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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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Raymond had ignited the fuse for those who had endured the pressure from the Haifel Empire and the Tri-Nation Alliance, simply because the nation’s power had waned.
“I will send the first prince to the border with the Haifel Empire and the Fifth Prince to the border with the Free Isiria Kingdom to show these nations that our empire still stands strong.”
Emperor Ronald declared. Unlike the first prince, who had the support of the military and was an advanced knight capable of wielding a mana sword, the Emperor had no desire to send the less experienced Fifth Prince to the dangerous border. However, the situation left him with no choice.
The Emperor cherished the Fifth Prince, but he prioritized the prosperity of the empire and the royal family above all.
The second and Third Princes, aware of the Emperor’s nature, had manipulated public opinion through the nobles.
By now, the two princes were likely pleased that things were going according to plan, but they had no idea that this was all part of Raymond’s scheme to temporarily leave the capital in search of the Soul Sword.
“A hundred of the imperial army will accompany each prince.”
As he finished speaking, the Emperor’s eyes, as he looked at the first and Fifth Princes, were filled with a fervent hope that his sons would return alive.
A hundred imperial army. While not a small number, it wasn’t much considering the journey to the border.
The Emperor wished he could send more imperial army, but the empire’s situation was dire. Additionally, sending a large number of imperial army to the border could escalate a local skirmish into a full-scale war.
Unlike the military officials, the Emperor and some nobles wanted to avoid a large-scale war beyond a local skirmish.
“Furthermore, I permit the mobilization of fifty private soldiers, including the royal knights.”
While he allowed the mobilization of private soldiers for protection, he couldn’t permit a large number.
He could only hope that the factions behind the princes would provide their elites.
‘Where has the glory of the past gone?’
The Emperor lamented inwardly. The majesty of the empire that once dominated the ancient era was nowhere to be found, and now they were reduced to watching other nations’ reactions.
As the Emperor living in this era, he felt he had failed to revive the crumbling empire, leaving him with no face to show the previous Emperors.
“Your Majesty, I will complete the mission and return.”
Though he didn’t elaborate, it was a promise to bring back the vanguard banner.
“I can’t let my younger brother outdo me. I’ll bring back the rangers’ flag.”
The first prince, Serak, said with a cheerful laugh. The military officials responded by raising their clenched fists in agreement.
With this, the journey to the border for the first and Fifth Princes was decided.
Behind the first prince, Serak, would be not only the imperial army and royal knights but also elite guards from the military.
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, would be accompanied by promising mages and excellent tower knights from the Red and Blue Towers.
‘Is this about the middle of volume one…?’
Avoiding the first prince’s gaze on his cheek, Raymond wore a faint smile.
Several months had passed since he entered the body of this foolish prince, and now an event that was barely mentioned in the novel, existing only in the setting, was about to unfold.
But he felt no anxiety.
‘I will surely win.’
Though only events scarcely described in the novel awaited the extra Raymond, knowing the setting was a significant advantage.
He was confident he could overcome any challenges that lay ahead.
‘The same goes for the Free Isiria Kingdom.’
In the novel he read, there was a scene where the protagonist defeated the elite forces of the Free Isiria Kingdom, the heavy cavalry.
Taking the vanguard banner? That was nothing. He was confident he could annihilate an entire heavy cavalry unit.
He was already excited to see how the nobles would react when he returned after wiping them out and bringing back the vanguard banner.
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We always stand at the forefront. We become the sharp spear that first pierces the kingdom’s enemies.
We do not retreat; we become the steadfast shield of the kingdom until the last person, standing firm like a great mountain.
This was the vow made by the 21 heavy cavalry units of the Free Isiria Kingdom on the day they were founded.
Hearing this vow, the first king of the Free Isiria Kingdom created 21 vanguard banners and bestowed them upon the 21 heavy cavalry captains.
And these have been passed down to the heavy cavalry units to this day.
As they vowed to the first king, they always stood at the forefront in battle and fought the enemies, and their symbol, the ‘vanguard banner,’ was the last to leave the battlefield.
“You’re saying you’ll bring back something so significant.”
The Blue Tower Master spoke with a stern face inside the carriage returning to the Fifth Prince’s palace after the court meeting.
The Fifth Prince was undoubtedly a talented mage who always surprised everyone, but he thought it was impossible to take the vanguard banner from the heavy cavalry of the Free Isiria Kingdom.
“Old man, aren’t you being too scared? The heavy cavalry isn’t some ghost or demon… There’s definitely a way to bring them down.”
And the setting book detailed that method. Very thoroughly. Once again, the author was undoubtedly a setting enthusiast.
