The imperial family, under Madius who effectively wanted to intensify the struggle for the throne, provided Karl with a modest amount of support.
First, since Karl had nothing to wear besides his nightclothes, he was given proper clothing and armor for the subjugation mission. He also received a longsword engraved with the imperial crest, and even a large, impressive warhorse he had never ridden before.
Most importantly, he was given the opportunity to choose a knight to accompany him so that Karl who had only just risen from his sickbed, with a frail body that had never even properly held a dining knife, would not die in vain.
Everything else aside, being able to take an imperial knight along was an enormous advantage.
No matter how dangerous the situation became, at the very least Karl’s life could be protected.
If the subjugation failed or resulted in heavy losses, his future would grow uncertain. But that kind of concern only mattered if he survived. Survival came first.
“……”
“Cecil, don’t worry too much.”
“But, Sir Karl….”
Even as Cecil helped dress Karl’s emaciated body, she seemed unable to accept the situation at all.
“Why is it that you, Sir Karl, have to take on such a dangerous mission?”
In the end, as she straightened his collar, she asked the question.
Karl gave a slightly bitter smile at Cecil’s concern.
Compared to what lay ahead, this wasn’t dangerous at all.
The mission Karl received was, as Ilias had said, “nothing much”. Just a brief monster subjugation that would pass quickly.
It was merely a small device to show Madius’s intention to support Ilias.
Of course, Karl was not Ilias who could threaten the protagonist Eingir with martial skill alone nor did he have a powerful backing like House Beria.
Karl could easily die even on this simple mission.
“Cecil, an imperial knight will be coming with me, so I won’t be in danger.”
Karl reassured her, speaking as if it were truly nothing.
Then, with a hand much smaller and thinner than his actual age due to his stunted growth from illness, he gently held Cecil’s trembling hand.
Despite how frail it looked, Karl’s hand carried a strength that shouldn’t have been there, and Cecil felt at least a little of her worry ease.
“And look.”
Karl smiled and showed the shoulder of his slightly uncomfortable outfit.
Surprisingly, in just a few days since receiving the clothes, Karl had been growing at an incredible rate. He still didn’t look like his actual age of sixteen, but he no longer looked like a small child either.
“When I come back, I might even be taller than you, Cecil. And I should take this chance to see the world too.”
“Sir Karl……”
Cecil looked at him with reddened eyes and then, without realizing it, gently brushed off his shoulder.
Just like a mother would to her son, full of worry and affection.
Karl was happy about that, and he smiled a little.
***
As Karl stepped out of the room, Harmon bowed politely.
Harmon was the attendant newly assigned to Karl by Madius. With brown hair, brown eyes, a tall frame, and a pale refined face, he looked even more noble than Karl.
That made sense, since as an imperial attendant Harmon also came from a powerful family.
However, as the family’s power was passed down to the eldest son, Harmon, the third son with nothing to inherit, was actually quite fortunate to become an imperial attendant.
If only he hadn’t been assigned specifically to Karl, his future would have been bright, especially at such a young age.
“My name is Harmon. I will be serving you starting today, Sir Karl.”
Karl tugged slightly at the stiff, tight collar of his clothes, then lifted his chin and looked at Harmon.
“Harmon, were you ordered to report my every move?”
“……”
It was far too direct a question to hear from a member of the imperial family, and Harmon hesitated for a moment.
“…Yes, I was given that order.”
“Directly from His Majesty? Or does it go through someone else?”
“It will be reported through the head butler.”
“Good. Let’s go to the commander of the knights.”
Even as Harmon walked ahead following Karl’s order, he couldn’t understand why Karl had asked that question.
And the fact that Karl who had behaved like a beast at the banquet was now walking with confident strides and issuing orders to him as if it were only natural was also unexpected.
That said, the overly formal way of speaking was somewhat uncomfortable. Still, it wasn’t a subordinate’s place to point that out one by one.
Harmon simply needed to follow Karl, assist him in a professional manner, and report on him.
If the reports were going up to head butler Orten, there was nothing to worry about. Orten was Madius’s loyal hand, so he would ensure the information didn’t leak elsewhere and would report only to Madius.
Karl had to prove to Madius that he had the potential to become emperor. He couldn’t hide himself from Madius. If he did, he would receive no support and be cast into ruin.
