Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 21
Kyle looked like he had a million questions, but when I said I was tired, he didn’t press further. Instead, he held onto my shoulder and closely examined my face.
“You’re not hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
I answered bluntly, but Kyle was already patting down my clothes. I had ditched the rags I’d found in the cave and was now wearing the formal attire I’d borrowed from Reynold.
Of course, this outfit was much nicer and cleaner, but I couldn’t deny that the rags had been more comfortable. Strangely enough, it seemed Kyle was more uncomfortable with these new clothes than I was.
“What happened to those beggar clothes? Why are you wearing my brother’s outfit?”
Beggar clothes, he said. So Kyle really had been thinking of me as some kind of vagabond. I honestly didn’t want to know what he truly thought of me—and now that I did, it felt awful.
“They were too worn out, so he told me to throw them away.”
“Did something… bad happen, by any chance?”
The nervous flicker in Kyle’s eyes made it clear he was imagining something unpleasant.
“We just talked. He said I looked like someone he knew and wanted to confirm it.”
I cut in firmly, making sure not even a trace of misunderstanding could remain.
“Really? But if you’re still here, I guess he hasn’t confirmed it yet?”
I nodded with a weary expression. At that, Kyle’s face lit up as if someone had flipped a switch.
“Then you’re coming with us?”
“For now, it looks like it.”
Kyle clapped once in relief. The noise must have been irritating, because Kakaros, who had been asleep, let out a faint groan.
“Make yourself comfortable, for now.”
There wasn’t really a ‘comfortable’ spot to sit, but I sat beside Kyle and leaned against the iron bars with him.
Across from us, I could see Kakaros and Elonen curled up on the narrow wagon floor, fast asleep from exhaustion. Gerard sat in the farthest corner, his eyes tightly shut.
“We’ve dragged you into quite a mess. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.”
Honestly, it wasn’t because of them that I’d been captured—it was because of who I used to be.
“By the way, from what the Crown Prince said, it sounds like there’ll be a trial. Will you be alright?”
I casually dropped the bit of information I’d overheard from Reynold. Kyle looked out into the woods and let out a long sigh.
“I’m not even surprised. Reynold’s always been like that.”
He seemed completely unbothered, probably used to Reynold’s hostile behavior.
“Why does Crown Prince Reynold hate you so much?”
I felt like I’d read something about that in the original novel, but it didn’t come to mind right away. I asked lightly, and Kyle began speaking in a calm tone.
“Because I’m the only one among the seven princes who inherited the ‘Royal Blood’.”
The phrase was so absurd I almost snorted but managed to hold it back.
But the more I thought about it, the more familiar it started to sound.
“Royal Blood?”
Pretending it was my first time hearing it, I repeated the words back to Kyle while recalling the original story.
“Yeah. It’s a special ability that’s been passed down in our family for generations. It’s not a secret anymore, so I guess it’s okay to tell you.”
Thanks to Kyle’s kind explanation, the memory came back clearly.
The Delos family was originally a renowned swordsmanship lineage. Even before they became the royal family, they had produced more than twenty exceptional sword masters.
Among the bloodline of the Delos imperial family, there was a unique inherited ability known as Pure Blood.
“Royal Blood was originally passed down to the eldest son, but it hadn’t shown up for three generations—until it manifested in me, the seventh prince. It was the first time something like that had happened.”
Those born with Pure Blood naturally attained aura without much effort and could reach the realm of Sword Master with ease. In other words, they were born swordsmanship prodigies.
After the Delos family rose to royalty, the name Pure Blood was naturally changed to Royal Blood.
“Thanks to that, I became a Sword Master without much effort. Reynold has hated me since we were kids.”
Of course, Kyle had inherited a special ability that Reynold likely believed should have been his. Honestly, if I were Reynold, I might have been jealous too. And in truth, he deeply envied and resented Kyle.
