Chapter 110
The Nelve Ritter is roughly a thousand strong. You could call it an independent battalion.
At Lars's command, all of them assembled before me.
"His Highness the Prince has something to say to all of you."
With that, Lars yielded the prepared dais to me.
When I climbed onto it, I could make out the faces of the thousand members.
Every one of them was looking at me with a grim expression.
Without beating around the bush, I got straight to the point.
"There are signs of conflict in the South. If it becomes a civil war, it will likely be on a massive scale. My younger brother Leonart and I have devised a surprise attack to stop it. We'll need an elite unit for that. I've come to speak with you about it today."
After explaining it matter-of-factly, I paused for a moment.
Most of them wore expressions that said they had expected this. That alone showed how active things were in the South.
Weapons and food. Trace the flow of supplies, and you'll find something suspicious. Any soldier would immediately understand what they were trying to do.
"The plan is for Leo to go there as an envoy and infiltrate their headquarters. Then we'll strike down Duke Kruger, the enemy's ringleader. If orders come down, you'll be assigned to escort Leo. But this will be a dangerous, highly difficult mission. I don't want to entrust my brother to men who follow orders reluctantly. I want you to volunteer."
Silence followed my words for a while.
Some were shocked by the absurdity of the proposal. Others were openly contemptuous.
Their expressions varied, but not one was favorable.
Well, of course. Even I thought I was saying something pretty irresponsible.
"If civil war breaks out in the South, many people will suffer. The Empire will be weakened as well. That's why Leo is heading south despite knowing the danger. Even without my bias as his elder brother, I think it's admirable. The cause he champions is a splendid one too. But I'm different from Leo. No matter how much pretty idealism I spout, it won't change what I truly feel. I don't want my brother to die, so I want you to protect him with your lives on the line. This is an entirely personal request."
Nobles are selfish. Royals are even more so.
They are forgiven for most things, and a royal's life is not considered equal to anyone else's.
They are protected from birth, and their status continues to protect them afterward.
Even if Trau and I live fairly carelessly, no one stops us. We never go hungry, even if we don't work. At most, we are mocked or lectured.
To the members of the Nelve Ritter, the words of such a royal must be impossible to swallow.
"Your Highness, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
A young soldier raised his hand and asked me a question.
His eyes were clear and unwavering. He must have once tried to correct his former lord with the same earnest gaze.
As I was thinking that, the soldier spoke.
"Will Your Highness be taking part in the surprise attack?"
"No."
"I see. So you are telling us to stake nothing of your own and march into a deadly situation."
Contempt appeared on the faces of the members.
Nothing you say from a safe distance can reach anyone.
Someone who neither shares the risk nor takes responsibility cannot expect anyone to answer him.
What moves people is resolve.
"No. I'll stake something too."
"What will you stake? Money? Or perhaps your position?"
"I don't think the Nelve Ritter would move for something so trivial. I'll stake my life."
For an instant, the members just stared at me blankly.
Then thin laughter broke out—the kind that said, What on earth is this prince talking about?
The empty words of a young man who knew neither the weight of life nor the resolve to die.
They could see right through the thought that simply saying "my life" would be enough.
In front of them, I drew the dagger I was carrying.
"Everyone calls me the Dull Prince. They're not wrong. While I was in my mother's womb, Leo absorbed much from me. Even so, it's not as though I have nothing."
Saying that, I pointed the dagger in my right hand at my left.
There is a ritual among the imperial family called a "blood pledge." Royals normally occupy a position where they never need shed blood, so in this ritual they wound themselves and swear upon their blood and pain.
It is practically an obsolete ritual now. According to the records, no one has performed it in the past hundred years. That's because it serves no purpose.
It is not a magically enforced oath, but merely an act of personal self-satisfaction. It is a pledge that only takes effect if the other party believes in the resolve behind it.
Long ago, an emperor used this pledge to make peace with an enemy nation, but that was because the other country's king was a wise ruler as well. If someone simply scoffed at such a thing, it would have no meaning.
All that would remain would be pain and a wound.
Even so, it remains the highest form of ceremony for the imperial family.
"No one blames me no matter how carelessly I live. They only laugh. So I've lived as I pleased. But even someone like me has responsibilities to fulfill. My responsibility as an older brother. I was born first, and so I became an older brother. From that moment, I bore the responsibility of being one. It's the one precious responsibility left to this Dull Prince."
I glanced at Elna.
Elna turned pale and shook her head. Without taking my eyes off her, I told her,
"Elna von Amsberg. Serve as witness to my pledge."
"...Al."
"Can't you?"
After I asked, Elna was silent for a while, then slowly knelt.
And then.
"...I accept."
"Good. Listen carefully. This is the Dull Prince's pledge. The pledge of the laughingstock of the entire Empire. Watch closely."
Saying that, I drove the dagger into my left hand.
The dagger sank deep, piercing straight through.
"Gaaaaah!!??"
A shocking pain and heat coursed through my entire body. I wanted to scream that it hurt and writhe on the floor right then and there.
But I couldn't. I had to swear my oath without giving in to the pain.
"I, Arnold Lakes Adler, the Seventh Prince, swear this: Should the operation in the South fail... I swear to take responsibility with my life... Upon this pain and this blood, I will not go back on my word. Elna von Amsberg... Serve as my witness, and if this pledge is not fulfilled... you will cut me down."
