Chapter 118: Someone Growing Uneasy

Dejir Malon had left his original position and was now in the Kanas Territory.

Moreover, he had even been appointed as the captain of a knight order in the Kanas Lord’s Castle.

“Have you made up your mind for sure?”

It was an answer that came long after the deadline by which he was supposed to decide.

Dejir, who stood before him, answered with a serious expression.

“There will be nothing to shake my resolve.”

“Good. And the others? Are you satisfied with your new positions?”

Beside Dejir stood Alkas and Calsios.

Both gave the same response as Dejir.

“No problems.”

“I’m fine.”

Raion smiled contentedly at their replies.

“Alkas will take the Azure Dragon Order, Calsios the White Tiger Order, and Dejir the Black Tortoise Order. The names might sound a bit odd in the common tongue—did you all get them memorized?”

In the common language, they could also be referred to as Blue Dragon, White Tiger, and Chimera Turtle(?).

The three nodded in unison.

“We’ll keep that in mind!”

As they responded, Jade, who stood beside Raion, pouted deeply.

Everyone else had become captains, but Jade alone was not given such a position.

“Am I getting nothing then?”

“Is being my escort knight not enough?”

“Honestly, even if all of us attacked you together, Master, we couldn’t beat you. What’s the point of an escort knight in that case?”

At those words, the other three nodded unconsciously.

Patrick, who stood in the back, smiled faintly.

Of course, Raion had no intention of indulging Jade’s tantrum.

“That sounds like you’re asking me to hand over one of the knight orders.”

“Well, at this point, don’t you think I deserve to be in charge of at least one?”

“You sound rather disappointed.”

“Not disappointed, exactly…! Ahem! I just mean I want to do something more meaningful than being a useless escort knight.”

“Hmm…”

In truth, Raion had already expected that kind of reaction from Jade.

Naturally, he had made preparations for it.

“The Vermilion Bird Order.”

“…What?”

“That’s the order you’ll lead.”

“Seriously? You’re not joking, are you?”

“Why would I joke about that? But it’s an important position.”

“What sort of duties will it be responsible for?”

Even within the royal capital, each knight order had its own distinct main duties.

It was the same in the Kanas Territory.

The Azure Dragon Order guarded the lord’s castle; the White Tiger Order was assigned to the villages in the Clamen Mountains; and the Black Tortoise Order was responsible for Azura Port Village and the Theron production district.

Since most regions were already assigned, Jade’s curiosity grew.

“What kind of work, exactly?”

“My escort.”

“Eh? Wait, what do you mean by that…?”

“Your escort duty is a secondary task. The main one is something very important in the plan I’ve devised.”

At those words, the playful look vanished from Jade’s face, replaced by seriousness.

“An important mission, you say…”

“The time is approaching. And as you all know, I have no intention of succeeding the Canel Kingdom.”

It was something they had heard before, so no one in the room was shaken.

“When that day comes, Jade and Calsios will have something they must do.”

“And the rest of us will have no part to play?”

It was Alkas and Dejir who spoke up.

Both wanted to assist Raion in his plan.

“You two must protect this place. Someone has to defend Kanas. And Dejir—weren’t you once part of the Black Lion Order? If your face shows up, it’ll only draw suspicion.”

They couldn’t help but understand his reasoning.

Both nodded quietly.

“In exchange, I’ll pick out the names from this list and assign them under Jade’s Vermilion Bird Order.”

Raion handed over a document.

The eyes of the three widened as they saw it.

“When did you even have time to gather this information?”

“Whenever I could.”

It was the result of Raion personally observing the knights’ training and assessing them one by one.

He had selected only those whose swordsmanship and combat power ranked among the highest.

The Vermilion Bird Order would thus take on a crucial role.

Knock, knock.

The door to the royal office of the Canel Royal Castle was rapped upon.

“Your Majesty. It is I, Royal Knight Commander Trine Diego.”

“Come in.”

Trine, who had been away for a time, had finally returned.

He stepped into the room and stood before King Laskan.

“You said you had urgent business elsewhere. Has it been settled?”

“I apologize for leaving my post when I should be protecting Your Majesty.”

“No need to apologize. But what was the matter?”

Ordinarily, Trine was not the type to leave without orders.

Knowing that, King Laskan was curious.

“I went to retrieve a letter that Prince Raion once gave me.”

“A letter? From Raion?”

“Yes. Before he departed for his territory, he handed it to me. He said I should read it only if I sensed something unusual within the royal capital.”

“So you’ve been keeping it all this time?”

At the king’s question, Trine shook his head slightly.

“No, I read it immediately. But at the time, I couldn’t make sense of it. Now, however, I understand why that letter was written.”

Trine extended the letter he held forward.

King Laskan took it and examined it from every angle.

“Is it something I’m allowed to read?”

“Honestly, Your Majesty—it’s more accurate to say the letter was meant for you, not me.”

“For me?”

He quickly unfolded it.