“Your Highness, the heavy cavalry may have been defeated before, but they’ve never lost their vanguard banner. They value the vanguard banner more than their own and their commander’s safety.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“Oh dear! Your Highness! Please listen to me!”
Despite continuing to explain the fearsome nature of the heavy cavalry, Raymond was like a stone wall.
In the end, the Blue Tower Master, Lysfield, let out a scream.
The Red Tower Master, sitting beside him, chuckled at the Blue Tower Master’s reaction.
“What’s so amusing, Red Tower Master?”
“Isn’t it amusing?”
“What is?”
At Lysfield’s question, the Red Tower Master, Berenus Kyle, directed his gaze at the Fifth Prince before them.
“With His Highness the Fifth Prince showing such confidence, isn’t it the duty of a subject to trust and follow him?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“If the heavy cavalry of the Free Isiria Kingdom loses their vanguard banner, and we achieve it, wouldn’t that also be a glorious thing as subjects of the Philios Empire?”
Lysfield had no choice but to close his mouth at Berenus’s words. His words were indeed correct.
A subject should trust and follow their lord’s will.
When he first joined, the Red Tower Master, Berenus, had many concerns, but now he seemed more proactive than Lysfield, as if he had sorted out his thoughts.
In a way, it was a natural reaction. The moment he made an official declaration at the meeting, he had completely severed ties with the Third Prince.
To survive, he had no choice but to stand by the Fifth Prince.
“Old man.”
It was a calm voice that soothed the mind. Lysfield turned his head directly. The Fifth Prince, Raymond, smiled gently as their eyes met.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Have I ever disappointed you?”
Disappointed? Never.
On the contrary, he had always been the one to surprise him. He was first surprised by his talent for mana. He kept his promise to reach the level of a lower mage in a week.
And when he pierced through the Shadow Veil of the Dark Emperor, the Hidden Blade, and forced him to retreat, he was astonished.
Among all the events that occurred as the fool changed, there wasn’t a single one that wasn’t surprising.
Lysfield calmly organized his thoughts at Raymond’s question and shook his head.
“Never. Your Highness the Fifth Prince has always kept his promises and surprised me.”
It was a satisfactory answer. The smile on Raymond’s lips deepened.
“Then trust me and follow. Glorious honor awaits us. I assure you.”
“Ha, I guess there’s no helping it.”
Lysfield raised the white flag. Raymond exchanged glances with Berenus and grinned.
“I will accompany you as well.”
“Weren’t you going to follow anyway? I intended to stay by His Highness the Fifth Prince’s side…”
Lysfield was momentarily at a loss for words when Berenus, who he thought would stay to guard the Red Tower, spoke of accompanying the Fifth Prince.
“Red Tower Master, shouldn’t you be concerned about the Red Tower?”
“The elders will manage it. Besides, I believe it’s the duty of a subject to stand by His Highness the Fifth Prince.”
In truth, Berenus made this decision not so much out of a sense of duty, but because he thought it would be interesting. However, he couldn’t be so blunt in front of the Fifth Prince, Raymond, so he simply smiled and held back part of his words.
“Red Tower Master.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Fifth Prince.”
When Raymond called him in a quiet voice, Berenus slightly bowed his head in response.
“I assure you, you won’t regret that decision.”
Raymond lifted the corners of his mouth. The conversation paused as the carriage arrived at the Fifth Prince’s palace.
Now it was time to hasten preparations for the journey to the border with the Free Isiria Kingdom.
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The news that the first and Fifth Princes had left the capital reached the Monster Forest and the Black Mountains.
The border army at the Monster Forest, hearing that the first prince, who had the military’s support, was coming, cheered. However, the reaction at the border of the Black Mountains, where the Fifth Prince was headed, was indifferent.
The reaction in the Marquessate of Crayer, where the Fifth Prince, Raymond, was to stay, was not much different from the border.
As a territory adjacent to the border, they had hoped for the first prince, who had close ties with the military, to come.
They were not pleased that the Fifth Prince, who was rumored to be incompetent and a fool, was coming.
Although there were rumors that he had defeated the Dark Emperor and saved the Emperor, the reputation of the Fifth Prince as a roguel, built over five years, was too vivid to welcome his participation in the war.
“My lord, His Highness the Fifth Prince has crossed the border of the territory. He is expected to arrive in the central city within five days.”
An old knight of the family reported respectfully, bowing his head. The Marquess Crayer was taken aback.
