The once dazzling and glamorous venue had turned into chaos and confusion.
More than ten people dressed in black… probably all of them were mages.
And not just any mages, but ones with considerable skill.
The window they had entered through was far above the ground. It would have been impossible to infiltrate without using magic to levitate their bodies.
The royal mages, acting swiftly, cast their magic. However, the black-clad mages easily evaded their attacks.
Around me, the noble sons and daughters were in a state of panic.
Some even had tears in their eyes, looking anxious.
Well, it can’t be helped.
This wasn’t a drill or anything; it was a clear assassination attempt by attackers with murderous intent.
“U-Uwaaah!”
The magical battle raging above our heads sent shockwaves down to us, causing some of the noble sons and daughters to collapse onto the ground, their legs giving out.
Even the four noble sons who had been blown away by the genius noble daughter earlier were now grimacing at the scene unfolding before them.
The only ones who seemed unfazed were the adult nobles, myself… and the genius noble daughter beside me.
I could understand the adults being calm, but… could the genius noble daughter also have some experience with this?
As for me, I had crossed the line between life and death many times in my previous life, and I had even died once, so I wasn’t shaken by this.
In fact, I was excited by the fierce battle unfolding before me.
Ah, that’s right. I wonder if my parents and brother are okay.
I glanced around and… found them.
There didn’t seem to be any issues.
Even if an attack were to veer toward my family, my father or mother would protect them.
My brother, too, could use magic beyond his years, but my parents were, of course, even stronger.
I knew this well, having sparred with them several times.
Of course, the result was a crushing defeat.
…This is frustrating. Extremely frustrating.
I want to join the battle in front of me.
I want to grab a sword and rampage to my heart’s content.
My underlying desires began to surface.
But, unfortunately, I didn’t have a sword, and barging in and disrupting the situation wouldn’t be good. I suppressed my urge with a thin veneer of reason.
The nobles were safe, the royals were safe, and the only damage was to the building.
What were these black-clad mages trying to accomplish?
An assassination? Too sloppy.
A riot? That doesn’t make sense.
Then…!
“A diversion…!”
At that moment.
“Kyaaa!”
“—Clara!”
The second queen, collapsed on the ground, reached out her hand.
Ahead of her was the second princess, being held by one of the black-clad mages.
“P-Please, help…”
The royal guards were too preoccupied with the other black-clad mages to assist.
The nobles and even the king himself tried to recover the second princess… but the black-clad mage holding her vanished like mist.
They’re trying to escape.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the broken window, thinking the same thing.
That was the only escape route, and if they focused their magic on it, there was a high chance they could take down the enemy.
But no one acted.
Why? Because the second princess was being held hostage.
No one could risk harming the second princess.
This thought must have crossed everyone’s mind.
“Heh…”
I circulated my fighting spirit through my body and kicked off the ground.
What am I doing, you ask?
Of course… I’m chasing the black-clad mage who took the second princess.
Even though they had disappeared, the life force within their body couldn’t be erased.
At most, they could hide their appearance and magic.
But for someone like me, who can use fighting spirit, it was as if they were in plain sight.
Fighting spirit is a transformation of life force.
So I could sense it, see it, and feel it.
“Father, I’ll be right back.”
“Go on.”
We exchanged a brief word as I passed by.
As expected of my father. He understood in an instant and gave me permission.
I kicked off the ground and leaped out of the broken window.
I fell due to gravity, rolled upon landing to disperse the impact, and immediately dashed forward again.
If I had a proper weapon, I would continue the chase, but unfortunately, the only thing I had was a dinner knife I swiped from the banquet.
I needed to retrieve my sword from the carriage.
But then…
“Lord Kraze!”
“Frill?”
Below me, running along the side of the building like an acrobat, was Frill.
“Lord Dimitrion will follow you shortly!”
With that, Frill threw something to me.
“Whoa… Ha, nicely done, Frill!”
