Chapter 105 : This Was Why the Sharp-Witted Princess Was Different
Chapter 105: This Was Why the Sharp-Witted Princess Was Different
In battle, everything depended on the commander.
Whether it was a small elite force or a vast army, there was always a figure who represented the unit, and the outcome between those figures had a tremendous impact on the outcome of the battle.
Because a single overwhelmingly powerful individual could overturn the entire battlefield.
And at present, the very center of the Empire was unmistakably the Red Dragon Knight Order.
Its leader.
The sword that had pierced through his chest seemed to symbolize the defeat of the imperial army.
“Y-You bastard...!”
“Long live the Southern Alliance! Long live His Highness Pablo Barkat! This is exactly His Highness’s foresight. He knew in advance how the likes of you would move and had me standing by.”
“Shut up!”
Thud—
The Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander smashed his elbow into the knight’s head and yanked the sword free. Gurgle, gurgle—blood poured out of his mouth.
“Commander!”
“You son of a bitch!”
The commander staggered.
It was a sudden situation, a sudden act of incitement, but Pablo was not the kind of man to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Well done!”
The greatsword spun widely like a windmill. Knights threw themselves forward.
Crunch—
A massive lump of steel crushed through armor. The knight screamed as he was sent flying. But his life did not fade away meaninglessly.
“Protect the commander!”
“The commander has been ambushed!”
“You cowardly bastards!”
After the initial charge, the Red Dragon Knight Order members who had been scattering in all directions and ravaging the allied forces regrouped.
“His Highness struck down the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander!”
“The cowards are attacking together!”
“Follow His Highness!”
The survivors of the alliance, who had been collapsing after losing their morale, began to burn the remaining embers at the knight’s incitement and the unexpected good news.
But the battle no longer burned as fiercely as before.
With the commander wounded, the Red Dragon Knight Order began to retreat. The battlefield, which had been tilting overwhelmingly to one side, started to tilt the other way.
“Out of the way!”
Pablo Barkat struggled desperately to finish off the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander somehow, but the resistance was formidable.
In the end, he could not kill him.
Still, he seized victory in the battle.
He raised his bloodstained sword high.
Waaaaah—
The allied knights roared.
Less than half remained.
“Where is that knight?”
“Yes? Which knight are you referring to?”
“The allied knight who drove a sword into the Red Dragon Knight Order commander’s back! He was from the Torcan Kingdom!”
The survivors and the soldiers who arrived late as reinforcements began their search.
And then.
“...Cough.”
A knight of Torcan origin was discovered, naked and buried in the ground. Fortunately, he was not dead, but he was not the one who had provided the decisive spark that turned the tide of battle.
The alliance realized that someone had intervened.
“...Who in the world?”
Who?
* * *
“Did I hear wrong?”
The man laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh.
“They say the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander suffered severe injuries, and because of that, they were forced to retreat just as they were gaining the upper hand. Although they failed to reclaim the vein, the Southern Alliance reportedly suffered greater losses.”
“Damage isn’t what matters.”
No matter how much damage was done, no matter how much damage was inflicted.
“You don’t know that what ultimately matters is whether the vein was recaptured or not, do you?”
People only saw what they wanted to see. They only heard what they wanted to hear.
The Empire had many enemies, and there were even more who wanted to tear it down.
To those who would be bristling with sensitivity over every single move the Empire made, the details were unimportant.
What mattered was the result—that the Empire had been defeated and had failed to reclaim the vein.
“And how many know this fact?”
“Not many. However....”
“The real issue is how those Southern Alliance bastards will act.”
“Even if they wag their tongues and spread exaggerated rumors, nothing will change. The Empire is steadfast.”
“The prestige will change. The Empire’s honor will be tarnished, and further, my honor as well. Have you forgotten that I was the one who led this matter?”
The five knight orders granted the dragon’s name were the pride of the Empire.
They had to win, always.
Because defeat meant the collapse of the Empire’s pride.
And that pride had been broken.
By the ants of the Southern Alliance, they had looked down on and scorned so thoroughly.
Those on poor terms with the Empire would rush in like hyenas, tearing at it. At most, it would amount to little more than a small blemish, but the people of the Empire—who regarded their nation as great—were a problem as well.
“If it comes to this, then it’s an all-out war.”
Those who did not tolerate defeat had been defeated.
There were two ways to recover from this. One was to conceal the very fact itself and make it as though it never existed. The other was to achieve a great victory that would erase everything.
