Chapter 14
Chapter 14
On the day before the operation to wipe out the criminal organization “Kroso,” Emperor Phercio Roseshill and Yuri Roseshill were having a conversation when the Emperor suddenly froze for a moment.
Because in his daughter’s expression, he clearly saw something familiar.
“Y-You will grant my request… right?”
For a brief moment, he was confused.
Then he flinched.
It looked like—
That face was the face of someone in love.
He couldn’t help but be shocked.
Yuri Roseshill, who had always acted as if she had no desires at all, was clearly fixated on a single knight.
Of course, this was not necessarily a bad thing for the Emperor.
Yuri likes that person… it must be Sir Damien. Although he is a commoner, he is the son of the Giant Slayer I once considered granting a noble title. And he has already proven himself through major accomplishments.
In his eyes, there was no better match.
More importantly, it was also the most reliable way to keep the Giant Slayer “Zigmund” within the empire.
Nobles might object because he is a commoner, but Damien is already a complete individual. A title can be resolved with more merit.
The Emperor nodded.
“Yuri, as you wish, I will appoint Sir Damien as your exclusive bodyguard knight, one rank above an ordinary imperial knight. Will that satisfy you?”
“Yes! Thank you, Father!”
“Are you that happy?”
“I-I just think he’s a trustworthy person! We’ve spent some time together, so I understand his character…”
“Ho ho, very well. I will inform Commander Jerome tomorrow. From now on, you shall be accompanied by him wherever you go.”
◈
“What did you say…?”
I had been summoned in the middle of processing the aftermath of the purge operation when I heard the report from the commander.
I was genuinely stunned.
“From today onward, you are appointed as the exclusive bodyguard knight of Her Highness Princess Yuri.”
Exclusive bodyguard knight.
Not just a knight assigned to her, but exclusive.
“In non-wartime situations, only Her Highness Yuri may issue you commands. An exclusive bodyguard operates independently, prioritizing the person they protect above all orders.”
In the Roseshill Empire, imperial knights were divided into two categories.
One was the Imperial Guard Knights, who prioritized the safety of the empire and obeyed all orders of the knight order without exception.
The other was the Royal Exclusive Bodyguard Knights, who, unless it was wartime, even ignored the Emperor’s orders if necessary and focused solely on protecting their assigned royal.
The latter position had essentially been unused, as it risked factional conflict.
Currently, only Yuri Roseshill had been granted that privilege, and even then, only one person had filled it before: Cecilia Silvestra.
Now I was added as well.
So it came to this… as a reward?
Entirely possible.
Given the scale of what we accomplished, the Emperor likely allowed Yuri to make a request as a reward. He would have anticipated that further achievements might endanger her even more, so he restricted her influence in advance.
And I had already told Yuri directly that I would serve her as her knight.
“I suppose Princess Yuri must think highly of you, Sir Damien.”
“I am simply grateful for Her Highness’s favorable opinion.”
“Favor alone does not qualify one for this position. Trust is required.”
That was correct.
Yuri Roseshill, having lived through regression, understood better than anyone how few trustworthy people existed in the imperial palace.
Even among imperial knights, only a limited number could be trusted.
And I was a commoner. In theory, I could easily betray them for money.
Though I had no intention of doing so.
I was a mercenary who lived on trust, not money. And more importantly, if I betrayed someone for money, my mother would be furious.
I was likely the most suitable candidate.
“Anyway, that is the decision. You are to finish your current duties and proceed directly to Princess Yuri’s palace.”
“Understood. I will report directly to Her Highness’s residence from now on.”
“And you may coordinate freely with Cecilia regarding knight deployment in that palace.”
One of the privileges of an exclusive bodyguard was the authority to adjust knight rotations within the assigned palace.
It was a system designed to ensure the safety of royals, though it required experience and was not usually granted to new knights.
But I was a veteran mercenary experienced in escort missions.
I saluted.
“Then I will proceed to my post.”
“Good work, Sir Damien.”
◈
“That is unacceptable.”
The news reached First Prince Teron Roseshill.
“Father continues to favor that girl with the blood of barbarians.”
Damien’s promotion had already caught his attention.
“A nuisance… the son of that monster-like man…”
“But he is still just a rookie. If he makes a mistake, he will eliminate himself.”
“That’s it!”
Teron clapped.
“Soon you will be assigned to Yuri’s palace, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Find me his mistakes. I will reward you generously.”
“R-Really?”
“I always keep my promises.”
The knight left quickly.
Left alone, Teron smirked.
A rookie mercenary. Surely he would slip up eventually.
◈
“Your knight deployment plan looks much better than the previous one.”
Cecilia examined the revised palace defense map.
“There are almost no blind spots.”
“I designed it based on the palace layout.”
“It’s impressive. You’ve removed almost every weak point.”
She accepted it immediately.
Yuri approved it as well.
The knights adjusted accordingly.
And I thought to myself.
Experience is everything.
Talent matters, but experience cannot be replaced.
Even a perfect system will eventually develop flaws over time.
That applies to me as well.
“Then I will explain the changes to the knights.”
The response from the knights was overwhelmingly positive.
“Wow… this guy is insane.”
“Seriously, where did this talent come from?”
“A guy who just became exclusive bodyguard today made this?”
Of course, I might have heard something mildly cursed in between praise.
But that was fine.
At least the system was improving.