TOPWL 151

Shane stepped forward, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. The hallway, deathly silent until now, grew steadily louder past a certain point. Yudit quickly realized the noise was coming from the dining hall—laughter and crying, shouting and singing, the clinking of cups and the crash of dishes. Shane pushed open the door, alert.

“Wahahaha!”

“Drink up! Drink!”

Yudit stood frozen in disbelief.

The servants were laughing and carousing, drunk out of their minds. Their noses and cheeks were flushed crimson; some had even turned red down to their necks. None of them seemed aware that Yudit and Shane had entered. Shane, just as dumbfounded, let his shoulders drop.

“Was today a holiday or something?”

“I doubt it.”

Shane shook his head. Their gazes swept the room—and soon found the cause.

At the center of the intoxicated chaos, Selena stood like a saint, radiant in the midst of it all.

“Selena…”

Yudit murmured her name, stunned. His voice was far too quiet to reach Selena, who was currently pouring drinks generously into outstretched cups.

“Oooh, me too!”

“Me too, me too!”

“Haha! Just wait a moment—there’s plenty for everyone!”

Yudit stared in silence at the towering stack of glasses, then quietly turned away.

“You’re not going over there?”

“I’ll… go later.”

Afraid someone might notice him, Yudit slipped quickly out of the dining hall.

***

Clang!

Steel met steel with a deafening crash. The force of the blow sent a sharp pain up Yudit’s wrist. Gritting his teeth, he blocked another strike. Each clash of swords felt like being struck across the body.

Breathing hard, Yudit turned to look behind him. The line drawn on the ground was clear—he was being pushed back.

Feigning retreat, he suddenly shifted his weight and twisted, driving his blade toward his opponent’s side. Clang!

Their blades collided again, and Yudit’s sword flew in an arc, landing half-buried in the dirt. He let out a long sigh as he stared at it.

“I told you not to take them head-on.”

“I tried to deflect it…”

“You’re still putting too much strength into your arm.”

“Yeah… I can feel it.”

Yudit sighed again and walked over to retrieve his sword. With a few twists of the hilt, the blade came free from the earth. He sheathed it in the dagger scabbard at his side.

“You’ve improved a lot.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Shane.”

Shane didn’t deny it. Yudit cleared his throat, embarrassed.

He truly had no natural talent for swordsmanship. His physique didn’t build muscle easily due to his traits, and his stamina had been stunted by years of ingesting poison.

But he did have one gift—unyielding persistence.

Since beginning training, Yudit had run the palace grounds at dawn and practiced self-defense daily. The only times he’d missed basic training were during his heat cycle and second manifestation.

“What level am I at now?” Yudit asked as he began his cooldown stretches.

It seemed to be a difficult question—Shane frowned, which was rare.

“You can be honest with me.”

“If you were to take the soldier’s exam, you’d have about a twenty percent chance of passing.”

A brutally honest figure.

When Yudit said nothing, Shane added,

“In the past, you wouldn’t have made it past preliminaries.”

“Is it really that hard to pass the exam?”

“Prelims involve running for thirty minutes with a sack of grain on each shoulder.”

“…That is hard.”

Still, twenty percent wasn’t just a pass on prelims—it was a shot at actual qualification. That alone was something.

A faint smile crept onto Yudit’s lips.

“The north is nice—even in summer, your sweat dries quickly.”

“That’s not a good thing. You catch colds easier that way.”

Even so, Shane inhaled the crisp morning air deep into his lungs.

“But I admit, I like the cool air too.”

The two of them chatted quietly as they walked back toward the inner palace.

“Let’s stop by the stables for a moment. I forgot I was supposed to bring carrots today.”

Recently, Yudit had grown close to a brown mare named Noah. She had just turned three years old—a small but swift and clever horse, gentle by nature. She followed Yudit remarkably well, and he had grown fond of her in return. So much so that he even snuck carrots out of the kitchen to slice and feed her.

“Yes.”

“Hey, Shane. You said you’ve been to war before, right?”

“Yes, I have.”

