The Omega Knight's Secret Baby Daddy is A PRINCE?!-Chapter 39: Guy Man.

"Have you killed anyone?"

It was a simple question.

VERY simple, really.

Most knights answered it without hesitation. Some with pride, some with discomfort, some with quiet acceptance. Even Silas, shaking and stuttering as he was, had managed to answer honestly.

Because honesty, in this case, was normal.

It was normal for a knight to have killed a human.

It was also normal for a knight not to have.

What wasn’t normal was lying about it.

Why?

Because lying meant hiding.

And hiding meant there was something worth concealing.

If a man lied about a kill, then the nature of that kill was likely wrong. Not just ugly, but wrong in a way that couldn’t be justified even under the excuse of duty.

Killing was never moral. Ezra had never pretended otherwise.

But there were reasons that could be understood.

Silas had killed for family. He had said it plainly, without embellishment or excuse. He hadn’t flinched from the truth because, deep down, he knew he had acted in defense, not cruelty. There was grief in his reason, but no shame.

Perrin’s answer had none of that weight.

"Perrin," Ezra said, tilting his head slightly as he stepped closer. His voice lowered, just enough that only Perrin could hear. "...talk to me after this."

That finally earned a reaction.

Perrin’s eyes widened, just a fraction, surprise flickering across his otherwise unreadable face. Confusion followed, then something guarded.

Ezra didn’t acknowledge it. He straightened and moved on as if nothing had been said.

’A man who lies about his kills,’ Ezra thought coolly, ’either broke the law, or broke something worse.’

Either way, it was dangerous.

Dangerous for the Sunward Sentinels.

Dangerous for Helios.

Perrin was an illegitimate son with a murky record and an attitude that suggested he feared nothing. That alone was enough to raise concern.

Helios was already under scrutiny. The last thing he needed was a rogue knight with secrets sharp enough to cut the entire order down with him.

’I’ll nip this in the bud,’ Ezra decided grimly.

Before it grows into something neither of them can control.

Ezra swallowed the irritation threatening to rise and fixed his gaze on the knight standing beside Perrin.

’Later,’ he reminded himself firmly. ’Not now.’

This was not the moment to pull at loose threads or expose cracks. Not with thirty men watching his posture, his expression, his every breath.

They were waiting. Waiting to see if the captain who had vanished for five years would falter the moment he returned.

And maybe, just maybe, this was Ezra’s last small mercy. If Perrin thought him cruel later, at least it would be away from prying eyes.

Not that he actually cared though–

Still, Ezra moved on.

Name after name followed. Numbers recited with practiced confidence. Kill counts that hovered safely around average, spoken as if they were impressive simply because they existed.

Pride puffed up chests far more than skill ever had.

Sons of houses he knew too well. Men trained by instructors paid for with coin and title rather than grit.

Subpar.

Repetitive.

Boring.

Boring.

Very boring.

Not useless, no. They would survive a battlefield. They would follow orders well enough.

But remarkable? Hardly.

Ezra listened without comment, nodding when courtesy demanded it, stepping forward when it was time to move on. He offered no praise. No correction. No encouragement.

’These damn assholes are looking at me like they could take me,’ he thought coolly, eyes flicking across the line. ’Like I’m something small.’

That was fine.

The one thing Ezra had never doubted was his ability to fight. Titles didn’t matter there. Size didn’t matter. Reputation didn’t matter.

He knew, with absolute certainty, that he could take any man standing here.

Then he reached the front row.

Ezra felt it before he truly registered it. A subtle shift in his focus. A tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with nerves.

The man in the middle.

Tall. Broad. Standing far too comfortably for someone being evaluated by the captain of the Sunward Sentinels.

He hadn’t fidgeted. Hadn’t stiffened. Hadn’t followed Ezra with nervous eyes like the others.

In fact, he’d barely looked at him at all.

Once.

Only once.

And that glance had been slow, measured, and dismissive.

’There you are,’ Ezra thought, lips pressing together. ’The problem.’

This was the one Fizzy had warned him about. The name that came with a quiet sigh and a crease of concern. The man who did not fear consequences because he didn’t believe they applied to him.

Ezra finished with the knight to the left, gave a curt nod, then stepped directly in front of him.

Up close, it was worse.

The man’s expression was calm, almost bored. Not nervous. Not impressed. Not even curious. His stance radiated confidence that skirted dangerously close to arrogance, like he’d already decided Ezra wasn’t worth the effort. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Ezra could practically taste the cockiness in the air.

’He thinks he’s better than me,’ Ezra noted flatly. Then, after a heartbeat, ’But there’s something there.’

A flicker. A tension held too carefully.

’Insecurity,’ Ezra realized. ’Just enough.’

Good.