“Of course, I am your maid, Lord Kraze. Please be careful!”
With Frill’s words in my ears, I picked up speed even more.
“Haha, good, good…!”
Gripping the sword Frill had thrown to me, I felt my excitement grow.
The distance between me and the black-clad mage was shrinking rapidly.
They might think they’re invisible, but I could see them perfectly.
Conversely, since I didn’t have any magic, they couldn’t detect me through their spells.
…I could see them.
Perhaps they couldn’t maintain the invisibility spell for long, as they had now revealed themselves.
The second princess… was still being carried. She wasn’t moving, likely put to sleep by a spell.
Now, what should I do?
Before engaging in combat, I needed to retrieve the second princess.
Because if she became a hostage, I wouldn’t be able to act freely.
So… should I go for a surprise attack?
Fortunately, I’m small, so my footsteps are quiet.
Plus, with the experience from my previous life and daily training, I’ve mastered walking without making a sound.
I silently increased my speed and threw the dinner knife I had swiped.
Though it’s just a dinner knife, it’s coated in fighting spirit, so it would easily pierce through a human body.
“Guh…”
It pierced him cleanly.
Since neither I nor the knife possessed magic, the mage didn’t detect it.
The black-clad mage looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where the attack came from while still running—
“From above.”
Running along the side of the wall, I brought my sword down from overhead.
“Damn it…”
A metallic clang rang out as my sword was blocked.
I see, they used a barrier to defend.
“Well… I completed the first step, though.”
I set the second princess down gently on the roof.
Yes, my sword attack was just a distraction.
My true objective was rescuing the second princess.
When I struck, their grip on the princess loosened, so I took the chance to pull her away.
It was a bit rough, but I hope she’ll forgive me.
With the princess safe, I could now fight without restraint.
“I’ve sparred with my brother and parents, but… I’ve never had a real kill-or-be-killed fight before. And now, I can kill without any complaints… This is perfect!”
I closed in on the black-clad mage by breaking through the roof, sword at the ready.
Without hesitation, I swung my sword diagonally.
Once again, it was blocked by the barrier.
“Who… what are you…?!”
I thrust, slashed horizontally, aiming for the arms and neck.
But each strike was blocked by the barrier.
Well, I guess this is the limit when I’m not imbuing my sword with fighting spirit.
Ah, right…
“You’re asking what I am?”
Using the mage as a stepping stone, I leaped toward the wall.
Pushing off the ledge, I kicked the wall with all my might.
“Just a sword-crazy maniac!”
“Damn you…!”
The force from my kick gathered at the tip of my sword.
A perfect thrust.
The black-clad mage immediately deployed their barrier, but…
“This is bad…”
My thrust shattered the barrier.
“Let me take the first thing from you.”
With a fluid motion, I swung my sword, cutting off the mage’s left arm.
“Guhhh…”
Blood sprayed as the black-clad mage let out a pained groan.
But they still had fight left in them.
Surprisingly tough.
“I’ll kill you… I’ll definitely kill you…”
“Good, good… come on, try and kill me. It wouldn’t be fun otherwise!”
The battle resumed.
This time, the mage kept their distance, casting spells at me.
“Wind, huh?”
A faint sound of the wind cutting through the air.
It was likely a wind blade.
Nearly invisible, it’s specialized for assassination and ambushes…
“That’s too soft!”
I swiftly swung my sword left and right.
With a clang, the wind blades were dispelled.
“Put in more effort… this is boring!”
Wind blades… compressed air explosions… the mage was finally showing their true power.
And it was quite formidable.
…This is it. This is what I’ve been craving.
I dodged the wind blades, nullified them with my sword, avoided the air explosions, and steadily closed the distance.
The tension of knowing one wrong move could mean death.
The thrill of fighting with only a sword.
That fact alone was enough to excite me.
“Thanks for this.”
In a swift motion, I slashed through the mage’s side, cutting from their waist to their shoulder.
