Chapter 146 – Commotion

Commotion

As the executioner knights approached, Rashid released the princess, tossing her aside.

She tumbled unsightly, and Rashid kept his guard against the approaching executioner knights.

‘This is a headache.’

Although he would not die here, trouble with them would become an obstacle to maintaining his position.

Trouble with the ruling power when his position was fake to begin with.

It was no different from being forcibly expelled.

‘Well, it cannot be helped. The problem is that the princess’s personality is absolute garbage.’

The moment he thought so,

the princess, who lay sprawled on the ground, sensed the presence of the executioner knights and yelled to stop them.

“Stay back! He is mine! That inquisitor is mine!”

The movement of the executioner knights, which felt like pressure, stopped in tandem with her scolding.

A blazing fire of anger rose in her eyes.

“I will kill him. I am going to kill him!”

She began to repeat it in her head as if brainwashing herself.

‘I will kill him. I will kill him. I will definitely kill him.’

The spiteful princess picked up the sword she had dropped and charged again.

Her movements and speed were different from before.

This time, it was visible to the extent that she was lunging with all her might.

‘I feel murderous intent. A pathetic murderous intent.’

Without even needing to utilize the power of his traits,

all her movements were already being captured at the sensory level.

‘No matter how much she was born with the talent of the Grand King, she is only a fourteen-year-old child. No matter what she has eaten to grow up or what she has learned since birth, she is no match for me.’

In reality, she was an opponent whose breath he could easily cut short by counterattacking, but if he did so, he would not be able to maintain his current position.

Rashid responded by dodging or blocking her offensive as much as possible.

After tumbling onto the ground a few more times like that, she gripped the floor with a spiteful face.

If it had been a dirt floor, she might have thrown the dirt she grabbed at him.

From her point of view, his figure, which remained composed, felt like an insurmountable, impregnable fortress wall.

‘I cannot… win.’

Anger was hammering her coldly,

like steel being tempered.

Rising calmly from her spot, she snatched a sword from a nearby executioner knight.

Then she threw it to Rashid.

“You may kill me. So do it properly. Do not play around!”

Rashid, who caught the sword, began to lightly parry the princess’s sword as she lunged in once more.

The two thus continued their dialogue of swords, beginning to display a considerably stable appearance unlike before.

To an onlooker, it would look as if a master was gently instructing a disciple who was screaming and trying to win.

The executioner knights, who had expected the inquisitor’s demise, began to marvel at the inquisitor who conducted the dialogue of swords well against the princess.

“The inquisitor’s skills are quite good. Well, he is an inquisitor, so he should be at least at that level.”

“I thought it would end quickly, but it is lasting quite long.”

“If he did not hold back, Her Highness the Princess would have lost. The difference in skill is quite large.”

“More than that, it is surprising. Even if he is an inquisitor, Her Highness is sensorially superior to us. Yet he does not lose even once.”

To the eyes of the knights, that inquisitor:

was lightly parrying even the sword of the princess, who was evaluated as having outstanding talent.

Eisen, watching this from afar, laughed silently.

‘It feels like he is playing with her.’

If the inquisitor made up his mind, it seemed he could slaughter the princess immediately.

The reason he did not do so must be the reason everyone knew.

“I said do it properly! Stop playing around!”

Everyone’s tension was easing, but not the princess’s.

She sincerely wanted to kill him.

And under equal conditions at that.

However, only her mind rushed ahead;

he was an opponent she could not win against from the start.

She fell down once more.

She also dropped her sword.

Now was the time to admit it.

That he was an opponent she could not defeat.

‘Why can I not win? Why!’

What she felt from the consecutive defeats was cold reason, not anger.

Being unable to control her anger was now a thing of the past.

Having no choice but to concede, she stood up and approached the executioner knights who had been watching from behind.

Then she asked as if nothing had happened:

“That person who is my swordsmanship instructor. Fire him immediately. I do not need him.”

“Then we will look for a new instructor.”

“Why look? He is right in front of us.”

The executioner knights exchanged glances, expressing embarrassment.

To use an inquisitor as a swordsmanship instructor.

If it had been anyone other than the princess, they would have certainly stopped her, but since it was her, they also had no choice but to comply.

Because it was a world where the royal family’s word was law.

“Yes, we shall do so.”

The princess stood before Rashid.

Suppressing her anger, she spoke in the manner of a notification.

“Until I kill you, you are my instructor. Teach me the sword.”

The princess did not give him any other option.

She was a truly royal person.

“I am an inquisitor. I am not a swordsmanship instructor who teaches swordsmanship to someone, though?”

“How dare you talk back to me?”

“I have never learned systematically, nor do I have the ability to teach anyone.”

Rashid, who did not want to deal with her much, tried consistent excuses, but

he could not persuade her, who had already made up her mind.

“Shut up. If I tell you to teach, you just have to teach.”

When Rashid looked at the executioner knights following her, they were pretending not to know.

Indeed, it was likely an affair they could not interfere in.

The princess was in earnest.

“Do not forget what I said. Until I kill you, you must teach me the sword.”

“Do I not even get anything out of this?”

“Nothing. Ah, there is one thing.”

She informed him as if it were a reward without changing her expression.

“I will let you live. For now.”

Although it was a not-so-welcome proposal,

it was not going to last long anyway.

‘You are only giving me plenty of excuses to leave. Once I resolve the matter of Sayaka anyway, it is goodbye to this place.’

“Sure, why not.”

Seeing him comply so submissively,

the princess felt offended again.

Because that appearance felt as if he was taking her lightly and looking down on her.

“What are you going to do? The contract with the devil went wrong because of you! If you had just left it as it was back then…”

Rashid suddenly cut in.

