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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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He was already deeply entangled with the royal family, so another connection through Kayla wouldn’t make much of a difference.
While the prince and Prina might not see it that way, he didn’t think it mattered.
“Don’t worry about anything else. You have the skills and character worthy of a knight. Even disregarding your relationship with me, your abilities are undeniable.”
A knight practically at Master level…
She was a valuable asset, one that anyone would covet.
“Hahaha, you’re right, Do Inha. If she weren’t yours, I would have tried to recruit her into the royal knights.”
“…That’s true.”
Her skills were undeniable. Both the prince and Prina nodded in agreement.
Therefore, he hoped she wouldn’t refuse the offer.
“Hmm, but it seems she’s not very enthusiastic…”
“…Indeed. This offer is only being extended because of my relationship with my master.”
“She’s being quite difficult, considering her skills alone are more than enough to warrant knighthood.”
“Knighthood comes with the price of loyalty. I’ve already pledged my loyalty to my master, so I have nothing left to offer.”
While she understood that accepting the offer would benefit the prince, Kayla seemed to dislike the idea of the royal family using her to influence him.
Even if it meant rejecting her long-held dream.
The influence a knight could exert was limited, and it was obvious they were trying to use her to counter Prina’s influence, yet she seemed unwilling to accept even the slightest possibility of being used.
“Hmm, would you be satisfied if it was offered as a reward for a request?”
It seemed he was changing his approach.
Considering her relationship with him, it would be difficult for Kayla to form a close relationship with Prina.
So, he seemed to be thinking of offering the knighthood as a reward, encouraging Kayla to compete with Prina voluntarily.
As Kayla’s influence grew, Prina’s would naturally decrease, so it would indirectly serve the prince’s purpose, even if it wasn’t his original intention.
Refusing this offer would be unreasonable. He had already compromised this much, further refusal could damage their relationship with the prince.
He had to hear him out.
“What kind of request?”
“Simple. Assist Doriem.”
“……”
“You’re a mercenary vouched for by Doriem, so it’s a fitting request. What do you say? It won’t be easy, but that makes it a worthy task for a knight, don’t you think?”
It was a reasonable request.
In fact, it was quite beneficial for him.
‘Acquiring corpses would be nice…’
It had been a while since he had acquired any human corpses.
Participating in the war would allow him to acquire a large number of corpses, many of them experienced mercenaries.
He might even be able to finally complete Entin’s Skeleton Knight legion.
The oases were a concern, but…
‘They should be fine for now.’
He had fortified them sufficiently.
It wasn’t a bad deal.
While a single knighthood seemed like a small reward for his services, the potential gains during the mission made it worthwhile.
While it would be more beneficial if multiple companions received knighthoods, Athena and Baldur weren’t particularly interested in becoming knights.
They were different from Kayla.
Baldur was bound to the oases, and Athena might find a connection to the royal family to be more of a burden than a boon.
‘Thea is her priority.’
While Athena might accept the offer for the social advancement it provided, she seemed content with her current situation, so he needed to consider her feelings.
She might even find the title of knight to be bothersome, given her current contentment.
She might also have a slightly negative view of knighthood, considering Kayla’s past experiences.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons and accepted the prince’s offer.
“It seems reasonable.”
Moreover, Doriem was located close to Lineta.
If it fell into the hands of a house aligned with the Goddess Religion… it would be a direct threat to Lineta.
The thought of a territory so close to Lineta being controlled by the Goddess Religion was unsettling.
“Hahaha, we’ve finally reached an agreement.”
The prince chuckled, pleased, and after a brief discussion, they finalized the deal.
He promised to bestow the knighthood upon Kayla after the conflict ended, either personally or through a representative.
“Even if I can’t come personally, I’ll write the certificate of appointment myself. You won’t be treated with disrespect.”
He was effectively assigning a royal representative to her.
That was sufficient.
After concluding their business, they engaged in some casual conversation and parted ways amicably.
“Unfortunately, we must end our meeting here. Visit me again before you depart for Doriem. I’ll be waiting.”
“Of course.”
While the prince had caused a minor stir with his earlier remarks, they had found common ground, and the deal was mutually beneficial.
He felt no animosity towards the prince, only a sense of goodwill.
He was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t learned more about the alliance with the Demihuman Alliance, but he could ask Kriang later.
For now, he was satisfied with having established a connection with the prince and securing a favorable deal.
‘The Empire won’t succeed in their plans for several years anyway.’
There was no need to rush.
After meeting with the prince, he parted ways with Prina.
As the lord, she had many duties and couldn’t stay with him for long.
He and Kayla then went to find Athena, who would be joining them in Doriem and needed to be informed of the situation.
Finding Athena was easy. He simply had to go to Thea’s room.
As expected, Athena was there, chatting with Thea, and she casually asked if he was finished with his business as soon as he and Kayla entered.
He told her about his meeting with the prince and their agreement, and she simply nodded when he mentioned they would be assisting Doriem.
“Well, it’s better than the Barren Lands.”
While they couldn’t let their guard down due to the Goddess Religion’s involvement, the recent crisis in the Barren Lands had been particularly harrowing, so she didn’t object.
“Kayla will be receiving a knighthood as a reward for this mission.”
“Really? I remember Master mentioning she was a knight before.”
Athena clapped her hands, congratulating Kayla.
“What about you?”
“…Me?”
“A knighthood for you as well…”
“No.”
Athena refused before he could even finish his sentence.
