Fortunately, it seemed Bilford had properly delivered the news of Karl’s arrival as a messenger.
Still, it felt a bit excessive.
Karl had naturally expected that the House of Hilpin would receive him at the castle, but instead, Baron Hilpin himself had ridden out in haste to greet him halfway along an unpaved dirt road.
“Sir Karl, I am Maldin, head of House Hilpin.”
Maldin, with his graying hair and beard, dismounted and bowed politely to Karl.
Judging by his black eyes and large, thick frame, the rumor that he had some northern Valturan blood seemed fairly believable.
As an imperial prince, Karl had the status to receive the greeting from atop his horse, but with Harmon’s help, he willingly dismounted and approached Maldin, stopping before him as he bowed.
“Baron Hilpin. A pleasure to meet you.”
Maldin appeared slightly flustered when Karl readily dismounted and offered a handshake.
But he soon smiled warmly and respectfully took Karl’s hand.
When Karl let go, Maldin withdrew his hand as well.
“Your messenger is resting comfortably at the castle.”
Since Bilford had personally brought Karl’s cloak, Maldin first made it clear that he had treated him with the utmost courtesy.
Even a mere messenger must be treated well in consideration of the authority of the one who sent him, but carrying the cloak of an imperial prince required even greater care.
It wasn’t just about Karl. If one were to neglect a messenger bearing the imperial emblem, the consequences could be severe.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Ah, rather than talking here on the road, why not head to the castle and recover from your journey?”
Maldin spoke with a gentle smile, and Karl readily nodded.
As Karl, once again with Harmon’s help, struggled slightly to mount his horse, Maldin’s eyes briefly scanned the surroundings. It didn’t seem like he had ridden here on that frail body, leaving the carriage behind…
“Seeing you mount your horse, you look truly dignified.”
“Haha, thank you, even if it’s just flattery.”
Maldin quickly grasped the situation and offered a trivial compliment, and Karl played along, smiling with feigned pride.
Escorted by Hilpin’s knights and soldiers, Karl rode alongside Maldin, exchanging small talk.
“I’ve prepared a banquet in your honor. Though Hilpin is a small territory, I’m sure it will be more than sufficient for your enjoyment.”
At those words, Karl raised an eyebrow before his expression turned curiously youthful.
“Huh? What about subjugating the gnolls?”
At Karl’s innocent expression and tone, Maldin burst into hearty laughter, his large frame shaking.
“Hahaha! Hilpin may be small, but we’re not troubled by mere gnolls. Most of them have already been dealt with. His Majesty the Emperor is truly generous to send such a formidable subjugation force over something as trivial as gnolls.”
In that moment, the clear green eyes that had seemed so childishly innocent flickered with depth.
“I see… That’s unfortunate. I thought I might get to have some fun.”
Karl pouted like a spoiled child.
Like a foolish, sickly boy lost in delusions of leading a small force to achieve great military glory. The very image of the naive Fourth Prince Karl, just as the rumors described.
“Hmm, perhaps I should have left a few alive. It’s a shame, given your bold spirit, Sir Karl…but would you like to see the gnolls we’ve slain?”
“Oh! That sounds quite entertaining!”
It almost looked as if the seasoned and crafty Maldin was skillfully humoring and manipulating the naive Karl.
The imperial soldiers carefully maintained their expressions, while Catherine followed silently behind Karl with an unchanged, expressionless face.
When they arrived at Hilpin Castle, it was so peaceful and quiet it felt as though everything had already been resolved.
The roads were clean, there was no commotion, and the soldiers moved about the walls at ease.
“It cannot compare to the imperial palace, but welcome to Hilpin Castle.”
With a smooth smile, Maldin led Karl inside.
As they entered, Karl subtly scanned his surroundings. Then, he discreetly gestured to Catherine behind him.
They hadn’t established any specific signals, but Karl trusted that Catherine would understand his intent, at least roughly.
In truth, even without Karl saying anything, Catherine had likely already sensed that something was off.
Still wearing a foolish, naive expression, Karl continued to laugh and marvel at Maldin’s eloquent speech.
Maldin, for his part, kept up a steady stream of engaging chatter, never giving Karl a moment to sink into thought.
“Ah, Lady Catherine! I’ll go ahead with Maldin!”
“Yes, Sir Karl.”
At some point, Karl had begun addressing Maldin casually by name.
Glancing back, he spoke briefly to Catherine before heading into the castle with Maldin.
Catherine, guided by one of Hilpin’s knights, led the soldiers to their quarters.
“Rest, but be ready to move out at any moment. You are not here on a leisure trip.”
Despite Catherine’s strict words, the soldiers were more than satisfied just being able to rest. It had been ten whole days since they’d had proper rest.
Catherine was so obviously a loyal knight that no one doubted her orders even for a moment.
She was then guided into the castle as the Fourth Prince’s knight, but a servant and a knight stayed glued to her side at all times, never leaving her alone.
“I need to check on my squire.”
In place of Karl, who seemed completely taken in by Maldin, Catherine made sure to look after even the messenger.
