That's right.
Even for Patrick, who had been reckless since his days as Radiant Dragon Grandmaster Jin Cheon, he had never beaten up royalty before. Not just in his past life, but in this one too, it was his first time dealing with royalty directly. So he couldn't quite get a feel for it.
'I can't just... beat her up, can I?' Patrick, the rightful heir of a feudal noble family that had sworn allegiance to the crown, beating up a royal? That would be treason.
If he committed treason, the state would try to annihilate his entire clan, then Patrick would wage war against the state, and if such a war were to break out, the Atronia Kingdom would fall.
So...
"For the future of the kingdom, could you please keep this a secret?"
“What are you talking about?”
“It's a long story.... Ugh.”
Regardless of how long or short the story was, how could a sane person understand the logic of a madman? If a compromise couldn't be reached through conversation, what was he to do? 'Should I just beat her up?
If she gets amnesia, it might solve the problem cleanly, right?' It was then that Patrick's eyes fell on the sword Isabella was holding in one hand.
'Ah, right.
That should work.' A woman out alone at this late hour, swinging a sword. Her disposition was obvious.
The solution also seemed clear.
“Princess, would you care to spar with me?”
“... Suddenly?”
“Ahem, how can time and place be an issue when swordsmen discuss the sword?" What is this? The words sound right, but the problem is this situation where I can't trust the person saying them at all?
Receiving Isabella's suspicious gaze, Patrick continued.
“You seem to be around the peak of the three-star level. Well, I'll go easy on you. Sparring with a master will be a hundred times more helpful than swinging your sword alone under the moonlight.”
“Hah... You?”
Isabella looked at Patrick, laughing in disbelief. For the first time, a smile appeared on her cold expression. Although it was a smile of ridicule, it was undeniably beautiful.
Come to think of it, she seemed to know who this first-year student was.
“Patrick Schneider. Right?”
“Yes. That's right. It seems you know of me.”
"Because you're famous."
“Me?”
Patrick didn't know it, but he was already a famous figure in the Knight Faculty of the Academy. Right after enrolling, he had caused a series of incidents, and one of those two incidents was utterly crushing the third-year, Jordic Panola.
Thanks to that, Patrick's name became widely known not only among his fellow first-years but also among the second and third-years.
“You're the first-year who beat Jordic Panola, right?”
“That's right, but is beating him up a bit something to become famous for?”
To Patrick's words, Isabella said.
“Jordic was second-best among the third-years.”
“Ah... I see. Then the top student is you, Princess?”
"That's right."
“Well, you do seem more capable than that brat.”
At Patrick's words, Isabella seemed to feel a surge of anger. Ever since realizing her talent for the sword, she had dedicated her entire life solely to the blade. For a first-year junior to speak of her, who had earned the top spot among the third-years as a reward for her efforts, as if he were evaluating her...
"How arrogant."
"Ehem."
“Why are you acting proud?”
“Wasn't that a compliment?” ?
Seeing Patrick ask with genuine sincerity, Princess Isabella thought. This kid isn't normal. So she thought.
Receiving such a look, Patrick puffed out his chest and spoke.
“Arrogance backed by skill is something to be proud of.”
“Don't people usually call that hubris?”
“I don't think so. So, are you going to do it?
Or not?"
To the hesitating princess, Patrick spoke in a goading manner with a face that would infuriate anyone who saw it.
“Of course, if you're scared, you don't have to. I'll go easy on you, but if the Princess is afraid....”
“A knight knows no fear.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
The corner of Patrick's mouth curled up.
“Then shall we prove it by sparring with me?”
“Fine.”
“If I defeat you, Princess, you must keep today's events a secret. And if I lose....”
Patrick thought for a moment. What could he offer the princess? After pondering for a moment, Patrick said...
“Well, I'll just do whatever you say, Princess. Since I'm not going to lose anyway." Princess Isabella's fine brow furrowed.
She felt a strong sense of displeasure at the sight of Patrick speaking with the conviction that he could never lose.
"Will you really do anything I want?"
“Of course.”
“If I tell you to die, will you die?”
“Naturally. Didn't I say anything?”
At Patrick's attitude, which showed his conviction that he would not lose even if the heavens and earth were to split apart, Isabella aimed her sword and spoke.
“Fine. In return, if you lose, you really must do whatever I command.”
At her words, Patrick gave a deep smile.
“Understood.”
'Of course.
I knew it would be like this.' He had encountered these types of people many times in his past life. Talented individuals who combined talent and effort to achieve a certain level of success, excelling in both martial and civil arts, as well as possessing beauty.
These kinds of people were easier to hook than a carp if you just gently scratched their pride.
"Now, shall we begin?"
At Patrick's words, Isabella's eyes twitched.
"Your sword?"
“Sword... Ah, I don't have one right now.”
Come to think of it, he was currently unarmed. But Patrick just chuckled and said.
“I'll just use this.”
As he said that, what Patrick raised was the liquor bottle in his hand. At the sight, sparks flew in Isabella's eyes.
