Red bl0od splattered.
“Kyaaa!!”
A scream rang out.
Whose voice was it? I had no idea.
“Ike! Move!”
My father’s command echoed sharply.
What was I supposed to do now?
Protect Reina. Reduce the damage—no matter what.
The one who had shed blood was the prince. A deep wound stretched from his left shoulder down to his chest. He knelt on the ground, clutching his wound with both hands, his face contorted in pain.
Nearby, Reina stood frozen, her pale complexion stark against the blood staining her dress.
The purpose of this attack was clear.
It was the beginning of the battle for succession.
Although the crown prince was the most competent and stood the closest to inheriting the throne, not everyone supported him. Factions existed within the nobility, and this raid was undoubtedly a product of their schemes.
My father knew this—that’s why he ordered me to protect the crown prince.
The easiest way to discredit him was to create a disaster at a party he hosted.
“A raid!”
But this was too much.
Masked attackers targeted defenseless nobles without hesitation. Even if the fight for the throne was important, did it really have to go this far?
“Ike! What are you doing?!”
My father’s furious voice snapped me back to reality.
Yes. I couldn’t just stand here.
Move.
I wanted to create a happy world for Reina.
Then move.
The attack had already begun. All that remained was how to respond.
If I didn’t know the right answer, I had to act anyway—stop the enemy, protect Reina.
Throw myself in the way if I had to.
But—
“…Why.”
Why couldn’t I move?
I had trained myself to act in any situation.
Every day, I wielded my sword, refined my mana, and trained relentlessly. It had only been a month, but I had pushed myself, determined not to be ashamed.
So why were my legs trembling?
Move.
Act.
Run.
Run to Reina.
“Move!”
I struck my own knee with my fist, trying to force my body into action, but the shaking only grew worse.
Why was I hesitating?
Once again, fresh blood splattered before my eyes.
Looking at the carnage—
“…Scared.”
The word slipped out.
Yes. If I was being honest, I was scared.
A month of training wasn’t enough.
No matter how much Reina longed for a world where she could be happy—
I wasn’t a person of this world.
I knew how this story was supposed to go.
Even if I didn’t act, nothing major would change.
It was inevitable.
I had spent most of my life bedridden. Expecting someone like me to wield a sword without hesitation was unreasonable.
“…Let’s run away.”
Yes. That was the logical choice.
Ike Axus was a minor character.
Even if I ran away and disappeared here, the story wouldn’t change.
I could help Reina from outside.
This was too much for me. It was impossible.
Because this wasn’t the story I wanted.
At most, I was prepared to fend off one or two attackers, perhaps prevent an incident by noticing it ahead of time.
But this—this was a bloodbath.
I couldn’t handle this.
It was impossible for someone like me.
I slowly lifted my head, convincing myself that I had no choice.
And then—
“Stop!”
Reina.
She was holding a dagger for self-defense, facing an attacker.
Her beautiful dress, stained with the prince’s blood, gave an eerie impression. Shallow cuts marred her exposed skin.
She was at her limit.
Somehow, she was fending off the assailant’s strikes, but her strength was fading. Her breathing grew ragged.
No one was there to help.
The prince, gravely injured, barely managed to hold his sword, unable to survey the battlefield.
My father and the knights were occupied, escorting the prince and suppressing other attackers.
Only Reina—only she was left alone.
“No, no…”
Her dagger was knocked from her grasp.
The blade spun through the air, landing near my feet.
Reina’s eyes met mine.
Ike.
She didn’t say my name aloud, but I could see it on her lips.
“Don’t be ridiculous!!!”
The trembling in my body stopped.
My legs moved.
Before I knew it, I was sprinting toward her, mana surging into my legs, pushing me to my limits.
But—
I was too far.
At this speed, I wouldn’t make it in time.
I could only watch as the assailant’s knife plunged toward Reina’s chest.
At that moment—
[I’ll help you just this once.]
For some reason, I heard a voice.
The next thing I knew—
All the attackers lay motionless on the ground.
The battle was over.
The most severely wounded was the crown prince, but miraculously, there were no fatalities.
“Thank you for earlier.”
Reina looked at me and lowered her head.
But her gratitude barely registered.
Something felt—off.
A foreign sensation coursed through my body.
A movement that shouldn’t have been possible.
What was that?
And who had spoken?
I had no answers.
But if there was one thing I could be grateful for—
“I thought it was over… thank you so much.”
I had saved Reina.
That was enough for now.
At least I had prevented the future where I lost everything and was left in regret.
“…You remembered.”
“Huh?”
Had Reina just said something?
“Ike!”
A thunderous voice interrupted.
I turned my head toward the sound.
My father approached, his expression dark with fury.
Beside him, the crown prince—now healed through magic—walked with a stiff posture.
“…Father.”
“What the hell was that disgraceful display?! Bearing the name of our family, yet showing such cowardice! I know how hard you’ve trained. I believed you would shine without being hindered by your lack of talent! I’ve always been proud of you, but you—!”
There was nothing I could say in my defense.
“There is a difference between knowledge and experience, Ike. I understand why you froze in fear. But what the hell was that at the end?”
This novel will be upgraded to regular release, and get a Patreon Tier if there is enough support. You can get more chapters by sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee.
Check out my other projects: Roughly an Isekai Hypnosis Story (er0-novel 😉
Rehabilitating the Villainess (complete)
Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses (complete)
I Picked Up an Amnesiac Witch,
My Wife is the Devil (recommended)
Transmigrated as the Butler of a Defeated Heroine
In my best Christopher Walken – “That.. sucked”