PRINCE OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM

Two days before the contest was held...

Location: North Royal Palace

As usual King Endeavor starts his day with breakfast with his beloved child. Maybe that was what all the servants who prepared their dishes thought. However, in reality, King Endeavor who only lived with his youngest son, Shouto Todoroki, was not too familiar with each other. After the events of the past where the queen, his mother was driven out of the royal palace with his siblings and left Shouto alone with the king in a cold palace without any happiness. That morning, King Endeavor gave Shouto good news, even though Shouto knew that good news for his father was bad news for him.

"Shouto, after the contest is over there is something you will do." Said King Endeavor.

"You know that I will never follow your orders," Shouto answered with a cold look.

"Listen to me! I am your king, you fool! I will marry you off with the princess of the eastern kingdom and you cannot refuse it! " Exclaimed King Endeavor who looked angry.

"YOU IDIOT!!! I AM NOT A DOLL YOU CAN PLAY SO ON!! Shouto was angry, he threw food in front of him and left King Endeavor.

"This boy...he becomes more and more like his mother." Murmured King Endeavor.

Upset with the king, Shouto returned to his room to calm his mind. Shouto lies on his bed and felt the former burns on his face. He didn't understand why only he was not taken by his mother to leave this palace. After a while, the prince's bodyguards knocked on the door from outside.

"Prince Shouto, it's time for you to practice your sword techniques!" Exclaimed Shouto's loyal bodyguards.

Prince Shouto got up from his bed and prepared to practice his sword techniques. In the hallway of the palace, they walked to the training ground. The bodyguard looked worried about the prince who looked glum. Prince Shouto's bodyguard, Tenya Iida, began to calm the prince. He already knew about the planned marriage of the king. Because Tenya's age isn't that far away from Shouto, he knows Shouto's feelings right now.

"Regarding the arranged marriage...will you accept it?" Tenya asked with a stiff movement of his hand trying to make Shouto telling him the problem.

"Ah...regarding that matter. That idiotic king indeed planned to marry me off to a princess of the eastern kingdom." Shouto replied irritably.

"I don't know whether to ask this or not...but if I may ask, why your father...Erm I mean the king, wants to marry you to that princess?" Tenya asked nervously with his stiff hand movements.

"Regarding that...after years of living with that useless person, I have come to understand its character and nature. I think he set me up because he wanted to gain power in the Eastern Kingdom." Shouto answered.

"HEH? What do you mean? And what for your father...I mean the king wants to gain power in the Eastern Kingdom?" Asked Tenya who was surprised to hear that.

"You know for yourself, that person is crazy about power and territory. From the news I heard the king of the southern kingdom, King Nezu, was unable to become a king anymore. He only had a single daughter and I don't think the king believed in her to rule the kingdom. Therefore he needs someone to be the princess's bride. Hearing this, that useless person wouldn't think twice about setting me up with that princess." Shouto answered.

"It also makes sense after knowing the state of the southern kingdom." Muttered Tenya.

"But that's not all I think about." Shouto made a fist.

"What do you mean?" Tenya asked.

"Do you think King Nezu is just standing after knowing his situation?" Shouto asked.

"Humm...That's right, King Nezu might also try to find his daughter a soul mate." Tenya answered.

"I also thought about that. But, as I said, I already know that idiot so much that I imagine something strange." Shouto tightly clenched his fists and looked angry.

"W-what do you mean?" Asked Tenya who was worried about seeing Shouto.

"I think, when that fool met King Nezu in the Eastern Kingdom a few days ago, he had prepared a plan so that King Nezu could not refuse me to be his daughter's bride," Shouto answered.

"I-I increasingly don't understand...What do you mean by that?" Asked Tenya who was getting confused.

"I don't know if this happened or not. But, what I mean is that the fool gave King Nezu two choices regarding my arranged marriage to his daughter." Shouto stopped walking and hit the hallway wall where he walked.

"Choice? What choice?" Tenya asked.

"That fool certainly gave King Nezu a choice. The first choice is that King Nezu accepts my engagement and makes me a bride of his daughter and if he refuses then that means King Nezu chooses the second choice. The second choice is that King Nezu rejects my engagement and…" Shouto stopped his sentence because of his anger.

