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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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After hearing Gestain’s response, I walked with the Tower Master toward the reception room. Two royal knights tried to follow, but I raised my hand to stop them.
Perhaps because the Blue Tower Master, who had reached the level of a high-ranking mage, was beside me, the royal knights did not insist on close protection.
We arrived at the reception room. Lysfield was the first to draw up his mana to prevent any sounds of conversation from leaking out.
In moments like this, I thought magic was truly convenient.
“Are you planning to organize all of them into the elite guards?”
His voice was quite serious. Instead of answering, I nodded in affirmation, and the Tower Master’s face hardened.
“I don’t mind if only Sir Gestain is accepted, but if you organize all the survivors of the Frost Shield Knights into the elite guards, the Mountain Duke won’t sit idly by.”
The Mountain Duke was the nickname of the northern grand lord who had used and discarded the high-ranking knight, Gestain, and the Frost Shield Knights.
Lysfield’s point was valid, but knowing what was to come, Raymond remained relaxed.
“The Mountain Duke won’t be able to pay attention to this matter.”
“Do you have a reason for your confidence?”
I gazed steadily at Lysfield, who calmly posed the question.
Seeing his expression stiffen, I felt it necessary to explain a little.
“There will soon be chaos in the north. The Mountain Duke will direct all his attention toward the northern border.”
According to the setting book of the novel ‘Empire of the Dead’, a provocation at the border of the Haifel Empire would soon occur, and the north would be in turmoil for a while.
‘The Mountain Duke won’t have the luxury to worry about anything else.’
Although he was a grand lord of the Philios Empire, the distant Haifel Empire was an enormous threat.
“I see.”
The Tower Master did not bother to ask the source of my information. Even if he did, I had no intention of answering honestly.
And several days passed. During that time, many things changed.
The survivors of the Frost Shield Knights, after verification, were organized into the elite guards.
Some of the royal knights returned to the palace, and the elite guards filled their places.
The list of royal knights sent back to the palace was compiled by Alex, focusing on those who appeared to be close to the Third Prince based on Gestain’s and the elite knights’ testimonies.
For Raymond, it was a welcome change that the Third Prince’s subordinates had retreated.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, there is a banquet today.”
Alex reported as he rushed in after finishing his mana cultivation early in the morning.
It was already the day of the victory celebration banquet; time really flies, I thought with a chuckle as I finished changing in my bedroom.
“The carriage is ready.”
“What about the Tower Master?”
I asked Alex. When it was just the two of us, I used the title of Tower Master instead of calling him old man.
“He has been formally invited to the banquet, so he will be arriving by a different route.”
There was a separate entrance for those who were formally invited to the banquet, not just attendants.
“In that case, I will leave the escort to the elite guards.”
“They will ensure your safety, Your Highness.”
Gestain, who had approached, raised his voice. Behind him were ten lightly armed knights. Ten would remain at the Fifth Prince’s palace while the other half followed.
“That’s reassuring.”
“Please don’t forget about me.”
With a clear voice, a blonde beauty in a blue robe appeared from behind the carriage.
She lightly lifted the hem of her robe and performed a graceful bow.
“I am Desia Helly, a high-ranking mage of the Tower. I will be joining the Fifth Prince’s elite guard.”
‘A high-ranking mage, a high-ranking knight, and ten elite knights who protected the northern border from the Haifel Empire… This is more than enough for the rogue prince’s escort.’
But it didn’t matter. From today onward, the stigma of being a rogue would disappear.
Although the empire was in decline, it was a grand celebration banquet for the victory in the great war.
After the palace attack, the purpose of the banquet was largely to show that the empire was still standing strong, so it began with great splendor.
Additionally, to prevent any unpleasant incidents like the palace attack from happening again, a large number of guards were stationed around the banquet hall.
The nobles who entered before the Emperor and the royal family gathered in their factions or mingled with those of similar ages, chatting away.
The topics of conversation among the nobles varied, but the Fifth Prince was the most frequently mentioned.
