Free Web NovelChapter 25: The Cursed One²
I set off with my entourage; as my destination was the south gate of the castle, it took me only about half an hour’s walk to reach the gate, where I found the Duke standing before an entire army bearing the banner of the North—Aschenwald—and the banner of the Duchy of Askelund
But I was disappointed to see that none of my siblings were there. I mean, even if I am the outcast son, no one knows when we’ll meet again... I can’t even see little Eve. Although I didn’t tell her, did the Duke not send for them either?
As far as I know, everyone except Cassian is still in the castle.
Man, this is harsh...
Forget it.
I stood before the Duke... and intended to kneel before him as protocol dictates; though I didn’t care, I didn’t want to look bad on my first official mission. But to my surprise, the Duke grabbed my shoulders and hugged me.
I froze in my tracks, confused... and a little panicked.
What the hell is wrong with this man who’s suffering from a split personality?
"Stay safe,"
he said to me in a flat tone, then left me and stepped down from the platform, returning to the castle
I don’t know why, but I hate this
"I will... Father"
Let’s provoke him a little
And it seems I succeeded because he stopped in his tracks like a statue, even though he didn’t turn to look at me... Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have done that
I know he won’t like hearing that word from me
Forget it
Whether he likes it or not, why should I care?
I ignored him and turned my back on him too...
Couldn’t this man simply have followed protocol? Why is he leaving me in such an awkward position on my first mission? Doesn’t he know I’m as nervous as any rookie because of him? Because all my life he’s always stopped me from going to the battlefield
I looked at my soldiers with their fearsome faces staring at me as I stood alone on the platform
Like an outcast son, I’ve always been introverted since I was a child and have never before been involved in any of the affairs of state. So, despite all the lessons I’ve taken, I didn’t know how to start giving a speech when I’d never done it before... Well, let’s just improvise. It’s not as if it’s the end of the world.
I forgot the embarrassment the Duke had caused me and stood with my hands behind my back. When I really couldn’t think of anything to say, I remembered a sentence I’d read in a novel, so I recited it with a serious expression
"Whether you love it or hate it, whether you achieve glory or drown in shame... I don’t care. I have a mission to fulfil, and I will fulfil it, and you will do so with me, whether we all turn to mummified ice in a desolate land or return victorious."
All the knights and soldiers raised their weapons and shouted in unison
"As you command!"
"Glory to the North!"
"Glory to Askelund!"
Oh, looks like it worked. Hmph, come and see, Julian the fool. What did he say to me last time? Read useless, meaningless drivel. His head is useless. ..
"Wow, I didn’t expect my little brother to be so good at pep talks,"
said the fool Lucien, riding towards me on his horse, looking pleased with himself, with a beautiful black cat with long fur sitting on his shoulder. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Is this the time for this, you fool? Did he have to interfere? Can’t he see we’re in the middle of a dramatic pre-battle scene? What on earth is he doing here anyway!
"What are you doing here?"
"I’ll accompany you."
I know he must go west, so I understood his meaning.
Let’s ignore him; it’s not as if he’s come to bid me farewell.
I signalled to Caio to bring me my horse, and since he is, incidentally, one of my own Requiem knights, he will naturally accompany me alongside my other knight on this expedition.
Let’s go...
With the sound of the trumpet, the gate opened and the procession began...
_______
The Empire of Highreich, unlike all the heroic or bloody tales of the rise of great empires,
Highreich was originally just a small kingdom caught between two hostile empires that slaughtered and destroyed one another. The king seized the opportunity, welcomed refugees from both empires, treated them well, and used them to seize the devastated lands behind the scenes. Decades later, after the war had ended, there were no longer two great empires , but a unified empire under the banner of the Eichenheim royal family.
But well, however cunning and brilliant the king might have been, in the end he was still human, with limited abilities and a limited lifespan.
And to swallow up two great empires, he naturally had to make some concessions if he did not want his own house to be reduced to ashes as well.
So, in the north and west, in the Arkenfels Empire, he supported a weak and young prince who was the last survivor of the imperial house of Askelund. The king had saved him and hidden him, He supported, guided and protected the boy until the prince ascended the throne. In return, the prince demanded allegiance, and the prince, who regarded him as his mentor and father, accepted. Thus arose the Duchy of Askelund from the ruins of the fallen Arkenfels Empire
In the south and west, however, matters were simpler, with more severe destruction and no one remaining of the ruling dynasty; yet the situation was, in a way, more complicated following the divisions that had occurred.
Although Prince of Arkenfels was of imperial blood and possessed legitimacy, a strong case and even the support of his people, he was merely a child; the King was able to deceive him through a combination of intimidation and enticement—it was an easy task.
However, in the south and west of the Goldencrest Empire, there was no such useful pawn
Firstly, because the king wished to occupy the lands without war, he needed someone who was a native of those lands and, at the same time, possessed a degree of honour and high standing so that the people of Goldencrest would rally around him, yet who would also be subservient to him and foolish.
Therefore, the king turned to one of the great fallen clans in the south, supported their heir, and presented him as the lord of those lands in exchange for a pledge of allegiance. Thus was born the Duchy of Estella, and King of Highreich proclaimed the establishment of his empire, declaring himself the first emperor of the Highreich Empire.
Cassian stood on the balcony, gazing coldly out at the courtyard of his palace, where a luxurious royal carriage stood. The First Princess alighted with the help of her knight; it seemed she had come to discuss the matter of marriage with him.
On this history, it was not a mistake for the Eichenheim to seize the opportunity to swallow up two fallen empires to raise its own standing; rather, its greatest failure was that, even after generations, it had been unable to make these two great powers forget their origins... and the fact that it had always been inferior to them.
