Reborn as the Foolish Prince

The soldiers watched as the towering beast's demeanor drastically changed. Its eyes, which had previously seemed confused and fearful, now brimmed with fierce determination. Then, as the Gravhorns took another step, raising their hands and weapons, the towering beast suddenly lunged forward like a maniac, its claws tearing through the Gravhorns' bodies as if they were paper.

Sage felt a profound shift within him, as if he were no longer himself, but truly a beast. He perceived his surroundings with primal instincts, ramming into everything in his path. He attacked with his claws, mouth, and legs; every part of his body became a weapon, the spikes on his back adding to his arsenal.

This was his first time fighting, yet he felt as though he had always belonged on the battlefield.

The soldiers' eyes and mouths were wide with shock. It was their first time seeing a Frostspine Behemoth, such a creature wasn't found anywhere else, as it thrived only in low-temperature areas. Many of them had never seen one; only Captain Darius had likely witnessed, and even fought, such a beast.

It made them pause and wonder: how did someone like Lucien manage to tame such a creature? While it was capable of language, it was notoriously difficult to converse with due to its highly territorial nature. Stepping into its domain meant being ripped apart. Witnessing it in action with their own eyes was both a blessing and a curse.

Rurik, the most experienced warrior among them, was equally confused. The beast seemed to listen to Lucien's orders, which led him to conclude it was Lucien's summon. But it defied logic—how could a fragile, incompetent prince like him possibly tame a Frostspine Behemoth?

It was also impossible to pass on a contracted beast to someone else, as the contract was bound solely to that individual. The contract could even be nullified by the beast itself if it felt forced to follow another.

'But how could that be?'

The soldiers, too, stood frozen, simply watching the bloodbath unfold before them.

"Prince Lucien managed to tame such a beast...?"

"Impossible."

They all voiced their opinions, but none of it truly mattered. The fact that they had someone so strong alongside them was enough to fill them with happiness. There was no need to question it; all that mattered was that their chances of winning would increase.

Aside from Lucien's supposed summon, there was also Darius, who was currently in a different location, battling the Brutefang. Darius had intentionally led the Brutefang to a separate area to minimize damage to both his soldiers and the main route of the Barony of Blackmere. Despite being in a different area, the soldiers could vaguely feel the tremor of their battle.

Some of the soldiers were currently battling the Gravhorns that weren't drawn by the Frostspine Behemoth, or perhaps they were too scared to face a larger foe. Either way, they managed to hold out, even gaining the upper hand. There was one problem, though: the Gravhorns seemed to keep coming without end.

There had been fewer than a hundred Gravhorns before; now, their numbers seemed to exceed a hundred. With the Frostspine Behemoth being ganged up on like this, no matter how strong it was, it was bound to fall. In the end, the resting soldiers also had to join the fight. Rurik commanded them to fight in groups and maintain formation.

'Why do they keep coming without end?'

'Wouldn't the Warchief ensure his troops wouldn't simply be roaming around?'

Rurik was utterly confused. Each Brutefang was assigned a set of troops, but for some reason, the Gravhorns that kept appearing didn't seem to be part of the Brutefang's forces. It was as if they were simply responding to the ongoing battle.

Lucien was currently standing in a safe spot, seemingly far from any obstacles. He was simply observing everything, analyzing the best move in their current situation. He didn't want to go near the soldiers, as it seemed even more dangerous there. So he simply stood near the woods, watching as the ground shook before him.

'For some reason, I am not that intimidated.'

'I am grateful that I feel like this, of course, but at the same time, I feel strange about not being intimidated enough, in the middle of a battlefield.'

As he stood there, examining everything from a distance, a sudden tremor almost made him stumble.

Thud!

Lucien looked behind him, and a towering beast, at least 7 meters tall, stood before him. It was a Gravhorn, carrying a spiky wooden bat. It seemed to have leaped from a far distance, landing precisely where Lucien was standing.

'Ah, crap.'

Lucien stared at the Gravhorn blankly, and the Gravhorn returned the gaze with curiosity.

Lucien smiled and waved at it, as if greeting a long-lost friend.

However, the Gravhorn did the opposite. Its expression turned ugly, sending shivers down Lucien's spine. Then, it raised its weapon and aimed it towards the human before him. Lucien was frozen for a second; however, with all the training he had received from Professor Renwick, such a slow attack seemed easy to dodge.

The Gravhorn launched an attack at Lucien, but Lucien managed to dodge it. He took a step back, moving swiftly and accurately. The Gravhorn continuously struck at him, preventing him from retrieving his sword from his Magical Storage.

He had accurately dodged all its attacks; however, with every move the Gravhorn made, Lucien was slowly growing tired. He tried to hit it with a simple magic spell, but its rough skin simply wouldn't allow the spell to pass through.

'Shit! This is bad!'

Lucien tried to maintain his distance, then grabbed a rock from the ground. He imbued it with fire and threw it at the Gravhorn's eyes. The Gravhorn was momentarily distracted, giving Lucien time to run away. However, before he could escape, the Gravhorn threw its weapon at him from a very close distance, making it impossible to dodge.

His eyes widened in fear.

'Don't tell me I'm going to die this early?!'

He closed his eyes, trying to swiftly move his body to dodge it.

A moment passed, and for some reason, there was no pain in his body at all. He opened his eyes and saw a boy with chestnut hair and piercing amber eyes. He carefully placed Lucien on the ground, and there, Lucien saw his refined body, clearly honed by countless battles. His arms were full of scars; his physique was both lean and rugged.

It was Draven.