"Forward! Forward! Charge! We’re taking the Crown Prince’s head!"
Rodel tore across the battlefield, leading a contingent of rebel soldiers. His target: the Crown Prince, commander-in-chief of the Kingdom Army. His goal: to prove once and for all that he was no mere puppet.
He mowed down the Kingdom’s soldiers with relentless magic, carving a path straight through the heart of the battlefield.
"Fire! Don't let them advance another step!"
At first, the Kingdom Army had laughed at the sight of Rodel charging blindly from the enemy lines. But as he unleashed wave after wave of high-output magic, shattering the ranks of soldiers acting as human barriers, their laughter died in their throats.
They loosed arrows and unleashed spells with everything they had, but Rodel would not be stopped. The rebel soldiers following in his wake fell one after another, but their leader pressed on.
At this rate, he might actually reach the main camp where the Crown Prince and Marquis Catreia were stationed.
"Forward! Victory is within our reach!"
The battlefield had been completely transformed by Rodel’s charge—an act of pure, reckless bravado. The tide had turned. Even though the numerical advantage remained with the Kingdom, it was they who now found themselves driven into a corner.
Perhaps there was a version of history where the awakened Rodel overturned the odds. A future where he slew the Crown Prince and Marquis Catreia, led his rebels to the Royal Capital, struck down his father and his second brother, and seized the throne for himself.
But that was not the future that unfolded.
A massive obstacle stood in his way—a wall too thick to breach, preventing Rodel from ever becoming the 'Supreme King' he envisioned.
"[Amaterasu.]"
Rodel froze.
A shadow fell over the battlefield, and a sudden flashback to the earlier devastation sent a cold shiver racing down his spine.
"[Stone Wall]!"
Abandoning his horse in a frantic roll, he hit the dirt and cast his defensive magic. A pillar of solid stone rose to shield him just as the solar beam struck.
"AARRGGHHHH!"
The rebels charging behind Rodel weren't so lucky. A chorus of agonizing screams erupted as the white light bathed them. Their momentum vanished in an instant, their ranks vaporized by a single blow.
"Now! Strike down the rebels!"
"Engage them!"
Lest stood firm before the Kingdom’s main camp, having successfully halted the enemy’s assault. At his signal, the soldiers of the Marquis Rosemary House surged forward. Led by Dieble, they pounced on the shattered remnants of the rebel charge.
"Kh... This magic... It’s the same as before...!"
"Yeah. Though I see you managed to block it."
"You...!"
Rodel crawled out from behind his stone wall and looked up. He glared with pure hatred at the enemy standing between him and his path to glory.
"You’re the one who fired that light magic... You’ve got a lot of nerve...!"
"I should be saying that to you. How many people do you think died on the Subnock Plain because of your nonsense?"
"............!"
Rodel’s eyes widened. For once, his gaze wasn't filled with arrogance, but with a rare flicker of genuine regret.
"...I’m surprised. Even an idiot prince can feel remorse for his failures."
"Idiot prince? You dare call me..."
"Am I wrong?"
"............"
Rodel’s face twisted. Having witnessed the death of his closest friends, he was painfully aware of his own stupidity. He couldn't bring himself to argue. However, he had no intention of rolling over and dying.
"You're young. Are you a student at the Royal Academy?"
"I am. You probably don't remember, but we’ve actually met before."
"............?"
Rodel furrowed his brow, staring intently at Lest’s face. He searched his memory, but he couldn't place him.
"...Well, I didn't expect you to remember."
Lest shrugged. To Rodel, someone like Lest had likely been nothing more than a nameless commoner—a pebble on the side of the road not worth a second glance.
"...State your name."
"Hmph."
Lest gave a mocking shrug at the prince's command.
"Lest Clover. I’m a Viscount—an upstart, if you want to get technical."
"I see... Then you already know who I am. I am Rodel Aiwood. I am the man who will destroy you all and become the King of this nation!"
Rodel gathered his mana and unleashed a spell. A sharp blast of flame roared toward Lest, only to be extinguished by a sudden wall of water.
The final act of the war between the Kingdom and the rebels had begun: a duel between the Third Prince, Rodel Aiwood, and the young hero, Lest Clover.