Politics Is for the Weak (3)
"Three."
What if they refuse the oath? I really don't want to actually shoot.
Outwardly, I maintained an expression of infinite coldness.
Inside, I was sweating cold sweat, desperately hoping they would just cave.
"Two."
I moved my finger as if I was about to pull the trigger at any moment.
Come to think of it, I didn't reload.
Now that I thought about it, I had fired a shot into the ground earlier and hadn't reloaded.
Here I was, shoving an empty, unloaded gun at them and counting down.
If I pulled the trigger now and it just went click, how embarrassing would that be...
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
But I couldn't stop now, not with this atmosphere.
Anyway, they don't even know what reloading is.
"One."
Just as I was about to squeeze the trigger—
"I-I swear the oath!"
The knight who had been the loudest in demanding death just moments before dropped to the floor with such force he looked ready to smash his head against the iron bars.
"I... I, Alberto, swear on the source of my mana! I will serve you as my liege and devote my loyalty!"
"I swear too!"
"Just spare my life!"
Once one broke, the others hastily bowed their heads and prostrated themselves on the ground.
Perhaps the terror of the battlefield from a few days ago had come rushing back. The confidence they'd shown just moments ago was completely gone; trembling, they began urgently swearing loyalty.
Phew, saved. Actually, I just realized I didn't even bring spare bullets.
I withdrew my mana, put on a relaxed smile, and spoke.
"An excellent choice."
After confirming that dozens more mana links had been added to my connections, I completely relaxed my hardened expression.
So that makes 87 people who have sworn the Oath of Mana to me now.
Seems like I can still handle this number.
"Seria. Get these guys some food. Let them eat, and then we'll talk."
"Yes! My lord."
Seria answered loudly and ran outside.
A few minutes later, she returned carrying a mountain of freshly fried wyvern chicken into the enclosure.
The knights came out of the now-unlocked cell, received their chicken, then went back inside and took their seats.
"Alright. Everyone eat without hesitation. You must have been starving."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the knights began devouring the chicken ravenously.
"It's delicious...!"
"They say the Espada Kingdom is a land of gastronomy..."
"It wasn't an exaggeration..."
As if they had already discarded all pride as Imperial knights, they ate with sauce smeared all over their mouths, looking ready to chew the bones as well.
"This is your portion, Master."
Elisa placed a large wyvern leg in front of me.
"Thanks. You eat too, Elisa."
After the meal, I neatly wiped my mouth with the handkerchief Elisa handed me.
Looking around the cell, I saw that those guys had also already finished off all that chicken, leaving only bones.
Since everyone has eaten, it's time to hear information about the Empire.
"Now that you've filled your stomachs, it's time to answer my questions."
The knights quickly straightened their postures.
Even considering they swore an oath, it's amazing how their attitude changed. Seria was the same way. Are knights just like this?
Thinking this, I opened my mouth toward the knight who had introduced himself as Alberto.
"Alberto. What's the current situation inside the Empire? No matter how I think about it, it's strange that Margrave Kraus pushed his forces so recklessly."
"...As you say. From the Imperial Palace. Specifically, from His Highness the Crown Prince... no, it was a strict order from the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince..."
He's talking about Kallian.
"Currently, the Empire is on the verge of civil war between the Emperor's faction and the Noble faction since the Emperor fell ill. Moreover, intelligence has reached the Imperial Palace that the late Count Kelrn conspired with Black Wizards and was running a monster farm."
Ah.
That figures.
Kallian hates Black Wizards.
That's why in the original story, he was at odds with Elisa, who was the Great Witch.
"So he's gone crazy trying to use the Black Wizards as an excuse to purge the entire Noble faction?"
"Yes. Margrave Kraus knew it was overreaching, but he hurried his advance to escape the backlash."
After speaking, he wore a bitter expression.
Watching him quietly, I felt a small admiration inside.
He doesn't use honorifics for the Emperor or Crown Prince of the Empire, but he still speaks respectfully to Margrave Kraus.
Even though his life was now in my hands.
He truly followed the Margrave.
I could roughly picture the current state of the Empire, which would drive even an excellent commander, to whom his subordinates were so loyal, to a dog's death.
In a way, these guys are also victims of the Empire's rotten politics.
Well, they're on my side now, so I'll treat them well.
I stood up and spoke.
"Then they won't have the leeway to invade our kingdom for a while."
"...Yes. They're probably on the verge of civil war right now, so they won't have the capacity to look outside the Empire."
"Good."
Once we return to the capital, let's take advantage of the Empire's chaos to clean up our own kingdom.
Meanwhile.
Second Prince Kael's bedchamber.
Despite it being the afternoon with the sun high in the sky, Kael, the Second Prince of the Espada Kingdom, was still lying in bed, completely one with it.
"Mmm... the bed is the best..."
As expected, this bed that my little brother Ian made was truly the kingdom's greatest invention.
Kael was thinking he wanted to spend his whole life just doing breathing exercises and being buried in this softness, when suddenly—
BAM!
Peaceful morning.
No.
Breaking the silence of the lunch hour, the door to his bedchamber opened as if it were about to be destroyed.
"Hmm... from the sound of your breathing, you're not asleep."
"Indeed."
"Huh...?"
