Chapter 129 - Lost One, but One Remains (2)

Among the imperial nobles who had been slaughtered by me thus far, there were also great lords. But House Yves Saint was a true high-ranking noble family on a completely different level from such great lords.

The security was strict.

Even without Jean Catherine warning me about sensing a magical presence, I was already feeling vigilant myself.

If I failed even slightly, the kingdom could be engulfed in war.

Everyone asked me to reconsider.

But I did not accept it.

Had I not seen the empire, I wouldn't have known, but because I had already seen it, I came to know.

From the time I woke up in the kingdom until recently, I could not truly feel the 400 years of time that I had been asleep.

The ruined kingdom of lions.

Knights who no longer revered the Poem of Martial Deeds.

The changes were only that much.

Because the world I saw wasn't that different from 400 years ago, aside from those minor differences.

But after stepping outside the kingdom, I realized just how huge of a misconception that had been.

Unlike the kingdom, where the flow of time had stopped for the past 400 years, the empire was astonishingly prosperous.

All sorts of things that did not exist in the kingdom overflowed in the empire. Civilizations and products that didn't exist 400 years ago—the imperial nobles were enjoying those conveniences to the fullest.

I was ignorant. The kingdom was ignorant as well.

We didn't properly know how much the world had advanced, and we didn't realize that the kingdom had fallen behind.

What the kingdom had to overcome wasn't just the difference in military power.

The very status of the country itself was different.

If compared to a Poem of Martial Deeds, the empire was a Myth,

and the kingdom was merely an insignificant existence that hadn't even reached the Extraordinary Grade.

If compared to a knight, the empire was a Sword Master,

and the kingdom was at the level of a Sword Beginner who had just grabbed a sword.

If compared to nobility, the empire was the king of a nation,

and the kingdom was worse than a village chief from a remote corner.

A fight between a lion and a rabbit.

A fight between an adult and a child.

That was the essence of the fight that I, and the kingdom, had to wage from now on.

It was a task close to impossible.

To raise the possibility even a little, I had to throw the empire into chaos, making them doubt each other and eventually point their spears and swords at one another.

Of course, even that was not an easy task.

As long as the descendant of the Marquis of Foresight was standing firm, any ordinary dispute would be swiftly suppressed.

But fortunately, this was not an ordinary time.

A chaotic era was arriving.

The ferocious Warlord of the greenskin race had already risen up in the North,

and the greedy Magic Swordsman of the fairy clan roamed the world outside the forest.

An elder of the dwarf clan had set out to find a new forge.

Beings other than humans, who had been buried in oblivion, were revealing themselves to the world one by one like that.

I was also the same.

Having fallen into a deep sleep for 400 years, oblivious to my friend's descendants falling into ruin, I woke up at this specific time of all times, becoming a human and striding through the world.

I was not stupid enough to blindly believe that all these events were happening solely in one corner of the northern continent, where my eyes could reach.

It was not a coincidence that the descendant of the Sword Marquis, who had completely forgotten her own roots, appeared before me, nor that the descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky, who had been keeping a low profile and waiting for his time, appeared before me.

I was an observer who had watched countless wars and chaotic eras,

and because of that, I was more sensitive to the signs than anyone else.

Something was happening in a place that I, that humans, did not know about.

I could not know exactly what that event was.

My authority as an observer had been sealed, and I was now merely a human.

However, even I possessed the experience of the chaotic eras I had gone through and a faintly remaining insight.

I could guarantee that whatever was about to happen would by no means be trivial, nor would it be beneficial to humans.

At the very least, it would be a massive event that the entire continent would be swept into.

I intended to fully throw myself into the current that would soon hit.

Because a chaotic era was precisely an opportunity.

The head of Marquis Yves Saint would serve as the opening shot of the chaos the empire was about to experience.

I exercised caution and waited for the right time.

And after aiming for an opportunity over a lengthy period of an entire month, I finally severed all the heads of the marquis and his family.

"When we get back, I am absolutely going to tell His Highness to choose his friends carefully."

Looking at the burning marquis's castle, Jean Catherine's face was yellow.

It seemed he had lost quite a bit of energy while dealing with a Mage of the Marquisate who belonged to a fairly high tier.

