This Bastard is Too Competent

Chapter 31: The Prince Enters

[Eloin Kaistein]

Ian couldn't breathe properly.

‘The king.'

He was someone he could only see from a distance in his previous life. And here was a letter from a father he had never seen before. It was natural for him to be nervous for a moment.

However, he was more curious about the items that came with it than the letter from his father.

"This…"

Two things.

They were simple plaques. But there was no way Ian didn’t know these things.

[Seal of the Royal Family]

[Seal of Trials]

Seeing the object, Ian couldn't help but shudder.

The chamberlain, who didn’t know Ian's feelings, bowed his head and explained.

“This is the royal seal.”

He pointed to a plaque in the shape of a roaring lion.

“It is something that any royals can have, and once you receive it, you are already recognized as a member of the royal family.”

“Even if I don’t attend the legitimation ceremony?”

"That’s right. The legitimation ceremony is a ceremonial event to prove that you are a member of the royal family. You have already been recognized as a member of the royal family the moment you receive the royal seal.”

In fact, the legitimation ceremony was nothing special.

It was just the king and Ian dripping their own blood to make sure they had the same blood.

And this <Royal Seal> proved that he was a member of the royal family.

Of course, up to that point, Ian would not have been so surprised.

‘This seal is not an ordinary royal seal.’

The common royal seals were gold-plated.

But this one was made of a more precious material than that.

Just as he expected.

“This is the seal of Kaistein, bestowed by His Majesty himself, and can have the same authority as His Majesty's decrees. It takes precedence over any other royal seals.”

This seal held the meaning of <the king's proxy>.

It was also proof that he was protected by the king anytime and anywhere.

In short.

[Treat the person holding the seal like the king of Kaistein.]

As inscribed on it, it ranked the highest among all royal seals.

This plaque was a valuable item that only one or two people acknowledged by the king in the past could receive.

But the king gave him such a thing?

However, it wasn't the only surprising thing.

‘The other is surely…'

Noticing Ian's gaze, the chamberlain, who looked at him with strange eyes, continued to explain.

“The remaining one is called <Seal of Trials>. Anyone of royal blood is allowed to enter the treasury that they can only enter once in their lifetime.”

As he expected.

The other item was the key to the treasury of the royal family.

Yet, despite the name ‘treasury,’ the key was not called <Seal of Trials> for nothing.

There was a monster gatekeeper inside, so it was a dangerous place to survive, let alone bring out anything.

However, it was a trial handed down to members of the royal family from generation to generation to pick out one treasure and bring it out.

‘The future treatment will vary depending on the kind of item one brings out.’

What they brought with them led to an assessment of that person's worth.

And that trial was a rite of passage that every member of the royal family must do at least once.

However, in the past, Ian did not even receive this <Seal of Trials>.

He could say that he got no chance at all.

It could have been more because he was judged as having no talent for swordsmanship in the Kingdom of Swordsmen.

‘Thanks to that, people gave me extremely cold shoulders. I was a prince who had never gotten a chance for the trial.’

He didn't know how much effort he had to pour in to change that perception.

In any case, <Seal of Trials> was also something that Ian couldn't get in the past.

While looking at <Seal of Trials> with shaky eyes, the chamberlain misunderstood those eyes for fear and hence said.

“The trial is not known to all the people to some extent, but one thing for sure, it is a dangerous place.”

Any member of the royal family could take on the challenge, yet the number of dead people alone exceeded what could be counted in two hands.

And the chamberlain smiled strangely as if that was the main point from now on.

“His Majesty has ordered the Seventh Prince to make a choice.”

Ian's eyes changed.

“So, I only get to choose one?”

"That's right. If you choose <Seal of Trials>, you will risk your life at the ceremony to enter the treasury, but you will be able to prove that you are a member of the royal family. If you choose <Seal of the Royal Family>, you will immediately be recognized as a member of the royal family without going through any trials.”

At that, Ian smiled inwardly.

‘In the past, there was no such option.’

In the first place, his legitimation ceremony was held simply by the archbishop in the temple, not the royal palace.

Ian pondered for a moment, then reached out his hand.

‘Anyway, I have only one choice.’

Ian struggled to shake off the memories of his past and grabbed the object in his hand.

Tap.

The chamberlain's eyes widened in surprise at the item Ian had chosen.

He looked like he didn't believe that Ian would choose it.

“Are you sure you want to choose it?”

“I only get one item to choose from, don’t I? So I will take the other one.”

The chamberlain was completely taken aback, but he soon spoke politely.

“Now then, please check the letter from His Majesty.”

Instead of opening the letter, Ian only glanced at the chamberlain. At that glance, the chamberlain smiled.

"Your Highness? If it's alright with you, shall I read it for you?"

Ian burst into laughter.

“Read it for me?”

With a cold voice, Ian's eyes turned fiercely toward the chamberlain.

“Y-your Highness?”

However, Ian glared at the chamberlain with his gleaming golden eyes.

Well, he could see why the chamberlain was doing that. Duke Garcia likely had hastily drilled him some education, but it went without saying that the court language, which was said to be the most difficult, could not be easy to master.

But Ian was not fooled.

“Your backing seems to be very curious about the contents of the letter.”

"… Pardon?! Back, backing?!”

The chamberlain was greatly flustered, but Ian raised the corner of his mouth.

‘This guy is one of the 12 chamberlains of the royal palace.’

His face in particular was familiar.

From the moment he stepped into the room, his actions were somehow a little irritating. Either when he secretly encouraged him to choose a specific seal or when he looked at Ian with a strange gaze.

This guy was one of the First Princess’s people. The princess must have given him an order.

But this time, it went too far.

‘She must have been curious about the king’s intentions.’

