< Emperor-002. >
Clang-!
After deflecting the incoming spear, the next attack imdiately followed.
Coordinated tactics where they covered each other’s blind spots, and magic concentrated into a single point.
As the battle continued, Kalkas could feel cold sweat running down his spine.
‘This might be more dangerous than I thought.’
His imprint, ‘Gardener of the Thorn Forest’ was an imprint specialized in purifying corruption. ( )[1]TLN: What the, I double-checked about Kalkas’s imprint and I was right. Last ti the author introduced it as “???????? ???? ????????” which the last word on this sentence can be translated as jester. And anwhile, here the author use “???????? ???? ??????”.
It had limitations when used for combat.
To make matters worse, he had only inherited this imprint recently.
His magic circuit’s output wasn’t enough to draw out the imprint’s full power.
It couldn’t be helped.
The reason he inherited this imprint was simply because he survived.
After all, this imprint wasn’t originally ant for him.
“His balance is off.”
“And he lacks combat experience. Although the seven stroke imprint is troubleso, we can handle this.”
“Change formation. Let’s eliminate him first.”
Having apparently figured out his condition from the previous fight, the knights changed their formation.
Their plan was to surround them and whittle down their stamina with wave attacks.
Like hunting rabbits, they intended to corner and wear them down.
‘Don’t make
laugh.’
Seeing the knight charging at him with relaxed movents,
Kalkas gritted his teeth.
‘Die here without even starting my revenge? No, that can’t be…!’
And at that mont.
“Dodge left. Advance three steps then thrust.”
A voice ca from behind him.
Prince Friedrich’s voice.
Caught off guard by that strange commanding presence, Kalkas instinctively followed his instructions and.
Squelch-!
The next mont, his sword had pierced through the knight’s right shoulder.
“Kuh, how…?!”
“…Huh?”
The knight’s face filled with bewildernt at the unexpected attack.
However, Kalkas who had thrust the sword was equally confused.
As Kalkas struggled to understand what he had just done, Prince Friedrich’s voice continued to ring out.
“Deflect the sword strike to the right and duck. Then imdiately charge forward with a horizontal slash.”
“…!”
At this point, it was all or nothing.
Once again, Kalkas launched himself according to his instructions.
Clang-!
He deflected the spear thrusting from the right, dodged the magic flying at his front, and delivered a wide slash across the armor of the knight who was retrieving his spear.
Sothing he could never have done with his own reflexes.
Kalkas opened his eyes wide and looked behind him.
“The seven stroke magician is truly impressive.”
There stood Prince Friedrich, his eyes glowing blue.
“You…!”
He had received Friedrich’s instructions and moved accordingly.
Even with the fastest reactions, there would normally be a 1-2 second delay.
Yet this prince had read the enemy’s attack patterns before they even launched them, and succeeded in counterattacking.
Prediction? No, this was on a different level entirely.
Rather than prediction, this was more like…
‘A power close to precognition.’
Just as Kalkas’s eyes narrowed at this realization.
“Tch.”
After two captain-level knights were taken down, the man who appeared to be their leader clicked his tongue roughly.
“Things aren’t going as smoothly as planned. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Friedrich addressed him with a smile.
Looking at the knight grinding his teeth, he continued speaking.
“This pursuit operation is being led by House Dvorak, not House Drexler. Taking such losses for soone else’s cause doesn’t seem very profitable.”
“…”
“Besides, Count Drexler’s real enemy is… not small fry like
or the Republic.”
It’s Count Dvorak himself, who sits his heavy behind on the imperial throne.
At Friedrich’s words, the knights’ eyes wavered.
The knights cast silent glances at their commander in the center.
Seeming to notice those looks, the knight glared at Friedrich and slowly sheathed his sword.
“Withdraw.”
With the commander’s order, the knights retreated into the forest, carrying their wounded.
Confirming their departure, Friedrich’s lips curved into a smile.
“Next ti will be different, Your Highness.”
“I’ll return those words right back to you.”
By the ti their brief exchange ended, the knights had vanished into the forest.
“Phew!”
Kalkas, who had been maintaining vigilance with wide eyes, finally collapsed to the ground with a deep sigh as his strength left him.
“Damn, I really almost died there.”
“You owe your life to my help, wouldn’t you say?”
“What?”
At Friedrich’s nonchalant comnt, Kalkas’s face scrunched up.
“That’s nonsense! I got dragged into this because of you!”
“Weren’t you trying to kill ? I have no obligation to accommodate soone like that.”
“You bastard…!”
Kalkas continued spewing rough curses while Friedrich smoothly deflected them all.
“But with this, you’ve made enemies of all the magic nobles.”
“…”
“That leaves you with only two choices.”
Friedrich, now perched on a nearby stump, looked at Kalkas with gleaming eyes.
“Either kill so insignificant prince who isn’t even the crown prince, and et the sa end as your family.”
“You son of a…!”
“Or.”
The smile disappeared from Friedrich’s face, replaced by a serious gaze directed at him.
“Join
in overthrowing this entire empire.”
“…What?”
What is he talking about?
Overthrow the empire?
With an expression of incomprehension, Kalkas asked.
“What exactly are you plotting?”
“Treason.”
That single word, treason.