"...Understood."
Elna nodded, her face looking as though she might cry.
Seeing that, I pulled the dagger from my left hand.
A great deal of blood poured out, revealing the dark-red wound. By then, the heat had surpassed the pain.
My consciousness began to recede a little. I fought it and held the wound up for the members to see.
"This wound...! It is the medal I earned by staking everything for my brother...! Even if you refuse to answer my call, that will never change! It is a wound to be proud of! Surely the same was true for you! When you scarred your former lord's coat of arms, you weren't seeking a reward! You didn't act because you wanted to become Imperial Guards! You didn't act because you wanted to become nobles! You acted because you couldn't stand by and leave things as they were, so you followed your convictions!"
I'm not saying you shouldn't seek a reward.
But receiving no reward doesn't change anything.
"The essence of it will never change... You rose up for the sake of the country and its people because you believed it was right! Then don't let other people's opinions shake you! I will not allow anyone to say that something is not noble simply because it brought no reward! The scar you left on that crest should be your pride! Even if people call it a symbol of betrayal, don't let that bother you as long as you have an unshakable core within you! The wounds you carved are no different from mine... Stop belittling the wounds you carved for someone, for something!"
What is right is not immutable. It is ambiguous, changing with one's position. Even the way it appears differs from person to person.
Even so, when they acted, they did so believing it was right. And one unchanging fact remained: their lord was judged.
Perhaps they weren't recognized afterward. Perhaps they weren't treated well.
But those things were trivial.
"Even while bearing those wounds, you protected your pride. You held true to your convictions. That is a noble thing. As long as you understand that yourselves, you need not listen to the voices of others... Decide the value of your wounds for yourselves! I ask you, knights bearing scars! Your enemy is Duke Kruger, the ringleader among the southern nobles! It is an extremely dangerous mission to infiltrate enemy territory! Is there anyone willing to go there with my brother!? I seek only those who will step forward of their own accord and follow their pride and convictions into a mission where they may die!"
With every passing moment, the pain and heat grew stronger.
Even so, I did not lower my raised left hand.
Blood kept dripping down my arm. Let it flow if it wanted to. If this blood could buy allies for Leo, it was a cheap price to pay.
Silence enveloped the place.
In the midst of it, the young soldier who had questioned me opened a pendant with a click.
Inside it was surely the crest of his former lord—the crest he himself had scarred.
Then the young soldier raised his head, saluted with his right hand, and spoke.
"Second Lieutenant Berndt Lerner. I humbly volunteer."
It must have been an incredibly courageous first step.
Even so, Lerner's face was bright and clear.
"I entrust my brother to you, Second Lieutenant Lerner."
"Yes, sir! I will fight in a manner worthy of Prince Arnold's wound!"
That was the signal, and many others saluted and declared their intention to volunteer.
In no time at all, every one of them was standing at attention and saluting.
Then Lars, who had been standing beside me, stepped forward and saluted.
"The entire Nelve Ritter volunteers for Prince Arnold's operation."
"Thank you, Colonel."
"We are the ones who should be thanking you. You understood the value of our wounds, and therefore we understand the value of yours. We swear upon your wound: We will protect Prince Leonart to the very end. And we will not let you die."
"That's good to hear. Then make the preparations. My brother is waiting."
"Understood. All personnel, prepare to deploy! We're heading to the Imperial Capital!"
At Lars's command, everyone began moving briskly.
As I watched them, dizziness made me stagger. But I did not fall.
A knight beside me caught and supported me.
"You idiot..."
"Sorry... as always. I thought they wouldn't accept unless I appointed a witness..."
Elna sat me down right there and treated my wound with bandages.
I had stabbed it deeply, so the scar might well remain.
"If you show it to a skilled healing mage in the Imperial Capital, it'll close up right away. If you want it to."
"I don't mind. A scar wouldn't be so bad. It's a medal."
"You idiot... But let me make this clear: I'm a woman who would throw away pride and honor to break a promise, you know? I absolutely will not cut Al down."
What was she saying right after I had made a pledge?
Still, I couldn't tell her not to say such selfish things. I was the one who had acted selfishly in the first place.
"Now failure is even less acceptable."
"Don't worry. They'll surely fight with more strength than usual. The man they had mocked as the Dull Prince showed them that he was prepared to go that far. They'll fight with everything they have."
"Then that's a relief. Sigh... I'm sorry, all right? So don't make that face."
Seeing the mixture of anger and sadness on Elna's face, I gave her a wry smile.
But perhaps she didn't like my smile, because when she tied the bandage, she pulled it extremely tight.
"Ow!?"
"There won't be a next time! If you do something reckless and make me worry again, I'll cut everything down myself! I never want to worry like this again!"
Saying that, Elna turned her back and wouldn't let me see her face.
It was a warning only Elna would give.
If there really were a next time, Elna might destroy the Empire herself.
I had to be careful to ensure that didn't happen.
But I probably didn't need to worry too much about that.
The preparations were complete. All that remained was to infiltrate without being detected.
If we did that, Zandra would be eliminated, and Gordon's schemes would be thwarted.
From here on, it was time to strike back.