Thanks to Madius, who effectively wanted to intensify the competition for the throne within the Imperial Family, Karl was able to receive a modest amount of support.
First, since Karl had no clothes to wear other than his nightshirt, he was given clothing and armor for the upcoming subjugation mission, a longsword engraved with the crest of the Imperial Family, and even a large, magnificent warhorse despite never having ridden one before.
Most importantly, Karl—who had only just risen from his sickbed, remained painfully thin, and had never so much as held a dinner knife—was given the opportunity to choose one knight to accompany him so that he would not die a meaningless death.
The other things were useful enough, but being allowed to take an Imperial Knight with him was truly substantial support.
No matter how dangerous the situation became, at the very least, Karl’s life should be protected.
If he failed the subjugation or suffered severe losses, his prospects would grow bleak, but he could only worry about such things if he remained alive.
Survival came first.
“…….”
“Cecile, do not worry so much.”
“But, Lord Karl….”
Even as Cecile dressed Karl’s skeletal frame, she seemed unable to accept the situation itself.
“Why were you given such a dangerous mission, Lord Karl?”
In the end, Cecile could no longer hold back the question as she straightened his collar.
Karl gave a somewhat bitter smile at the concern filling her voice.
Compared to what awaited him in the future, this was hardly dangerous at all.
The mission Karl had received was merely a monster subjugation that had passed by briefly in the original story with Ias remarking that it had been ‘nothing particularly noteworthy.’
It had only been a small device intended to demonstrate Madius’s intention to strengthen Ias’s position.
Of course, Karl was not Ias, who had threatened even the protagonist Aingir with martial prowess alone, nor did he have reliable backing like House Beria.
Karl could easily die even on a mission this simple.
“Cecile, an Imperial Knight will be accompanying me. There should not be any situation where I am in real danger.”
Karl did his best to reassure Cecile, speaking as though the matter were nothing at all.
Then, with a hand far smaller and thinner than it should have been for his age because his illness had prevented him from growing properly, he took Cecile’s trembling hand.
Despite its gaunt appearance, Karl’s hand possessed strength that clearly should not have been possible.
That eased Cecile’s worries, if only a little.
“And look.”
Smiling, Karl showed her the shoulders of the somewhat constricting outfit.
Amazingly, although only a few days had passed since he had received the clothes, Karl was growing at an extraordinary rate.
He still did not look his true age of sixteen, but neither did he look entirely like a young child anymore.
“When I come back, I might even be taller than you, Cecile. And I should use this opportunity to see something of the world as well.”
“Lord Karl…….”
Cecile gazed at Karl with reddened eyes before unconsciously stroking his shoulder with tenderness.
Just as a mother would touch her son, her gesture was filled with concern and affection.
Karl was pleased by it and smiled faintly.
***
When Karl stepped out of his room, Harmon bowed respectfully.
Harmon was the new attendant whom Madius had officially assigned exclusively to Karl.
With brown hair, brown eyes, a tall stature, and a fair complexion, he almost appeared more aristocratic than Karl himself.
That was only natural. As an imperial attendant, Harmon was also descended from a powerful noble family.
Since the family’s power would pass to the eldest son, becoming an imperial attendant had been an extraordinary stroke of fortune for Harmon, the third son who otherwise stood to inherit nothing.
Had he not happened to become Karl’s personal attendant, his future would have seemed remarkably promising, especially considering his youth.
“My name is Harmon. I will be serving you from today onward, Lord Karl.”
Karl tugged briefly at the stiff, constricting collar of his clothes, raised his chin, and looked at Harmon.
“Harmon, were you ordered to report my every action?”
“…….”
The question was far too direct to be something one expected to hear from a member of the Imperial Family inside the Imperial Palace.
Harmon froze for a moment.
“…Yes. Those were my orders.”
“Were they given directly by His Majesty? Or will the reports pass through someone else?”
“They will be submitted through the chief attendant.”
“Good. Let us go to the Commander of the Imperial Knights.”
Even as Harmon took the lead at Karl’s command, he could not understand why Karl had asked such a question.
It was equally unexpected to see Karl, who had behaved like an animal at the party, walking with a dignified stride and issuing orders to him as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
One thing did make Harmon somewhat uncomfortable.
Karl continued speaking to him politely.
Still, it was not a subordinate’s place to point out every such detail.
Harmon only needed to follow Karl, assist him in a professional manner, and submit reports about him.
‘If the reports go through Orten, then I have nothing to worry about. Orten is Madius’s faithful hand. He will take care to prevent the information from leaking elsewhere and pass it only to Madius.’
Karl had to prove to Madius that he possessed the potential to become emperor.
He could not hide himself even from Madius.
If he did, he would receive no support whatsoever and would simply be cast into the abyss.
