After Karl led the troops out, Hilpin Castle descended into complete chaos.
“You opened the gates without permission?! Would you open them even if the enemy attacked?!”
“B-But, His Highness the Prince…”
“You worthless trash!”
Thud!
“Aaagh!”
As the soldiers who had opened the gates were mercilessly beaten, Maldin and the other nobles of Hilpin Castle gathered in the very banquet hall where they had thought they had completely deceived Karl, shouting over one another as they tried to decide what to do next.
“If the Prince dies, it’s all over! We must send reinforcements immediately!”
“Reinforcements? Nonsense! Then who will defend the castle?!”
“This is not the time to argue about that!”
“His Majesty the Emperor will never overlook this!”
“Could we even send reinforcements in the first place? Huh? If that were possible, our territory wouldn’t have been ravaged by mere gnolls to begin with!”
Amid the nobles’ shouting, it became clear to all that they had known the true situation of the Barony of Hilpin all along.
“This whole disaster happened because you failed to properly monitor the Prince from the start!”
“If you’re going to say that, then it’s your fault for being fooled at the banquet! And opening the gates the moment he ordered it. Just how far has discipline collapsed?!”
In the end, it devolved into blaming one another. The target of their accusations, the guard captain Bordeaux, spoke with a cold expression.
“There are not many soldiers left in the castle. The ones who opened the gates were merely farmers. Was it not you who suggested arming those who had never even held a spear, dressing them in armor just to make them look the part? Think of the burden on the few soldiers who must handle so much. Do they not deserve rest as well?”
It was all perfectly reasonable, but it didn’t change the fact that the castle gates had been entrusted to mere farmers.
Regardless of the lack of manpower, that duty could not be escaped.
As the shouting continued, Maldin who was now fully sobered remained silent, rubbing only his forehead.
“Enough! That’s enough! What kind of disgraceful display is this?!”
Only when Pardin, unable to listen any longer, sprang to his feet and shouted did the commotion finally subside.
“This is not the time to argue about responsibility! We still have a chance! Right now, we must—!”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
At Pardin’s powerful speech, Maldin who had been silent finally spoke.
“Father.”
Pardine turned toward Maldin with a hopeful expression. But the words that followed twisted his face into despair.
“Either way, it’s already ruined. If the prince dies, the emperor will draw his sword, and if the prince survives, he’ll report everything to the emperor. So in the end, the emperor will draw his sword regardless.”
“What on earth are you….”
Pardin glared at his father. Maldin slowly rose to his feet and spoke in a heavy voice.
“I will go to Valturan. Gather your belongings at once.”
“Father!”
Shocked by Maldin’s words, Pardin shouted and grabbed his father’s shoulder. But Maldin shook him off with shoulders far broader than his age would suggest and spoke.
“It is already too late. The same goes for all of you. The emperor will not bother to weigh right and wrong before assigning blame. If you wish to live, you must come with me. Do not worry. Even Marquis Gasto and Valturan will not be able to refuse the immense wealth we bring. Crossing over to Valturan and settling there will be no difficult task.”
“Have you lost your mind?! You’re saying we should just leave the people of this territory behind like this…!”
“Pardin!”
Maldin seized Pardin by the collar with his large hand and roared like thunder.
“I am saying this for everyone’s sake! For everyone here! And for you, my son!”
“…….”
In Maldin’s idea of “everyone”, the commoners who made up the majority of the territory’s people were not included.
Pardin stared at Maldin in stunned silence.
“…Go and pack your things. Now!”
At Maldin’s command, the nobles with their faces pale rose and hurriedly dispersed.
Maldin glared at the dazed Pardin, then muttered in a heavy voice.
“…Everything I did was for you. All of it. For you, my only son.”
Then, giving Pardin time to gather his thoughts, Maldin turned and strode away.
Pardin watched the back of his only family, his father Maldin, before lowering his head deeply.
He had no idea what he should do.
“May I have a moment of your time?”
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice addressed Pardin. Startled, he turned around to see Harmon with his pale face quietly watching him.