At the sound, Kael slightly lowered his blanket and peeked outside; his pupils shook violently.
There stood Kael's older brother Rowen and the kingdom's Sword Master Roxanna, arms crossed, looking down at him with expressions of pity.
"...Brother? And Lady Roxanna, what brings you to my bedchamber...?"
As Kael gave an awkward smile with cold sweat, Rowen sighed and spoke.
"Ian has defeated the Imperial army and retaken Karon Territory."
"Oh! As expected of our youngest! Amazing! Well then, I'll go back to sleep. I'll congratulate him when I wake up for dinner..."
Just as Kael was hurriedly trying to pull the blanket back up to his chin—
THUMP.
Roxanna's hand firmly gripped Kael's blanket.
"Where do you think you're lying down again?"
"Eek...! H-how dare you! How dare you, to a prince...!"
"...I'm higher in rank, you know?"
"..."
At her words, Kael forgot what to say and shut his mouth tightly.
Roxanna, the only Sword Master of the Espada Kingdom, held the rank right after their father the King and his brother the Crown Prince.
"W-well, that's true... but why are you grabbing my blanket...?"
Kael cowered and asked, letting go of the blanket.
Rowen quietly looked at him for a moment, then pulled a letter from his bosom.
"You must go to Karon Territory, Kael."
"...Huh? Why do I have to go!? You said Ian retook it fine on his own!"
"Because Ian needs to return to the capital. For him to come back, someone has to take over the territory's affairs."
Rowen added to the wronged-looking Kael.
"And right now, you're the only one loafing around the palace."
"Loafing around! I'm busy communing with my bed in my own way...!"
Kael said that and was about to draw the mana in his circles to run away.
"Roxanna. I leave it to you."
"Haa..."
With a sigh, Roxanna vanished from Kael's sight in an instant.
"Hup...! Accel... Gack!"
Just as Kael was drawing mana to use Acceleration magic to escape, Roxanna, who had already slipped behind him, struck the back of Kael's neck accurately with the edge of her hand.
"Kek..."
With a short groan, Kael rolled his eyes back and collapsed onto the bed.
Watching this, Rowen smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
"Hmm. As expected, he tried to run. Thank you, Commander Roxanna."
"...But did I really have to come?"
"That guy is a 6th Circle mage, even if he doesn't look it. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to knock him out so easily."
"Haa... Anyway, Ian is really coming back, right?"
"Do you miss Ian that much?"
"...No, I don't!"
Roxanna, her face suddenly flushed, jerked her head away.
"I've done my part, so I'll be going now!"
Then, without even waiting for a reply, she hurriedly fled the bedchamber as if running away.
The tips of her ears, visible through her flowing red hair as she left, were bright red, exactly like a girl in love.
Watching her back, Rowen let out a small laugh.
I can see right through you.
Her heart, which had been following Ian around since childhood, was an open secret known by everyone in the royal family.
It's only our oblivious youngest who doesn't know.
Now I need to pack up this guy.
Rowen called the soldier waiting outside the bedchamber and gave an order, nodding toward the fallen Kael.
"Roll him up tightly in the blanket he loves so much and bind him. He might wake up and use magic on the way, so be sure to put mana restraints on him securely."
"As you command!"
And so, Kael, Second Prince of the Espada Kingdom, was neatly packaged and shipped to Karon.
One week later.
"Hmm... I have a problem."
"What is it, my lord!"
"Ah, Seria."
I pointed at the horses grazing inside a temporary stable, with my arms resting on the fence.
"It's about the horses. The problem is they panic and run at the sound of gunfire. It's hard to train them."
The horses here are warhorses trained for cavalry. But they haven't yet adapted to the sound of gunfire, so we can't use them properly in actual combat.
I don't know anything about horse training methods.
"Hmm... It might indeed take quite a long time to adapt to the sound of your weapons, my lord."
"Right? Training them the orthodox way takes too long."
I looked at the horses in the fence and continued.
"Instead of horses, is there another animal that doesn't need training and is unfazed by gunfire? With decent mobility too."
Even as I said it, I knew it was an absurd condition.
But this is a fantasy world, so such a thing could exist.
Seria, after hearing the question, thought for a moment and then spoke.
"My lord. Now that you mention it, there are some suitable creatures."
"Oh. Really? What are they?"
"There are animals that Count Kelrn used to raise in large numbers for making jerky as combat rations for his soldiers."
"They're for jerky, but you can ride them?"
"Yes. They originally lived in the mountain ranges outside Karon. Their running speed is slower than warhorses, but they are the best for moving through rough terrain."
Such animals exist?
"If they're that mobile, why weren't they used earlier and only for jerky?"
At my question, Seria's face twisted as if it was terrible.
"That's... they are incredibly loud."
"Loud?"
"Yes. They scream all day as if their throats are tearing. Despite that, their personalities are docile, so Count Kelrn initially tried to use them as cavalry, but eventually gave up and confined them to a corner of the territory, using them only for jerky."
"Hmm... I can't really tell just from words. Let's go take a look."
"Yes. I'll guide you."
And so, following Seria's guidance, we arrived at the breeding ground on the outskirts of the territory.
Bweeeeeeeeek!!
Kieeeeeeeek!!
Kyaaaaaaaaak!!
...What is that?