The man placed more weight on the latter.
There was no way the Southern Alliance—his sworn rival—would bury the great victory they had won against the Empire.
All the more so when a mana stone vein was at stake.
“Pablo Barkat. So a Star truly is a Star. To think he would stop the Red Dragon Knight Order.”
The man ground his teeth.
There would not be a second failure.
* * *
“...We must give up.”
Pablo Barkat.
As violent and willful as Berje Deias—so much so that he was often likened to a male version of Louise Berfht—he nonetheless possessed the eyes to see the world.
He had a broad perspective and knew how to read the flow of the situation.
If that had not been the case, then no matter that he was the Crown Prince of the Barkat Kingdom, no matter that he was a Star, he could not have represented the Southern Alliance itself.
“What do you mean by that?”
“We brought down the Red Dragon Knight Order. We touched their reverse scale.”
There were lines that must not be crossed. Even if the Southern Alliance and the Empire were enemies, if they were not prepared to see things through to mutual destruction, then those lines had to be observed.
The five imperial knight orders bearing the dragon’s seal were that absolute line.
“The dragon knight orders must never be defeated. If they were defeated, then that defeat itself must be erased.”
Knight orders that must never lose.
Their defeat was the Empire’s, the dragon’s reverse scale.
“This will be different from before. They may come rushing in, filled with murderous intent, to erase the Southern Alliance entirely.”
“That is too much of a leap.”
“Then are you saying they should not have been defeated in the first place?”
“Was it not Your Highness who defeated them in the first place?”
“That is correct. And that is precisely why I am telling you that only two choices remain for us going forward. Either we go out in a submissive posture and beg for peace, or we fight head-on against the imperial wave that seeks a victory great enough to cover up the dragon’s defeat.”
“....”
“....”
The nobles of the alliance swallowed their breaths.
They had banded together and faced the Empire for many long years. There was not a single one among them who did not understand what Pablo’s words meant.
“We must propose reconciliation to the Empire and make the battle itself something that never happened. The Red Dragon Knight Order was never here.”
“Is it really necessary to go that far?”
“Since they resolved themselves to war anyway, wouldn’t they have already taken the dragon knight orders into consideration?”
“A mana stone vein is at stake! Until just recently, you said it was something we had to obtain no matter the cost, and now that we’ve won, you’re frightened?”
The nobles pushed back.
It was only natural. The imperial wave was worrying, but the Southern Alliance was by no means weak. Moreover, if they were to widely publicize that they had defeated the Red Dragon Knight Order, morale would soar.
At that moment, one noble asked,
“I, too, know well how terrifying the Empire is. However, I don’t believe there is a need to lower ourselves and damage our own honor and prestige after a victory. Even so, if Your Highness holds such a view, then there must be a reason equal to it, correct?”
“Yes. If this were an ordinary war, I would not have insisted this far either. I would have solidified our victory and somehow blocked the Empire. That is why I tried, by any means necessary, to kill the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander.”
“Then what is it?”
“A third party has intervened in this war.”
“...!”
“...!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You will remember that when I first found the vein alone, I was attacked.”
“Yes.”
“At the time, I thought it was nothing more than an excuse. But thinking about it now, Austin Croin of the Blue Griffin Knight Order seemed to genuinely not know anything.”
“Are you saying someone ambushed Your Highness and provoked the war?”
“Could it not have simply been an act?”
“And even so, it is a mana stone mine. Having come this far, would giving up not be even stranger?”
“If that were all, then yes.”
But another incident had occurred.
“When I was speaking with Austin Croin, an imperial knight suddenly took impulsive action and ambushed me. That was the spark that ignited the battle. By common sense, when the commanders of opposing forces are in conversation, there are no knights who would act so rashly. Nor do I believe the Empire’s knights to be so lacking in discipline.”
“It could have been the Empire making a move.”
“Then what about this? While the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander and I were engaged in battle, a knight from Torcan ambushed him from behind. Thanks to that, the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander suffered a severe injury, and we barely escaped defeat.”
“Our knight, you say?”
At the mention of having achieved great merit, a smile spread across the lips of the noble who had come forward as Torcan’s representative.
“Isn’t that good news?”
“But once the battle ended, there was no trace of that individual anywhere. And when we searched the camp thoroughly, we discovered the real Torcan knight, naked and buried underground.”
“...Good heavens.”