“If I were to go to war now, with the skills I have… what are my chances of survival?”

Shane was silent for a long moment.

“A tactician rarely steps onto the battlefield. If Your Highness remains at the command post and doesn’t enter the frontlines, your survival rate is about eighty percent.”

That was a higher number than Yudit had expected. But considering the risk of assassination, the real figure was surely lower.

“And if I did participate directly in battle?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it, but… in that case, about fifty percent.”

“Huh. Higher than I thought.”

“Tacticians don’t usually stand at the front, even when they join the battle. Especially not those who fight with strategy.”

“And if I were… captured by the enemy or forced to the frontlines?”

“Ten percent.”

That was a merciless number.

“Right… Thanks for being honest.”

“If you’d asked me when we first met, I would have said your chances were virtually zero. That ten percent is something Your Highness earned through your own effort. Still, even if you trained for several more months, I doubt it would rise to twenty.”

Shane looked directly at Yudit as he spoke.

“What I’ve taught Your Highness up to this point was all for that ten percent. So please, focus only on staying alive. I, too, will do nothing but protect Your Highness.”

“…Thank you, Shane.”

At Yudit’s words, Shane simply smiled.

The two of them entered the stables and offered the carrots to Noah. She recognized Yudit instantly and neighed with excitement. She crunched through the red-orange carrots eagerly. Since she devoured them so quickly, Yudit didn’t leave right away—instead, he took some time to groom her mane.

When Yudit waved goodbye, Noah watched him with her gentle eyes. On their way back to the palace, Shane’s usual nagging resumed.

“You should value your bond with your horse. Horses are intelligent creatures. And more than that, they can be the fastest way out of danger. They don’t always repay the care you give them, but Your Highness has a way with horses—you’ll likely be rewarded for your efforts.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do you plan to take Noah with you to war?”

“I think so. No point looking for another at this stage. What do you think?”

“I believe she’s a fine choice. She’s gentle, smart, and well-trained. She’ll be a good mount for you. However…”

Shane trailed off—unusual for him. Yudit glanced over, puzzled.

“Don’t grow too attached. There are times when you’ll need to abandon your horse in a dangerous situation. Noah has the bloodline of a prized steed, so she’ll likely be treated well even if captured. But if she’s injured and can no longer move forward… it would be best if you ended her suffering. Horses that get hurt rarely walk properly again.”

Shane looked at Yudit with concern.

“You’re too soft-hearted with those you grow attached to. Sometimes, that worries me.”

“…Alright. I understand.”

Shane’s nagging didn’t stop even when they stepped into the corridor. Knowing Yudit’s current skill level, Shane seemed all the more anxious that he would soon be heading to war. That was why Yudit accepted the harsh training without complaint.

After parting ways with Shane and washing up, Yudit noticed the servants he passed in the hall looked rather pale. Wan complexions, queasy expressions, bloodshot eyes—it was clearly a mass hangover. Yudit looked at them with faint pity and made his way to the source of it all.

Knock knock.

He knocked, but there was no reply from within. The sun was already high in the sky.

“Selena? Are you in there?”

He was about to leave, but the door opened on its own—and he caught a glimpse inside.

“…Good heavens.”

Selena and Yvonne were tangled together asleep on the bed, still in their outdoor clothes. They must have passed out after drinking. Flustered by the unintended intrusion, Yudit quickly shut the door.

Feeling responsible for bringing Selena into the palace—and for the mess she’d caused—Yudit ordered hangover soup and drinks to be distributed to all the servants. The head cook, looking pale himself, nodded eagerly at the suggestion.

“Yes, yes. I’ll get it ready right away. Oh, and I also prepared what you requested yesterday.”

Yudit had assumed it wouldn’t be done, but surprisingly, the cook had followed through. What he’d asked for was a batch of cookies filled with assorted jams. Seeing them cooled and neatly packaged brought a smile to Yudit’s face.

“Thank you. That’s a huge help.”

“A help, Your Highness?”

The cook tilted his head, confused why something like cookies could be helpful. Yudit nodded and gave him a small smile.