I Became the First Prince: Legend of Sword's Song

Chasing the star that shines alone on a dark night (1)¹

It was a month ago when news of the imperial army’s crushing defeat reached the central part of the empire. It was relatively recently that the seven territories connecting the central and eastern regions collapsed one after another.

“The Barony of Drang has fallen!”

And just yesterday, news arrived that Baron Drang’s castle, located quite deep within the central region, had been set on fire, and the baron’s family had been annihilated.

When Count Derent heard the news, he was completely distraught.

“A-Adrian Leonberger! Where did he go!”

The count asked in a stuttering voice for the whereabouts of Adrian Leonberger.

However, despite him asking everywhere, the only answer that came back was that his location was unknown.

The pale-faced count screamed loudly.

“What on earth are you doing! Before anything else, you should have figured out where he is!”

“T-that… We are doing our best, but there is no trace of him anywhere, like he disappeared into the sky or went underground.”

“Excuses! I don’t want to hear it! Go now and find out where he is! Do whatever it takes to figure it out no matter what!”

The count shouted as if he was having a seizure.

Later, he scolded the knight by throwing everything he could get his hands on.

“Even though I said that! You think I gave you knighthood just for being stupid and turning a blind eye?! Go and do your job!”

Finally, when the knight saw the count ready to draw his sword, he fled from the scene.

“Pathetic bastards!”

The count, left alone, stumbled and fell into his seat.

Then he raised his hands and cupped his face.

“Ugh…”

The count moaned between his fingers.

He was completely terrified.

The knights which were the pride of his family, the expansive castle and walls, the dignity of his prestigious and historic lineage.

There was no comfort in any of that right now.

He had heard that many of the units at the front lines were retreating, but it didn’t matter.

He was so anxious that he couldn’t bear it.

The count hurriedly got up and drank from a bottle of strong liquor that was on his shelf.

He wondered if he would feel better if he drank alcohol.

“Keugh.“

But the fear did not go away.

It felt like the monster that had single-handedly destroyed the imperial army was hiding and watching him.

It seemed as if the disaster that had severed the bloodlines of eight noble families of their great empire would appear at any moment and plunge a sword into the back of his neck.

The count poured the strong drink into his mouth again.

“I would rather…”

If he knew where Adrian Leonberger was heading, he wouldn’t have been so anxious.

Even if the truth was a terrible one that he would never hope for.

Even if that was the case, instead of desperately clinging to the faintest hope, he would have given up everything and prepared for his end with the determination to fight to his death.

The count continued to drink.

His fear was gradually diluted by the alcohol.

After drinking for a while, the count suddenly had a thought.

He pictured himself climbing the castle walls, encouraging the soldiers, and dying bravely while fiercely fighting the enemy.

In his imagination, he was a great lord who was a proud nobleman of the Great Burgundy Empire, and who did not forget his resolve even in the face of an opponent he could not resist.

Like the ancestors of the great Derent family.

He really liked how that looked.

So much so that the heart of the count, who had lived extravagantly while believing in his family, swelled with pride.

“Okay. Whatever.”

The count made a promise.

Even if Adrian Leonberger came, he would never show a servile appearance.

He would die fighting proudly as the head of the great Derent family.

Clang clang clang!

So when he heard the urgent ringing of the bell, he was unfazed.

What was coming would come.

“Your Excellency the Count! In front of the east gate…!”

“Guide me.”

Thanks to this, he was able to speak calmly to the knight who arrived.

The knight widened his eyes.

“What are you doing, not showing me the way? The enemy has come, so we have to fight.”

Despite the count’s words of annoyance, the knight just stared blankly.

Then after a while, he suddenly burst into tears.

“I believed in you! The blood of the great Derents flows in the count’s veins!”

The knight’s face alternated between joy and regret, but in the end, only respect and admiration remained.

A corner of the count’s chest tickled.

Something welled up inside him that made him want to cry.

For some reason, his heart felt hot.

The fear of death gradually faded and finally completely disappeared.

All that was left was a passion so hot that even he could not understand it.

The count was surprised to see that he also had this side to himself.

But he soon understood.

It was said that in moments of crisis, people would reveal their true face.

He was just like that.

The count put his hand on his chest.

