Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: I Am Who I Am (1)
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Court Knight Lucas Kalle had recently grown deeply concerned about the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace.
The Empress’s influence was strengthening daily, a fact that was painfully obvious to all.
From the humblest servants to the nobles who frequented the palace, those who offered themselves as her eyes and ears were overflowing.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the entire Imperial Palace was wrapped around her little finger.
“This is not good.”
The more the Empress’s position solidified, the more the standing of the one he served was bound to diminish.
Indeed, the number of nobles seeking an audience with his master had noticeably decreased of late.
Considering the nature of aristocrats, who were sensitive to shifts in power, it was a deeply worrying situation.
But there was little he, a mere Court Knight, could do.
The most he could manage was to guard his master’s safety with an ironclad defense and coax the other Court Knights to keep them from defecting to the Empress’s side.
Thanks to his efforts, the Crown Prince's Palace was more peaceful than ever.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
“Something feels off.”
The incidents of handmaidens serving poisoned tea had decreased recently.
It is said that the wind stills the day before a storm.
To Lucas Kalle, the current tranquility felt exactly like that.
“Lucy, you worry far too much.”
“Worrying is my job.”
“I’ve never heard of ‘borrowing trouble’ being part of a Court Knight’s duties.”
His master seemed to dismiss it as trivial, but that only made Lucas’s nerves fray even more.
It had reached a point where he refused to leave his master’s side at all.
“This is excessive. Truly excessive.”
Despite the gentle chiding, he steadfastly remained by the Crown Prince’s side.
Sometimes, his master would invoke his authority to order him to rest, but he adamantly refused.
‘Do not leave His Highness’s side, no matter what.’
‘Even if His Highness commands it, you, Knight Lucas, must remain with him.’
‘Watch over His Highness’s safety with the utmost care, so that you may have no regrets in the future.’
Someone’s advice lingered in his mind.
He hadn’t taken the words to heart from the beginning.
For a while, he had forgotten them entirely.
But at some point, the words began to circle in his head.
He had a feeling he would regret it if he didn't listen.
“The title of the Empire’s most stubborn man belongs to you, Lucy.”
In the end, it was his master who waved the white flag first.
With permission granted, he began to guard his master even more earnestly.
Whether during meals, walks, or even trips to the lavatory, he never strayed beyond a certain distance.
How long had he spent with his nerves stretched so taut?
Today, the palace was unusually abuzz.
“The commander of the 13th Legion has repelled all enemies who crossed the border and dealt a severe blow to their base!”
It was thanks to news that had flown in from the distant border.
“This is a great victory!”
“The stagnant mine development can finally pick up speed.”
The war council was in a festive mood, thanks to the first news of victory in a long time.
Lucas Kalle watched the scene with somber eyes.
A victory for the Empire was certainly a joyous occasion, but he couldn't fully welcome the news.
“It was Her Majesty, the Empress, who decided on the appointment of Varus Quintilian as the 13th Legion’s commander, was it not?”
“If not for him, the Empire would have suffered greatly from an unprecedented large-scale invasion of non-human species.”
“When you think about it, Her Majesty the Empress’s foresight saved the 13th front.”
It was because the commander of the victorious 13th Legion was one of the Empress’s people.
This incident would further solidify the Empress’s position.
His heart couldn't help but feel heavy.
“...This is the first time I have not been pleased by news of a victory.”
Unable to hold it back any longer, Lucas Kalle confessed his inner thoughts.
“The Empire’s strength is being tested on every front. The Empire cannot afford to lose now. A single defeat could bring about an irreversible catastrophe. Never think such thoughts again.”
He sighed inwardly at the response.
At times like these, the character of his master, who had inherited the blood of the righteous and just Azure Dragon more strongly than anyone, was simply frustrating.
“But I know what you fear. With this, the Empress will likely begin to seriously intervene in military appointments.”
While their side was preoccupied with the fruitless pursuit of the Azure Tower, the other side was reaping tangible benefits, making him all the more anxious.
His master must have felt the same.
But it was very rare for his master to reveal his emotions.
This was one of those rare times.
“They say that boy contributed greatly to the 13th Legion’s victory.”
Lucas Kalle had no trouble figuring out who his master meant by ‘that boy.’
The one who had advised him not to leave his master’s side.
A certain squire who had headed to the Cradle without a second glance, despite a groundbreaking offer.
There was only one boy who could make his master smile so brightly.
“It’s a story not recorded in the official report.”
The report only listed the deeds of the legion commander and a few knights.
The accomplishments of a mere squire were nowhere to be found.
He was curious about the source but didn't press the matter.
“Now, Lucy. Listen to this.”
He listened quietly to his master’s words.
But the tales of valor were so astounding they bordered on the absurd.
Thwarting a night raid. Predicting the enemy’s feints and ambushes to strike their rear.
Saving hundreds of stragglers from a routed thousand-man unit and annihilating an enemy force in a large-scale battle.
Raiding the enemy’s base to prevent reinforcements and saving a fortress on the brink of collapse.
His jaw dropped at the feats, which would have been difficult even for a knight, let alone a squire.
At this point, he had to question not just the truth of the information, but its very source.
“I am so glad that my eyes did not deceive me.”
But his master believed the unbelievable tales of valor as if they were gospel.
“Lucy! Lucy!”
A short while later, his master spoke, his face flushed with an excitement he had never shown before.
