Just Calm Down (3)
No matter how many I swept away, the Imperial soldiers kept coming. Given my level, I didn't actually take any damage from their attacks, but they were still incredibly annoying. I needed to get back to the dungeon and retrieve my items as soon as possible...
"W-Wait a minute...! What on earth are you doing?!"
"Going back to the dungeon."
"No, that's not what I meant...! Why are you beating up the Imperial soldiers?!"
"Every second counts, and they keep blocking my way."
At my nonchalant reply, Adelaide let out a weak, dumbfounded laugh.
"Still, how could you do this to the Imperial Army..."
"Now is not the time to sweat the details. We have to go back and retrieve the items immediately."
My mind was entirely consumed by the items I had left behind at the base camp. Because I had slain the Lucky Cow King, there was a very high probability that I wouldn't be able to re-enter the dungeon. But it wasn't a certainty yet. I couldn't give up until I confirmed it with my own eyes.
"This is practically treason. You've used force against the Empire, so they definitely won't let you off with an easy death..."
Slung over my left shoulder like a sack of rice, Adelaide muttered in a tone of utter resignation.
"It's fine. I don't have much reason to visit towns anyway."
"...You don't have much reason to visit the Empire?"
"No. I won't have much reason to visit any town. I'll be spending most of my time in dungeons."
I answered as sincerely as I could to comfort the despairing Adelaide. But for some reason, the only response I got was a long, exasperated sigh.
"Are you planning to set up house in a dungeon or something?"
"Hmm, that actually sounds pretty good. I'll consider it."
"You're crazy. You've definitely lost your mind... Setting up house in a dungeon crawling with vicious monsters..."
Adelaide began to pour out a torrent of thorny words.
"Towns are merely stopovers to restock and repair."
"Did you suffer some kind of brain damage when you were a kid? Why is your way of thinking so bizarre?"
"I have never been in any accidents."
Yet, I didn't even bat an eye. What was wrong with an adventurer practically living in dungeons?
"Even if we flee into a dungeon, the Imperial Army will surely pursue us there."
"They're more persistent than I thought."
"Of course they are! You've dragged the Empire's honor through the mud. Do you think they'd just let us run away?"
Adelaide finished speaking and let her head hang limply over my shoulder.
"His Majesty and His Highness are the type of people who will hunt us down relentlessly if it concerns the Empire's prestige."
"..."
"They definitely won't let this slide. Neither of us will make it out of this alive..."
"Hmm, that does sound quite serious."
I replied calmly, lightly swinging my arm once more at the Imperial soldiers buzzing in front of me.
"But that's only if they catch us."
"...What?"
"If we don't get caught, it doesn't matter."
What was the point of regretting what had already happened? There was no use crying over spilled milk. Rather than wallowing in regret, it was far more constructive to prepare for what lay ahead.
"Which means I need to level up in the dungeons even more."
"...Your conclusions are remarkably consistent. At this point, I can't help but be impressed."
As I was conversing with Adelaide, a voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Halt, rebels."
An authoritative voice rang out from amidst the swarming Imperial soldiers.
"Discard your weapons and surrender immediately."
The Imperial soldiers began to part like the Red Sea. At the end of the path, a man dressed in ornate yet immaculate attire slowly revealed himself.
"Fail to do so, and you shall be executed on the spot."
His ceremonial robes were made of a luxurious fabric that was starkly different from what the regular soldiers wore. The patterns and embellishments were also distinctly unique. It was the kind of attire that could only belong to someone from the imperial family...
"Y-Your Highness...?"
Just then, Adelaide let slip a quiet murmur that made me doubt my ears.
"Your Highness?"
"Nihel de Ludwig... He is the Crown Prince of this Empire..."
Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. First a swarm of Imperial soldiers, and now the Crown Prince himself? Why would such a high-and-mighty figure personally grace this place with his presence, leading his subordinates?
"Adelaide. I bestowed my final mercy upon you by merely exiling you from the Empire."
A strange silence instantly blanketed the surroundings. Within it, the Crown Prince's voice echoed quietly, like a voice bouncing off cave walls.
"Why have you returned to cause such a disturbance?"
"Y-Your Highness... You see, this is..."
"I have no need for excuses."
Before Adelaide could even finish her sentence, the Crown Prince ruthlessly cut her off, as if her words weren't even worth listening to.
