I deflected the lightning that came rushing in with a sound like thunder.

I cut through the flames surging toward me as if to swallow me whole.

I shattered the spear of ice and snow flying straight for my heart.

Behind the translucent barrier stood the Mages.

Pale as sheets, faces twisted in pain, eyes bulging as if they might split open.

Each of the Mages wore a different expression, but the emotion rising within them was the same.

Confusion, shock.

They probably never imagined their magic would be undone by a few swings of a sword.

But what could I do?

There were still more things left for them to be surprised by.

I drew my sword from above to below.

RIP!

The shield woven from magic tore apart like a sheet of paper.

Beyond the scattering fragments of mana, the Mages cried out, white-faced.

"Paladin!"

Through those pleasing screams, a sound like a snake flicking its tongue slipped in.

At the same time, three streaks of sword light flashed.

But I had already left that spot, and I was standing before the old Mage, the only one of the five Mages who had not manifested any magic.

Deeply wrinkled eyes looked at me.

Pupils trembling as if an earthquake had struck.

Harsh lips moving ceaselessly.

Both hands drawing complex shapes in empty air.

Even if he was only a child compared to High Lich Ophelia or the unidentified Mage who had sniped at me in the sea of trees, the old man was undeniably someone who had set foot in the realm of magic.

"You're a Mage."

At my words, the Mage flinched and began moving his mouth even faster.

WHOOOOM.

The enormous wave that began swirling around the old Mage told me that the completion of his magic was close.

The old Mage had not even finished his spell yet.

The magic had not even revealed its form yet.

But I could tell at once.

Soon, magic incomparably stronger than the spells I had just scattered would manifest in the world.

The fire, ice and snow, and lightning magic had been a check.

The translucent barrier had merely been a safety device prepared for the off chance of anything going wrong.

The real thing was the old Mage's magic.

I did not know for certain, but if that magic activated, this whole area would turn into hell.

The mana the old Mage had gathered easily had the power for that.

I was almost curious what kind of magic he had prepared.

Unfortunately, however, I had no way to see the old Mage's magic.

Because the old Mage's spell would remain forever unfinished.

SLASH.

The Mage's head, separated from his body, rolled across the ground.

RUMBLE.

The mana the Mage had gathered until the very last moment surged wildly.

BOOM!

And then it exploded.

* * *

The battle ended quickly.

In the aftermath of the explosion caused by the old Mage's death, the imperial Mages were neutralized, and they fell hollowly before our blades.

The imperial Paladin and knights resisted fiercely, but all they bought was a little time.

The Paladin, who had been running with the Third Imperial Prince slung over his back after the shock of the explosion had knocked him unconscious, was stabbed in the back by Percival before he could even fight properly, and the other Imperial Knights were all beheaded by me and our allied knights.

A pathetic display, hard to believe from a force that included a Paladin and a Mage.

Under normal circumstances, this was not a force that would have collapsed so hollowly.

They were powerful fighters who would have made countless knights and soldiers of the kingdom bleed if they had entered a proper battle.

But without even getting to use their own formidable strength properly, they ended up as cold corpses rolling across the ground.

The only survivor was the idiotic Third Imperial Prince.

"There are no other injuries. It seems he simply fainted. No. At this point, it would be fair to say he is asleep."

Percival, after checking the Third Imperial Prince's condition, reported to me.

It was as Percival said.

When I listened quietly, I could hear his soft breathing.

After getting his own nation's talents killed all at once, he was still that carefree.

It was almost disgusting.

But it was far better for me that the Third Imperial Prince was like this.

If he had been in his right mind, I would have had a headache trying to play along with him.

In a situation like this, there was no telling what kind of absurd demand the Third Imperial Prince might make while bringing up the sworn brotherhood he had declared on his own.

The Third Imperial Prince, with not a damn bit of tact, was more than capable of it.

Of course, my head still hurt even now.

Destroying an imperial force that included a Paladin and a Mage was certainly welcome, but the problem was how to send the Third Imperial Prince back again.

If we left with only the Third Imperial Prince here, the situation felt somehow unnatural.

But if we sat around here and waited until imperial reinforcements came to rescue him before handing him over, there was no telling how long that would take, so that was not feasible either.

