Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Like Commander, Like Subordinates (2)
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The adjutant had caught on that his superior, Count Bueno, was carrying out a secret order.
‘The mission to wipe out the Steno royal family?’
The killing of the sentries must have been to ensure the Empire wouldn't come under suspicion.
Eventually, some convenient scapegoat would take the fall instead.
‘High chance it'll be Arcana.’
The problem was that he had gotten caught up in this national intrigue of all things.
"What are you all doing? Attack that bastard now! This is a military command!"
"Yes, sir! Everyone, attack the intruder!"
‘Should I just let the intruder go and kill Lord Bueno to save myself? But if the inspectors find out during their investigation, it'd be charges of disobeying orders and murdering a superior?’
That wouldn't just mean his death—it would drag his entire family down with him.
He was utterly cornered, with no way out.
"Uwaaaah!"
The soldiers, sharing the adjutant's mindset, charged toward the intruder knight.
Should he sacrifice himself here for the Empire's grand design?
Or defy military orders and doom his house?
There was no choice.
And right then—
Kaang—!
A dull clash of metal.
An immense, invisible motion.
With one shield bash from the intruder knight, Count Bueno flew far off into the distance.
The adjutant and soldiers froze in place, their eyes darting about.
‘A Sword Imperial-level knight... taken down with a single shield attack?’
‘Lord Bueno... like a child?’
Survival instincts screamed in alarm.
As the Empire troops stood frozen, Windeller shot forward like an arrow.
He plunged his Aura Blade into the ground beside Count Bueno's head, where the count's back had slammed into a rock.
"S-Swordmaster...!"
As Bueno's eyes snapped open, Windeller whispered softly.
"My regrets, Lord Bueno."
"Wi-Windeller, Your Excellency? Y-You're alive?"
"No pain. As long as fate allows, I'll watch over your family."
"...!"
Bueno's eyes bulged with bloodshot fury.
Then, calmly, his gaze settled.
"I see... So the rumors that Lord Trafford fell to Your Excellency were true."
"No witnesses, though?"
"Any Empire soldier could guess that much, couldn't they?"
"... ."
"Your Excellency's disappearance was all for the greater cause. And His Majesty's reckless push to annex Steno...!
Now I understand how it all works."
"The throne holds no interest for me. I seek only strength."
"Kuhk... Understood. Your Excellency, spare me. I can aid your great work too— Gurk!"
"My regrets."
The Aura Blade severed his neck in an instant.
A fleeting agony ended as life faded.
Windeller stomped on the rolling head, crushing it beyond recognition.
To make the face unrecognizable.
Belatedly, the Empire soldiers rushed over in a mob.
"Hah, huff...!"
The adjutant trembled at the sight of Bueno's corpse, head completely gone.
‘S-Swordmaster...!’
Their lives hung on the whims of this unknown knight.
‘The imperial family planned to exterminate the Steno royals and pin it on Arcana. Once Belheim the Second Prince takes the throne, annexation into the Empire follows naturally.’
He had once served the Emperor.
And commanded Bueno under him.
So the whole scheme was crystal clear.
Had he not appeared, the soldiers would have been silenced to keep the secret.
"Wh-Who is your house...?"
"I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Chuck Jung-kyung."
"Ah, you're Chuck Jung-kyung?"
"I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Chuck Jung-kyung."
"...Sir?"
"I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Chuck Jung-kyung."
A repetitive response, devoid of shame or hesitation.
The adjutant and soldiers realized.
‘A fool of a knight? Something wrong with his head?’
‘A mentally disabled Swordmaster.’
In that moment, the adjutant and soldiers exchanged glances.
Commander and subordinates were perfectly united now.
"Ah, the great Arcana knight Chuck Jung-kyung has slain the vile assassin who impersonated Lord Bueno to target the Steno royal family!"
"Chuck Jung-kyung! Hooray! Hooray!"
The dead say nothing.
The killer lacks wits.
The near-dead soldiers wanted to live.
‘Today, we never saw Lord Bueno.’
A single path to survival from the gag order opened.
-My lord, we have secured the safety of the Steno royal family.
‘Good. Guard them well.’
-Yes, Your Majesty.
The Grand Duke and Commander-in-Chief Marquis Retgen awaited my words tensely.
"Chuck Jung-kyung beheaded Count Bueno, who was disguised as an assassin, and secured the Steno royal family's safety. Heading to Kalligos as planned."
Only then did Canelian and the others sigh in relief.
Commander-in-Chief Marquis Retgen asked in wonder.
"How do you communicate with Chuck Jung-kyung via consciousness? Never heard of such magic or artifact."
This world had no communication magic.
Messages always went via messenger.
"A royal secret."
"Ah, forgive me."
Mentioning dragon bloodline was the ultimate cheat key—everyone just nodded and moved on...
"Son-in-law, shouldn't we bring King Steno here right away and spread word that Belheim tried to sell the kingdom to the Empire?"
"The Empire would deny it, and we can't prove Belheim's treason anyway."
I'd half-suspected it, but hearing the royals survived left me honestly disappointed.
But I couldn't voice that.
‘Still, the First Prince's death is a boon for us.’
Steno had lost its heir, its foundation crumbling.