Since he was her squire, there was nothing unusual about it.
Just as Maldin had said, Bilford was being treated quite well.
Resting in a fine room, Bilford hadn’t even washed yet and was still clutching Karl’s cloak in his arms when Catherine entered. He immediately sprang to his feet.
“Lady Catherine. This is Sir Karl’s cloak.”
If anything were to happen to Karl’s cloak while he let his guard down, it would be utterly irreversible. Thinking that, Bilford handed it over to Catherine without delay.
Catherine carefully received the cloak and slightly lowered her head.
“……”
For a brief moment, it was as if her breath brushed against it.
To the servant and knight watching from beyond the door, it looked as though Catherine was teasing her young squire.
“Get some rest. Don’t even think about attending the banquet. You’re not permitted.”
“Yes, Lady Catherine.”
Holding Karl’s cloak in her arms, Catherine left the room, leaving Bilford behind.
Once the door closed, Bilford, now alone, washed up and changed his clothes.
Dressed lightly, he quietly rested. Around sunset, he received a hearty dinner, ate, returned the empty dishes, extinguished the candle, and lay down silently on the bed.
Then, after night had fully fallen and the banquet began, as noise started to echo through the halls—
Taking advantage of the chaos as everyone was busy attending to the Fourth Prince Karl and his knight Catherine, the insignificant commoner squire whom no one was paying any attention to quietly disappeared.
Though just barely over twenty, Bilford was a man destined to become Eingir’s most loyal hound, earning countless achievements. Even if he could not yet wield mana, he was already a formidable warrior.
No one noticed Bilford’s disappearance.
***
“Hahaha! That’s impressive!”
“You really should have seen it in person!”
Karl stood at the center of the banquet hall, bursting into carefree laughter.
Though he was merely an insignificant Fourth Prince in the imperial palace, here he was no different from a king. Everyone was doing their utmost to keep him entertained.
“Wow!”
“How is it? Quite convincing, isn’t it?”
“Is this a gnoll?”
Karl repeatedly let out exclamations of admiration as he looked at the stuffed gnoll Maldin had prepared. Though hunched over, it stood as tall as a grown man, with tightly packed muscles, stiff fur, and sharp teeth!
Like a childish boy, Karl circled the gnoll, then cautiously reached out to touch it before quickly pulling his hand back with a shudder, as if disgusted.
“If only I had arrived a little earlier, I could have killed this myself!”
“Hahaha! Indeed!”
At Karl’s words, everyone burst into loud laughter.
Pretending to know nothing, Karl gulped down alcohol as if it were a drink.
His gaunt cheeks flushed red, making him look somewhat unsteady.
Karl rambled nonsense like a child, staggered drunkenly and, with Harmon’s support, only just managed to keep his balance as he was swept along by the chattering crowd.
Watching this scene in silence, his lips twisted, was a man who appeared to be around thirty, seated near the place of honor.
Pardin, Maldin’s only son, did not like this situation. No…he could barely suppress his anger and felt like storming out at any moment.
He glared at his father Maldin who was skillfully presiding over the banquet, and at Karl who was being toyed with and completely losing his senses.
The memory of when he had cheered at the news that the imperial family had sent a subjugation force, encouraging the soldiers, flashed before his eyes, leaving him dizzy.
It was shameful, and he felt guilty. He could not bring himself to face them.
“……”
Suddenly, Pardin felt something strange.
For a moment, it seemed as though his eyes had met Karl’s. Karl, who was clearly drunk out of his mind.
Despite having drunk so much in that frail body, his eyes seemed strikingly clear and sharp.
Yet, as if to deny that impression, Karl soon completely collapsed, overtaken by his drunkenness.
Seeing the unconscious Karl, Catherine who had been standing at one side of the banquet hall quickly approached and carefully lifted him into her arms.
Even for a knight, the sight of Karl who was so thin and frail fitting entirely within Catherine’s embrace was almost unbearable to look at.
“Harmon, please guide us to his room.”
Carrying the deeply unconscious Karl, Catherine left the banquet hall under Harmon’s guidance.
Amid the disorderly atmosphere, the banquet came to an end, and a bright full moon hung in the dark sky.
As Catherine, holding Karl, entered his room and Harmon closed the door, Karl’s eyes snapped open as if it were all a lie.
“How did it go?”
“Ah!”
Startled, Harmon sharply drew in his breath.
Unbothered, Karl pushed Catherine’s hands away, stood firmly on his own feet, swept back his disheveled long hair and tied it tightly, then straightened his clothes.
Catherine looked slightly taken aback but soon spoke in a low voice.
“I ordered Bilford to assess the situation.”
“Good. Just in case, keep the soldiers under control, and return to your room without raising suspicion. Wait there.”
“Yes.”
Without a word, Catherine gave a crisp, disciplined bow and left the room.
“Harmon, help me put on my armor.”
“Ah, yes.”
Though Harmon answered reflexively, he had no idea what Karl was thinking at this late hour.
