← The Doomed Mercenary’s Last Chance
After his bath, Kinain changed his clothes and headed for the training ground.
The moment he arrived, knights swarmed out like dogs spotting a bone.
“Your Highness! You’re a bit late today?”
“How about a spar with me today?”
“Hey, I’m first!”
The knights’ eyes sparkled as they looked at Kinain.
Fine, one at a time.
Kinain obliged all the knights who wanted him. He’d already beaten even the knight commander as a teenager, so no one was his match.
“Amazing!”
It was a one-sided match, but not a trace of inferiority or jealousy showed on the defeated knights’ faces.
Of course, it wasn’t that no one had ever harbored such feelings in the past. But the more they got to know Kinain, the more they found him impossible to hate. Whether they’d liked him or disliked him from the start, in the end everyone found themselves watching Kinain, wanting his recognition.
“Every time I spar with Your Highness, I feel like I’m fighting a humanoid monster.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course! I already look forward to which lucky young lady will marry Your Highness. I heard many marriage proposals came in — is there a young lady you fancy?” Kinain’s face colored with bewilderment.
“Where does everyone hear such rumors?”
“It’s less hearing them somewhere and more that rumors about Your Highness are heard everywhere. It’s like everyone’s only watching you.”
“Scary.”
“So, is there a young lady you fancy?”
“Of course.”
“Ooooh!”
At the confident answer, everyone flushed and cheered. Kinain grinned and raised his sword.
“Come, greet her. The young lady I’ll marry.”
“What, come on?!”
The knights booed, pretending playful disappointment. Kinain clutched his chest and staggered, pretending to be wounded by their jeers.
“Surely Your Highness has an ideal type?”
“My ideal type is…”
Kinain had been asked this question more than once or twice, and each time he’d answered that he had none. What use was an ideal type anyway? His marriage partner would be decided by the royal family, not him.
“Someone with pretty eyes, maybe.” But different words slipped out than he’d intended.
Kinain touched his lips with startled eyes, sitting still.
Did I like people with pretty eyes?
While he stood there bewildered, the knights started chattering excitedly among themselves. The topic, which had started with ideal types, changed and changed again until it reached love between second genders.
“Your Highness, does imprint really exist? It comes up often in novels and plays, but I wonder if it actually happens. Souls connecting to souls — I’d sooner believe spirits actually exist.”
“Well…”
*I don’t know about imprint, but spirits do exist.* As Kinain thought that, a young knight standing beside the one who’d asked suddenly cut in.
“Right! Your Highness is a dominant alpha, isn’t he? Wow, every time I see Your Highness, I understand why everyone says an alpha should inherit the throne.”
At the young knight’s words, silence fell over the training ground. But unlike usual, this was a silence of agreement.
Was it right to inherit the throne merely for being born first? Of course, the first prince’s abilities weren’t lacking — but with someone to compare to, he couldn’t help looking relatively insufficient. A recessive omega and a dominant alpha were a tilted scale from the very start.
If the second prince sincerely wanted the throne, most would support his will.
The only problem was that Kinain didn’t want what other people wanted.
“I just swing a sword a bit; politics is different from swordsmanship. And I really hate headache-inducing stuff.” His tone was light, as if the young knight’s words were a silly joke. His calm face looked almost innocent, as if completely unaware of what the knights expected.
Realizing this attempt had failed too, the knights exchanged disappointed glances.
Kinain sensed the looks they exchanged but pretended not to notice to the end. Since coming of age, more and more people had taken to provoking him this way. It seemed best to leave before more talk created needless rumors.
“I’ve warmed up, so I’ll be going.”
“Where to?”
Kinain whispered in a small voice into the ear of the knight who’d asked.
“It’s a secret, but you’re going outside the palace again, aren’t you?”
That Kinain hated being cooped up in the palace and slipped out at every opportunity was already a famous story. Kinain put a finger to his lips — *shh* — and left the training ground.
Heading to the stables after packing, Kinain sighed inwardly.
Should’ve come out a little later.
But an unwelcome face was already walking toward him from the opposite end of the corridor. Unlike what he felt inside, Kinain bowed with a neutral expression.
“Good morning.”
Unlike usual, Hasan didn’t ignore Kinain’s greeting and pass by.
“I understand you have private lessons soon. Where are you going?” It was no surprise that Hasan knew his daily schedule down to the detail. Kinain found himself staring at that sharp face with its somewhat gloomy corners.
Feels like I haven’t seen him in ages.
Though he’d seen him just the day before yesterday. Being in the same royal palace, bumping into each other every other day was unavoidable, wanted or not.
Before his ill-tempered brother could get angry about being stared at, Kinain bowed his head and answered.
“As you know, I’m not interested in such boring things. I’m removing myself first so the teacher doesn’t waste his precious time in vain.”
“Ha! Saying you know everything without even listening to lessons?”
“It’s not that…”
“I really have an amazing little brother.”
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Hasan tried to shoulder past Kinain hard. Normally Kinain would have deliberately pretended to be pushed back. But this time he didn’t, and Hasan had to stagger comically from the impact.
“You…!”
“Oh, you should be careful.”
Despite the worried words, Kinain looked down at Hasan with an expressionless face. The face that had looked cheerful when smiling now — with only the smile gone — was cold as if made of ice.
Hasan glared at Kinain, his lips moving as if he wanted to argue about something. But whether he realized arguing here would only make himself look foolish, or felt uncomfortable at Kinain’s suddenly changed attitude, he left without a word.
Watching the retreating back grow distant, Kinain tilted his head.
Why did I do that?
It belatedly occurred to him that it was unlike him. But in that moment, he’d been unable to suppress the loathing surging up toward Hasan. He hadn’t felt this way even when slapped by him — strange to be this angry over a few trivial words.
Bad dreams? I keep doing things unlike myself today.
Kinain shook his head and resumed walking toward the stables.
Kinain had started roaming outside the palace after awakening as a dominant alpha. Since that day, an atmosphere had subtly formed in the palace of pushing Kinain as the next king.
I’d refuse the throne even if it were free.
That was Kinain’s honest feeling, but no one understood his heart. In the end, Kinain began expressing his will through action, and that had now become a hobby.
“Shall we go?”
Disguised as a wandering mercenary, Kinain took the horse’s reins. Usually he moved without setting any particular destination, but today he rode as if he knew where he had to go.
By the time he realized this about himself, he’d already ridden a full half-day straight.
“Wow, really strange today.”
Why had he come here? It felt like being bewitched by something.
Dismounting, Kinain took the reins and began walking slowly. He planned to rest himself and let the horse rest too, heading for a nearby village first.
After walking a little like that, Kinain met merchants coming from the opposite direction. They were about to pass him by, but feeling oddly concerned, they spoke first.
“Are you heading to the village over there?”
“Yes, but…”
“Don’t go, whatever your reason. It’s unspeakable there now.”
“What do you mean…”
Suddenly his heart began pounding. Kinain tilted his head, pointlessly pressing a hand to his chest. Meanwhile the merchant’s words continued.
“A few days ago a landslide buried an entire village. They say there are no survivors — such a pity… Hey! I said don’t go!”
The merchant’s urgent voice calling him didn’t reach his ears.
His heart felt like it would burst.
No survivors?
No. That couldn’t be. Because… because…
At last the village appeared before Kinain’s eyes. Or rather, what had been a village.
Seeing the village buried under mounds of earth, Kinain’s gaze shook violently.
“That can’t… be.”
Because here… *he* should be here.
But Kinain couldn’t recall who he was.
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