I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

57 – 057. Fan VS Fan (2)

A strange, bizarre rivalry had formed.

Cheon Hwa-young and Friedrich. Suddenly, they were both glaring at each other with suspicion.

“I am not sure why a martial artist from the Eastern Continent would be in the Imperial Capital.”

The Crown Prince pressured Cheon Hwa-young, his posture relaxed as always. This place was, after all, practically his front yard. The Crown Prince of the Empire had nothing to fear.

But then.

“Well, it’s obvious. Right here, the Holy Grail Knight needs my power!”

“W-What did you say?!”

Cheon Hwa-young wasn’t going to just take the Crown Prince’s attack. She screeched and then subtly moved right beside me.

“Is that true, Sir Frey?”

The Crown Prince’s eyes, full of disbelief, turned to me.

Silently taking his gaze, I let out a deep sigh and said:

“Both of you calm down. Why are you so on edge?”

“……That’s!”

“There are some reasons that cannot be explained with words.”

Once again, their gazes crossed in the empty space.

I waved a hand dismissively and spoke, lowering my voice.

“Chun Hwa-young, it seems Ariel roughly explained why she brought you to the manor.”

*Gulped.*

It didn’t seem like a situation to be this nervous. But, for some reason, Chun Hwa-young’s face was stiff as she swallowed hard, then replied.

“Yes. It would have been better if you’d told me from the start…”

It was a vastly different reaction than before.

Just moments ago, she had been snapping back and showing a fiercely guarded demeanor, it was almost hard to believe.

“What in the world is this?”

The crown prince, who had been silently watching the spectacle, twisted his lips. Whether he didn’t like Chun Hwa-young from the start, he earnestly pleaded with me once again.

“Sir Frey. Please, I beg you, explain it to this Friedrich as well.”

“Well, it’s nothing special. I simply intend to bring this Chun Hwa-young into our guild.”

“Guild…!?”

For some reason.

The crown prince’s mouth snapped shut, looking like he’d been dealt a blow.

It was as if shadows were settling around his stiff figure. I had the illusion that a deep sense of defeat was weighing down the crown prince’s shoulders.

“Heh heh.”

Chun Hwa-young, watching the crown prince, wore a triumphant smile. It was as if in some kind of silent battle between the two, Chun Hwa-young was about to emerge as the victor.

“Sir Frey will. Create a guild…”

“That’s right. I was so surprised earlier, but I’m planning to join the guild.”

As if driving in the final nail of victory.

Chun Hwa-young added, speaking to the faltering crown prince.

“Perhaps, it will be difficult for you, Your Highness? As one who has to take care of national affairs. I’ve heard nobles in the Western Continent live lives like that.”

Hoh-hoh-hoh.

Chun Hwa-young’s triumphant laughter echoed through the reception room.

I, who had been silently watching that whole display, couldn’t help but scratch my head.

‘My guild isn’t even that special, is it?’

Well, looking at the current members, I could see why they’d think so. But, like most organizations, it could just as easily fall apart without any real achievement.

“Damn it.”

And yet, why was it?

Appallingly, the Crown Prince was mulling over his defeat, a darkness clinging to his features. It was a pitiful sight, really. I offered him a word of comfort.

“Is a guild such a big deal? If you want, Your Highness, you can join a guild too.”

“Really? Really, it’s alright for me to join the guild Lord Frey is running?”

“Yes. Of course it is. Especially given your earlier ‘request.’”

“Oh, oooh…… As expected, as expected of Lord Frey!”

Kee-yoot!

The Crown Prince let out an uncharacteristic, undignified exclamation of joy. Stunned, Cheon Hwa-yeong stammered, asking me,

“Is, is that really so? Lord Frey! Is His Royal Highness really joining the guild too?”

“Yeah. There’s no reason why not, right?”

“W, well, I guess not.”

A soft smile tugged at my lips as I watched Cheon Hwa-yeong so readily surrender.

The guy who’d called me ‘you’ or ‘kidnapper’ in the guest room was now acting like a well-behaved dog following his master.

‘Is this the power of influence and fame?’

A slightly novel feeling, it was.

Being from 21st-century South Korea, I’d always thought fame was mostly just a pain in the ass, to be honest.

But thanks to the way things were now, it seemed I could recruit such exceptional talent so easily.

“Cheon Hwa-yeong. Give me a definitive answer. Will you be with me?”

I uttered, and threw a dispassionate gaze at Cheon Hwa-yeong.

Truthfully, after everything that’d been said, her joining the guild was practically a foregone conclusion. I simply wanted to hear it from her own lips again.

“Of course! There was a meaningful reason Lord Frey brought me here, there’s no way I could refuse!”

Her voice, filled with energy, reverberated in the reception room.

And.

“It’s the same for me. I’m merely an ordinary laborer with nothing but a name, but surely, my name can illuminate Lord Frey’s path.”

Crown Prince Friedrich added his voice too.

