Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Chapter 25. The Wind Blows (3)
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In my past life, no matter how hard I worked to become a knight, no one gave me a second glance.
Forget being a knight; it was rare for anyone to even accept me as an esquire.
There's a reason I spent ten miserable years rolling in the dirt under that damned Roman.
They called me an opportunist and worse.
Those labels stuck to me like a brand, earning me nothing but scorn.
But in this life, for some reason, everyone I meet wants to make me a knight.
Grita Giftrang.
The Crown Prince of the great empire.
The Black Knight.
All of them had either offered to make me a knight or told me to follow them.
“Just one word is all it takes. One word saying you'll leave the Cradle is enough. Do that, and you can become a knight revered by all.”
Compared to their offers, the proposal this Royal Inspector was blabbering about seemed utterly trivial.
“So, what will you do?”
He pressed me while I was lost in thought.
“You don't seem to believe me.”
When I didn't answer, the Royal Inspector jumped to his own conclusions and spoke with a confident look.
“The one I serve can make you a knight anytime they wish.”
Then and now, he acted as if my refusal was out of the question.
“The one you serve is...”
I asked slyly.
“Have you already forgotten where I've come from?”
Seeing him reply as if he'd been waiting for it, I jumped in place.
“Gasp! The... the Imperial Family!”
I didn't forget to gasp for air with a look of utter shock.
“That's right. Accept my offer, and you will serve a member of the imperial family.”
The Royal Inspector whispered in a suggestive tone.
He wouldn't say that the person he served wasn't the Emperor, even if it killed him, clearly hoping I would misunderstand on my own.
If I hadn't known about the internal power struggles of the Imperial Family, I would have firmly believed he served the Emperor.
Of course, such a ploy wouldn't work on me now.
“A court knight!”
Hiding my true thoughts, I continued to play the part of an innocent cadet.
“B-but I'm a cadet of the Cradle. Once I graduate from here, I'll naturally be serving the Empire anyway...”
I was determined to hear the name of the one he served from those loathsome lips.
“Just because you graduate from the Cradle doesn't mean you get to serve the imperial family. The majority of graduates end up taking on dangerous posts no one wants or are relegated to wandering the borders. You can trust me; I once served as a professor here at the Cradle.”
The Royal Inspector said, feigning sympathy.
“Once you're far from the capital, it's nearly impossible to return. To spend your whole life wandering the frontiers after graduating from the Empire's finest academy... it's a pitiful fate.”
His tone was convinced that border duty was a waste of a life.
It was an unknightly thing to say for someone who should consider it an honor to die fighting on the battlefield.
But there were also knights of this sort in the world.
Those who sat at desks and did nothing but run their mouths.
Political knights, carpet knights—this was exactly how they operated.
I never got along with carpet knights.
The one who brutally tortured and executed me in my final moments in my past life was also a carpet knight.
There was no way I could have a good rapport with them.
The severed sinews of my limbs from my past life seemed to tingle for no reason.
“But His Highness the Crown Prince promised to summon me after I graduate...”
It was a roundabout way of saying that I was destined for the Imperial Palace even without his offer.
The Royal Inspector's eyes gleamed.
Far from being troubled, he seemed to welcome it.
“Is there any need to complicate things? You're going to the Imperial Palace anyway, so just think of it as going a little early.”
A note of persistence crept into his persuasion.
“But if I don't graduate from the Cradle, couldn't a disappointed Crown Prince withdraw his offer?”
To this, I asked with feigned concern.
“You're a worrier.”
He had every reason to get angry at my constant evasiveness, but the Royal Inspector never lost his temper.
“My offer has nothing to do with the Crown Prince's promise. Just give me your answer now, and you can become a knight serving the imperial family.”
“How?”
“Because the Crown Prince isn't the only member of the imperial family.”
“Oh.”
“You will serve one of them.”
“What if the Crown Prince becomes displeased with me for serving another royal?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince is not so petty.”
But his patience finally seemed to be wearing thin, as irritation began to creep into his voice.
His tone had also stiffened, unlike before.
“He may not be, but what if he just happens to get particularly angry this time?”
“...Even if His Highness the Crown Prince is the future heir to the Empire, he cannot harm the knight of another royal.”
“What if he speaks ill of the person I serve? Or gives them the cold shoulder?”
“What on earth do you think the imperial family is...”
