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“Cherry blossoms……?”

“It’s like spring has already arrived.”

“……Beautiful.”

The knights of Marquis Foltaine were murmuring in awe. On the other hand……

Clang! Clang, clang, clang!

“Aaaaaah!”

Those caught in the midst of it were going through nothing short of a living hell. No matter how much they slashed, the petals kept on coming, endlessly surging forward.

Moreover, each petal carried an immense force.

“How could such overwhelming power be packed into these tiny fragments of mana!?”

It was just like when they first clashed with the prince. A repulsive force far beyond what they could have imagined. They could feel it in each and every petal.

However, is it because mana isn’t infinite?

“Oh! Th-They’re disappearing……!”

“Wh-What was that? I definitely hit it with my sword……!”

“These petals…… It seems most of them are fake!”

The members of Verdant Veil raised their voices in unison. As they said, most of the petals vanished without a trace the moment they were struck by the swords.

As the name ‘Illusions’ suggested, much of it was nothing more than an illusion.

“These blossoms…… To think someone could display them with such perfection.”

Trevor, however, couldn’t help but voice his admiration. In the first place, the key to this illusionary dance was the precise balance between real and fake strikes.

Otherwise, one’s mana would be drained in an instant.

“……And yet, no flower blooms for more than ten days.”

Suddenly, Trevor unconsciously muttered the final line of the Fallen Flower. The petals, dissolving like pigment upon contact.

They resembled the fleeting nature of human glory and wealth. Even if they endured life’s storms and didn’t fall, it was a reminder to always remain humble and diligent.

Yes.

With this one move, the prince was illustrating the long journey of a human life.

Thud!

At last, Trevor collapsed where he stood. Not long after—

Slice! Slash, slash!

One by one, wounds began to appear on the bodies of the Verdant Veil members.

“E-Everyone, retreeeaaat!”

Krong, belatedly grasping the reality of the situation, screamed in desperation. Throwing oneself into the storm of relentless petals was nothing short of suicide.

At that instant—as if they had been waiting—his subordinates hurriedly retreated.

Some even discarded their swords, choosing to escape with just their bodies.

“Impossible……!”

Krong’s eyes twitched as he fully withdrew from the range of the attack. Of all the Verdant Veil members, he was undoubtedly the most shaken.

“How…… How could you be using the exact same sword technique as our leader? Prince Andrew.”

Krong immediately recognized the prince’s move.

He had grown up reading and re-reading tales of the Great Hero and the Five Heroes of the East, until the books wore out.

Of course, the one he admired and respected most was the Swordsman of Illusions.

How many sleepless nights had he spent, his heart pounding as he read of his feats? Like the Swordsman of Illusions, Krong was also from a fallen noble family.

With no backing, Trevor had dominated the world purely with his own skill, and Krong had dared to dream of the same for himself.

He firmly believed that one day, he could become someone just as extraordinary, wielding his sword relentlessly in pursuit of that dream.

Though the reality was that both his idol and he had fallen to nothing more than a band of thieves……

Whip!

Krong, lost in thought, turned to where Trevor had collapsed. The first time he had met Trevor. He could never forget the shock of seeing him in such a pitiful state.

It was as if a long-held dream had been shattered into pieces. After all, even the idol he had so admired had turned out to be nothing more than human.

‘Against overwhelming power, even the greatest are helpless……’ he had despaired.

‘Yet, I could never abandon my dream.’

Because he was now the leader of countless followers. Due to his past deeds, he was fated to be chased for the rest of his life.

He believed he owed it to the idol who had once given him hope and dreams to return the favor now that their roles had reversed.

“Prince……”

Looking at his fallen idol, a face so much like his own, Krong’s curiosity reached its peak.

“Just who are you?”

One thing was certain: he was no ordinary prince.

The situation had somewhat settled down.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to describe it as a ‘temporary truce’.

In the midst of the strange standoff, the representatives of both groups stepped forward.

‘From now on, I’m in control here. If you touch my people again, I’ll kill you.’

‘The enemy of my friend is my enemy. If you keep this up, I’ll tear you apart.’

On either side of Ancelot stood Marquis Foltaine and Milon, their eyes burning intensely.

One more person joined them.

“P-Please, listen to my explanation first!”

Narakas stepped forward with an anxious expression.

Thud!

“……!”

Then, without hesitation, he got on his knees. The leader of the Mask of Night, an organization that was said to never bow down even to kings, did so himself.

“Hmm……”

At this point, the heated atmosphere of Verdant Veil began to cool down slightly.

“I will explain everything. Please listen and then make your judgment.”

Narakas quickly began explaining the situation.

The reasons why his subordinates had to pursue Verdant Veil, their excessive actions driven by concern for the future, and the presence of Count Kaiman, currently within the Hart Kingdom.

“……So, you’re saying that the oh-so-great leader failed to control his own organization? You think we would believe that?”

Krong responded incredulously.

“I take full responsibility. It was my own inadequacy that caused this.”

To add credibility to his words, Narakas even revealed a significant secret.

“I haven’t been the leader for long…… My family still doesn’t fully trust me.”

“……A new leader?”

“Yes.”

Only then did Verdant Veil seem to accept the explanation, at least partially. However, their acceptance didn’t mean that their wariness and hostility vanished.

How could their hatred dissipate with just an apology from the leader?

Just yesterday, they had been fighting to the death. Both sides had suffered considerable losses in the process.

‘I guess it’s my turn to step in again.’

