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It was important to know when to quickly give up on a battle with no chance of winning. Distinguishing between what was difficult and what was impossible was one of the most crucial life skills.

That was why I gave up as soon as the announcement mentioned the advisors name. The odds might be fifty-fifty against Rutis, but against the advisor, they were zero. Not close to zero, but absolutely zero.

With this lineup, its hopeless.

It wouldnt be enough even if my team combined with Rutiss and the eight of us attacked all at once. How could a hastily assembled team of eight from the academy possibly stand against the killer of Kagan?

In the past, the United Kingdom of Yuben had collected information on Kagan and concluded that confronting Kagan would require the full might of the royal mage corps just to achieve a stalemate. That conclusion was also the best-case scenario from highly optimistic simulations.

Several conditions were adjusted to reach this stalemate: if Kagan was alone without leading an army, if the intel about him was exaggerated, and assuming Kagans defense was only that of a normal superhuman. Only with all these limits did it seem like a fair fight.

And yet, Rutis seemed intent on taking on the advisor.

Hes out of his mind.

I couldnt help but click my tongue at this irrational behavior. Surely he wasnt trying to actually win, right? He must have just felt excited at the prospect of facing a strong opponent.

This is why I couldnt understand swordsmen. There should be a limit to how strong your opponent was; what was the point if the gap was too wide?

I should immediately surrender once Rutis falls. It might hurt my pride, but I was already fleeing from the throne, anyway. In a way, this was better.

That decision was wise.

This is insane.

The distance between the advisor and Rutis was significant, a gap a trained knight would need several seconds to close.

Yet, the advisor appeared in front of Rutis in an instant and slammed him into the ground, creating a shockwave that almost shattered the entirety of the arenas floor.

It wasnt just any floor.

I inadvertently looked down at the floor. This was the empires top educational institution; even the most minor facility wouldnt be poorly maintained.

Moreover, this academy was built on the legacy of Apels, which was historically the wealthiest on the continent. I had heard that the arena was made of a material so durable that not even the sharpest sword or the strongest magic could scratch it.

I looked up again to see where Rutis was lying down. The floor around him was shattered, with only stone fragments rolling around.

Is he alive?

I was seriously concerned. If the impact was enough to shatter the floor, then it couldnt have been minor.

I surrender.

I sheathed my wand and raised my hands. The advisor had rushed over with speed I couldnt even see. Any hesitation, and I might end up lying next to Rutis before I get the chance to surrender.

Id rather not. Unlike Rutis, I havent trained my body much. If Rutis ended up like that, I would surely die instantly.

The announcement came simultaneously with my surrender.

***

Whats the big deal about life? Everything will work out somehow, right?

Damn it.

Not really. There was indeed a big deal, and it seemed like it wouldnt work out by itself.

Lathers quick surrender, the announcement that followed immediately, and the healers rushing over.

Seeing this, I realized that my attempt to escape reality had failed. No matter how I thought about it, I was in deep trouble.

Ah, oppa! Is Rutis okay?

Louise ran over in a panic, her face pale.

It was an unprecedented situation where someone she knew had pushed another to the brink of death. She mustve been unsure of how to react.

Hes fine. Even if hes hurt, hell recover quickly with a good healer.

This was true. Coughing up blood? In a world where limbs could be severed and reattached, that wasnt a big deal at all. A few healing spells, and hed be up and heading home in no time.

The real issue was that I caused a royal to bleed.

Damn it.

No matter how hard I tried to think, all that came to mind was damn.

There were excuses to be made. It was an academy event, a competition where swords and magic flew freely, and injuries could happen. Rutis also wasnt the type to get angry over something like this.

But even considering all three of them, probation would be the minimum consequence. Even if Rutis were to defend me, saying, Im fine, though, my probation was pretty much guaranteed.

Hyung, that was too much.

That bastard.

Erichs comment as he ambled over made my hand twitch. He might have ended up lying next to Rutis if he werent my brother.

However, I couldnt bring myself to curse him out. I also thought I had gone too far.

I should have just given him a flick on the forehead.

That alone would have been enough to make him roll around happily.

Sighing, I accidentally made eye contact with Sir Villar, who was in the stands.

Shock, resentment, and faint envy were mixed in Villars eyes.

