<h4>Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Royal Family''s Power Struggle (4)</h4>


    The cultists dragged the bound Lloyd out of the stone chamber.


    They moved out of the basement, through the corridor, and started ascending upwards.


    Lloyd, sensing the situation, began to ask questions.


    "What is your intention?"


    "What have you done to Alford?"


    "Do you think you can get away with doing this to a prince of a kingdom?"


    There was no response.


    Unlike earlier, when they had exined everything in detail, now they remainedpletely silent.


    As he was being dragged along helplessly, a bitterugh escaped him.


    <i>''This is surprisinglyfortable.''</i>


    Being tightly bound and dragged like cattle should have been anything butfortable. It should have been a ridiculous notion.


    Yet, it really wasfortable.


    There was simply no pain. His legs felt incredibly light, and his body moved so easily.


    <i>''Come to think of it, I felt the same when I woke up.''</i>


    He had fallen asleep infortable pajamas, nestled in soft bedding.


    But when he woke up, he was bound tightly in cumbersome everyday clothes, lying face down on a cold stone floor.


    And yet, he had awakened feeling more refreshed and at ease than ever before.


    <i>''So, this is how Alford''s been living all along?''</i>


    He suddenly realized just how messed up his original body must have been.


    As they ascended to the second floor of the mansion, a group of men was waiting. Among them was a familiar face, causing Lloyd to frown.


    "Sir Sebastian."


    He was one of Prince Alford''s trusted aides.


    "This is unexpected. I never thought you would betray Alford."


    Sebastian let out a smallugh, as if he''d heard something absurd.


    "Do you really think I''ve betrayed Prince Alford?"


    "If not, then why did you put Alford into my weak body?"


    "Well, I can''t deny that it might seem that way."


    At this response, Lloyd inwardly smiled.


    This confirmed that Alford was indeed behind this situation.


    Though he still couldn''t understand why.


    <i>''What could he possibly gain by taking over my body?''</i>


    Sebastian gestured to the men behind him.


    A thick door on one side of the corridor opened.


    Inside was a luxurious bedroom.


    It was a spacefortable and opulent enough for a prince of a kingdom.


    The only difference was the thick iron bars installed on all the windows.


    "Please, go inside."


    Resisting in this situation would be meaningless. Lloydplied and added onestment as he did so.


    "What exactly do you want from me?"


    Unlike the cultists, Sebastian responded.


    "What do we want?"


    He shook his head as he looked at Lloyd, who had just entered the room.


    "Nothing in particr."


    The men then untied the ropes binding Lloyd.


    It seemed they didn''t intend to keep him tied up.


    "We only ask that you stay here quietly and take care of your health, Your Highness."


    The thick door shut firmly, and the sound of it locking echoed through the room.


    ***


    Looking around at Karnak and hispanions, Lloyd continued speaking.


    "After being locked up, I focused on the most important task at hand."


    The obvious thing for someone imprisoned to do was to find a way to escape.


    "I shook the bars on the window, examined every corner of the room, and inspected the door. Since they had untied my hands, it wasn''t too difficult."


    And, like most prisoners, he reached a familiar conclusion.


    "There was no way to escape. I wasn''t disappointed, though. I had expected as much."


    In fact, he felt more joy than disappointment.


    "It might sound strange for someone whose body was stolen and who was imprisoned in an unknown ce..."


    But after being trapped in the prison of his frail body for so long, obtaining Alford''s body felt liberating.


    "To be honest, I even thought it wouldn''t be so bad if I could just continue living with this new body."


    The treatment wasn''t bad, either.


    He wasn''t kept bound, the bed wasfortable, and they even provided interesting books to keep him upied while he was confined.


    "The meals were of the highest quality, fit for a prince of a kingdom."


    Even though he was a prince himself, these were dishes Lloyd had never tasted in his life.


    "It wasn''t because I was poor or discriminated against, but because my body couldn''t handle anything too spicy, salty, or sweet. Eating such foods would immediately make me ill."


