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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“No matter what I say now, I won’t be able to shake Your Highness’s firm resolve, will I?”
At Marquess Crayer’s words, Raymond slowly nodded. Once he made a decision, he would see it through to the end.
“You know me well.”
“His Majesty the Emperor, in his youth, was also as righteous and brave as Your Highness the Fifth Prince is now.”
As if lost in old memories, Marquess Crayer’s eyes were filled with nostalgia.
In his younger days, the current Emperor Ronald Philios had protected the Empire from the North for three years to earn the military’s support.
During those three years, in the Black Mountains, he met Sand Crayer, who was then the heir of the Marquessate, and formed a bond.
“You truly resemble him.”
In Marquess Crayer’s voice, longing and regret could be heard. The brave Ronald, who once drew his sword first at the sight of injustice, was gone.
Only the old and ailing Emperor remained, stubbornly holding onto the crumbling throne.
“Then you also know what I’m going to do next.”
“I opposed it earlier, but my feelings remain the same even now.”
Though the Fifth Prince had once been known as a rogue, in Marquess Crayer’s eyes, he was now more courageous and righteous than the First Prince, who was called the ruler of knights.
When he first heard the rumor that the Fifth Prince Raymond had declared he would take the vanguard, he had just laughed and shook his head. But over the past couple of months, seeing his actions at the border, he realized it was genuine.
And it wasn’t an impossible task either.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, must you truly go to the Black Mountains?”
Marquess Crayer asked. Raymond nodded and opened his mouth to speak.
“Of course. I will return after defeating the heavy assault unit of the Free Isiria Kingdom that dared to provoke the Empire.”
His voice was filled with confidence. Naturally. The heavy assault unit of the Free Isiria Kingdom was not invincible.
There was certainly a way to defeat them, and in the novel, the protagonist Richard once annihilated the heavy assault unit by luring them into a clever trap.
Unlike battles that were only briefly mentioned in the setting, this one had detailed descriptions of the process.
In the novel, the ‘force’ Richard used was just Desia, who was a top-level mage by that time’s standards, and one hundred infantry.
Now, Raymond could mobilize more troops than that, so his chances of winning were high.
The difference was that unlike Richard, Raymond was an extra, and he had not received the ‘Blessing of Sword and Magic.’
‘I’ve obtained the Soul Sword. That should be enough.’
Receiving the ‘Blessing of Sword and Magic’ had the least side effects, but the mana sword that made up the Soul Sword used a small amount of mana. It mainly relied on the energy of the soul, so it didn’t fatally clash with the mana road that formed magic.
So, in emergencies, it wasn’t entirely impossible to use it alongside magic.
“Then you must go.”
Marquess Crayer said. He had initially opposed it, but after seeing the boldness of Raymond, reminiscent of the Emperor’s younger days, he realized he could not stop him.
Opposition faded quicker than expected. A faint smile spread across Raymond’s lips.
“But we cannot send Your Highness alone to the Black Mountains, where even the heavy assault unit has marched south.”
“Marquess Crayer, what do you mean alone? I and one hundred of the Imperial Army will risk our lives to protect His Highness the Fifth Prince.”
Imperial Army Commander Cassias responded sharply. His voice was tense. He had taken Marquess Crayer’s words as implying distrust of the Imperial Army.
“Sir Cassias. May I ask you one thing?”
“If it’s something I can answer, I will gladly do so.”
“Answer honestly. Do you truly believe that with only one hundred Imperial soldiers, you can protect His Highness the Fifth Prince from the heavy assault unit and the monsters of the Black Mountains?”
At Marquess Crayer’s piercing question, Cassias froze. From a cold, rational perspective, it was not enough manpower.
“According to others, the only reason we’ve survived in the Black Mountains until now is not because of the strong shields of the Imperial Army, but because His Highness the Fifth Prince has been extraordinary. Isn’t that so?”
Cassias couldn’t answer immediately. It hurt his pride, but Marquess Crayer’s words were true.
If Raymond had been the rogue of rumors, the moment they entered the Black Mountains, not only the Imperial Army but even the elite guards would have been slaughtered.
“Imperial Army Commander, Sir Cassias.”
A fierce storm had passed. Now it was time to put away the whip and bring out the carrot.
When Marquess Crayer spoke gently, Cassias, who had been staring at the ground, slowly lifted his head.
“I’m not blaming you. The Imperial Army you lead is also the elite of the elite. But the Black Mountains are too dangerous for those with little experience.”
He spoke as gently as possible. Cassias’ expression also softened.
Seeing that, Raymond smirked and shook his head. The unshakable Cassias being swayed like this meant Marquess Crayer was no ordinary man either.
“I agree with you on that.”
“So I wish to assign one more person to guard you. Would that be alright?”
Marquess Crayer’s gaze shifted from Cassias to Raymond. Raymond’s eyes gleamed.
One more guard, huh. Then who would it be? He had some guesses, but no certainty.
“Could I ask you to step out for a moment?”
As Marquess Crayer raised his hand slightly, his vassals and flag-bearers left the chamber without hesitation.
From this, it was clear how deep their loyalty to the Marquess ran.
“You as well, please step out.”
Raymond also ordered his attendants to leave the chamber. Marquess Crayer’s cautious behavior made Raymond more certain of his guess.
‘Could it be that person…?’
He thought it couldn’t be, yet found himself hoping. Now, only Raymond and Marquess Crayer remained in the chamber.
Even the knights guarding the chamber had stepped outside at the Marquess’ command.
“Can you tell me now?”
“Of course.”
At Raymond’s question, Marquess Crayer nodded with a faint smile. Then he looked up at the ceiling and spoke.
“You may reveal yourself, Sir Jayce.”
Hearing the name called, Raymond had to hide his surprise. He knew who ‘Jayce’ was from the author’s setting materials.
