The sixth prince, who had been executed in the kingdom after being betrayed by the trusted saint, was reincarnated and, in order to seek revenge, became engaged once again to the neighboring kingdom’s “Guillotine Princess.” As a result, he was adored and lived happily.

“Now then, shall we go?”

After having breakfast with Princess Abigail, I changed into my training clothes and left the room. Three days had passed since my sparring session with Glenn, and although my injuries weren’t fully healed, the swelling had gone down, and the fever had subsided, so I was heading to my swordsmanship training.

Well, it might be more accurate to call it a sparring session with Glenn. Yes, I was shamelessly challenging him once again. Part of it was to become stronger myself, but I also intended to keep challenging him until he acknowledged me.

Glenn might not be fond of Valrois’ prince, but I needed his strength for our revenge against the kingdom, especially after he turned the tables during the attack on the imperial capital.

However, being beaten up every time was tough, so I hoped he would yield sooner rather than later.

I had also discussed this with Princess Abigail. Of course, I kept the true purpose hidden, only mentioning that I wanted to become stronger. She hadn’t agreed to it at first, but after persistent requests, she reluctantly accepted. She probably realized that I wouldn’t give up.

I could have sparred with Glenn without telling Princess Abigail, but I had caused her enough worry and sadness already. I thought it was better to talk to her about it.

And so…

“Wha…!?”

They probably didn’t expect me to show up again. The knights who were training in the courtyard were taken aback when they saw me.

“…”

Glenn, standing in the training ground, turned his sharp gaze in my direction. Unlike three days ago when he seemed indifferent, he was clearly aware of my presence now.

Well, even though there were no complaints, he might find it annoying that I was persistent, considering how I challenged him.

“Lord Glenn, I must apologize, but I can’t allow you to spar with Glenn today.”

Interrupting between Glenn and me was General Cyrus. He had a stern expression, unlike the casual attitude he displayed the other day.

I had hoped to recruit him and his companions relatively easily after our friendly exchange, but perhaps my sparring session with Glenn had left a bad impression?

“Due to the incident the other day, the gap in abilities between His Highness Gustav and Glenn is evident. Moreover, Glenn is the captain of the knights and quite busy. We can’t afford to let His Highness engage in such… ‘play.'”

“…”

Given this statement, there was nothing I could argue. Pushing further might only lead to making things worse.

Well, I had no choice but to give up for today…

“His Highness probably has some free time, so he can spend it here.”

“Eh…!?”

I was handed a wooden sword that was twice as thick as usual. But the weight was not just doubled; it felt like four times… no, five times heavier than normal!

“Oh…? In the empire, even a common soldier would swing around a stick like this without any problems. Can’t you handle something like this in Valrois?”

“!”

General Cyrus sneered as he pinched his beard with his fingers, making it seem as if he was mocking me. However, he was not good at provoking others, to say the least.

If this wooden sword was standard issue for the imperial army, they should use it for regular training, right? And… haha, it was interesting how I was the second person in both the kingdom and the empire to look at me with such disdain, after Glenn.

“…I won’t back down from this challenge.”

“Oh… That should be interesting.”

Regardless, General Cyrus must have decided not to allow Glenn and me to spar because he thought it wouldn’t be meaningful, not just because of my lack of skill.

So… until I can find meaning in sparring with Glenn, I have no choice but to get stronger.

And so…

“Urgh…”

“Oh? You haven’t even done a hundred practice swings yet.”

While I was swinging the heavy wooden sword, my legs wobbled, and I struggled to maintain my balance. General Cyrus, ever the instigator, was teasing me whenever he had the chance.

For someone who called me “idle,” it seemed that General Cyrus himself had quite a bit of free time… Well, I wanted to say that, but considering the person standing behind him, I guessed that he was accompanying me for a reason.

…In that case, I had no choice but to get stronger.

I continued to swing the wooden sword diligently, despite being constantly taunted by General Cyrus, until the sun went down.

And then…

“Prince Gustav.”

“Ah… Princess Abigail.”

She had come to the training ground with Ellen, and I hurriedly ran over to her.

“Why have you come to a place like this?”

“Well… I was determined to have a rematch with Lord Glenn at first, but it seems he doesn’t want to acknowledge it, so I’m training like this instead.”

“I see…”

Her voice remained unchanged, but she seemed pleased behind her stoic expression.

Tonight, when I visited her room, she would probably be quite happy.

“So… is Prince Gustav going to continue training?”

“Wha…!?”

I turned to look at General Cyrus. Ah, he was giving me a thumbs up. It seemed there was no problem.

“No, we’re done for today. If it’s alright with you, would you like to have dinner together?”

“Of course!”

I took her small hand, and we left the training ground.

But…

“…”

Glenn’s gaze toward us left me feeling strangely uneasy.