However, his expression, at least, was filled with satisfaction.

"Now the surrounding nobles will wage a dogfight to devour House Yves Saint."

It was exactly as Jean Catherine said.

Since all the direct descendants with succession rights had died off, every family with even the slightest connection would likely pounce on it.

If possible, I wanted to stay and watch that unsightly dogfight, but unfortunately, we had already been delayed too much.

It was now truly time to return.

"Let's go."

At my words, Jean Catherine raised his hand.

The wyverns flew up all at once.

* * *

The Azure Sky Knights dropped our party off at the border region between the empire and the kingdom, and then vanished just like that. We did not share any farewells.

We would meet them in The Capital anyway.

The delegation and I slowly headed north.

During that process, we encountered the empire's border guards several times.

Among them was De Gaulle de Debussy, the Senior Knight of the 112th Knights who had tried to insult me the other day, only to suffer humiliation instead.

"Gasp."

The foul-tempered imperial Senior Knight glared wide-eyed upon seeing me.

His face looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Are the 112th Knights perhaps aiming for revenge as well?"

At my words, the imperial Senior Knight shook his head in denial, yet tried to hold our party back somehow.

He tried to persuade us with all sorts of words, talking about hosting us at the fortress and whatnot.

Of course, I didn't listen to a single word of it.

When his persuasion didn't work at all, De Gaulle began to follow us from a distance. Seeing riders coming and going in the middle of it, it seemed he had sent a messenger to the fortress.

"We'd better hurry before things get annoying."

Having made my face known, there was nothing holding us back anymore.

I encouraged the utterly exhausted delegation and headed straight for the kingdom's territory.

After heading north for quite a while with a tail attached behind us like that, we finally reached a place where the borderline between the two nations was visible in the distance.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE.

At almost the same time, the earth-shaking sound of horse hooves began to be heard from far behind. Rising dust clouds were a bonus.

It was the direction where the empire's fortress was located.

De Gaulle, who had been following behind, stealthily narrowed the gap with us.

I glanced at them and gave a quiet command to the delegation.

"Get ready."

Arwen quietly slung her father over her shoulder, and Karl put Nicolo on his back.

"Run!"

As soon as the order was given, the party began sprinting toward the border.

"Your Highness! Where are you going!"

The flustered De Gaulle drove his horse to block our path, but he couldn't catch up at once to our party, who were sprinting while generously expending mana.

"The last one to arrive runs all the way to The Capital!"

At my words, the Iron Lions increased their speed even more.

Karl, carrying Nicolo on his back, belatedly protested that it was unfair, but he quickly shut his mouth when Arwen, carrying her father, overtook him as if to show off.

De Gaulle's pursuit continued even while we were running toward the border like that. And moment by moment, the imperial forces were narrowing the gap.

"Your Highness! Please wait a moment! His Excellency the Commander has something urgent to tell you!"

"Tell me later!"

De Gaulle shouted anxiously, but I had no intention of getting into a pointless scuffle with the empire's border guards.

But that was just my stance, and De Gaulle and the border guards persistently followed behind us.

However, it didn't take long before they had no choice but to give up the pursuit.

"Your Highness! It's the knights of the Southern Legion!"

It was because the kingdom's Southern Legion, having miraculously spotted the dust rising from south of the border, had appeared at the borderline.

"Good response time!"

The Southern Legion troops that quickly arrived before us shouted in our direction.

"State your affiliation and identity!"

Only after hearing that sharp voice did I realize the condition of our party.

Our faces were coated in grime from not being able to wash properly while tearing through the empire's territory, our clothes were completely torn and broken from repeated battles, and the lion crest symbolizing the kingdom couldn't even be seen, covered in dirt and dust.

Our hair was a mess from running so wildly just moments ago, and on top of that, we were carrying some old man and another fellow on our backs and shoulders.

It wasn't strange that they couldn't recognize us, nor was it strange that they found us highly suspicious.

The Iron Lions, belatedly realizing their own condition, sheepishly rubbed the center of their breastplates.

"Ah!"

As the crest that had been covered in dust was revealed, the knights of the Southern Legion gasped.

"C-Could it be..."

