Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The One Who Draws the Sword (1)
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1st Monarch crossed the border.
It was to settle the terms of the abruptly proposed armistice agreement.
As he crossed into the empire's territory, the soldiers' piercing gazes followed him.
"...The 1st Monarch?!"
"That guy's the negotiator from the north?"
"They don't actually want a truce, do they?"
Their voices were thick with distrust.
It was only natural.
The 1st Monarch was the one responsible for slaughtering the most imperial soldiers on the front lines.
At least ten thousand lives had been claimed by the dragon auras rising across the battlefields.
The north had put forward as their negotiator an enemy of the empire ranked in the top three kill-on-sight targets. It was utterly ridiculous.
"What a bold bastard. What does he think he can accomplish coming here alone?"
"Didn't they say it was a 'negotiating delegation'? Where's the Holy Monarch?"
Most importantly, the Holy Monarch was nowhere to be seen.
Everyone had assumed the north's leader would spearhead the truce talks.
Yet here was just one monarch out of many, stepping up as their representative.
It was an insult to the empire.
And such an insult demanded an appropriate response.
"I expected Grand Duke Carlos as your negotiator, but who the hell are you?"
In the central hall of the grand lord's castle, a man appeared atop the negotiation table.
The 1st Monarch demanded an answer, and the man replied.
"I am..."
"Forget it. I'm not interested. I have nothing to say to the likes of you, so get lost."
One of the higher-ranking nobles stepped forward, but the 1st Monarch was firm.
It was a blatant dismissal, refusing even to exchange words with the rabble.
"How insolent! Do you even know who you're speaking to?!"
The knights moved to threaten him.
The 1st Monarch snorted derisively.
"If you want this whole castle to go up in flames, then come at me."
He was alone, yet an army unto himself.
A powerhouse worthy of being called a one-man legion.
His glare made the knights flinch. They were like lambs before a lion.
To kill him would require sacrificing a thousand soldiers or bringing in several Sword Masters.
The 1st Monarch sat, propping his feet up on the table.
"Bring me the war commander. If he doesn't show, this truce is off."
*
What a pointless power play.
Grand Duke Carlos thought this as he regarded the 1st Monarch sent as the north's negotiator.
'They have no intention of negotiating properly.'
He was the one who had first proposed the truce to the north.
There was nothing more to gain from this war.
Crown Prince Reinhardt had appeared in the north, slaying his third son Thebeus and declaring his will. It was no different from rejecting puppetry under him.
And what of the Sanctuary Dragon?
The Holy Monarch had claimed it.
Daemon, who had boasted he would handle everything alone—what had become of him?
He had been reduced to not even a bone fragment, overwhelmed by the Holy Monarch and the northern barbarians.
Daemon's personal failure had backed Grand Duke Carlos into a corner.
He had no idea what the northern barbarians might have found in Daemon's castle.
One thing was certain: the Holy Monarch had sent Raunel back alive.
'...The Holy Monarch rode the dragon and returned Raunel to the imperial palace.'
He was the one who had ordered Raunel's capture.
He had sent him to Daemon to be killed, yet he had returned alive.
If the connection to the lich and the Devil Church was ever uncovered, the losses would outweigh any victory in the war.
So it had to be buried.
Raunel aside, even he didn't know what the northern barbarians might have discovered in Daemon's castle.
He wanted to deal with it as quickly as possible, but with the barbarians occupying the place and refusing to budge, he could only stamp his feet in frustration.
'This is on a whole different level from drug trafficking.'
The lich was the god worshipped by the Devil Church.
No one in the empire could pin drug distribution on him.
But if his ties to the lich came to light, everything would flip.
Even desperate denials wouldn't save him; mere suspicion alone would erode his position.
Hence, he sought to cover it all under the banner of a truce.
Securing the land with the ore veins would make it a successful war regardless.
'Fine, if that's what you want, I'll step in myself.'
He had sent nobles and even his own children to propose talks, but the 1st Monarch wouldn't budge.
He couldn't let it drag on indefinitely.
Though it was humiliating and degrading,
A thirsty man digs a well.
Grinding his teeth, Grand Duke Carlos heaved his heavy frame to its feet.
*
The seven shadows who had returned alive.
They had survived, but they were far from whole.
Torture had ravaged their minds and bodies.
Yet now, they gathered in the training grounds, looking somewhat recovered.
But their eyes were filled with doubt.
'Wasn't it Sir Croft who summoned us?'
'Why is the Crown Prince here?'
Croft had ordered the surviving shadows to assemble.
But upon arriving at the training grounds, an unexpected figure was present.
Crown Prince Reinhardt.
Me, in other words.
"You're wondering why I'm here."
It was understandable.
Shadows were secret agents whose identities must never be exposed.
But these seven gathered here were both shadows and members of the Imperial Dragon Knight Order.
They had been found in Daemon's underground prison, while the other shadows had succumbed to Daemon's nightmare curse and become undead.
These seven, former members of the Imperial Dragon Knight Order, had resisted to the end.
They were exceptional in both skill and mental fortitude.
I declared to them.
"I called you here to revive the Imperial Dragon Knight Order."
Revival of the Imperial Dragon Knight Order!
Their eyes wavered.
All the shadows turned to Croft.
Croft nodded silently.
The Imperial Dragon Knight Order had been formed at my birth.
While other princes' knight orders were typically selected by their empress mothers, the Imperial Dragon Knight Order consisted solely of elites handpicked by Emperor Deus and Croft.
Disillusioned by my mania, the knights had either transferred out or pretended to leave the order to operate as shadows.
And now, to declare its revival.