Fortunately, Percival offered a solution.

His subordinates were from the Empire, so they would be perfect for playing the role of surviving troops rescuing the Third Imperial Prince.

If they merely pretended to fight for a while and let only him escape dramatically, then from the Imperial Army's perspective, they would think some of the troops left on the front had sacrificed themselves to save the Third Imperial Prince.

Since I could not think of any other method right now, I decided to follow Percival's opinion.

While I was waiting for Percival, who had left for the citadel, to return with his old subordinates, the Third Imperial Prince let out a groan.

If I left him as he was, he would wake up soon, so I jabbed the back of his neck with my scabbard.

With a grunt, he fainted again.

"Huh?"

I tilted my head as I looked at the unconscious bastard.

The instant I struck the back of his neck, I felt an unknown energy.

It was strange.

The bastard I knew was a dunce who had, at most, the amount of mana of an apprentice knight in his body.

The energy I had felt from him for that brief moment was several times more ferocious than that.

Just in case, I used the [Authority of Judgment].

And I was left dumbfounded.

[Apostle of the Full Moon]

One item I had never seen before was displayed plain as day in his trait window.

It was something I knew very well too.

Those strange beings I had encountered in Dotrin's vast forest, neither human nor beast.

Ferocious hunters who spread the plague of mutation.

[Apostle of the Full Moon] was a term that referred to the half-human, half-beasts who followed the Lord of Pestilence.

"This bastard got infected?"

It was not hard to guess where the Third Imperial Prince had contracted the plague of the Full Moon.

Because Dotrin's sea of trees, where he and I had stayed for a while, had long since become territory ruled by the Full Moon Clan.

The traits he had been born with, [Heavenly Slaughter Star] and [Talent for Ruin].

And on top of that, [Apostle of the Full Moon].

Rather than surprising, it was absurd.

No, rather than simply absurd, it even felt almost awe-inspiring.

When someone contracts the plague of the Full Moon, nine out of ten die during the mutation.

Only one of them survives and completes the mutation into a half-human, half-beast.

And of every hundred who complete the mutation intact, only about one gains wildness and vitality as an [Apostle of the Full Moon].

In terms of probability, it was a rare case that did not even reach one in a thousand.

And yet the one who had broken through that slim probability and been reborn as an [Apostle of the Full Moon] was, of all people, the idiot before my eyes.

Could there be another coincidence like this in the world?

I examined him closely once more.

And I learned the truth.

Absurdly enough, the bastard had gained only one of the many abilities possessed by an [Apostle of the Full Moon].

It was not a hunter's [Tenacity], nor a predator's [Ferocity].

It was not the [Toughness] possessed by warriors of the Full Moon, nor the [Wildness] of a half-human, half-beast.

It was only [Life Force of a Fell God].

It was nothing but an ability related to regenerative power that could quickly heal most wounds and a lifespan two or so times longer than that of a human.

After breaking through such slim odds and becoming an [Apostle of the Full Moon], the only ability he had barely gotten his hands on was [Life Force of a Fell God].

I could not tell whether I should call this good luck or bad luck.

After pondering it for a long while, I reached a conclusion.

"Good."

I could now say goodbye to worrying constantly that this reckless brat might die on the battlefield after being struck by some stray blade.

Because if the bastard possessed [Life Force of a Fell God], he would not die from a few ordinary stab wounds.

Still, just in case, I decided to test it.

I drew Dusk and cut the bastard's forearm.

BUBBLE BUBBLE.

White foam rose, and the long cut soon healed.

Looking at the smooth skin without even a scar left behind, I smiled in satisfaction.

The kingdom's hope had grown sturdier.

The Empire's disaster had grown tougher than before.

For me, it was not a bad thing.

After that, I conducted a few more tests on the Third Imperial Prince's body, and then Percival, who had left for the citadel, returned leading dozens of men.

They were soldiers of Malcoy's legion, men who had been prisoners of the kingdom until very recently.

As we had agreed in advance, we made suitable signs of battle.

"Begin."

Once preparations were finished, we immediately mingled together and began pretending to fight.

Of course, it would do us no good no matter how long we kept that up among ourselves, so first we woke the Third Imperial Prince.

