(Third Person POV)
"Hahaha, very good. I won’t defend against this attack. Co at with everything you’ve got."
Tiran put his hands in his pockets and stood relaxed, waiting for Diana’s attack.
"Hooooh!"
Diana exhaled the breath she had been holding and suddenly vanished from her spot.
Swish!
A mont later, she reappeared behind Tiran, her body crackling with electricity.
Booosh!
A long red line appeared on Tiran’s chest, and blood began gushing from it like a waterfall.
Drip! Drip!
"Sigh ,That was my strongest attack, and yet it only caused a surface wound... the difference is just too great."
Diana let out a frustrated sigh and returned her sword to her spatial ring.
"There’s no need to be disappointed. If it had been soone else, you might’ve defeated them with that strike. Hahahaha."
Tiran turned around, still keeping his hands in his pockets.
The wound looked terrible, but within monts, the bleeding stopped, and the wound began closing at a speed visible to the naked eye until it disappeared completely without a trace.
"Your fighting style is very similar to Emperor Orlax’s. Where did you learn that?"
"I was the one who trained Orlax in swordsmanship... Wait a minute! Emperor Orlax?! When did that happen?!"
Diana started asking several questions at once, causing both Alice and Tiran to look at her strangely.
"You’re the one who trained Lax in swordsmanship? I didn’t know that."
"I heard about the first princess being in the imperial palace four years ago, but I didn’t expect you were there to train the emperor."
Unlike Alice, who had just learned all this a few minutes ago by reading Diana’s emotions, Tiran already had so knowledge about it from the past.
"Forget that. Tell now, how did Orlax beco emperor? I’m sure he told he didn’t want the position before I left the palace."
Diana was genuinely curious, wanting to know what had happened during that ti.
Alice began explaining everything that had happened so far to Diana, who listened attentively.
"Sigh ,If I had known this, I would’ve gone to help Orlax... he must feel so lonely in that place."
A gentle look appeared on Diana’s face as she recalled what happened four years ago.
Back then, she had traveled to the Tirshtain Empire to request aid and seek alliances to continue the war.
The previous emperor had refused to et her several tis, leaving her feeling discouraged.
So, to ease her frustration, she went to the training grounds.
There, she saw him—a young boy with black hair and red eyes, surrounded by several others who were punching him.
But the boy didn’t just sit there—he was fighting back.
Yet because of their numbers and the fact they were older than him, they quickly overpowered him and beat him until he couldn’t move.
"You little bastard. That’s what you get for standing up to us. Know your place."
The group walked away with mocking smiles on their faces.
After they left, the boy lay on the ground for a while before trying to get up, only to fail due to his injuries.
At that mont, Diana approached and sat next to him, staring at him with curiosity.
"What do you want? Are you here to mock too? I swear, when I get strong enough, I’ll crush all of you!"
There was a deep hatred in his voice, too strong for a ten-year-old boy.
"Why did you fight back even though you knew you’d lose?"
"What, did you want to just sit there and take the hits like an idiot? Fighting back is the only thing I can do."
Diana sat down and stared at the ceiling for a mont before looking at Orlax again.
"If you keep this up, it’s only going to get worse. You need to think of another way to deal with them."
"And what can I do? I’m just a bastard with no allies and no strength of my own. If I do anything to them, I’ll be executed on the spot. So what do you suggest, huh?"
A sarcastic smile appeared on Orlax’s face as he explained his current situation.
"Then don’t do anything to them. Instead, start making friends—or do things that feed their egos. Once you gain their trust, you’ll learn their weaknesses. Then, you can take them all down at once."
Diana’s cold eyes sent a chill down Orlax’s spine for the first ti in his life.
"And if you’re strong enough to face them directly, find a way to fight with the least losses possible. For example, let them fight among themselves, then you strike the final blow and claim everything."
She stood up, leaving Orlax lying there, lost in thought.
Then she resud training with her sword, ignoring everything around her.
Those words changed Orlax’s mindset from that day onward.
For example, in the future, he used the sa thod with Catherine.
He endured her insults—not because he couldn’t defeat her, but because he wanted to do it quietly.
He made her the caretaker of Sera to gain her trust. Through that trust, she confessed her wrongdoings, and Orlax used her confession to eliminate her with minimal losses.
"And what about my pride? Am I just supposed to ignore it like that?"
Orlax stood up slowly and asked Diana, who was busy training.
"Pride is important and drives many of our actions, but if it gets in your way—get rid of it. Once you’ve completed your mission, your pride will return stronger than before, because in the end, only results matter."
A fiery determination burned in Orlax’s eyes—flas that would one day build the future we know today.
"Hey you! Teach how to fight with a sword!"
Diana stopped swinging her sword and looked at Orlax with amusent.
"Oh ho? First of all, my na is Diana Tirmag. Second, why should I do that?"
"Think of it as an investnt for the future. When I beco strong enough, I’ll grant any wish you ask of ."
Diana wiped sweat from her brow and slamd her sword into the ground so hard it pierced the floor.
"And what guarantee do I have that you’ll beco strong?"
"Just train for two days. You’ll see for yourself. After that, you can do whatever you want."
Orlax’s eyes burned with such intensity that it surprised anyone who looked at him—a child with eyes like that.
Because of that, Diana agreed to train him for two days to see if he would et her expectations.
But after two days, Diana was speechless as she looked at Orlax, who had improved imnsely in such a short ti.
"You really are a monster. In two days, you’ve reached the level of soone who’s trained for months. Seems like you’ll be a good investnt."
"I told you, I’m extrely talented,"
Orlax said proudly as he looked at Diana, who was smiling widely.
Three months passed. Many things happened during that ti.
Orlax reached an advanced level of swordsmanship in that short period.
One day, after a sparring match, both sat down to rest on the ground.
"Tell , Orlax, what’s your goal in life?"
Diana took a water bottle and drank after asking.
"Well, I want to burn this world... because it rejected from the day I was born."
"Why? This world is beautiful. You can’t judge it just because so people are evil. That’s life—it has good and bad people."
Orlax’s eyes widened when he heard those words and looked at Diana, who had a gentle smile.
"If you burned the world, I wouldn’t have t you—soone who lives in it."
A faint smile appeared on Orlax’s face, and he closed his eyes.
"Alright... but if I don’t do that, then what should I do with my life?"
"Just wait and see what the future brings. Maybe you’ll find soone who loves you, or a family to care for, or a responsibility worth fulfilling. Or just create your own reason to live. Do whatever you want."
She gently patted his head and left the training grounds.
That was the last ti Orlax saw her. She returned to her empire after being away too long.
Back in the present, Diana ca out of her mories and looked at Alice in front of her.
"Alright. I’ll do what you want."
’Seems like you want to use the Western Empire to reduce your losses in this war. Still following my advice from back then... that makes feel a little proud.’
"You agreed so quickly,"
Alice said, raising her eyebrows as she looked at Diana, who now wore a wide smile.
"Since it was Orlax who asked, I have no reason to refuse."
Diana shrugged and leaned back in her chair.
"Well then, let’s get to work. We have a lot to do."
Alice nodded and got up from her chair, followed by Diana.
Two weeks passed.
Many events occurred during that ti. Among the most important:
First, the civil war in the Western Empire finally ended. After ten years of conflict, people were finally starting to feel at peace.
Second, the third prince of the Southern Empire was declared dead under mysterious circumstances not disclosed publicly.
And finally, in the central continent, Mon-Torn—a continent ruled by a single empire—three princes died, including the rightful heir to the throne, leaving only one remaining prince.
This caused the entire world to suspect that he orchestrated these deaths to claim the throne for himself.
Reviews
All reviews (0)