Memoirs of A Second Life

Liberio's Wayward Prince

The skirmish at the forest concluded minutes after Marius and his retainers arrived. They made short work of the bandits, and managed to subdue them without killing anyone. And more importantly, Marius, himself, took down the ringleader of the bandits. His masterful display of swordsmanship made it seem as though he didn't need a sword instructor at all!

I was starting to wonder why the job was even given to me. Truth be told, I somehow felt that Marius was the better swordsman. That realization was giving me a sense of inferiority, but I nonetheless soldiered on. My father risked his neck to get me this job, so the least I could do was to go through with it. Even if Marius was the more talented fighter, I might just become stronger if I stick with him.

Just as Marius had declared, he dragged Vagabond to the capital tied to his horse. Meanwhile, Lance and Bea, Marius' retainers, brought the other bandits to the dungeon along with Aerin. Aerin had conjured up a sort of cage using Elven magic. The makeshift cage was made from pure wind elemental mana, and it was used to drag the bandits to the dungeon safely.

Later that night, Master Teo brought me to the palace guest rooms. She said that it was already too late to gain an audience with king Zeldris, so I must turn in for the night and see the king tomorrow. However, Master Teo said that it didn't mean that I couldn't speak to prince Marius and introduce myself to him. She then left me at my assigned room, saying that she needed to go back to her own house now.

Left with nothing to do, I planned to get to know the young man I would soon instruct. I already had a vague estimation of his capabilities, but I wanted to know him on a more personal level. That way, it would be easier for us to work together.

Fortunately, I didn't have to go around the palace to look for Marius. Minutes after Master Teo left my room, the young man in question came knocking at my door. He had his hands firmly placed behind his back, and he was wearing a friendly smile. I got up from the bed and asked him if he wanted to sit down and chat inside the room, but he declined.

Instead, Marius had a different plan. He led me to the palace's courtyard, and as we walked along, we introduced ourselves to each other. I told him that I had only turned ten years old a couple of months ago, and that I was the son of Azlan Van Astrea and Esfir Lumina. At first, he was unimpressed of me, but when he heard about my parents, Marius' opinion of me seemed to have changed a little better.

Through our brief chat, I learned that he was thirteen years of age, and that he was the fourth son of King Zeldris Liberio XII from his third queen consort. He had two older brothers and an older sister; the names of whom Marius did not divulge yet. I do imagine they were remarkable in their own way, but I shudder to think just how impressive they were, considering how capable Marius was.

When we were finally at the palace courtyard, it was eerily silent. There were a few guards pacing back and forth the hallways; perhaps patrolling the area for intruders and whatnot, but aside from them, there were no other people present.

The courtyard had several flower patches, a few trees, and some shrubs. These greeneries served to beautify the courtyard. Compared to the backyard of House Van Astrea, the palace courtyard was even more impressive. These royals sure do have a keen eye for the finer this life.

There was even a fountain at the middle of the courtyard. I was surprised to see a working fountain in this world, but then again, technology wasn't too far behind in this world compared to my old one. They had electricity here, lightbulbs, radios, and whatnot. However, the technology in this world wasn't advanced as the technology in my old world.

While I was emerged in my thoughts, I sensed that someone was about to attack me. It was smart of me that I at least brought along the treasured dagger that I got as a present during my fifth birthday.

I was lucky that my reflexes were fast enough to enable me to parry the strike being thrown at me. But when I saw who was attacking me, my eyes widened with shock. "Your majesty, what is the meaning of this?"

All of the guards patrolling the area were conveniently not around anymore, and there was nobody to witness what had happened. If anyone were to see us fighting, they would immediately assume that I was attacking their prince.

"Prince Marius, please! I implore you to listen. I do not wish to fight you," I told him.

"Heh! You're at least quick enough to protect yourself, brat," Marius replied with disdain. "But are you skillful enough to defend yourself from this attack?"

Right after he said that, he made a series of swift lunges using a rapier. His attacks were so fast that it was barely visible to the untrained eye. I knew that I wouldn't be able to survive a beating from that kind of attack, so I took the liberty to use magic.

"Forma!" I shouted, creating a stone wall to divide us.

By now, the guards must've heard the commotion already. I could hear faint footsteps coming from the halls, but it didn't seem like Marius wanted to stop this shenanigan. He continued launching his relentless attacks, but I avoided all of it using magic I learned from Master Teo.

"Caminhante do vento," I muttered under my breath. All of a sudden, I felt a surge of wind cover my entire body, and I could feel myself being light as a feather. And soon, I was in the air, away from Marius' reach. This was the only way I could think of that could save me the trouble of being caught fighting with the country's fourth prince. If any of those guards were to see me locked in a melee with Prince Marius, they would hang me to the gallows!

Frustrated that I could fly, Marius began stomped his foot. He even hurled his rapier at me, but I stopped it just in time with a barrier. Any second slower and I might've been killed!

Luckily, the guards finally arrived, and I gradually came down. They were at first wary of my appearance, but when they saw that I was a mere child, they dropped their guards and even shook their heads. They soon figured out that their prince was the one who started this fight again.

Once I had planted my feet on the ground Marius burst into laughter. Somehow, it annoyed me to hear it, but I had to endure his strange behavior, for he was the student who had been assigned to me.

"So, you're also a mage, huh? I thought you'd be just as useless as the last one, but I see now that you're not just some brat my father picked out from the boonies again! Very well, Altair, I shall humor you as my instructor for now. Do not disappoint me," Marius remarked as though he had won the fight.

The guards went back to do their jobs and left us alone. I shared their sentiment, of course. Dealing with a child like Marius must be quite a headache, considering how overbearing this young man was. Even for a child like me, I do imagine that hanging out with this boy would make me age ten years faster.

I wonder how Lance and Bea are able to put up with him?

As if having read my mind, Marius said, "You're wondering how people tolerate me, aren't you?"

"Not at all, your majesty," I said with hesitation, then I paused when I saw his listless face. "Alright, I am wondering. Seriously, who attacks someone out of the blue and forces them to a duel that could be wildly misinterpreted!"

Marius laughed heartily this time, crossing his arms over his chest. "Altair, my good man, you will make for a good companion! You are not only skilled in your own right, but you are also honest. Stick with me, and perhaps one day, you, too, could become my retainer!"

I let out a sigh and facepalmed. "It would be my honor, sire."