    For the first time in his life, he experienced how much joy spicy, salty, and sweet foods could bring.


    Lloyd gazed into the air with a wistful expression.


    "Ah, it really was wonderful back then."


    Karnak and Barros nodded sincerely.


    "Yes, I can see that."


    "Ipletely understand."


    "...Why would you two understand that?"


    He was momentarily puzzled, but Lloyd continued with his exnation.


    "After that, there was no contact at all. They only brought me meals."


    The thick door only opened at mealtimes.


    If Lloyd wanted to escape, that would have been his only opportunity.


    But the situation wasn''t in his favor.


    Sebastian wasn''t foolish—every time a maid brought his meal, four heavily armed first-ss knights apanied her.


    They were the elite of the elite, whom even Alford himself couldn''t defeat one-on-one.


    With such formidable guards watching him with sharp eyes, it was impossible to make any move during meals.


    "Then... how..."


    Serati, who had been listening intently, was puzzled.


    After all, Lloyd was sitting right in front of them, having clearly escaped the mansion.


    "How exactly did you escape?"


    "Well, you see..."


    Prince Lloyd chuckled, finding it absurd.


    "They made a very serious mistake."


    ***


    While confined in the room, Lloyd calmly began to assess the situation.


    <i>''First, let''s figure out what I know in this current situation.''</i>


    There was no way to know what exactly Alford was nning at this point.


    What was certain, however, was that their bodies had been swapped, and Lloyd himself was now imprisoned.


    <i>''The fact that they haven''t killed me means there''s a reason they need me alive.''</i>


    The surrounding environment only reinforced this certainty.


    The space was far toofortable to be considered a prison; it was a meticulously prepared room. The meals were top-quality, and the bathroom was connected to the room, allowing him to maintain his dignity.


    At the very least, it was clear that they were taking great care of Alford''s "body."


    <i>''They''re even concerned about maintaining my health.''</i>


    So, could he use mealtime as an opportunity to escape?


    <i>''After all, they can''t harm this body, so maybe I can exploit that...''</i>


    But the thought was absurd.


    That would mean that Lloyd, who couldn''t even handle a single soldier before, would have to overpower four first-ss knights whom even Alford couldn''t defeat, take out all the guards stationed throughout the mansion, and then somehow escape from this mansion—where he didn''t even know the location—and slip out of their grasp.


    "That''s impossible."


    Feeling defeated, Lloyd habitually began to stretch.


    His body was in such poor condition that if he didn''t regrly loosen his joints and muscles, he couldn''t move properly.


    And then, something happened.


    He was simply stretching, but an astonishing surge of vitality and energy coursed through his entire body.


    "Huh?"


    Lloyd blinked in surprise.


    "...This might actually work."


    ***


    Prince Alford certainly possessed outstanding martial arts talent. To exhibit skills on par with first-ss knights before even reaching the age of twenty was no ordinary feat.


    However, this also meant that, at best, he was only as skilled as a single first-ss knight.


    Moreover, the one currently inhabiting Alford''s body was the first prince, Lloyd, who was known to be utterly talentless in martial arts. Even two or three ordinary soldiers would have been enough to subdue him.


    Despite this, Sebastian had chosen the most skilled knights under hismand to guard Lloyd.


    Given the gravity of the situation, he had taken excessive precautions to prepare for any contingency.


    Each of these knights was far stronger than Alford, and having four of them on guard meant that no one could use them of being careless.


    But now, those four knightsy on the floor like corpses.


    "Ugh..."


    "Ugh..."


    It had all happened in an instant.


    Lloyd, holding his meal, suddenly leaped forward and delivered a precise attack to the neck of the lead knight, striking a vital point so urately that the knight copsed immediately, allowing Lloyd to snatch his sword.


    What followed was a lightning-fast series of attacks.


    Although the knights quickly reacted, Lloyd''s sword was even faster.


    Each strike was precise, each movement executed at the perfect moment, and the knights couldn''t withstand the onught.


    One of the knights, his consciousness fading, looked on with disbelief.


