The wind blew gently through the trees. The birds chirped in the distance.
And standing like a wall of muscles and ego, my third brother, Prince Hyarus, pointed at me with the self-righteous confidence of a man who had never once tripped over his own shoelaces.
> "I challenge you to a duel!"
…
My first instinct?
Run.
Run very far. Possibly fake my death and open a bakery in another kingdom.
---
> "Okay, okay, think. Calm down. This is fine."
> "You trained. You're smart. You can reason your way out of this."
> "You are a proud, noble prince who believes in peace, humility, and avoiding broken bones."
I straightened up, gave a diplomatic smile, and said:
> "I humbly decline."
Hyarus blinked.
> "You what?"
> "I decline. I don't want to fight. It's pointless. We're brothers. Let's talk this out. Maybe over tea?"
> "Are you scared?" he asked, smirking.
> "No! I just value life."
> "Coward."
> "Strategist."
> "Weakling."
> "Pacifist."
> "Spineless."
> "Flexible."
> "Useless prince."
…Oh no.
He did NOT just say that.
---
For one split second, the world froze.
A calm breeze passed. My eye twitched.
Somewhere, I think I heard a violin string snap in my brain.
> "What did you call me?"
> "Useless. Just like the others say. Don't act brave now that Father threw you an engagement."
Ohhhh okay.
You can insult my sword. You can mock my training.
But mocking my growth like I didn't earn it?
Trigger pulled.
I smiled.
> "Very well then… I accept your duel."
> Oh gods, why did I say that?
---
Location: Royal Knight Training Grounds
The next morning…
I stood in the middle of the massive stone-floored arena, heart racing, surrounded by at least forty knights, ten nobles, and half the palace staff who had heard about the "duel between the 3rd and 5th prince."
Seraphina was sitting on the fence, munching an apple with a completely unreadable expression.
> "You're going to die," she said casually.
"But I believe in you. A little."
> "Thank you. That helps. A little."
I wore my basic tunic and light practice armor. Hyarus, of course, came out dressed like a gladiator who moonlighted as a demolition crew, flexing like a professional show-off.
The knights whispered:
> "This'll be over fast."
"Poor 5th prince… does he even have an ability?"
"Why isn't he using a real sword?"
"Is he smiling? Is that fear-smiling?"
Yes. Yes, I was.
---
Referee knight stepped forward.
> "This duel is between Prince Hyarus and Prince Alein. Wooden weapons only. First to knock down or disarm the other wins. Begin on my signal."
I raised my wooden sword slowly. My knees were doing their own dance at this point.
> "Any last words?" Hyarus smirked.
> "Yeah. I still think tea would've solved this."
---
"BEGIN!"
He came at me like a charging bull.
FAST. Strong. No hesitation.
I leapt to the side—
> "NOPE—!"
—and narrowly avoided getting turned into a floor decoration.
He spun mid-strike, slammed down another strike. I blocked it just barely with the wooden blade—and I felt my entire soul shake.
> "So this is the Iron Hand ability…" I muttered.
His swings were like hammers. His grip was monstrous. Every strike felt like he was trying to break the earth beneath me.
---
I danced. Sidestepped. Flipped. Crawled under one of his lunges like a goblin.
It wasn't pretty. But it was working.
> "STOP MOVING AND FIGHT ME!" he shouted.
> "NAH, I LIKE LIVING!"
---
The crowd started murmuring.
Seraphina yelled from the fence.
> "Alein, hit him! You're always telling me to stop overthinking!"
> "THAT'S DIFFERENT, I'M SMALLER THAN HIM!"
> "You're stalling!"
> "Strategically!"
---
Finally, one of his over-committed strikes left his side open.
> "Now or never."
I slid under his swing, turned, and struck him behind the knees.
He stumbled. I stepped in and slammed my wooden sword into the back of his shoulder, forcing him to drop his blade.
> "DISARMED!" the knight referee shouted.
Silence.
Then—
> "The winner… Prince Alein!"
---
…
> Oh gods, I won.
> Wait, I won?
> I WON?!
I looked around.
The knights were staring at me like I was a ghost.
The nobles whispered.
Seraphina…
Smiled.
Just a little.
---
I bowed slightly.
Then immediately collapsed on the ground like a pancake.
> "Medic. I need a medic. Preferably one that gives compliments."
---
The arena was still buzzing.
Some were whispering. Others looked stunned.
Seraphina kept smirking like she knew I was hiding cards no one else had seen yet.
I sat on the edge of the training platform, cradling my ribs. The adrenaline was gone, and pain was knocking on the door with a flaming axe.
> "I think I cracked something that wasn't meant to crack."
A knight offered water, and I raised my hand to wave him off—when suddenly—
> "THIS ISN'T OVER!"
THUD.
The wooden sword crashed down just inches from my face.
Hyarus.
Still standing, still glaring, his breath wild and shoulders trembling.
> "You dodged. You danced. You tricked me into dropping my blade."
> "...Which is how I won?" I offered weakly.
> "No. That was luck. You're not stronger than me."
> "Brother, it was a fair duel. You—"
> "—Shut up."
