I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity-Chapter 41: Effort

Eric stood facing the Baron on the wide marble steps of the mansion. He felt small and alone, despite his princely title. He noticed more soldiers appearing, seemingly from nowhere. Some emerged from side doors of the mansion, others seemed to materialize from the gardens on either side.

The number of armed guards surrounding them was growing rapidly, forty now, all wearing the Baron’s colors, their faces hard and unfriendly.

Beside him, Alina noticed the growing number of soldiers too. Fear flashed in her eyes. She quickly grabbed the sleeve of Eric’s simple training tunic, tugging at it urgently, trying to get his attention. "Prince Eric! Look!" she whispered frantically. "More soldiers! They’re surrounding us!"

But Eric’s attention was fixed entirely on the Baron standing calmly on the steps above them. He hadn’t noticed the reinforcements quietly closing in. He was focused on the man responsible for Alina’s troubles.

"Baron," Eric repeated, his voice ringing out again, trying to sound commanding despite the growing unease he felt. "I asked you a question. You kidnapped this girl’s family! Release them now!"

The Baron simply stared down at Eric for a long moment, his face unreadable. Then, a slow, cold smile spread across his lips. "Kidnapped?" the Baron repeated, his voice smooth and mocking. "Whose family are you talking about, Your Highness? I assure you, I have no kidnapped individuals within my household." He sounded perfectly reasonable, perfectly innocent.

Eric felt a surge of frustration. "Don’t play dumb with me!" he retorted, gesturing behind him towards Alina. "This girl! Alina! You attacked her, and you captured her mother and brother! Admit it!"

The Baron’s smile widened slightly. "Ah, the girl," he said thoughtfully. "The one who trespassed on my property a few days ago?" He raised an eyebrow. "And you claim I attacked her and captured her family?" He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a chill down Eric’s spine. "Third Prince, those are very serious accusations. Do you have any proof? Any evidence at all to support these wild claims you are making against me, a loyal nobleman of this kingdom?"

Eric felt confident for a split second. "Yes! I do have proof!" he declared loudly. "She is right here! She will tell you herself!" He turned around triumphantly, ready to present Alina as his witness.

But Alina wasn’t standing behind him anymore.

In the few seconds Eric had been focused on the Baron, two of the Baron’s soldiers had moved silently and swiftly. They now held Alina firmly between them, one soldier gripping each of her arms. Another soldier stood directly behind her, pressing the flat side of a cold steel sword blade against her throat. Not enough to cut, but enough to keep her terrified and silent, a clear threat.

Eric stared, horrified. His stomach dropped. They had grabbed Alina right behind his back while he was talking! He spun back around to face the Baron, his face flushed with anger and disbelief.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Eric yelled, his voice trembling slightly with rage. "... Are you committing a crime right here in front of me, a Prince?!"

The Baron simply held up both his hands in a placating gesture, looking perfectly innocent, even slightly amused. "Crime, Your Highness?" he asked, feigning surprise. "What crime? My guards are merely detaining a trespasser who illegally entered my property. Standard procedure, I assure you." He smiled that cold smile again. "I have done nothing wrong."

"Liar!" Eric shouted, his anger boiling over. He couldn’t believe the Baron’s audacity. "How dare you!" Forgetting his lack of a real weapon, forgetting the dozens of armed soldiers surrounding him, pure rage took over. He raised his wooden practice sword, instinctively gripping it tightly, ready to fight.

Seeing the young Prince raise a wooden sword against them, many of the surrounding soldiers couldn’t help but let out snickers and low laughs. They clearly found the sight ridiculous.

Eric glared fiercely at the laughing soldiers nearest him. "Release that girl immediately!" he commanded, pointing the wooden sword at the men holding Alina. "Do as I command, or you will all face execution for treason!"

Before the soldiers could respond, the Baron’s voice cut through the air again, sharp and cold, laced with contempt. "Third Prince," the Baron called down from the steps, his mocking smile gone now, replaced by a look of utter disdain.