The Royal Inspector gasped, struggling to compose his expression.
“What if he holds a grudge against me even after he ascends the throne?”
“What if he issues an imperial decree to cast me out as an insolent wretch?”
“What if he persecutes me, torments me, and makes my life miserable?”
“What if the one I serve can't withstand the pressure?”
“And what if I end up being despised and eventually abandoned?”
I bombarded him with one question after another.
“That won't happen, so please, just shut your mouth!”
His patience finally exhausted, the Royal Inspector roared.
“Let me make this clear right now: the person you will serve is not in a position to be pressured, nor are they so weak of character that they would break even if they were.”
“But the Crown Prince is the future heir to the Empire. The situation could change later on.”
“...It won't change!”
The Royal Inspector, speaking through clenched teeth, hastily added another sentence, as if worried I would unleash another barrage of questions.
“Because there is no child in this world who would persecute their own mother.”
I stared at him, my eyes wide.
“The one I serve is Her Majesty, the Empress.”
The Royal Inspector's face became smug once more.
“Now do you believe me?”
I nodded.
Indeed, the Empress was in a position that not even the Crown Prince could treat lightly.
Persecuting the Empress would be an unforgivable sin.
Even if that empress wasn't his biological mother.
The same would be true even after the Crown Prince ascended the throne.
“So, cast aside your useless worries and go submit your withdrawal application at once. Her Majesty the Empress will then take you in and make you a knight of the Imperial Household...”
“No, thank you.”
“Good. A wise decision... what?”
The smugly chattering Royal Inspector's eyes flew wide open.
“I said I'm not withdrawing.”
In truth, I never had any intention of accepting the Royal Inspector's offer.
Not only was he less trustworthy than the others who had asked me to follow them, but I could also tell what kind of person he was just from this brief encounter.
You can judge a superior by their subordinate.
The Empress's character was plain to see.
It started with her calmly poisoning the Crown Prince—who, while not her biological son, was still her stepson on the surface.
An incarnation of lust for power who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.
It was better in every way not to associate with such a person.
Sweet when useful, bitter when not.
Being manipulated and then cast aside by someone who toyed with people was an experience I only needed once in my past life.
“I appreciate the offer, but I must refuse.”
I once again stated my refusal to the Royal Inspector, who was still staring at me with a dazed expression, unable to grasp the situation.
“You...?”
Seeing my complete change in tone, fury rose on the Royal Inspector's face.
“You bastard! There's a limit to toying with people! How dare a mere cadet...!”
“I wasn't toying with you.”
I was just confirming something.
With this, I was certain.
The Royal Inspector's offer was never about winning me over.
It wasn't because I was special, either.
It was simply an expression of their will to leave no one by the Crown Prince's side.
Even if it was just a worthless scrap of a cadet.
If that wasn't their goal, there would be no reason to put in so much effort and show such patience with a mere cadet.
As I thought, it's best not to get involved with the Empress's faction.
“Huuu.”
The Royal Inspector let out a long breath.
He looked furious enough to grab me by the collar and throw me to the ground at any moment.
But it seemed his experience surviving the schemes and intrigues of court life wasn't for nothing.
“As an adult, and as someone who once belonged to the Cradle, let me give you a piece of advice.”
His stiff-faced attempt at acting like a wise adult was quite pathetic.
“Refusals are only for those who can handle the consequences. If you're not confident you can, then you shouldn't create a situation where you have to refuse.”
For all his posturing as an adult, the words he spouted were nothing but a vile threat disguised as advice.
“And not angering your superiors is another virtue that rabble like you should possess.”
“That's not one piece...”
“What?”
“You said you'd give me one piece of advice.”
“...”
The Royal Inspector's mouth gaped open.
Befitting a carpet knight who wielded his tongue instead of a sword, his pale face, untouched by the sun, quickly turned crimson.
“Huuu.”
Controlling his anger with a deep breath as before, he glared at me and spoke coldly.
“It seems I have just fulfilled a solemn order from Her Majesty the Empress.”
It was a sudden remark, but not an incomprehensible one.
In other words.
“That seditious and outrageous document. The cadets call it the Apocalypse, I believe? It means I think I've found the one who wrote it.”
He was saying he would frame me for treason.
For a moment, I was surprised.
It was a surprising display of insight and intuition.
