Rewinding time slightly: it was two hours since the start of the Monster Hunting Festival.
As students from the Royal Academy clashed with monsters across the territory, one man had ventured deeper into the Subnock Plain than any other.
"Hmph... trash. Know your place before a king."
"Gyauuuuu...!"
A blast of magic from that man—Rodel Aiwood—tore a hole straight through the monster’s chest. The creature collapsing with its chest hollowed out was a horned black bear. It was a reasonably powerful monster, yet it had been slain in a single strike by Rodel’s high-tier magic.
Behind Rodel, his two usual sycophants broke into applause for their master, who had secured an effortless, bloodless victory.
"Brilliant, Prince Rodel!"
"Truly magnificent, Your Highness! A beast of that size in just one strike!"
The one shouting and clapping was the smaller of the two followers. It was blatant flattery, and at the sycophant’s praise, Rodel gave a haughty snort.
"It is only natural. There is no way I would lose to a creature of this level."
Rodel Aiwood, the Third Prince of the Aiwood Kingdom. He had charged into the plains the moment the festival commenced and had already reached the threshold of the deep interior. It was a staggering pace that left all other students far behind.
"Even so... was this really for the best, Your Highness?" the larger follower asked.
Rodel turned back, his expression darkening with suspicion. "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, there was no need for you to participate in such trivial child’s play. A person of Your Highness’s stature shouldn't have to compete with the lowborn."
The sentiment was born of genuine admiration. While the majority of the world regarded Rodel as a selfish nuisance, he commanded fanatical support from a small circle, these two followers included. Part of that was due to the lingering influence of the late Queen Dowager, but it also stemmed from the fact that Rodel possessed a rare, undeniable talent for magic.
Rodel was a genius—at least when it came to magic. His mana capacity was vast, and his output was exceptional. Even as a student, he had mastered several high-tier spells; originally, he had been the focal point of everyone’s expectations as the leading figure of the next generation.
Reaching the deep interior of the plains in just two hours was no coincidence. It was the result of Rodel’s overwhelming talent.
His violent personality and utter disregard for those around him were also, strangely enough, well-received by a certain subset of people. There are always those who admire a rogue who refuses to be bound by rules or common sense. If one were to name historical greats of a similar ilk, names like Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, or perhaps Oda Nobunaga come to mind. To certain youths, there is an odd appeal in an individual who rejects the opinions of parents and superiors, tramples tradition, and seeks to create a new world.
These two followers were exactly that sort. They felt a sense of awe and reliability in Rodel’s tyranny—a man who ignored even the King’s opinions to forge his own path—and so they followed him.
"Hmph. The reason is obvious," Rodel declared.
"Obvious... is it?"
"Between that man who defied me in the classroom the other day and the teachers who saw fit to suspend me... there are far too many fools who do not understand who truly deserves respect." Rodel raised his right hand and pointed toward the sky. "I must make even the mediocrities understand who is meant to stand at the summit. Is it my eldest brother, who holds his position simply by birth? My second brother, who has no talent for magic? No, clearly not."
Rodel spoke with arrogant conviction, as if preaching the absolute truth of the world.
"I, Rodel Aiwood, am the one who shall stand in the heavens. I shall prove that with undeniable results."
He would produce results in this Monster Hunting Festival. A mere win would not suffice; it had to be an overwhelming victory. He intended to make his power known through visible achievements that even the most sightless commoner could grasp. That was why Rodel had bothered to participate in this event.
"You two need only follow me. I will show you exactly how I climb to the throne."
"Your Highness...!"
"Oh...!"
The two followers gasped at Rodel’s grandiloquent declaration. With the First Prince firmly established as the Crown Prince and next in line for the throne, no one but Rodel Aiwood would dare say such things so boldly.
In a certain sense, Rodel did possess the qualities of a king. He had the will to propose an ideal and the resolve to charge through a wasteland, believing firmly in his own success.
However, one must remember: no matter how much a rogue believes himself to be a king, talent alone does not guarantee success. To create a new world, one also needs wisdom and luck.
Whether the man named Rodel Aiwood possessed either was a highly questionable matter.
"Right, let us move. A bear like this is insufficient. I shall slay far greater prey!"
"Understood! But, Your Highness, what about this carcass...?"
"Leave it. I have no interest in it."
Rodel surged ahead. He pushed forward on his chosen path, walking with single-minded determination—never realizing that the road he traveled led not to glory, but to ruin.