"I had heard rumors, of course. Stories that you were... shall we say... lacking. A ’useless Prince,’ they called you." He shook his head slowly.

"I try not to believe rumors. But seeing you here today... acting so rashly, so foolishly... dressed like a commoner, wielding a child’s practice toy..." He sighed dramatically. "I must admit, I am now quite convinced. You truly are as foolish and useless as they say."

Eric froze. He had been called useless many times, often behind his back, sometimes subtly to his face. But never like this. Never so openly, so cruelly, by a nobleman who was supposed to respect his rank. The insult hit him harder than any physical blow could have. He just stood there for a few seconds, stunned into silence, the Baron’s words echoing in his ears.

Finally, he turned slowly back towards the Baron on the steps, his face pale, his voice barely a whisper. "What... what did you say? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"

The Baron’s expression became deadly serious now. The mockery vanished, replaced by cold, hard calculation. He looked down at Eric, no longer seeing a Prince, but perhaps seeing... an opportunity.

"Oh, I know exactly who you are, Third Prince," the Baron said, his voice low and dangerous. "And coming here alone," he emphasized the word, "was the biggest mistake of your young life."

He gestured towards Alina, who was still held captive, the sword at her throat keeping her quiet and terrified. "I knew this girl possessed the rare gift of teleportation. That’s why I wanted her, and her family – leverage to control her unique ability. It’s a power worth a fortune, or perhaps worth even more to certain... organizations." He smiled thinly.

"But I never imagined she would be foolish enough to use that precious skill to bring the King’s own son directly to my doorstep. Alone." He chuckled, a genuinely pleased sound this time. "It’s like a gift dropped from the heavens. A truly golden opportunity for me."

Eric felt a chill despite the warm day. Leverage? Organizations? What was the Baron talking about? "How... how did you know I came alone?" Eric asked, his mind racing, trying to understand how his situation had turned so bad, so quickly.

The Baron smirked and glanced to his right. From behind a pillar on the mansion steps, a figure emerged. It was a man dressed in the elaborate, dark robes often worn by powerful mages. The mage bowed deeply towards Eric, but his eyes held no respect, only a cold amusement.

"That would be my doing, Your Highness," the mage said smoothly. "You see, when the girl teleported onto the grounds earlier today – a rather clumsy arrival, I must say – my magical detection instruments picked up the energy signature immediately. They also confirmed," the mage added with a sly smile, "that only two individuals arrived. No guards, no escort. Just you and the girl."

Eric stared at the mage, horrified. They knew he was alone the moment he arrived! It was a trap!

The Baron chuckled again, clearly enjoying Eric’s shock. "And so, you see, Prince Eric," he continued, spreading his hands wide as if presenting a prize, "thanks to your foolishness, I now have not one, but two golden eggs in my possession!"

Eric gripped his wooden sword tighter. What did the Baron mean, ’two golden eggs’? "What are you talking about?" he demanded, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

He felt a deep sense of regret for coming here alone, for being so naive. But deep down, a tiny part of him felt a strange calmness too. He wasn’t truly alone. He still had the System Window, his hidden backup. That thought kept him from completely losing his nerve.

The Baron leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with greed and ambition. "Oh, haven’t you heard, Your Highness?" he asked mockingly. "Word has gotten out, through certain... channels. There’s quite a substantial bounty on your head. A reward offered for your safe capture and delivery." He smiled wickedly. "And I intend to collect it. I will deliver you, along with the teleporting girl, to the Spider Syndicate."

Eric’s blood ran cold. The Spider Syndicate?

"The Spider Syndicate is very pleased with my cooperation so far," the Baron boasted. "In return for delivering such valuable prizes – a Prince and a teleporter – they have offered me something I have always desired: a high-ranking seat within their organization. More power, more wealth, more influence than being a mere Baron could ever provide!" He laughed, a harsh, greedy sound.

"Just think, Third Prince! You! You will be the reason your precious kingdom falls into chaos! Your capture will cripple your father, even lead to the death of your entire family! All because of your stupidity! Your uselessness!"