Nor could he understand how Karl who had been acting so foolishly drunk just moments ago could now be this calm and composed.
“That was close.”
Karl broke into a cold sweat as he felt a faint wave of intoxication.
At first, when he had a few drinks, he hadn’t felt drunk at all, so he assumed his changed body was immune to alcohol and drank more freely. But it seemed he had overdone it. He felt slightly dizzy.
With Harmon’s help, Karl got dressed, feeling a tightness in his body that had grown noticeably in just ten days.
He undid the top two buttons of his shirt. Then he put on a gambeson, donned a smooth plate cuirass, and strapped the longsword that was now familiar to him at his waist.
After draping a cloak over himself and tucking his helmet under his arm, Karl drank some cold water, then stood silently, staring at the door.
Unsure how to interpret the situation, Harmon kept his mouth shut and simply watched Karl from behind.
Karl did not move a single inch, like a statue. Though his body was still gaunt, with his cloak covering him and only his head visible, he seemed like a different person altogether.
His height, which had grown rapidly over the past few days, meant the cloak that once dragged on the floor now only covered his ankles.
“Karl.”
“Come in.”
At the whispered voice, Karl responded at once.
Bilford entered quietly, then paused for a moment upon seeing Karl fully armed, silently watching him in the dark room, before speaking in a low voice.
“Two villages near the western forest of Baron Hilpin’s territory have been wiped out. Troops were dispatched to contain it, but they have yet to even regain control.”
“The castle’s soldiers?”
“It seems most of them were brought along as a decoy.”
“Lady Catherine. Has she finished preparing?”
“Yes.”
At Bilford’s answer, Karl nodded, then turned to Harmon and spoke firmly.
“Harmon, remain in the castle.”
“S-Sir Karl!”
“That’s enough. If Sir Hilpin asks, answer him honestly.”
Leaving the flustered Harmon behind, Karl stepped out of the room.
After Karl exited, Bilford quietly closed the door, then with a hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he moved ahead of him, listening carefully as he led the way.
What in the world is going on!
Contrary to his seemingly composed demeanor, Bilford’s mind was in turmoil.
Karl was acting as recklessly as a blazing fire.
It felt as if he had become a different person, and cold sweat ran down his back. It was like being possessed by a demon.
“Lady Catherine.”
“Sir Karl, preparations are complete.”
Karl, having stepped out of the inner keep, nodded at Catherine who had been waiting and headed toward the quarters where the soldiers had been resting.
Because of Catherine’s sudden arrival late at night, preparations for departure had been completed. As a result, the soldiers, whose dissatisfaction had reached its peak, clenched their teeth at the sight of the fully armed Karl striding toward them.
However, the moment they met Karl’s eyes, wrapped in an indescribably strange aura, their complaints vanished as if startled.
As if the sight of him stumbling onto the carriage with Harmon’s help had been a lie, Karl vaulted onto his large white horse in a single motion without anyone’s assistance.
Catherine and Bilford also mounted their horses, but Karl did not depart immediately and instead quietly looked at an unexpected guest.
“This is the duty I have been assigned.”
Milton spoke calmly from atop his horse.
Milton, the imperial physician, had prepared himself without hesitation upon hearing Catherine’s sudden request.
Karl nodded and put on his helmet adorned with a red plume.
In truth, he had only worn the helmet once before setting out, so it felt unfamiliar and stifling, but he couldn’t very well charge into the battlefield bareheaded.
Karl had no intention whatsoever of doing something as foolish as getting struck in the head by a blind attack and dying.
Slowly drawing a breath, Karl adjusted his visor and spoke in a low, firm voice.
“We depart.”
Then he spurred his horse from the very front and began to ride.
He glanced to his right rear, saw Catherine riding there, and matched his pace, while the soldiers followed behind.
“What is this…!”
“Move aside!”
Hilpin’s soldiers, startled by the commotion, rushed forward, but at Karl’s shout as he rode at the front beneath the moonlight, his red cloak fluttering vividly, they could only falter and step back.
“Open the gate! Do you intend to block a subjugation force bearing His Majesty the Emperor’s command?!”
No one could understand how such a powerful voice could erupt from that lean body. Some even thought the voice wasn’t Karl’s at all.
Frightened by the sharp rebuke, the soldiers opened the gate without realizing it, and Karl passed through without slowing, riding out beyond the castle walls.
The imperial soldiers, whose morale had been at rock bottom even before the departure, felt their minds snap into focus and their bodies heat up despite the chilly late-night air.
“Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Thirty imperial soldiers ran in step with cloaks billowing as they gripped their spears tightly.
The packs and shields on their backs felt as light as if they were nothing but a lie.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Maldin, who had drunk heavily while entertaining Karl, came running out in his nightclothes.
“Damn it! That worthless brat!”
Upon hearing that Karl had led the soldiers west, he grabbed his disheveled hair and shouted.
He thought he had thoroughly deceived Karl, but even that belief had been completely mistaken.
Karl had already left Hilpin Castle with the soldiers, and there was now no way to hold him back.
Leave a Reply