Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Revenge (1)

It’s already been four days since the crown prince visited.

I gave a few words to that scatterbrained fool, and he seemed to understand enough, so I hadn’t bothered with him further.

I simply focused on living my life, and if I had to describe it in one word:

‘Perfect.’

Undoubtedly, perfect.

Has there ever been a time in my life when I felt this peaceful?

Life in the prison wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Not even the little freedom I had during wartime could compare.

When I open my eyes in the morning, the sunlight greets me.

Even if I just lay there, the servants would tidy up my bed and prepare breakfast for me.

After that, it’s all my time.

‘Ah, just a few more days…’

Just a few more days like this.

I’ve endured 20 years of hardship for the honor of the family—surely I deserve this brief period of leisure.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was doing absolutely nothing.

“Good morning.”

“G-Good morning, young master!”

There were ten soldiers from the family running drills in the training yard, so I joined their ranks.

They all stared at me, dumbfounded to see me exercising in the morning.

“Why is the young master doing this…?”

“Is someone else inside his body?”

I could hear their whispers.

‘I can hear you, you brats.’

But I couldn’t exactly refute them.

After all, “future me” has taken over my present self, so it’s strange to think of us as the same person.

Even without considering that, they had a point.

My past self was nothing but a fool.

So, I had to show them that I’ve changed.

Plus, exercise is now a daily necessity.

‘How could this body be so weak…’

Though my control of mana is at an expert level, my body is an absolute wreck, untrained and pitiful.

Some people might say that good mana control is all you need, but that’s nonsense.

A knight’s combat ability is a multiplication of physical strength and mana control.

A true knight wields a well-honed sword of mana with a refined body.

If it were just about good mana use, you’d be a mage, not a knight.

In any case, I’m only half a knight right now.

Not only will my combat ability suffer without proper physical training, but I run the risk of my body exploding under the strain of too much mana.

The thought made my skin crawl, but I shook it off and spoke to the soldiers.

“I’m done for the day. Good work, everyone.”

After running, the lingering sleepiness was gone, and my body felt much lighter.

Emma had already prepared my bath and fresh clothes when I returned to my room.

Ah, the life of a noble… truly the best!

“Thanks.”

Just as I was about to head to the bath:

“Ah! Young master!”

“Huh?”

“A letter! From the imperial family!”

“A letter?”

“Y-Yes! From the crown prince!”

The mere mention of the crown prince soured my previously good mood.

I thought I was done with him.

As I took the letter, Emma’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

I felt a bit uneasy.

“…Do you know what it says?”

“Yes, more or less! The imperial messenger said it in such a serious tone…”

“In what tone?”

Emma cleared her throat dramatically and then, mimicking a pompous old man’s voice, said:

“The imperial family seeking the guidance of the House of Pharos is a rare occurrence! The matter at hand demands your wise counsel!”

Emma’s eyes glinted as she looked at me. I responded flatly.

“Did he really say that?”

“Yes!!!”

“Alright.”

I tossed the letter aside and headed for the bath.

Emma gasped behind me.

“Y-Young master! The letter!”

“Just leave it there or deal with it yourself.”

A tutor to the crown prince?

Is he insane?

‘Why should I bother?’

I’ve got my own things to deal with; I don’t have time to babysit the crown prince.

What if he insists?

‘He can go shove it.’

And I mean that.

Our family, the House of Pharos, is the only one with the right to reject and reconsider imperial orders.

There’s no way I’ll get roped into this annoying task.

With that thought in mind, I washed up.

Later, I realized there was something I hadn’t accounted for—during lunch with my sister.

“My lord, I heard the news. You’ve been invited to be His Highness’s tutor! I’m so proud of you.”

Before I could even pick up my spoon, my sister spoke.

She looked ecstatic.

A soft smile graced her lips, a slight blush appeared on her cheeks, and her words were coming out just a bit faster than usual.

Have I mentioned?

My sister, Cecilia Pharos, is someone who never shows emotions.

When she does, it’s so subtle that you’d miss it if you weren’t paying close attention.

Yet here she was, openly expressing her joy.

No, she wasn’t just happy—she was positively thrilled.

…Yeah, I had overlooked something.

Thanks to the gossiping servants, every bit of news in this household ends up in her ears.

And my sister, Cecilia Pharos, is a person completely intertwined with the family’s honor, the very reason our house still commands respect.

So, of course, when she heard the news, she would naturally expect me to accept.

And as her little brother, I’m someone who can never refuse her wishes.

“Well… uh…”

“My lord, I’m so proud of you.”

…Sigh.

* * *

The Imperial Palace.

The audience chamber of the Dawn Palace was noisy.

Not because of a crowd, but because Erilda was making a fuss.

Callios had a headache.

“Really? Are you really doing this? Are you seriously making that rascal from Pharos your tutor? The same Pharos who’s nothing but a troublemaker?”

“Troublemaker? He’s the heir of a Great Family. Watch your words…”

“Watch my words? He’s a troublemaker, and you know it!”

Callios couldn’t deny it, which only deepened his sadness.

The public perception of Yuren Pharos wasn’t exactly flattering.

He was the center of the capital’s debauchery, infamous for gambling, drinking, and even stealing snacks from children on the streets.

‘As of now, I’m the only one who knows that he’s no longer just a rascal.’

So, Callios understood why the palace was in an uproar.

He’d heard the rumors himself: people saying that now he would indulge in debauchery with Yuren and that they’d be seen together at gambling dens.

It was troubling.

Just when he was finally taking his responsibilities as crown prince seriously, this incident threatened to ruin his reputation.

He sighed.

‘…I guess this is karma.’

In hindsight, his obsessive pursuit of Rebecca had indeed been irrational.

