Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Chapter 12: Raising Fish
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-Knight Phiren and a mysterious wizard raided the Blue Lion Palace to assassinate me.
-The wizard had his face covered, so his identity couldn't be confirmed. But he boasted that he was the same assassin who had raided the Green Deer Palace in the past and killed Prince Albert.
-I resisted with all my might, managing to subdue even Knight Phiren in the process, but I ended up letting the mysterious wizard escape.
That was the full story of the events that night, as I had spun it.
However, Nexrim, the captain of the Royal Knights who led the investigation, just couldn't accept the part about me capturing Phiren.
-No matter how much of a master Your Highness has become in holy magic...
-I can use magic, too.
-You mean elemental magic. But the opponent was Knight Phiren. Moreover, I know that Sir Phiren's armor is a specially crafted magic armor for a Knight Master, with tremendous anti-magic properties. So how on earth did Your Highness...
Without a word, I cast Sky Bounce on Nexrim a few times. Nexrim knelt right there with a dazed look on his face, fully convinced.
After that day, the nickname "Knight Master Slayer" got attached to my name.
Even knights known for their strength would cower before me, unable to stand tall... Well, that's not important right now.
In any case, I didn't breathe a word about Jess's existence that night.
As a result, people collectively lost their minds over Phiren's treason and Jess's disappearance.
-Did the Regent Highness deploy Phiren and the mysterious wizard to assassinate Prince Claude?
-No, in my opinion, this was Knight Phiren's solo act of rebellion. He must have killed the Regent Highness and then tried to assassinate Prince Claude as well. The wizard in question was probably an acquaintance of Phiren's.
-That does make sense when you think about it. Wasn't the incident with Prince Albert in the same vein?
-I've never liked that Phiren fellow. He never once took off his helmet in our presence. He was definitely plotting to assassinate the imperial family while hiding his expressions.
Thanks to that, the incident was concluded as the work of subversive elements trying to wipe out the imperial line, with Phiren and the mysterious Arch Wizard-level mage as the main culprits.
My one complaint was that the missing Jess got off scot-free without a single slur, treated like a martyr...
Still, it was a better outcome than escalating chaos and growing distrust toward the imperial family. I could just stew in my own suspicions alone.
The real problem, though, was the fact that Jess had died "tremendously" faster than I had planned.
Sure, he had abused his position for personal gains, but that didn't mean he had botched the regency duties.
The workload that the empire's decision-maker had to shoulder was downright murderous. Jess had fulfilled that role relatively diligently to maintain his reputation.
Because of that, the issue of having to "revive" his replacement much sooner than scheduled arose.
The Emperor.
And the Crown Prince.
The Emperor was bedridden in a coma, while the Crown Prince had left the imperial palace and was secluded in a villa at the western edge of Emperor Road.
But what was I supposed to do? I could only save one of them.
And I couldn't even do it right away. I had to prioritize a new route that I had planned to take around the time I dealt with Jess...
Sigh, this was giving me a headache just thinking about starting it now.
On top of that, I needed to figure out how Jess had turned into a berserker. Phiren hadn't gone full berserker but had become a tentacle monster with limbs stretching out endlessly—what was the difference between the two? I couldn't just gloss over that.
Why did it matter?
Because there were still plenty of humanity's betrayers left in this world.
If all those guys suddenly transformed into berserkers and went on a rampage at once...
Ugh.
The thought alone was horrifying. I had to prepare countermeasures before that happened, no matter what.
But before all those problems, there was something more urgent.
Namely, talent management.
The idea of not feeding the fish you've caught was nonsense here.
I had to feed them as best as possible and raise them into absolute prizes. Otherwise, we'd all get swept away by the storm that was sure to hit nine years from now.
But what was this?
When I returned home from the investigation at the imperial palace, lo and behold, there was a fish in the tank that I hadn't even caught?
* * *
"I-I'm Rinen, from Dolton Village in the Elstone Earldom's fortress town."
The man knelt politely on the floor of the mansion's drawing room and introduced himself in a trembling voice.
"A few months ago, Your Highness saved our village and my life along with it. If there's anything I c-can do—no, even if there's nothing I can do—I'll follow you with my life. Please use me as your servant as you see fit."
"Dolton..."
Honestly, I barely remembered that incident. It wasn't like I had saved just one or two villagers with recovery magic.
In any case, seeing the shaggy man's desperate plea, I couldn't help but ask, even though it might be rude.
"Alright, Rinen. Everything sounds good, but how old are you exactly?"
"Fifteen."
Good lord.
He was younger than me?
This was the first old-looking kid I'd ever seen in my life. Even if he grew up suffering in the mountains, there were limits—how could a fifteen-year-old look like this?
His height was average, around early to mid-170s.
But his skin was rough like old tree bark, his thick beard connected to his sideburns, and his eyes and brows were fierce like a bandit's.
Even the exposed chest was covered in thick hair. And this was fifteen? For real? Forget me—he looked older than Davy sitting right next to him?
"As I just reported, thanks to Rinen joining us, we were able to repel the forces of Baron Rantel who attacked Verit Castle."
"Oh, really?"
Looking at Kyle, who had spoken up from the side... compared to Rinen, his face looked like a total baby's. And he was three years older.
"So... Holy Lance? The ability to infuse a spear tip with the power of light, making it explode on contact?"
It was an ability I'd never heard of, even after so many regressions. Rinen smiled shyly, unbecoming of his appearance, and nodded.
"It's all thanks to Your Highness's grace."
"Me? Why me?"
"When Your Highness saved my dying self... I felt a holy power dwelling within me. So this power is one you bestowed upon me. It only makes sense to use it for Your Highness from now on."
No, by that logic, everyone I'd revived with holy magic would have gained abilities?