“I hear the Fifth Prince has changed a lot lately.”
“Yes, it seems he has reduced his drinking and is focusing on mana training.”
“That’s a relief. It’s a good sign for the royal family.”
The conversation was more dignified than I expected. Still, with royal knights stationed throughout the banquet hall, it seemed they were at least maintaining a minimum level of decorum.
If it had been a gathering of nobles alone, the word ‘rogue’ would have easily slipped out.
While they didn’t openly insult him, whenever the Fifth Prince was mentioned, the nobles busily tried to undermine him bit by bit.
“The Third Prince is entering!”
As the entrance became lively, the Third Prince entered with about ten of his elite guards.
True to being a prince supported by the Red Tower and the Yellow Tower, more than half of his elite guards were mages. The others appeared to be knights affiliated with the Mage Tower.
“Those are mages from the Red and Yellow Towers.”
“Just like the Third Prince.”
“It seems the Blue Tower hasn’t joined yet.”
“After all, there are no royal family members to support them, right? It wouldn’t do them any good to drag this out.”
The nobles whispered among themselves, but those openly expressing such sentiments were merely low-ranking nobles far removed from the power dynamics. The true high-ranking nobles remained silent.
The Third Prince’s procession came to an end. He moved toward the area where his supporting nobles were gathered.
Following closely behind was the First Prince. Supported by the military, his elite guards were composed entirely of formidable knights.
Next came the Second Prince, who entered with his elite guards, all of whom exuded a dark aura.
“I don’t see the Fourth Princess.”
“I hear she hasn’t been well. She’s said to be recuperating.”
The nobles exchanged conversations. The Fourth Princess had been in poor health since childhood.
Thus, she rarely made appearances at official events.
“His Highness the Fifth Prince is entering!”
The attendant announced in a strong voice.
“The Fifth Prince?”
“It’s been five years.”
The Fifth Prince, who had not appeared in public for five years, suddenly? The nobles turned their heads toward the entrance, wondering if they had misheard the attendant’s words.
The door opened, and the Fifth Prince entered. But he was different from five years ago.
“Has the Fifth Prince grown so robust?”
He had trained so hard for three months that it would be strange if he hadn’t lost weight.
“But does the Fifth Prince have elite guards now?”
Someone spoke with a voice tinged with doubt.
There were no true followers of the reckless Fifth Prince anywhere. Thus, it was often said that he had neither an elite guard nor proper subordinates.
“He probably brought in some mercenaries.”
Someone muttered with a disdainful glance.
The one who spoke, loud enough for those around to hear, was a noble from the capital and a supporter of the Third Prince.
He could openly make such insulting remarks because he had the backing of the Third Prince.
In fact, he might be trying to undermine the Fifth Prince in front of other nobles to gain favor with the Third Prince.
Due to the past image of being a rogue, most nodded in agreement with him.
“I was skeptical when I heard the Fifth Prince had organized elite guards, but I never expected he would bring in knights of a higher caliber than those from influential noble houses.”
“Their aura is different; they are seasoned veterans who have experienced real battles.”
Unlike the nobles of the capital, the northern nobles, who bordered the Haifel Empire, recognized at a glance the high level of the knights lined up behind the Fifth Prince.
“The woman behind the Fifth Prince is a high-ranking mage.”
“I never expected he would have such talent with him…”
Even those affiliated with the Mage Tower recognized Desia’s level.
Before entering the banquet hall, at the Fifth Prince’s command not to hide her mana, Desia had faithfully complied.
A high-ranking mage was a talent too expensive to be utilized in a small territory.
Especially since Desia was young, the attention of the Mage Tower officials was inevitably drawn to her and the Fifth Prince.
“What good are outstanding subordinates? The Fifth Prince has no faction. The Emperor probably won’t be able to pay much attention to him, so it will be a lonely banquet.”
Someone remarked.
‘Sorry, but that won’t happen.’
I smiled faintly as I moved forward.