Acting like she was the center of the world, he had charged ahead blindly, no matter the consequences.

Now, the chaos surrounding Yuren was just another consequence of his reckless behavior.

“Erilda.”

“What!”

“I didn’t summon you just to hear complaints. And please, show some respect.”

“Do I look like I care? No!”

Erilda was trembling with rage, but Callios remained stern, staring her down.

She glared at him for a moment, but then, realizing he wouldn’t back down, she sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders.

Despite her temper, Erilda always gave in eventually.

“…The only solution is to convince others that it makes sense to bring him on as your tutor.”

“I know that. I’m asking for your advice on how to do that.”

“How? By showing everyone that Pharos has something you can learn from.”

Callios blinked.

“Show that Pharos is better than me in some way?”

“Right, though that’s unlikely.”

Is it really impossible?

Even as he thought about it, Callios understood Erilda’s dilemma.

Callios wasn’t someone who lacked self-awareness.

In fact, he was rather good at following the wisdom of the elders and evaluating his abilities quite accurately.

Despite that, Callios was superior in every way as an individual.

Innate all-around talent.

And it wasn’t at an ordinary level either.

As Callios fell into thought, Erilda subtly asked.

“There’s probably nothing, right? Then, I guess I’ll give up here…”

“…No.”

“…Huh?”

“If I don’t know something, I just have to find out.”

“Huh??”

Callios stood up, smiled brightly at Erilda, and said,

“Isn’t it easier to just ask directly?”

That was the turning point of the incident.

* * *

“So, that’s why we’re here.”

In the mansion’s reception room, the Crown Prince, who was smiling so refreshingly that I wanted to smack him, and the Princess, who was glaring at me as if she wanted to flick my forehead, were sitting in front of me.

Why are these two showing up at someone else’s house like this?

No, more importantly,

“Are you asking if there’s anything I’m better at than His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“That’s not exactly what I meant…”

“No, that’s exactly what you’re asking, isn’t it?”

Where does this confidence come from, coming up to someone and asking, “What are you better than me at?” Confidence is certainly a necessary virtue for a crown prince, but hearing it somehow makes me angry.

“Are you picking a fight with me?”

When I asked, the Crown Prince replied seriously.

“No, it’s not like that. This is a really important issue. In order to smoothly accept you as a tutor, I need to convince everyone around me.”

“I never said I was going to be a tutor, though?”

“Are you not going to do it?”

I froze in place.

—My Lord, I’ve heard the news. You’ve been invited to be His Highness’ tutor, haven’t you? Your sister is truly moved by this.

Why is my sister’s smiling face coming to mind at this moment?

“…”

Unable to answer immediately, the Crown Prince smiled brightly.

“Haha! So you wanted this as well! You’re really such a shy person!”

“Fu…”

Screw you.

“You mean yes?”

“Shi…”

Damn it.

This is weird.

Why aren’t my rejection and withdrawal rights coming to mind?

Ah, I see.

My sister’s smile is more important than my right to refuse…!

I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘Damn it.’

But as annoying as this is, if I think about it differently, this could be a good opportunity.

Let’s set aside the downside of having to deal with the Crown Prince.

The Pharos family was, from its foundation, a house destined to tutor the royal family.

The greatest honor in our family is for the current head to serve as the royal tutor.

But the last time that happened was 300 years ago.

There are political dynamics at play.

Given the peculiar position of the Pharos family, it’s not good to get too involved in politics.

Thus, our predecessors were careful.

Unless absolutely necessary, we didn’t involve ourselves.

A rule was made in the family: “Do not act unless requested by the royal family.”

And now, the Crown Prince had specifically requested me to be his tutor.

This was a chance to bring the greatest honor to our family.

“Sigh…”

I let out a long breath, and my mind cleared.

The Crown Prince asked,

“So, is there any particular field in which you’re exceptionally confident? Enough to beat me, that is. Anything will do! Ah, maybe not in the culinary arts or…”

He was babbling on.

I seriously started to think about it.

‘A field where I have more talent than the Crown Prince?’

…Would there be one?

I’ve spent over 20 years tangling with that man.

There’s no way I could not know by now.

The Crown Prince is a man who exceeds the total possible amount of talent a human could be born with.

Honestly, if it weren’t for that commoner woman, I doubt there would ever be an emperor who could surpass him in the next thousand years.

The only thing I could confidently say I’m better at is swordsmanship.

‘But even that…’

Suddenly―

I froze.

‘…Wait.’

This is 20 years ago.

What was the Crown Prince’s level in swordsmanship at this point?

‘Expert beginner? Intermediate?’

He’s about the same as me.

Once I realized that, a few facts came to mind.

‘Had he overhauled the Imperial Swordsmanship at this point?’

No, that was something he revised after being imprisoned and meditating.

‘Did he know how to use ‘Sword Intent’ at this point?’

Definitely not. ‘Sword Intent’ was a concept that appeared in the Crown Prince’s ‘New Imperial Swordsmanship’ in the future.

Let’s sum this up.

At this point, our levels are similar.

Physically, I’m inferior.

But if we limit it to the field of swordsmanship…

‘The Imperial Swordsmanship and the New Imperial Swordsmanship are highly incompatible.’

The New version was created after dissecting the old one and fixing all its weaknesses.

And I have all of that future knowledge in my head.

‘So… I can beat the current Crown Prince?’

In other words,

‘…I can beat him up?’

My heart started pounding.

In my past life, this was something I’d always wished for but never achieved: beating the Crown Prince to the brink of death.

Now, it might actually come true.

As soon as I realized that, my mouth moved on its own.

“Your Highness.”

“Hm?”

Ah, I really shouldn’t be doing this.

“…Do you know how to handle a sword?”

Why am I smiling so much?

———