El was fully aware that his Zoyan command for horses to stop and stand still would not hold over them forever, and he figured he had but a few seconds till they recuperate their wits.

He also knew there was no way in hell that he would let them take him anywhere, and if he had to fight, then that path had been put in front of him. No different than fighting the dungeon.

So, he poured twenty of his Mana units into his long staff, turning around and examining them, trying to figure out who of the soldiers would be the first threat he would have to deal with.

Three had crossbows on ready, but their shafts he could easily block with his staff. And everyone else looked equally menacing.

So, before he lost his initiative, he started to speak in a hushed yet very threatening voice,

“I’m not your servant, could never be your servant. You will not command me.”

Even as he was uttering those words, he felt a familiar Energy gather inside him, making his stomach all warm and cozy, feeling it growing, then bolting through his entire body.

He knew what it meant, the time when Energy steers by itself, uncalled for, when it starts erupting inside of him as if it were a volcano.

He expected his body to start trembling as if he were experiencing the pleasure of a sexual kind. So he took deep breaths, trying to compose himself, fighting an urge to shut his eyes, steadied the onslaught of emotions, his whole body trembling, feeling the new power traveling through him and invading every part of his body.

And when a few seconds had passed and his trembling stopped, he was Level 21.

Finally! I guess, standing up against this clown is the right decision to make. That is new. An upgrade after making a conscious decision. But now, of all times?? He thought, fighting an urge to go into the system and find what the new level had given him.

Usually, his upgrades occurred after tiring himself senselessly, either through fighting or exercising.

This was the first time that a mere resolution to stand up and not be captured has induced the upgrade. And he loved it. So much that, suddenly, he could not stop smiling.

And when he turned his eyes on Principal Lub, his smile turned to an evil grin that if Principal Lug had any brain cells working right, it would have scared the living light out of him.

Then he heard the neighing of the horses and he saw soldiers pushing them backward, making more room for him, making him think what a menacing posture he must have assumed. He even glanced back at the Principal who suddenly became speechless, with mouth wide open and eyes bulged out.

Then he realized that Scarface behind him had dropped his rope, revealing his face as he pulled out his long sword and pointed it toward the soldiers, assuming a very threatening defensive stance.

“I know you…” the Principal started to speak, an uncontrollable quiver in his voice.

Scarface spit toward him and growled. “I know most principals are good at talking. Not so good at dying. You must consider yourself special.”

“Stop!!” sounded a command coming from a rider with red fathers in his helmet. The rider slowly rode from behind to stand in the line with other soldiers and then pulled his helmet off, revealing his face. “We did not come here to fight you,” he added.

“But, prince lEKrj, we came here to bring that… imposter, that spy to-”

“Stop!!” Prince Kerwin ordered him. “You do not need to remind me why I am here.”

“But, my Prince…”

“Quiet!!” Prince Kerwin barked at him again.

One of the soldiers approached the Prince and whispered something in his ear.

“You’re Trim Fastfinger. I hear you proved yourself to be a good fighter. And even better card player,” Prince Kerwin said, staring at Trim.

Trim grinned. “I stopped playing cards for a long time now. Wish I could do the same with fighting. But then, most men wish for what they can’t have, don’t we?”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The soldier who came to the Prince to whisper to him had suddenly holstered his spear and took down his helmet with one hand, revealing a face that looked very familiar to Trim, making Trim nod his head in a greeting gesture, and the soldier did likewise.

“So, you’re a prince, huh?” Alice suddenly spoke, stepping toward him, crossing her hands in front of her.

“That’s what they say. But then, those people, they lie awfully lot, so I do not know, to tell you the truth. But, you tell me, what has happened here, child?”

“I’m less child than you’re a prince, but then, I understand why you feel threatened by me to call me such a name.”

“I do not feel -”

“I mean, you were not here yesterday when I killed a dozen of the beasts.”

“Now, you killed at least twice that many,” El corrected her, suddenly feeling a lot more relaxed.

“I’d say more than that,” Trim added.

“Well, if I was here yesterday…” The Prince started to speak, but Alice stopped him.

“What? You would have killed more than me?” she said and smiled at him, then chuckled out loudly. “Easy for you to say now. Maybe a child would have killed more beasts than you, maybe not.”

“Yeah, hard to -”

“Oh, wait, not hard to find out, not at all. Just as it happens, we are leaving to finish off those beasts. Maybe, if you are not too scared, you would,” Alice smiled coquettishly at the Prince, even shook her head so her hair could fly all around her. “Care to see them for yourself.”

