* * *
“Be on standby nearby.”
“Yes, sir.”
Raymond ordered the Shadow Squad to stand by as he entered the conference room with the two tower masters.
The eyes of those who were inside the meeting room first, focused on the three people. Among them was the Third Prince.
He didn’t approach them first, unlike before.
Also, he didn’t pour out any hasty threats, but Aloken just scanned Raymond and the master of the Red Tower from head to toe.
Of course, Raymond just ignored him and sat down with the two tower masters, regardless of the enemy’s full gaze.
“Did your brother ever care about you?”
When Raymond asked, while slightly wetting his lips with the drink brought by his servant. Berenus opened his mouth, trying to hide the corners of his mouth trying to hide his dissatisfaction.
“Sure. I was cared for enough to be spied upon by his assassins. “
“I guess that was the true purpose of your so-called escort.”
“You must be well aware of the capability of His Highness the Second Prince.”
‘I know him very well.’
Raymond affirms Berenus by nodding his head.
Even if he doesn’t remember reading it in the novel, he can guess it by just looking at how Berenus is acting right now.
Berenus, the master of the Red Tower, did not elaborate, but Raymond could guess what he had been through.
Berenus Kyle was a very important person as far as being one of the few great wizards in the whole Pilias Empire.
But he didn’t notice the assassin’s surveillance?
He knew about them but turned a blind eye in order to save face for the Second Prince, who joined hands with the Third Prince.
“What did you do to them?”
It was difficult to move if those assassins sent by the Second Prince were still lurking among the Red Tower people.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
Berenus replied.
He was aware of the presence of the assassins on surveillance and was capable of repelling them.
He was just holding it back in order to avoid any discord between the Second and the Third Prince.
But now that he had decided to grab Raymond’s rope, the Fifth Prince, he didn’t need to worry about it anymore.
As soon as he returned after declaring an alliance with the Fifth Prince, he immediately selected the best wizards and high-ranking knights of the Red Tower and repelled those assassins.
Some of them were even handled by the Master of the Red Tower himself.
“The Emperor is entering!”
The door opened, and the officer standing by the entrance shouted with a loud voice.
Everyone stood up from their seats.
Soon, the old Emperor appeared escorted by the Imperial Guard.
The Imperial guards were on their guard after what had happened at the banquet before, because it was not unusual for that same event to repeat again.
Raymond sighed inwardly as he saw this scene.
It was a pity that the great powers that commanded the ancient era had fallen to the point where they had to worry about assassinations happening in their own Imperial City.
“Everyone, take your seats.”
The Emperor sat down first. His voice was solemn, but the Emperor seemed very exhausted.
He tried not to show it, but some nobles still noticed it.
“Come up, Commander of the Northern Central Army, and report on the current situation.”
A middle-aged man in a military uniform stood up at the emperor’s command.
Raymond had never seen him before, but he knew about him from the novel.
‘Count William Acorn.’
He was a high-ranking Knight stationed in the Northern Border Forces, and he was a promising figure in the military.
Although he was not an aristocrat by heredity with a territory, he still had the title of a Count.
“We’ve got one legion now close to the northern border. If a border force is attacked, it will hold out for four days without support. “
One legion is about 6,000 men. Considering the current power of the Pilias Empire, it was a considerable number of troops.
‘But it will not be able to hold it out.’
The Heifel Empire is by no means a pushover.
They were always looking for a chance to escape the barren land of the North.
If there was a proper justification, there should have been troops to go through a dangerous obstacle called the Black Forest in the south.
‘But the Pilias have no national power to pass through the wilderness.’
Not yet.
‘Unless I became Emperor and invoked an imperial reconstruction plan, it was difficult to confront the Heifel Empire or the whole Alliance of the Three Kingdoms.’
One hope for this declining empire is the legacy of the “Imperial Reconstruction Plan” that lies dormant throughout the continent.
If Raymond collected all the remnants left by the first Emperor, the Pilias Empire could rise again as a powerhouse on the continent.
“Is the situation serious enough to pull out one corps of the Northern Central Army and deploy it forward?”
A nobleman asked the question carefully.
“You can tell by the absence of a High-Knight here.”
The Emperor replied.
He could see how serious the current situation was just by seeing him back here rather than in the north. He has been staying in the capital longer than on his land, to build his foundation recently.
