How to Live as the Enemy Prince Chapter 72

Chapter 15. Let me ask you a question (3)

As soon as Arsen finished his customary introduction, two flashing ice spears shot towards the knights.

– Swish!

– Crack!

The sound of something sharp slicing through the air and bones shattering was heard almost simultaneously.

Fast!

One knight with quick reflexes barely managed to dodge by leaping off his horse, nearly falling in the process. Another was struck, creating a gaping hole in his chest as he fell from his horse. Blood from his body quickly pooled on the ground.

With one knight dead before they even had time to react, the others hurriedly dismounted from their horses. Arsen had no intention of waiting for them to get closer, so he moved his hand again.

– Shh! Shh!

Two more ice spears shot toward the knight standing directly in front of Arsen. He managed to deflect one with his sword, but the second ice spear struck him, killing him instantly.

– Thud!

The sound of a heavy body collapsing shook the remaining knights' resolve.

Targeting, calculating, chanting, and casting.

Isn’t that how a mage fights?

– Swish!

– Slash!

As if mocking the complacency of sword-wielders, the sound of tearing flesh rang out again.

Arsen's ice, flying through the dark night, was like a deadly weapon in itself.

The moment it’s seen, death follows!

– Thud.

A knight standing next to Teyle collapsed to the ground. Dark red blood gushed from his pierced throat.

‘What madness!’

In the brief moment when they dismounted and surrounded Arsen, three were already dead.

Teyle gripped his sword tighter.

Arsen, standing in the middle of the seven knights, turned his head.

As his gaze sought out the next target, two knights behind him moved swiftly, attacking in unison. One aimed for his neck, the other for his heart.

Their swords sliced through the air like the wind.

Arsen noticed it a bit too late, turning his head just in time to see the blades reflecting in his eyes as they closed in.

And then—

– Ting! Tiding!

With a light, metallic sound that didn’t match the gravity of the situation, Arsen’s shield flashed twice. The two swords, that hadn’t even grazed his robe, were deflected.

As the two knights, now stunned, tried to swing their swords again, ice shards flew towards them. The chilling sound of ribs shattering followed mercilessly.

– Crack! Crunch!

One fell to the ground with his heart pierced. The other, whose lungs had been crushed, stared at his fallen comrade with envy for a moment before coughing up blood and dying.

Teyle, watching the scene unfold, clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Damn it!"

The fact that Teyle was still alive wasn't due to skill. It was purely luck, and no one knew that better than Teyle himself.

In the blink of an eye, five of the deputy family's elite knights had been killed!

"I messed with the wrong person."

Arsen gave Teyle no time for further regret.

The moment when the chilling sensation crept up on him and Teyle turned his head, a cold ice blade brushed past his neck. A burning pain shot through his throat, though it wasn't clear if he'd been cut. At the same time, Arsen's shield flashed again.

– Ting! Tiding!

Two knights had aimed at the moment Teyle was attacked and struck at the shield, but they quickly retreated. They watched Arsen closely, bracing for any incoming ice.

– Whoosh!

As if mocking the knights, the next ice spear appeared right above one knight's head and shot down.

– Thud!

The unlucky knight was pierced from the top of his head down to his chin, dying instantly. Blood dripped down the length of the ice and soaked the ground.

Teyle survived simply because he was out of Arsen’s line of sight. The moment he realized he was alive, he kicked off the ground.

Not towards Arsen, but to escape.

Seeing Teyle's movement, the other knights also began to look for an opportunity to flee.

At that moment, one knight charged at Arsen, swinging his sword as if he would slice through both the shield and Arsen at once.

Instead of calculating how much strength his shield had left or how sharp the blade was, Arsen simply opened his mouth.

[Teleport]

With that low voice, Arsen’s figure vanished from the knight’s sight.

As soon as Arsen disappeared, the remaining knights, except for the one who had swung at him, bolted in all directions. Naturally, Teyle was among them.

Arsen reappeared right behind Teyle. An eerie ice spear shot towards Teyle and another knight.