“What?”

“Will you not do it? Show a poor, helpless child how to kill the beasts that can sever man’s neck in the blink of an eye?”

“Are you saying…”

“Well, we need to track and kill them before they group themselves again, grow in numbers, and return to pillaging and killing defenseless villagers. So, you can come along, show us how the Prince does it. If not because you swore to protect the innocent, maybe you want to do it to show one helpless child… how it’s done. Or maybe, I’ll just go and do it in your stead.”

The Prince finally was able to take his eyes off her and chuckled as he looked in the distance, trying to compose himself. “Maybe,” he said, now returning Alice's smile. “Maybe I will do just that.”

“So, you can ride back to your big castle and talk in your taverns about how you led the fight that protected the whole Twin Oak district and how you made it all so safe for all the little children here. Be a glorious defender of all this land. So they can make songs about you and sing them when they get too drunk to know what actually they are singing about.”

Prince Kerwin chuckled, but he let her talk, and when she finished, he returned her smile and said.

“I don't care much about the glory. Others might have it. But I do like taverns. And songs. If I slaughter more beasts than you, maybe you yourself can write me into a song? You seem so good with words, it seems fair to make such a request.”

“But... I do want to see one of those creatures that are wolves but are not wolves. And besides... Yes. Why not? I planned to go all the way up North, to ride along our border there and see its state for myself. See all the dangers that may be lurking there. So, this would be then on our way anyway. And who knows, maybe on the way there, I can teach you some manners.”

“Or maybe I’ll teach you some,” Alice answered right back. “But only if I see some potential in you. But as of right now… I’m not so sure.”

Prince chuckled and turned his eyes to the sky. “Well, I guess, I better talk to you master then.”

“I’m not her master, but I’ll talk to you. You can call me El.”

“My Prince, I have to protest!!” the Principal said angrily and rode toward the Prince. “I was given the order to fulfill and I will -”

“Hush!!”

“You will not speak to me like-”

“Hush!! If you can’t control yourself, what good are you? Now, as a punishment, you will get off your horse. Give it to that… poor child there. She is more of a warrior deserving a horse than you are.”

“What?”

Prince Kerwin closed the distance to the Principal and in a hushed voice that he hoped nobody could hear told the Principal, “Don’t you see all the blood around? It actually ran down the street, all the way to the river. So, you’d have me fight Scarface and Trim the Fastfinger? They alone could slaughter a dozen of my men! And on top of that, you’d have me face a person who people say might be a Paladin himself? I tell you, I would not want to cross the sword with any of them till I see them battle and judge for myself what they are capable of doing. And if that is even half of what they say is true, most likely not even afterward, not if I can help it. So… Tell me, in your infinite wisdom that you so flash out all the time, how is that fighting them here and now, how can that be smart?”

“I was the one who was given a command here, and will not be -”

“You think you have command over me?”

“But we are on the same side. If this is about something I’ve done -”

“No. It seems you lost your wits a long time ago if you had any at all. You walk. And be glad if I decide to bring you back. I’m not ten anymore. Now, ride down and give her the horse.”

“My Prince, these are my people and I will not let you -”

Suddenly instead of words, the blood poured out of the Prince’s mouth, the dagger's handle sticking out, Prince Kerwin's hand holding it.

Then he swiftly pulled the dagger out and grabbed the reins of Principal's horse as Lub's hands went to his mouth, trying to stop the blood that was springing out.

A second later, Prince Kerwin pushed the Principal out of the saddle to fall down hard to the ground, and then hopped off his horse to come and stand over him.

“I want you to know, even though I wanted to see you dead for a long time, this is not about the vengeance, about what you've done to my poor mother. This is… because of your incompetence and disobedience. Oh, yeah… almost forgot. This is your coin," Prince Kerwin said and took a big silver coin and dropped it into Principal's lap. "You left it on my mom’s table after you raped her. You remember, right?”

“On the other hand,” Prince Kerwin said but then changed his mind, picking back the coin and looking at a young villager who stood nearby watching. “You want to earn it?” he asked him, showing him the coin.

The young villager nodded eagerly his head.

“Then take his body to the forest. Far away from here. And just dump him there for beasts to have him. Dig no hole for him. No grave. He does not deserve one.”

The Principal was still twitching, uttering incoherent sounds, his eyes bulged out in disbelief.

“You had so much just a few minutes ago. And look at you now, now you have nothing.” Prince Kerwin said as he slid his throat, finally ending him.