Chapter 130 - Lost One, but One Remains (3)

Normally, I would have planned to stay and rest at the border fortress for a few days, but there was no time for that.

I explained the situation to the Commander and instructed him to prepare for any possible imperial provocation, just in case.

Then, I borrowed a horse and set off straight for The Capital.

"Hiyah!"

I rode the horse day and night. I had to meet the descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky and his attendant, who would be waiting for me in The Capital.

After riding without rest, I finally arrived at The Capital.

"Y-Your Highness?"

It seemed our group had moved even faster than the messenger sent from the fortress, as the figures in The Capital looked as if they might faint from shock at the safe return of the delegation and me.

Regardless, I immediately headed for the royal palace.

Passing through the palace gates, I hurried my steps straight to the grand hall.

"Your Highness. His Majesty the King is waiting for you."

Word from the gates must have already reached them, as the royal knight standing guard at the grand hall immediately announced my entrance and opened the doors.

"Y-Your Highness!"

"Brother!"

Marquis Bielefeld and Maximilian beamed broadly upon spotting me. The King, sitting on the throne upon the dais, was also giving me a rare smile. But there was no time to share the joy of our reunion.

I strode purposefully toward the descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky, who happened to be in the grand hall.

"Doris."

"I've paid off all my debts..."

"It's war."

"What?"

He froze at my abrupt words.

"The empire is massing its forces at the border with Dotrin."

With his innocently smiling face still frozen in place.

* * *

It was our first reunion in a whole year, but the atmosphere in the grand hall had sunk heavily.

The descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky and his attendant looked so restless that they seemed ready to hop on a wyvern and fly back to their country at any second.

"Wait. I've sent someone, so we'll know the detailed circumstances soon."

I held them back.

Because once the messenger I sent to Marquis Montpellier arrived, we would be able to learn the more detailed situation.

It was not long before Erhim Kilinger, whom I had sent to the marquis, appeared. Marquis Montpellier was with him.

"Y-Your Highness..."

"Start with the internal situation of the empire."

With a face like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse, Marquis Montpellier opened his mouth.

"First of all, it is certain that a war will break out."

The marquis stiffened upon seeing me before immediately diving straight into the main point.

"The Imperial House intends to wipe the Dotrin Kingdom completely off the map."

At those words, Jean Catherine glared at me resentfully. He seemed to think that because of me, they had gotten tangled in a pointless mess and that the sparks had flown all the way to their country. But it was a misunderstanding.

"The Imperial House has been keeping a close eye on several families and kingdoms on the continent for a very long time. They paid so much attention that they even assigned them separate grades to distinguish their threat levels."

Through Marquis Montpellier's mouth, the story about the Imperial House's special watch list poured out.

It was a story I was hearing for the first time.

Without realizing it, I ended up furrowing my brow. When I looked over at Dolosis, his expression was no different from mine.

It seemed he had come to the exact same thought as me.

"Tell me the kingdoms and families written on that list."

I pressed Montpellier to add to my certainty.

The marquis hesitated before he began listing the names on the list one by one.

House Bayern of the Sword Marquis, which had already lost its roots,

the Dotrin Royal Family founded by those who inherited the blood of the Marquis of the Azure Sky,

and the Royal House of Leonberk, which inherited the blood of the Dragon Slayer.

The names of families I was very familiar with flowed from the marquis's mouth.

All of them were families with a history spanning over 400 years,

and every single one of them was a family that had built up great achievements.

I had a gut feeling.

That the few names I didn't know wouldn't be any different from them.

The emperor's special list was regarding the families possessing the [Myth] Grade.

"Are they after the artifacts?"

Taking Dolosis's words, I added a comment.

"Or perhaps, they were after the [Legacy] itself."

I had already heard through Marquis Montpellier that there had been several attempts to steal my main body.

Because of that, I could be certain.

The fact that the descendant of the Marquis of Foresight was collecting [Legacies].

Monopoly, or perhaps containment.

I couldn't know their exact objective.

The only thing I could guess was the fact that the descendant of the Marquis of Foresight would never be collecting ancient legacies out of simple curiosity, and that it would never be beneficial to the kingdom either.

"The alert level for the Royal House of Leonberk has been steadily downgraded over the past few decades. However, the rating for the Dortmund family has continuously been upgraded."

Even as Dolosis and I exchanged glances, Montpellier's words continued.

"The subjugation of Dotrin, which is like a thorn in their side, was already confirmed, but the issue was the timing. Since they are spending massive military funds anyway, shouldn't there be something to gain from it?"

The purpose of this war flowed from the bastard's mouth.

"And it seems His Majesty the Emperor believed it would be beneficial if he could eliminate internal threats through this war."

Turning their eyes outward rather than having the imperial nobles following the princes slaughter each other and erode the national power—that was the practical objective of this war.

The result of that was the war with Dotrin.