There were many ‘single-unit forces’ the Crayer family could mobilize. But he hadn’t expected the name of the strongest among them to be called.
“The retired Royal Guard…”
“Oh? It seems Your Highness the Fifth Prince has heard of me.”
As the owner of the red mask descended from the ceiling and landed lightly, Raymond found himself muttering the man’s identity without realizing it. That was a mistake.
He had piqued Jayce’s curiosity.
“Did you know about me, Sir Jayce?”
He knew, of course, from the setting materials. It was brief, but Jayce had been described.
A retired Royal Guard.
The current emperor, Ronald Philios, assigned Jayce as Marquess Crayer’s bodyguard out of respect for the time they had spent defending the northern borders together in their youth.
Assigning a retired Royal Guard as a bodyguard is the highest honor the emperor can bestow.
Just the fact that Crayer lent Raymond this symbol of deep friendship showed how much the Marquess valued him.
That aside, the act of ‘granting’ a retired Royal Guard is usually done in secret. Raymond needed to come up with an excuse for how he knew about Jayce.
“I found out by chance.”
Since no proper excuse came to mind, he blurted out a vague answer in haste. He deliberately left room for interpretation by avoiding a direct explanation.
“I won’t ask further.”
Sensing that Raymond didn’t want to elaborate, Marquess Crayer bowed his head and tactfully stepped back.
Jayce still looked curious, but now that the Marquess had retreated, he couldn’t dare question a royal any further.
Raymond had successfully blocked a chain of questions before they started. With a faint smile, he spoke.
“So then, is Sir Jayce being lent as a temporary guard?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I believe Sir Jayce has no objections.”
“It is an honor to serve the royal family again, even for a short while. I shall give my utmost, Your Highness.”
Jayce took a step forward and bowed his head respectfully.
Though retired and now under Marquess Crayer’s command, he was once a proud Royal Guard, a shield of the royal family.
He would never refuse the honor of serving royalty.
He had been guarding the Marquess since his retirement, but in truth, he had remained within the lord’s castle as chief of security. He hadn’t even been present when the Marquess was kidnapped.
The thought of finally breathing the outside air again after so long filled him with excitement.
“It’s reassuring to have the shield of the royal family by my side.”
Raymond spoke with a voice full of trust. Even though he knew Jayce had retired, he still used the noble term ‘shield of the royal family’ to stir his loyalty and pride. As expected, there was an immediate reaction.
“The Free Isiria Kingdom’s spear may be sharp, but it cannot pierce the shield of the royal family! As one who once served as a proud Royal Guard, I solemnly swear here and now to destroy all threats to Your Highness in the Black Mountains!”
Jayce clenched his right fist and struck it firmly over his heart. A broad smile spread across Raymond’s lips at the sight.
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After the commander’s meeting, Raymond gained a temporary guard in Jayce, the retired Royal Guard. Stirring his loyalty and pride had worked, and Jayce now showed great enthusiasm.
He was more than capable as a guard. Of course, this was possible because Raymond was a Philios prince, and Jayce was a Royal Guard deeply loyal to the royal family.
Even though it was the Marquess’s order, had someone other than the Fifth Prince asked for his service, Jayce wouldn’t have responded so eagerly.
“Your Highness, you’re here.”
As Raymond and Jayce exited the meeting hall, the Red Tower Master approached them with Gestain and bowed respectfully.
However, the Blue Tower Master, Desia, and Cassias were nowhere to be seen. Raymond asked the Red Tower Master where they had gone.
“Sir Cassias said he was lacking in training and headed to the training grounds. As for the Blue Tower Master and Lady Desia, I do not know where they went.”
“I have urgent matters to discuss. Call the Blue Tower Master and Desia.”
“Shall we not call for Sir Cassias?”
Gestain asked cautiously. It seemed he had grown quite close to Cassias, enough to personally look after him.
“He’s training. We shouldn’t disturb him. But he might feel left out, so sending someone would be good.”
“I will send one of the elite guards to deliver your message.”
Leaving Gestain’s reply behind, Raymond quickened his steps toward the reception room next to his quarters.
It seemed the Red Tower Master had summoned them, as the Blue Tower Master and Desia were already waiting inside.
When the door opened and Raymond entered, the two rose slightly and gave a courteous nod.
“You’re late, old man.”
“Pardon? We arrived before you, Your Highness…”
“You should’ve escorted me from the meeting hall.”
“My apologies. It was my fault.”
After the short exchange, the Blue Tower Master, Lysfield, quickly surrendered.
No matter how he tried, he knew he couldn’t win a battle of words with the Fifth Prince. Experience had taught him it was best to give in quickly.
“Take a seat, all of you.”
Raymond pulled out a chair and sat down.
“I’ll guard the door.”
Jayce volunteered to stand outside. He thought there was no place for him in this group yet and intended to step aside.
“Stay here. I do not consider the shield of the royal family to be light.”
I trust you.
Though spoken indirectly, Jayce understood what Raymond meant and was deeply moved.
“Your Highness…”
“I’m not one for blind faith, but the shield of the royal family is an exception.”
What they were about to discuss wasn’t something so secret that even a retired Royal Guard had to be excluded.
But there was no need to explain that to Jayce. It would only dull the moment.
“The shield has no foolish mouth to spread rumors.”
Jayce’s response made Raymond nod in satisfaction. Then, turning to the Blue and Red Tower Masters, he began.
“Doesn’t it seem odd that the heavy infantry came down faster than expected?”
It was a meaningful statement. With all their heavy armor, their steps were usually slow. They wouldn’t move lightly.
“Isn’t something strange?”
The two Tower Masters swallowed hard. Desia curled her lips and spoke with a dark grin.
“Something smells like a scheme.”
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