“How’s the morale of the army?”
“With the Heifel Range units attacking our patrols several times a day, the damage is accumulating and morale is falling significantly.”
“The Black Mountains?”
“It’s the same. I think the Fresyria kingdom hired high-quality mercenaries and sent them to the border.”
The Emperor agonized over the Marquis Acorn’s report.
Sending the Princes to the border would restore the morale of the border forces, but it was not easy to send his sons to places where they might have their limbs cut off.
“Your Majesty, it’s not too late! Send an Imperial family member to the borders of the Heifel Kingdom and the Kingdom of Fresyria! “
Someone said.
Raymond turned his head towards the direction where he heard the voice.
Raymond doesn’t remember his name, but he could clearly recall that he was an aristocrat who stood by the Third Prince at the banquet.
“I agree! If a prince goes to the border, we would not provoke the Heifel Empire or the Kingdom of Fresyria! “
This time the nobleman, playing the part of the Second Prince, raised his voice.
“Who do you think should go then?”
The Emperor asked the nobles.
The aristocratic forces of the Second and Third princes gathered together, making it difficult to ignore them.
“Your Majesty, I recommend Brother Seraque to the Heifel Empire and Raymond to the borders of the Kingdom of Fresyria.”
Aloken, the Third Prince, who had remained silent until now, said as he stepped forward.
The serious First Prince nodded with no sign of displeasure, and Raymond stared at the Third Prince with a complex look on his face.
‘The nobles will stand by me. Come on. Come on.’
Aloken was preparing to laugh towards Raymond, expecting him to react violently, but Raymond’s innermost thoughts were very different.
There was now a justification for him leaving the Imperial Palace for a while.
Furthermore, the Black Mountains, where the Soul Sword is asleep.
‘There’s no one to help you.’
Looking at Raymond, who was silent, the third prince, Aloken, gave a mean smile.
Inside, he hoped Raymond would beg for help.
He wanted to show everyone how ugly he was inside and hoped the nobles would turn their backs on him.
“I’ll do as you wish, Brother Aloken. I will go to the border with the Kingdom of Fresyria.”
However, it was different from what he expected.
Raymond rose from his chair without any hesitation and expressed his intention to go to the border, where his courageous appearance will raise the morale of the military.
The past, where he was just a scumbag, didn’t matter anymore.
Now, the Fifth Prince accepted the proposal that he would go to the border, which is currently a battlefield for the Empire.
It was enough for the military personnel to like him.
“Ho?”
Seraque, the First Prince, also expressed his curiosity about Raymond’s declaration.
“Raymond, are you saying you’re going?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll let the Kingdom of Fresyria realize that the Pilias Empire is still alive.”
“I’ll give you an Imperial Army, but it won’t be much.”
Within the Pilias Empire, the situation in the center was not good.
Local troops are maintained by lords, but the number of imperial and central troops has decreased significantly compared to the past.
Even if Raymond went to a dangerous border, only about 100 Imperial soldiers could be assigned.
“Your Highness, the great wizards and High-Ranking knights of the Red Tower will also accompany him on this border.”
“Aren’t you the Master of the Red Tower?”
The Emperor looked surprised.
It was not strange to not be surprised that the Master of the Red Tower, who was with the Third Prince until yesterday, was now standing by Raymond’s side.
“The Master of the Red Tower is with His Highness the Fifth?”
“What the hell is going on here?”
All the nobles had a similar reaction to the Emperor.
Only a few of the people who first saw the Red Tower, standing by the side of the Fifth Prince, remained calm.
“His Majesty, the Blue Tower, will also accompany His Highness the Fifth. Please don’t worry too much.”
Not only did the Blue Tower master lightly speak in favor of the Fifth Prince, but he also took a step forward and promised assistance.
“Hey, this isn’t it…….”
This was Aloken, the Third Prince.
Raymond and his forces’ reaction was not what he expected.
Although the blue and red towers promised assistance and a hundred imperial troops joined them, the borders and the black mountains were never easy places.
“He finally finally has men to rely on.”
The Emperor responded positively to the promise of assistance from both the Red tower and the Blue tower.
The border of where to deply the Fifth Prince was almost decided.
It was something to rejoice in, but Aloken’s expression was upset.
Before sending an assassin to kill him, he wanted to dampen the spirits of the Fifth Prince, but it didn’t work out as he wanted.