But attracting the vigilance of Balos or Aingir would be equally undesirable.
For now, he needed to remain beneath Madius’s shadow, pretending to dance to his tune until he found an opportunity to seize power for himself.
‘An Imperial Knight……. I wonder if he is here.’
With Harmon’s help, Karl boarded a carriage to cross the enormous Imperial Palace grounds toward the headquarters of the Imperial Knights, recalling the events of the original novel as he went.
Among the Imperial Knights was a young knight who would continue distinguishing himself even after Aingir became emperor.
He was so overwhelmingly talented that even when the story began showing signs of escalating power levels, he had never fallen behind and instead continued catching up at a ferocious pace.
He was undoubtedly meant to become one of the important characters whose role would extend far beyond that.
More importantly, he was exactly the kind of person Karl needed most right now.
He was a knight so fiercely loyal that he would not so much as blink even when people called him the emperor’s dog.
***
When Karl arrived at the headquarters of the Imperial Knights, their commander, Gilbert Eville, was already waiting for him at the appointed time.
The position of commander involved political considerations far too complicated for anyone to attain through martial strength alone.
Thus, although Gilbert was the Commander of the Imperial Knights, he was already an elderly man, too old to fight on the front lines.
With white hair, wrinkled skin, and muscles diminished by age, he looked at first glance like an old man who might even have difficulty moving about.
But there was no one who did not know that this old man was a great Master who had held the position of commander for decades and lived as the shield of the Hardion Imperial Family.
It was no exaggeration to say that he was a dangerous old man capable of killing Karl without so much as lifting a finger.
“Lord Karl, I am Gilbert, Commander of the Imperial Knights.”
Gilbert greeted him with an amiable smile.
He held the position of Commander of the Imperial Knights, but that did not technically make him a high-ranking noble.
At least, not formally.
“I am Karl. It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Eville.”
“Please, simply call me Sir Gilbert.”
“Yes, Sir Gilbert.”
Karl smiled and extended his hand.
Gilbert smiled as well and took it in a handshake.
A sudden chill ran through Karl.
Startled, he violently pulled his hand away from Gilbert’s.
“Oh dear, forgive me. It seems I gripped your hand too firmly.”
“……Ah, no…. That was not it.”
Rather than taking offense, Gilbert merely smiled gently and overlooked Karl’s rude behavior.
Yet the person who had truly behaved rudely was not Karl.
‘Mana!’
Karl shuddered as he realized that the sensation curling around his hand and creeping upward had been Gilbert’s Mana.
As expected of the man who held the powerful position of Commander of the Imperial Knights, Gilbert had used Mana to probe Karl in the brief instant their hands touched.
It felt like a serpent.
Or perhaps a fox.
There was something furtive about the Mana, as though it were smiling at him through narrowed eyes.
Gilbert had not been particularly important in the original novel.
He had retired before Aingir became emperor, appearing briefly during the early portions of the story before disappearing entirely.
But now that Karl had actually met him, he realized that Gilbert was a frightening man in his own right.
Karl steadied himself.
‘Well, well. He possesses a respectable amount of Mana. And it is rather…….’
Within his narrowed eyes, Gilbert smiled as he discovered that Karl—a boy who had spent his entire life bedridden and had stood at death’s door until only a few days ago—possessed Mana.
The quantity itself was not particularly large.
But that was hardly important.
What mattered was the essence of a person that could be felt through their Mana, something only those capable of wielding Mana could perceive.
Gilbert could sense Karl’s essence within his Mana.
And it was something exceedingly precious.
***
“His Majesty has granted permission, so you may choose whichever knight you desire.”
“…Anyone?”
“Anyone, of course, except those who already have duties they cannot abandon. Myself and the deputy commander, for example.”
Gilbert spoke in a slightly playful tone.
Karl, however, understood just how weighty those words were.
Becoming an Imperial Knight was a position dreamed of by knights throughout the empire.
Naturally, it was sought not only by the children of minor nobles but also by the sons and daughters of great aristocratic houses.
In other words, Gilbert was saying that if Karl simply named someone, that person would be placed under his command even if they were the child of a count or a duke.
‘Has this old man gone senile? There is no way Madius would give me this much.’
Even if Madius intended to nurture him as a contender, this was excessive.
What if Karl simply chose a knight from an influential family and took them with him?
‘……I see! This is another test!’
Karl immediately discarded the thought of choosing the strongest knight he could find from the most prestigious possible family.
Even if Karl took such a knight with him now, he would have no means of controlling them.
And once the mission ended, that knight would leave him without so much as looking back.
If Karl wanted to secure a knight firmly within his grasp, then for the moment, he needed to choose someone without power.
“May I see the roster of the knights?”
“Of course.”
