I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

Cricken's heart sank.

Had he just heard right?

Was that subtle implication a jab? A joke to throw him off his feet because of how he replies to her question?

'Ha ha ha…' his voice broke in his head. 'Yeah, that's it. She must be passed…Mea– Meadow couldn't do that.'

She didn't have that right.

Did she?

She couldn't execute him without a proper audience. She had not even tried to get back at Julius.

That wasn't the way things should be done.

No. Unless she was stupid, she would know this.

But Princess Meadow was anything, but stupid.

Perhaps oblivious, but her present behaviour had begun to rule that out.

The sound of metal slicing through the rain echoed.

Metallic. Ringing.

A brim of primal hue encased in the blade as steps echoed in his ears.

Cricken didn't need to think twice.

His Executioner was coming.

Raffaelo Jun was coming closer.

His head tilted slightly. He peered behind him as much as he could.

His skin crawled.

He could feel it.

Their eyes were all on him. Watching. Observing.

Curiosity was etched in some, but an understanding had already beamed in most.

They knew what this implied.

Actions had consequences, and most didn't need to think far off to know what actions deserved immediate death.

Still, Phestus was curious.

He cleared his throat.

Visibly coming in the way of the act.

They turned to him. Cricken included.

"I may be…wrong, my princess, but has this boy wronged you?"

Straight to the point.

His expression was stiff. Hardened.

He knew the seriousness of the matter, and he intended to resolve it as such.

Meadow blinked slowly, the others watching her reaction.

Darrell especially.

He had been silent, but his heart ached.

The image of Meadow pained him. A stark contrast to the Princess he once knew all those years ago.

Time changes people, they say, and Meadow would be a prime example.

Then, her lips pursed, a slow sigh escaped.

"Questioning Royalty isn't a good move…President."

But she knew…that statement held little weight.

She had not particularly been one to flaunt her power, either to get what she wanted or force silence, she had always done it the right way.

But not anymore.

Phestus' gaze narrowed, and so did Raph's.

"Meadow." The name rang in the air.

The entire group whipped their eyes to Raph with dilated pupils.

Surprise was etched evidently on their faces.

But the Princess simply turned to him with a small smile.

"We are not your enemy." He continued, tilting his head at her gaze.

Meadow's seriousness broke for a fraction of a second.

Before it sealed back up.

She couldn't break now. Not after everything. And certainly not in front of these many people.

She nodded silently. "You're right."

Other than Rana, Raph was another who knew of her abilities.

He had figured it out by saying a series of thoughts to get her reactions, at the time.

Surface ones.

After all, the depth of what she heard was limited to her power levels as well.

He was her partner in arms as well.

If there was one person she could trust. Or learn to trust, it was Raph.

"He's a spy."

The reply came smoothly.

Dissolving in the rain as soon as it came, but none missed a beat of her voice.

They heard it.

Various reactions to his statement were expected.

Darrell's gaze narrowed into a glare. Pointed straight at Cricken.

Jane stared, impassive. This wasn't a matter that concerned him in any way.

But he observed, nonetheless.

Thalia and Rebecca had similar expressions.

Calculating.

Who sent the spy? To the last Princess, for that matter.

She wasn't a threat.

Not many followed her.

Factions existed, but they lingered after Julius who was destined to be King.

Not even the first princess, Salila had as much faction as the Second Prince, Jullian.

So why set a spy on Meadow?

Only if…

'Was she a threat…' Thalia concluded. 'Enough so that he placed someone to watch her in his name.'

He glanced at Rebecca.

Her expression had hardened.

She could tell they had similar conclusions, which perhaps led to something bigger. Deeper.

That…they didn't know.

"Is that reason enough?" Meadow stared directly at Phestus, now.

A subtle glare emanating from the former.

Phestus smiled. A wry one.

'Hah…did I just get on the bad side of a Royalty?'

Not that it bothered him much. He still very much liked his head.

"Commence, then." He said.

If she was right, then he had no say in the matter.

Simply an outside observer, and he played that part, fully.

With a nod from Raph, they turned to Cricken, altogether.

This chapter's true source is My Virtual Library Empire (M|V|LEMP-YR).

The boy had been silent. Watching them, and perhaps a seed of hope had somehow bloomed into a flower that was quickly dying.

He had expected better.

He had expected resistance.

But no one seemed to care.

He glanced at Raph, and then the Princess as the white haired boy neared even closer.

"Pr–Princess Meadow, please…" He began, but Meadow had not even faced him.

Her back turned completely. Her shoulders squared from side to side.

Contrary to what he thought, she looked fine.

Not the saddened maiden who acted based on emotions.

"I have more use alive!" He stated, nearly screaming at the top of his lungs.

Then it began.

The twisted, corrupted realisation that churned his stomach.