“Is that really true? Your Highness, no matter who you are, you must not speak falsehoods over such a matter!”
“All members of the alliance present there are witnesses, so you may conduct a confrontation if you wish.”
Pablo slammed the table.
“We are dancing on a stage someone else has set. This Southern Alliance is being used by some kind of vermin.”
And that individual—
“Is hoping for an even greater war.”
We should not be fighting among ourselves. We must catch that bastard.
“Because that individual—”
Pablo added one final thing.
“Cried out to a god.”
“...Good heavens, surely not?”
“Are those cockroach-like things still around?”
The nobles’ faces drained of color.
* * *
The Red Dragon Knight Order.
One of the five knight orders bearing the dragon’s seal.
They were all too familiar to Berje Deias.
After the Crown Prince of the Zespine Empire had been abducted, they had been the ones who broke through the Tower at the forefront of the imperial army.
There were no heroes among them, yet they were stronger than most heroes. A knight order united as one was something even Star-ranked heroes could not dare to face head-on.
Truly, they were the strongest military force on the continent.
‘It was a shame.’
Was it because he was indeed the Red Dragon Knight Order’s commander, or because Berje’s mana was still lacking?
Originally, he had intended to stab the heart. But the instant he thrust the sword, the bastard sensed Berje’s presence.
It was too late to evade completely, but he twisted his body at the last moment and avoided the heart. That saved his life.
Still, in the end, the Southern Alliance had won, and that alone was sufficient.
“Either way, now the Empire won’t be able to withdraw like this for the sake of its honor and prestige.”
Just as it had gone into convulsions and used every possible means when the Crown Prince was abducted.
That was what the dragon knight orders meant to the Empire.
“But there’s another possible case, isn’t there?”
“For example?”
“For example, both sides reaching a dramatic agreement?”
“That won’t happen.”
Berje let out a snort.
“Jumping to conclusions isn’t good.”
“This isn’t jumping to conclusions. It’s called reasoning based on clear evidence.”
“But the Empire is arrogant. If it realizes someone is trying to use it, it won’t simply go along with it. The Southern Alliance is no different.”
“Of course, that could happen. But when tempting gains and vengeance that must be repaid loom before one’s eyes, humans end up doing it no matter what.”
“But what if there’s another way?”
“Another way?”
“Before rumors break out on the Southern Alliance’s side, they compromise with the Empire and cover it up as something that never happened. They accept a certain amount of loss.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Because the Demon King interfered too much.”
“No one knows that it was me.”
He had not used demonic energy at all, and he had always worn a mask or disguised himself as a knight with a helmet.
“Whether it was the Demon King isn’t important. What matters is that there was a third party.”
“So you think it won’t escalate?”
“Perhaps?”
“You’re wrong.”
Berje shook his head firmly. At least this time, he was seeing things more accurately than she was.
“The Empire is more greedy than you think. It obsesses over honor. The Red Dragon Knight Order is their reverse scale. They will never give up easily.”
“You seem to know the Empire well?”
“At least when it comes to the Empire, I know it better than you.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“That’s an insolent expression.”
“I have no expression.”
“That’s not no expression.”
Berje glared. Ernan averted her gaze.
This was what happened when he indulged her.
“Fine. Let’s make a bet. If I’m right, you hand over at least five vaults belonging to the Hilderan nobles.”
“And if I’m right?”
“What do you want?”
“Nothing in particular, but....”
The corners of her eyes curved into a gentle arc.
“Is it okay if I leave it for later and tell you what I want then?”
“As much as you like. If you’re right, that is.”
Berje growled.
There was no way that would happen anyway.
* * *
Ahem.
Ernan shrugged.
She muttered as if whispering.
“Where did the person go who said he knew the Empire better than I did?”
“....”
“Yes?”
The elf who had rushed over to report after hearing the widely spread rumors tilted his head.
“You said the Red Dragon Knight Order was a reverse scale and that it would definitely escalate. You knew the Empire so well you sounded like an imperial yourself.”
“...Shut up.”
“It’s fine if I tell you what I want next time, right?”
“....”
“A great Demon King wouldn’t go back on his word, would he?”
“I swear on The Demon King’s Standard and the First Demon Emperor that I would never do something like that.”
“You don’t believe in those anyway.”
This was why the sharp-witted princess...
“...I’ll stake my honor.”
“Then I’ll believe that.”
The battle did not become a war.
Fuck it.