The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 43
Chapter 43. Actually, I Quite Enjoy Extortion, Threats, and Blackmail
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Discord
“Kill him!”
An axe flew to split my head, and I infused sword energy into the stolen sword, deflecting the axe.
Clang!
‘Hmm.’
My palm hurt quite a bit.
‘But not unbearable.’
With a fluid motion, I cleanly cut through the loose handle of the cheap axe after just one collision.
“!”
The bald man’s eyes bulged as he watched the axe head drop.
“Attacking an innocent person with many against one. You’d have no complaints if a hand gets cut off.”
I drew a snake-like elegant sword path, slicing off the bald man’s hands that were struggling to block different areas.
Ding!
His thick hands were cut off lightly.
“Aaaaaah!”
The bald man screamed. From his perspective, he had just swung the axe once, and when he came to his senses, his wrists were flying.
“Subdue him.”
Jeffrey ordered, apparently thinking there was nothing more to see.
“Oh.”
“R-run away!”
About ten ruffians surrounded by just four royal guards were instantly subdued.
I quietly watched, then suddenly rushed into the middle of the fight.
Oh, seeing blood makes my eyes slightly spin.
“Y-young lord!”
With a royal guard’s startled cry-
“Kill that b*st*rd!”
Five blades flew from all directions. They had no martial arts training, but these were swords that had killed before.
‘How unexpected.’
I didn’t know I’d deploy such a sudden technique.
“Oh no!”
Two shocked royal guards hastily tried to block or deflect the swords, but two swords couldn’t block them all.
“Young master!”
Before Peter’s short scream ended, I dodged, slipped, and penetrated the swords like dancing, cleanly slicing one man’s neck.
Swoosh!
It was a movement combining the subtle divine technique of Jeokun-gui-hohong and footwork.
Freely moving between flying blades to cut an enemy’s neck? Impossible with Karzan’s martial arts.
‘This is Grünewald’s martial art.’
This was also Allenbert’s first battle.
But I’m not afraid of seeing blood.
‘Be careful.’
This merciless aggression was a warning to those who played tricks on me. I hope whoever it is feels a chill.
“b*st*rds, killing people!”
“These crazy guys!”
I pointed at the ponytailed leader with a sword dripping blood, not smiling.
“Did you think you could kill me without this level of preparation?”
“Damn, then you die too!”
I easily avoided the dagger flying directly at me by tilting my head-
“Keurk!”
The dagger embedded itself in the neck of the man trying to ambush me from behind.
“Killing your own comrade, you cruel b*st*rd.”
Meanwhile, the ponytailed leader’s arm, still struggling to the end, was cut off by Olivier’s sword.
“Young lord! Are you hurt?”
I shrugged at Jeffrey’s question.
Jeffrey, flustered by the unexpected situation, asked urgently.
“As you can see, no.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“Thanks to your leisurely approach. It was slightly dangerous at the end.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You’re not denying it.”
Jeffrey bit his lip.
“Yes. But if it became dangerous, I was prepared to cut off my own arm to intervene.”
“Ridiculous. Wouldn’t that be too wasteful? Your arm is an asset of Grünewald.”
How he admits this so obediently – I can’t tell if it’s stupid or manly. But I considered Jeffrey’s thoughts.
‘Perhaps it was something like: don’t block me too actively if I start acting up, just roughly handle it.’
Maybe he wanted to see how I’d handle a real situation.
But life is a series of unexpected events. If this were Baklava, he might have been seriously injured.
“Young lord, I apologize again.”
Jeffrey, who couldn’t be unaware of this, apologized to me.
“I won’t make excuses about following instructions. I’ve committed a grave sin by putting you in danger through my arbitrary judgment.”
What a clean apology.
Actually, I wasn’t particularly angry. But leaving debts unpaid is never right.
“I’ll overlook this matter for now. However, if there’s a need to escort someone in the future, you must ensure no risks are caused by careless actions.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind. And I’ll compensate for today’s incident in some way.”
“I won’t stop you from doing that.”
Jeffrey slightly raised his head.
“Why?”
“Well, aren’t you angry anymore?”
“Why would I be?”
“…”
Perhaps because of how cautious he’d been all day. I chuckled and said:
“You thought of me too much like Baklava. I’m not such a petty person.”
“…Hup!”
Jeffrey bit his lip and quickly bowed his head.
“You still need to develop more composure.”
I turned toward the carriage. The coachman was hiding Peter behind his back.
“You have good instincts.”
“Thank you.”
The coachman’s palm seemed slightly scratched from catching the flying dagger.
“Those were truly barbaric people. Something seems off.”
“A few died, and the rest are half-disabled.”
The one who fell with a single punch was actually the least injured.
“Anyway, let’s clean up. Any cloth to wipe blood?”
“I’ll wipe it for you.”
Peter carefully wiped my face and body like washing dishes.
“Be gentle. You’ll scrape my skin.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Then Peter wiped the blood as gently as if bathing a baby.
“Just do it normally since it tickles.”
* * *
Only after the commotion had completely died down did the city guards finally arrive.
