Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Empire's Knights (1)
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One month from now.
It's the time I compromised with my brother.
After that, there would be no place for me in Silverhardt.
As I stepped out of the room after finishing our talk, my brother's hand stopped flipping through the book.
"One more thing."
I halted my steps and turned around.
"Don't do anything to tarnish the family's reputation."
"..."
I left the room without looking back.
Though it was called a political marriage, it was closer to being a hostage in reality.
The reason they sent such a letter to the Magic Tower Lord was likely to involve the Magic Tower if the northern front worsened.
I had no idea whether they would welcome me—a mere hostage—or try to kill me, but one thing was certain.
"Annoying."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The day to depart for the north drew near.
"Uwheeng! Young master, don't go."
"When will you come back! Young master!"
"...I hate such uncertain farewells."
The family servants who had followed me clung to me, weeping bitterly.
I truly felt that the moment of parting had arrived.
Having finished my preparations, I gazed one last time at the castle where I had lived for twenty years.
The place where I was born.
When I was young, the name Silverhardt had been suffocatingly painful.
Yet now that I was leaving, a trace of regret lingered.
And the reason stood right before my eyes.
I bid farewell to each of the family servants one by one.
"Jamie. I'd appreciate it if you kept managing my room even without me there."
"Dylan. Don't slack on cleaning the dolls."
"Aden... If anyone tries to barge into my room, punish them on the spot. That's an order from the Family Head's own brother."
They had treated me with genuine sincerity and helped me, even when the family saw me as little more than unnecessary stock.
I would spend my entire life repaying that kindness.
"Thank you all for everything. Take care of yourselves."
"Young master, you have to stay healthy!"
"I'll try to come back alive if I can."
A carriage stood ready outside the castle.
It would take about a month to reach Lake Snow Shadow, the largest lake in the north.
From there, troops from the Grand Duchy would come to meet us.
After a brief farewell, I stepped outside the castle.
My brother never appeared in the end.
I wasn't disappointed.
That's just the kind of person he was.
Beyond the castle gates, a single carriage waited.
And the knight blocking its path knelt down.
Her movements held no excess.
Silver-white hair cascaded over her silver armor, radiating an extraordinary presence.
Upon her shoulder gleamed the emblem of the Delberg Grand Duchy.
She raised her head and met my gaze boldly.
Crimson eyes flashed.
"Knight of Delberg, Cattleya, greets the lady's future husband. I shall escort you safely to the north."
'Future husband'... Still not used to it.
I doubted I ever would be, no matter how many times I heard it.
"Pleased to meet you."
"I will do my utmost to ensure your journey is free of discomfort."
I boarded the carriage under her escort.
Somehow... it felt awkward and burdensome.
Back at the family estate, life had been materially affluent, but I had never received such meticulous treatment.
To me, the servants and retainers were like friends—and there had always been the fear that if I, rejected by the family, wielded any power, even they would be swept away.
"Do you have a question?"
"I'm curious about the current situation on the northern front. My brother didn't tell me much."
Cattleya blinked for a moment.
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
She quickly straightened her posture and began her explanation.
The state of the front lines was grimmer than I'd imagined.
According to her, the northern front had already reached its breaking point.
The number and quality of the magical beasts had surged beyond comparison to the past decade, and each intermittent demon sighting left devastating casualties.
The beasts kept spawning endlessly from somewhere, while the north's warriors simply died off—leaving the front to retreat inch by inch, yet inexorably.
"And so, this is the Grand Duke's decision."
No wonder the carriage felt so spacious.
I glanced to the side.
There sat young men who had been snatched up even before me.
Each one was a scion of the capital's most renowned noble houses.
Men who, under normal circumstances, would leverage their backgrounds for lives of luxury and abundance.
They sat in silence, like prisoners awaiting the executioner's axe.
All but one.
"Hahaha! To lay eyes on Silverhardt's problem child in person. What a fortunate day."
"Yudel."
"Reinhardt."
We exchanged a brief, friendly handshake.
'Not your average guy.'
His casual rudeness from the first encounter was one thing, but the raw power surging from his two-meter frame and honed physique pressed through his grip into my hand.
No one else particularly stood out.
According to Cattleya, these men were officially assigned as fiancés to the Delberg family's knights and retainers.
Of course, the capital's nobles weren't so generous as to surrender such prized talents willingly.
Letters much like the one sent to Silverhardt must have gone out to the capital's aristocracy as well.
I had no idea what proclamation the Grand Duke had penned to the capital, but the results were plain to see.
Those destined for feasts of power were being hauled north like conscripted foot soldiers.
Reinhardt aside, they all wore faces like the dead, wrapped in silence.
With them right beside me, I hesitated,
but in the end, I couldn't contain my curiosity and quietly asked Cattleya.
"Didn't the noble houses push back?"
"Not in the slightest."
Cattleya replied with a soft smile.
There was something chilling about that smile.
It brimmed with the confidence of having crushed even the will to rebel.
In any case, it was clear how sharply that single letter from the Grand Duke had sliced through the Empire.
"By the way, I am Lady Elaine's direct guard knight. Since you will become her husband, please use informal speech."
"Elaine..."
