Chapter 10 : Assassination

"Finally! Your highness, you're finally back!" Ferdinand exclaimed after seeing the three of us walking back to the camp. "Do you know you worried we were?! The sky's turning dark!"

"Yeah, I know That's why we rushed back." I stated. "Anyways, look at this. We have fish to eat now."

Asher took three fishes out of the box as I spoke. Those three fishes were the only fishes we caught in the span of 30 minutes.

Though it wasn't a lot, I'd say we did quite well for our first time.

"Oh? Then, we'll grill the fish later. You guys go rest for now." Ferdinand insisted, realising that we're actually exhausted from the fishing.

"Okay." I responded.

After that, I placed down the fishing box to where it originally was and headed into my tent.

Asher and Celia followed along with me and entered too, as I had already told them beforehand.

"Both of you are sleeping there."

I pointed at the two sleeping bags on the ground, placed at the opposite side of mine.

"Yes, prince. Thank you."

Asher thanked me before laying down onto it and instantly falling asleep.

But Celia acted just like always, not saying anything unnecessary and immediately sat down onto her sleeping bag.

Right away, she started to flip open the book she had been reading, [The Tales Of Dragons].

So I didn't bother her. I laid down onto my own sleeping bag and tried to get more rest before dinner.

"…Tsk. I can't sleep." I whined, after trying to sleep for a few minutes.

I couldn't fall asleep as I've had too much sleep on the carriage just now. I just wasn't tired enough to fall asleep again.

"What do I do now…?" I questioned myself, in hopes of finding something to entertain me before dinner starts.

"Oh right! Celia, can I borrow one of those?" I exclaimed, staring at the other four books that was brought along, but haven't been read by Celia.

"Huh…? Yeah, sure, your highness." Celia responded.

"Then, thanks."

I stood up and walk towards the book before picking one of those books up.

[The World Of The Future]

I picked to read that book because it piqued my interest. The future… I'm curious about how the people in the medieval times would think about it.

After that, I sat back down onto my sleeping bag and flipped open the book.

Flip.

The Future World.

In a world beyond our current comprehension, where miracles abound and the very essence of mana is harnessed as a mere auxiliary force, lies a domain where the boundaries of possibility are stretched to their limits.

In this forthcoming era, we shall witness the birth of objects so fantastical, so beyond our wildest dreams, that they defy conventional understanding. It is a pursuit I have long harbored, a quest to unlock the secrets of innovation and shape the future.

As a starting point, there exist several inventions within the realm of possibility for this future world, awaiting realization through the boundless potential of technology.

Flip.

A Metal Carriage That Moves Without Steeds.

A creation fashioned from metal, its form familiar with four wheels akin to our current carriages. However, unlike the steeds that once propelled our ancient chariots, this marvel shall draw its power from a revolutionary source yet to be unearthed within our world.

Though mana would be more effective, but with its unpredictable nature, it may pose risks too grave for us to ignore.

Thus, we tread cautiously, seeking alternative means to drive this metal behemoth forward into the annals of history.

Flip.

A Handheld Device That Spews Forth Small Metals.

A creation crafted from metal, this invention launches smaller metal projectiles using a novel terrestrial energy source, propelling them with remarkable force.

While mana remains superior, this innovation could offer effectiveness against individuals with mana cores below the second tier.

Flip.

After reading the entire book, I closed the book and put it aside onto the ground.

While thinking about the context of the book, my body froze in place as a chill of shiver ran down my spine. It was… Insanely accurate.

Cars, guns, computers, and even artificial intelligence. It was all listed out inside the book. Although its description wasn't complete accurate, it was enough for me to get the idea of theirs.

"…Who the hell wrote this?!" I muttered out with terror heard in my voice.

I was terrified of the man who wrote this book. But at the same time, I felt my heart beating with excitement.

I want to meet this man. No… I have to meet him. I must!

That was everything I could think about. I could bring a huge change to this world, not just alone, but with the help of people like him.

So instantly, I picked up the book once again for the sake of finding out who was the author of that book.

I checked the book's front cover, the first page, the last page, the back cover. I checked everything.

"Aha! I found it!" I blurted out, looking at the bottom of the book's first page.

[The World Of The Future, Written By Archimedes Walpurgis]

"Archimedes Walpurgis… Wait for me. I'll be meeting you soon." I mumbled to myself.

"Prince! Celia, Asher! Dinner's ready!"

Wallace suddenly came into my tent from the entrance.

"Okay, okay. Celia, wake Asher up." I instructed as I placed the book down onto the floor again.

Without a word, Celia proceeded to shook Asher's body multiple times to wake him up.

