My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

Taro raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze toward Winter.

“How do you know that?”

“The ground is shaking.”

As expected, Winter, one of the highly capable male leads from the original novel, seemed to be able to feel the vibrations in the earth.

I often wonder, but I can’t tell if Winter is really human or some kind of machine.

“...Everyone, stay alert. If you make a mistake, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

Taro said this, but unfortunately, there was no way to be more tense than we already were.

The constant vibration we felt—whether it was my heartbeat or someone else’s—I couldn’t tell. But as Winter had said, the sound of horses’ hooves started echoing, signaling the arrival of the Crown Prince’s party.

‘Is that a white horse?’

The Crown Prince, riding a well-groomed white horse that gleamed with polish, was riding up the path.

Since the mountain was so steep, it seemed he had come by horse rather than by carriage. At first, I could only see his dazzling golden hair, but as he rode up the hill, his whole figure came into view.

The Crown Prince was dressed in a splendid red outfit I had never seen since arriving in this world, riding his white horse, with about ten soldiers following him.

And standing beside him was the company commander, looking utterly subservient. Sweat was dripping down his neck, indicating how much he had suffered while touring Gamma and Beta squads before reaching us.

‘He really looks like a prince.’

The Crown Prince had typical blonde hair and blue eyes. He exuded the unreachable, aristocratic air of someone born into nobility.

Without dismounting, he lifted his chin with an aloof posture and swept his gaze over us with a look of disdain.

Gulp.

I heard someone swallow, and as the silence stretched on, Taro looked like he was about to pass out.

Finally, the Crown Prince spoke, his voice dripping with arrogance.

“Greetings, gentlemen.”

“Your Imperial Highness, we greet the Crown Prince!”

At the platoon leader’s shout, everyone followed suit, reciting the greeting we had practiced dozens of times the night before. My joints felt like they were going to crack from the effort.

“Hmmm…”

However, the Crown Prince seemed displeased and spoke again.

“Just like the previous two squads... Why is everyone so tense? Pathetic.”

...Silence followed.

‘It’s because of you, you damn bastard.’

I could barely hold back the urge to give him a swift punch.

Everyone nervously avoided eye contact, and the Crown Prince, with his noble demeanor, looked down upon us. But now that I looked more closely...

‘With his status as a prince, his aloof tone, and that look of disdain, combined with his handsome face...’

He was definitely the “tsundere prince” character.

In fact, if this world were a romance fantasy, he was probably a male lead character.

‘But no matter what, right now, he’s just an annoying superior to me...’

I clenched my teeth, desperately wishing he’d leave our unit as soon as possible, when the Crown Prince began conversing with the company commander.

The commander, eager to leave a good impression, started listing the strengths of our unit: nutritious meals for the soldiers, training tailored to individual abilities, soldiers with outstanding skills...

“Outstanding soldiers, you say?”

The Crown Prince’s interest seemed piqued.

“Yes, especially in swordsmanship, we have soldiers who excel in the craft…”

“Swordsmanship, huh? With no proper instructor around, can they really be that good?”@@novelbin@@

That comment seemed like a slight against us, but the company commander forced a laugh and responded.

“Yes, the hetero sapiens have developed survival skills that are superior…”

“Natural talent, huh…”

Suddenly, the Crown Prince curled one corner of his mouth into a smirk.

“Ha, alright! How about a sword duel with me?”

...Did I hear that right?

‘Damn, that sounded like a bomb just dropped.’

At the Crown Prince’s sudden challenge, Taro, who had been pale from the start, now looked as though he had turned from pale dirt to stone, and Elliot’s pupils were shaking uncontrollably.

“A sword… sword duel, you say?”

“Yeah. I heard your unit has some soldiers with exceptional skills.”

Everyone subtly glanced at Winter.

The company commander, who had brought up swordsmanship without considering the consequences, looked like he might faint any second.

“But that’s too dangerous...!”

The platoon leader, looking like he was about to vomit, tried to stop it.

“Do you think I’m weak? You’re being disrespectful.”

‘Why is this bastard so immature? He needs to spend at least a year in this unit before he grows up.’

However, the Crown Prince showed no sign of retracting his words. Instead, he scanned us arrogantly and asked:

“Who’s the strongest here?”

The company commander gave a subtle glance at Winter, and Winter, catching the signal, reluctantly stepped forward.

“It’s me.”

“Come forward!”

Winter walked up to the Crown Prince with a stoic expression.

The Crown Prince’s eyes wavered for a moment as he observed Winter’s well-built physique and his precise movements.

“…Ha! So, you’re the strongest?”

“I’m not sure if that’s the right way to put it.”

Winter replied in a low voice.

Anyone with a hint of sense would know this was a terrible situation.

‘The Crown Prince? How many stars does he have?’

A duel with the Crown Prince? For an ordinary person, that’s already the problem. They wouldn’t even be able to hold their sword with trembling hands.

Even though Winter was logical and calm as usual, there was no way he should win against the Crown Prince. That would just be madness!

But despite our desperate, silent prayers, the Crown Prince showed no intention of backing down.

“If you really are that strong, I want to test you myself.”

“Y-You could be in danger!”

“Are you disobeying my orders?”

The platoon leader desperately tried to stop the Crown Prince, but when the Crown Prince shot him a sharp look, the platoon leader had no choice but to comply.

“Well, in that case, we should head to the training field…”

“Alright, lead the way.”