"The Grand Duke's third daughter. The lady I serve."
"...I see."
So, she's the knight of the woman who will become my wife.
"Where to now."
There were already four of us passengers in the carriage, myself included.
Even for the Northern Grand Duke, there couldn't be much more to wring from the capital.
"The northern front is facing a dire talent shortage these days, so we're picking up a fine gem."
He must have decided to settle a grudge from over a decade ago in one fell swoop during this trip to the capital.
"I hear there's talent in the Imperial Knight Order."
"Reaching for the Emperor's own sword... the north must be truly desperate."
They probably sent the same kind of letter to the Imperial family.
And the Emperor, unwilling to see the north collapse, had accepted the proposal.
Cattleya flashed a bright smile.
"Then, why don't we go see for ourselves what fine blade the Emperor has prepared."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Two days passed, and we arrived safely in the capital.
The capital's scenery, after so long, hadn't changed since my childhood.
A city forever prosperous, brimming with ha-ha-ho-ho laughter—the city of dreams.
That was the capital.
No monsters, no magical beasts, no war, no famine existed here.
The occasional magical beast sightings even near the family estate made it clear just how flawlessly the Imperial family maintained security in the capital.
"Halt."
We traveled a bit farther before guards blocked the carriage.
"Coming along?"
Cattleya glanced my way.
"I'll tag along. Reinhardt?"
"A hassle. No need for this body to stir just to select some Imperial hounds."
Cattleya and I quietly dismounted.
The other noble scions showed no reaction at all.
Was heading north really that shocking?
Well, I could understand the sentiment.
After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
A few words from Cattleya, and the guards promptly cleared the path.
"I'll guide you."
The carriage couldn't go any farther.
With no choice, we proceeded on foot deeper into the palace.
It wasn't long before our greeter appeared.
"Been waiting."
He was a man with a rugged face.
The scar covering half his features and his piercing gaze could intimidate most foes.
"Wilhelm, it's been a while."
"Not exactly thrilled. Cattleya. Especially hearing you're taking my disciples."
They clearly knew each other.
From what I'd heard en route, Wilhelm was a former northern front knight as well—likely comrades once.
"And this is...?"
"The one I'll be serving."
"Pleased to meet you. Wilhelm of the Imperial Knight Order."
"Yudel von Silverhardt."
Silverhardt.
At the name, Wilhelm's eyes shifted.
"Silverhardt..."
"Something wrong?"
"Just that the Northern Grand Duchess's match being a mage feels like quite the twist of fate."
A twist of fate?
I didn't quite follow.
"What's that got to do with the Northern Grand Duchess and me being a mage?"
"Cattleya, you didn't tell him?"
"Hehe."
Cattleya silently pointed to her own neck.
"Ah, now it makes sense."
Wilhelm patted my shoulder with pity and offered a handshake.
"Hard to explain right now. See it for yourself with the Grand Duchess, young master."
Something felt off, but I gripped his hand.
"Lead the way. Let's take a look at what you've prepared."
"Hmph. My disciples might be too sharp for your lofty master's liking."
"Oh? Can folk who've lived so peacefully even skin a beast's hide?"
A tense battle of wills ensued.
I watched quietly from behind.
No desire to play the shrimp crushed between whales.
We followed Wilhelm deeper into the palace.
The palace was enormous. Even after walking far inside, the end wasn't in sight.
"Felt it as a kid when I came with Father, but it's vast."
We arrived at the training grounds.
There, people were hard at work honing their bodies.
Some sparred, caked in dust.
Others swung wooden swords through the air.
Still others hoisted massive boulders repeatedly for strength training.
All sweated profusely, lost in their drills.
"Impressive."
Even as no swordsman, I could sense most here could fell an average magical beast with a single stroke.
The men in particular had stripped to the waist, grunting oddly as they pushed their strength training.
"Every time I see it, Wilhelm, your methods don't quite fit the Imperial mold."
"Kahaha! Solid foundations breed true knights later."
As he said, men and women alike were lean and toned, without an ounce of flab—proof of relentless training.
It reminded me of the lessons from Father in my youth.
"Pick from these. You give it a go too, young master."
"...Me?"
"Silverhardt's an ancient house of magic, but one that reveres strength. You've crossed paths with plenty of continental powerhouses, no?"
"Plenty, sure, but..."
Tricky.
Indeed, my brother and I had trained under numerous elite instructors summoned via Father's connections since childhood.
But most were mages.
Father was a notorious magic supremacist on the continent.
Learning of something surpassing magic came courtesy of my master.
"Not much versed in knights, but... I'll give it a shot."
I'm not one to back down from an invitation.
Wilhelm grinned.
"You lot! We've got a guest! Dress quick and line up!"
It took little time for a group of young, robust knight cadets to assemble before Wilhelm.
Discipline was ironclad.
"It's fine if I pick?"
I glanced at Cattleya.
Snatching Imperial gems wasn't an everyday chance—if I chose poorly, she'd bear the fallout.
"Of course. I'll trust your choice, young master."
Good then.
I was curious about the Imperial Knight Order's potentials anyway.
"The Grand Duke will judge with razor precision."
"...Father-in-law will."
My mood soured once more.