The very word he had spat at this barely-known royal now ca back to him.
“The imperial family’s authority had already fallen. Even before Dvorak’s brainwashing.”
It wasn’t their sches that caused the imperial family’s fall.
Rather, the opposite.
Because the imperial family had beco puppets, they were able to easily covet the throne.
That’s why Prince Friedrich thought.
To change the empire, one must beco king.
Kill all his siblings and ascend to the throne.
“Ha, haha…”
Having heard the emperor’s explanation, Kalkas let out an incredulous laugh.
“HAHAHAHAHA-!”
Eventually that laugh turned into a thunderous roar that seed to shake the entire forest.
“Alright! I’ll do it.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But I have one condition.”
Condition?
Looking at Friedrich tilting his head, Kalkas showed his teeth in a grin.
“Looking at you, we seem close in age, so let’s drop the formalities in private.”
“Oho.”
While Friedrich nodded as if unbothered, the objection ca from another direction.
“How disrespectful! Even if you’re being hunted, to address an imperial prince…”
“Sorry, but thanks to the shit show your royals pulled, I’ve lost all my family and have nothing left to lose.”
At Kalkas’s casual words, Andrei shut his mouth.
“I’ve got nothing to lose whether I die here or not. Prince or whatever, I’m not planning to serve under anyone.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then I kill you here and die myself.”
Taking about a hundred knights along with , that is.
Hearing those words, Prince Friedrich began to smile with satisfaction.
The last survivor of a family personally exterminated by my father.
He was perfect as a companion to achieve great things together.
“Negotiation successful.”
With those words, the two shook hands.
“Never thought I’d make a friend like this.”
“Sa here.”
In the eyes of the two n facing each other with smiles, the sa fire burned bright.
***
“Hmm~ Hmmhmm~”
In the Imperial Capital, in the Emperor’s private chamber.
Along with the humming, slender arms rummaged through the gold coins piled in boxes.
Luxury goods and cash tributes from various regions of the empire.
While these were offerings ant to prove loyalty to the emperor, there was one strange point.
The fact that all the gifts sent were won’s accessories and jewels.
“There are many useful items among the tributes this ti. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?”
“…Ah, yes.”
The one who appeared speaking these words was Margaret Dvorak.
She was the head of House Dvorak, which boasted the greatest authority among the magic nobles, and simultaneously the Fifth Empress married to Emperor Franz.
The Count treating the emperor’s tributes as her own.
Yet the emperor rely nodded with unfocused eyes as he watched.
“Margaret. Do as you wish.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Speaking thus to the emperor seated on the throne, she looked at the wealth and treasures at her feet with satisfaction and smiled.
However, that was only for a mont.
Whir-!
Along with a purple magical power light ca a magical power communication.
When she heard the ssenger’s report transmitted through the imprint, Margaret’s face twisted violently.
“Drexler! Those idiots couldn’t even bring back one non-awakened and tucked tail?!”
Boom-!
Magical power vibrated with her outburst.
By the ti her anger had sowhat subsided.
“Do you have concerns, Your Highness?”
A clear voice flowed from behind her.
The one who appeared opening the private chamber’s entrance was a young man with red hair.
Seeing his sculpture-like features, Margaret’s gaze softened slightly.
“They say Drexler Knight Order let him escape.”
They had sent about twenty regular knights as an advance party to locate the position, then deployed captain-level knights en masse.
While the guard knight Andrei was capable, he couldn’t have blocked so many knights alone.
Yet, they had failed again.
“No, that’s not it.”
After suppressing her anger for a mont.
As if reaching so realization, anxiety crossed Margaret’s face.
“Drexler. That arrogant one must have caught the scent.”
“…”
“Friedrich. That insolent brat must have figured out what he ran away with!”
Looking at the Countess growling these words, the red-haired young man thought.
‘No, that’s impossible.’
While they had requested cooperation from the Drexler Knight Order, the information was strictly controlled.
The proof was that they only dispatched knights, not the head himself.
If Count Drexler had known what the Third Prince possessed, he would have co personally from the eastern monster front.
‘The Drexler Knight Order didn’t let him go intentionally. They truly failed.’
And that ant Prince Friedrich had acquired so new variable.
A powerful variable capable of facing dozens of captain-level knights.
In that case…
‘I’ll need to verify this.’
Having finished his thoughts, the young man bowed to Margaret.
“I will personally assess the situation on Your Highness’s behalf.”
“Oh my, you’ll do that for ?”
“Of course.”
Perhaps she was quite pleased with his act as her loyal dog.
Margaret smiled seductively and stroked the young man’s cheek with a gentle touch.
“Don’t disappoint . Understood?”
“…Yes.”
The touch of soone who appeared in their mid-40s but was actually well over 90 – a monster hag.
Though revulsion crawled through the young man’s body like insects, he didn’t show it on his face.
“Knight Karl Buckenheim. I receive Your Highness’s command.”
For the victory he would grasp in the end.
He would continue to endure and wait for his mont.
1. TLN: What the, I double-checked about Kalkas’s imprint and I was right. Last ti the author introduced it as “???????? ???? ????????” which the last word on this sentence can be translated as jester. And anwhile, here the author use “???????? ???? ??????”. Author's Thoughts
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