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That\'s what Aric originally wanted from Nero.

Azgoth nodded. "I understand. You can go now."

Carl followed the etiquette of the imperial palace and retreated.

Azgoth would pave the way for Carl to gain the support of the military. They would present Carl with problems that need to be resolved with blood and death.

Carl recalled the dream he had in Hilpin: a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

All of that awaited Carl on the road ahead.

Of course, the thoughts he had then and now remained unchanged. As long as he could survive, it was okay.

***

"How come you didn\'t kill him?" Adrian muttered alone in an empty room.

However, those words were clearly addressed to another person, and a reply soon came back.

"I didn\'t think it was necessary," a voice responded from the shadows on one side of the room.

Adrian didn\'t look up from the document illuminated by the magical lamp.

"Camilla, I said I would leave the judgment of life and death up to you, but that didn\'t mean you should act without any reason. You should know that."

After Adrian\'s grave voice, there was silence for a moment.

"The 4th prince drew his sword but could not do anything."

"Couldn\'t do anything?"

Adrian flipped through the documents with an eerily loud sound. His eyes, as bright as the sun, read the text indifferently.

"So, is it true that he couldn\'t even surpass the level of a mere novice? Did the assassin really reveal his identity and fight openly?"

The shadow responded with silence.

"Go away."

"Yes."

The shadows seemed to move, and Adrian sensed that his most enigmatic assassin had disappeared from the room.

The only people who saw the scene in person were Carl, Bilford, and Camilla.

Since Adrian couldn\'t ask Carl and Bilford for details, the only one left was Camilla, but her behavior was strange.

She was suspicious from the beginning.

Even though she followed Adrian, she received nothing except funds for her activities. Instead, she made a risky deal, asking Adrian to do her a favor later, and he accepted it.

For Adrian, Camilla and the \'bloody ring finger\' were a powerful force he couldn\'t discard.

Tuk. Tuk. Tuk...

Adrian tapped the desk with his fingertips, organizing his thoughts.

They tried to either nip the problem in the bud through assassination or identify it.

But both efforts failed, meaning there was something he couldn\'t know, and Camilla was hiding something.

\'Is this an overreaction? Or, is all of this part of Azgoth\'s plan that I haven\'t noticed?\'

Adrian had doubt after doubt.

It was inconceivable that Carl would already know Adrian well, and that was why he hid himself with an incredibly sharp guard.

After the death of his mother Emma, Adrian felt as lost as when he first uncovered the truth behind it.

But it didn\'t last long; Adrian quickly gathered his thoughts.

Anything that got in the way had to be removed.

***

\'A strange being…\'

Outside the imperial palace, black shadows moved vaguely like fog.

Camilla, who easily passed the heavily guarded perimeter of the imperial palace, thought about Carl.

She was very close to Carl and could clearly hear the conversation between him and Bilford.

Bilford was decent for his age, but he couldn\'t compare to Carl\'s strangeness.

How did Carl recognize the assassin with the \'bloody ring finger\'? And how did he block the attack area with his sword as if he had foreseen it?

How did Camilla accurately aim at the hidden shadow?

In a place where only energetic moonlight illuminated, a shadow seeped in and disappeared.

It was a dark night.

***

After being promised a mission to support the military by Azgoth, Carl devoted himself to martial arts even more than before.

He reduced the time spent in the imperial library, focusing instead on studying strategy, tactics, and historical facts about actual wars.

The librarians seemed a little disappointed that Carl, who had been studying various fields, was suddenly focusing only on military studies.

Today, Carl devoted the entire morning to learning martial arts. After utilizing his quick recovery ability during lunch, he resumed learning martial arts in the afternoon.

"It\'s too late to ask now, but aren\'t long weapons the best?"

Hearing Carl\'s words during a break, both Bilford and Catherine turned to look at him.

"It seems too reckless to use a long sword against an opponent holding a spear or halberd. The reach difference is too significant, and I don\'t think I can handle the power of swinging a long weapon."

"You\'re right. You\'ve observed correctly," Bilford nodded at Carl\'s words.

When watching movies or reading novels, Lucas thought it was natural for the protagonist to use a sword.

However, when he learned martial arts, he realized that long weapons were the strongest. He could say for sure.