He raised the sword again.
Too close. Too fast.
He slammed it down across my shoulder before the knights could react.
I collapsed onto my side.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
> "Hyarus!" the knight captain barked.
> "That wasn't part of the duel!"
Seraphina was already vaulting over the fence. "HEY! What part of 'disarmed' did you not understand, you oversized toddler!?"
I groaned. My shoulder felt like someone had introduced it to a horse.
> Not good... That hit something real deal hard.
Then it happened.
That warm pulse from my chest.
Familiar. Ancient. Not magic… not quite.
My hand twitched.
A soft golden glow rippled across my skin. The bruising vanished. The pain melted. My shoulder shifted back into place with a soft snap.
Right there.
In front of everyone.
---
Silence. Absolute silence.
You could hear the sparrows outside judging me.
One knight whispered:
> "...Healing?"
A noble gasped:
> "Wait, did he use magic just now?"
> "No incantation."
"No staff."
"Is that… an ability?"
Seraphina was still standing beside me, wide-eyed.
She looked down as the last of the golden light faded from my collarbone.
> "...You've been hiding this?" she whispered.
> "Technically... yes and" I muttered. "But in my defense, I was doing an amazing job at hiding it, no because I don't anything about my healing ability."
---
Hyarus stepped back, eyes sharp.
> "You healed. Just now. Without any magic."
> "I didn't mean to," I said quickly, standing up. "It's just something that... happens when I push my limit."
> "That's not normal."
> "Yeah. I figured."
The knight commander stepped forward.
> "...This ability. It's not registered."
I nodded, defeated.
> "Because it never appeared during any official test."
Gasps again.
Some nobles started murmuring with new tones—not mockery… but interest.
Seraphina, however, crossed her arms, tilted her head and smirked.
> "So the useless prince was never useless after all."
> "Please don't spread that. I've worked so hard on my brand."
---
I could already feel it:
My peaceful anonymity?
Dead.
The rumors were going to spread faster than wildfire in a haystack palace.
But one thing was certain:
Whatever game I thought I was playing…
The board just changed.
---
Later that evening…
After the dramatic duel.
After Hyarus stormed off like a sore loser on leg day.
After the entire training court turned into a gossip storm.
I found myself standing stiffly in the royal observatory chamber—again.
The same one from years ago.
The same cold white floors, the same glowing blue mana appraisal stone on the pedestal.
And now, Father himself sat at the front seat, chin resting on one fist, watching me like a general inspecting a defective sword.
Great.
Absolutely great.
---
> "So," Father said at last.
"You've been hiding something."
> "I wouldn't say hiding, more like waiting for the right moment to not die horrifically."
He didn't smile.
Duke Zuel was there too, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Seraphina stood nearby with her arms folded like she wasn't tense but had bitten her bottom lip at least once.
> "I saw it with my own eyes," Father said. "That glow. Your wounds closed instantly."
> "Yes, but I told you… I didn't know how to control it."
> "Even so. I want a retest."
---
The knights brought in the official Appraisal Orb, glowing faintly on the silver stand.
Same process as before.
I stepped forward, slowly raised my palm, and placed it on the surface.
It hummed faintly. Everyone held their breath.
Then—
Nothing.
No glow.
No colors.
Just a slightly warm rock and awkward silence.
Again.
---
> "…Nothing?" the official mage whispered.
> "Not a flicker," the assistant said, double-checking the readings.
My fingers twitched against the orb. I tried to think of pain. Of exhaustion. Of falling during the duel. Of that burst of warmth when I needed it most—
Still nothing.
I pulled my hand back and turned to Father.
> "See? Same as always."
He stared at me, calm as ever, but the faint crease in his brow betrayed his thought.
> "This ability of yours…" he muttered.
"...Only activates when you're on the brink."
> "It's not something I will. It's something that… reacts."
Seraphina muttered from the side.
> "So basically your body is like an emergency auto-heal cheat code."
> "I prefer the term 'strategic plot armor,'" I said dryly.
Duke Zuel sighed. "Rare, unstable... But undeniably real."
> "And unprovable under normal means," Father added.
"Meaning the world will still call you powerless."
> "…As usual," I muttered.
---
I expected disappointment.
But instead, Father stood from his chair, arms behind his back, voice steady:
> "So be it."
> "Let the records remain unchanged."
Everyone turned to him.
> "You mean... leave it marked as no ability?" I asked.
He nodded.
> "That will be your advantage. Let the world underestimate you."
> "You would allow that?" Duke Zuel raised a brow.
> "Alein is my son. His worth isn't defined by a glowing orb," Father said simply.
"If he is strong… then let the world find out too late."
My eyes widened.
> Was that… praise? From my father? Real, unsarcastic praise??
I think I forgot how to breathe for a second.
---
As we left the room, Seraphina walked beside me.
> "Well," she said, nudging my arm.
"Looks like you're still officially useless."
> "Thank the gods. I have a reputation to maintain."
She smirked. "Useless prince with a secret self-healing gift and a sword style from unknown history… You're starting to sound like a protagonist in novel."
> "Don't curse me." with smile.
Chapter 4 end.