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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Of course, I’m not forcing you. You and Lady Kayla have only recently reached such heights, so don’t overexert yourselves. It’s simply a request, if possible.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“That’s enough.”
After our conversation, the crown prince invited Kayla and me to dinner, and Sharon and Prina joined us as well.
As expected, he subtly probed Kayla, particularly about her breakthrough after receiving her knighthood, trying to determine if she was interested in fame or status.
However, Kayla showed no interest, stating that being a free knight was sufficient.
The crown prince, realizing he wouldn’t get anywhere, tried to engage in conversation, but Kayla mostly responded with short answers.
While they were talking, Sharon, perhaps instructed by the crown prince, tried to engage me in conversation, but Prina intervened.
Kayla also glanced at Sharon occasionally, and sensing the tense atmosphere, the crown prince finally dismissed us.
Of course, he didn’t just dismiss us.
“My father wishes to meet you.”
A royal summons.
It was difficult to refuse.
However, postponing it was possible.
“I’ll visit after eliminating House Priogaha.”
“Hmm. That is important as well. I’ll inform him and make preparations.”
He was summoning us during a war, or rather, because of the war.
It would be an opportunity to meet powerful individuals and to be commended for our service in eliminating House Priogaha.
As soon as the crown prince and princess left, Prina sighed.
“This is troublesome.”
“…….”
“To so openly try to poach members of our house… I haven’t forgotten the support we’ve received, but just as we’re starting to recover…”
It was understandable for Prina to feel slighted.
Moreover, I was her fiancé.
It was effectively an insult to House Lineta.
‘It means our value has increased enough for them to risk that.’
I reassured Prina,
“I have no intention of joining the royal family.”
“I know. You value freedom over fame. However, that doesn’t mean the royal family will give up.”
She said she would do her best to protect me, but considering how much they had received from the royal family, she couldn’t completely shield me from their advances.
The crown prince and the third princess didn’t leave immediately after meeting us.
They stayed for several days, constantly bothering us. While I could use undead creation as an excuse to avoid them, Kayla couldn’t easily escape.
She couldn’t use my escort duty as an excuse, as there was nothing dangerous within Lineta’s territory.
And she shouldn’t have objected.
With Prina, the territory lord, present, objecting would imply that her territory was dangerous.
Prina always accompanied Kayla, protecting her from the royals’ advances, and an unexpected bond formed between them.
While Kayla, having been a knight, was unlikely to make any major mistakes, the royals could still put her in awkward situations if they were determined.
Thanks to Prina’s presence, they managed to avoid any major incidents.
“This is so annoying. I need to learn more.”
Meanwhile, the neglected Athena voiced her frustration.
She hadn’t even been invited to the first dinner.
While they weren’t completely ignoring her, being Kayla’s disciple, they seemed to have prioritized Kayla.
“I need to become a Master as well.”
“Do you want their attention?”
“No. It’s just… self-improvement. And the enemy is powerful. I need to reclaim my second place as well.”
She gritted her teeth, vowing to reject their advances if they showed interest in her later, using this incident as an excuse.
Meanwhile, I had successfully transformed all one hundred corpses into Skeleton Knights.
As requested, they were in good condition, and they had even sent their equipment, so I had essentially created a full-fledged knight order.
Entin was overjoyed at the sudden addition of over one hundred knights.
While House Priogaha wasn’t weak, with Kayla, myself, and Entin’s undead knight order, we could conquer them.
‘Though, we’ll have to proceed carefully.’
“You said you and Master were going alone?”
“Yes. I have a separate task for you.”
Prina had made a request.
I asked her to return to the oasis, bring Baldur, and defend Forest Shield.
“I want you to go through the Monster Forest and bring back the people from the underground dungeon and the Horned Orcs.”
“I understand about the people, but will the Whirlwind Tribe want to come? They’ve settled down.”
“Tell them about the Horned Orcs who joined the Demihuman Alliance, and that they might be able to live alongside humans. That should pique their interest.”
I could at least ensure they wouldn’t be hostile to the Horned Orcs within Lineta.
“Do they really need to live alongside humans?”
“If they do, they won’t be openly attacked.”
The most dangerous force in this region were the humans.
They were already aware of the human’s strength.
It was doubtful if the Whirlwind Tribe, with their current strength, could even handle House Siglen alone.
‘I don’t know how much they’ve grown.’
If they couldn’t win, joining them was an option.
It was one way to survive.
Athena nodded in agreement.
“Alright. I’ll convey the message.”
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On the day of our departure, the crown prince and the third princess saw us off at the entrance.
“Come to the capital after the conquest. Don’t forget.”
He emphasized it repeatedly.
All rewards and settlements would be handled there, and he stressed several times that I had to bring Kayla with me.
He seemed slightly relieved after receiving my repeated assurances.
As soon as we left Lineta, Kayla sighed.
“This is troublesome. I shouldn’t have broken through then…”
She regretted using the royal family to solidify her position as my first companion, saying it would have been better to hide her power. She felt it had made things more awkward.
“Prina is surprisingly easy to talk to. I should have tried conversing with her more instead of just focusing on training…”
“Prina did help you quite a bit. …It seems you’ve become close.”