At the same time, it wouldn’t be wise to draw the attention of Valos or Eingir.
For now, he would act as if he were playing along under Madius’s shadow, then seize an opportunity to gain power.
An imperial knight… I wonder if he’s there.
As Karl boarded a carriage with Harmon’s help to travel across the vast imperial palace to the quarters of the imperial knights, he recalled the original story.
There was a young knight in the imperial order who remained highly active even after Eingir became emperor.
Even as signs of power inflation began to appear, he never fell behind and fiercely kept up, which meant he had extraordinary talent. He was likely an important character who wouldn’t just fade away.
Above all, he was exactly the kind of person Karl needed right now.
A knight so loyal that he wouldn’t even flinch at being called the emperor’s dog.
***
When they arrived at the headquarters of the knight order, the Imperial Knight Commander Gilbert Evil was already waiting for them.
The position of commander wasn’t something attained by martial skill alone. It was layered with complex political considerations. Though Gilbert held the title, he was an elderly man too old to fight on the front lines.
With white hair, wrinkled skin, and withered muscles, he looked at a glance like a frail old man who could barely move.
However, there was no one who didn’t know that this old man was a great master who had held his position for decades and served as the shield of the Hardion imperial family.
This was no exaggeration. He was a dangerous old man who could kill Karl without even lifting a finger.
“Sir Karl, I am Gilbert, Commander of the Imperial Knights.”
Gilbert greeted him with a kind smile.
Although he held the position of Commander of the Imperial Knights, that didn’t necessarily make him a high-ranking noble. At least, not formally.
“I’m Karl. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Evil.”
“Please, call me Sir Gilbert.”
“Yes, Sir Gilbert.”
Karl smiled and extended his hand. Gilbert returned the smile and took it, and the two shook hands.
In that instant, Karl felt a chilling sensation and abruptly pulled his hand away.
“Oh my, my apologies. I must have gripped too hard.”
“…Ah, no… it’s nothing.”
Without any sign of embarrassment, Gilbert simply smiled gently and let Karl’s rude behavior pass.
But the one who had truly been rude was not Karl. It was Gilbert.
Mana.
Karl shuddered as he realized that what had coiled around and climbed up his hand had been Gilbert’s mana.
As expected of the Imperial Knight Commander who wielded immense power, in that brief moment, Gilbert had probed Karl using mana.
Like a snake. Or a fox.
A damp narrow-eyed sensation, as if it were smiling.
In the original story, Gilbert wasn’t a particularly prominent character. He retired before Eingir became emperor, appearing only briefly in the early part before exiting the stage.
But facing him in person now, he was undeniably frightening.
Karl steadied himself.
Oh… so he does have some mana. And quite a bit, at that…
Gilbert who had spent his entire life bedridden and had been on the verge of death until just a few days ago smiled faintly behind narrowed eyes at the realization that Karl possessed mana.
The amount itself wasn’t significant but that didn’t matter.
What mattered was the essence one could feel through mana. Something only those who wield it could perceive.
And from Karl’s mana, Gilbert could sense that essence.
It was something very valuable.
***
“His Majesty has permitted it, so you may choose any knight you wish.”
“…Anyone?”
“Of course. Excluding those with assigned duties. Such as myself or the vice commander.”
Gilbert spoke with a slightly playful tone. However, Karl knew just how heavy those words were.
An Imperial Knight was a position every knight in the Empire dreamed of. Naturally, not only minor nobles but also the children of high-ranking families competed fiercely for it.
In other words, if Karl simply said he wanted someone, it meant that regardless of whether the person was the child of a count’s family or a duke’s family, they would be placed under his command.
Has this old man lost his mind? There’s no way Madius would go this far for me.
No matter how much they intended to support him, this was excessive.
What if Karl ended up taking a knight from a powerful family?
…I see! This must be a test as well!
Karl dismissed the thought of choosing a knight from a strong and noble family, even though he had been tempted by Gilbert’s words.
Even if he brought such a knight under him now, he wouldn’t be able to control them, and once this matter was over, they would leave him without a second thought.
If Karl wanted to truly keep a knight under his command, he needed to choose someone without power for now.
“May I see the roster of the knights?”
“Yes, of course.”