That meant this guy was special. He must have awakened a hidden special ability through a special situation and experience.
The girl named Rune resting in the guest room upstairs had also awakened her magic abilities through a similar unique experience. I savored Rinen's veteran mercenary-like face for a moment before asking.
"Alright, you met with Count Elstone on the way?"
"Yes. It was the lord who suggested this power might be Holy Lance. He advised me that I'd learn more details at the grand temple."
"Count Elstone is quite knowledgeable... So, can you turn any spear into a Holy Lance with that power?"
"Yes. Anything that resembles a spear and can be thrown works."
"Once you do, is that it?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Once you make a spear into a Holy Lance, does it stay that way forever?"
"N-Not exactly... Once thrown and it explodes, it reverts back to a normal spear afterward."
So it turns spears into one-use bombs. Oh ho, this was more ingenious than I thought?
"What attribute is the explosion? Fire? Or just physical? Or holy?"
"Uh, um, I don't really know about that stuff... Anyway, when it explodes, it shatters into fragments of light that scatter."
"Light? What's the effect?"
"If you're covered in the light fragments, your body goes numb. A direct hit can knock you out, or even kill depending on the person. Right, Rinen?"
Kyle stepped in to answer for the stammering Rinen. Rinen brightened and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes! Exactly!"
"Rinen himself doesn't fully grasp his power yet, so I conducted a few tests on Holy Lance with Meredes at Verit Castle."
"Good job. So, what were the results?"
"Holy Lance is an overwhelming power. Amateur knights like me couldn't stand up to even a single transformed spear, no matter how many dozens charged in."
Hm? That sounded a bit self-deprecating.
In any case, I needed to look into it carefully, but if Kyle was saying that much, this was a no-brainer prize fish!
Kyle excelled at evaluating not one-on-one knight duels, but tactical roles on the battlefield.
If Kyle's assessment was this positive, it meant Rinen's ability was specialized for large-scale wars. So, conversely, how did our top one-on-one expert, the Knight Master, rate him?
"Davy? What do you think?"
"...Your Highness is asking how I evaluate this boy?"
Good grief, calling that shaggy guy a boy so naturally.
Anyway, when I nodded, Davy examined Rinen with a serious face for a moment before speaking.
"I can't comment on the Holy Lance without seeing it myself. But more than that..."
"More than that?"
"Honestly, I'm astonished. How could so many unique raw gems gather in one place?"
Davy slowly looked around at the fish assembled in the drawing room, marveling.
Meredes, Kyle, Rinen, and even Didi.
A Knight Master like him could apparently spot a knight's talent clearly without any analysis. Before getting to the main point, I changed the subject.
"Raw gems. By the way, Davy?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I'm grateful you came today, but what about the White Knight Order? Isn't it about time you returned from leave?"
"The White Knight Order fired me."
"Huh?"
"I violated the scheduled return date, so I was expelled from the White Knight Order. I received the official notice last night."
"Even for their ace..."
"It's regrettable, but the White Knight Order has strict discipline—no exceptions."
He said it so nonchalantly, like it was someone else's business? Wait, this messed up my next route, which assumed Davy was still in the White Knight Order.
"Actually, it's for the best. I've wanted to serve Your Highness anyway. I have no lingering attachment to the order... So, like this boy Rinen, would you please take in this unemployed man under your wing?"
Ah, playing that card?
I barely suppressed a laugh while looking at Davy, who had knelt beside Rinen.
Yeah, this might actually be better.
I had planned to pull Davy out of the White Knight Order in about six months anyway. Any resulting fallout, I could handle with a bit more effort.
I mentally revised my various schedules and tech trees on the spot and nodded.
"...I actually have the right to form a knight order. I got it for resolving the ogre rebellion, but it's a fresh one without a name yet."
"A new knight order, you say?"
"Yeah. I'm putting everyone here in it. And I'd like you to be the captain, Davy. What do you think?"
If they were determined to pull the stump out while it was soft, I could just go along and appoint him. Davy's wide eyes blinked for a moment before he bowed his head.
"It's an honor, Your Highness. I will do my utmost not to disappoint you."
"The empire only has three—no, now two—Knight Masters. What could possibly disappoint me?"
Come to think of it, it was down to two now. I crouched down to meet the kneeling Davy's eyes.
"But you called them raw gems earlier? These guys."
"Yes. They are all excellent raw gems."
"Want to polish those gems a bit?"
When I probed slyly, Davy looked up as if he'd been waiting, his eyes gleaming.
"May I teach them?"
"Of course. They're all going under you anyway."
"That's good, but... Actually, the most outstanding raw gem that caught my eye is the one standing above me."
"Above you? Who's that?"
"You, Your Highness."
"Me?"
It was an unexpected answer. Davy slowly stood and placed a fist over his chest.
"If you grant me the honor of teaching you the sword, I will do my utmost to teach everyone else here as well."
"What's that supposed to mean? You gonna make me a knight now?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You're joking. Think I can even properly grip a sword with these arms?"
I let out a hollow laugh and waved my twig-like scrawny arms. But he shook his head with a serious expression.
"Insufficient strength can be covered with technique."
Ah, that line again...
"Your Highness possesses the most heterogeneous talent of anyone I've seen. So please give me a chance. Of course, I'll train the other members into excellent knights as well."
If he was going this far, outright refusing would ruin the mood, right? With a reluctant expression and a sigh, I nodded.
"I can't dedicate as much time as the others."
"That's fine. I'm not trying to turn Your Highness into a Knight Master or anything."
Davy smiled and nodded. Then he immediately looked around at the others and said.
"You heard His Highness? From now on, I'll assess each of you and set directions accordingly. Everyone, out and assemble!