That damned brat!
Despite his impassive expression, Harmon cursed Karl inwardly over a hundred times.
Harmon was not a fool. He already knew why Karl had left him behind in Hilpin Castle.
If Harmon remained idle like this, he would be killed by the nobles of Hilpin before long. They would need to silence him.
However, even if he somehow survived by sheer luck, if Karl were to die, he would be held responsible and punished, and his family would not escape the emperor’s blade either.
In other words, just as Karl intended, Harmon had no choice but to find a way within Hilpin Castle, rescue Karl, and complete the mission of subjugating the monster!
“Pardin, the future of Hilpin and the future of its innocent people rests on your decision. They have already turned away, so no one but you can bring this terrible situation under control.”
Recalling the contents of the meeting he had quietly observed in the dark, Harmon whispered carefully.
“Pardin, for the sake of the people who trust and follow you, make your decision. As you have enjoyed the rights of a noble, now fulfill your duty as one.”
“…Wh-What am I supposed to do?”
From Pardin’s confused reply, Harmon realized that he was as good as convinced.
For Harmon, an imperial attendant, seeing through the thoughts of a rural noble like this was nothing difficult.
…Though even Harmon himself had been completely taken in by Karl.
“Pardin, there are still knights and soldiers left in the castle, are there not? And supplies as well.”
“But they will not follow my orders. My father is the lord…”
“The lord? Are you not the lord, Baron of Hilpin?”
“…….”
At Harmon’s words calling him the “Baron of Hilpin”, Pardin shut his mouth.
“Those shameless ones who turn their backs on the Empire and flee are no longer nobles of the Empire. Now, there is only one legitimate bloodline of Hilpin left.”
Seeing that Pardin was nearly convinced yet still hesitating, Harmon drove the final nail by releasing the poison he had kept beneath his tongue.
“Sir Karl had been paying attention to you. To you, who suffered alone in the banquet hall.”
“Ah….”
As an imperial noble, Harmon was a man of broad perspective and keen perception. While assisting Karl who pretended to be drunk at the banquet, he had surveyed the entire hall that was so small and shabby compared to the imperial palace.
And quite remarkably, Pardin had not forgotten that Karl who should have been completely drunk had looked at him with clear, steady eyes.
Watching Pardin’s expression shift from moment to moment, Harmon muttered to himself.
He’s being completely played.
That remark was directed at Pardin, who was too shaken to think straight after hearing his words, but it was also a bitter reflection on himself, who had no choice but to act according to Karl’s intentions.
He had thought him frail and foolish, yet he could not even begin to fathom the depths of the Fourth Prince Karl’s schemes.
Indeed, a lion’s child was a lion.
***
Karl recalled the map he had received and examined from Harmon, estimating how much farther it would be to Axeblade Village.
It took about thirty minutes at a light run to reach Logpile Village, so assuming the map is accurate, it should take at least an hour more.
Karl bit his lip. He wanted to reach Logpile Village as quickly as possible and get inside the safety of its wooden palisade.
The darkness surged as though it might swallow him whole, and even the moonlight filtering through the branches now looked like the gleam of a monster’s eyes.
“Should we have waited until sunrise?”
Karl asked Catherine in a low voice. It felt as though he might have acted too hastily.
“Moving now was the right decision. We are heading into deadly danger, so momentum matters above all. Even if we had traveled by day, if that momentum had been lost, we would not be able to move as we are now.”
From a tactical standpoint, it would be correct to wait until daylight. The darkness does not belong to humans.
However, from the perspective of command and military tactics, Karl’s fierce advance like a wildfire carried by the wind was entirely appropriate.
Using the authority of the imperial family, he had taken control of the villagers, conscripted them before they could regain their senses, and marched out in one swift motion.
With that authority and momentum standing firm and bearing down upon them, not a single conscript deserted, even as they advanced through pitch-black darkness toward the monster that had destroyed countless villages.
“However, you must keep in mind that if a night battle occurs, the formation could collapse.”