Eric felt a surge of pure, cold rage ignite within him, momentarily burning away his fear. Hearing the Baron talk about hurting his family, about using him to destroy everything he cared about... it was too much. But he didn’t lash out blindly. He forced himself to take a deep, steadying breath.

He glanced sideways, quickly assessing the situation. He saw Alina, still held captive, the sword at her neck, her eyes wide with terror. He saw the dozens of guards surrounding them, their weapons ready. He saw the arrogant Baron and his equally arrogant-looking son on the steps. He was outnumbered, outmatched, and trapped.

Eric knew he couldn’t win a straight fight, not against all these soldiers, the Baron, and his son, especially not with just a wooden sword. But he couldn’t just surrender either. He had to try something. He had to save Alina, and himself.

He focused inward again, breathing slowly, evenly. He called upon the natural energy flowing within him, picturing it gathering, swirling around his wooden sword. He could feel it respond, wrapping around the wood more strongly this time, making the air around the blade seem to shimmer faintly. He couldn’t fully coat the blade yet, the control still wasn’t perfect, but it was better than before.

Then, without warning, he acted.

He spun backwards suddenly, away from the soldiers holding Alina, and faced the Baron on the steps. With a powerful, upward swing, he slashed the wooden sword through the air towards the Baron.

FZZZSSSHHH!

Another bright flash of energy, like the one that cut the tree, shot from the sword. It flew lightning-fast up the steps, aimed directly at the Baron’s chest.

But the Baron didn’t even flinch. Just as the energy slash reached him, his son – the arrogant-looking young man – moved with incredible speed. The son’s hand blurred as he drew his own real sword from its scabbard in a fraction of a second.

With a sharp CLANG, the son’s steel blade intercepted Eric’s energy slash, cutting right through the middle of it. The energy dissipated harmlessly into sparks.

Eric noted with a sinking feeling that the son must have graduated from the same prestigious United Academy as his own brothers; his skill was clearly far beyond that of a normal soldier.

But Eric hadn’t expected the first attack to work. It was just a distraction. The instant he launched the energy slash towards the Baron, he didn’t wait to see if it hit. He immediately spun around and dashed backwards, towards the soldiers holding Alina.

As he ran, he focused again, pulling more energy into his wooden sword. He reached the soldiers in just a couple of seconds. The soldier holding the sword to Alina’s neck was caught completely by surprise. Seeing Eric suddenly rushing towards him, the soldier instinctively pulled the sword away from Alina’s throat to defend himself, raising it to block or attack Eric.

That was the opening Eric needed. Before the soldier could complete his move, Eric swung his energized wooden sword in a quick, horizontal slash.

FWOOSH!

A pulse of force slammed into the soldier’s chest. The soldier gasped, stumbling backward several steps before collapsing onto the grass, stunned but likely not seriously injured by the blunt force.

Eric didn’t pause. He immediately twisted in mid-air, intending to land beside Alina and strike the other soldier holding her arm. But before his feet even touched the ground, something slammed into his side with incredible force.

It was the Baron’s son. Moving with blinding speed after blocking the energy slash, the son had closed the distance instantly. He spun gracefully, launching a powerful roundhouse kick that caught Eric squarely in the ribs while Eric was still turning in the air.

WHAM!

The impact felt like being hit by a battering ram. All the air rushed out of Eric’s lungs. He went flying backward, tumbling end over end through the air. He crashed heavily onto the manicured garden lawn several yards away, rolling twice more before finally skidding to a stop, flat on his back. Stars exploded behind his eyes, and pain flared through his chest. The fall knocked his wooden sword from his grasp, sending it skittering across the grass out of reach.

He lay there gasping for breath, the world spinning around him. Before he could even try to sit up, two of the Baron’s soldiers were standing over him, their real swords pointed down at his throat.

"Stay down, Third Prince," one of the soldiers said coldly, pressing the tip of his sword lightly against Eric’s neck. "Unless you want that pretty face scarred before the Baron ships you off. Just lie still, and this won’t hurt too much."