Cheon Hwa-yeong’s piercing gaze immediately shot in his direction, but the Crown Prince just offered his usual relaxed smile.

“However. Is it truly alright to be ‘affiliated’ with a guild? It’s within my discretion if you join, but still.”

I said, turning my gaze to Friedrich.

Originally, a royal of the ＜Silver Ring＞ was a being of great worth. A literal human living above the heavens, they were. An exalted status in an absolute monarchy. No need to waste more words.

“It should be fine! Probably.”

“…….”

The Crown Prince answered in a hesitant voice.

“Yes. From the start, this problem was out of my hands.” If the Emperor, having noticed the Crown Prince’s impulsive actions, unleashed a furious reprimand, it would be enough for me to subtly distance myself.

“Um, Sir Frey.”

“……?”

As the situation seemed to be wrapping up, the Crown Prince cautiously called out to me. I turned to face him, and saw his expression was full of embarrassment.

“Is there, something more you have to say?”

“……Yes.”

The Crown Prince’s earnest gaze was fixed on me. I tilted my head, waiting for him to speak.

“It’s embarrassing to say this, but I am twenty years old this year. Therefore… I was wondering if we should organize our honorifics between us.”

“Honorifics?”

That was a rather sudden request.

Organize our honorifics, he says.

Between me and the Crown Prince, who was born of a more noble lineage than anyone, what honorifics other than ‘Sir’ and ‘Your Highness’ would be more natural?

“Could it be?”

A shiver!

But, Cheon Hwa-young, the top strategist of the Mount Hua Sect, seemed to see things differently.

As if she had realized something, her shocked gaze landed on us.

“Yes, that is correct. Since I am younger, I thought it would be perfectly natural for me to call the older Sir Frey, ‘hyung’.”

…Hyung?

“No, it’s fine by me, but are you really okay with that?”

“Of course! According to my limited experience, I’ve heard that members of guilds consider each other family, even brothers. Please, think of me as your younger brother! Hahaha!”

That was true.

Usually, the ＜Silver Ring＞ guild’s members boasted a stronger bond of camaraderie than any other organization. Well, given that their personality itself was a miniature version of the ‘Sects’ of the Eastern Continent, it was only natural.

“If Your Highness is alright with it, then please do so.”

“Hee, heeheehee… Heehee! Understood! Hyung-nim!”

The Crown Prince, with a face full of exhilaration, bowed to me respectfully.

What in the world was going on? To see the second-in-command of the Empire call me “Hyung-nim,” of all things.

“Wh-what about me?!”

“What about you?”

Cheon Hwa-young, who had been silent until now, let out another scream. I immediately looked at her, and saw that she was groaning, her face full of discontent.

“M-Me too! I want to use the term ‘Oppa’ too!”

“Sure. Go ahead. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”

“Huuuh-?! R-Really?!”

Even she seemed embarrassed by her own words, as Chun Hwa-young, who’d been covering her mouth, gasped.

“…Why? Did you think I’d keep my distance, assuming you were my fan?”

*Tsk*.

I chuckled and moved closer to her. The closer we got, the more ridiculously her eyes trembled, it was almost pathetic.

*Tap tap*.

I approached her and raised my hand slightly. And then, I gave her a light tap on the shoulder.

It was an action that reminded me of Lancelot encouraging me at the old knight’s garrison.

“Kyyyaaah!”

Here we go again…or, rather, the freak-out begins.

Chun Hwa-young saying she was my fan wasn’t a lie. It was obvious from her screaming and bursting into tears the moment I tapped her shoulder.

“Brother! Tap my shoulder too!”

Yeah, these two definitely had a bizarre common thread.

To put it bluntly, they’re both nuts.

The daughter of the Martial Alliance Leader.

The Imperial Crown Prince.

Putting aside their noble backgrounds, both of them were completely, utterly insane.

*Tap tap!*

With a bewildered heart, I tapped the Crown Prince’s shoulder. And then came the reaction…

“Kiya-hoo!”

“……”

He’s going around shouting ‘Kiya-hoo!’

“Hehe, it seems like things worked out well, thankfully.”

Perhaps she had been a little tense from the barely calmed atmosphere?

Ariel, who had been quietly observing the situation, cautiously approached me.

“What do you mean ‘Brother!’? You look way older than Frey-nim… I mean, Oppa, even more like an old geezer!”

“That’s a load of bull. Besides, the friendship between men isn’t based on age.”

“Oh, ‘load of bull’ since earlier? Sorry, but I’m a highly respected person in the Eastern Continent, you know?”

“So, this is the Eastern Continent? Tsk, tsk!”

“Eee, eeek!”

*Pffft.*

Ariel let out a faint laugh, watching the two still bickering.

Ariel, standing beside me, fidgeted with her fingers for a moment. It seemed like she had something to say.

“You know, Frey.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m just going to call you Frey. It’s easier for me.”

“……Okay.”

Unlike Chun Hwa-young and Friedrich…

Ariel spoke her mind plainly and softly.

……The cheetah was smiling.