“This is Steel Castle. Show them that no one can harm the royal bloodline within these walls.”

“…”

“That’s enough. There’s no need to complicate things,if you win, that is.”

Amid the thunderous sound of Alfred’s iron sand clashing with relentless attacks, 

“Until then, I will neither fall nor die. If you truly believe me to be your lord, your sovereign, then obey my command.”

With that, the prince fell silent, he neither fled nor trembled in fear. It was the madness and arrogance blazing behind him that pushed Alfred forward. In this battle between the future of the Iron Blood Guard and an assassin from the desolate lands of the far west, the presence of the mad prince made a meaningful impact.

“…”

Even for an assassin who had taken countless lives, the prince’s madness was unfathomable. Even more incomprehensible was how he survived the assassin’s deadly blows. The mask he wore, the sudden play of shadows and light, none of it made sense.

This was a person unlike any the assassin had ever encountered.

The prince,a complete anomaly, fractured the assassin’s mental focus.There was no predicting when or how he might do something insane, and then, 

“Do not let your mind wander while facing me, you bastard!”

Even the mere butler standing before him possessed terrifying skill. Alfred was desperate.

For the first time in his life, he fought to “protect” someone. He, too, was someone long accustomed to killing in service of the royal family, but at this moment, above all else,

He wanted to protect the prince. And yet, strangely enough, though he should have felt vulnerable and anxious with someone to protect behind him,

“Haap!”

Alfred’s focus became sharper than in any mission before. The sword and sand in his hands surged with power unlike any other battle. His senses heightened to the point he could feel the prince’s very breath. Who knew how long he could last, but if Sol managed to summon reinforcements quickly enough, 

“Fweeeee! BOOM!”

Just then, a flare shot up near the canyon. It was unnaturally bright, enhanced by magic.

It was Sol’s mana.

Whose flare it was didn’t matter, what mattered, 

“You’re not killing anyone today.”

A smile bloomed on the butler’s face, mirroring the one worn by his mad prince. That grin glowing in the flickering shadows, with the prince’s eyes gleaming behind him, caused the assassin to take a cautious step back.

“Oh, masked one, we’ll meet again. I wonder… how you were able to wield *that*. And you, too… how you came to wrap yourself in sand and swear loyalty to the royal bloodline.”

Muttering as if promising a rematch, the assassin vanished.

Alfred, on the off chance, hurled his iron sand after him, but the assassin was already gone.

Stopping him had been possible, but atching him was not. Only after his disappearance did the suffocating killing intent that had filled the canyon finally dissipate.

At the edge of the now-silent maze,  Only Aziel, and Alfred remained.

“Your Highness… I confess, I hid my strength from you. I was lacking. I was foolish. Please punish me.”

Alfred bowed his head deeply, sincerely asking for forgiveness, but there was no reply.

Only the prince’s blazing, intense eyes seemed to seethe with fury. Alfred, too, was so ashamed of his hesitation and stupidity that he could barely contain his own rage. 

How much more furious must the prince be?

“I am deeply sorry! I have sinned!”

Trying to quell the prince’s wrath and madness, Alfred dropped to his knees, slamming his head into the ground again and again. Still, silence. Sensing something off, 

“Your Highness? Prince Aziel ?”

Alfred called out a few more times. Unable to touch the prince directly, he nudged him lightly with his toe. Suddenly, the surrounding shadows vanished, like a flame extinguished. 

The mask that had covered the prince’s face fell cleanly to the ground.

Alfred caught it hurriedly in both hands, then looked up, 

“…Ah.”

A breath escaped him unconsciously. The prince’s face in his view, unmistakably the same arrogant, mad expression, and yet, his eyes were staring somewhere else. Somewhere very far away. Only now did Alfred realize that he had fainted. 

Why… why did he go so far? He wanted to ask, But he couldn’t finish the thought.

The prince’s figure was too beautiful at that moment. The fact that he had worried for Alfred moved him too deeply, even in unconsciousness, the prince had trusted Alfred to uphold his duty and waited.

“That’s what a true sovereign is.”

A king trusts his servant. The servant answers with loyalty, that time, that moment, proved it, and as the prince’s body finally tilted,  the butler gently caught his lord’s form, to preserve that proud, upright posture,  that was enough of a role for him.

