Chapter 14

In the provincial town of Sardelia, which lies straight to the north of the frontier city of Raid, a battalion sent from the capital was stationed. The town, a logistics hub in the southern part of the Zain Kingdom, hosted a battalion dispatched from the royal capital.

The battalion's commander and his staff, who had taken over the lord's mansion, were listening to the report of a knight who had returned from the frontier city in the parlor that had been turned into a makeshift command room.

"…Is that so, such a thing happened…"

After the knight finished his report, the male commander sighed deeply.

Seeing his superior officer, who was pressing his forehead as if trying to suppress a headache, the returning knight hurriedly bowed his head.

"I-I'm sorry! I couldn't protect Lady Meltina! I will take full responsibility for this…!"

"No, that's fine. Her not returning was within the realm of expectation."

The commander spoke in a polite tone that seemed unusual for addressing a regular knight.

There was no reprimand for failing to protect her or for not bringing Raedal to this place. The commander's voice was unnaturally gentle.

"Eh, h-huh?"

"You can go now. Good work. Take a good rest and recover from your fatigue."

"H-huh?"

The commander gestured with his chin, signaling the two knights to leave.

The knights tilted their heads at their superior's words, but with no punishment, they obediently followed the order and quietly left the command room.

After confirming that the two knights had left the room and their footsteps had faded away, the commander folded his arms with a serious expression.

"I never thought His Highness would agree to fight against the empire… This is unexpected."

"If Prince Raedal is willing to return on his own, there shouldn't be any problem, right? Sir Daren."

The female knight, who was the adjutant, spoke with concern to the commander, who looked troubled.

The commander's name was Daren Galst, a colonel in the kingdom's army and the son of General Basel Galst, one of the people who had exiled Raedal from the capital. Despite being only 25 years old, Daren held the position of colonel, not just because of his father's connections, but because of his exceptional martial prowess and command skills, which made him an indispensable force in the kingdom's army.

Currently, Daren and his battalion of a thousand soldiers were stationed in this town. The purpose of having a battalion here, even during the war with the empire, was to capture and forcibly bring Raedal back to the capital if he refused to return.

"Yes… Normally, I should be happy… but…"

Daren murmured in a polite tone unbecoming of his rank, frowning as he thought.

Sara Riffet, the female adjutant, couldn't understand why Daren was so troubled and lowered her eyebrows in confusion.

Ignoring his adjutant's worried expression, Daren sank deeper into his thoughts.

(To think His Highness would agree to participate in the war… But what was the intention behind sending Meltina and only bringing the knights back after restraining her…?)

King Granard had sent a messenger to Prince Raedal, ordering him to return to the capital. However, in reality, he never expected Raedal to agree to return.

Neither King Granard nor Chancellor Lockwood were naive enough to believe that the exiled prince wouldn't harbor resentment.

Choosing Meltina as the messenger wasn't because they thought she could persuade him, but rather to provoke Raedal's anger.

First, they sent Meltina to try to persuade Raedal. If she succeeded, that would be fine. If not, they would activate a 'binding curse' woven by a dozen court mages to capture Raedal.

And if the curse failed, Daren would lead the army to surround the frontier city and capture Raedal under the pretext of 'murdering the chancellor's daughter.'

In other words, the plan assumed that both Meltina's persuasion and the binding would fail, and that she would be killed by Raedal, which would serve as a pretext to capture the prince.

(There is no justifiable reason to capture a royal who has committed no crime, even by the king's order. That's why Meltina was chosen as the sacrificial lamb…)

The chilling fact was that this strategy was devised by Meltina's father, Lockwood.

If the curse succeeded, Meltina would be punished for casting a curse on a royal without authorization. If it failed, she would be killed by Raedal and used as a pretext to capture the prince.

Daren often felt a chill run down his spine at Lockwood's cold-heartedness, willing to sacrifice even his own daughter for the sake of the country.

However, in the end, Raedal agreed to return to the capital, and Meltina was captured but not killed.

The outcome was different from what was expected.

"Yes… Since Meltina wasn't killed, let's consider this a good result. We didn't have to fight against Prince Raedal, who is a royal."

Daren, unlike his rock-like father, had a handsome and refined face, which he shook side to side.

Although there were unexpected incidents, the final result wasn't bad.

It was much better for Meltina to be captured than to be killed as planned. With the right negotiation, she could be brought back alive.

While Daren was curious about Raedal's intentions, his mission was to bring the prince, who held the holy sword, back to the capital. Investigating his thoughts could be left to the king and the chancellor.

Moreover… Although Daren was ordered to capture Raedal, he never harbored any hostility or malice towards the pitiful prince exiled to the frontier.

On the contrary, he felt sympathy for Raedal, who was being treated unjustly for the sake of the country.

While he was prepared to fight for the king and the country, it was indeed a cause for celebration that they didn't have to fight.

"…Then, let's prepare to welcome Prince Raedal. Before he changes his mind."

"Understood. I'll prepare for the departure immediately!"

Sara, relieved by her superior's brightened expression, exhaled and left the command room with a determined stride.

Watching her back, Daren pressed his hand to his chest, trying to suppress the inexplicable unease that had taken root in his heart.

If you enjoyed this, please rate it using the stars below!