He didn’t want to let the fire that had bloomed in his heart extinguish.

So he headed to the walls without any delay.

As they walked towards the castle ramparts, the fire did not go out, but instead continued to grow.

By the time they finally reached the walls, it was almost unbearable.

“Sons of Derent! Do not be afraid! Do not needlessly stay attached to life, because it is through death that we will earn our glory!”

Unable to bear it any longer, the count opened his mouth and released the fire burning inside him.

“We will fight! We will win! Even if our bodies fall and turn to dust, our souls will gain victory!”

A passionate voice echoed over the castle walls.

“History will say that today’s battle was a revolution led by the great ones who did not fear death!”

Several knights looked thrilled at the resolute declaration that came from deep within the heart.

“Today we will gain immortality!”

Count Derent, whose body burned even hotter after seeing their faces, cried out at the top of his lungs.

“Derent will live forever!”

“Our souls will be immortal!”

The knights shouted along.

The battle cry filled with mana rang loudly across the castle walls.

The eyes of the soldiers who had initially been frightened by the solemn roar started to change.

“Uwwooooo!“

Their morale rose, and they struck the ground with their spears while shouting.

“Ah! Sons of Derent!”

Count Derent shed hot tears at the enthusiastic response.

“I am with you!”

The count drew his sword and shouted, and once again the soldiers and knights joined him.

The count wiped away his tears.

Then, with a solemn yet determined face, he looked at the plains beyond the castle.

A man was approaching.

That person was none other than Adrian Leonberger, the God of War of the Leonberg Kingdom.

Compared to other knights, he was somewhat smaller in size. He wore a torn cloak and armor covered in dark red stains.

After seeing that shabby appearance, even more courage welled up in the count’s heart.

“Prince of the Leonberger family!”

Count Derent looked down from the castle walls and shouted in a dignified voice.

“War god of the Kingdom of Leonberg. To conquer this castle, you must defeat me and my soldiers first…”

Adrian Leonberger raised his head.

The moment those blue eyes met the count’s gaze.

“Uh?”

The count came to his senses.

The resolute determination to die proudly while fighting the war god was nowhere to be found.

He no longer felt that his whole body was burning.

All that remained was the fear that he thought he had completely overcome.

Only then did he realize.

What he had thought was his determined will was in fact nothing more than the recklessness of a drunkard.

Staggering.

The count took a step back.

Thump.

Then his foot got twisted and his butt hit the floor.

“Your Excellency the Count…?”

The knights rushed over and tried to help him up, but then froze in shock.

Their eyes were fixed on the count’s pants.

There was a dark stain there. The stain continued to grow.

And then eventually reached the bottom.

Yellow liquid pooled on the floor.

An unpleasant smell crept up.

“H-Hiik! I-I was wrong! Please forgive me!”

The count started the battle by squishing his butt onto a pool of his urine.

There was no sign of the brave lord who was commanding the soldiers on the castle walls.

There was only a shabby old scared man rolling around in the dirt.

Crack.

Then, there was a heavy noise.

The knights’ faces stiffened.

With stern expressions, they turned to look at one spot in unison.

The war god who was walking on the plains below the castle walls just a moment ago was there.

Blue and red lights shone in each eye.

“Huh?”

The knights took a step back.

“Ugh.”

The soldiers groaned and sat down.

The castle walls, which had previously been burning with the resolution to die, was now frozen.

At that moment.

Shiik.

Adrian Leonberger drew his sword.

And began running along the walls.

Ssok.

There was the sound of something being cut.

Psshh.

A moment later, a fountain of blood began to flow.

Adrian Leonberger continued to run.

Blood spurted everywhere he passed.

There were countless corpses with the upper and lower halves separated.

Bodies with several limbs missing were lying on the floor.

“R-run away!”

The soldiers ran away screaming.

But there was nowhere for them to escape to on top of the narrow ramparts.

“Ahh!“

Eventually, terrified soldiers began jumping from the top of the walls.

Thud.

The bodies of the fallen soldiers piled up below the walls.

Ssok.

The number of cleanly cut corpses on top of the ramparts increased at a rapid pace.

Death was in full bloom throughout the city.

It didn’t take long for everyone at the top of the walls to face death.

Just one lap.

