I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity

What is this strange blue line? Eric thought again. A strong feeling of wonder was still mixing with his surprise. He had never experienced anything quite like it in all his life. It was like a secret guide showing him the future of the fight.

Alina recovered quickly from her first missed strike her sword hitting the ground. She was determined. She raised her wooden practice sword once more.

This time she didn’t swing from high above her head.

She changed her attack. She swung it from the side aiming a fast horizontal slash towards Eric’s chest. It was a standard swordsman’s move a common attack she had probably read about.

And again just like before Eric saw it clearly. The faint glowing blue line appeared again in his vision. It seemed to come directly from the tip of her wooden sword.

It stretched out in front of her blade moving through the air.

This time the blue line was pointing directly towards his chest. It ended at the exact spot where her blow would land if he did not move or block it.

A realization a sudden clear understanding dawned on Eric.

This blue line... it wasn’t just showing him the path the sword was currently taking as it moved. It was showing him the future path. It was showing the intended trajectory of her attack before it even got close to him.

The sword itself from his enhanced perspective his magically slowed down vision was still moving with that familiar almost lazy slowness. It seemed to float through the air.

This gave him plenty of time to react to her attack to decide what to do.

With a deliberate almost casual movement almost as if he wasn’t trying very hard Eric brought his own wooden sword up. He moved it so that its blade was directly in the path of the glowing blue line.

He didn’t have to guess anymore where to put his sword.

He knew.

A few heartbeats later which felt like a long time to Eric Alina’s sword connected with his.

The sharp sound of wood striking wood echoed in the otherwise quiet garden.

Her blade was deflected. It was pushed aside harmlessly. Her attack was neutralized. It was stopped completely without any real effort from him.

Alina was undeterred by this. She didn’t give up easily. She tried again immediately. She lifted her sword for another overhead strike.

It was similar to her first attempt but maybe a little faster. And once more as she began her swing Eric saw the guiding blue line appear clear and distinct in front of her blade. It showed him exactly where her sword would go.

He repeatedly intercepted the blue line. He deflected Alina’s attacks with an ease that surprised even himself. He had never been this good at sword practice before. He felt a confidence he had never known.

Each time his wooden sword met hers precisely where the blue line indicated the impact would occur. He felt like he couldn’t miss a block. It was an amazing feeling.

Eric and Alina were completely engrossed in their practice session. They were lost in the rhythm of attack and defense.

The rhythmic clash of their wooden swords was the only sound in their secluded quiet corner of the Imperial garden. They were focused on their training trying to improve. Then another figure approached them unnoticed at first.

A short distance away from where they were practicing a young woman appeared.

She had striking black hair. It was pulled back neatly from her face. This showed her serious and focused expression. She wore a gleaming silver-colored armor.

It fit her perfectly like it was made just for her and it shone brightly in the sunlight.

In her hand she carried a wooden practice sword. It was similar to the ones Eric and Alina were using. A real silver-hilted sword was strapped securely to her waist. Its scabbard was polished to a high shine reflecting the light like a mirror.

This young woman who had just arrived was none other than Monica. She was the Emperor’s daughter the Imperial Princess. She had just finished her own rigorous training session for the day.

She always trained very hard every day wanting to be strong like her father. She was walking through the palace gardens to cool down and relax a little.

That was when the distinct sound of clashing wooden swords had caught her attention. She was curious. So she had followed the sound to see who was practicing swordsmanship in this quiet part of the garden.

A retinue of Imperial soldiers her personal guard moved silently and efficiently behind her. They matched her pace keeping a respectful distance. They were always there to protect her.

Monica paused at the edge of the clearing. Eric and Alina were still sparring unaware of her presence. Her gaze sharp and analytical focused intently on Eric.

She watched his movements his timing his defensive blocks against Alina’s attacks. She was studying him carefully.

One of the Imperial soldiers her guard captain stepped up quietly beside Monica. He bowed slightly a sign of respect.

"My Lady Princess," he said in a low respectful tone so that only she could hear his words "that is the boy your father the Emperor praised so highly after the council meeting the other day. He is the one your father believed might even surpass him in power and skill in the future."

Hearing this information from her guard captain Monica’s eyes narrowed slightly. Her expression which was already serious and focused became even more intense. She looked at Eric with a new level of interest and scrutiny.

"I will see for myself then," she murmured her voice soft but firm almost to herself.

"I will see whether this boy truly possesses such amazing potential or if Father was... perhaps mistaken in his judgment this time." She wanted to test him personally. She trusted her own judgment.

With that Monica gripped her own wooden practice sword more tightly in her hand. Her knuckles whitened a little. She then gestured dismissively with her other hand to her soldiers who were waiting patiently behind her.

It was a clear unspoken sign. It indicated that they should stay back. They should not interfere or follow her closer. Understanding her unspoken command the Imperial guards immediately retreated a respectful distance.

They left her to approach the sparring pair alone. They knew their princess liked to handle such matters herself. She was very independent.

Monica stepped into the practice area. Eric and Alina were still engaged in their training. They were still clashing their wooden swords back and forth still unaware that they had an important observer.

Eric for his part was actually starting to really enjoy this practice session. It was very different from any sword practice he had done before in his life.

With the predictive blue lines guiding his every move showing him exactly where to block he was able to dodge and parry Alina’s attacks with an almost effortless grace. He felt like he knew what she was going to do even before she did it.

It was a novel and exhilarating experience for him. It was a far cry from his usual clumsy and often frustrating attempts at swordsmanship where he mostly just got hit or fumbled his blocks.

He felt a sense of control a sense of competence that was entirely new to him.

He was so absorbed in this new way of perceiving combat so focused on watching the blue lines and reacting to Alina’s movements that he didn’t immediately notice Monica’s approach.

He was completely in his own world of practice and newfound skill.