“Yes. Yesterday, she asked if we could drop the formalities, and I agreed. Unlike you, Master, I don’t hold any particular status in Lineta. While I’ll address her formally in public, considering her position as lord, we’ve agreed to be friends.”
After their private conversation, and with Prina’s assistance, they had become closer than I had anticipated.
“We have different goals, so if we had talked properly, we would have easily found common ground. I was too hostile because of her sudden proposal.”
Of course, it had been the best course of action at the time.
Prina, considering her territory, believed she had to be my first companion, and a surprise attack was the best approach.
If Kayla had been a Master then, it wouldn’t have been necessary.
It was a relief they were on good terms now.
“The royal family’s obsession with Masters is greater than I imagined. I knew it, but the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.”
While she had anticipated it would be troublesome, she had believed it was a worthwhile trade-off.
However, after interacting with Prina, she realized the drawbacks were more significant.
That’s why Kayla was expressing regret.
“What can you do? You have to accept it.”
It was in the past.
“Indeed. Oh, Prina asked me to visit Lineta before going to the capital. She said we should go together.”
“She’s busy, isn’t she?”
“She said internal affairs are important, but we’re her priority.”
Considering the royal family’s interest in Kayla, it was understandable for Prina to be concerned.
“Of course, that’s her main reason, but she has other business as well.”
‘She said her younger sister was in the capital.’
She also needed to recruit talent for her territory.
‘There’s also the matter of merchant contracts.’
Until now, they had relied on a single merchant guild, supported by the royal family.
However, with the royal family planning to withdraw their soldiers, they couldn’t rely on a single merchant guild any longer.
Promoting their territory’s stability and attracting merchants was essential.
There were indeed reasons for her to visit the capital, despite her busy schedule.
However, our conversations dwindled as we approached House Priogaha’s territory.
With the kingdom in turmoil, there were incidents everywhere.
We frequently encountered monsters due to insufficient subjugation efforts, and bandits appeared when we traveled along the main roads out of convenience.
Moreover, security checks intensified as we passed through smaller territories, and one lord even tried to recruit Kayla after learning she was a free knight.
He quickly changed his mind after seeing my undead army.
I sighed as we left his territory.
“After meeting so many relatively normal and reasonable people recently, this is doubly tiring.”
He had been unreasonable, ranting about insulted nobility. He had been like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.
“It’s also because they’re unaware of our strength.”
Conversely, if we had been weaker, we would have been captured and forced to work for that childish lord.
“Yes, this is the reality of this world.”
The nobles in the capital would likely be no different. While they might appear more refined and concerned with honor, their primary motivation would still be self-interest.
That’s why Prina wanted to accompany us.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
While Prina was a countess, she had mostly lived in the countryside.
While she seemed knowledgeable, judging by her interactions with the crown prince, she could still be outmaneuvered by more cunning individuals.
As we passed through the royal territories and reached the border of Priogaha’s territory, the atmosphere changed noticeably.
A group of soldiers approached us.
“Who goes there!”
“Reinforcements from the royal family.”
Kayla stepped forward and answered.
She presented the royal decree with the royal seal and her free knight token.
The soldier immediately saluted upon seeing the royal seal.
“My apologies!”
“Take us to your commander immediately. It’s an urgent matter.”
“Yes, sir!”
Even though there were only two of us, we carried a royal decree with the royal seal. His reaction was natural.
‘He’d be shocked if he knew it was written by the crown prince himself.’
As we followed the soldier, I observed the surroundings and noticed a large number of troops stationed there.
As expected of a ducal house with a Master, they were well-prepared.
While this wasn’t the main battlefield, it was still a front line between the royal territories and the territories aligned with the Goddess Religion, so they couldn’t be completely unprepared.
‘Though, there are no signs of battle.’
Perhaps because this was Priogaha’s territory, and the royal forces were simply on standby, or perhaps because the main battlefield was quiet, this area seemed peaceful.
‘Come to think of it, they said Master Luces was currently at the estate.’
If they attacked recklessly, they could be annihilated.
“Greetings. I am Viscount Präfan.”
“Präfan…?”
“I’m the lord of the neighboring territory.”
He seemed to be allied with the royal family, despite being Priogaha’s neighbor.
‘He’s even the commander here, since his territory is right next door.’
Judging by his attitude, he seemed to have heard about us.
“I am Do Inha.”
“I am Free Knight Kayla.”
“It’s an honor to meet a warlock and a Master. I’ve been ordered to cooperate fully. Please, don’t hesitate to ask for anything you need.”
Except for soldiers.
That was the agreement.
I requested a map and explained our plan.
“…A direct assault, you say?”
“More accurately, we’ll attack from the opposite side. Some of the fleeing enemies might come this way, so please bear with us.”
“I’m not concerned about a few defeated soldiers, but… is it possible? Master Luces is currently at the estate. Even with a warlock and a Master, just the two of you…”
He seemed doubtful after hearing my plan.
It was understandable.
If we were easily defeated, their wrath could be directed at him.
However, he couldn’t actively dissuade us.
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[Your Text Here]
The crown prince will get 💀 if he continues that behavior, anyways thanks for the chappie!