The Subjugation Expedition (Part 2)
"Your Majesty, King Kaiden!"
Edwin's face lit up at Kaiden's approach, clearly thrilled that the king had greeted him first.
"It has been so long. Have you been well?"
Surely it was just my imagination that a phantom puppy tail seemed to be wagging behind the boy. Watching the young prince greet him with such unguarded delight, Kaiden offered an easy smile.
"I am well, as always. And how have you fared, Your Highness?"
"Very well! I have been training diligently in swordsmanship, and preparing for the subjugation expedition..."
The two exchanged what passed for an affectionate conversation, though in truth it was mostly Edwin chattering away on his own.
"By the way." Having indulged the boy's pleasantries, Kaiden's gaze slid toward me. "A face I have not seen before."
A sly smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"And yet, you bear an uncanny resemblance to someone I know."
The moment I caught the intrigued gleam dancing in his golden eyes, I knew.
This bastard figured out who I am.
I had cropped my hair short, dyed it pitch-black, and bound my frame to conceal my silhouette. How on earth had he noticed?
This is why I despise sharp-witted bastards.
When a child was perceptive, it was either endearing or pitiful. But when a grown adult possessed such uncanny perception in utterly pointless matters, it was downright infuriating.
While I clicked my tongue internally, Kaiden spoke with a shamelessly playful grin. "I did not expect you to bring someone who is not a knight as your attendant, Prince Edwin."
"P-Pardon?" Edwin flustered visibly.
No matter how much I teach him, his poker face never improves.
I had nagged him endlessly back at the imperial palace. Perhaps due to Edwin's guileless nature, he had zero talent for hiding what was written across his face.
"W-Well, you see..." Flustered and flailing, Edwin forced an awkward chuckle and stammered out an excuse. "Er, while he is not a knight, he has extensive experience in hunting demonic creatures. You need not doubt his qualifications."
"Extensive experience with demonic creatures?" Kaiden stared straight into my eyes, muttering under his breath, "That can hardly be true."
"Excuse me? Did you say something?"
"No, it is nothing." The cunning young king flashed a wolfish grin before turning on his heel. "Then I shall take my leave to greet the other imperial princes. I look forward to cooperating in tomorrow's operation."
"Yes! I look forward to working with you as well!"
Edwin stood gazing at the spot Kaiden had vacated until the man vanished from view. Admiration practically sparkled in his wide blue eyes.
"Do you truly hold the King of Adamant in such high regard, Your Highness?"
"Huh?" Edwin snapped his head toward me at once. His cheeks, tanned to a healthy apricot hue from relentless knight training, flushed a warm pink.
"Honey is practically dripping from your eyes."
"What? It is not that bad!"
"It certainly looked like it from where I stand. You never even looked that ardently at the duke's daughter..."
"Hey! Why are you suddenly bringing up Lady Bridget?!" Edwin barked, his voice pitching high in petulant indignation. He glared at me, huffing with flushed cheeks.
Just like an angry kitten.
His reaction stirred a bizarre urge to tease him further. Still, if I pushed any more, he would pout for the rest of the day, so I decided to rein it in.
"Shall we head over to our own strategy meeting then?"
"Huh? Strategy meeting?" Edwin's temper vanished as quickly as it had flared. "Didn't the strategy meeting just end?"
"That was a meeting, yes, but only a preliminary agreement between commanders."
How to efficiently eliminate the magic beasts herded inward by the Adamant subjugation squad—that was the problem we needed to solve.
And that isn't all.
Now that the plan had shifted from defending assigned sectors to a free-for-all slaughter, variables would erupt from every quarter.
The First Prince's faction and the Second Prince's faction will run rampant trying to hoard military merit. We cannot afford to fall behind.
To keep pace, we had to cull more beasts faster than anyone else. Yet victory points were not my sole concern.
Chaos is always the easiest cover for assassination.
Amid the bedlam of rampaging beasts, there was no telling what treacherous schemes the First or Second Prince's factions might concoct against Edwin's life.
The First Prince's camp is relatively safe.
Duke Crowner was an outrageously selfish uncle who doted on his nephew, but he was not petty enough to target Edwin's life on an open battlefield. Above all, Edwin was still a son of the Emperor. Duke Crowner, serving as the Emperor's right hand, would never dare orchestrate Edwin's outright murder.
The faction that demanded absolute vigilance was undeniably the Second Prince's.
Marquis Radcliffe and Ian.
That sly fox of a marquis would never dirty his own hands. If anyone made a move, it would be the Second Prince's attendant.
I have no idea how much Ian's skills have grown during the years I was dead.