All it took was the short amount of time it would take a well-trained knight to run a circle on top of the castle walls.

“Hee, hee hee.”

The only survivor was Count Derent, who was covered in dirt and blood and was laughing like a madman.

Adrian Leonberger, who caught a glimpse of the count, disappeared into the castle.

Rumbling.

And soon, the tall towers began to collapse one after another.

Kwasik.

The corner of the castle where the barracks were located collapsed with a loud noise.

The roaring and screaming stopped.

The terrifying sound of the God of War’s sword could no longer be heard.

The castle fell silent.

“Every, everyone will die. Everyone will die!”

Only the sound of the mad count giggling occasionally echoed in the quiet castle.

* * *

The soldiers and knights had been annihilated, but all the ordinary people of Derent survived.

They had locked their doors and waited for the screaming and shouting to stop.

Even after the terrible noise had completely stopped for some time, they did not leave their houses.

A few men who were overly curious went outside, but they couldn’t even approach the castle walls.

The citizens eventually left their homes not of their own accord, but because of someone else’s will.

A group of soldiers attacked three days after the fight had ended.

The soldiers forced out all of the people who had locked themselves in their homes regardless of age or gender, and gathered them in the open space in front of the castle walls.

The people who had been dragged out were utterly terrified when they saw the aftermath of the battle.

The decomposing corpses had been picked at by crows and eagles, and they were now completely covered in maggots and flies.

But there was something else that was truly terrible.

An old man with empty eyelids, as if they had been eaten out by crows.

It was Count Derent.

“We’re all going to die. Everyone, every single one.”

The count, sitting at one side of the clearing, looked at the people with empty eye sockets and poured out ominous words.

“The empire is over!”

The people covered their ears and closed their eyes.”

“H-hiik! H-he’s coming! He’s coming… Kkeugh “

Suddenly, the count’s curse stopped.

One of the citizens slowly opened his eyes.

And froze.

The count’s head, rolling on the floor with his tongue hanging out, was right in front of him.

A knight cleaning his bloody sword caught the man’s eye.

The knight raised his head and saw the man.

The man turned pale.

Having witnessed his lord’s head being cut, he thought that he would not be left alive.

However, contrary to the man’s expectations, the knight did nothing.

“Clean it up.”

He simply ordered his soldiers to dispose of the lord’s body.

The soldiers picked up the count’s head and body, threw them onto a pile of corpses, and set fire to them. Other soldiers came and reported to the knight.

“No one else is left.”

The knight nodded slightly and looked back at the people.

And spoke calmly.

“We will leave the castle and go elsewhere.”

That was the end.

The knight didn’t say anything about why they had to leave the castle or where they were going.

The people also didn’t ask why.

It was because they saw the sparkling pattern engraved on the breastplate of the man wearing golden armor.

It was a symbol known even to the people who had only seen Count Derent and some other nobles visiting the castle before.

The symbol of the Burgundy imperial family.

The knight belonged to the imperial family.

Like that, the people left the castle and walked in silence behind the soldiers.

No one uttered even a word of complaint.

They just endured the harsh schedule which was difficult for the elderly and children to keep up with.

Some people asked for time to pack their bags, but after seeing their heads cut off, everyone else was extremely cautious.

As they continued to walk, they came across another group of people.

Soldiers, knights, and shabby-looking people following behind.

“That’s everyone.”

The people of Derent realized that there were others in a similar situation.

“Elsewhere?”

“We checked all 67, they were the last.”

They sighed inwardly.

They had heard that the central provinces had been attacked by the Leonberg crown prince, but they had no idea that 37 places² had been attacked.

‘The empire is over!’

Suddenly, the image of Count Derent foretelling the end appeared in people’s minds.

The empire might really collapse.

1. Probably because there’s going to be a book, the chapter titles have been updated. This was originally episode 312 chapter 83 part 1 on ridi, but now it’s episode 312 chapter 86 (and parts aren’t labeled). There were two places where an accidentally duplicated chapter number was fixed, and one place where a chapter was split into two. If the author made any edits to the text of the I have almost no way of knowing, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case (see 2) I’ll continue using my current numbering system. ⤴
2. This is a typo. It was mentioned in the comments for the raws as well but hasn’t been fixed. ⤴