"Ugh… What…?" Asher spoke with a sluggish tone.

"Wake up. It's time for dinner." I informed him while I stood up from the ground.

"Oh… Right… You go first then. I'll be there soon."

Asher rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before stretching his arm out.

At the same time, Celia and I made our way out of the tent to the wooden logs on the ground. Soon after, Asher also arrived at the logs and sat down beside Celia.

"Here you go." Wallace uttered, handing the three of us a plate of grilled fish.

The fishes were those that we previously caught by the river. They were grilled to perfection due to Wallace's insane cooking skills.

The only thing that the food lacked was some spices, like salt and pepper. But aside from that, it was basically perfect.

"Thanks." I responded, taking the plate away from Wallace's hand.

Asher and Celia did the same. And like usual, Asher thanked Wallace as he took the plate, Celia did not. Celia just took it away without saying a word.

"…It's decent?" I mumbled with a surprise look on my face after taking a bite of the fish.

I didn't understand why. Without the spices, food would usually suck. But… It's actually decent? Why? It is because I was the one who caught the fish? Nonetheless, I didn't care. I enjoyed the food.

After finishing those, I quickly went to sleep. The fatigue of my body suddenly rushed in and my physical body felt like it was going to break apart soon.

Thus, I instantly made my way back into the tent and snuggled into my own sleeping bag. It was quite comfortable. At least, it was more comfortable than how it felt just now.

"I'm going to sleep first!" I yelled out loud to inform the others.

Following that, I turned my body slightly and got cozy in the sleeping bag. I wouldn't say it felt warm, it's still extremely cold. But I guess it's already good enough for me to get a good sleep.

Soon after, I got cozy inside, it took me about 5 minutes to finally fall asleep. At that time, it was around 11.00 at night, so everyone else also went to sleep after me.

However, just as I thought things would finally calm down and I would actually be able to get a good rest, a loud, trembling voice had to wake me up again.

"Pri-! Princ…! Prince!!" Wallace screamed at me to wake me up.

"What's happening?!" I shouted in frustration. "Just stop disturbing for fuck's sake! Let me sleep!"

"Prince! I'm sorry, but… We're being ambushed!" Wallace notified me with terror in his eyes.

"Tsk, where's everyone?"

My tiredness suddenly disappeared upon hearing about the ambush from Wallace.

As I stood up, Wallace told me, "Prince, Asher is defending the tent at the entrance, and Celia is sitting there, waiting for your orders."

Wallace pointed to the direction of Celia's sleeping bag. Celia was sitting on top of her sleeping bag, observing the situation.

"What about Winston and the knights?" I inquired, fixing my clothes in a hurry.

"They're outside waiting for you to escape, prince."

"Right. Then, let's go." I quickly walked towards the entrance. "Celia! Let's go. Asher, you too."

Subsequently, all four of us exited the tent and immediately ran towards Ferdinand and his knights.

"How's the situation?" I asked Ferdinand as I approached him.

"Not good, your highness. Their number is too much." Ferdinand replied, looking at the enemy.

They had around 20 people, ready for attacking.

After that response, I turned to the other knights and commanded, "Form a circle defensive formation!"

"Yes!" All the knights responded and instantly started to surround us at every corner.

Just as the formation was completed, one of the assassin charged towards us, holding his dagger imbued with his mana.

"Hiya!!" The assassin shouted, thrusting his dagger towards the knight in front.

Swoosh!

The knight that he was targeting swung his sword and charged it with mana. However, that thrust… Was a trap.

The knight stabbed into the assassin's stomach after that missed swing, killing the assassin that was attacking.

However, that stab made the knight's sword stuck, while the assassin's ally thrust forward. And it stabbed into the knight's right liver, landing a fatal strike.

"Attack!" A man with purple eyes, covered in a black robe shouted, after noticing one of our knight was seriously injured.

Upon that command, all 18 of the assassins charged forward at the same time, putting Ferdinand and the knight in the tough spot.

At that moment, I could feel that Celia was about to expose her awakened mana core. So, I gave her a small signal, telling her to not to expose it.

Thankfully, she trusted my judgement and decided to follow my instructions.

On the other hand, I whispered to Asher, "You're strong, right?"

"What? Of course." Asher whispered back to me.

"Get ready. You'll be punching that defenceless guy." I smirked, staring at one of the assassin charging at us.

They wouldn't expect a guy without mana to land such a heavy punch. So they won't use mana to defend themselves. That punch from Asher could strike them hard physiologically.

As the assassin approaches us, I suddenly commanded after he got to a certain distance, "Ferdinand, move!"