Just then, Siorin, who had come down from his daughter's shoulder, shouted with a deeply flushed face.

That the kingdom's delegation had finally completed their mission and returned.

"The Southern Legion greets His Highness the First Prince!"

The knights and cavalry of the Southern Army dismounted in unison and knelt before me. I smiled and accepted their greeting.

Then, I suddenly looked back.

The empire's border guards were looking this way.

I waved my hand at them.

At my farewell greeting, the empire's command staff watching me from afar distorted their faces.

Whether they did or not, I waved my hand enthusiastically.

Thanking them for the grand send-off.

* * *

"I am glad you have returned safely."

The knights of the Southern Legion coincidentally happened to be the ones who had seen me off the day I left the kingdom.

They welcomed our delegation's safe return time and time again. I could acutely feel the sincerity of just how much they had been waiting for our return.

Perhaps I wasn't the only one who felt that way, as the Iron Lions were also conversing with the knights of the Southern Legion with very friendly faces.

The Southern Legion was extremely thrilled that the Iron Lions had defeated the imperial knights.

"Now they won't be able to look down on the kingdom's knights anymore."

Saying that they had been ignored every time they encountered imperial knights at the border, they treated the Iron Lions as if they were benefactors.

"But who exactly is the one that defeated the empire's Paladin...?"

One of the knights of the Southern Legion asked with a somewhat excited face.

The reactions of the Iron Lions upon hearing the question were all different.

Someone looked at Arwen, and someone else looked at Gawain and his comrades.

And someone looked at me.

At those scattered reactions, the knights of the Southern Legion made bewildered faces.

I let out a soft chuckle and pointed in the direction where Arwen and Gawain were standing.

"Ooh!"

"To think such young Silver Lions have been born in the kingdom!"

At the knights' reactions, Arwen's face turned embarrassed, and Gawain and his comrades completely turned their heads away.

They ceaselessly praised the newly born Silver Lions all the way until they reached the fortress.

"If you've performed a great feat, it is only natural to be praised."

To them, who were feeling awkward, I giggled and told them to just enjoy it.

"We've arrived!"

The new Silver Lions were only able to escape from that uncomfortable situation after arriving at the fortress.

"Heaven has helped us. It is clear that the kingdom's heroic spirits watched over you."

The Commander of the Southern Legion, having confirmed the safety of me and the knights, had a face full of deep emotion.

He condemned the empire's atrocities and repeatedly praised our party for not yielding to them. The knights of the Southern Legion were the same.

And a considerable amount of their praise was directed toward me.

Saying that my outstanding leadership and the spirit that didn't yield to the empire's prestige were amazing.

For me, it was a situation I absolutely couldn't get used to.

After having eaten nothing but insults all this time, suddenly hearing such praise made me feel beyond uncomfortable; it was downright awkward.

"Since you've performed a great feat, it is only natural that praise follows. Just enjoy it."

Arwen said that toward me.

It was as if I was receiving back the exact same words I had told her a little while ago.

"Ugh."

I let out a deliberate groan and quietly looked back at the party.

Every single one of them looked shabby, but their eyes were shining brightly.

Arwen, who had become a Quad Chain knight through her confrontation with the Paladin, went without saying, and the other Iron Lions also showed signs of having grown through this journey to the empire.

Gawain and his comrades were the same.

They were diligently digesting the traces the three Echion brothers had left on their bodies. As a result, when clashing with the imperial knights, they managed to overcome the compatibility disadvantage against the Ring to some extent and performed quite well.

Although it wasn't certain, the ones who had gained the greatest results in a short period of time were likely that trio.

Adelia as well, though she didn't stand out much, seemed to have realized something in her own way.

In fact, she hadn't played a major role during this journey to the empire.

It was partly because she was a [ War Maniac ] and a [ Butcher ] who didn't know how to stop in the middle once she started a fight, and also because she herself wasn't mentally prepared to swing her sword against people.

But that didn't mean there was no gain.

Having inherited the innate talent of her ancestors, she seemed to have felt many things while watching the spars and battles thus far. Her markedly deepened gaze was proof of that.

I could guarantee that with just a slight trigger, she would soon ascend to the ranks of a Sword Master as well. Once that happened, she would be able to overcome her inherent weaknesses to a certain extent.