"It seems annulling my engagement to you will go down as the greatest decision of my life."
He tossed out the mocking remark in a low voice, then naturally shifted his gaze toward me, the one carrying Adelaide over his shoulder.
"Is this the mercenary you hired?"
"..."
"His skills are quite remarkable, considering how effortlessly he toyed with the Imperial Army."
The Crown Prince murmured, scanning my entire body with a keen eye.
"Intriguing. With what funds did you, who have lost everything, hire such a veteran?"
"Y-Your Highness... He is not a mercenary..."
"If not a mercenary, then is he an accomplice sharing your treasonous intent?"
Despite Adelaide's urgent protest, the Crown Prince merely scoffed, casually dismissing her words.
"Well, accomplice or mercenary... it matters not. In the end, skill is all that counts."
With that meaningful remark, the Crown Prince drew his sword halfway from its scabbard.
"Nameless warrior, I shall grant you a choice."
The Crown Prince's solemn, heavy voice rang out.
"Your prowess is more than sufficient to be recognized by the Empire. Therefore, join the Imperial Knights."
"...?"
"Should you accept, all charges brought against you today shall be expunged under my authority as the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince's offer was brutally simple and clear. Would I stand by Adelaide's side to the end, taking the fall for all charges and facing utter ruin? Or would I join the Imperial Knights, receive a full pardon, and become the Crown Prince's loyal dog forever?
"The choice is yours. If you require time to ponder, I shall grant you as much as you need."
It was an incomprehensible offer in many ways. Not only was he sparing me—someone who was practically a rebel—but he was also offering me a spot in the Imperial Knights? Was he the type of person who absolutely had to possess any talent that caught his eye, by any means necessary?
"An opportunity such as this is not granted to just anyone. Thus, consider carefully before making your dec—"
"I refuse."
"...?"
A short, concise rejection cut him off before he could even finish. There wasn't a shred of hesitation in my response.
"W-What did you just say...?"
"I refuse. You seem to take me too lightly."
To throw such an absurd offer at someone who didn't even have enough time to run dungeons. Why on earth should I accept such an arrogant and rude proposal?
"...Are you saying you will stand by Adelaide, who has absolutely nothing, to the very end?"
"I don't have time to explain. Get out of my way."
"It seems you have forgotten that I am the Crown Prince of this Empire."
"If you plan to keep wasting my time with useless chatter, I won't hold back, even if you are the Crown Prince."
If only this Crown Prince hadn't interfered, I would have escaped the Empire long ago. Why did he have to show up at this exact moment and complicate things so much...?
"Your skills are superb, but unfortunately, your intellect does not match. Before whom do you dare utter such insolence?"
"..."
"I am the Crown Prince of this Empire. No matter how powerful a warrior on this continent may be, they are destined to kneel before me."
His brow furrowing in displeasure, the Crown Prince spoke calmly and took a shallow breath.
"To act so arrogantly relying solely on your strength... I think I finally understand why Adelaide hired a fellow like you."
"..."
"Adelaide behaved much like you, and in the end, she lost everything."
"..."
"Know your place, nameless mercenary. In this world, there exists a realm that cannot be reached by mere strength alone."
The Crown Prince issued his cold warning. The moment he finished speaking, he drew his half-sheathed sword completely without a moment's hesitation.
"Allow me to personally show you what that realm is—"
—BOOM!
But his grand display was cut short.
"I told you to get out of my way, didn't I?"
Before the Crown Prince could even finish his overbearing declaration, my right hand, having finally run out of patience, slapped him hard across the cheek.
—Rumble...
A thick cloud of dust billowed from the direction the Crown Prince had flown.
The body of the Crown Prince, who had been lecturing me on the order of the continent just moments ago, crashed straight into a wall from my casual strike, vanishing into the thick dust.
"...?"
Adelaide trembled like a leaf, utterly paralyzed by shock.
The surrounding Imperial soldiers also froze like stone statues, their mouths agape in disbelief.
"Y-Your Highness...?"
"What in the world..."
The order of the continent, the authority of the imperial family, and the weight of the title of Crown Prince. I heard it all loud and clear. But right now, my items left behind at the base camp were infinitely more important than any of those things.
"I don't care who my opponent is."