The Crown Prince’s Trial

Viscount Lindver was generous enough to give his carriage and additional supplies to William, so the Duchess and Mia coils travel at ease. The Duchess and Mia became close friends during the trip ever since Mia cared for them after the rescue from the Chaos Marine. William's party left the City of Colors the day after the dinner party as dire news from the capital accelerated the schedule.

It takes five days to travel from Draphia to the capital city. There are few small towns and guideposts on the road, but this doesn't mean it is safe to travel alone as dangers roam most at night.

The number of bandits and monster activities has increased since the war between Alderim and Legellan three years ago. Deserters of Legellan who couldn't return home turned into bandits, while unchecked monsters during the war continued to raid and increase their numbers.

With all these unknown dangers and rough roads ahead, for five days, Crown Prince of Alderim went through the toughest training in his lifetime. Ever since William burst through his chamber door, Prince Benton's life went from internal suffering into physical and psychological devastation.

Last time William was focused on training and preparing the army of the Alderim for the siege, but this time it is different. The Crown Prince is the sole focus of William, and he isn't alone in training the little prince to become a warrior king.

Day One: Sergeant from the Cadian Shock Troopers drilled Prince Benton's body and mind the whole day. The goal of the infamous Cadian training wasn't to break the physical body of the trainee but to demolish the current mindset and rebuild it like a fortress worthy of the name Cadia. Of course, this takes time when it comes to making a perfect Cadian soldier, but William's goal wasn't to make a Cadian soldier but a warrior strong enough to withstand potential danger from the Chaos.

Day Two: Prince Benton's next instructor is a lieutenant of the Tempestus Scions who taught Schola Progenium's Art of War and Espionage. This not only helped the Crown Prince's ability to lead and launch successful military plans but necessary to have a calm mind during dire situations. For this reason, five other Tempestus Scions attempt to ambush and assassinate Prince Benton for his final trial (With four medics ready to bring the Crown Prince back to the world of the living when he fails.)

Day Three: For two days, Prince Benton went through survival and escaped training from the infamous Imperial Guardsmen known for Death World of Catachan and the deadliest jungle warfare in the galaxy. Sergeant of the Catachan Jungle fighters dragged the poor prince and disappeared entirely after a few words with William. Catachan Jungle Fighters are known for many things, and being a weakling isn't one of them as each jungle fighter went through a baptism of fire by surviving one night on their planet. Another thing the Catachan are known for is their master-crafted Catachan Fighting Knives, to which Orks of the 40k seek them as prized weapons from the 'Humies.'

Day four: Somewhere in the woods, surviving.

Day Five: Prince Benton and Sergeant return before breakfast with multiple minor cuts and dirty uniforms but show dramatic changes, especially his eyes. After breakfast, William gathered everyone to announce Prince Benton's final test before entering the capital region. With a makeshift fighting pit, Crown Prince and single Black Templar entered the pit with no weapons or armor.

The two fighters began their fight with the sound of a lasgun shot in the air. Black Templar (No power armor or weapons) initiated the first attack by throwing the first punch at the prince. With a quick jab, the punch went for the opponent's face which the prince blocked with both of his arms but the power and strength of the Black Templar pushed him to the edge of the pit on his knee.

Enduring the first attack, Prince Benton raises his head to see a giant warrior about to slam his two fists at him like a hammer. Without thinking but reacting based on his survival instinct, Prince Benton rolls to the side while grabbing a handful of sands.

"Ahhhh!" Shouting in all his might, the prince kicked his right leg at Black Templar's face as the Space Marine didn't return to his stance from the previous attack. The kick made contact with Black Templar's face, but it barely did anything as the prince felt pain and electricity running down on his leg.

"Good kick but not enough," The giant warrior grabs the prince's leg and lifts him as if the prince was made out of twigs. Black Templar slams the prince's entire body onto the ground with no effort, making him faceplant.

When lifted again, Prince Benton's face was bloodied and barely recognizable due to his injuries. Just as Black Templar was about to repeat his previous attack, the prince who was still conscious opened his one eye and threw the sand from his closed fist at Black Templar's eyes.

The sand hit the Black Templar's eyes and blinded him, but he endured the sharp pain while not letting the leg go. Still dangling upside down, the prince kicked the Black Templar's face with a free leg and freed himself while the opponent staggered back.