“Are you trying to make a joke of this?”
“Ah, enough of that, just come at me. If we decided to do it, let's just do it. Why so many words.”
Still, since she was royalty, Patrick made sure to speak politely.
"Don't regret this."
"I said, just come at me."
As soon as Patrick's words ended, Isabella rushed quickly towards him. Closing the distance swiftly, she unleashed a sharp attack aimed at Patrick's waist. Against the attack that cut through the wind, flying sharply towards him, Patrick took a step back to dodge.
Her attack then cut through empty air.
However...
"Hup!”
This was where it truly began. The moment she forced her opponent back, Isabella, with a short exhale, began to relentlessly push Patrick with a barrage of consecutive attacks.
Whoong! Shwiiik!
Sometimes heavy, sometimes sharp. While constantly moving forward to pursue her retreating opponent, her posture never faltered. With her center of gravity firmly maintained, she unfolded a disciplined attack.
'Her basics are solid, huh?' Despite swinging her sword driven by emotion, her form was precise. That was also proof that she didn't neglect her fundamentals in her daily practice.
However... “Too honest.”
“What did you say?” The moment Princess Isabella's eyes widened and she was about to shout, Patrick's body vanished like a ghost. Then, he had already taken her flank and lightly tripped Princess Isabella's advancing pivot foot.
Then, Princess Isabella...
"Huh?"
She lost her balance and fell forward. She hastily picked herself up, but her face was extremely flushed.
"...."
“What did I do?” “You cowardly tripped me.” “Oh, for heaven's sake.”
Patrick let out a sigh. Then he spoke to Isabella.
“Yes.
I cowardly tripped you.
Why?”
“As a knight, have you no shame?”
“No?”
“Is there a rule in knighthood that says you can't trip people?"
There isn't. There isn't, but... still, isn't this somehow wrong?
“If you consider the honor and dignity of a knight, you shouldn't use such a cheap trick.”
“It's not very convincing coming from the person who fell for that cheap trick, so what should I do?”
"Eek...."
Isabella's face turned red. And Patrick beckoned with his fingers and said.
“I see what your problem is, Princess. I'll correct it for you slightly, so let's continue.”
At Patrick's words, Isabella gritted her teeth, glared fiercely, and said.
“You.... Prepare yourself.”
"Prepare myself?"
“For whaaat...?”
It was an annoying expression that would infuriate any human... any person with a normal sense of aesthetics. Towards that Patrick, Isabella shouted sharply and charged.
"Die!"
Princess Isabella Black Atronia. Since childhood, she learned the sword from the royal knights, and after that, she enrolled in the academy and trained steadily and diligently.
The sword she forged through this process was faithful to the basics, and with her effort added to her talent, it allowed her to reach the peak of the three-star level despite her young age. Orthodox swordsmanship, faithful to the basics. This was good.
Just as a great tree must first set down firm roots, for a swordsman, the basics cannot be emphasized enough.
However...
'The problem is that those roots were grown in a greenhouse.' She was too purely cultivated. Let alone real combat experience, it seemed she had never even sparred in such a rough manner.
She might have had duels where swords were crossed honestly and victory and defeat were decided honestly, but she had no experience of showing tenacious obsession for true victory and squeezing out everything she could. A purely cultivated greenhouse flower. 'In the martial world, kids like this died particularly quickly.'
It was also the greatest weakness of the righteous sects. It was actually quite common for promising young talents from large sects, who had garnered attention, to leave for the martial world only to meet their end at the hands of some second-rate unorthodox alliance martial artist. Whenever that happened, if one considered the circumstances, there were always excuses.
The opponent used cowardly tricks. They attacked when I was tired. They ganged up on me.
They used poison. The excuses were truly varied. But so what?
The dead don't come back to life.
“The basics are important, yes. But that's not everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean... that steadily training only the basics without keeping real combat in mind, believing you'll get stronger, shouldn't be called diligence but negligence.”
And Patrick lightly swung the liquor bottle towards Isabella's face.
Then... Chwaaak!
"Ugh?"
The splashed liquor hit her face. It went right into her eyes, and having lost her sight for a moment, Isabella lost her target and floundered. And Patrick closed the distance, digging into her personal space, and spoke.
"See? You're flustered, so you flounder, don't you?"
"What.... Ugh!” Bbbbeeeong!
For a moment, a sound like a cannon firing rang out. A strike exploded at point-blank range with not an inch of space between them. From a physical impact different from a normal strike, Princess Isabella's back bent like a shrimp as she was sent flying backward.
“Kk... Uuugh....”
Towards the groaning Princess Isabella, who had collapsed on the ground, Patrick spoke.
“The spar is over. Keep your promise.”
With Patrick's final word, she lost consciousness.
“Well, these types keep their promises even if it kills them, so I don't need to worry, right?”
Patrick left the fallen Princess Isabella, took a sip of liquor from the bottle, and muttered. With this, the problem was solved. Or so Patrick thought at that moment.
At that moment, that is.