“You would have died. Whether killed by the devil or suppressed while causing a riot. You would have died in one way or another.”

“I should have died back then! I need the devil’s power like the Magic Tower people! What do you even know?”

“Hmm…”

Rashid looked around at the surrounding people who did not interfere and only stood by.

Actually, this remark was something that could not even be dreamed of in the Basilica.

Because they were serious about devils there.

However, in the Holy Blood Orthodox Church, where the authority was lower than the ruling power,

he somehow received the feeling that it would be okay to say these words.

“If a contract with a devil is so desperate for you, I shall arrange a meeting once.”

“What?”

“It is exactly as I said. I mean that I will arrange a contract with a devil.”

Everyone around was astonished.

The executioner knights, including the princess, seemed surprised, and Inquisitor Jason, who was watching silently nearby, was also the same.

“Inquisitor Lycian. What is the meaning of that? Arranging a contract with a devil.”

Rashid turned his gaze to him.

“If you hunt devils for a long time, familiarity with them naturally tends to develop. Do you happen to have not a single devil you know, Inquisitor Jason?”

“That is…”

As Jason withheld his words, Rashid turned his gaze back to the princess and proposed.

“Since you want it so much, I shall arrange it for you. I guarantee it will be a much better partner than before. Because what I handle is not some small fry-like lesser devil.”

“Is it… possible?”

“Of course.”

In truth, this was meant to screw her over.

“I will arrange the contract once I see how the situation goes.”

Rashid also said these words while looking at the executioner knights who were worried nearby.

“Since it is a meeting arranged by me, there likely will not be a mishap like before. In return, as it is a contract, the devil will demand a corresponding price from Her Highness. Since that is a part I cannot interfere with, please think it over carefully.”

“Arrange it immediately. There is no need to delay, is there?”

Laughing lightly, Rashid suddenly stepped toward her.

The knights did not step forward, and although she flinched, Rashid, unconcerned by it, cast down a cold gaze.

“Do you know about devils?”

“N-No. How would I know such a thing?”

“Then wait quietly as I tell you, and”

words that sounded almost like an order at first listen.

“you just need to follow my instructions.”

A feeling she had never experienced in her life surged over her.

No, it was not that she had never felt this kind of feeling before.

An existence she could not resist.

Since it was similar to the humiliation she felt when the Grand King strictly scolded her.

It was just that the subject was a mere inquisitor, not the Grand King, so she had mistaken it for a feeling felt for the first time.

“Then, safe travels. I will call you immediately when it is ready.”

Although an inexpressibly unpleasant feeling remained,

she could no longer press him, who said he would arrange a contract with a devil.

Because the contract with the devil was that desperate.

Thus, the princess watched the departing inquisitor with a complex gaze, then soon turned her own steps around.

* * *

“I heard they are handling the matter related to the Flowering Cult here?”

Eisen Bernstein, the Director of the Palace Court, spoke as he entered an inquisitor’s office.

Familiar figures were sitting inside.

They were the two inquisitors who had been caught up in the commotion the princess caused just now.

‘So it was them?’

Eisen recognized the two inquisitors, and the other party was the same.

Rashid looked at him, who had come all the way here.

‘Eisen Bernstein.’

He was someone who had a connection to Kaiser.

To be precise, the very party whom Kaiser had screwed over big time.

‘But he is not my enemy.’

Perhaps he might become an ally to deal with Sayaka together here.

“Yes, we are handling it.”

Before Jason could say anything,

Rashid naturally stepped forward.

Eisen fixed his gaze on him.

Due to the princess’s incident earlier, he knew his face very well.

“It is the inquisitor from earlier. Your skill in handling Her Highness the Princess was quite something. You have no ordinary courage. Usually, common people are bound to tremble just by looking at someone from the royal family.”

“Is that so? It seems my courage has grown quite a bit because I frequently deal with devils.”

“I hear you are handling the matter regarding the Flowering Cult?”

Inquisitor Jason spoke up, cutting in between the two.

“Inquisitor Kasim is…”

However, as if cutting off his words,

Rashid immediately spoke up in his own voice.

“W-We are in charge of it. You can discuss that matter with me.”

Inquisitor Jason was flustered.

It was not that guy’s job, but the work Inquisitor Kasim was solely in charge of.

However, he could not say anything, as the two were already heading out of the office before he knew it.

It was an awkward situation to chase after them and explain.

“Haha…”

Thinking that surely nothing would happen,

Inquisitor Jason decided to forget about what had just occurred.

Before long, the two who had gone out of the office headed to a place comfortable for conversation, exchanging words.

“My introduction has been late. Eisen Bernstein. I am the Director of the Palace Court.”

Rashid, who could not possibly not know him, responded as if welcoming him.

‘Nice to meet you, cripple maker.’

“You did not need to introduce yourself; I already knew. Since you are the head of the Palace Court, how could I not know you?”

Eisen was puzzled.

“Was my face that famous?”

“Is this not the Palace Court that can bring down even flying birds? No matter if I am a member of the order, how could I not know the master of the Palace Court?”

“Haha, is that so? What is your name?”

“I am Lycian Borcia. A dispatched inquisitor.”

“Inquisitor Lycian…”

Recalling the incident with the princess from earlier, Eisen asked him.

“Besides that, your skill was quite something. I heard that the skills of inquisitors vary wildly, but still, to handle Her Highness Garcia to that extent, are you at a master level?”

“It is embarrassing to say it with my own mouth, but yes, I am around that level.”

“Indeed. You would be at least at that level.”

The meeting with him was extremely important in handling the matter of Sayaka.

Thus, Rashid slowly began to broach the subject.

“Did you say you came because of the Flowering Cult? In fact, we were also just starting to think of that matter as quite a headache.”