"I know you left the Imperial Dragon Knight Order to act as shadows. I admit and apologize for neglecting you all this time."
I acknowledged it plainly.
I had abandoned them, giving them only disappointment.
But the Imperial Dragon Knight Order was the foundation.
When the foundation crumbles, everything collapses.
Now was the time to embrace them once more.
Thus, I issued the summons.
Not just these seven, but to all former members active in the field.
So they could reunite, stepping out of the shadows and into the light as knights once more.
"Your Highness, we officially withdrew from the knight order. Reinstating us won't help."
One of the shadows spoke on behalf of the group.
Rejoining a group after leaving looks bad.
Especially since they had all left out of disappointment in me.
"Sir Yalts, I'm not forcing you."
"...!"
He flinched at the fact that I knew his name.
It had been over five years since he left the order.
Even before that, I had never remembered his name.
How could he now speak it so casually?
"Watch and see. If you want to test me, do so. There's no compulsion, but if even a sliver of faith in me arises, pledge your loyalty anew then."
"..."
Eyes of distrust.
But they all sensed it.
'He's changed.'
This was not the maniacal Crown Prince of the past.
They knew Croft and I had rescued them in the north.
They didn't know the details, but they had come to in a carriage.
And Croft, who had treated me most harshly, now acknowledged me.
This wasn't just about reviving the name.
He wanted to forge an Imperial Dragon Knight Order more glorious than before, bound by true loyalty.
Naturally, eyes turned to Croft.
But Croft drew a firm line.
"The knight order's master is not me, but His Highness the Crown Prince. Obey him, and you will be reinstated. If not, stay as shadows. I swear on my name that you will not be mistreated."
Croft declared boldly.
Don't join for him.
Join only out of loyalty to the Crown Prince.
Not now—observe and choose.
Yalts, who had spoken, looked at Reinhardt.
Words he could never have uttered before.
Could he dare hope again?
Despite countless unfair treatments, Yalts had not left the order.
No one knew why he had withdrawn.
'Even after all those years following him, he couldn't remember a single letter of my name.'
Years later, disappointed that the Crown Prince didn't even remember his name, Yalts had left.
Now, after so much time, the Crown Prince spoke it.
It was small, seemingly trivial.
But sometimes, such tiny things bring the greatest disappointment or感動.
Things too trivial to share with others can be the most profound.
"I, Yalts, if you forgive me, vow to serve Crown Prince Reinhardt with all my loyalty."
Yalts knelt first.
"Welcome, Sir Yalts."
I smiled.
The revival of the Imperial Dragon Knight Order!
It was a signal heralding my own revival.
*
A spirit.
Rumors that one of the Seven Great Mysteries had appeared in the imperial palace after a thousand years spread across the continent in an instant.
The palace opened its doors to find the spirit's master, and the imperial family promised noble titles and lands to whoever drew the sword.
Vast crowds flooded the imperial capital.
From across the empire, from other nations, they gathered to draw the sword.
But two months later, no one had succeeded.
Commoners tried aplenty, but nobles challenged and failed without exception.
Now, even other kingdoms were obsessed with who would draw the sword.
From questions about ownership to kingdoms offering rewards to the successful claimant.
If kingdoms were this invested, the magic towers—mad for mysteries—couldn't stay away.
Various groups intertwined, drawn to the spectacle.
If the gates hadn't been limited to set hours, the palace would have burst at the seams.
"This is a lie!"
A man in a fancy uniform failed to draw the sword and threw a tantrum.
"Are you saying I lack the king's qualification? You damned fake!"
Bam!
He kicked the stone and vented his rage.
He had cut in line, but no one could stop him.
He was a prince of Rigel Kingdom.
An infamous wastrel at that.
The prince from an empire-friendly kingdom had brought his retainers to prove his claim to the throne by drawing the sword.
Failing before everyone, his temper flared.
The exasperated Spirit Keeper intervened.
"Your Highness, you must not damage the spirit. It is an official imperial possession..."
Slap!
The Spirit Keeper's face whipped to the side from the gloved strike.
"Who do you think you're talking to like that? Do you know who I am? Does the prince of Rigel seem a joke to you?"
"I-I'm sorry. But..."
"But? Utter one more word, and I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs. A fake spirit like this daring to judge me? Absurd from the start. You're complicit for allowing it."
"That's ridiculous...!"
"Talking? Cut out his tongue."
It was outrageous.
The knights hesitated.
This was the imperial capital, the palace itself.
Drawing swords rashly could escalate things.
The spirit was placed openly to give even commoners a chance, but imperial soldiers were present.
"Your Highness."
Tension hung in the air.
A mere soldier couldn't easily restrain Rigel's prince, but more noise would summon higher command.
"Ha. You think killing one lowly beggar will do anything to me? They'll blame him for upsetting the prince. And you call yourselves my knights?"
As the knights wavered, he drew a dagger from his bosom.
"Fine, I'll do it myself."
"P-Please, don't do this."
The Spirit Keeper's eyes welled with tears.
As the prince seized his mouth to sever the tongue.
"Looks like a mad dog wandered in."
"...What?"
The prince turned at the voice behind him.
"What did you say to me?"
Ignoring the prince's fury, the man spoke again.
"Spirit Keeper, isn't the chance to draw the sword given to people only?"
"C-Crown Prince Reinhardt!"
The crowd erupted the moment the Spirit Keeper named him.
"Crown Prince?"
"That's His Highness?"
"He looks perfectly fine."
"Shh!"
Soldiers knelt one by one.
The veiled Crown Prince had appeared before the spirit himself.
'The Crown Prince?'
The demonic prince's face drained to pale blue in an instant.
The One Who Draws the Sword (1) End