Teyle twisted his body, swinging his sword backwards.

This miraculous movement saved his life. With a loud clang, the ice spear was deflected.

– Thud!

Meanwhile, the knight ahead of him collapsed, the light of life fading from his eyes. Teyle’s hand trembled as he watched, barely able to move his gaze.

"I never should have come."

He had thought Arsen was a fairly strong mage.

That’s why they had called nine other comrades who were unknown to the royal palace. Including Teyle, they had ten. The money they were promised was substantial, and they had been told they'd get double if they succeeded, so the initial payout didn’t feel like a waste.

Teyle let out a hollow laugh.

"To think I actually believed we could succeed. With just ten people."

His eyes were filled with belated regret, realizing that his hasty judgment was going to get him killed today.

Even Silica clearly didn’t know who Arsen truly was. That large sum of money was woefully insufficient for the task.

Not even five minutes had passed since they first surrounded Arsen.

Out of the ten knights, only three remained.

– Swish!

– Crack!

No, there were only two left.

The one running frantically with his back turned couldn’t avoid the ice spear that fell from the sky. In the end, his body was impaled by the giant spear, killing him.

His corpse tumbled down the riverbank, and his dark red blood spread through the clear waters of the Senyu River.

One knight, who had previously swung his sword at Arsen, and Teyle, who had given up on running. Only two remained.

Only then did Arsen's attack stop.

"Now, only two are left."

Arsen finally spoke.

"Which of you will live? I only need one of you."

And with that, he posed the question.

* * * * *

Right after Arsen left, Calian, with a relaxed expression, took a sip of sparkling water and spoke in a soft voice.

"Kyrie."

There was no one around, so it seemed like he was talking to himself.

The banquet had just begun, and the atmosphere was lively. People were loudly introducing themselves to one another, the sound of clinking glasses was constant, and the clattering of utensils could be heard all around.

Despite the noise, Kyrie, who was standing with Yan a short distance from Calian, immediately approached upon hearing his voice. Whether it was due to the influence of his elven blood or not, Kyrie had exceptionally keen hearing.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Calian looked at Kyrie for a moment before speaking. No one else could hear what he said amidst the surrounding noise, but Kyrie understood everything.

"…Can you do it?"

After finishing his words, Calian asked one last question.

Kyrie answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

Calian nodded, and Kyrie promptly left the banquet hall.

Watching Kyrie leave, Calian stood up and glanced briefly in Alan’s direction. Alan, who had been engaged in conversation with Romain, naturally looked over at Calian, who then quietly exited the banquet hall without saying anything. Alan immediately followed after him.

"Is something wrong?"

Calian, smiling, nodded and replied.

"News about Grey has reached the palace today, so Silica has likely made a move. She will want to verify whether or not I did anything to Grey."

"I was wondering where Hertz was since I hadn’t seen him."

Alan quickly grasped the situation, his eyes narrowing with interest as he spoke.

"It seems Silica’s scheme has targeted Hertz. Should I go and handle it?"

Calian chuckled at that.

"It wouldn’t be right for Sisphanian to catch a rabbit, would it? There's no need for your power to deal with those attacking Hertz right now. All I ask is that you go to His Majesty and inform him."

While this indicated Calian’s trust in Arsen, it also implied there was another reason why he believed Arsen alone would be enough to handle the situation.

"Silica is probably doubting whether the Marquis of Brissen is truly on her side. She must be feeling quite uneasy."

Calian was well aware that Grey had not come to help Silica out of brotherly affection. He was certain that some kind of deal had been made between them.

And at this point, the only thing Silica could offer Grey was the title of Marquis. However, that title wouldn’t be handed over easily. It couldn’t be transferred like a royal position. For Grey to claim it, Evan Brissen would have to die.

Therefore, Silica must have considered the possibility that Evan had noticed her plans and directly punished Grey.