“It’s social advancement. And it’s being bestowed by the royal family, so you won’t be looked down upon.”
The prince would even write the certificate of appointment himself.
“I don’t need it.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to attract attention. Honestly, being by your side is enough to ensure I’m not underestimated. And Thea seems to be settling in nicely.”
So, a knighthood would only be a burden.
“And what I’ve learned isn’t exactly… knightly.”
That was true.
The skills she had learned were those Kayla had used as a Shadow, operating in the underworld.
“So, no thanks. I’m satisfied with my current situation.”
“…If that’s what you want, I won’t force you.”
“Thank you.”
She seemed unconcerned about fame or prestige.
“So, you’re going to assist Doriem. When are you leaving?”
“As soon as possible.”
He wanted to send Athena to Orie to update her on the situation, but it didn’t seem feasible at the moment.
Sending Annelise alone would be too dangerous, so it would be better to complete the request quickly and return.
Judging by the reports, the situation in Doriem seemed to be a stalemate, and his involvement would likely tip the scales decisively. That was why he wanted to resolve the situation quickly.
“Why does the prince want us to help Doriem specifically? Isn’t it just a backwater territory to them?”
That was true. While Doriem had some renown in the capital, it was still a remote territory.
If it weren’t for him, the royal family wouldn’t have intervened directly. It was a moderately sized territory, not significant enough to warrant the royal family’s direct attention.
Yet, the prince had made assisting Doriem a condition of their agreement.
It was a reasonable request, considering the reward was only a knighthood, but it was a relatively minor task for an Archmage like himself.
“I didn’t ask, but I have a few theories.”
“What are they?”
“Doriem and Jutus are where the power struggle between the royal family and the Goddess Religion first surfaced.”
While it was a small-scale conflict in the grand scheme of things, it held symbolic significance as the first open confrontation.
“If Doriem wins, it will boost the royal family’s morale. It will also serve as a warning to the nobles aligned with the Goddess Religion.”
Jutus and the other territories and houses that had sided with the Goddess Religion would likely be crushed.
“Moreover, if Doriem falls, Lineta is next. Lineta has always been a staunch supporter of the royal family, so they can’t abandon them.”
The royal family couldn’t stand idly by and watch Lineta fall to an external threat, especially one aligned with the Goddess Religion.
Lineta’s military strength was currently quite weak.
Having barely recovered from near destruction, they were vulnerable to external attacks, and defending them would require a significant commitment of resources from the royal family.
While the prince had tried to assert his influence earlier, it was a minor conflict. The royal family still supported Lineta, and Lineta remained loyal to the royal family.
It was a reasonable request, considering they wanted to prevent further escalation.
And there was another reason.
“And… perhaps the royal family wants to withdraw the soldiers stationed at Cross Fortress and Forest Shield.”
“…The soldiers there?”
“Yes.”
There was unrest throughout the kingdom.
Small-scale skirmishes were constantly erupting, and the conflict between the royal family and the Goddess Religion had become open.
In this situation, elite soldiers, hardened by battles against monsters, were a valuable asset.
And they were, after all, royal soldiers.
‘And House Lineta is recovering.’
With his presence, House Lineta should be able to defend its territory. They had simply been in a unique situation until now.
Of course, it wouldn’t be immediate. Lineta wasn’t self-sufficient yet.
But it was a signal to start preparing.
‘Once Doriem is stabilized and the war ends, they can hire mercenaries from there, and Lineta will no longer be under threat…’
It was essentially a message telling them to defend themselves against monsters.
It also showed that the royal family viewed the Goddess Religion as a significant threat.
While it was just speculation, it made sense, and both Athena and Thea nodded in agreement.
“What about us, in that situation?”
He shrugged.
“Nothing in particular. We’ll continue focusing on the Barren Lands.”
That was the extent of their agreement.
Once the monster population decreased to a manageable level, he planned to recruit his former master and create a Legion Commander.
‘I’ll make my move after that.’
While the royal family or House Lineta might request his assistance, he would consider it when the time came.
He had set his priorities and would adapt to the changing circumstances.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll be prepared.”
After concluding his conversation with Athena, he chatted briefly with Thea and left to rest.
The next day, Councilor Adias of the Demihuman Alliance, having finished speaking with Untinia, visited him.
He first expressed his gratitude for protecting Untinia and informed him that he would be returning to the Alliance soon and would send a reward later.
While it was something he should have done anyway, and it felt strange to receive a reward for it, he didn’t refuse.
While the elves despised the dark elves and had driven them to near extinction, the dragonian didn’t seem to share that animosity.
At least, this particular Councilor didn’t.
He seemed to hold him in high regard, engaging in a lengthy conversation beyond expressing his gratitude, and he learned more about the newly formed alliance between the Demihuman Alliance and the Six-Kingdom Alliance.
The two alliances had formed a formal alliance, starting with trade.
They planned to clear a portion of the Monster Forest to facilitate trade.
Since most of the Six Kingdoms were currently facing internal strife, the Demihuman Alliance would take the lead in this endeavor.
In return, the Six Kingdoms had promised to gradually emancipate the demihuman slaves within their territories.
“…That’s enough to trigger the Holy Empire.”
The Holy Empire wouldn’t simply stand by and watch as the demihumans gained recognition and the Six Kingdoms drifted away from their influence.
“That’s the point. They wouldn’t resort to such drastic measures otherwise.”
He seemed to be referring to the Holy Empire’s instigation of unrest and rebellion within the Six Kingdoms through their pro-Empire factions.
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