"To be clear, when discussing armament in general mercenary techniques, the best weapons to give to ordinary soldiers are spears and shields. It\'s best to give well-trained heavy infantry a halberd."

"Depending on the situation, do you use weapons such as blunt instruments or short swords to pierce gaps in armor?"

"Yes."

"Then why has longsword swordsmanship developed so much?"

This was a natural question. If long weapons were the best, why did longsword swordsmanship thrive?

"Because there is no weapon better than a long sword to understand the essence of battle."

Catherine, who was listening to the conversation, suddenly spoke up.

"Spear and shield are a stable combination and very powerful. It\'s also easy to handle. However, because it\'s so stable, it\'s difficult to learn the key aspects of combat. And it\'s cumbersome to carry around."

Catherine took a stance with the spear and shield provided in the training area. She hid behind the shield and lunged, swinging her spear.

The shield covered her body reliably, so there was nothing to fear.

"But as Lord Carl knows, swords are difficult weapons to handle."

"Difficult…"

Catherine nodded.

"Only by learning a thoroughly calculated posture and performing it without hesitation can you protect yourself while attacking the enemy. A spear and shield are good for turning a farmer into a soldier, but there\'s no weapon better than a sword for training a knight. And you can carry it with you anytime, anywhere."

For nobles who could be attacked by assassins at any time, walking around without a weapon was too dangerous. In that respect, swords were much better than long weapons.

"Also, once you can control mana, the advantage of long weapons becomes almost meaningless. In the end, an individual\'s skill determines everything. Just as a knight with a spear cannot defeat a master with a dagger."

In other words, there\'s no need to teach soldiers to use longswords, but for nobles and knights who will handle mana, the best weapon is one that fits well in their hands.

Since most people use swords as part of their culture, it\'s natural that many knights and nobles use swords as their primary weapon.

Then, another question arose for Carl.

"Then, aren\'t twin swords stronger than the long sword?"

Dual swords versus long swords! For Lucas, who only saw battles in media such as cartoons and movies, this issue needed in-depth exploration.

"First of all, let\'s be clear: longswords usually win by a landslide, assuming no one can handle mana."

"…Why?"

"Because it\'s faster to swing one sword with two hands than to swing each sword with one hand. The important thing is to be fast, not just strong."

In battle, the faster one sets the tempo. To swing a sword with one hand, you must use centrifugal force, naturally slowing the speed.

"If you use a very short sword, you may swing it quickly, but you lose a lot of reach."

"Hmm…"

"And dual swords are very difficult to handle. If you defeat a longsword with dual swords, it\'s not because the dual swords are strong, but simply because the wielder\'s talent is exceptional."

"Then, how about when handling mana?"

Carl asked seriously.

Catherine and Bilford felt a little anxious, wondering if Carl would suddenly switch to dual swords.

Carl was merely indulging in the common argument: \'Which is stronger?\'

"If you use mana, can\'t you handle a long sword like a dagger with one hand?"

"That\'s true, but… Hmm… Sorry. I haven\'t learned any record of it."

"Even in the Imperial Knights?"

"Yes. I have never heard of a skilled knight who survived long enough to use dual swords and manipulate mana."

Those who insisted on dual swords before controlling mana all died. Unless you are a great genius, you are likely to end up as a loser if you use dual swords in actual combat.

And those who survived all gave up their dual swords. I\'d rather carry a sword and shield, or some kind of cheeky double sword..

"So, in other words, the dual swords have not yet been proven to be weak in the area of mana handling, right?"

"that… … . yes…"

Carl nods heavily at Catherine\'s shaky voice.

This debate is not over yet. Maybe it will never end.

… … So who is stronger?

"… … Would you like to learn dual swords?"

Bilford speaks very cautiously.

They misunderstood that it was because Carl wanted to wield dual swords. He cannot help but misunderstand it that way given the circumstances.

"huh? No, it\'s okay. Just handling a long sword and a long weapon is daunting, so what kind of dual swords I can handle?"

So, Bilford was embarrassed when Carl rejected it so lightly.

"Then why did you ask?"

"…It wouldn\'t be a bad idea to learn a little bit of it as part of my culture."