The Imperial Palace of the Britannia Empire.
A middle-aged knight walks.
Clank, clank.
With every step he takes, his pristine white armor makes a heavy metallic sound.
“Vice-captain.”
The knight guarding Princess Aina’s residence immediately stands at attention upon seeing him.
“You’re working hard.”
“May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
“I have a report for Princess Aina.”
“Ah, I see. Please proceed.”
Clack, clack!
The subordinate knights saluted in unison.
The vice-captain nodded slightly and then stepped inside, pausing to ask.
“Anything unusual?”
“No, sir. It’s just a bit tiring as the number of guests for Her Highness is increasing.”
“I understand how you feel. Lack of motivation, isn’t it?”
“… Pardon?”
“The White Knights aren’t meant to be mere gatekeepers.”
The White Knights are one of the two knightly orders symbolizing the Britannia Empire. They serve the imperial family, specifically under the direct command of the Emperor, and handle various tasks. However, since Princess Aina took command, their duties have become increasingly arbitrary.
“I’m not sure if I should say this, Vice-captain.”
“… Speak.”
“These days, it feels like we’re directly under Princess Aina. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing!”
The vice-captain sighed as he listened to the stammering subordinate knight.
“It feels less like we’re serving the Empire, right?”
“… Yes, exactly.”
Motivation is important.
Especially for an honorable position like a knight.
The vice-captain looked at the report in his hand.
A bundle of documents prepared to report on the movements of the Blood Cult.
Normally, such important information should be used for meetings.
It shouldn’t be reported to just one person.
‘… It’s because Princess Aina’s popularity is skyrocketing.’
People across the continent revere the heroes. Though it has been over a year since the Demon King was slain, the heroes’ fame shows no signs of waning.
Of course, the vice-captain also applauded the heroes’ achievements.
He agreed that they deserved proper recognition.
However.
‘Too much power is being concentrated in Princess Aina.’
Princess Aina’s momentum was like a snowball rolling off a cliff. She was the one who defeated the Demon King. People accepted anything given to her, believing it wasn’t enough. The White Knights were also victims of this. One of the two knightly orders was controlled by a princess, not the Emperor. How did this make any sense?
But there was no way to voice complaints.
A knight is merely a sword for the Empire.
A sword does not express opinions.
It simply performs its duty silently.
… Of course, this is the official stance.
‘A justification is needed.’
A reason to stop the princess’s rampage. Nothing is apparent now, but someday it will appear.
“Good work.”
“Yes, Vice-captain!”
His steps grew heavier as he walked away.
◆
Princess Aina’s office.
Aina, seated behind an elegant wooden desk, inquires,
“Still no leads on the Blood Cult leaders?”
“No. We’ve managed to track down some ordinary members, but we’re focusing more on infiltration than on simple identification now.”
“Hasn’t it been over six months already?”
“Infiltration isn’t easy. The Blood Cult is particularly meticulous about security.”
“Hah.”
Watching Princess Aina sigh, the vice-captain clenched his fist out of sight.
Infiltrating an enemy organization is no easy task.
One wrong move and they could be captured or killed.
In this case, the mission to expose the Blood Cult had even increased the risk to the knights’ safety for the sake of speed.
Since the prophecy stated that the Blood Cult was trying to summon the ‘King of the Underworld’.
The knights were sacrificing themselves with the belief that they were doing so for the Empire.
But this woman doesn’t understand that.
Grit.
The vice-captain clenched his fist once more and then bowed his head.
“We’ll try to speed things up a bit.”
“You should. What’s the current status of the White Knights dispatched?”
The vice-captain adjusted his glasses slightly and began to speak.
“We’re monitoring prominent families closely connected to the imperial family, such as the ducal and count families. A total of twenty knights have been dispatched, and there have been no special reports.”
“Sir Reinhardt’s pressure on me is increasing. Please ensure results are delivered as quickly as possible.”
Aina murmured without even looking up.
The vice-captain bit his lip slightly.
Our order doesn’t work for you, but for the Empire.
He wanted to retort, but he couldn’t.
As long as the Emperor had handed over control to her, the order had to follow her.
“… Understood.”
The vice-captain bowed his head.
As he walked out of the office, he spoke with his back turned.
