Chapter Chapter 73: 9. The others’ stories (2) (1/2)
RATH 73
TL: Eevee
9. The others’ stories (2)
#3 Their story: A certain other’s reminiscence.
“I, I’m sorry!”
In the middle of a dark alleyway.
An ordinary looking middle-aged man was being shaken down by a bunch of men in black clothes.
“Shit, that’s another fail.”
“Ah damn it, piss off!”
“Y, yes sir!”
As one of the black-robed men roughly let go of the man’s lapels, the captured middle-aged man began to flee from the scene.
“Damn it, captain. Did he really run to a village at the ends of the world?”
“Who knows. For all we know he could be living fine in the middle of the imperial capital.”
“But still, that imperial princess is looking for him, could he really be in the imperial capital?”
“No matter how big his balls are that’s probably impossible.”
As his squad joked as they each lit a cigarette, the captain sighed.
“Anyways, if we don’t find him soon then our lord really could die on us so we need to hurry.”
“Boss. To be honest I don’t really get it.”
Their youngest and newest voiced his doubts as the captain just lit up his own cigarette.
“Our master is the empire’s sole Crown Prince. Even if it is Her Highness, isn’t it over the top to say that she could just kill or spare our lord?”
And looking at the newbie, the captain’s eyes narrowed as he thought.
‘What the hell is this crazy idiot?’
“Even if you are the newbie, haven’t you been here for two years now? Who the hell was your instructor?”
“I, I’m sorry!”
Looking at the subordinate who hurriedly dropped his cigarette to the ground and bowed his head, the man they called the captain stroked his head.
“Look after our newbie. We’re overlooking this because this is a small kingdom a long way away from the empire, but if you say that like an idiot in the middle of the imperial centers then I’ll kill you on the spot.”
“I’m sorry, captain!”
Aside from the newbie who couldn’t adjust to the abrupt change in mood, everyone else bowed their heads.
“Fucking newbie, listen up.”
And seeing that, the captain threw away his cigarette butt and continued with a fresh one in his mouth.
“Listen very well how the hierarchy in the imperial court works. Number one in the imperial court is Her Highness the imperial princess, number two is Marquis Arten, and His Imperial Majesty is only at a paltry number three.”
“Captain! Your statement just now is lese majeste!”
“And that’s why you’re still the newbie, moron. Because what I just said was from none other than His Imperial Majesty himself so therefore it is not lese majeste.”
“Huh, huh?”
To think that the emperor himself would say that there were other people above him in the pecking order.
The man they called the newbie simply couldn’t keep up with the conversation.
“Well, officially it’s true that His Imperial Majesty is at the top. But our emperor does not like working.”
“That’s how it is, newbie. And so the majority of the work in the imperial court is done by Marquis Arten, who’s in charge of security of the imperial court.”
“I understand Marquis Arten, but why is Her Highness number one?”
“We don’t know why either. But it’s something even our lord the Crown Prince understands.”
“No, on the contrary he’s become even more scared of Her Highness after he became the heir to the throne.”
Looking at his seniors shake his head, the newbie couldn’t get his head around it.
“We simply need to obey the orders of our lord. So don’t think of unnecessary things and find the person named Ast. That’s our orders.”
Looking at the newbie nod his head, the captain sighed.
Judging by his expression he still didn’t get it.
But having worked with the Crown Prince for a long time, the captain still remembered that day.
As the scales of victory were tipping ever towards the empire during the Great War.
In the middle of the fight for succession that was of course running even in the middle of the war, a spy handed in a report to the Crown Prince.
A report that apparently that a man named Ast, a key member of the imperial princess’s faction vanished overnight.
The man named Ast was one of the greatest figures in the princess’s faction.
Although he began as an ordinary servant, the princess saw his potential and made full use of him.
The honour of being the fastest to be promoted to a high-ranking noble in imperial history.
The most trustworthy general to his allies, but the greatest nightmare to his foes.
That type of person vanished overnight?
The only person that could make that possible was the princess that was leading the troops.
That meant that for one reason or another, she had disposed of the person named Ast.
The reason was probably a power struggle.
There was probably an incident between Ast, who was trusted by the troops, and the princess, over authority over the troops.
And three days later this conclusion, was shattered to smithereens.
“Dear little brother, do you want to be emperor?”
From the eerily silent princess faction, the princess herself came to see him.
Even if she had Sir Reia, who was called the Sword Princess by her side, it was far too weak of a guard detail for someone coming to the heart of the enemy faction of a succession war.
“Are you surrendering, big sister?”
Because of that, let alone his lord, everyone else was thinking the exact same thing.
After the core of the army, Ast was taken out, her army became dysfunctional.
She could correct the situation if she had time, but the majority of the continent was swept up in the Great War.
There was no way that other people would lose the opportunity of a weakening in military might, and the princess called the greatest genius of the imperial court realised that and came to surrender.
That’s what everyone thought, but the person herself gave a completely different answer.
“Surrender? Who?”
The appearance of the princess tilting her head was cute as you’d expect from a girl her age, but one shouldn’t be fooled by appearances.
Even his lord, a genius that was leading an army at the tender age of thirteen said this about this sister.
“Compared to elder sister, I’m still an idiot.”
The person that his monster of a master called a monster was the imperial princess right in front of him.
And because of that he didn’t let his guard down.
Indeed. He didn’t let his guard down. But…
“Ah, was that it? Was that the misunderstanding you were under?”
When her guard Sir Reia conveyed her correct predictions of our thoughts to the princess, she blinked and made a surprised face.
“That’s true. You could think like that. That’s ridiculous from my point of view, but other people could see it like that. Alright, in that case… I should let you understand what you’re dealing with?”