even if he had subordinates, they would inevitably get caught up in it and come to harm.
That was why Levi Möbius chose to travel alone.
Slap-slap-slap-slap-slap!
Seizure Marks covered Asher Dominic’s entire body.
“Asher, you said it yourself. You slaughtered countless knights.”
“....”
“I have a question.”
Golden flames blazed fiercely enough to reach the sky.
“Was there a Grandmaster among them?”
+++++
“The encirclement is complete. Wherever he flees, we’ll detect him immediately, then move directly to his location.”
“Good work.”
“Thank you for recognizing my efforts!”
Listening to Theo’s report, we moved quickly toward the inn where Asher Dominic was staying.
I wanted to use Teleportation once we got close, but I thought he might notice, so I chose to go there myself.
“You said he was at an inn?”
“That is correct.”
“And the Tax Collector Knight entered first?”
“Yes.”
Tax Collector Knight Levi Möbius.
According to the Grand General, he was a powerhouse at the Grandmaster level.
‘Could someone at that level put enough pressure on the male lead?’
I was genuinely curious.
Those treated as protagonists wouldn’t die unless the narrative called for it, and when pushed to the brink, they even used desperate patterns.
It was safe to say they could never be killed through ordinary means.
But what if someone with firepower beyond ordinary means intervened?
‘The Executioners alone aren’t ordinary firepower.’
That curiosity was one reason I had deliberately not used Teleportation.
Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to stand by if the Tax Collector Knight was in danger.
I remained ready to intervene immediately if the situation showed any sign of turning bad.
By the time we reached the inn...
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out.
“...I should have torn off all four limbs, yet I tore off only one. Ah, what irreverent and feeble strength.”
A man wrapped in golden flames emerged from the ash clouds, holding someone’s arm.
A sword in one hand and an axe in the other.
Both were two-handed weapons, yet he held one in each hand with terrifying strength.
I knew at once that he was the Tax Collector Knight.
And on the other side...
“Graaah! Aaaagh! Y-you crazy bastard! You monster! How dare you take my armmmm!!!”
A gray-haired man stood there, foaming at the mouth and screaming in rage.
The moment I saw him...
[ You have encountered the hidden male lead, ‘Asher Dominic.’ ]
[ ‘Asher Dominic’ has already met Mirne. ]
[ Asher’s main keywords are revealed: #obsessive-male-lead #bloodshed #violence #becomes-docile-only-before-you #half-human-half-yokai-vibes ]
“....”
System messages appeared in rapid succession.
But what was with those main keywords?
‘What do half-human-half-yokai vibes even mean? Don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking of... that dog demon in red clothes?’
Muttering inwardly, I assessed the situation.
There was Levi Möbius, who had torn off one of Asher’s arms, and Asher Dominic, who kept backing away from Levi.
‘Wait, the Tax Collector Knight is this strong?’
I knew he was powerful, but strong enough to tear off a hidden male lead’s arm?
Honestly, I had expected to see them fighting on equal footing.
But seeing it in person...
‘He really just needs to finish him off.’
There was no need for me to intervene.
Then what I needed to do here was...
“Levi Möbius, I will trust you.”
It was encouragement to raise his morale further.
And my encouragement truly did its job.
“YOUR HIGHNESS THE IMPERIAL CROWN PRINCE!!! I WILL ERASE THAT IRREVERENT WRETCH’S VERY EXISTENCE!!! I WILL ENSURE THERE IS NOT A SINGLE FLAW IN THE EMPIRE’S LEDGERS!!!”
It set Levi’s morale ablaze.
I smiled as I looked toward Asher.
‘So you’re the Ruler of the Underworld.’
Did the ruler of the back alleys think that because he had made a name for himself in some rural kingdom, the Empire would be the same?
“I’ll turn him into a Turtle, then ask him a few questions.”
The exalted ruler of the back alleys needed to learn firsthand that the Empire was different.
Footnotes:
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