“But, Princess.”
“Do you have something else to say?”
“If we find anything that threatens the Empire’s safety, we will cut it down, no matter what it is. That is our role.”
Clang.
Without waiting for a response, he left the room.
◆
“… Damn it!”
Aina threw a book at the closed door.
— Bang!
The book hit the door with a loud noise.
Even so, the sound was nothing compared to Aina’s rage.
Damn.
Aina took a deep breath, suppressing the curses that threatened to spill out.
Since becoming a hero, everything had been good.
Her ranking in the line of succession had skyrocketed, leaving only the First Prince ahead of her.
That wasn’t all.
The best part was that her ‘requests’ now carried weight. A hero’s demands, justified by her slaying of the Demon King, were more persuasive than any pretext.
The White Knights were a prime example.
According to the prophecy, they needed to find Lee Han to prevent the revival of a disaster. They also needed to root out the Blood Cult, who aimed to bring the disaster to the continent. It wasn’t something she could do alone. So, the princess requested the cooperation of the less strict White Knights. The emperor granted her control.
— The hero’s actions can be trusted.
Even the ministers, rarely in agreement, had concurred.
It was the treatment accorded to a hero.
The primary reason Aina was doing so well.
However.
“Hah…”
Aina held her forehead.
Under the guise of being a hero, she was given anything. But that was it. Just like the Vice-captain of the White Knights who had just left, they followed orders. They made it clear they were only complying because it was an order.
She couldn’t fully make them her own.
“Why?”
Lack of leadership. Aina found it difficult to pinpoint what aspect of herself was the problem. How could she fully control those under her? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find a proper solution.
“That guy Lee Han….”
He excelled at this.
What he needed wasn’t ‘command authority’.
Even knights who came merely to deliver news would end up assisting his party wholeheartedly after just a few words with him.
“How did he manage to win over the knights?”
Grit.
Aina clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.
She had thought everything would go well without Lee Han. She even thought it would be better……
On the surface, everything seemed fine, but internally, it was falling apart.
“Aah…”
Aina clutched her golden hair.
She didn’t care about ruining her hairstyle as she buried her head on the desk.
Ultimately, only one thing mattered.
Whether or not she could seize the throne.
Even if there was no one loyal to her, once she ascended to the throne, they would bow their heads.
That was the position of the emperor of the Empire.
Ultimately, only one thing matters.
Lee Han. Can she reclaim her only weakness?
If, as the prophecy states, he has been resurrected, she must retrieve him and silence him.
She already had a plan.
The princess fondly caressed a vial in her desk drawer.
◆
The grand mansion of the Grey Dukedom.
Here, amidst the ongoing ‘Magic Orb Test’ of the Blood Cult, Lloyd looked up at the man standing before him.
“Why are the White Knights here…?”
“We’re here to root out the Blood Cult. They’re bringing disaster to the continent…….”
(TLN: Yes, I know that he was introduced as a Sun Knight but it seems to have been changed now, however the author hasn’t edited it in the old chapter.)
Knight Arno’s gaze swept over Lloyd.
“But to my eyes, it seems the disaster has already arrived.”
“Are you saying I’m the disaster?”
“Yes. Lloyd, when you lost consciousness, an overwhelming aura emanated from you. It was boundless and seemed impossible to oppose.”
Damn.
It must have been when I was meeting Ortega that this knight entered my room. Did Ortega’s energy leak from my body while I was unconscious?
The first thing I saw when I woke up was that knight. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was strange from the start when he suddenly offered to serve me. He must have been constantly waiting for a chance to kill me since then.
Ron. No, Edward Arno, smiled sadly.
“I’m sorry, but you must die now.”
Schwing.
He drew a thin sword hidden in his pants and continued.
“Lloyd. From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were not ordinary. So, I kept an eye on you.”
“…”
“And by luck, I witnessed the moment when something unbelievable was inside you.”
“That.”
“No excuses are necessary. Whatever it is, if it awakens, the world will end.”
Step.
He took a step closer.
I stepped back, but there was no escape, blocked by a tree.
“I’m sorry, but you must die.”
The White Knight spoke politely.
“For the Empire.”
His pristine white sword lunged towards Lloyd’s neck.