Just gleaning from the fact that the legitimation ceremony was moved to the royal palace was not enough, for the king himself summoned Ian to the royal palace.

So, he must have been ordered to learn the contents of the box and the letter and waited for an opportunity to come.

But not even a chance.

Ian raised his voice fiercely toward the chamberlain.

“Do you dare deceive me because it is not enough to peek at His Majesty’s letter?”

“That… That’s not it.”

“I will clearly remember your name and face, so get out right now! Confess to His Majesty before I cut your throat!”

“I-I’m sorry!”

The chamberlain scurried away in a hurry.

He had a reason for being so panicked. For chamberlains, the royal rule was strict. Yet he just broke the said rule. The Seventh Prince, whom he looked down on, now held his weakness.

If the grand chamberlain were to catch wind of this, it would be a deal big enough to kick him out immediately.

However, there was only one way for a chamberlain, who knew the secrets of the royal family, to retire.

Death.

Of course, Ian didn't just shoo him away.

‘I know exactly who you are.’

Ian planned to suppress the chamberlain by holding onto this weakness for a long time. And it was also good for blackmailing his opponent. Eventually, Ian ripped the seal of the letter only after he was alone.

In fact, there was nothing meaningful in the letter at all.

[I am looking forward to the ceremony.]

There were no warm words to the bastard Ian, the son he met for the first time. All the king said in the letter was just a single sentence written in a large font.

Ian lifted the seal in front of him.

“I will live up to your expectations.”

He was going to present his father, who had only given him the cold shoulder, something very surprising.

It was then.

Woong!

The pendant Ian was wearing. A light was coming out of the pendant that the Third Prince handed over to him.

The pendant wasn't the only one that reacted.

Woong!

<Faith> in Ian's body also reacted.

***

Inside a dark room in the royal palace.

A shadow briskly looked around. She then asked the approaching old man.

“How did it go with that bastard?”

Then the approaching old man bowed his head.

“Don't worry. I've put my hands on it.”

"How?"

“By using that scented candle…”

At the word ‘scented candle,’ the woman frowned.

The scented candle the old man spoke of was probably the thing in Ian's room.

And it was a poison.

It was a poison that was secretly airlifted from another country, so it would not get noticed even by the physicians of the royal palace.

‘Well, speaking of that scented candle, it wouldn’t cause instant death.’

The poison would cause body fatigue, loss of concentration, and the personality becoming more violent.

People would think they were merely getting sick.

So, the shadow was dissatisfied with this.

“It’s good to have that scented candle to cause problems with the personality, but will that be enough?”

“Of course, it is not all there is to the effect.”

The old man flashed an evil smile.

“More than anything, the real effect is something else. If he inhales even the slightest bit of the incense without his knowledge…”

“What happens if he inhales it?”

“He will be put under a curse. A curse that takes away the talent of swordsmanship.”

“!”

That's why the poison was so terrifying.

“Of course, it doesn’t work well for adults…”

The younger the age, the more fatal it would be.

It would nip the talent in the bud.

Of course, this would never work on other royals who got the help of their maternal family from a young age.

“The Seventh Prince, who has no one, will lose his swordsmanship without knowing it.”

“Isn’t there Duke Garcia? He must be able to come up with a solution.”

“Without a special antidote, there is no way to fend from it.”

And the antidote was hard to find in this kingdom.

“The talent in swordsmanship will gradually disappear. He will not be able to carry any weapons. As he gets older, it becomes impossible to cure, let alone detoxify.”

Any genius would be rendered useless.

Once they were cursed, it would slowly encroach on their body.

Hearing that, the shadow burst into laughter.

“He is a Kaistein, but he is incompetent. I'm sure it will be over for him now."

"That's right. A curse is not poison. Nothing will be found. They will take effect right from the time of the legitimation ceremony.”

“As expected of you, I can count on you. Then we can rest assured about the ceremony.”

They both laughed.

***

A few days had passed. The day of the legitimation ceremony had come.

Numerous nobles had already gathered at the legitimation ceremony. Everyone seemed to be looking forward to the ceremony.

Of course, it wasn't with good intentions.

"Duke Garcia was the one who found the Seventh Prince, wasn't he?" 

“From what I’ve heard, he is not only young but also reckless and doesn't even know any basic manners as he comes from a humble background. It’s good enough if he doesn’t tremble at the ceremony.”

“In fact, if it wasn’t for Duke Garcia, wouldn’t he be just a lowly blood that has nothing to do with the royal family?”

“But a prince like that has a legitimation ceremony in the royal palace, doesn’t he?”

“!!”

Everyone flinched at that man's words.

That's right, it was the king himself who moved the legitimation ceremony of the Seventh Prince to the royal palace. Still, everyone was confused by the king's sudden whim.

It was because they were not sure how the future succession structure would change depending on his support.

The nobles’ eyes naturally could not calm down.

“Yeah, it was said he is a stinky little boy.”

"Really?"

“You have to see for yourself, but he can’t deceive his origin. He must have dark skin, and his appearance will be negligible.”

“And although His Majesty has prepared this place, this is also a test. Have you heard? His Majesty has made an alternative choice…”

But they soon stopped talking. It was because Duke Garcia and his three sons entered.

And shortly after.

“The new star of Kaistein, Prince Ian, the Seventh Prince, is entering!”

At the voice, all the nobles turned their heads to the entrance.

Everyone was going to laugh at Ian's besmirched appearance.

And yet.

“!”

Ian's appearance surprised them. He was not as grimy as they thought he would be.

“No, hold on…?”

The ceremony hall fell into a loud commotion.

The problem was who Ian was entering with. Even the Duke was shocked.

It was because someone that nobody ever imagined was walking beside him.

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