    <i>''How... Even Prince Alford himself wasn''t this strong...''</i>


    Catching his breath, Lloyd shook his head.


    "It seems you had no idea just how weak my original body was."


    Indeed, he had been a remarkably weak individual.


    Even though he had learned the finest swordsmanship from the greatest teachers, he could barely hold his own against a single ordinary soldier.


    But does this truly mean he was talentless?


    On the contrary.


    He had learned the finest swordsmanship from the greatest teachers and managed to wield that power with a body that was practically useless, achieving a level of skill that matched an "ordinary soldier."


    He overcame the vast differences in stamina, vitality, and strength purely through strategy and technique.


    So, what happens when someone like Lloyd obtains a healthy, even powerful, body?


    "Alford, you fool, how could you have done so little with such a blessed body? Have you been cking off?"


    From behind Lloyd, who clicked his tongue, came a frightened whimper from the maid.


    "A-ah..."


    Smiling gently, he exited the room.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t harm you."


    There was no need to harm the maid.


    "Just stay locked in here for a while. Fortunately, it''s easy to do that since this ce was designed to keep someone locked up."


    ***


    "Surprisingly, after that, it was quite easy to escape the mansion."


    Lloyd''s expectations of a fortress-like security were proven wrong.


    Of course, there were guards stationed everywhere, but none of them tried to stop him.


    "They just saluted me properly."


    That''s when he realized.


    "It urred to me that there was no way they would have informed themon soldiers of my situation. After all, this was an incident involving a cult."


    To the guards, he was still Prince Alford.


    So, he calmly told them he was going for a walk and confidently headed toward the garden.


    Of course, he couldn''t leave the mansionpletely.


    "Even if it were the real Alford, they wouldn''t have let him go out alone."


    Being a prince himself, Lloyd understood the situation perfectly.


    They would have insisted on assigning him guards, and then they would have contacted their superiors, prompting Sebastian to chase after him with his knights.


    "So, I waited for a moment when no one was around and climbed over the wall."


    That''s how he sessfully escaped the mansion.


    However, returning directly to the royal pce was too risky.


    The second prince''s faction likely anticipated that move. They would surely control the key routes, and there was a high chance he''d be recaptured before he even reached the pce.


    It was also tricky to seek out other trusted allies.


    There was no guarantee they would believe him if he told them that his body had been swapped by cultists.


    And if they didn''t believe him?


    He''d end up alone within Lloyd''s faction while stuck in Alford''s body.


    Even though they were enemies, surely they wouldn''t just kill him outright, given that he was still a prince of the kingdom... right?


    "Given how long the power struggle has gone on, can you really be certain?"


    They had been at each other''s throats for over ten years.


    Could he really guarantee there were no loyalists who believed in acting first and informingter?


    "It wouldn''t be the first time something like that has happened."


    After all, life isn''t something you gamble with recklessly.


    "Since this was an unprecedented situation, I had no idea what to do."


    That''s when he remembered the King''s Order.


    "I figured those familiar with necromancy might be willing to listen. Plus, the chances of my enemies predicting that move were slim."


    So, he secretly wrote a handwritten letter and sent it to Commander Erantel.


    Since Erantel and he were already acquainted, he thought he would recognize his handwriting.


    "But then I encountered an unexpected issue. I wrote just as I always had, but Alford''s handwriting came out."


    It seemed that handwriting and habits were tied not to the soul but to the body.


    "Still, it was originally my handwriting, wasn''t it? After some practice, I was able to revert to my original style."


    Prince Lloyd chuckled, noting how strange it was to forge his own handwriting.


    Afterward, he hid in the slums while waiting for a reply. Three dayster, he met Karnak and hispanions.


    "That''s what happened over the past five days."


    As he finished his exnation, Lloyd narrowed his eyes.


    "Fortunately, I''ve made contact with you all, so now I want to ask."


    Given that the King''s Order specialized in dealing with necromancers, they would surely know the best course of action.


    "What should I do next?"


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