“He’s already crossed the border of the territory?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Well, that’s quite fast…”
There was a considerable distance between the capital, where the imperial capital was located, and the border Marquessate of Crayer. Traveling with an army meant they couldn’t use the expensive warp gates, which were only available for small groups.
“I thought it would take at least another week…”
“His Highness the Fifth Prince has reduced the rest periods.”
Initially, the commander of the imperial army had taken frequent breaks, considering the Fifth Prince’s lack of marching experience. Even riding in a carriage, prolonged travel could be quite exhausting.
However, the Fifth Prince, Raymond, who was thought to be frail because he was a mage, neither rode in the carriage nor required rest.
‘There’s no need to give me special treatment. I will ride with the knights, and there’s no need to extend the rest periods. The situation at the border is dire, so how can we afford to be leisurely? Instead of giving the prince extra rest, we should join the army one step faster.’
It was as if Raymond had declared this in front of the imperial army. That day, the commander of the imperial army abandoned all his prejudices against the Fifth Prince.
Although he had heard rumors of Raymond defeating the Dark Emperor, the lingering distrust in his heart melted away completely.
With the royal leading by example, eating, sleeping, and traveling with the knights, the morale of the imperial army soared, and a relationship of trust was formed, significantly speeding up their progress.
As a result, they crossed the border of the territory much faster than the Marquess Crayer had anticipated.
“Is he different from the rumors?”
It was a fleeting thought, but the Marquess Crayer quickly shook his head.
‘That can’t be. The rumors of him defeating the Dark Emperor must be exaggerated.’
How much had the Fifth Prince, Raymond, hammered at the Emperor’s heart! The Marquess Crayer remembered the Emperor’s appearance every time he attended court over the past five years.
The Emperor, who grew more emaciated by the day, yet never forgot the once-bright Fifth Prince, never let him go.
The Marquess Crayer still remembered. It was painful for a subject to see his sworn lord suffer.
“They’ll soon arrive at the lord’s castle. Gather the knights and prepare the reception.”
Though he didn’t want to welcome him, he was the son of his lord and a royal.
Failing to prepare a proper reception could lead to gossip, and it simply wasn’t right.
“Understood.”
The old knight in the corner answered, bowed his head, and left the office.
Watching the firmly closed door, the Marquess Crayer bit his lip slightly.
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As they entered the north, the cold air greeted them.
A warming spell would have been nice, but the author of this novel, despite being a setting enthusiast, hadn’t included the cliché of a warming spell in the fantasy setting.
“Whew!”
Raymond let out a deep sigh as he urged his horse forward.
Fortunately, being a royal meant he had learned horseback riding from a young age, according to the setting. Thanks to this, he could ride alongside the imperial army.
The problem was his lack of stamina. During his foolish days, he had drunk so much that even after months of magical training and physical conditioning, his stamina was only at this level.
He felt like collapsing several times a day during the forced march, but he endured with sheer willpower.
The one who declared the forced march couldn’t be the first to fall, could he? After all, a man has his pride.
“The lord’s castle in the Marquessate is not far now.”
Alex rode up beside him and reported. It was welcome news. But there was someone who welcomed the news even more than Raymond.
“Is that really true?”
It was the Blue Tower Master. He was following the Fifth Prince on horseback alongside the Red Tower Master.
Since the royal wasn’t riding in a carriage, the two tower masters couldn’t travel comfortably either. The problem was that their stamina was at the level of ordinary mages.
Now, near the end of the journey, they had to listen to the Blue Tower Master’s complaints every day.
The Red Tower Master, with his strong character, was a bit better. He endured silently, but he couldn’t help but smile at Alex’s report.
“Commander of the imperial army.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Fifth Prince!”
The commander of the imperial army rode up beside him. His chest bore the insignia of the imperial army and the commander’s emblem.
“Does the Marquess know I’m coming?”
“Yes, we sent a messenger a few days ago.”
“Then why are there no soldiers to greet us when we’re so close to the lord’s castle?”
Raymond spoke in a cold voice. The commander of the imperial army swallowed hard.
He was only in his late teens, but there was a hint of a ruler’s dignity.
“They will arrive soon. We can pause our march and wait for their reception.”
Sending a welcoming party to guide a noble entering the territory was basic courtesy. The delay was a kind of power play.
The commander of the imperial army, realizing this, cautiously suggested it, but Raymond shook his head.
“Soldiers are dying at the border. We have no time to waste, so we’ll continue.”
It sounded like he was willing to sacrifice his pride for the soldiers’ lives.
The commander of the imperial army was deeply moved.
“And it seems there’s no need for that.”
Raymond chuckled as he spoke. In the distance, the flag of the Marquess Crayer could be seen.
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