Now freed from the opponent's grasp, Prince Benton charged head-on, intending to bring down the giant warrior by attacking one of the knees. But with all the effort and planning, the prince failed to achieve this as Black Templar quickly recovered from the sand splash and caught a glimpse of the prince's location.

With his superior speed and reach, Black Templar punched the prince's stomach at the right moment, instantly knocking him out from the fight. Immediately, two Cadian medics and one Tempestus Scions medic jump into action to check on the prince while Black Templar exits from the pit and regroup with the rest of the battle-brothers.

"Sir, the prince is dead," One of the medics said to William while the Duchess, Mia, and the rest of the prince's attendants began to panic. The Crown Prince died just outside of the capital region and it wasn't to protect the innocents but from the training done by William. Many of the attendants, including a head butler and Mia began to cry in sorrow, but William remained silent.

"Very well, bring him back," William gave his order in which two medics inject a serum and restart the prince's heart. After a few shocks and patching the wounds, the prince returned to life as he took his first breath.

"What…" Prince Benton couldn't finish his sentence as medics continued their work. While this is happening, the Duchess wipes her tears and glares at William. After all, the prince's death gave her her own version of heart attack and she didn't expect William to go this far on training.

"William, explain what just happened," The Duchess demanded the explanation from William, which he gave.

"I already knew the prince's chance of winning was near zero, but I had to see his result of the training. Of course, I also knew he could die from the fight, especially facing one of my battle-brothers in hand-to-hand combat. That is why I had the healers (Medic) ready the moment the prince fell and had enough resources to bring him back from the dead. Don't worry since medics of the Cadia and Tempestus Scions are known for reviving the dead recruits from the dead multiple times during their training." William reassures angry lionesses and the rest of the attendants with an explanation of the prince's 'resurrection.'

"But this means he failed your trial. Isn't it? Mia asks William as she also wipes her tears. This question interested everyone as Prince Benton failed to win the fight against one of William's finest warriors.

"Failed? No, this trial wasn't to see if the prince can win the fight against my battle-brother. The purpose of this trial was to see if he had what it takes to face death and survive. Well, he needs to work on 'surviving,' but overall, he passed the trial." William said to everyone and joined the medics to see how the prince was doing. Others join the Emperor's Champion to see the prince's well-being, which to their surprise, he was able to stand up from the ground with two medics supporting him.

"I failed you, William. I'm ready to redo the whole training once I recover from the injuries. I will not disappoint you again." Prince Benton swore with no hints of doubts as he said to William. Seeing the newfound testament from Prince Benton made William happy as the current prince is very different from the arrogant person he first met many days ago.

"You didn't fail anyone, Prince Benton, but you pass the trial and every training I throw at you. My troops and I recognize your tenacity and will to fight even in death. Your training isn't over yet, but from now on, Black Templars will assist you in your time of need and won't be alone on the battlefield. The Emperor protects!"

"The Emperor protects!" All of William's troops repeat his last sentence as they all stand tall with the determination that could demolish any foe's will.

With that, Prince Benton's training ended for now, and everyone began to make overnight camp. Tomorrow, William's army will enter the capital city, and the battle of politics between Alderim and Legellan will begin.

"Rest up tonight. You deserve a good night's sleep," William said to the Crown Prince and slapped his back to cheer him up, but because William was wearing his power armor, Prince Benton received the full impact. It didn't take much as Prince Benton, who is still barely alive, fell to the ground and stopped breathing.

"He died again! Reviving once again, clear!"

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Black Templar who won the fight:

[Plasma Rifle x1 and Heavy Bolter x1]

William:

[Summon Order (Commissar Ciaphas Cain) x1: One of the greatest heroes of the Imperium and rare individual who survived multiple conflicts with various Xenos races. Ciaphas Cain usually charges ahead with his troops to fight the enemy, earning great respect from many Imperial Guardsmen. However, unlike most Imperial commissars, Commissar Cain doesn't readily sacrifice soldiers and shows a savage level of discipline for which many commissars were known for. Ciaphas Cain is responsible for countless successful campaigns during his military service and known for surviving multiple deadly conflicts that Imperium permanently marked him as 'Missing In Action.' Commissar Ciaphas Cain equipped with a large chainsword and laspistol.]