“It seems the Cradle plans to place that boy’s name in the Hall of Fame.”
He mentioned it was an unprecedented event for a first-year.
And that the Cradle’s leadership was racking their brains preparing other exceptional rewards.
He could no longer doubt the truth of the information.
“I so look forward to the day that boy emerges into the world!”
The Crown Prince rejoiced as if it were his own achievement, eagerly awaiting a reunion with the boy.
But it seemed that day would come sooner than expected.
“That boy left the Cradle?!”
The news came out of the blue.
The boy, who had been excelling at the Cradle, had suddenly requested to leave and was likely now wandering the world.
The news that a newly appointed professor at the Cradle had resigned and left in less than half a year was an added bonus.
“Send people! He must have gone there!”
His master, who had been eagerly awaiting the moment of their reunion, sent men to every place the boy might have a connection to.
Comrat in the west.
The Relief Knights in the mountains.
The Gaznae family.
And the monastery where the boy had stayed for a time.
“He hasn’t been to any of them?”
There was no success.
“I have a bad feeling. Something is wrong.”
Eventually, his master dispatched even his few remaining shadows to track the boy’s movements.
But there was no news of the boy; he had vanished without a trace.
* * *
I was being carried somewhere like a sack of luggage.
My whole body was tied up tight.
“Could you please untie this?”
I pleaded, my already large eyes widening even more.
“I’ll be still.”
My tone was filled with desperation.
“That’s the twenty-second time you’ve said that before attempting to escape.”
It didn't work in the slightest.
“This time, I’ll really, really be still…”
Nevertheless, I continued to plead.
I was a guy who didn't know how to give up.
But sometimes in life, you have to abandon your convictions.
“Should I cut off your legs? Or gouge out your eyes?”
Like right now.
“Ah, I know. I should sew your mouth shut. Then it’ll be quiet.”
“Hup. I’ll be quiet.”
If I kept running my mouth, I felt like one of my limbs would actually get cut off.
Maybe all of them.
I lamented inwardly.
They say when an unlucky man falls backward, he breaks his nose.
In my past life and in this one, that was me.
Otherwise, there was no way things could have gone this wrong.
On my way west with a Knight of the Azure Sky after leaving the Cradle, we were suddenly attacked.
‘I was chasing what looked like a rare Knight of a Divine Beast, and what a windfall this is, eh?’
The opponent was a monstrous being who had kept up with a griffin on foot.
‘I was wondering where you’d gone, searching the whole world for you.’
Worse, it was someone with whom I’d had a deep, ill-fated connection since Comrat.
‘Won’t you come with me?’
It wasn't a question, but a command.
I was kidnapped right then and there.
That was already a fortnight ago.
Since then, I had tried to escape by any means necessary, but all my attempts had ended in failure.
“Haa. Hup.”
I let out a sigh without thinking, then quickly clamped my mouth shut.
Fortunately, my kidnapper didn't seem to mind a sigh.
While slung over her shoulder, I stealthily glanced back at the path we had taken.
I was worried about the Knight of the Azure Sky.
When I last saw him, he had suffered a fatal wound and was unconscious.
I wasn’t sure if he would survive.
For now, all I could do was cling to a sliver of hope.
If I hadn't gone along meekly, even that small possibility wouldn't have existed.
My kidnapper had been about to devour the Knight of the Azure Sky on the spot.
“Excuse me.”
I cautiously called out to my kidnapper.
“Where are we going right now?”
“The Azure Tower.”
The curt reply reeked of annoyance.
“Excuse me. Excuse me.”
I called out to her again.
“Chatter, chatter. You really can’t keep that mouth of yours still for a moment, can you?”
Should I really sew it shut?
As my kidnapper seriously considered it, I shouted hastily.
“It’s not that, I really have to go to the bathroom!”
“Didn’t you just go?”
“It’s not on purpose, really. My stomach keeps getting pressed, so… It’s unavoidable. An act of nature.”
As I repeatedly expressed my predicament, the kidnapper finally set me down.
“If you could just untie this, it’s quite uncomfortable for doing my business.”
“I could just cut it off so it won’t be uncomfortable.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I gave a slight bow and turned around.
Conveniently, there was a massive tree right next to me.
I went around the trunk and found a spot.
For a moment, I checked for my kidnapper’s presence.
Thankfully, there was no sign of her following.
Should I make a run for it?
I considered it for a moment.
Better not. I don’t want to lose my arms and legs.
But the answer had been decided from the start.
The price of failure was far too high.
It wasn't worth the risk.
*Scrape.*
I squatted on the ground.
Picking up a stray stone, I began to write on the tree’s surface.
“Graaah! Gack! Hup! Guuuuhhh!”
All the while, I made a racket with my mouth.
「The culprit is」
My hand moved diligently.
「from the Azure Tower」
After writing that much, I checked for her presence again.
Still no sign of anything unusual.
「The Star-Eating Sorceress」
With all my senses focused beyond the tree, I continued to carve the letters.
Then, suddenly, I felt a strange presence and looked up.
The Star-Eating Sorceress, Ingna, had appeared at some point and was staring at me blankly.
Her gaze shifted to the tree trunk.
“Do not pursue?”
Her exceptionally red lips read the words I had carved.
Frozen on the spot, I…
“Hee hee.”
…could only offer a servile laugh.