Desperation clawed its way like a lizard up his throat.

His body was heating up as sweat beaded his forehead despite the heavy rain.

"P–P–Princess?!"

Raph stood in his presence.

His eyes darted from the cold, blue double-edged katana and darted at Meadow.

"Princess?! Princess! PRINCESS! Princess, I'm calli– Princess, this is absurd! I have rights! You can't execute me without facts!"

His voice boomed.

His last stand.

He needed to be alive.

His life outside his job expected him to. It called him to.

It wasn't like spies didn't have a life.

They weren't glad with their jobs. They were forced into it.

Circumstances that only bled into a life of deceit and espionage.

But he had no choice!

Why should he die because of that?

Just then, Raph raised his sword in the air.

Its blade glinted like the edge of a guillotine.

His white eyes stared briefly at Cricken.

In his past life, Cricken had lived a good life.

Lived under the leadership of Julius as one of his subordinates.

On the lower side, yes, but he was one of them.

Death had been the fate for Meadow.

'Around this time…I think.'

It was after their first year that her death was announced.

The response was relatively short-lived.

Simply due to obligation.

They had mourned the death of Royalty.

'But things have changed. Rana died early. The attack on the Academy went far beyond the level. Grand Masters fought. A level 100 battling a squad of underdogs. The Mana Reflux. Even Kira Merlin's appearance.'

A lot had changed. The timeline was different, one could say.

He had expected his changes to cause a chain of reactions.

It had done so, and it would continue to do so.

As long as he was alive.

"Any final words?"

His statement was directed to Meadow, but Cricken thought otherwise.

The boy whipped a death glare as his gaze locked on Raph's.

Hands clenched in a fist.

Running was futile. He was weak, surrounded. Escape was a fool's errand.

Acceptance…was inevitable.

"The Prince will know of my death, and when he does, he will make your life a living hell."

He said sharply.

And the air turned cold.

Meadow's body froze over.

A pool of something warm trembling from her guts upwards. Anger.

He threatened her? The audacity.

"Off with his head."

The Sword came in a flash of light.

Slice.

And the rain stilled the silence.

Cricken's eyes bulged open. Mouth agape.

His body was locked in stillness.

A thin line drew smoothly across his neck before his head fell to the ground with a wet thud.

Blood gushed out in a spray.

Crimson liquid splashing over Raph's face as he took a step back from the falling beheaded body.

The silence continued.

All in their thoughts, Meadow, especially.

Cricken was right.

Julius would know he had killed him, and he would set plans as such.

'It doesn't matter.' She thought. 'I had set myself aside since it was a losing battle with that greedy man.'

Her face turned into a scowl.

'But nothing has changed. He must die.'

Her gaze narrowed into a glare as she stared into empty space.

'That Castle must burn.'

A silent decree that echoed only to her.

***

A moment passed before Phestus clapped his hands.

The sound rang with a thud and it snapped the group back to the present.

"Shall we get to the Portals now? The princess must be tired."

Darrell shook his head as his thoughts reeled back in.

He stepped forward with a panicked gaze.

"The captured students!" He stated.

Taken aback by the fact that for a moment, he had forgotten.

'Tiara is still somewhere in this wretched place!' He screamed in his head.

Jane watched and rolled his eyes.

As if he had read through his thoughts, he nearly deadpanned his face.

"Oh…the simplicity of love."

He muttered, but Darrell heard anyway.

He gave him a glare before he turned back to Phestus.

With an arched brow, the Council President replied.

"We will handle that. You four should depart."

Darrell shook his head in reply.

Raph raised his brows in realisation.

He whipped his gaze at Rebecca. Clear betrayal, etched on his face.

His elder sister turned away without as much as a response.

The boy sighed.

"We're here already." He said as he turned to Phestus. His blade was dissipating from his grasp. "We will leave once we secure their lives."

Phestus's brows furrowed.

"Your presence wouldn't influence much." He stated, remembering the words of a certain Witch, a moment ago.

Raph shrugged. "It's not meant to." He replied. "I simply want to be there."

Phestus opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he noticed the gazes of Meadow and the others.

They weren't bulging.

He sighed heavily.

'What a pain.'

It would be better if they left.

Avoiding uncertain situations was better done with fewer numbers.

But…

'We're all in the same predicament.'

The Mana Reflux was fair.

It affected everyone equally.

'But Rebecca and Raph are our best bet if we have to fight…'

Aura wasn't effectively removed like mana.

They could still fight.

He nodded silently. "Alright, you come with. But you leave once the others have been found."

They all nodded in unison before the young man took a step forward.

Leading the others behind.

They all crossed the path of Cricken's headless body.

Ignoring the pool of crimson that mixed with the puddles of rain.

The head was left close to the road and was easily stepped over by the group.

It was like killing a fly.

It didn't matter.