Regardless of his reasons, he was right that he'd found the culprit in such a short time.
“Let me tell you in advance, forget any ideas of proving your innocence through a trial. Those who commit treason are not given a chance to defend themselves.”
A sinister smile spread across the Royal Inspector's face.
“The truth is of no importance. Even if you didn't do it, if I say you are guilty, then you are guilty. This sort of thing isn't difficult. It's not the first time, either.”
Listening to him prattle on, it seemed this wasn't the first or second time he'd framed an innocent person for treason.
Of course, I wasn't the least bit innocent.
“It seems to be sinking in now. Who you've messed with.”
Looking at the Royal Inspector, who was now chattering triumphantly, I let out a small laugh.
“Do you know something?”
“Hmph. If you're thinking of begging for forgiveness now, don't bother. It's too late.”
I ignored his snort and continued speaking.
“I didn't realize it, but I must have done a lot of good deeds in my past life. I seem to be blessed with good people in this one.”
Of course, it's not like there aren't people who hate me in this life.
But at least, unlike in my past life, there were people who worried about me.
“When I was summoned to the Director's office, the kids tried to follow me. But I shook them all off. It's a pain, you know? Dragging a line of half-grown kids around is just a hassle.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“Anyway, there's this one kid named Boen. He's a total coward. But the strange thing about him is, he has an unnaturally faint presence. He's better suited to be an assassin than a knight. So I had him scout for me once, and seriously, no one noticed him even when he was right next to them.”
“What on earth have you been talking about...?”
The Royal Inspector, who had been glaring at me contemptuously, suddenly stiffened.
“Who's there!”
“E-eeek!”
He roared with the aura of a knight, such as he was, and a kid revealed himself from the side of the building.
It was the coward from Squad 3, Boen.
“See? I was right, wasn't I? Even for a carpet knight's rusty senses, failing to notice someone at this distance shows his presence is exceptionally faint. It's definitely not normal.”
As I joked that the kid was truly born to be an assassin, the Royal Inspector's expression grew even colder.
“You've made another mistake.”
“Is it really just one this time? You're not going to say one and then list two, like with the advice earlier?”
“...I wonder if you'll still be running that mouth of yours when you're standing on the execution grounds for treason, side by side with your precious classmate.”
He meant to lump Boen in with the treason charge to silence him as well.
“What! How could you even think of that! Framing an innocent cadet!”
“...You're a little late to be making that argument.”
Well, before it wasn't an innocent person, but now it really is.
“Yes. Looking at it this way, the picture is much clearer. Two is better than one.”
The Royal Inspector, having completely shown his true colors, cackled.
“Oh, right. There's also a kid named Lian in our group. He's the leader of my Squad 3. You know of Kart the Iron Wall, right? He's the son of that house. He's got a strong sense of responsibility. He made a huge fuss trying to follow me into the disciplinary committee hearing before, too. Anyway, there's a guy like that.”
“It seems you're still short on companions for your trip to the underworld. Go on. Call as many as you like.”
“No, that's not it. I'm just saying he's a bit over-the-top.”
“So the name 'Iron Wall' didn't work, and now you're changing your tune?”
I shook my head.
“He really is over-the-top...”
“I'll have to do something about that mouth of yours that never rests.”
At my words, the Royal Inspector drew a dazzling sword that looked more decorative than practical.
“First, I'll cut out your tongue. That should shut you up.”
He approached with his sword drawn, as if to deny me any chance of proving my innocence, but then he froze in place.
*Whoosh!*
Then he spun around, brandishing his sword.
He was rusty, but the fundamentals remained.
It seemed that even if he hadn't held a sword in years, a knight was still a knight.
Even in his haste, the force behind his sword was considerable.
*Thwack.*
But the powerfully thrust sword was stopped mid-air before it could reach its target.
“Sloppy.”
A shadow that had appeared like a ghost spoke in a languid tone.
A figure dressed in black from head to toe.
“Huh?”
The head of House Gaznae and the first Zodiac Knight.
“Professor Navian!”
The Black Knight, in her disguised identity, stood there.
“See? I told you he was over-the-top.”
The needlessly responsible squad leader, who had brought the Black Knight for such a trivial matter, was running toward us from a distance, panting.
“So, what were you saying about this child's tongue?”
A wind began to swirl around the body of the Empire's greatest knight.