THUD!

In a somewhat rough manner.

"Ugh..."

But the Third Imperial Prince, true to being an [Apostle of the Full Moon], quickly shook off an impact like that.

"Your Highness! Flee! We will buy time!"

Percival shouted to the Third Imperial Prince, who was staring blankly at the battle in a daze.

It was excellent imperial speech, without a doubt.

"You are...!"

"Now is not the time for leisurely introductions! Please leave this place at once! We shall defend Your Highness's retreat with our lives!"

Percival shouted gallantly.

The Third Imperial Prince's face stiffened for an instant.

A displeased look flashed across his face for a moment, and even in this situation, Percival's extreme wording seemed to have grated on him.

But even the stupid Third Imperial Prince seemed to understand that leaving this place came first right now, and he soon turned and began to flee.

However, the direction he chose was not toward the imperial mainland, but toward the kingdom's citadel.

A few of Percival's subordinates, unable to watch any longer, grabbed the Third Imperial Prince and pointed him in the right direction.

Immediately afterward, they did not forget to act out their deaths by being struck by swords and collapsing.

"I shall remember you!"

The Third Imperial Prince, who had even stopped running to shout while moved all on his own, turned around.

Then he began running away without looking back.

Watching his back, we half-heartedly clashed our swords and made suitable sounds of fighting, and soon stopped even that.

"At this point, I'm doing every damn ridiculous thing under the sun."

Belated self-loathing washed over me.

We looked at one another awkwardly, sheathed our swords, and soon returned to the citadel as well.

At the citadel, I told Malcoy everything that had happened.

Malcoy was greatly shocked, saying he had never imagined the Third Imperial Prince would personally appear on such an extremely dangerous scouting mission.

"I told you. That's exactly the kind of bastard he is."

Malcoy, too, seemed to be getting a headache over the existence of the Third Imperial Prince, who might cause some accident at any time.

Since I felt somewhat bad leaving him with only worries, I also told him the good news.

"Don't worry. He won't die from most things now."

When I told him about the bastard's new ability, Malcoy was greatly surprised.

But that lasted only a moment, and he soon began thinking of a new way to use the kingdom's hope, who had grown even sturdier.

"I will try turning him into a hero. Since there is no longer any need to worry that he will leave the front because of wounds anyway."

"Take it easy. If he really dies that way, we'll be in trouble."

I left that warning just in case and was about to leave the meeting room when Malcoy stopped me.

"But if Your Highness noticed, isn't it only a matter of time before the Emperor learns what has happened to the Third Imperial Prince's body?"

I nodded.

Even if he did not possess an authority like mine that allowed him to check another's traits, the Emperor also had the insight to see through people.

An Emperor like that would easily notice a nasty change that had happened to the body of his own bloodline.

"The Emperor wouldn't care even if the Third Imperial Prince became a dog instead of a half-human, half-beast."

Despite that, I was not worried about the Emperor.

That was not a vague feeling, but an emotion closer to certainty.

It was a conclusion I had reached because I had faced the Emperor in the middle of the Empire, received his gaze and presence for days on end, and confirmed the Emperor's disposition.

"I don't know whether it was just my imagination, but the Emperor looked as though he did not care which imperial prince became emperor."

If that were not the case, there was no reason he would not have eliminated the Third Imperial Prince in advance, when he was bound to become a source of trouble later.

"That may be so. It is called friendly competition, but considering how the Emperor keeps encouraging a competition that may become a struggle between blood relatives..."

Malcoy, too, seemed to think my words had a point.

But what we had to worry about now was not the Emperor's intentions, which we had no way to verify, but the war immediately before us.

Not long after the Third Imperial Prince returned, the imperial legions crossed the kingdom's border.

Battles broke out everywhere.

Over on the imperial mainland, Arwen and that Eli bastard ran wild like mad, and within the kingdom's territory, the Imperial Army ran wild.

Amid all that, the season of bitter winds and deep grudges was slowly nearing its end.

And at last, spring arrived.

"Your Highness! Some of the Azure Sky Knights who left with the Eastern Fleet have returned!"

Every year, spring would shyly poke its head through the end of winter like a fresh young girl, like a timid boy, but this year it came with unusual violence.