Gilbert readily showed the roster at Karl’s request, but he couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
He had assumed Karl would choose a famous and powerful knight to elevate his own prestige, yet he hadn’t expected him to go as far as checking the roster.
Could it be that he had come to choose a knight without even knowing such things?
It’s not here.
After looking through the roster, Karl let out a quiet sigh of disappointment.
Given the timing, he had been certain they would be there by now, but strangely, they were not.
This complicated his plans.
There was no way for Karl to identify which knights in the order had potential. The only ones he knew were those whose names were briefly mentioned in the original story, and all of them belonged to prestigious families, making them too burdensome to take.
Before Gilbert who had been quietly observing him could grow suspicious, Karl quickly spoke.
“I would like to see the knights in person.”
There was no helping it. He would have to judge for himself.
***
The Imperial Knights were already full of complaints over the sudden summons, and when they were told there would even be group training, all of them looked utterly miserable.
On top of that, hearing that all of this was because of the frail Fourth Prince Karl who had no power and was unlikely to be of any help in the future pushed everyone to the brink of frustration.
There were several paths to becoming an Imperial Knight.
First, naturally, those with skill were selected and became Imperial Knights.
Then there were those of noble blood who became Imperial Knights for political reasons.
Since Imperial Knights rarely participated in actual combat, only a small number were chosen purely for their skill and remained knights until death. The Knight Commander Gilbert Evil was one such case.
The majority, however, became Imperial Knights temporarily to add a distinguished honor to their careers before moving on to other paths. In other words, they were the sons and daughters of truly high-ranking noble families.
They had not the slightest intention of becoming knights to the Fourth Prince Karl, someone from whom they had nothing to gain, and staining their promising futures.
This is a mess.
Standing beside Gilbert, Karl muttered inwardly as he looked at the knights lined up in formal formation, clad in dazzling armor.
They all seemed to have let their guard down, thinking Karl was an incompetent Fourth Prince, but thanks to Han Chang-in’s memories, Karl could clearly read their expressions.
Han Chang-in had completed his military service as an army sergeant, had worked part-time at a convenience store and at a bar, and had even survived in a small-to-mid-sized company that was practically a jungle.
It was obvious they had been dragged here against their will and were furious, yet were forced to manage their expressions out of caution.
Han Chang-in himself used to wear that exact expression in the army when he was called in on weekends for work and had to stand in front of the administrative officer.
Right, of course they wouldn’t want to become the Fourth Prince’s knights, get discarded, and be left with a stain on their record. I get it.
Facing the splendid Imperial Knights, Karl nodded with a bright, innocent expression. His eyes were sparkling.
“As expected of the Imperial Knights. You seem to shine even while standing still.”
“Hohoho, hearing you say that lifts these old, weary shoulders.”
Gilbert chuckled and played along with Karl’s act. There was no way he wouldn’t notice Karl pretending to be foolish when, just moments ago, he had looked like he was calculating everything with a cold gaze.
Only the insignificant criticize those who differ between their outward appearance and inner thoughts. Honesty is a virtue of the poor, and those of nobility must know how to present themselves.
Yes, you must be dissatisfied. But I have no use for knights like you either.
Karl ignored the subtle glares from the sons and daughters of noble families and simply smiled them away.
The “real knights” who were standing at the very back of the formation with their mouths shut and bodies perfectly still were the ones Karl was looking for.
They were lower nobles bearing the future of insignificant families who had become Imperial Knights through skill rather than lineage and commoner knights who had stepped into the world for their families’ livelihood and their own dreams…
The knights Karl needed were not lofty nobles who wouldn’t even listen to orders but loyal ones who would truly become his spear and shield, driving back enemies and protecting him.
If those with nothing to fall back on became Karl’s knights, they would have no choice but to follow him even at the cost of their lives.
If the line they depended on were to snap, their lives would effectively be over.
With the face of an excited child, Karl watched as the Imperial Knights split into two groups and formed ranks.
“Begin.”
At Gilbert’s firm command, the divided Imperial Knights charged at one another.
Karl observed everything with his deeply flickering green eyes.
He needed to find knights he could make use of.
For his sake, he needed hounds who would obey any order and throw away their lives if required. Loyal, yet expendable when necessary.
It was cruel, but Karl had to survive as well.
He wouldn’t ask for understanding. But since it was necessary, they would have to stake everything for him.
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