Thanks to my excellent subordinates and changed appearance, the stigma of being a rogue was lessened compared to before.
Yet, even so, there were still many disdainful gazes due to the lingering perception of being a rogue.
‘The rogue is gone; I am the Fifth Prince of the Empire.’
My steps were filled with confidence, and the subordinates following behind me walked with their chests out.
It was as if they were saying, no matter what gazes we received, we follow the Fifth Prince.
And as we passed through the center of the banquet hall, someone appeared before us.
The nobles who recognized his face gasped in shock.
“Isn’t that the Blue Tower Master?”
“The Blue Tower Master, Lysfield Dior? Why is he with the Fifth Prince…?”
Everyone struggled to adapt to the sudden change.
When the Mage Tower Alliance stood behind the Third Prince, the only faction that declared neutrality was the Blue Tower.
But now he was approaching the Fifth Prince?
“It seems he has some kind of connection with the Fifth Prince.”
“Yes! It seems he intends to publicly humiliate him.”
The lower-ranking nobles speculated. The higher-ranking nobles shook their heads. Their thoughts were different from those of the lower-ranking nobles.
“It seems there is something we don’t know.”
“The cautious Blue Tower Master wouldn’t act without reason.”
“It seems he has decided to stand behind the Fifth Prince.”
Their thoughts were correct. Unlike the lower-ranking nobles who enjoyed gossiping without meaning, the higher-ups analyzed the current situation calmly.
“The power of the Blue Tower is not to be taken lightly…”
“This is getting interesting.”
If one were to assess the power of the Mage Tower Alliance, the Red Tower would be first, the Blue Tower second, and the Yellow Tower Third.
If the second power, the Blue Tower, decided to stand behind the Fifth Prince, the competition for the throne would become even more intense.
With everyone’s attention focused, the Blue Tower Master spoke.
“Your Highness, may I escort you to the seat we have prepared?”
The banquet hall fell silent. Everyone understood the meaning of what the Blue Tower Master had just said.
In an official setting, that statement meant he wanted to stand behind you.
Now only the Fifth Prince’s response remained. All eyes turned back to him.
“I will accept the Blue Tower’s goodwill.”
The banquet hall erupted into commotion once more.
The moment it was officially announced that the Blue Tower stood behind the Fifth Prince.
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In the place where Lysfield guided me, the elders of the Blue Tower had gathered, but Philid was nowhere to be seen.
As I stepped among them, the elders politely stepped back one step each, naturally creating a space for me to stand among them.
“Your Highness, how does it feel to be the center of attention among the nobles?”
At the Tower Master’s playful question, a smile escaped my lips.
“It’s not bad.”
I nodded and spoke in a calm voice. The attention that had been absent for five years was now refocusing on me.
Even at this moment, I could feel the gazes of the nobles upon me.
Pretending to converse with the Blue Tower Master, I quickly scanned the surroundings with my peripheral vision.
Though they weren’t at the level of grand lords, there were some mediocre nobles who had no connections and were inching closer, looking for an opportunity.
‘There are no valuable ones among them.’
These were nobles who couldn’t make connections not because they didn’t want to, but because they lacked the ability to do so.
They would be of no help. I glanced around once more, but the result was the same.
‘Does this mean I still have to act myself?’
My gaze turned cold.
They wouldn’t make the first move. They were probably waiting for me to initiate a conversation from a visible position.
‘It seems this is as far as it goes for now.’
The grand lords showed interest, but that was about it. They still hadn’t shown enough expectation to approach me.
‘But after today, many things will change.’
I knew that today, when the Emperor made his appearance, an event would occur at midnight that would change the course of the empire’s history.
“Tower Master, do you remember when you asked me why I was hastening the organization of the elite guards?”
I asked Lysfield, avoiding the title of old man since there were many officials from the Tower and elite guards around.
“Yes, I remember.”
“Now I will tell you the reason.”
I held up three fingers.
“In three hours, the banquet hall will be attacked.”
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