Honestly, it was satisfying.

Im screwed, but at least I was happy for a second

***

The inter-class competition ended with Lathers class lifting the victory trophy.

Although the victory in the four-person event went to me, causing Rutiss and Lathers classes to tie, a joint victory wasnt an option. And so, they said that since Rutiss class fell before Lathers class, Lathers class wins.

It must feel unjust for Rutis, who had been knocked unconscious from the first blow. However, second place was still commendable. He shouldnt be discouraged.

They said he recovered without any issues.

Thats a relief.

Yes, its very fortunate.

Though it seemed that I was the one who was going to suffer.

The principal led me directly to his office after the inter-class competition awards ceremony and closing speech. Although I felt like a delinquent then, I felt more of an assaulter at this moment

I quietly lowered my gaze as the principal set down the communication crystal, clutching his forehead as if he had a headache. In this situation, I was nothing more than a traitorous bastard with no right to speak.

I remembered what the principal had said before I went down to the arena, leaving me even more speechless.

I didnt expect it to end in one hit.

Still, it felt somewhat unfair. Of course I had been cautious. Who would go so far as to make a royal bleed, regardless of any accumulated grievances?

But regardless of my intentions, this was the outcome. The sin of not controlling my strength was indeed grave.

I understand that the Executive Manager was in a difficult position.

The principal broke the silence.

Had we shown leniency in that situation, it might have actually offended them more.

I nodded involuntarily at those words. The kingdom of Armein was a land of knights. Being part of its royal family would naturally mean that Rutis would be the embodiment of their competitiveness and pride.

Fighting with bare hands could be seen as a skilled person showing mercy to a less skilled person, but showing open leniency or deliberately losing? He would have seen it as an insult, which would have been more problematic.

He told me that injuries during the match were natural and that he didnt care.

The subject wasnt specified, but it was clear. Rutis mustve woken up and had given a pardon.

Speaking of pardon made me feel like a real criminal. Well, I was, in a sense.

Fortunately, Armeins side had no intention of making a big issue out of it. Theyll only report that he was examined by a healer after the match.

Seeing the principal look relieved suggested that the matter had been resolved. From Armeins perspective, reporting that the prince under their protection had bled would probably be terrifying.

They probably coordinated with the other two countries and reported back to their own country in the most vague and minimal way possible.

However, the academy plans to report the truth to the Ministry of Education. Please understand.

Of course. I apologize for causing a disturbance.

I bowed my head at the principals words. Though he mentioned asking for my understanding, the principal had already shown me the utmost consideration.

He did his best to ensure that the incident didnt escalate into a diplomatic issue by keeping it within the academy. It would be unconscionable to ask him not to report it to the higher-ups.

Afterward, I was able to leave the principals office only after expressing my gratitude and apologies numerous times.

Im doomed.

Armein managed to prevent the situation from escalating, avoiding the label Escorts who failed to protect their charge. Villar would likely be able to come out of this without much damage.

However, I couldnt escape my responsibility. Someone had to be held accountable for Rutiss injury.

It seemed like my communication crystal would be glowing soon

***

A day passed, and it felt as if my blood had turned to ice.

It seemed that the Ministry of Education was stunned upon hearing about the sudden assault on a royal. After all, this wasnt something that should take a whole day to address.

What a life.

I had been on my toes yesterday, expecting to be summoned immediately. If I was summoned to the capital this time, then my probation was certain. I might not be able to return to the academy for a while, so I had to do what needed to be done.

First, I visited Rutis to apologize and check on him.

Naturally, he said something terrible. I couldnt even tell him off because of my guilt.

Then, I showed my face to the club members.

They comforted me first. Perhaps they held some affection for me after all this time. I felt somewhat moved.

My last visit was to Marghetta, but I couldnt bring myself to speak after seeing her distant look.

Her expression was like that of a mother who just caught her trusted son stealing from her purse. It was as if she had never imagined that I could cause such a major incident.

Seeing her smile gently while saying those words made my heart ache. Im the criminal, so please blame me instead.

I sighed and turned my gaze to the communication crystal. This criminal now had to embark on a long journey.

Just one day after the legendary assault incident, a direct message from the Crown Prince arrived.

Was it just my imagination, or did the Crown Princes curt message relay just how angry he was?