Enemies Meet at the Engagement Ceremony

 

 

 

 

When one ascends to the position of Emperor, is it inevitable to become such a cold-hearted father?

 

I couldn’t help but click my tongue. However, the Crown Prince appeared completely unfazed, with a face that suggested this was only natural.

 

It seemed as though this was the fate of those born into the imperial family.

 

Despite knowing that Enoch and I were perplexed, the Emperor continued speaking, pretending not to notice.

 

“Even after the extermination ends, the Lowes Mountains will continue to suffer from the monsters for some time.”

 

No one knew exactly where these monsters were born or how they appeared.

 

The common belief was that the demons sent these creatures to this world to create chaos, though no one truly knew for sure.

 

Monsters do not reproduce among themselves, leaving this as an eternal mystery for humanity.

 

All we could do was rely on the historical records about them passed down through the ages.

 

‘Monsters have an energy that attracts others. Once the scent of monsters lingers in a place, other monsters will often find their way there.’

 

If there were so many monsters that an extermination was needed, one could not rest easy until the scent had completely disappeared.

 

Just as the Emperor said, even after the extermination, the Lowes Mountains would not return to its previous state of stability for a while.

 

“So, even after this extermination is over, I hope you both will stay by the Crown Prince’s side and help ensure that the transportation routes through the Lowes Mountains can return to normal operation.”

 

“…….…!”

 

“…….…!”

 

What the Emperor was asking was for us to serve as the Crown Prince’s bodyguards.

 

Enoch and I couldn’t help but gape in shock.

 

Though it seemed inevitable that the two of us would one day compete for the position of the Crown Prince’s bodyguard, now was not the time.

 

Entrusting the safety of the Crown Prince to Enoch and me, who had only recently been knighted, felt like too great a responsibility.

 

“But doesn’t His Highness the Crown Prince already have his own bodyguard knights?”

 

“Indeed. We lack the experience necessary to be responsible for His Highness’s personal safety.”

 

Enoch and I politely, but desperately, declined.

 

As knights, we could not refuse a command from the Emperor, but since this was merely a request, there was room to maneuver.

 

The Crown Prince already had a personal bodyguard squad that the Emperor had formed for him. This squad was composed of highly skilled veteran knights who had achieved remarkable feats.

 

According to my mom, all of them were from the Emblem Knights.

 

Having just become a member of the Emblem Knights myself, they were my senior colleagues.

 

‘What would happen if Enoch and I were to take over the Crown Prince’s protection, bypassing all our senior knights?’

 

I screamed internally. The mere thought of being swept up in controversy again made my head hurt.

 

This would be of a completely different magnitude than the commotion caused when Enoch and I had that physical fight.

 

If the attention on us up until now had been like a waterfall, this time it would be like a tsunami crashing over us.

 

“There’s no need to worry about that,”

 

The Emperor said with a smirk, as if he had everything figured out.

 

“I’ve heard that both the Emblem and the Gray Knights have skilled newly appointed knights, enough to talk about a generational shift.”

 

“…Thank you for the compliment.”

 

I hastily expressed my gratitude, though I couldn’t completely hide my doubt.

 

Indeed, just as the Emperor had said, the talents of the newly appointed knights, including Enoch and me, were gaining attention in both the Emblem and Gray Knight Orders.

 

It was said that in the history of both the Emblem and Gray Knights, the generations where successors were in direct competition were always more skilled than the knights who joined during peaceful times.

 

Perhaps it was due to the fierce rivalry between the two successors.

 

This was also a prominent feature in my and Enoch’s generation.

 

Those who trained as apprentice knights alongside me, such as Lucas, Jack, and Osric Balmore, and those who trained with Enoch in the Gray Knights, all displayed this pattern.

 

There was a growing expectation that if Enoch and I were to become leaders of our respective knight orders, we would become the core of those groups.

 

“Before the Crown Prince begins his active role in politics, the most important thing is to cultivate exceptional talent and keep them close. In rulership studies, the first thing a ruler must do is make people their own.”

