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30 – The Prince’s Gift

30 – The Prince’s Gift

“The Beloved Ally”

Being on good terms with everyone is a positive way to put it. Negatively speaking, it’s an existence called a bat that claims neutrality.

Usually in fiction, such characters are portrayed as uncool and too cunning, so they are disregarded.

However, historically, the common trait of those who survived for a long time is that they became beloved allies and did not make enemies.

Not making enemies is an extraordinary ability.

People and organizations have thorns that cause them to make enemies.

In such situations, those who hid their thorns and managed their relationships well to avoid being perceived as enemies, even if conflicts arose, may not have become heroes but survived for a long time as beloved allies.

Of course, there are problems.

[Encoded text omitted]

Often, the treatment they received was poor compared to their efforts and achievements, and they could be called bats and insulted for benefiting from both sides.

But it was fine.

Being called a bat vs. getting beheaded, which is the better option?

There was no comparison already.

So I decided to become a bat and started focusing on diplomacy.

I sent bribes to the Platinum Council and sent 15% of Dreyhart’s profits to both the Silk and Lion families to save their face.

Honestly, I wanted to ignore the Lion family, but I sent it considering the Prince’s face behind them.

I was building a good relationship with the Princess using Lana.

From the beginning, I had nothing to hide, so I took Lana around and opened up all my information.

I invested all the money I earned for the people and shared the profits from Dreyhart as much as possible, appealing that I had no political ambitions.

I spread the message that I was just a lord who wanted to live kindly and modestly without greed, so they should consider me an ally rather than an enemy.

Probably after hearing information from Lana, the Princess Faction would have confirmed me as an ally or potential ally and treat me as such.

The problem was the Prince’s side.

My only connection with the Prince was through the Lion family, and our family’s relationship with them was the worst.

Their fault was great, but that was a separate issue.

While I was pondering how to improve relations with the Prince, someone knocked on the door.

Knock! Knock!

“Come in.”

At my words, the door opened and a messenger entered.

He came in with a very nervous expression this time as well.

“What’s the matter?”

“Yes! My Lord! It’s nothing else but a letter has arrived for you from the Imperial Family.”

“A letter from the Imperial Family!?”

Upon hearing that another letter had come from the Imperial Family, I hurriedly received the letter from the messenger.

What kind of letter could it be this time?

Honestly, so many possibilities came to mind that I had no idea who sent it.

It could have been sent by the Prince, or the Princess might have sent it asking to see my face.

Hoping it wasn’t like that event letter, I broke the Imperial seal and read the letter.

This is what it said:

——————————

Lord of Crone, Calix Crone.

Your name is reaching me on the winds of the Empire.

The expansion of rewards for the people, tax reform, and suppression of the rebellion in Dreyhart – the determination and responsibility you have shown in these processes will be an example for all nobles.

However, that also means that your actions are catching attention.

These days, the black hands of the Blood Clan are spreading throughout the Empire.

I heard that you were also threatened with assassination.

To prevent a talent like you from falling victim to such schemes as assassination, I wish to send one of my guard knights to your side.

He is a recognized expert even within the Golden Knights Order and will be more than sufficient to protect you.

I look forward to the day when we can meet safely.

First Prince – Kailos Sword Novarens

——————————

“…………”

Having just seen the Princess’s letter, I was surprised by this properly formatted letter.

Yes, in fact, letter culture wasn’t that different in this other world, so sending such a formal letter was normal.

The Princess was the strange one after all!

After I confirmed the letter, Hart asked.

“My Lord, who from the Imperial Family sent the letter?”

“It’s from the Prince. He says he’s sending a guard knight because the assassination threat is great.”

“How could this be! For the Prince to send a guard knight, this is a tremendous honor!”

“Yes, indeed.”

After receiving Lana, I investigated and found that unlike the Princess, the Prince rarely sent his people to other lords.

Moreover, even with competitors, the Prince was the most powerful figure in the Empire.

For such a Prince to worry about my safety and even send a guard knight was a great honor.

This should be enough to improve the relationship with the Prince that I was worried about, but on the other hand, it was also very burdensome.