Of course, even then, she would merely become a lunatic who retained a minimum amount of reason.

The Commander didn't hold us for long and considerately allowed our party, who had returned alive from the jaws of death, to rest.

The party did not refuse his consideration.

Thus, the current gathering was set up.

A drinking party took place.

Outwardly, it was known that our delegation had fled the imperial capital after the sparring event, being chased the entire way, and had returned alive by the skin of our teeth. No matter how much this was a kingdom fortress, running our mouths about what we had done in the empire would be a foolish thing to do.

Therefore, everyone just emptied their drinks in silence.

"Puhuhu."

Occasionally, a silly laugh escaped without anyone knowing whose it was, but overall, the atmosphere was one of quietly tilting glasses.

As the alcohol set in properly, Erhim Kilinger egged me on.

"Your Highness. Say a word."

I repeatedly declined, but since everyone was holding their glasses and waiting for me to say something, I couldn't decline any longer.

"You all worked hard."

At my words, the Iron Lions blankly stared at me. Then, after a long while, they showered me with boos, asking if that was it.

They must have been expecting some grandiose toast.

After booing for a while, they soon started pouring drinks for each other.

By then, the tightly locked mouths of the Iron Lions had also been unlocked.

However, even while laughing and chattering, they did not mention what had happened on the way back.

I watched the Iron Lions as they relieved the tension they had built up and fully enjoyed the joy of returning alive.

I felt pleased.

The fact that no one died made me feel much prouder than some petty victory or achievement.

Grab.

Just then, someone snatched my glass away. It was Arwen.

"Overdrinking is not good for a knight."

Grabbing the alcohol bottle instead of the glass, I spoke indifferently.

"Say that to the guys over there, not me."

Grab.

While my mouth was flapping, someone snatched the alcohol bottle away this time.

"Your drinking has suddenly increased lately."

It was Karl. He visually counted the bottles I had emptied and showered me with nagging.

With the two of them united to corner me, I had no way to withstand it.

I threw up my hands and feet in surrender, and in front of me, Adelia served a cup of warm tea.

Your teamwork is just perfect, yeah.

While I was grumbling, the door suddenly burst open.

"Huh?"

Beyond the opened door, some man appeared.

Although he looked like the worst beggar among beggars, it wasn't difficult to recognize him.

"Yorden?"

It was Yorden, Ranger platoon leader of the Ballorhard Rangers 17th Platoon.

Panting heavily, he approached, gave a half-hearted nod of his head, and suddenly shouted.

"I've been wandering for months to find Your Highness!"

As I just blinked my eyes, not knowing what was going on, he snatched the alcohol bottle from Karl and emptied it in one gulp.

Then, he started pouring out how much he had suffered while searching for me.

His tone was full of complaints, and his lips were pouting, but in the end, the emotion contained within was relief and deep affection.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, something swelled up inside me.

I tightly embraced the Ranger who had unhesitatingly headed into the jaws of death for my sake.

"Ugh. You stink."

However, I quickly backed away at the foul stench piercing my nose.

"Go wash up first. What's the rush..."

"This isn't the time to be doing this!"

At my words, Yorden suddenly shouted.

"The empire is preparing for war!"

It was a face completely devoid of any playfulness.

The alcohol buzz completely flew away. I sprang up from my seat and asked Yorden about the context.

"While wandering the empire looking for Your Highness, I found out."

He explained for a long time why he, who had sworn never to return until he found me, ended up coming back halfway like this. The suddenly frequent troop movements and training, and the observation of massive transport convoys.

They were all signs of war.

I wiped my face with dry hands. My facial muscles, which had stiffened without me noticing, felt truly uncomfortable.

"What is the destination of the supplies?"

"I confirmed it!"

Straightening his posture, Yorden took out a map from his chest and unrolled it on the table.

I scanned the Ranger's map.

A single line drawn straight to the empire's eastern border.

Placed at the end of that long line was a border region with a certain small kingdom to the east of the empire, leaning far south even from our kingdom's southern border. I couldn't help but let out a groan.

「Dotrin」

The word written on the map painfully caught my eye.