episode_0079

Imperial Hundred of Berthier. House Klauwitz. My family. My home.

Besides my father, mother, and Kaya, there was someone else who made me feel like I was back.

The identity is none other than―

“Keuhk! Master! You’re finally here!”

“Oh. Alexei. How have you been?”

“Oh my god! I thought you forgot my name!”

“Does that make sense? I can’t believe I forgot your name.”

Of course. If I become the Imperial Count, I will at least be promoted to the position of Chief Butler.

After all these years together, how could I ever forget Alexei?

You’re going to be with me for life. Right? That’s what a lifetime contract is.

I walked around the garden with Alexei, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, and chatted about various things.

“I heard you were doing great in the South!”

“What about the activity? That was done by our corps commanders and soldiers.”

“Hahaha! You don’t have to be humble around me! Even if you are being a show-off, I am confident that I will clap and cheer!”

Hey, if you keep saying that, you’ll sound like such a sycophant.

Alexei’s playful shout made everyone burst into laughter.

Yeah. Looking at it this way, I definitely feel like I’m back home.

“That’s right. I also raised one arm. Should I say I threatened Benito’s army, ‘Our Imperial Legion’s target is Benito! If you keep doing this, your place to return will be burned down?’ ”

“You are truly amazing. Upon hearing the news, not only His Imperial Majesty, but also his vassals, knights, and servants could not help but admire your wisdom and strategy.”

“It’s embarrassing. Let’s just assume the enemies were fooled.”

As expected, it’s not easy to act cocky in front of someone who knows me well.

What should I say? I feel like I’m creating my own dark history.

Anyway, I feel uncomfortable. I don’t want to do this in front of these people.

“Nothing happened at home, right?”

“Of course. His Imperial Majesty, the Imperial Majesty’s wife, and Miss Kaya. They were going about their usual routine. Except for the fact that a prayer for the safe return of the young master was added.”

“You’re not even fighting with a sword or anything.”

“But aren’t you with the army as a true soldier?”

There was nothing wrong with what Alexei said.

Thanks to that, I was just shrugging my shoulders and he continued talking.

“You also had a lot of contact with Her Highness the Princess. Was there anything else that happened?”

“Watch what you say. That could be taken as disloyalty.”

“Oh my! Could it be that I meant that! I’m just curious about whether there was any communication between the two of you. Those of you who are active on the battlefield! ”

Exchange. Exchange. I guess you can’t say there isn’t any.

We exchanged opinions and talked about what each of us had done.

Some people praise, while others are embarrassed and squirm.

Then, without knowing it, they held each other’s hands… .

“Allow me to ask. How is the relationship between you and the second princess?”

Suddenly, I remembered the question the Emperor asked me a few days ago.

There I judged that it had an extremely political intention.

So, he protected her so that she would not suffer any harm as much as possible.

Not a competitor who threatens the throne of the next emperor, but a trustworthy relative.

But it seems that the emperor’s intentions were not like that.

Because the emperor sighed and said something else after hearing my answer.

“Asking about the relationship between the sexes. Prince Kael.”

The moment I heard that, my head literally went blank.

Did I hear that correctly? I couldn’t accept it at first.

I even forgot my position as a noble and asked, “Huh?”

An action taken in front of none other than the Emperor.

When I said that and was surprised and dumbfounded, the emperor laughed.

Yeah. Really. I really laughed, not in a metaphorical way.

But I became even more nervous and scared.

Clearly, that emperor has no hostility towards me.

I felt like something big was going to happen if I didn’t answer quickly.

So, without realizing it, my hands were trembling and I answered like this.

“I think you are a good… person.”

I’m not asking with political intentions, but there are still some what-ifs.

Plus, I myself thought the princess was a good person.

Honestly. Plus, a little bit of contingencies included.

When I answered like that, the emperor looked at me intently.

“That’s enough. I really like that answer.”

Even now, when I think about that time, I feel dizzy.

I can’t believe the Emperor asked me what I thought of the princess rationally.

What if my brain was hanging between my legs like in some novel from my past life?

I think maybe he was talking nonsense and the ball and everything got smashed to pieces.

“Master?”

“… .”

“Master Kael!”

Uh, uh uh.

“Did you call?”

“How many times have you called? Are you very tired?”

“I didn’t think so, but it seems a little like that.”

“Then go and rest. There is going to be a party tonight to celebrate the return of the young master and the great victory of the empire, but what if the main character is like this?”

Party. When I hear that word, I can’t help but say, ‘It seems a little early.’

The imperial legions that had been with me returned to their original places.

But if you look closely, the war between Benito and the Empire is not over yet.

Benito simply lost his main force and was left with all his limbs cut off, so he was quiet.

The Empire is trying to take a break from the activities of a new enemy called Dedorant.

Unlike the Novogorsk region in the north, which retreated early, or the east, which became collaborators, bystanders, and surrenderers respectively.

The war is still ongoing. The Empire and Benito are still enemies.