"What?!"Ferdinand turned around in a surprised expression on his face.

However, seeing Asher's punch flying towards him, he instantly dodged aside. And the punch landed right onto the assassin's face, knocking him out.

"W-What…?!" That punch made all of the assassins froze in shock.

"Ferdinand, now!" I yelled out loud.

"Yes, your highness!"

Ferdinand and his knight charged towards the frozen assassins.

Swoosh!

The knights swung their sword, hence, killing the assassins. Upon seeing the sight of their allies being killed, those assassins instantly snapped back into reality.

But unfortunately, it was too late. At the moment their minds came back from being stunned, their heads were already flying in the air.

"Tsk, those dumbass!" The black robe man, their leader grumbled as his men slowly fell onto the ground with a cold body.

That man removed his robe and threw it away, revealing his red hair, alogn with his already shown purple eyes.

His eyes clearly showed that he was ready to fight to his own death during this assassination.

"Your highness, stay here. I'll deal with him."

Ferdinand walked towards that man with his bloodstained sword.

[Arcane Swordsmanship 7th Form, Arcane Cleave]

Ferdinand threw a powerful slash, loaded with a huge amount of mana to the purple eyed man.

"…Weak." That man mumbled before unsheathing his sword and countering Ferdinand's technique.

[Abyssal Swordsmanship 1st Form, Abyss Slash]

Due to the superiority in their mana cores, that assassin easily countered Ferdinand's technique with brute force. The amount of mana is that man's slash was way higher than Ferdinand's.

Although I didn't know what tier their mana cores were due to the fact that I can't sense mana, I couldn't easily tell that Ferdinand was way weaker.

Just as Ferdinand lost confidence in himself, a dagger suddenly pierced through his right shoulder.

"That dagger…" I smirked, noticing the design on that dagger.

Using the critical injury of that man's shoulder to his advantage, Ferdinand took the chance and strikes again.

[Arcane Swordsmanship 6th Form, Point Blank Stab]

Ferdinand dashed in front of that man and used all of his strength to stab into the purple eyed man's heart. It was a stab from so close to the target where the target would have no time to react.

Clang!

However… That attack resulted in a fail. That man ignored his own pain and injury, raised his sword up to block the stab.

"Tsk, this beast…" Ferdinand whined.

Consequently, Ferdinand attacked once again, hoping to end him this time

[Arcane Swordsmanship 3rd Form, Sword Dance]

Ferdinand's sword was swung 7 times in a second, each of them being thrown with bloodlust.

Despite that, only a 3 of those swing actually made contact with that assassin's leader. And none of them were fatal enough to kill him.

Using this chance where Ferdinand accidentally left a blind spot for him to attack, that last assassin used another technique.

[Abyssal Swordsmanship 2nd Form, Abyssal Thrust]

That man landed to fatal strike on Ferdinand. A critical stab onto Ferdinand's left liver.

As Ferdinand lost consciousness, falling onto the ground, he turned to face me and yelled, "Your highness, run!"

"Tsk, this is annoying…"I grumbled, before turning to Winston. "Winston. Go deal with it."

"Haa… Yes, my lord." Winston sighed.

Soon, he charged out with an incredible speed. He was so fast that I could barely even see his movements.

Without even putting up a good fight, that assassin was incapacitated. He was completely crippled, from his upper body, all the way until his legs.

"My lord, what should I do with him?" Winston questioned, holding that assassin captive with his hand.

"Interrogate him. Find out who sent him." I ordered, walking away from the scene with Asher, Celia and Wallace.

"Yes, my lo-" Winston tried to respond.

However, he was instantly cut off by that assassin psychopath.

"Hahaha… Interrogating me?! Don't joke with me."

His body started to change after he finished his sentence It was turning into a… Literal monster. His skin was turning dark red while horns were starting to grow on his head.

"Tsk, Winston, kill him now!" I commanded without hesitation.

He wasn't normal anymore. No, or should I say he isn't human anymore. He's becoming a monster.

Without delay, Winston threw his dagger towards that psychopath with the help of mana. It boosted the speed of the dagger exponentially.

Clang!

That man blocked Winston's dagger this time.

"I… lost to you?! How can I lose to such a weakling?" He spoke with a crazy smile on his face. "Anyways, just die, your face is going to make me puke."

[Demonic Swordsmanship 1st Form, Demon Slash]

Rather than mana, he swung his sword imbued with a new type of energy, The Demonic Energy. It was a swing more powerful than using mana, and additionally, it was also surrounded by a crimson red aura.

"This is… The Demonic Swordsmanship?!" I mumbled in bewilderment after seeing that swordsmanship.