"Soon, an imperial manifesto pointing to Dotrin as the mastermind behind the nobles' assassinations and holding them accountable will be officially delivered to each kingdom."

Whether the emperor had truly found circumstantial evidence of the Azure Sky Knights' involvement didn't matter. As long as the empire had decided to wage war against Dotrin, they could manufacture as many justifications as they pleased.

Dotrin was just unlucky.

Dotrin had merely been singled out just when the empire was trying to crack down internally. The warning to the minor kingdoms showing movements against the empire was nothing more than an added bonus.

"If they clean house a second time, they'll turn the entire continent into a wasteland."

Jean Catherine sneered as he glared at the marquis.

Marquis Montpellier put on a tearful face at that hostile gaze.

It was understandable. Right now, there was no one in this place looking at the marquis with kind eyes.

Dolosis's subordinates looked as if they were ready to chew the marquis up at any moment, and the kingdom's figures were also burning with renewed hostility, perhaps recalling old memories.

The marquis looked at me with a desperate gaze, as if pleading for help.

I had no intention of defending him.

"Gah!"

Suddenly struck in the face, Montpellier grabbed his nose and screamed.

I kicked the bastard just like that. Then I stomped on him soundly.

"W-Why on earth!"

To the bastard asking the reason after being beaten for a good while, I replied apathetically.

"Because it's obvious that while I was gone, your nasty habits flared up and you pulled some bullshit."

At my words, Marquis Montpellier was struck dumb.

"And!"

SMACK!

"The story about the list!"

SMACK!

"Why did you hide it!"

THUD! THUMP!

Marquis Montpellier curled up his body and screamed that he was dying.

"What are you, an onion?"

For there to be more layers every time I peel you.

THUD! THUMP!

I continued to beat the marquis up.

Pondering how to fix his despicable nature—constantly scheming to backstab no matter how much I stomped on him—so that he could be of use.

Then I came to a conclusion.

That it was a useless worry.

Because he wasn't a bastard I was going to keep by my side for the rest of my life anyway.

CRACK!

It seemed I failed to control my strength in the brief moment my murderous intent flared up.

With the sound of something breaking, Marquis Montpellier rolled his eyes back and foamed at the mouth.

"Hmm."

The surroundings were dead silent.

Marquis Bielefeld, who had been wondering how on earth I had buttered up that bastard Montpellier all this time, was nodding his head as he realized the secret. Rather than feeling refreshed from his curiosity being resolved, his face looked as if he was thinking, 'What kind of person does something like this?'

The King was expressionless. But for some reason, he also looked somewhat relieved. As expected, it seemed that bastard Montpellier really had acted up while I was gone.

"Brother..."

To Maximilian, who was looking at me with a face full of respect, I warned him not to copy me.

Since he followed me to an odd degree, he might just pick up some weird habits.

Running wild like a madman was enough with just me alone.

Maximilian must not become like me.

Because the prince, who was born with the qualities of a Wise King, was of a different breed who had a different path to take from a scoundrel like me.

"Violence is the last resort; it should be avoided as much as possible."

I earnestly requested this of the naive prince.

Though the people briefly showed dumbfounded expressions at my words, that wasn't important.

"What are you going to do?"

I asked Dolosis.

"What do you mean? We have to fight back."

Surprisingly, his face was calm. It was a somewhat stiff expression, but that was it.

Nowhere was there any sign of fear regarding the war looming right before his eyes.

"I guarantee it."

Rather, he showed strong confidence.

"If the empire thought Dotrin's outward strength was all there is, the empire will lose a great many things in this war."

To that unwavering declaration, Jean Catherine added a comment.

Stating that the emperor's judgment wasn't wrong in the end, as the feared civil war wouldn't happen once the imperial princes were killed off on the battlefield.

Assimilating into their fighting spirit, I casually slipped in a remark.

"While you're at it, I'd appreciate it if you went easy on the Third Imperial Prince."

Only then would that disaster-like bastard truly start throwing his weight around.

Of course, the war wouldn't unravel as easily as we pleased.

If it truly was going to be like that, the family of the Marquis of the Azure Sky wouldn't have lain low and waited for their time all this while.

But there was no need to deliberately point out that fact.

Because right now was the time to bolster our fighting spirit.

"Don't tell me..."

The King furrowed his brow upon seeing my expression.

"The kingdom is not yet ready."

Perhaps worrying that I might rashly volunteer to help Dotrin, he even went so far as to preemptively nail down the fact that the kingdom was not yet in a position to go to war. He was worrying for nothing.

As if anyone didn't know that it wasn't the time for the kingdom to face the empire.

"I will go to Dotrin with my knights."

That was why I intended to participate as an individual, not representing the kingdom.

"What nonsense! How can the heir to the throne of a nation be so reckless!"

Naturally, the King flipped out.

"The greater the empire's casualties in the war against Dotrin, the more it benefits the kingdom."

I persuaded the King.

That Dotrin must never fall easily, and only if Dotrin held firm and tormented the empire would the kingdom, which had practically become a vassal state, have a higher chance of fully reclaiming its sovereignty.