After taking a deep breath, Shouto looked at Tenya with an angry look and continued his sentence "And if King Nezu refuses my engagement then that fool will declare war with the Eastern Kingdom."

Hearing that, Tenya was silent and surprised about it.

"I guess you don't need sword practice today. You can use it to calm your mind." Tenya said trying to calm Shouto.

"No! I will not let that person ruin my life again." Shouto continued his way to the field where he practiced leaving Tenya behind him.

"Prince Shouto..." muttered Tenya who saw Shouto leave.

Location: Herbal Forest

Izuku continued to practice using the sword he got from Gran Torino. He still could not believe that the sword he was holding was a legendary sword and still did not believe that he was the successor to the legendary knight. He continued to swing his sword to adjust his movements.

"There are only two days left before the contest starts. I'm worried about the contest. I don't know what the contest will look like. Is it possible to just fight using a sword? But it's too simple considering the reward is to be the first work knight. And...I also still can't believe this sword that I hold and all the stories told by Gran Torino-san. Is all that true? Regarding the fate that I will face, regarding this sword, regarding myself, is that true?" Izuku murmured as he watched his sword.

Izuku's attention was diverted from the sword he was holding towards the bush behind him. Izuku thought wild animals were heading to where he practiced.

"What is that? Wild animal? But as far as I know, this place is far from the nest of wild animals. For almost a month there has also never been a wild animal that approached this place." Izuku murmured.

After a few seconds, someone came out of the bushes. The blonde teenage boy in the red robe came out of the bushes and looked at Izuku.

"E-eh? KA-KACCHAN?!" Izuku was surprised to see that the person who came out of the bushes was Katsuki, his childhood friend.

"What are you doing in a place like this, DEKU?" Katsuki was annoyed seeing Izuku.

"Eh...um ...about that ..." Izuku was nervous about answering Katsuki's question.

Katsuki looked at Izuku and saw that he was holding a sword and pointed the sword towards him.

"Heh? Are you practicing using the sword? Do you think you can win the contest? Even the way to hold your sword is still wrong!" Katsuki mocked Izuku.

Izuku just stopped listening to Katsuki's taunts. Katsuki was annoyed and walked over to Izuku. After a few steps, Katsuki realized something with the sword Izuku was holding.

"Wait, that sword...DEKU! WHERE DID YOU GET THE SWORD?!" Katsuki asked while snapping at Izuku.

"(EH? Kacchan knows about this sword? Is it possible?)" Izuku thought.

"THE SWORD! HOW CAN YOU GET IT?!" Katsuki was even more annoyed because of Izuku's silence.

"A-about this sword...d-do you know anything ka-kacchan?" Izuku answered Katsuki with a question.

"OF COURSE I KNOW, YOU DAMN NERD!" Katsuki answered.

Izuku widened his eyes to hear Katsuki know something about this legendary sword. When Izuku would ask again, Katsuki immediately shouted not giving Izuku the chance to speak.

"HOW A POOR FARMER'S CHILD LIKE YOU HAVE AN EXPECTIVE SWORD LIKE THAT?!" Katsuki asked while shouting at Izuku.

"Eh?" Izuku paused listening to Katsuki's scream.

Seeing Izuku's reaction, Katsuki was surprised. Izuku should have looked sad or angry when Katsuki shouted at him like before. However, the reaction given by Izuku was just a shocked reaction like he thought of something about that sword which he thought was known by Katsuki.

"What do you mean by "eh"? You're not thinking about something weird right, DEKU?!" Katsuki shouted.

"N-no, I'm not thinking about something weird Ka-kacchan," Izuku answered.

"Or, do you think that after you get a sword like that you can defeat me?" Katsuki looked at Izuku seriously.

"Eh, n-no ka-chan, I don't think so!" Izuku answered.

Not wanting to deal with Izuku any longer, Katsuki left Izuku in the direction he came. Izuku just bowed because he was afraid.

'(That damn nerd hid something from me)' Katsuki thought as he looked at Izuku and turned back to leave him.

Izuku who began to feel safe raised his head. He was not aware of Katsuki's departure.

"For a moment, I thought Kacchan knew something about this sword. But it turns out it's only to my concern." Izuku murmured.

To Be Continued...