The emperor, observing us exchanging silent glances, spoke in a kind voice.
“Let’s sit down and talk.”
When the emperor offered a seat, I immediately sat down.
As I settled on the sofa in the reception room, I glanced at the crown prince with suspicion.
He met my eyes, raised his eyebrows slightly, and smiled faintly.
“………”
What on earth is this? Who is this person?
It felt like I had just woken from a dream, from the scene I had just witnessed.
If Enoch, sitting next to me and casting the same glance at the crown prince, hadn’t been there, I would have thought that way for sure.
“Anyway, I’m glad you both came. It’s nice to see the two most talked-about knights in Lutinas together in one place.”
“……….”
At the emperor’s words, both Enoch and I kept our mouths shut, unsure of how to respond.
It didn’t seem like he was pleased—more like he was entertained.
The empire was currently abuzz with the brawl Enoch and I had at the Marquess of Balmore’s estate.
Everyone who had witnessed it was busy sharing their accounts of the scene wherever they could, and these stories had made it into society magazines, spreading throughout the empire.
Rumors tend to get exaggerated, as always.
Now, I was hearing absurd and exaggerated stories, like my punch had brought down part of the Marquess’ mansion, or that Enoch’s kick had caused a storm so strong that people were flying through the air.
“So, did Emblem lend a hand in the repairs at the Marquess of Balmore’s mansion? Did the Gray family handle the compensation for the people who were supposedly ‘blown away’?”
It seemed the ridiculous rumors had reached not only my ears but the emperor’s as well.
“The Marquess’ mansion is perfectly fine, Your Majesty. How could a mere human being destroy a mansion with their bare hands?”
“None of the spectators were injured or ‘blown away.'”
Enoch and I ground our teeth and replied quietly.
Of all things, having to explain this to the emperor, who seemed to believe it!
I vowed never to fight Enoch in public again.
The emperor’s face grew more amused as he listened to our excuses.
“Hmm, so, who won?”
The emperor asked this without hiding how thoroughly amused he was now.
“Well, it was me.”
“It was me.”
Enoch and I answered simultaneously. Sparks flew between us once again as we glared at each other.
Watching us, the emperor muttered quietly,
“Ah, this is too much fun.”
At that moment, I realized I had forgotten my vow not to fight Enoch again.
I couldn’t let this turn into more entertainment for the whole empire.
If Enoch and I were to fight here in the Imperial Palace, it would no longer be something for the society papers, but an incident worthy of the history books.
“Your Majesty, aren’t you scheduled to meet with Baron Cortis soon? Time is running short, so perhaps we should set aside the fun for now and get to the main point.”
The crown prince intervened, stopping the emperor, who was grinning at us, on our behalf.
It was a considerate gesture to spare us from being the emperor’s entertainment in front of the nation.
“Ah, that’s right. My apologies, Dame Emblem. And you too, Sir Gray.”
The emperor finally remembered the real reason he had summoned us.
If the crown prince hadn’t reminded the emperor, he probably would have continued to tease us for a long time.
“………..”
Oh, Mom. How did you manage to serve as the emperor’s guard?
At this moment, my respect for my mom, who was likely working diligently in the imperial conference room as Duke Emblem’s representative, grew even more.
As a gesture of gratitude, I glanced at the crown prince, and he smiled softly as if to say it was nothing.
‘He really is as kind as the rumors say.’
If I had only seen this side of him from the beginning, I would have thought, ‘Ah, our crown prince will truly be a wise ruler.’
However, seeing him like this after his earlier breakdown left me utterly confused.
“The reason I summoned you today is because I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Startled by the emperor’s words, I quickly shifted my gaze away from the crown prince.
“As a father, not an emperor, I want to ask you both to take care of my son, the crown prince.”
“……..…!”
It wasn’t an order but a request. Words like these were not something one would expect to hear from the emperor of the empire.
Enoch and I instantly stiffened, sensing that what the emperor was about to ask would be no ordinary matter.
“You’ve heard about the hundreds of monsters that have appeared in the Lowes Mountains, haven’t you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“We have heard, Your Majesty.”
Enoch and I answered simultaneously, nodding our heads.
The incident, which had taken place in the Lowes Mountains—a region once considered safe due to the near absence of monsters—was reported in all the newspapers across the empire this morning.
I had just overheard my dad expressing his concern in a worried voice, saying that the route, which was a critical path for the empire’s economy due to the many trading companies passing through, would suffer severe damage for some time.
“Even with a large-scale extermination effort, people will still avoid the area because of the disaster. It will take a long time for its reputation to recover.”
“Exactly. Without passing through the Lowes Mountains, transportation time for the trading companies will double, and several territories will surely suffer damages. Borderland territories are already sending requests for assistance to the imperial palace.”
At the emperor’s words, the crown prince nodded in agreement.
The empire’s economy was facing a crisis.
The emperor and the crown prince had to make a decision to resolve this situation.
“I would like the Emblem and Gray knight orders to assist in the extermination effort. Their skills are without question, but if the two most beloved knight orders of the empire were to take action, the chaos would be quelled much more quickly.”
“……..…!”
I inwardly marveled at the emperor’s astute judgment. If it were just about hundreds of monsters, either the Emblem or the Gray order could handle it alone.
However, the emperor had created an opportunity for both orders to shine before the Lowes Mountains gained a reputation as the ‘Mountains of Terror.’
People enjoy the rivalry between the Emblem and Gray knight orders. Instead of being fearful, they will be more curious to see which order will perform better.
“And after this extermination is over, the crown prince will personally oversee the transportation of the affected merchant companies.”
At the emperor’s words, both Enoch and I fell into a contemplative silence.
The fact that the crown prince himself would be involved was not good news.
Though it seemed the decision had already been made, the risk was too great.
“It’s too dangerous for His Highness the Crown Prince to personally oversee this, Your Majesty,”
Enoch eventually raised his voice cautiously in objection.
I nodded quietly beside him.
Although I didn’t speak up easily in this setting, there was another reason why the crown prince’s involvement was particularly dangerous.
‘Even within the protection of the palace, there have been multiple assassination attempts on his life every year. What could happen outside…’
Assassination attempts were a persistent threat to the crown prince.
When he was younger, his food was poisoned, and assassins broke into his quarters at night.
Now, the attempts were becoming more cunning, even extending to those around him.
His nursemaid, who had cared for him since he was a child, had died. His bodyguards were found poisoned in their homes. Even the young noble friends who had been playmates of the crown prince were becoming crippled one by one.
All these actions were attempts to completely isolate the crown prince.
The emperor had done his best to contain this information within the palace, but there were limits to how much could be concealed.
“If he successfully completes this mission, perhaps the crown prince’s long streak of bad luck will subside. I plan to make the crown prince the hero of this operation.”
“……….”
“……….”
The emperor was taking a gamble. The crown prince, stepping outside the palace’s protection, would either emerge as the empire’s ruler or be swallowed by his relentless misfortune, never to recover.
They say the lion throws its cub off a cliff to test its strength.
The crown prince, standing on the edge of that cliff, was still smiling serenely.
