Chapter 47: Two Birds with One Stone Using the Subjugation (1)

A little while later, knights and soldiers from the direction of the lord’s castle marched in perfect formation.

The one who stepped forward, the Knight Commander of the Kanas Territory, Alkas Derion, spoke up.

“Attention, everyone!”

At his shout, the mercenaries and adventurers all turned their eyes toward him.

“The subjugation will begin divided into eight groups! Participants will line up behind the knights and soldiers according to the notes you were given at registration!”

There were nine knights participating in the subjugation force, with thirty soldiers assigned to each group—a total of 240 men.

Since personnel were still needed to guard the various outposts and entrances of the territory, this was the best force they could muster.

Thus, the participation of mercenaries and adventurers was crucial from the lord’s perspective.

Once the formation was complete, Lord Shtefan stepped forward.

“I believe this subjugation will serve as the foundation for changing Kanas for the better. I wish you all luck—so that no casualties will occur.”

His speech was short.

As Shtefan stepped down from the platform, he found two people standing before him.

They were none other than Prince Raion and the knight Jade.

Feeling awkward, Shtefan let out a hearty, yet weary laugh.

“Hahaha… It’s the same kind of encouragement speech I always give. Utterly pointless, isn’t it?”

There was a trace of emptiness in his eyes.

At that, Raion turned his gaze slightly toward the direction of the lord’s castle.

“When your heart feels hollow, living through the same routine only deepens that sense of loss.”

“What would Your Highness know of such things?”

“You lost your wife not too long ago, and then your daughter was taken by monsters soon after. Isn’t that understandable?”

At those words, Shtefan’s eyes widened, then slowly calmed.

“Did you hear that from the administrator?”

“Well… let’s just say it’s something like that.”

As Raion said, Shtefan once had a beloved wife and a precious only daughter.

His wife had been frail and in poor health, struggling day by day until she eventually passed away.

That much, Shtefan could accept—so he devoted himself to caring for his daughter.

But perhaps the heavens were cruel. When monsters invaded even the lord’s castle, his twelve-year-old daughter, Yuria, was killed in the garden.

That had already been three years ago.

Since then, Shtefan had lived alone, unable to escape the grip of despair and lethargy.

It was also around that time that Conrad began secretly embezzling the territory’s funds.

“I’ll make sure you don’t have time to feel helpless anymore.”

“How do you mean?”

“Let’s finish the hunt first. We can talk more about it after that.”

Beside him, Jade extended a sword toward Raion.

When Raion took it and fastened it to his belt, Shtefan looked at him in astonishment.

“Your Highness, are you… planning to join the subjugation force yourself?”

He hadn’t heard a word about that beforehand.

Moreover, Raion’s current outfit was no different from his usual—fine, elegant clothes, not battle gear.

He wasn’t even wearing armor, so Shtefan had assumed the prince had come only to give a send-off.

It was no wonder he was shocked.

“I funded and organized this subjugation myself, so it’s only natural I participate. I should see for myself how well the knights, soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers fight.”

“But it’s dangerous, Your Highness! The monsters in Kanas are far different—stronger—than those in the inland regions!”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“You’re not even wearing armor!”

“It’s cumbersome. Anyway, it seems the others are setting off. I’ll see you again when I return. Let’s go, Jade.”

“Understood, Master!”

“Your Highness! Wait—what are you—!”

Ignoring Shtefan’s attempt to stop him, Raion slipped behind the platform with Jade and quickly moved toward the starting point where the subjugation force was beginning to march.

Fortunately, since few people recognized Raion’s face, there was no risk of causing a commotion.

“Master, which group shall we join?”

He was asking which of the eight groups they would move with.

“Where else? The one with those guys.”

Raion glanced around, searching for someone.

He soon found them among the forces heading west—mercenaries under Administrator Conrad’s command.

A few nights earlier, Raion had secretly followed Conrad and overheard his private conversation.

Naturally, he’d learned not only their plans but also the filth behind them.

‘I’ll clean them up neatly during this subjugation.’

While Raion was deep in thought, four adventurers cautiously approached him and Jade.

“Um…”

The moment one of them spoke, Raion immediately recognized him.

“Klein?”

“Wait—Your High—!”

Before the man could finish, Raion quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

“Shh!”

Klein’s companions, who had come up behind him, looked puzzled.

Then their leader, Jen, stepped closer to Raion.

“So, you’re concealing your identity for a reason, I see.”

“Quick on the uptake. More importantly, are you fully recovered now?”

Jen, who had not yet regained consciousness even in the carriage, was carried on Daenilov’s back.

His injuries had been that severe, so even Raion, who had treated him, couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“Thanks to you, I’m fine now. But… what should I call you?”

Jen, realizing the situation as he turned to Raion, asked carefully.