As King Laskan’s eyes scanned the contents, they slowly widened.

A low hum escaped his lips.

“Hmm… That boy saw further ahead than I did.”

“I was honestly shocked. And things are unfolding exactly as he described in the letter.”

“Duke Alito’s movements are rather suspicious.”

“And the territories are also a problem. They’ve been hiding the truth from the royal capital’s eyes for generations.”

King Laskan was no fool.

He knew well what Duke Alito Kright had done during his time as chancellor.

And, of course, he also knew that Queen Elina had taken part in those actions.

“This is a troublesome situation.”

“The influence of Duke Alito Kright is too strong. Most of the lords, except for those in the north, have already been won over, which has cornered Your Majesty.”

“That’s true…”

“It’s already hard to trust even Your Majesty’s closest aides within the palace.”

“I’m well aware of that. But how did Raion manage to foresee all this?”

“If his letter’s prediction is correct, there’s not much time left. What should… we do?”

At Trine’s tense question, King Laskan fell into brief contemplation.

Then he spoke quietly.

“Will it be possible?”

“If the letter is right, our part is small. That much can be done without drawing the attention of Duke Alito and Her Majesty.”

“Then make the preparations.”

“I’ll proceed carefully.”

“I’m counting on you.”

After giving his answer, Trine Diego turned and left the room.

Time passed as swiftly as the wind that crossed the Clamen Mountains.

Before long, a long procession stretched toward the Canel Royal Castle.

At last, the princes were returning after completing their trials.

A grand festival erupted in the royal capital’s central square to celebrate their return.

“The princes are coming back!”

“Kyaaa!”

“Waaaah!”

The surroundings filled with joyous cries.

Then, the procession of the first prince, Ashuran, and the second prince, Valet, merged into one as they passed through the southern gate.

The long parade moved from the gates through the streets toward the royal castle.

Soon, Ashuran and Valet arrived and stepped down from their carriages.

“It’s been a while, Valet.”

“Brother, have you been well?”

“Nothing special. I’ve been restless staying only within the territory, though.”

“I told you in my letters that you should travel to the trading city when you had the chance.”

“Me, go there? You might enjoy that, but I prefer hunting and battle!”

Ashuran, being a knight at heart, shook his head and even shuddered slightly.

Valet smiled politely at the sight.

“As expected, you take after Father, always clinging to the sword.”

“And you take after Grandfather completely. Thanks to that, managing your territory must’ve gone smoothly.”

“It’s only natural for a younger brother to fulfill his duty.”

As they spoke, they headed toward the castle.

Just then, another procession, which had passed the southern gate later, arrived behind them.

It was noticeably shorter than the first two.

However, unlike the others, everyone rode on horseback instead of in carriages.

At the front, a man on horseback stood out most—Raion, with fiery red hair brighter than Ashuran’s and a graceful yet solid build.

When the procession halted, Raion dismounted in full armor.

Clank! Clank!

“……”

Raion looked at the two before him but said nothing.

Then Ashuran turned back and stepped forward.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

“It’s been two years. You won’t even greet your brother properly?”

“You seem well enough that I didn’t feel the need.”

“It seems you’ve grown rather sharp while I was away.”

“Not particularly.”

He thought about ignoring them, but the situation wouldn’t allow it.

Because of that, Raion couldn’t move forward.

Seeing this, Valet stepped up.

“Raion, that’s not a respectful way to address your elder brother!”

“Perhaps it’s because I haven’t lived as comfortably as you two over the past two years.”

“I understand that your time in Kanas must have been hard, but do you really need to show it on a day like this?”

“I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, Raion walked ahead.

Ashuran and Valet’s expressions twisted faintly.

Valet tried to grab Raion, but Ashuran’s arm blocked him.

“Leave him.”

“But, Brother. Isn’t he being too arrogant?”

“It’s an important day. There’s no need to cause a scene.”

“…Understood. As you wish.”

The two followed after him into the castle.

On both sides, soldiers stood lined up in formation.

They weren’t heading straight to the Great Hall.

Each prince had to go to his assigned chamber to change into the proper ceremonial attire.

Raion, who entered first, was soon joined by Patrick and Jade.

Seeing that Raion hadn’t removed his armor, Patrick asked with concern,

“Master, aren’t you going to prepare?”

“I’ll rest for a bit. More importantly, have our men all entered safely?”

“I checked earlier—so far, there are no issues.”

“If things continue this way, it’ll all end smoothly.”

“But would Duke Alito really take such a reckless step under these circumstances?”

In the original timeline, Duke Alito Kright had made thorough preparations.

Raion had learned that too late, back when he was still in the Kanas Territory.

But now, things were different. He had insight into much of the future.

And unlike before, he now had reliable comrades by his side.

“Don’t worry. That man is far more greedy than we imagine.”

“With your insight, Master, that must surely be true.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“No, sincerely. It’s always been true till now.”

At Patrick’s earnest words, Raion’s lips curved faintly upward.

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