“To get an accurate grasp of the situation, she would have sent someone to Brissen's territory, but it would take a few days for them to return. Until then, she’ll have to entertain the possibility that it was the Marquis himself who attacked Grey. Because of that, Silica won’t be able to freely command the Marquis' knights. If she makes a wrong move, their swords might turn against her.”

Calian spoke with a deep smirk as he looked toward Heisha Palace.

"Furthermore, Silica has never even met Sir Hertz. She doesn't know the extent of his combat skills, so she probably only called upon a few knights at best. Sir Hertz alone should be more than enough to handle them."

Alan's lips curled into a smile.

At first, he had shown such reluctance.

"It seems your trust in Sir Hertz has solidified after your trip to Roselita."

Calian grinned as he glanced at Alan.

"How could I not trust him? He was the last person I met before I came here."

Alan, having already sensed something from Calian's initial reaction to Arsen, now confirmed his suspicions about the connection between Bern and Arsen. He clicked his tongue, realizing he was right.

* * * * *

"Don't fall asleep on your way."

Now Arsen understood what Calian meant by those words as he sighed, looking at the two men standing before him.

He knew Calian had expected an attack.

And yet, he had sent him alone!

"I don’t know whether I should be grateful for the trust or resentful for the neglect, Your Highness," Arsen muttered to himself.

He couldn’t understand why Calian had such unshakable faith in his abilities.

Teyle and the other knight standing in front of Arsen were visibly distressed. They still held their swords, standing just a step and a half away from Arsen. Despite the short distance, Arsen seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Of course, neither of them dared to attack him. It was clear that before they could even raise their swords, Arsen’s ice would have already pierced their bodies.

Arsen looked at them again and asked, "Have you decided yet? Who will live and who will die?"

Though he asked, Arsen had no intention of killing either of them. He planned to use their fear to make them compete and spill information.

Teyle was the first to speak.

"Spare me, and take me to Prince Calian. I’ll tell him everything."

He believed that as long as he reached the palace, Silica would protect him, as both Calian and Silica resided there.

The knight standing next to him glared fiercely at Teyle. Even in the face of death, Teyle had been his comrade for 12 years. How could he betray him so easily?

"Alright then..." Arsen began, reaching towards the other knight as if to use him for intimidation. But he stopped abruptly, listening intently to a sound in the distance.

– Clop, clop!

The sound of galloping hooves rapidly approaching caught his attention.

Arsen left the two men where they stood and turned his head to look at the approaching rider. A moment later, as the figure drew closer, Arsen smiled.

"It wasn’t neglect after all."

The one who came to find Arsen was none other than Kyrie.

After dismounting from his horse, Kyrie glanced around. Seeing this, Arsen made a face of discomfort.

"You came a bit late. Just go. This isn't something worth staying for."

The air was filled with the stench of blood and the sight of bodies that hadn’t died peacefully.

Arsen assumed that Kyrie, who wasn’t that old, had never witnessed such a scene.

Indeed, it was Kyrie's first time seeing something like this. But he remained calm.

"I've been in worse places. It's fine."

Kyrie briefly looked at the two living knights before turning to Arsen and asking, "Why did you leave these two alive?"

At Kyrie’s question, Arsen casually pointed at Teyle and answered, "Wouldn't the prince want to confirm something with them? Besides, the one on the left said he wanted to meet the prince..."

– Slash!

Before Arsen could finish speaking, the head of the knight on the right hit the ground. The body, now headless, collapsed with a heavy thud.

It was Kyrie who had swiftly severed the neck of the Brissen elite knight, who had been holding his sword in tension.

As Kyrie shook the blood off his dagger, his mismatched eyes fixed on Arsen.

"He said there was no need to bring them."

Teyle collapsed onto the ground in shock.

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TN: Hey guys! It's been a while. I stopped translating a while ago since I saw that someone else had picked it up and school was making me really busy, but it seems like they've stopped since all the uploads are gone from novel updates, so I'll probably start translating again. I definitely won't be able to regularly update but I'll try to do it whenever I can. Thank you for reading!