Chapter 9

After petting my head for a while, His Majesty turned his eyes to the magic sword at my waist.

"So this is the current Leviathan, I see. Indeed, it has shrunk quite a bit."

From His Majesty's tone, it seemed he had already gathered information about Leviathan's shrinkage. That meant there was someone in my mansion who provided information to His Majesty.

Of course, it made sense.

"Noah."

"Yes."

"Can you make it big again?"

"I wonder... I wonder..."

Although His Majesty's words were audible, Leviathan didn't answer until I heard them directly. Thinking more and more that he was a loyal dog, I reported his response to His Majesty.

"It seems it can be done."

"Show me."

"Yes."

I drew Leviathan and thrust it into the ground. Placing my hand on the top of the hilt, I willed Leviathan to grow.

Leviathan stretched out rapidly, from a length suitable for my six-year-old body to the length it was when we first met, which was easier for an adult to wield.

"Oh..."

His Majesty was amazed at the transformation before his eyes.

"Indeed, this is unprecedented. And—"

"?"

"You have complete control over that magic sword, Leviathan. Considering the cursed history it has, it's truly impressive."

Cursed history, huh. Well, I know all too well about its mad dog tendencies.

At a party I was invited to by the Third Chancellor Raidou, if I hadn't stopped it, it might have killed everyone present just for some idle chatter.

If there were no one to control Leviathan, it would indeed create a cursed history one after another.

"That's enough."

"Yes."

I nodded, adjusted Leviathan to my size, and returned it to my waist.

"It suits you. Noah, I should get you a master."

"A master?"

"A swordsmanship master. It would be good for you to learn the techniques to wield a magic sword. Cruise."

When His Majesty called, his trusted eunuch appeared silently.

"Did you call for me?"

"Bring Noble here immediately."

"As you wish."

Cruise accepted the order and left.

We chatted in the garden while waiting for His Majesty. About twenty minutes later, a middle-aged man in knight's armor arrived.

The man knelt before His Majesty.

"Damian Noble, at your service."

"Good, you came. I have a task for you."

"Anything."

"You know Noah. I want you to teach him swordsmanship."

"Yes, I will do my best."

After receiving the order, Damian stood up and turned to me.

While he knelt before His Majesty, he only bowed slightly to me.

"I am Damian Noble, appointed as your instructor. Please remember me."

"Noble is the best swordsman in the empire, unmatched in swordsmanship."

"I am honored."

Damian bowed lightly, but it was hard to tell if he was pleased or not, with his stern expression.

His Majesty didn't seem to mind, as it was probably his usual demeanor.

"Train under Noble."

"Yes."

"Right away, Your Highness. First, I would like to test your potential."

Damian drew his sword and pointed the tip at me. His Majesty seemed surprised by this.

"He's just a child, and you haven't taught him anything yet."

"Please rest assured, I will only test his potential, not his skills."

"Hmm."

His Majesty accepted this easily. I wondered if it was too easy, but perhaps it was due to the trust in the "best swordsman in the empire."

"Attack from any direction."

"Understood."

I drew Leviathan and attacked Damian. I swung down from above, and Damian took a stance to block it with his sword held horizontally.

Clang!

Immediately after the light metallic sound.

"...What?"

Damian was shocked. The sword he had just held flew off in a random direction, spinning and landing in the ground.

My casual downward strike, upon colliding with Damian's sword, immediately wrapped around and twisted it. The force of the impact caused Damian's wrist to bend in the wrong direction, and he involuntarily let go of his sword.

The sword, still spinning, flew far away and landed in the ground.

Damian stared at me in disbelief, then looked at his sword stuck in the distance, and finally looked up at the sky. He then turned to His Majesty and knelt.

"I apologize, Your Majesty. I have nothing to teach Your Highness."

"What do you mean? Explain clearly."

"Your Highness's strength and speed are those of a child, but his sword skills are already at the level of a master."

"Master level?"

"Earlier, he disarmed me with just his technique."

"..."

"It would be presumptuous to teach him. I am completely defeated."

"..."

Even His Majesty was taken aback for a moment, about ten seconds, but then he smiled even more broadly.

"I see, I see."

"Yes."

"Ahahaha, well done, Noah. You're amazing, Noah."

"Yes, as befits the son of His Majesty."

"Ahahahaha!"

His Majesty laughed heartily, looking up at the sky.

"Good, good. That's it!"

His Majesty clapped his hands as if remembering something.

"This year's knight selection, I want Noah to be the main judge."

"An excellent choice, indeed."

Damian agreed with His Majesty.

The knight selection is the empire's annual major event.

Nowadays, when people say "empire," they mean our empire, but the official name is "Miles Empire."

Miles, in the old language, means warrior, so the Miles Empire means "the land of warriors." The empire values warriors as a tradition, and it is said that martial prowess is the only path to advancement.

The annual knight selection determines this. People from all over the empire compete in the capital, and the survivors are given the title of knight and instantly join the upper class.

His Majesty was assigning me as the judge for this selection.

I thought about it for a moment. This was very convenient for me.

The reason is that the knight who survives until the end becomes the subordinate of the judge at the time.

I glanced at my status, which I usually don't pay much attention to.

――――――――――――

Name: Noah Ararat

Thirteenth Prince of the Ararat Empire

Gender: Male

Level: 1/∞

HP F Fire F

MP F Water E+SS

Strength F+F Wind F

Stamina F+F Earth F

Intelligence F Light F

Spirit F Dark F

Speed F

Dexterity F+F

Luck F+F

――――――――――――

The "+" abilities that only I have, which others don't, are enhanced based on my subordinates and the people in my territory.

In other words, if I have strong subordinates, I become stronger myself.

Being the judge for the knight selection is a perfect assignment.

I stepped forward and knelt before His Majesty.

"As you wish, I will fulfill my duty as the judge."

"Good. Then let's decide one thing. Noah, what kind of selection will you conduct?"

His Majesty's question. This is also a right of the judge. Since the last person standing becomes my subordinate, I have the right to decide the method of selection.

For example, a league system and a tournament system would produce very different types of winners.

I thought about it for a moment. It's simple; I want the strongest people.

"One thing."

"Yes, speak."

"I want all the preliminary rounds from all over the empire to be held in the capital, in front of me."

"What? Why is that?"

"I don't want to miss any talent. I want to see everything with my own eyes and make the decision."

The empire is vast, and for such a large event, it's impossible to control the local preliminaries completely. If there were someone suitable to be my subordinate who was eliminated for some strange reason, it would be a waste. That's why I wanted to see everything with my own eyes.

"Oh, oh, oh."

His Majesty, who had been looking up at the sky with a blissful expression, was replaced by Damian, who explained.

"He is moved by your noble thoughts."