Before the atmosphere grew any more hostile, Ancelot spoke up.

“Let’s make some concessions where needed. What’s more important now is the future, right?”

“……Prince, do you even hear what you’re saying?”

“Men become friends by fighting each other like this.”

The two standing beside him quickly interjected.

“But…… someone died. Isn’t what you just said a bit too much?”

“Shut up, you lunatic.”

Marquis Foltaine and Milon spoke in turn. Yet, Ancelot remained undeterred.

“Or what? Do you want to continue fighting for revenge? Want to see this through to the end?”

“……The prince is mocking us.”

Krong’s frown deepened. The other members of Verdant Veil behind him bristled, their killing intent intensifying.

Then, Ancelot delivered the final blow.

“In return, I’ll generously forgive you all.”

“What?”

“Yeah, your leader tried to cut off my arm and make me a cripple, didn’t he? And who were those people who attacked me in a mob, trying to take me hostage?”

“……That’s……”

Krong, who was about to say something, sighed deeply.

“I’ll apologize on behalf of our group. However, understand that all of this stemmed from a misunderstanding……”

“Is that how you apologize?”

“……?”

“The leader of the Mask of Night got on his knees because of a misunderstanding. What about you?”

“……”

Krong’s face twisted in frustration.

There was nothing wrong with what Ancelot had said. By the same logic, Krong had to admit his faults.

Most importantly, based on everything he’d heard so far, the prince didn’t seem to be particularly involved in this incident.

‘……To be honest, from our perspective, he’s more of a benefactor than anything.’

After all, it was because of the prince that the leader had decided to reconsider his actions.

Yes.

That was certainly true, but……

‘……Why do we feel like the ones being wronged here?’

Pushing those thoughts aside, Krong knelt down with a heavy sigh.

“I apologize to the prince. However…… The matter between us and the Mask of Night remains unresolved. Unless this grudge is properly settled, incidents like this will only happen again, so I ask for your understanding and leniency.”

At that moment, Narakas interjected again.

“They say one must repay a life with a life. If you spare my people, the Mask of Night, under my leadership, will do everything in its power to ensure Verdant Veil’s survival.”

“……!”

To Krong, this was an extraordinary offer.

“We will provide all necessary information, including the Empire’s future movement.”

“Are you serious?”

Krong asked quickly, wary of any change in Narakas’ words. When hiding in a remote area like this, information was the most vital resource.

Without it, they were completely in the dark about the outside world.

“What if you end up incurring the wrath of the Empire?”

“We need to bear the consequences of our actions. Besides……”

Narakas trailed off for a moment, casting a glance in one direction.

“……Thanks to a certain someone, we’ve already angered them, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

“Ah.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Ancelot. Naturally, the conversation shifted to the most important topic of the day.

“Who are you?”

Krong, struggling to his feet, asked Ancelot.

“Before we get to that.”

“……?”

“Now that you’ve gotten everything you wanted in exchange for the misunderstanding, don’t you think you owe me something too?”

“……!”

Krong immediately understood what he meant, groaning inwardly.

“After all, not only did you cause trouble on someone else’s land, but you also tried to cut off my arm. And yet, in the end, I helped you.”

“……”

“I offered to forgive you without asking for anything in return, but you even ripped off valuable information from the Mask of Night—information worth a fortune, no less.”

“I-I wouldn’t say……”

Krong looked genuinely wronged. Anyone who heard this would think they had held someone at knifepoint for that information.

But given his position, he couldn’t voice his true feelings.

“……What do you want from us, Your Highness?”

At this, Marquis Foltaine shook his head with a sigh.

“At the very least, you’ll never starve.”

It was a statement that reflected the feelings of everyone present. But Ancelot’s bizarre behavior didn’t end there.

“……Huh?”

Marquis Foltaine flinched. Ancelot had suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Wh-What do you think you’re doing?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“There’s no one in this kingdom who can outdo you in business, right?”

Marquis Foltaine gave a knowing look.

“So, you want me to bleed these thieves dry for you?”

“Exactly.”

The marquis let out a small laugh.

“My services come at a high price. The commission will be steep. Are you okay with that?”

“It’ll be worth every penny.”

“Heh, this’ll be fun. Alright, I’ll do it.”

With his agreement, Ancelot turned back to Krong.

“You heard him, right? Discuss the details with my representative here.”

“……Understood.”

“Oh! And……”

Ancelot trailed off with a sly smile. For some reason, that smile made Krong feel very uneasy.

“By the way, this man is none other than Marquis Foltaine from the Hart Kingdom.”

“……!”

The moment the word ‘Foltaine’ was uttered, the entire mood of Verdant Veil changed.

“Remember what you said earlier? If you don’t resolve grudges properly, they’ll resurface.”

“W-Wait. Are you saying that he’s the Marquis of Foltaine?”

Ignoring Krong’s shocked reaction, Marquis Foltaine smiled bitterly.

“I hadn’t planned on revealing it in this mood……”

“As they say, it’s better to clear the air early. Unresolved anger only festers.”

“You sly bastard. Is that why you named me as your representative?”

“Maybe?”

“……Well, in that case, I suppose I’ll have to collect the price for my son’s life.”

Avoiding the intense stare from the Marquis, Ancelot turned his gaze to the final figure—a one-armed, one-legged man who had been silent throughout.

“Lastly…… I think we have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

Trevor, still standing there as if in a daze, caught the attention of both men.

***