The platoon leader led the way to the training field, and as the Crown Prince followed behind him, everyone’s eyes turned to Winter. Elliot, Taro, Leon, Brave, Plato... all the seniors stared at him.

‘Do well. Let him win naturally.’

‘Lose without making it obvious.’

‘If the Crown Prince gets even a scratch, we’re all dead.’

‘Winter, we’re counting on you…’

Though the burden fell entirely on Winter’s shoulders, as always, his expression showed no sign of change.

Of course, I prayed for all our safety as well.

‘Please, let him pull off some method acting...’

I knew Winter was a perfect, cool-headed male lead, but I sincerely hoped he would put aside his character and let the Crown Prince win naturally...

As the Crown Prince, the platoon leader, and the company commander disappeared into the training field, the atmosphere grew more intense. When it seemed like the duel was about to begin, Elliot, the commander, spoke urgently to the palace guards who had accompanied the Crown Prince.

“Please, stop His Highness. This could be dangerous.”

“He’s always like that. Please, just do your best.”

The palace guards, much like Elliot, spoke in weary tones.

Elliot, sensing the Crown Prince’s nature, squeezed his eyes shut and silently pleaded.

The Crown Prince was clearly the type of person who was strong-willed, self-righteous, and deluded into thinking he was ambitious and proactive, making him an annoying character.

By the time we arrived at the training field, still denying reality, the Crown Prince and Winter were already standing, each holding their swords.

“Everyone, keep a close eye on this.”

The Crown Prince spoke with that infuriating tone...

“Haha! I’m really looking forward to this!”

Altair, the only one of the Cool Mint Trio who had a friendly disposition, shouted loudly, his excitement visible. I couldn’t help but wonder, how did he pull off that sparkling, dramatic eye acting?

“Alright, hurry up and gather around!”

Altair, who had been smiling happily in front of the Crown Prince, now glared at us, and we all reluctantly smiled brightly and positioned ourselves around the Crown Prince and Winter.

The two of them stood facing each other, swords raised.

Winter’s first words, after silently waiting, were:

“Will you be using your aura?”

“What? Do you think I, who will lead the Empire, am incapable of proper swordsmanship?”

The Crown Prince spoke in a slightly sharper tone, and Elliot’s face turned pale as he silently mimicked a throat-slashing motion towards Winter.

“I just wanted to know if your aura would change the nature of the duel.”

“Do you take me for a fool...!”

The Crown Prince flared up, but Winter remained calm, completely unaffected.

‘This is bad...’

As a rule-abiding and perfectionist type, Winter had only asked in order to gauge the Crown Prince’s level, but the Crown Prince probably felt insulted by the question.

“Since you seem ready, let’s begin the duel!”

The platoon leader, whose face had turned paler and paler, now looked as white as a sheet and quickly shouted, trying to end the conversation before it dragged on any longer.

As the signal for the duel was given, both the Crown Prince and Winter’s swords glowed with aura, shining brightly.

The first to strike was the Crown Prince. With golden aura enveloping his sword, he attacked Winter with swift movements, but Winter blocked every single strike without a hint of error.

‘The Crown Prince is actually pretty good?’

Now that I was looking more closely, I could see that while the Crown Prince had the elegant, refined air of a noble, his swift movements, precise technique, and use of aura—the kind that only highly trained individuals, not regular humans, could wield—showed he was certainly skilled in swordsmanship.

He definitely seemed to have some responsibility toward the Empire. Touring the Border Defense Army like this and training to improve his own abilities seemed like he had put some effort into it.

The problem, however, was...

‘Winter is way too strong...’

In the original story, Winter was depicted as the most skilled of the four male leads. He was always exemplary in every aspect, and his seniors often praised his fighting style as the standard.

Even now, although it seemed like the Crown Prince and Winter were equally matched, if you looked closely, you’d see that Winter was never the one to attack first.

‘Of course, if he put all his effort into it, he’d be crazy...’

After exchanging a few blows, it seemed like the Crown Prince had realized Winter was holding back and gritted his teeth.

“Why aren’t you attacking? Are you looking down on me?”

“…No.”

“Then stop holding back and give me your all!”

With that, Winter swung his sword at the Crown Prince, the blade radiating a cold aura.

‘That stiff, uncompromising bastard...’

I had told him multiple times to lose naturally, but Winter was genuinely going all out!

Though Winter was carefully avoiding the vital points, it was clear he was attacking with serious intent now, and the Crown Prince, unable to keep up, was slowly being pushed back.

“Damn...! This bastard...!”

The Crown Prince shouted in frustration, and the platoon leader, looking like he was about to cry, muttered.

“No... not good…”

“Where the hell is Winter’s head right now?”

“Is he seriously following the rules even now...?”

Altair and Yuri, who were more exasperated than anyone, seemed like they might faint at the fact that Winter was genuinely trying to defeat the Crown Prince.

And just as the Crown Prince was being pushed into a corner, his hands trembling from the pressure...

“Move aside.”

Taro suddenly shoved me aside and took my place. The spot where Winter’s back was clearly visible.

Taro pulled something long and pipe-like from his sleeve and brought it to his mouth.

Whoosh—!

“Ugh...”

Winter’s body collapsed weakly.

‘...What’s going on?’

As if nothing had happened, Taro slipped the pipe back into his sleeve, his expression unreadable. I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, as I realized...

‘D-Did he just inject Winter with a paralysis needle?’