“You’re late. Too late.”
“…Indeed.”
“Are these perhaps Somerset’s unit?”
My sarcastic joke made the atmosphere slightly tense.
“P-please wait a moment!”
The guard captain asked in confusion.
“What exactly happened here?”
Jeffrey, receiving my signal, stepped forward.
“You’ve worked hard. We’re royal guards escorting Fourth Prince Allenbert Grünewald.”
“Ah!”
The guard captain’s waist automatically bent.
“G-greetings, young lord.”
He stammered while showing respect.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Th-thank you.”
Wiping sweat from his forehead, he spoke to Jeffrey.
“Turns out you were royal guards.”
“Indeed.”
This moment clearly revealed the difference in status between city guards and royal guards. The actual skill difference was significant as well.
“Do you know who these people are?”
The guard captain, having confirmed the now one-armed ponytailed leader, answered Jeffrey’s question.
“Yes. They’re troublemakers who occasionally cause disturbances in this area. They’re petty criminals without the courage for such actions…”
“Well, the details will become clear upon investigation.”
I said.
“These will be taken by the royal guards for interrogation. They dared to commit an outrageous act against a Grünewald prince, so we’ll thoroughly uncover who instigated them.”
“Understood.”
The guard captain obediently followed my instructions.
“Jeffrey, you handle the interrogation. It might have been instigated by someone.”
I said “might” but actually harbored strong suspicions. The situation was suspicious from any perspective.
“Yes.”
Having already incurred a debt of gratitude, Jeffrey meekly accepted my order.
“Handle the cleanup. Just bury the bodies roughly in a corner.”
“Oh. Don’t worry.”
The guard captain wiped his chest and said.
“Most importantly, young lord, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Thanks.”
I replied casually.
“If you’re okay with it, may we provide an escort on your way home?”
I stared directly at the guard captain. His desire to curry favor was obvious.
But I had no reason to owe this man anything. Moreover, something about these people seemed slightly suspicious.
“I’ll accept the sentiment.”
“Ah, understood.”
I boarded the carriage amid the guards’ salutes.
* * *
I quietly gazed at the scenery outside the carriage, lost in thought.
“Butler, could this have been instigated by someone?”
“…Well, it’s hard to tell yet.”
As Olivier said, wouldn’t someone trying to kill me in broad daylight, in front of everyone, be completely crazy?
‘First, our Baklava definitely doesn’t have this capability.’
Karl and Ulvhilde, the two children of the First Wife, have no reason to orchestrate such a thing.
‘That leaves Verdzich and Somerset.’
I didn’t think Verdzich would attempt such a clumsy trick. But who knows. Perhaps the very suspicion made him bold.
Of course, someone I don’t know might be targeting me.
Or someone might have acted out of loyalty competition, independent of their intentions. Such cases are surprisingly common.
‘It’s hard to believe they directly ordered something so stupid.’
Anyway, interrogation will reveal some clues.
‘Though the trail will likely be cut off somewhere.’
I was familiar with the methods of high-ranking people.
‘Whoever the instigator is.’
This way, I’m holding the sword’s hilt.
‘Remember, some swords are stronger when not drawn.’
Might as well probe Somerset a bit?
If I were to bet on who the culprit is, I’d bet money on Somerset. If he’s sensitive, he’ll reveal something. Or not.
“Hehe.”
Actually, I quite enjoy extortion, threats, and blackmail.
* * *
“You lost him?”
The man frowned at his subordinates’ report of failing to track Gimlet.
“Useless b*st*rds.”
“Sorry. He entered the alleyways and didn’t come out anywhere.”
“Are you making excuses? Should I cut out your tongue?”
“…!”
The man looked down on his subordinates contemptuously.
‘What are you planning, Prince Allenbert?’
For him, this was the first surveillance target so difficult to read.
“By the way, what were those useless guys?”
“We don’t know either.”
“…The situation is getting complicated.”
Someone else besides them was targeting Allenbert.
‘This makes it difficult to intervene rashly.’
The man’s eyes narrowed.
* * *
Royal Guard Captain Jeffrey, finally returning to the castle and concluding the escort mission, took a deep breath as if summarizing his chaotic day.
“Whew.”
Thinking of Allenbert Grünewald’s handsome yet somehow irritating face, Jeffrey finally restored his ocean-like composure through mana circulation.
‘Oh, I almost lost it.’
From the subtle power struggle at first meeting, to the dock’s incidents, to the final ambush.
Jeffrey felt like he’d aged two years after experiencing a full range of human emotions in one day.
“Ahem.”
He knocked on the office door of Butler Count Eiden.
“Butler, Royal Guard Jeffrey reporting.”
“Enter.”
Jeffrey entered the office filled with documents and gave a light salute.
“Greetings, Butler.”
“Sit down.”
The butler said.
“Seems there was some commotion.”
Even without a direct report, someone at the butler’s level would hear about such events almost in real-time.
“Yes, indeed.”
“Give me a detailed account.”
Jeffrey lightly cleared his throat before beginning his report.
“I’m not sure where to start…”