Supreme Ruler: Reincarnated as the Emperor's Bastard Son

Ashoka Maurya.

The youngest prince of the empire and an abdominal monstrous genius who surpassed all the talents the Mauryan had ever seen.

Currently there are rumors that he had already reached a 4-star level in his swordsmanship and there was no information about his mana as he never used them publically.

"He is becoming more and more troublesome as the days go by"

The Emperor murmured as he read the report given by the royal informants.

It was on the day Ashoka returned to the royal palace from the tempest manor, the emperor appointed a secret informant to inform him everything about Ashoka.

At first, it was only due to curiosity and precaution, but now it had turned into a necessity.

Day by day, Ashoka was getting stronger, his growth speed was monstrous and even comparable to the previous emperor, who Bindusara hated the most in this world.

"He will be here soon"

Ashoka was going to turn 15 soon.

According to the customary, when the royal princes turn 15, they would have to receive a part of the land of the Mauryan empire as their own land and they would have to rule over that land until the next emperor to rule over the empire is decided.

Initially, it was practiced so that the emperor may select a suitable ruler to succeed him and place the great Mauryan in good hands, but over the passage of time, it had turned into nothing but an old custom.

"What do you think?"

The emperor asked the knight beside him as he took a glass of wine from the table.

"Even if he is getting stronger at a faster pace, he would not be able to hold a single candle against the other princes since he has no support to back him"

It was none other than Justin, who was the personal guard of the emperor who answered his question.

Even though Ashoka's talent was considered the best, there was no way for him to fight for the throne without anyone to support him.

"Are you not considering the fact that he is the grandson of Sage Vyasa or are you ignoring it, Justin?"

Although no nobles supported the current Ashoka, he was still the grandson of Sage Vyasa, one of the seven sages of the kingdom, so it wasn't easy to ignore that fact.

"Although Sage Vyasa is indeed a force to be reckoned with in terms of strength, he had no influence in political regards"

It was true that Sage Vyasa was one of the strongest people of the great Mauryan empire, but being from a common origin, Sage Vyasa didn't have much influence in the political matters of the Empire.

More than that, the nobles of the empire were also not welcoming of him due to his upright personality.

"Hmm...But you do know where Ashoka is currently staying, do you not?"

The tower of wisdom.

The dwelling place of the strongest archmage in the Mauryan empire.

It was the place where Sage Chanakya, the one who had the title of "Sage of Wisdom" dwelled.

He was very famous as the teacher of the previous emperor and there were even rumors that he had taken Ashoka as his disciple and is training him personally.

If he had any intention of placing Ashoka on the throne then it would become a big hassle for the Emperor.

The influence of Sage Chanakya in the Mauryan empire is no less than the emperor himself, if so, there comes a situation where he would support someone else than the crown prince to rise to the throne, the Mauryan empire would see the largest civil war in history.

"....that is concerning"

Even Justin couldn't ignore that fact.

"hmm...then about the land to be granted to Ashoka"

The emperor turned towards his 'brother' as they both exchanged meaningful glances.

"That place seems to be suitable"

Justin answered without the emperor needing to tell anything else.

***

In the meantime Ashoka and Karguel were talking, Paul put out the aura covering his wooden sword.

However, his face wasn't dyed in fear anymore. He seemed dispirited yet furious.

"Is this what you truly wish to happen, Young Master?"

"So you are able to use aura. In that case, you shouldn't hold back and make the most of it."

Ashoka versus Paul.

The two of them had a short staredown. The cadets who were complaining all shut their mouths and watched the inevitable clash as cold sweat ran down their cheeks.

Paul was the first to make a move. He instantly zoomed across the field and appeared before Ashoka with surprisingly agile movements.

Crash!

Ashoka blocked Paul's heavy wooden blow.

As their swords got tangled, the battle came to a standstill as it became one of strength. The veins on their arms bulged as their muscles contracted, and the wooden swords trembled under the equal pushing forces.

"If you wanted to duel me, you've made a grave mistake, Young Master."

Scrrrrrt!

Ashoka's wooden sword began slipping and cracking as Paul coated his sword in an aura once again.

"You should've challenged me… before dueling the others!"

Snap!

Ashoka's sword broke under the pressure. Immediately, time slowed down for Paul and the other cadets during the short instant when Paul's shining wooden sword dug into Ashoka's shoulder.

The wooden sword had completely cut through the shoulder and was about to reach Ashoka's heart. As he saw the blade dig deeper and deeper, Ashoka caught sight of Paul's expression twisting into despair.

Despair for having gotten on the wrong side of the prince.

In addition, despair for cutting down Young Master Ashoka who had taken good care of him for so long. Paul's innocent eyes were filled with such hopeless thoughts.

"As if I'd let you!"

Bang!

A sudden heavy blow hit the side of Paul's sword. The Palm Technique he learned from Ahmed in the tempest manor hit Paul.

It was Ashoka's strong palm.

As the sword flew away, the recoil shook Paul's body. Having lost his balance and footing, Ashoka swiftly grabbed him from behind and choked him.

"Keuk!"

The other cadets didn't realize what had happened in that short moment, omitting a few top-class cadets like Merina.

'The fuck?! Are you for real? He's nuts!'

Merina couldn't believe what she saw. Although her spar with Ashoka had astonished her earlier, it couldn't compare to the shock she received from seeing Ashoka's current superhuman movements.

"Urgh!"

Paul couldn't do anything but struggle for air as he got choked from behind. As the other cadets stood up to stop him, Ashoka released his arms on his own.

As he coughed and gasped for air, Paul turned around to face Ashoka with a displeased look.

"Why did you stop? You said you wouldn't go easy again. Don't stop, Young Master! You won this fight, have you not?! Are you satisfied now? Is it fun messing around with others, huh?!"

Paul's pent-up anger all burst out.

Ashoka shook his head.

"It's not."

"If it's not fun, then why…!"

"Having to push you beyond your limits is also unbearable for me. Unbearable and agonizing."

"What do you even know about me? Why do you torment me like so?"

"I don't know much about you. But there's one thing I know. Being considerate… is something you can only afford once you've become an extremely powerful figure."

Paul froze. He then recalled the words Ashoka had told him before the start of the fight.

—You cannot survive in this world if you continue acting like that.

"You've probably realized just now, but you're weaker than me. You're also kinder than me. I like that aspect of you. But you cannot survive in this hellhole by being a bootlicker."

As Ashoka spoke, the other cadets couldn't even utter a sound.

In consequence, Paul's weeping and tearful sobs echoed around.

"Paul. Jean Paul. Look at me. Lift your head and look into my eyes."

He raised his head and their eyes met.

"I truly wish from the bottom of my heart that…"

Ashoka paused and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You gain enough power and strength to protect that good-natured and kind heart of yours, along with the others here. Lastly, I'm sorry."

Paul nodded at his words. Actually, it looked more like he was shaking his head. No, never mind. It was a mix of both movements.

Thus, Ashoka couldn't figure out whether it was an affirmation or a denial. The boy with tears running down his face walked towards the other cadets.

Suddenly, the servants carrying large pots of crude dishes appeared at the training ground.

"Eh…? The atmosphere seems a bit… Should we come back later, Instructor Karguel? Prince Ashoka?"

As the servants hesitated on what to do, Paul spoke up.

"Please go get your serving on your own today, Prince Ashoka."

Ashoka chuckled awkwardly.

"Alright. In fact, I'll bring your portion too today."

As lunchtime came to an end, Karguel quietly approached Ashoka before the afternoon training session began.

---***---