Vol. 1 Chapter 1 - Taken, Engagement Broken, Banished

Chapter 1 – Taken, Engagement Broken, Banished

In a grand hall of a white-brick castle adorned with a red carpet-like floor—within the audience chamber of the king—the events unfolded.

A fair-haired woman, pushed to the ground, was being scolded by a handsome young man with silver hair and a beautiful woman with pale purple hair, whose hair stood on end.

“How dare you conspire against me, claiming to be a saint all this time, you wretched woman!!”

“Absolutely. To indulge in false sanctity while disregarding me, that’s a despicable act.”

—Who’s the one being despicable here!!

Unable to bear it, I rushed to the fallen woman and helped her up.

“Sister! Are you alright?”

“Yuma…!”

Tears of sorrow welled up in the eyes of this woman. She was my respected stepsister and the saint protecting the kingdom, Diana Sutherland.

Born to peasant parents, she was recognized as a saint in her early years and became adopted into my family, the Sutherland family.

Always kind, forever radiant with a warm, merciful heart, she was like the gentle sunlight that gave me solace in a society burdened by nobles’ conflicts and the greed of my family. If it weren’t for her, my core would surely have been twisted.

—And now, she was the fiancée of Cedric, the crown prince of this kingdom, or well, she used to be.

“Hmph, I will annul the engagement between us. And—declare that Lillian here will be my new fiancée!!”

Ohh, the nobles and royalty around were cheering with joy.

I knew the woman who was clinging closely to that prince all too well. Lillian Portman—my childhood friend, my fiancée, and the daughter of a prestigious minister.

Adorned in lavish dresses befitting a noblewoman, her ample bosom was prominently displayed—plump, indeed.

Lillian had recently been recognized as a saint by the Church.

Cedric, with his throne in sight, was attracted by Lillian’s magical prowess, which was more than double that of my stepsister. Lillian swiftly betrayed me and switched to this prince.

It’s a natural truth that childhood friends can be taken away, but experiencing it firsthand is complex. Despite being together since early childhood, I was surprised at how easily she could betray me and that realization made me calm, in an ironic way.

Both stepsiblings having their engagements broken, it’s a terrible story.

And everyone involved directly in my and Lillian’s engagement—my damn excuse for a father, my family including the Portmans, and even the king—all not opposing this, suggests that it was all prearranged. What a farce.

What do they think of the adventures my stepsister and I embarked on, dedicated to saving this nation?

Lillian might have magic power, but she hasn’t really done anything for this country…! And the Church’s declaration of her sainthood is questionable at best.

Moreover, I can’t forgive this prince for pursuing a woman who already has a fiancé.

After all, it was my stepsister who brought peace to this country after countless adventures and battles!

“I’m truly relieved that I don’t have to embrace a filthy rat like you, Diana. Disappear from my presence and never show yourself again.”

“P-Prince Cedric…?! Why?! What have I done?! I’ve dedicated myself to this country—”

My stepsister cried out in despair. Suddenly, everything she had was snatched away unjustly. She had given her entire youth for the sake of this kingdom’s peace, and this was her reward. It was just too cruel.

“Ahh, no, noooo, uuuuuu.”

Seeing my stepsister sobbing uncontrollably without hiding her face—my patience snapped into tiny pieces in an instant!!!

“Cut it out, Yuma!” came the voice of my “brother,” but I couldn’t be stopped.

There were two reasons for this. Firstly, in order to continue protecting my stepsister by her side, I needed to get banished as well. Secondly, I just couldn’t feel satisfied without landing a solid punch on the face of this damn traitorous scumbag.

“What’s this, Lord Sutherland? You—what the hell?!”

“Shut it, you dumbass!! Making my stepsister cry, you bastard!!”

I am a knight, and not just any knight, but the only Dragon Knight in this entire kingdom, who has faced numerous adventures and battles alongside my stepsister. I won’t lose to a prince who has been living comfortably in the royal castle. With all my might, I smashed my fist into his face, causing the stupid prince to spew blood from his nose and collapse. Pathetic guy.

“Y-yoush, S-Sir…? W-Why?! What have I done?! I devoted myself to this kingdom—”

My stepsister wailed in agony. She had devoted herself selflessly to the country and was met with this sudden betrayal and slap in the face. She did nothing wrong.

—Who does this asshole think he is to use someone and then toss them aside like trash?!

Grasping him by the collar and leaving him hanging in the air, I continued pounding him mercilessly.

“Phew, hyameroo, eihyei, koyachuo to ryaeryoo!! Fwoh, fwoohyofafohewfen dai!!”

The guards must be shouting to capture this guy. And towards the end, he’s probably activating some kind of defensive magic, right? But at this point, I’ve broken so many teeth and he’s just spewing nonsense, so who cares what he’s saying?

“If you think you can take a shot, go ahead and try it. Don’t think you can approach me with just the castle guards!!!

This one’s for my stepsister! And this one’s for her! This one, this one, this one too! It’s all for my stepsister! Your pathetic defense magic is useless, useless, useless, useless!! Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!!”

I continued to relentlessly rain blows upon his face.

By the way, Lillian’s trembling and shaking, but even though she’s got a fiancé, I won’t let her off the hook for betraying me and getting involved with another man. We’ve been childhood friends, but that doesn’t mean I’ll show mercy to someone who betrayed me.

And the others who were involved in breaking the engagement will need to take responsibility sooner or later.

While I was contemplating all of this, I continued to beat up the prince. The castle guards didn’t even come close… I guess it’s because I’ve been releasing lightning magic. The weaker guards, with low morale or training, were frothing at the mouth and passing out. Pathetic, so weak. Was this guy just delusional to think he could steal the strongest knight of the kingdom from another man?

“Sto-stop, Lord Sutherland! If you continue, my son’s face will end up like that of an orc!!”

The king, who had been dumbfoundedly observing the situation, shouted out, so I stopped my punches. I had hit him quite a bit already, so I figured I’d stop here.

This might be too light of a punishment for a scumbag who uses women and then discards them like trash, but he’s a prince, after all. I won’t take his life.

“…Tch. Consider yourself lucky, you damn prince. ——King. I’ll also take my leave from this kingdom.”

Saying that, I let go of him, and his crotch area was wet. It’s just pathetic for a grown man to wet himself. Watching the undignified sight of the prince, I declared while glaring at the king. At this point, I won’t use honorifics even when addressing the king.

“Ugh?!”

The king’s face twisted as if he had just bitten into a bitter bug. …Of course he would. After all, I, Yuma Sutherland, the strongest knight in the kingdom, had used such disrespectful language. He probably didn’t want me around with such disrespect, even though I’m the kingdom’s strongest knight. But honestly, who would want to serve a country that treats them like this? Isn’t that a bit too naive?

“I hope you understand that it’s better than openly rebelling right here. I will protect my stepsister beside her. ——And if anyone gets in my way, I won’t show mercy, no matter who it is.”

As I said this, I released my grip, and the fallen Cedric, the prince, was whimpering and wailing. I ignored him.

“…Understood. There is no one here who can directly oppose you face-to-face. Yuma Sutherland. I shall strip you of your title and inheritance. Your younger brother shall inherit the Sutherland family. Considering your past service, I will overlook the rest. You are free to do as you please from now on.”

With a deep sigh, the king declared, and as a result, I would be going into exile along with my stepsister. Hooray!! More than anything, I don’t care about a country that doesn’t have my stepsister in it anymore. In fact, I hope it crumbles quickly, crumbles away.