Play it right, and the king might hand over the country himself.
"With King Steno under imperial influence, the Empire will rest easy backing Belheim as king.
We bring the king out at the crucial moment to shatter Prince Belheim's hypocrisy."
"Understood."
"Yes, sir."
Who knew Windeller wouldn't prevent the First Prince's death.
Back in my bedroom.
Soon after, Canelian and Silvret sneaked in.
"This feels like we're playing with fire every night, teetering on the edge."
"F-Fire? What do you mean?"
"Don't say things like that."
Their freshly bathed hair still glistened with dampness at the tips.
"Silvret first yesterday, so fairly, Canelian tonight."
"You keep such delicate track."
"Just habit."
As I reached out, Canelian averted her gaze.
Even after so long, she still got shy undressing.
Rustle.
Something like an envelope in her nightgown pocket.
"What's this?"
"Oh, right. Prince Belheim had one of his knights slip it to me earlier."
"In person?"
"No, through his knight."
"Didn't peek?"
"Thought you'd want to see it first."
A prime example of chastity consciousness.
I stripped shy Silvret too, then opened the letter.
"... ."
Reading it, my teeth ground unconsciously.
Glancing over, Canelian chatted idly with Silvret, oblivious to the contents.
"Not curious?"
"What’s it say?"
"Better if you read it yourself."
"...?"
Canelian's face flushed crimson upon reading.
Not shame—rage and absurdity.
"Wh-What is this? I'm not even close to Prince Belheim! I was under ten during those temporary academy lessons!"
"I know."
She'd grown into a stunning beauty with killer proportions and curves now.
But as a child, Canelian had been small and scrawny.
"Never had many confessions from guys, huh."
"...He was the first."
I knew, but her reaction was cute, so I asked.
The letter read like Belheim's tender reminiscence of a beautiful old bond (nonexistent).
"We just bowed together in group class—that was it!"
"I know, I know."
"I'm going insane. Why is he like this?"
"Means you're that desirable a match, Lady Canelian."
No direct "I love you."
Summed up: ‘We were so close back then, remember?’
‘Even accounting for leaks, he's flirting carefully.’
But he never imagined she'd toss it straight to me unread.
Main heroine's chastity, fit for the First Prince Consort.
‘My attachment heroine's pretty and sexy.’
And she wouldn't age further like that.
Plus, top heir to the duchy (publicly).
High-risk, high-reward target for Belheim.
"Just ignore it. Act like you never read it."
"Got it. Burn any more that come?"
"No, bring them to me."
"But Your Highness looked so upset... ."
"Some bug hitting on my woman—why wouldn't I be?"
I pulled Canelian into a tight embrace.
So tight she could barely breathe.
Made it hard for me to breathe too...
"That guy's neck gets chopped by the enraged Steno King himself later. Pissed me off—gotta swallow Steno no matter what."
I lay on the bed, hugging the two in their undergarments side by side.
"Canelian, they say the stronger the womb here, the prettier the kid. Does that mean pregnancy every time?"
"...Probably?"
"Then marital fun won't last long."
"D-Don't worry! You can hold me freely even pregnant—no miscarriage risk! Stronger knightesses mean no deformities or losses!"
Canelian babbled, face red.
"A-And during nursing, no pregnancy worries either... so no need to fret."
"Oh, nursing period's safe?"
"Yes."
Silvret whispered shyly from the side.
"Your Highness, elves have fine contraception magic, so no worries with me... ."
"But can't outpace Canelian?"
"How dare a concubine precede the First Prince Consort... ."
Even without deformity or miscarriage fears, fighting pregnant?
Game story's early phase now.
Snowballing matters most upfront—a Swordmaster pregnancy weakens forces...
Feeling their even breaths, sleep slowly overtook me.
‘But... pregnancy every time... why do the Grand Duke couple only have two daughters... .’
Think tomorrow after waking...
Sleepy.
The First Prince ultimately died.
The king, unable to even watch his final moments, wailed hugging his still-warm son.
The unknown Arcana knight in full armor hiding his face guarded the king flawlessly.
Even after arriving in Kalligos, Windeller never slacked on the king's protection.
The fool Swordmaster who only said, ‘I am Arcana's Sword, Mr. Chuck Jung-kyung,’ moved people to tears with his loyalty.
"This inept king lives only thanks to Chuck Jung-kyung. Ever grateful. I'll repay this debt."
The king thanked him every time they met.
All the more because he was a fool knight.
Such thanks irked Windeller.
‘I could have saved the First Prince but chose not to. Yet he thanks me like this... .’
Not the prince's order—Windeller's field call.
The First Prince had to die by Bueno's hand for Ragna Prince's grand plan to hold.
Empire soldiers claimed the assassin a ‘foreign spy posing as Count Bueno’; the king pretended belief.
Kalligos already under imperial sway—survival demanded it.
Today too, guarding the king's residence like a sentry without flaw.
A visitor arrived.
"Are you Arcana's Swordmaster, Chuck Jung-kyung?"
"... ."
The Empire's mightiest mage, Duke Valière.
Naturally on bad terms with Swordmaster Windeller.
He had come.
‘One-shot fodder made it here?’
‘Hoh, so this is the fool Swordmaster Arcana kept hidden?’