Ezra tilted his head slightly, meeting the man’s gaze head-on, his expression unreadable.

"And you," he said evenly. "Your turn."

The knight finally looked at him properly, eyes traveling over Ezra without urgency, without any ounce of respect.

His lips twitched, just barely, like he found the situation entertaining.

Ezra met his gaze without blinking.

"Hmph." The knight huffed, chin lifting a fraction. "The name’s Guy Man."

"...Guy Man?"

Ezra stared at him.

Just stared.

For a heartbeat, he genuinely wondered if this was a test.

Or a joke.

Or if someone, somewhere, was laughing at him.

"Your name," Ezra repeated slowly, "is Guy Man?"

"Yes." The man said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "First name Guy. Last name Man. As in Man and Men Enterprises."

Oh.

Ezra felt something in his soul deflate.

Man and Men Enterprises.

Of course he knew it. Everyone did. Bakeries, tailors, mines, trade routes, shipping contracts. Half the kingdom’s mundane comforts passed through that name at some point.

The founder had been offered a title once.

A proper one.

He’d refused it outright, preferring profit over prestige.

And now his heir was standing in front of Ezra, smirking like he owned the room.

’Man and Men...’ Ezra thought flatly. ’So Man really is their surname. Men because they’re men.’

And his name was Guy.

Guy Man.

’Aurethys help me.’

Now Fizzy’s warning finally made sense.

’No wonder he kept saying "that guy" and never told me his name,’ Ezra realized, barely stopping himself from sighing. ’Because his name is literally Guy.’

He resisted the overwhelming urge to rub his temples or slap his own forehead. This was not the time to process the absurdity of it all.

Rich or not, ridiculous name or not, Ezra didn’t care.

He cared about one thing.

"Your Dead Ones kill count," Ezra said evenly.

Guy’s smirk widened just a touch. He tilted his head, casual, confident.

"Four hundred seventy-seven."

’What?’

The air shifted.

Ezra felt it immediately.

His eyes widened, just a fraction before he forced them still.

That wasn’t impressive.

That was dangerous.

Four hundred seventy-seven.

As a knight. That meant real combat. Real battles. Real efficiency.

Ezra’s own count stood at five hundred six.

Years of war. Years of blood. Years of survival.

And Guy Man was right behind him.

’Just a few more,’ Ezra thought, something cold curling in his chest. ’And he’ll surpass me.’

Around them, faint snickering rippled through the formation. Not loud enough to be disrespectful. Just enough to say they knew. Just enough to enjoy it.

They were watching Ezra now, waiting to see how he’d react.

If he’d bristle.

If he’d snap.

If he’d feel threatened.

Ezra let out a slow breath through his nose, forcing his expression back into something calm and controlled.

’So the cockiness is earned,’ he acknowledged. ’That makes sense.’

But his gaze hardened almost immediately.

’I still don’t care.’

He lifted his eyes to Guy again, sharp and unreadable.

"And your human kill count?"

"None," Guy replied without hesitation.

Then he tilted his head, lips curling faintly. "Yet."

The single word settled wrong.

Ezra felt it instantly, like grit caught between his teeth.

’What is that supposed to mean?’ he thought, irritation flickering beneath the surface.

A threat? A joke? Confidence? Or something worse?

Ezra didn’t ask.

He didn’t react at all.

Instead, he stepped aside as if the answer hadn’t left any impression on him whatsoever.

"Next."

That alone was enough to throw Guy off.

Ezra could feel it without looking. The subtle shift in the air. The way Guy had clearly expected more. Anger, challenge, dismissal. Something.

But Ezra had long mastered the art of ignoring irritants. Years of dealing with Kaelis had refined that skill to perfection.

’Compared to him,’ Ezra thought coolly, ’you’re a Roseberry cake.’

Guy might have strength. He might even have talent.

But his attitude was wrong.

And Ezra didn’t train knights with the wrong mindset.

He turned his attention to the last few men, finishing the introductions quickly, efficiently, his focus already moving beyond them.

Then—

"Your Highness!"

The sharp voice cut through the formation.

Every head snapped toward the sound.

Ezra turned at the same time as Helios.

An aide stood at the edge of the training grounds, posture stiff, expression strained.

"Yes?" Helios asked immediately. "Is something wrong?"

The aide swallowed, eyes flicking briefly around before settling back on Helios.

"I apologize for the interruption," he said carefully, "but you are needed at the palace. His Majesty is requesting your presence." He hesitated, then added, "Along with the other princes."

Silence fell.

Ezra felt it settle in his gut before his mind fully caught up.

Helios’s eyes widened slightly.

So did Ezra’s.

’A sudden summons,’ Ezra thought, tension creeping in. ’All princes at once.’

That never happened without reason.

And it was never good.