In this case, even if the assassination succeeds and the Fifth Prince, Raymond, loses his life, the imperial family and the nobles will remember the positive aspects of his life first.
The Third Prince, Aloken, wanted more than just Raymond’s death. He wanted him to be destroyed. He thought this was enough as a revenge for taking away the Red tower that supported him before.
“Now that we have done this, we have no choice but to kill as painfully as possible. Deneb will send a very capable assasin.”
He was already thrilled about imagining Raymond suffering.
Deneb shook his head and sighed as he watched Aloken shaking with a grim smile.
Unlike Aloken’s intelligent past, he has not only been losing his wits rapidly in recent years, but he has also developed extreme jealousy and envy, escalating into extreme evil.
“Your Majesty, with the excellent wizards and knights of the Red Tower and the Blue Tower, Raymond will be able to return safely from the border! Please relax and send your Imperial Highnesses to the border to increase the morale of the army!”
It was the aristocrat on the side of the Second Prince, who broke the brief silence and raised his voice.
He stepped forward, shrewdly organizing his thoughts while the Third Prince trembled alone. It was wedged to send the Fifth Prince to the border as planned by the Second Prince and the greedy Third Prince.
“Your Majesty, you don’t have to worry! For many generations, the Empire has sent the Imperial family to the front line whenever there is a national crisis.”
Another nobleman said, He is an aristocrat on the side of the Third Prince. He even mentioned the imperial tradition.
In fact, the Pilias Empire has been famous for having imperial family members on the front line with the army whenever there has been a national crisis since ancient times.
Thanks to these, the military’s loyalty to the House of Pilias was deep.
Those who bring victory have the highest chance of being the next in line.
This means that even the youngest son can be regarded as a Crown Prince if he is capable.
“They are really desperate to send me to the border.”
Raymond shook his head.
Given that he even mentioned the tradition of the Pilias Empire, it seems they wanted him to be sent to the borders.
‘If you come out cheap like this, I have an idea.’
He got up from the chair, looking coldly.
The eyes of the nobles were focused on him. With everyone paying attention, Raymond opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, with your permission, I will bring you the Spearhead of the Kingdom of Fresyria.”
(New TL: Vanguard was used by the previous TL. It is not wrong, but in this context it was referring to Spearhead. Also, the previous tl thought it was a person but just a symbol of the 21 generals.)
The brief remark caused a stir in the meeting room.
“You’re going to get the Spearhead?”
“I thought he’d changed a little, but he must have lost his mind! This is worse than being a jerk. “
“You’re right! I don’t think he’s thinking about anything else…….”
There were people talking.
“The Fifth Prince! Do you know what it means to bring out the Spearhead of the Kingdom of Fresyria?”
There wasn’t an aristocrat who wanted to ask such a question.
“Of course I know.”
But they do not know it.
In the first place, he knew what it meant when he said he would bring the Spearhead.
If the imperial family was considered sacred in the Pilias Empire, there was the Spearhead in the Kingdom of Fresyria.
“Do you really know what it is?”
“Aren’t they the symbols of the Generals who have defended the Kingdom of Fresyria for generations.“
“Do you know any other of their meanings?”
The old nobleman kept asking. Raymond opened his mouth, nodding his head with a calm face.
“I know that the first king of the Kingdom of Fresyria gave each a Spearhead to the 21 Generals one by one.”
“So you also know that those 21 generals have never been taken down by an enemy in all of history, right?”
“Of course I know.”
“You know that the moment you take the Spearhead away from them, there can be a war, right?”
The old nobleman finished talking and smirked.
Now that racognized him, he was also an aristocrat at the side of the Third Prince.
It was a sharp question, but Raymond was rather relaxed.
“Their enemy had never taken down the Generals with the Spearhead, but compared us to these other countries!”
As both his eyes shone sharply and raised his voices, all the military aristocrats who had been silent jumped out of their seats.
“His Highness the Fifth is right!”
“We can’t be fooled!”
“It’s time for them to pay back!”
“Long live the Pilias! Long live the Emperor! ” Long live the Fifth Prince!”
They chanted the Emperor and the Fifth Prince, crying out for more blood revenge.
People in the military with belligerent tendencies were all like that.
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Thanks for the translation
Thanks for the chapter