“Please forgive me for touching your noble body, Your Highness. I only seek to guard your grace as a loyal subject.”

While Alfred held the unconscious prince and whispered pleas that could not be heard,

the Royal Knights, the magical combat unit, and the rescue team arrived, and soon after, a rumor spread like wildfire.

“The Eleventh Prince,Aziel the Mad, had fended off a royal assassin alone.”

By the time he finally opened his eyes, everything had already ended.

“You suffered numerous wounds, but thankfully none were fatal. You did lose a lot of blood, but we summoned the high priest for immediate treatment. There should be no long-term effects.”

“When can I move again?”

“Under normal circumstances, at least a month of rest would be required… but considering Your Highness’s resilient body, I’d say you could be active in about two weeks.”

“You have one week. Fix me.”

“But, Your Highness… two weeks would…”

“One week.”

“There may be lasting effects if you…”

“One week. Who knows what madness I might unleash if I’m stuck here for two?”

“If you could only show a bit more patience…”

“Oh? Well, since this is a place for healing, I can’t hurt anyone here, right? Sounds *fun*. Tell everyone who walks in to wear armor. I might stab someone just for fun.”

At that, his physician, faced with that maddening grin, sighed.

“…I’ll have you healed in a week.”

“Excellent. Leave. Now.”

Unable to endure his fury, the doctor left. The prince, well aware that healers liked to exaggerate even the smallest injury.

[Minor Fate: Healing speeds up significantly.]

He glanced at the fate that surfaced. Then noticed the mask placed beside his large bed.

[Minor Fate: The shadow is devouring a new fate. Digestion is not yet complete.]

[A new fate is awakening within the shadow. It is still a distant fate.]

Something was changing, and not just in that.

[Minor Fate: Misfortune is being heavily consumed! Gaining massive reconfiguration points. Fate leans further toward Luck! The Luck fate grows stronger!]

[Dozens of death fates have been avoided! Fate consumption is staggering! Reconfiguration points increase explosively!]

[You’ve evaded a high number of short-term death fates. You’ve developed immunity to fatal destiny. The ‘Close Call’ attribute strengthens!]

[A new fate is awakening: “Tenacious Life.”]

Surviving the flurry of blades that carried death, it strengthened his luck, and gave birth to a fate that simply refused to die, fair exchange, all things considered. As he smiled with some satisfaction, 

“You’re still supposed to be resting, remember?”

“Your Highness! We heard you cough, may we come in?”

“What are you all doing?!”

A brief commotion followed, one voice he recognized. Another grated on his ears with its false sweetness, the door to the sickroom opened, and in came Alfred, looking unusually tired, followed by a pale-faced eunuch from the Imperial Palace, smiling with a disturbingly smug grin, he knew that face. 

The Empress’s lapdog, Apparently, the other eunuchs had argued with Alfred while this one barged in without permission, the man didn’t even greet the prince, holding onto his smug demeanor.

“The Empress wishes to see you.” Facing him, the prince grinned brightly.

“No greeting for the prince, huh? You rude little eunuch. What else did you chop off when they cut that thing?”

“…Pardon, Your Highness?”

“Maybe I should chop your whole neck off. What does the Empress wanting to see me have to do with your arrogance? Are “you” The Empress?”

“No, Your Highness, she urgently requested your presence, so we….”

“I’m trying to rest, but you won’t let me. Insolent bastards.”

His foul temper exploded, freezing the room.

“Alfred. Bring the physician. Tell him to prep for brain surgery, we have a cracked skull to mend.”

“Yes, sir!”

While Alfred hurried off with a smile, 

“Move out of the way. Don’t die like an idiot and make me deal with the paperwork.”

With that, the prince began hurling every object in sight, lamps, vases and clocks, at the eunuchs’s heads.

[Attribute: Timely Luck. Accuracy drastically increases.]

“Clang! Smash!”

“Y-Your Highness! Eek!”

“You blocked that? You’re dead.”

“Didn’t you just say not to die?!”

“Talking back, are you?”

“CRASH! THUD!”

As the eunuchs scrambled down the hall to escape, many who witnessed the scene later admitted…

“It was deeply satisfying.