The Crown Prince, sensing the unease, hurriedly stepped forward and spoke.
“Everyone, calm down. It seems Emblem was misunderstood while trying to handle this situation…”
However, the Crown Prince’s attempt to mediate was rendered futile as Cherrya was already quarreling with the Gray Knights, pointing fingers at one another.
“What do you expect me to do? We can’t even have a proper conversation with you people!”
“It’s a misunderstanding…”
“Hey, if you lose a fight, accept the results! If I were in your shoes, I’d be too embarrassed to even lift my head, you fools!!”
“………”
Cherrya and the Gray Knights had already begun a loud and chaotic argument. The Crown Prince’s small and trembling voice was quickly drowned out amidst their clamor.
Even a marketplace would likely be quieter than this.
It was common knowledge that Emblem and Gray didn’t get along well, yet the two knight orders usually managed to gather in the same place during imperial banquets.
Although occasional confrontations had happened, the Crown Prince had never seen them openly baring their teeth at each other like this.
“Commander of Emblem, could you step in and stop them…”
Clinging to hope, the Crown Prince turned to Melsia, who was present at the scene. Yet, she appeared to have no intention of intervening in the ongoing brawl.
Standing with her arms crossed, she nodded as she watched the scene unfold.
“Wow, back in my day, punches and kicks would already be flying. Their relationship has really improved.”
Melsia, seemingly proud and even amazed, showed no signs of stopping the fight, leaving the Crown Prince pale with dismay.
“Does Emblem even understand the importance of this extermination mission…!”
“And do you think we’re playing games here? If you’d just held the front lines properly without getting injured, we wouldn’t have had to deal with this mess!”
Meanwhile, the fight between the Gray Knights and Cherrya grew louder. The Empress seemed enthralled as she listened, while Melsia observed the scene with great interest.
Second Prince Arthur appeared unsure of what to do, glancing repeatedly at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, on the other hand, finally realized he could no longer insert himself into this chaotic situation.
“Are you done talking?”
“Do you think I’m done? Not even close! Hey, set up some seats here. Even if we have to stay up all night, I’ll straighten out your nonsense right here and now.”
“No matter how different our knight orders are, I’m still your senior in terms of experience!”
“You need to have something worth learning for me to respect you as a senior!”
Cherrya marched over to where the injured Gray Knights were resting and sat down firmly.
“Hey, you Gray rookie, come here too.”
“…Geez.”
What was about to unfold was no longer a one-on-one confrontation—it was shaping into a group showdown.
“First of all, raise your hand if you got injured and withdrew before Emblem started causing chaos.”
“I.”
“Me too.”
“Me!”
Most of the seasoned Gray Knights raised their hands. Cherrya frowned as she counted them, then asked curiously,
“Wait, if you’re the seniors in terms of experience, then why…?”
“………”
Those who had raised their hands silently lowered their heads and stepped back.
Now, only those who claimed to have been wronged by Emblem remained before Cherrya.
“Well then, tell me how brutally Emblem mistreated you. I will be a witness to this conversation and help determine who the real culprit is that caused massive damage to this extermination mission.”
The Empress, now smiling as brightly as a blooming flower, positioned herself at the center of the clash between Cherrya and the Gray Knights.
It was evident whose side she thought was in the wrong, yet she skillfully masked her bias with a benevolent expression and tone.
“Alright then, raise your hand if you suffered a critical injury because of Emblem!”
With the Empress’s approval, Cherrya enthusiastically sought out the victims. Everyone except the senior Gray Knights, who had already stepped back, shot their hands into the air.
Most of them were trainee knights or those who had only recently been officially knighted.
“You there.”
Cherrya pointed at the nearest trainee knight among those who had raised their hands.
“Where were you hurt?”
“…Look at this! You can clearly see my arm won’t even lift, can’t you? It’s all because of you—no, because of Emblem!”
The arm of the Gray trainee knight was as he described—tattered, with a long gash rendering it immobile. Healing would likely require either the blessing of a bishop or complete rest for about a month.
The severe wound was nothing short of brutal, and everyone’s gaze of condemnation turned toward Sercia.
Even the Crown Prince instinctively directed a questioning look at Cherrya, only to lower his eyes when he noticed the Empress grinning ear to ear.
“So, are you saying I caused that wound with this sword of mine?”
Cherrya unsheathed her sword from her waist. The blade gleamed as it reflected the light.
“I’ll admit my swordsmanship can be a bit rough, but to inflict a wound like that… How twisted and reckless would I have to be with my strikes?”
“………..!”
Everyone present was an experienced knight. From just a glance at a wound, knights could usually deduce what type of weapon had caused it and how.
It became clear that the trainee knight’s injury was far too torn and mangled to have been caused by a sword slash.
The fact that Emblem was the supposed culprit standing before them had clouded their judgment, making them overlook a closer inspection of the injury.
“Raise your hand if you were injured by Emblem’s sword.”
“……….”
“……….”
“……….”
No one raised their hand. While there were indeed injuries caused by Emblem, none of them came from their swords.
No one—not even the Gray Knights themselves—could explain how this had happened. The knights exchanged puzzled glances among themselves.
‘Weren’t you hurt because of Emblem?’
‘I thought you were?’
Everyone had arrived at this place after encountering friction with Emblem, leading to injuries here and there. Naturally, the narrative had formed that Emblem was the cause.
Granted, Emblem had undoubtedly triggered the events, but still…
“……….”
As the atmosphere shifted in an unexpected direction, the Empress’s smiling lips began to curve downward.
“Haha, look at these fools,”
Cherrya chuckled, her voice simmering with restrained laughter. She lowered her head, gripping her sword menacingly, as if she wanted to strike the Gray Knights down on the spot.
“We fought, sure, but blaming others has its limits.”
“……….”
“They always pin everything on Emblem. Like they’re getting beaten because of us, when it’s just their lack of skill.”
Cherrya’s mockery turned the Gray Knights’ faces bright red. However, due to the awkward situation that had just unfolded, no one dared to retort.
At least the Gray Knights had enough dignity to maintain their composure.
“This is incomprehensible.”
“……….”
“Didn’t you claim that the injuries sustained were all because of the Emblem Knights?”
The Empress, now visibly frustrated, asked. The Gray Knights, who had been accusing Emblem earlier, collectively clammed up, leaving her bewildered by their sudden silence.
But there was no one left who could respond to the Empress’s question.
The knights were starting to realize one by one where things had gone wrong.
“It’s obvious.”
Among those present, only two people could answer the Empress—Cherrya and Melsia. With a sigh, Melsia glanced around the room and said,
“This is the result of the long-standing conflict between Emblem and Gray.”