“My name is Raion. Call me whatever’s comfortable.”

“Then, I’ll call you Sir Raion.”

Normally, calling a royal by name would be inappropriate, but since Raion had given permission, Jen didn’t feel burdened.

That alone was enough to show Raion’s generous nature.

“We’ll call you that too, Sir Raion.”

“Suit yourself. Still, did you really volunteer for this subjugation with skills that shaky?”

To be honest, even among D-rank adventurers, their abilities weren’t particularly impressive.

Despite Raion’s blunt remark, Jen replied openly.

“We have to take requests if we want to make a living. If we don’t, we’ll have to give up being adventurers altogether.”

He sounded determined.

Raion found that kind of tenacity somewhat admirable.

“Have you considered recruiting a mage? It would boost your strength considerably.”

Currently, Jen’s party consisted of two swordsmen, one warrior, and one archer.

The balance wasn’t terrible, but their firepower was weak—if they faced a strong enemy, finishing the fight would be difficult.

“It might be possible in the inland regions, but here? Finding a mage is like plucking a star from the sky. The few who are here already belong to top-ranking parties or guilds.”

That was why skilled mages were always the most sought-after recruits.

Of course, Raion already knew that, but he had asked to understand Jen’s mindset.

“I see. Well, it’s true—good mages rarely stay long in Kanas.”

“More importantly, Sir Raion, can you really handle monsters dressed like that? And your sword… it’s quite unusual.”

Jen’s gaze shifted to Raion and Jade’s outfits and equipment. Their dark green garments looked far too light, making them seem ill-suited to withstand monster attacks.

“It may look like light armor, but it’s specially made. Same goes for Jade’s gear.”

At Raion’s meaningful response, Jen and his companions tilted their heads curiously.

Then Klein, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

“Is that sword design popular in the Royal Capital? Even the sheath looks unique.”

Raion drew his sword from its sheath.

It was a Korean-style sword—a thick, single-edged blade, something they had never seen before.

“It’s a sword designed mainly for slashing. Like the clothing, it’s also custom-made.”

“You really have a lot of unusual equipment.”

Chatting like that, they finally left the Kanas Castle behind.

After hastily returning to the lord’s castle, Shtefan immediately called for his butler, Patrick.

A short while later, Patrick entered the office after being summoned.

“My lord, what is it you require?”

“Are you aware that His Highness joined the subjugation force?”

“What? His Highness joined the subjugation?!”

Patrick, clearly unaware, asked back in astonishment.

“The prince left just a moment ago with Sir Jade, joining the subjugation force.”

It was as if he’d been struck on the back of the head.

A deep, weary sigh escaped Patrick’s lips.

“Is that true? Oh dear…”

“It seems you’ve had quite a hard time serving His Highness, Patrick.”

“To be honest, he does get into a lot of trouble. I worry about him, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“Is Sir Jade’s skill really that exceptional? I saw both Sir Jade and His Highness wearing only light armor earlier.”

Shtefan still didn’t know about Raion’s true ability.

He assumed Patrick’s confidence came from Sir Jade’s competence.

“Sir Jade? Yes, his skill is considerable—but even he can’t defeat His Highness.”

“What? Are you saying His Highness’s swordsmanship is that strong?”

Shtefan remembered that the prince had a rather sturdy build.

Still, considering the rumors he’d heard, it was hard to imagine Raion being a skilled swordsman.

Jade, on the other hand, often trained at the castle’s drill grounds and had shown quite impressive swordsmanship.

Having witnessed that himself, Shtefan found it hard to believe that Raion was stronger.

“You’ll understand once you see for yourself. For now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check on the gardeners finishing their work.”

After finishing his words, Patrick left the office.

Left alone, Shtefan tilted his head again, lost in thought.

“Has His Highness been hiding such strength all this time?”

Questions continued to spiral, growing deeper since he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

The subjugation force exited through the west gate and continued walking until they entered mountainous terrain.

At the front, a Kanas knight on horseback gathered the soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers together.

The knight in charge of the western command, Baron, was a giant nearly two meters tall.

Clad in full plate armor, his already massive figure appeared even larger.

“From here on, we begin the monster subjugation! Mercenaries and adventurers, stay close behind the soldiers!”

The sixty soldiers under Baron’s command were divided into groups of ten.

Behind them, mercenaries and adventurers loosely formed ranks.

After a while, the knight Cayman returned from reconnaissance and reported.

“Baron. Fifteen orcs spotted 220 mir to the northwest, and eight kobolds 250 mir to the west.”

“So, monsters have gathered that close already? We’ll have to start quickly.”

A mir was approximately one meter—a unit of length used on the Phalon Continent.

At their conversation, the soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers tensed up.

Meanwhile, at the very back, Raion cautiously observed Conrad’s subordinates.

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