At Catherine’s advice, Karl nodded heavily.
“Should we form a perimeter with the wagons and have the imperial soldiers take the lead in defense?”
Karl asked cautiously, considering the tactics available to them.
What he had read in the imperial archives flashed rapidly through his mind, his survival instincts sounding the alarm.
“Yes. The horses must also be brought inside. However, they are of lesser importance than the soldiers. The terrain is not suited for cavalry, and wagons can be pulled by people if necessary. If we must abandon the wagons, the men can carry the supplies.”
Catherine elaborated on Karl’s plan, adding further detail.
Once they entered actual combat, Catherine’s abilities began to shine. She had earned her position as an imperial knight through skill alone.
Of course, had he chosen a knight from a high-ranking noble family, he could have received that family’s military support and completed the mission with ease, just as Ias had in the original story….
There’s no point regretting what’s already passed.
Karl cut off his lingering regret like a blade.
Catherine was both loyal and highly capable. And considering Bilford, whom she had brought with her, this choice, though it might seem lacking now, would prove to be of great help in the future.
Feeling Catherine and Bilford behind him, Karl’s previously tense shoulders straightened with confidence. Narrowing his eyes as he stared into the darkness, he spoke.
“Bilford, can you move ahead and scout the path?”
“Yes, of course.”
Despite Karl’s sudden request, Bilford answered promptly, full of confidence.
Seeing that Catherine remained silent, Karl took it as confirmation that his decision was not mistaken and spoke firmly.
“Light the way and alert us to any danger. If you find Axeblade Village, inform them that a subjugation force is on its way, then return and rejoin us. From this moment on, you are my eyes and ears.”
“Yes, Sir Karl!”
Bilford replied energetically and, with an imposing air, urged his horse forward and began riding ahead.
With Catherine needing to command and protect this ragtag group of conscripts if anything happened, sending Bilford ahead was the tactically sound decision.
However, entrusting Bilford with the cloak and dispatching him alone as a vanguard scout into a nighttime forest teeming with monsters was not something that could be done based on tactical judgment alone.
Bilford was still nothing more than an insignificant common-born attendant who had yet to prove his abilities, yet the trust Karl placed in him was heavier than a mountain and hotter than the sun.
Karl held a firm belief that even if Bilford were attacked by monsters while alone, he would carry out the mission without fail. There was no way Bilford wouldn’t sense that.
That this faith came from Karl’s knowledge of the original story was something no one else could possibly know.
But even if they did, they would not be able to stop Bilford’s chest from swelling with pride.
To be trusted so deeply by his lord! Even a knight who had reached the rank of master could hardly enjoy such an honor!
“Catherine, if a battle breaks out, I will entrust all command to you.”
“Yes, Sir Karl.”
Catherine too could not understand where Karl’s boundless trust came from, yet she could feel her loyalty toward her young and once frail lord whom she had served in a purely dutiful manner rising like a great banner, firmly planted and fluttering.
The red cloak draped over his slight back billowed with a weight like a thousand pounds, and the crimson plume of his helmet shimmered like light.
Could this truly be Karl, the Fourth Prince of the rumors?
If Haman does his part, reinforcements will come. If the palisade of Axeblade Village holds firm, we can minimize casualties, endure, and then link up.
Karl strained his mind to its limits. If he left it to Catherine, she would no doubt handle everything flawlessly. But he could not allow that.
If he faltered over something like this, how could he ever hope to surpass Madius and Aingir?
Nothing will be resolved by defense alone. Once we link up, we advance into the forest and subjugate the monsters.
By choosing an irreversible, all-in gamble that cast himself into the fray, Karl drove everything to the edge of a cliff.
Everyone was forced into a situation where they had no choice but to grit their teeth and fight. The imperial soldiers, the conscripts, the villagers, and even the nobles of Haman and Hilpin who looked down on him.
Now, only one thing remained.
That was to make a last stand with their backs against the wall and collapse in the end, or to hold firm and push forward.
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