Amber Sword

The famous Lord of Lowland People in Kruz, Hodlan, has a famous line in the game: "Nobles can be malicious, treacherous, greedy, even mediocre, but never lacking in responsibility!"

And Prince Haruz happens to be such a person.

His disposition is said to be closely tied to Oberg the Seventh’s New Queen, although this is just a rumor. Nonetheless, court intrigue has somewhat shaped this Prince’s timidity and fearfulness; Princess Griffine, although favored by the old King, knows that within the Royal Family, Sipah—namely, the Queen’s faction—has always been dominant.

Historically, Prince Haruz only awakened to the truth after his older sister, Princess Griffine, was murdered. But it was too late; later, during Madara’s third invasion of Erune, Erune fell.

After that Brand left this sorrowful land. Rumor has it that the daughter of Ecco and Yura, Erela, reorganized Erune’s resistance; some say Prince Haruz did not die in the fire when the Royal Capital fell, but was saved by Cross Hand Buga, later marrying Erela.

But these are all rumors, and no one has seen them firsthand. Needless to say, Brand was far away in Saint Ausor by then.

However, history did not lead Brand to underestimate this Prince; on the contrary, it deepened his curiosity. He read an article online by an Erune netizen introducing this Prince, claiming Prince Haruz, though shy and introverted, was actually quite remarkable in many aspects, especially in his extraordinary talent for learning magic and swordsmanship.

The article even vaguely suggested that this Prince might be a Chosen One.

Of course, for Brand, this was merely subjective opinion. Yet it did not prevent him from seeking the truth. He knew Prince Haruz had been learning swordsmanship under Princess Griffine’s tutelage since childhood, with reportedly little success, causing the elder Princess much despair. So where did the arguments in that article come from?

Or was it merely sensationalism?

Brand glanced at Prince Haruz’s hand, white and slender like a woman’s. He couldn’t help but shake his head; this was not a hand accustomed to wielding a sword, nor the hand of someone with outstanding talent in swordsmanship.

It is well-known that any talent stems from rigorous training. Even a swordsmanship prodigy like Buga achieved success through countless hours of practice; there is no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world—except, Brand knew, his own situation was an exception. But he didn’t believe Prince Haruz, like him, was a time traveler.

Yet historically, was this young Prince repulsed by swordsmanship, or just not skilled at it? Which perspective is correct, Brand wondered as he sat in the carriage; Haruz seemed to notice his gaze, shrinking back in fright.

"What’s the matter?" The Princess instantly sensed her brother’s unease, asking with some dissatisfaction. Royal Family education demanded their descendants maintain at least a basic demeanor in all situations, and today Haruz’s behavior was clearly excessive.

She knew her brother was always introverted and timid, but such a flustered appearance was too much. Especially since she didn’t want Haruz to leave an impression of being easily bullied in front of Brand.

Seeing his elder sister’s stern demeanor, Haruz was startled and stammered, "N-No, nothing, sister."

"Princess, Young Prince is only ten this year, right? At this age, studying magic seems a bit premature." Brand suddenly squinted his eyes and spoke.

Nobles often had their offspring follow renowned court wizards to learn magic and knowledge, like Chief Court Wizard Liwu, who died in the Battle of Ambeser, teaching Princess Griffine, or Curiosity Seeker Gallock, teaching the Crown Prince and his sisters.

But in fact, for any Vorn magic, it ultimately involves extracting power from the Sea of Magic. While aimed at weaving laws, Dark Magic inevitably affects spellcasters, hence most wizards have weaker constitutions.

For the same reason, though wizard apprentices typically start learning related knowledge at the age of four or five, they generally begin truly learning magic only after reaching adulthood; or at least after age thirteen.

But Brand found something interesting about Haruz.

He could almost confirm that this young Prince had studied Black Magic.

...

(PS: Wrote a Chapter amidst my writer’s block, feeling a bit better, sob sob) (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)