 

The Emperor’s build-up was long. What was he trying to ask for by laying out all this groundwork?

 

I felt nervous, and my palms began to sweat. I wanted to wipe them on my pants, but I held back since I couldn’t act so uncouth in front of the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

 

“Your goal is to become the sword of the Emperor one day, leading the Crown Prince’s bodyguard squad, isn’t it?”

 

“…That’s correct,”

 

Enoch responded, though with a slightly uncomfortable tone. His reply came a little slower than usual.

 

“So consider this an opportunity to get a head start. There will be no better chance for you to learn how to command a knight squad.”

 

Wait a minute. The Emperor’s words had shifted slightly.

 

He had gone from talking about guarding the Crown Prince to commanding the Crown Prince’s bodyguard knights.

 

As I tried to process what exactly was going on, Enoch, who had already figured it out, spoke first.

 

“You intend to frame this as nurturing future leaders who will guide the Crown Prince and the Empire?”

 

“Oh, as expected, Sir Gray. Just as the Duke of Gray had said,”

 

The Emperor said in admiration, nodding.

 

“When the extermination is over, the senior knights will return to the capital. Everyone except for you and your peers.”

 

“………..”

 

“………..”

 

Enoch and I didn’t respond. If I could have cursed with my eyes, I would have done so right then. I didn’t care if it looked a little disrespectful.

 

“This is the first mission you two will undertake since becoming knights, so my expectations are high.”

 

Of course they are. Who would assign such a serious task for a first mission?

 

My fists and mouth itched. I wanted to pound my chest in frustration, but I couldn’t. I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t even do that.

 

This miserable world where we had to follow such unilateral orders.

 

At that moment, the chamberlain entered with a polite knock, announcing the Emperor’s next appointment.

 

“Your Majesty, it is time to go. Baron Cortis has arrived.”

 

“Oh, has the time passed so quickly? I must be off now, but from here on, the Crown Prince will explain the rest to Dame Emblem and Sir Gray.”

 

The Emperor, having tossed us this bomb, waved casually with a calm expression.

 

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

 

He left the reception room in an instant, not even giving us time to respond.

 

“………”

 

“………”

 

Enoch and I, left in such a void, quietly exchanged glances.

 

‘Hey, what do we do now?’

 

‘I have no idea.’

 

‘Do you even know anything?’

 

‘What about you, then?’

 

Once again, we communicated through eye contact.

 

Just earlier, when we had heard about the situation in the Lowes Mountains, we had mentally prepared ourselves to join the extermination.

 

But we never, not even once, imagined that we would be entrusted with a task like this.

 

As we stood there frozen under the weight of responsibility, the Crown Prince, who had been silently watching us, forced a smile and spoke up.

 

“I’m really sorry for making such an unreasonable request. Dame Emblem, Sir Gray, I also asked His Majesty not to involve you in this matter, but as you just saw, he’s rather… stubborn.”

 

Describing the Emperor as merely ‘stubborn’ was an understatement. However, Enoch and I were not in a position to say anything further.

 

“No, Your Highness. We are grateful, um, very grateful to His Majesty for granting us this rare opportunity.”

 

I could feel the corners of my mouth trembling as I forced myself to smile. Still, I summoned all the social grace I had cultivated throughout my life to keep it as subtle as possible.

 

Judging by the look of relief on the Crown Prince’s face, I had apparently managed to say the right thing.

 

“Thank you for saying that. You must be tired, so please go ahead and rest now. I, too, need to get some rest.”

 

The Crown Prince said this as he rose from the sofa and slowly lay down on the floor.

 

“Wait, Your Highness, why are you lying on the floor again…?!”

 

Startled, I jumped up to help the Crown Prince to his feet, but he refused to budge.

 

The color drained from the Crown Prince’s face at an alarming speed, as though his earlier vitality had never existed.

 

“Haha, this is more comfortable for me. Trash like me should roll around on the floor….”

 

“Your Highness!”

 

What is wrong with all the members of this royal family? Not a single one of them seems normal.

 

I was beginning to seriously worry about the future of the Lutinas Empire.