"Do you think the tide of the war will change just by adding you and a few knights? That is arrogance, and overconfidence."

"The enemies a single knight can face at one time are no more than a fraction of the whole, but sometimes, that fraction can sway the entirety."

"Have you never considered the thought that you might be that fraction capable of swaying the entirety?"

"There is Your Majesty, and there is also Maximilian."

"Are you seriously saying that right now!"

The King shouted in great fury.

"Your Majesty. And Your Highness. How about taking some time to discuss this matter gradually? I believe the issue is far too grave to be decided right this moment."

Unable to watch any longer, Marquis Bielefeld stepped up to mediate.

"I have shown an unsightly appearance in front of a guest. Please consider the circumstances and do not fault me for it."

Struggling to rein in his emotions, the King asked for Dolosis's understanding and left the grand hall.

"Your Highness. How can you be so stubborn."

As soon as the King vanished, Marquis Bielefeld chided me.

"What did I even do."

"It was only moments ago that Your Highness returned after going missing. If you had considered how anxiously His Majesty had worried all this time, you would not have made such a remark in this place, at the very least."

"That is correct. His Majesty's concern was immense while you were absent, Brother. The timing was poor."

Even Maximilian stepped forward to back up the marquis.

I felt wronged.

On a larger scale, it was a chance to weaken the empire's forces, and on a smaller scale, it was an opportunity to build up my personal karma and gain great strength, so I couldn't understand why everyone was making such a fuss.

I couldn't comprehend it.

"Sometimes, I truly feel that Your Highness is quite clumsy at everything other than swordsmanship."

"It must all be because you wandered outside without receiving love in your youth," the marquis muttered quietly to himself.

"Brother. You have traveled a long way, so please rest for now. Once your heated head cools down, you will also find a little peace of mind, Brother."

Maximilian pulled me along.

"Let us go. Don't you need to receive the item you left with me?"

At those words, I couldn't hold out any longer and was forced to leave the grand hall.

Just before I exited the grand hall, Dolosis offered me his farewell.

Saying that since the situation was urgent, he couldn't stay any longer and planned to fly straight to the mainland. He added that he would leave someone behind just in case, so if I needed to make contact, I should go through them.

I agreed to do so and gave him a half-hearted wave.

I had no intention of giving a grandiose farewell.

Because I would be seeing him again soon anyway.

Having parted ways with Dolosis like that, I headed to Maximilian's quarters.

There, I retrieved the item I had entrusted to him.

The Dragon Slayer, my main body, still showed no reaction whatsoever.

* * *

Three days passed.

Dolosis and the Azure Sky Knights had all departed for their home country, leaving Jean Catherine behind in the kingdom.

He was thoroughly engrossed in squeezing Marquis Montpellier to uncover the scale and organization of the empire's forces.

During that time, I persuaded the King.

And finally, I was able to gain his permission.

"Keep this in mind. The true battlefield you must fight on is not Dotrin."

The King urged me several times not to overdo it on a foreign country's battlefield.

Of course, not overdoing it on the battlefield wasn't something entirely up to one's own will, so the King's words were merely a conventional request to stay safe.

I answered that I understood.

Because there was much to prepare, I was about to stand up early when the King unexpectedly brought up the topic of my uncle.

"I intend to posthumously appoint Count Vale Ballorhard as a Paladin of the kingdom."

At those words, I ended up going blank.

All the countries of the continent referred to knights of the Quad Chain as Paladins, but uniquely, the kingdom had substituted that title with the term Silver Lion.

It was said that after posthumously appointing the Royal Knights who died on Mount Frost 400 years ago as Paladins, the kingdom avoided overusing the word Paladin to honor their nobility, and this practice solidified into a tradition as time passed.

And to my knowledge, other than the Royal Knights from 400 years ago, including Echion and his two brothers, no one in the kingdom had received the title of Paladin. Yet, the King was saying he would posthumously appoint my uncle as a Paladin.

A sudden surge of emotion swelled up in my chest. However, I didn't show it outwardly.

"Vincent will be pleased."

Forcing a calm tone, I merely said those words and stood up.

The King stopped me from leaving.

"I hope that the title of Paladin will no longer be a term referring exclusively to the fallen."

I let out a soft chuckle.

He could have just said one word to return safely. He truly was not the honest type.

"I will come see you again and pay my respects before I leave."

Saying so, I left the King's quarters.

There was much to do.

I had to select the knights who would accompany me, and I also needed to show my face at Winter Castle. In addition, I had to find a body double to play my role while I was gone. Externally, the kingdom would not intervene in Dotrin's war, and I, too, would not step out of the kingdom.

Externally, that is.

Even while moving busily, I didn't forget that there was something I needed to handle first.

Before I knew it, the three years of grace I had received from Sigrun, the Elder High Elf, had fully passed, and the day of our promise had approached right before my eyes.