Gilbert readily showed Karl the roster, though he found the request curious.
He had naturally assumed Karl would select a famous and powerful knight whose reputation could enhance his own prestige.
He had not expected him to insist on examining the roster.
Had he truly come here to choose a knight without even knowing who any of them were?
‘He is not here.’
Karl silently lamented as he studied the roster.
Judging by the timeline, he had been certain that the knight should already be present by now.
Yet strangely, he was nowhere to be found.
That complicated Karl’s plans.
He had no way of knowing which members of the Imperial Knights possessed hidden potential.
The only knights Karl knew were those whose names had briefly appeared in the original story, and every one of them belonged to prestigious families that would be burdensome to involve himself with.
Before Gilbert, who was silently observing him, could grow suspicious, Karl quickly spoke.
“I would like to see the knights in person.”
There was no other choice.
He would have to observe them himself and make his decision.
***
The Imperial Knights had already been displeased by the sudden summons.
When they were then informed that they would even be conducting a group training exercise, their expressions became positively grim.
Worse still, they learned that all of this was because of the sickly Fourth Prince Karl, a man with no power who was unlikely to be of any use to them in the future.
Most of them were on the verge of losing their patience.
There were several ways to become an Imperial Knight.
First, naturally, those of exceptional ability could be selected and appointed.
Others became Imperial Knights for political reasons because they had been born into distinguished noble families.
Since the Imperial Knights rarely had reason to participate in actual combat, only a small number were selected purely for their skill and remained knights until death.
Gilbert Eville was one such case.
Most of the others became Imperial Knights temporarily to add a brilliant distinction to their careers before later pursuing another path.
In other words, they were the sons and daughters of genuinely high-ranking noble houses.
Not one of them had any intention of becoming the knight of the powerless Fourth Prince Karl and staining a promising future for absolutely no benefit.
‘What a mess.’
Standing beside Gilbert, Karl looked at the knights lined up according to regulation in their dazzling armor and muttered inwardly.
They had apparently let their guard down because they believed Karl was the incompetent Fourth Prince, but thanks to Han Changin’s memories, Karl could read their expressions perfectly well.
Han Changin had completed his mandatory army service and been discharged as a sergeant. He had also worked part-time at a convenience store and a bar, and had even survived at a small company that was practically a wilderness in its own right.
Karl could tell at a glance that these people were furious about being dragged here against their will but were desperately controlling their expressions because they had no choice but to mind appearances.
Han Changin had worn exactly the same expression in the army whenever everyone was assembled on a weekend for some task under the watchful eye of the company sergeant major.
‘Of course. No one wants to become the knight of a Fourth Prince who is obviously going to be discarded and leave a stain on their career. I understand perfectly.’
Facing the magnificent Imperial Knights, Karl nodded with sparkling eyes and the innocent expression of an excited child.
“As expected of the Imperial Knights. You seem to shine merely by standing there.”
“Hohoho. Hearing you say that makes these shoulders, drooping from age, rise a little higher.”
Gilbert chuckled and played along with Karl’s performance.
There was no possibility that Gilbert had failed to notice Karl pretending to be a fool after seeing the cold, calculating look in his eyes only moments earlier.
Only insignificant people condemned those whose outward appearance differed from their inner thoughts.
Honesty was a virtue for the poor.
Those of noble standing had to know how to adorn themselves.
‘Yes, you must be displeased. But I have no desire for useless knights like you either.’
Karl smiled as though he had not noticed the hostile glances cast toward him by the sons and daughters of prestigious families.
The ‘real knights’ standing at the very back of the formation, lips pressed tightly together without so much as twitching, were the people Karl wanted.
Minor nobles carrying the futures of insignificant families upon their shoulders, who had become Imperial Knights through ability rather than lineage.
Commoner knights who had thrown themselves into the world for the sake of supporting their families and pursuing their own dreams…….
Karl did not need some highborn knight who would not deign to obey a word he said.
He needed a loyal knight who would truly become his spear and shield, defeat his enemies, and protect him.
If those with nowhere else to turn became Karl’s knights, they would have no choice but to follow him even at the risk of their lives.
Once their connection to him was severed, their futures would be finished.
With the excited expression of a child, Karl watched as the Imperial Knights divided into two groups and formed ranks.
“Begin.”
At Gilbert’s firm command, the two groups of Imperial Knights charged toward one another.
Karl observed everything through his deep, wavering green eyes.
He had to find a knight worth using.
Someone loyal enough to obey any command for his sake and throw away their life if necessary.
A hound who could be relied upon absolutely, yet discarded if circumstances demanded it.
It was cruel.
But Karl had to survive as well, so there was no other choice.
He would not ask them to understand.
But because he needed them, they would have to stake everything they had on Karl.