Ian was an assassin of undeniable, lethal talent. His specialty lay in snapping an opponent's windpipe in a single breath, relying on exceptional kinetic vision and inhuman physical strength.
Could I stop him with my current body?
I asked myself the question, and the answer, regrettably, was no.
Unless Ian's skills have completely deteriorated, an overwhelming victory against him in this body is nearly impossible.
Yet combat was never a simple contest of who possessed greater raw strength. It was a deadly gamble won by the one who understood how to orchestrate victory.
So by whatever means necessary, I must win.
I looked at Edwin, whose brow was furrowed in deep contemplation.
That is why I came along in the first place.
Though he had grown considerably since our first encounter, the prince was still small. He had learned to wield a blade and slaughter monsters, but at his core, he remained a boy who needed an adult's protection.
"Ra—no, Kyle. I can't seem to think of a clear solution. What should we..."
"Let us head inside first," I said, resting a palm lightly against Edwin's back to guide him toward the barracks. "I have already devised a plan."
Inside the barracks of the Gloria 3rd Knights, the men gathered tightly around a modest table where a large topographical map of the surrounding terrain lay unfurled.
"So you're saying the plan has completely changed?"
"Instead of holding our assigned sectors, we're supposed to slaughter any magic beasts the Adamant subjugation force drives inside our perimeter?"
The sudden shift in orders threw the knights of the 3rd Order into obvious confusion.
"Then what was the point of forming separate hunting units? We won't even know which unit made the kill!"
"Our formation works against us, too. If Adamant's vanguard herds the beasts out of the forest, the Second Prince's squad will intercept them first. What if they butcher every last creature before any reach us?"
This was a ruthless competition masquerading as a subjugation expedition, and the 3rd Order knew it all too well.
"What do we do? Setting aside the monsters in the 1st and 2nd Knight Orders, the Second Prince's retainers are seasoned killers in their own right."
"Hey, have some spine! Those aristocrats only know how to fight people. When it comes to beasts, the 3rd Knights won't lose to anyone!"
An exceptionally tall, lean knight turned bright, eager eyes toward Edwin.
"Don't worry, Your Highness! Finnet here will cut down more beasts than anyone else!"
"There he goes running his mouth again."
"Running my mouth?! You take that back, Bata! If anything, you're the one who needs to step up and make some noise!"
Finnet and Bata. As always, the contrasting pair fell straight into their bickering routine, prompting the other knights to chime in and raise a raucous din of conflicting opinions.
"Um, everyone, if you would just listen to me for a moment..." Edwin raised a hand, trying to interject, but it was futile. His quiet voice was utterly drowned out by the bellowing knights.
Helpless, as always.
Letting out a soft sigh, I drew a dagger from my belt and slammed it straight into the wooden tabletop.
Thud! Twang—!
The table shuddered under the impact as the quivering blade rang with high-pitched vibration. In an instant, the tent plunged into pin-drop silence.
"His Highness is speaking," I said, sweeping my gaze across the stunned knights. "Does the knighthood no longer teach that keeping your mouths shut and listening when your commander speaks is basic courtesy?"
"Ra—no, Kyle, don't be so harsh..."
"It is because Your Highness is overly indulgent that they dare presume above their station."
Edwin looked taken aback by my sharp, commanding tone. When playing the role of a gentle nanny, I had to mind every syllable under Catherine and Emilia's watchful eyes. But speaking freely to drill some discipline into a bunch of sweaty, foul-smelling brutes was intensely refreshing.
"Unless you wish to advertise yourselves as uneducated commoner scum, maintain proper etiquette before your commanding officer, Sirs."
Blood rushed to every knight's face. Being lowborn commoners was their deepest insecurity. Having their raw nerve struck with brutal truth, they clamped their mouths shut like clams.
"Quiet at last."
I yanked the dagger from the splintered wood with practiced indifference and slid it away. "Pray continue, Your Highness."
Edwin stared at me with wide, bewildered eyes. Realizing that this was his best opportunity to command their attention, he quickly cleared his throat.
"In truth, as your commander, there is a strategy I wish to propose to you all."
I already knew every detail of what he was about to say. After all, the plan Edwin was pitching had come straight out of my own head.
"What sort of plan is it, Your Highness?"
"What strategy are you speaking of?"
Holding the rapt attention of every knight in the tent, the Third Prince spoke clearly.
"An interception strategy."
"An interception strategy, sire?"
"Yes. We will split the 3rd Knights into two detachments..." Edwin swallowed hard before pressing on with newfound resolve. "One detachment will secretly shadow the Adamant subjugation force from behind."