In the meantime, a guy named Dedorant suddenly appears and pretends to stop them.

“… Then I’ll take a break for now. Let me know if anything comes up.”

“Get some rest and I’ll see you later, Your Majesty.”

Oh, and! Alexei says this with a smile.

“Although I don’t know how much it will be, I sincerely welcome you back home.”

*

“… .”

Charlo had been waiting for something with an anxious look for several days.

The reason she, who never lost her composure in anything, acted like this was because of one piece of news.

“There’s going to be a small party in the Imperial Hundred Territory of Berthier.”

It’s literally a ‘small’ party. There aren’t many guests invited from outside.

As soon as he heard that, Charlois expressed his desire to attend the Imperial Baekryong, despite his rudeness.

Just a year ago, it was only known as one of the Imperial Hundreds.

It’s not like I have any particular connection with the Berthier Imperial Army.

But Charlois absolutely wanted to attend that party.

No, I absolutely had to attend. And I had to meet that man.

‘Kael Klauwitz.’

The first time I encountered him was during a time of friction between the Empire and Novogord.

At that time, Kael was a person with no notable activities.

At best, as the eldest son of the Imperial Count, all he did was serve in the army.

Then, in the North, which could be considered the first stage, he showed quite an impressive performance.

From then on, Charlo began to take interest in a man named Kael.

I don’t know what it was, but I felt something special that I couldn’t express in words.

A young noble who has dealt a solid blow to the battle-hardened demons.

A man who says he was just lucky, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

Only then did his true worth begin to be revealed throughout the East.

The three kingdoms that had tried to resist the empire through a coalition were torn apart by his schemes.

They even made them fight against each other so that they could never come together again.

‘It was from that time. In our Novogord, too, the number of people who became interested in him and began to study him increased.’

Even Charleroi himself, who had obtained and studied his strategy at the time, was quite surprised.

The scheme was too elaborate to be attributed to someone who simply relied on luck.

Because it gave even more power to an empire that already had the upper hand.

Charleroi later entered the empire and headed to the academy.

Then, when war broke out in the South, my schedule was thrown out of whack along with my leave of absence.

At first I was very disappointed, but soon I realized that it was a good thing.

Thanks to that, I had time to study Kael’s plan to head south.

‘A battle that almost annihilated Benito’s main force. At first, it was difficult because only fragmentary information was received, but soon, thanks to the return of the Empire’s 6th and 13th Legions, we were able to know the truth.’

Benito declared war on the Empire, so the Empire will attack Benito.

War is about defeating the leader of the enemy country, that is, the king.

―That’s what Benito’s main force seemed to firmly believe.

But Kael saw right through those thoughts.

I predicted exactly where I would stab the opponent to make them react in shock.

Then he turned the two legions around and first broke down the defensive line of the ring.

‘Honestly, that part made me nod my head.’

Looking at the situation at the time, the Imperial Legion had an overwhelming advantage.

Even though the Gori Kingdom Army is a defender, the qualitative difference is too great.

If I were an ordinary person, I would have believed in that superiority and just pushed through with force.

Charlo himself thought that the difference in power was enough.

But Kael used that very part to shake the ring.

The burden, the fear, the terror they felt. They used it to their heart’s content.

There was also a plan to entrust the kingdoms near the country to the princess.

In the end, he made Gori retreat on his own without shedding a single drop of blood.

It’s not just about not taking friendly damage that’s important.

What is important is that it has induced internal rifts in the enemies and made them more impatient.

“This is the next climax… .”

The 13th Army Corps strikes Benito’s front. Surprised, Benito’s army retreats.

The 6th Corps blocks their path as if to buy time.

They shout that they will build a drain near the river at the crossroads and have a go at it.

Benito had to choose. No, he was forced to choose.

If you want to go back, you must defeat the 6th Army Corps before you go.

If you want to save your country, you have to make a move here.

This is precisely why Charlois esteems and fears Kael so highly.

‘He never allows his enemies the upper hand. No matter what it takes. Never.’

If the enemy has the upper hand, we will bring them down by any means necessary.

Otherwise, it gives your allies an advantage over your enemies momentarily.

So when the perfect moment is ripe, we harvest in abundance.

Some might say, what’s the big deal about fighting only on the high ground?

Isn’t the person who turns an unfavorable situation around truly great?

If that were really the case, Charlo was going to laugh out loud and call his opponent a retard.

The way to fight is to first establish an advantage and then fight.

That’s why it looks easy. It feels like it’s just a matter of luck.

Without even imagining what kind of terrifying dagger was flying inside.

The opponent is the type who is extremely concerned about gaining the upper hand.

The tactics used there are at a level where you can be affected even if you don’t know them, and you can be affected even if you know them.

The news from his homeland that had recently arrived there made Charleroi even more anxious.

[ Lately, Atria has been sending people to Novogord frequently. ]

There is one thing Charleroi has learned from his time in politics.

Don’t do something crazy like turning someone difficult to deal with into an enemy.

That was why I wanted to meet Kael in person this time.