If the Princess had subtly tried to build a relationship with me, the Prince had blatantly staked his claim on me.

If I mismanage this, I could be hated by both sides or be forced to take one side and end up in the same boat.

To become a beloved ally who survives to the end while receiving favor from both sides, I needed to do some serious bat-like diplomacy from now on.

As I was steeling my resolve while drinking the tea Lana had given me, Lana spoke.

“It’s strange. I’m by your side, My Lord, so I don’t understand why you need another guard knight.”

Lana was now serving as both a maid and guard, recognized for her combat abilities.

Knowing Lana’s abilities, I had induced a match between her and Mark, one of the guard soldiers from the Crone Knights in charge of my protection, to draw out Lana’s skills. As expected, Lana completely thrashed Mark.

Her movements were close to that of an assassin or almost ninja-like to anyone watching, but Lana insisted to the end that it was just ordinary martial arts, and we just decided to believe her.

To Lana’s words, I summarized in one sentence.

“Who will protect me when Lana goes to school during the day?”

“I see, I understand. Your guard knight is absolutely necessary, My Lord.”

Even now, Lana went to school as a teacher 2-3 times a week.

She really seemed to find it suitable and had grown attached to the children, continuously asking for my permission to go to school. I kept allowing it because it was nice to see Lana doing something she wanted to do of her own will.

If Lana didn’t go to school and protected me, we wouldn’t need an additional guard knight… but judging by her reaction now, she seemed to really enjoy going to school as a teacher.

“Now with this, we can improve relations with the Prince as well.”

“That’s right, My Lord. If you speak well with the Prince, even those lions will quiet down.”

When I briefly played before, the Prince was a pragmatist, not a villain.

He allowed Hadem to run wild because he did so within minimal rules, and if Hadem had broken even those minimal rules or if the Crone family had been part of the Prince Faction, he would have intervened and sorted things out long ago.

The reason I couldn’t quickly align with the Prince was due to the characteristics of this world where unexpected events like the assassination event could always occur and threaten one’s life.

It’s really too hard to live here.

For now, we decided to discuss diplomacy towards the Prince’s side again after the guard knight arrived.

If Noah were here, we could decide on a policy faster, but Noah was now working hard in Dreyhart as my representative.

I looked forward to seeing which guard knight would come, recalling the knights I remembered from when I played on the Prince’s side in my past life.

And a few days later, the guard knight arrived.

Unlike Lana, that guard knight came riding a warhorse.

With beautiful light green long hair tied back, that female knight showed off her noble-like beauty, dignified and beautiful, as she arrived at my castle.

Upon arrival, befitting her Golden Knights Order background, she dismounted while maintaining perfect knightly etiquette, came before me, knelt on one knee, and said:

“I am Azel Tis of the Golden Knights Order, sent by order of Prince to guard you, My Lord. It is an honor to protect the renowned Lord of Crone who upholds justice. From today, I shall protect your safety like an iron fortress!”

“Y-Yes, welcome… Azel Tis…”

The guard knight who introduced herself as Azel Tis looked at me with admiring eyes.

While a beautiful young woman was looking at me with admiration, I broke out in a cold sweat on my back.

Because unlike with Lana, I knew her well in a different sense.

Her name was “Azel Tis”

She was a top-tier ‘guard knight’ among the SSR knight characters with the alias “Knight of the Moonlight”.

In particular, she had an extremely unique blessing, which gave her absolute power when facing certain types of bosses.

The problem was her sense of justice.

When playing with her as a vassal,

If you committed many evil deeds and your morality gauge dropped below a certain level, becoming an unjust lord,

She would stab her unjust lord in the stomach and commit suicide.

Due to such behavior that defied common sense, she was given various nicknames.

“Justice Psychopath”, “Knight of Stabbing”, and “Kingslayer”

The Prince had sent a “Kingslayer” to our domain.

Azel Tis Illustration

[Image of Azel Tis]

Author’s Note (Afterword)

Thank you [Alcohol Cat]!!!!

I will repay your kindness with an even better work!!!!

??: Take this bomb- I mean gift!!!!!

???: This really seems like a bomb though?