I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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145th Chapter

A deep silence enveloped the area.

Since the meeting had started, as if they couldn’t bear to endure without drinking, Eldo kept downing wine, and Diego, who had been smiling like the Grim Reaper before taking a life, also turned serious.

I took a breath as I watched Caesar and Helios exchange silent glances.

There were three dragons in the Empire: the Yellow Dragon, Silver Dragon, and Black Dragon.

This meant that not only the royal family and the temples but also the House of Crisis united three significant forces to protect the Empire.

However, unlike the emperor, who held the royal scepter, and the Pope, the position of the House of Crisis was ambiguous.

Their official status was merely that of nobles. Unlike the emperor and the Pope, who could command the nobility, the Duke could not form factions under his own name. He merely maintained the name of ‘neutrality.’

‘But in reality, they can compete with the emperor and the pope.’

The greatest weapon of the House of Crisis was their military authority. The command of the military passed down through generations and the formidable Black Dragon Knights. This power undoubtedly left even the emperor and pope in awe.

‘Asking if they can dedicate soldiers to Crisis is essentially asking if they are fully loyal.’

Moreover, if Crisis dedicated soldiers, other families would have no choice but to follow suit out of respect for Crisis. I glanced at Caesar in this critical moment but realized he was facing Helios with an unreadable expression.

‘Damn. A wrong word here could ruin everything.’

Caesar wasn’t someone who would wreck the family recklessly, but he did sometimes act rather impulsively—of course, it would be within a manageable range. So I felt anxious.

Despite being my father, his poker face was unreadable, and I found myself waiting for Caesar’s response.

“Kashmir.”

“……yes, yes?”

Caesar unexpectedly called my name. I was startled and stumbled over my words. Suddenly, all eyes in the hall turned toward me.

“What do you think?”

“Me?”

“I’m asking about the emperor’s question.”

Caesar turned his gaze to me, resting his chin on his hand.

‘What? Why is he suddenly bringing this up? Isn’t this something Caesar should respond to? Is this a whim? A joke? Or is he cleverly putting me in a tight spot with Helios?’

Feeling like a shark caught in a whale fight, I silently demanded an explanation from Caesar with my eyes. Seemingly understanding my urgent signal, he spoke.

“This is a discussion between the house head and the house heir.”

“Indeed.”

‘But then why am I being called?’

Could it be that Caesar had some memory issue and mistakenly thought I was the house head or heir? At that thought, I wore a sour expression, much like a kid who just bit into sour grapes, when Caesar smiled slyly.

“Aren’t you the heir to the house? So you can answer in my stead.”

“ Uh.”

I doubted my ears.

Currently, there were three fully grown children in Crisis: the eldest was the genius mage Cal Crisis, and the youngest was the genius herself, Aria Crisis.

Many mistook Cal, the eldest son, for the heir, but in fact, the successor of Crisis had not been determined yet. I had calmly thought one of them would take the position.

But suddenly, the successor was me.

In that moment, many thoughts raced through my mind. I recalled how, during mealtime one day, the topic of the next house head came up and turned into an argument, leading to a fight between Cal and Aria, both wanting to dump the unwanted bomb on each other.

Cal, boasting he would become the tower lord, and Aria, pointing her finger and scolding him for wanting to be a duke just like the careless man named Caesar.

‘…It would be better for me to take on the burden than watch those two fight over the duke position and waste the family’s finances on building repairs…’

Truthfully, I didn’t want to be a duke either. I wanted to avoid heavy responsibilities and a busy life. I thought it would be nice to live as a swordsmanship teacher gathering poor common kids after the war. Perhaps even aim for the captain of the Black Dragon Knights.

‘But suddenly, this is how I get played?’

Overnight, I became the designated heir among the high ranks of the Empire, and I shot a piercing look at Caesar. Watching him calmly wait for my answer, it made me want to draw my sword and challenge him to a duel right then.

‘First, I need to clarify this.’

I felt desperate. I couldn’t be marked as the heir like this. I glanced over at Helios, and as expected, he was watching me with glee as if he found it all amusing.

“This isn’t a previously discussed situation, and it is not an official announcement. It is merely the personal opinion of Duke Caesar Crisis. I am not the heir.”

I hurriedly blurted that out before Helios could say anything.

‘If I let Helios speak, I would definitely get marked as the heir.’

Helios had taken quite a liking to me. Previously, he had called me instead of Cal to discuss Diego and the North, clearly testing whether I was suitable to be the heir.

There was a chance that Helios and Caesar, who had a sparring competition going on, would both dismiss me as the heir without hesitation.

“Of course, I am definitely not the heir, but as a member of Crisis, if I may offer my opinion…”

I stressed the word ‘definitely’ while looking at Caesar.

His deep red eyes contained affection that suggested he would accept whatever I stated and trust my thoughts.

Caesar wouldn’t know anything. To him, I was just an average 19-year-old kid, unaware that I remembered my past life and the future.

Sometimes, I wondered how he could trust me so much. Usually, if a 19-year-old were to act grandly, most would simply laugh it off.

Staring into his profound crimson gaze, I sometimes felt as if he knew all my secrets.

I could not understand all of Caesar’s inner thoughts. I had no way of knowing how much he grasped about me. Thus, I knew what I had to do.

“The nobles enjoy their current affluent lives thanks to the taxes paid by the citizens of the Empire, and it is the nobles’ duty to protect the citizens. Therefore, if necessary for the safety of the Empire, it is only right to willingly dedicate soldiers as well.”

To live up to his trust. To prove that his faith and expectations were not misplaced. To follow the path he opened and do my best. That was my role.

‘Is this how I should respond, Father?’

I expressed my thoughts clearly and then glanced back at Caesar. He was simply looking at me without any compulsion, and a smile began to curl on his lips. His gentle gaze seemed to say I did well.

“……The integrity of the Young Lady of Crisis is frightening. It feels like if I make a mistake, I’ll be dragged down for treason.”

Helios, who had been scrutinizing me with sharp eyes, grinned his usual playful grin.

‘Is he saying he fears a noble child might start a rebellion? Is that something an emperor should say?’

I hardened my expression as I looked at Helios with slight annoyance.

Rebellion is a serious crime punishable by immediate execution. Saying I had the seed of a felon was essentially an insult.

No matter how many times I heard Helios weave his risky rhetoric, I never got used to it.

Had he seen something untoward in my eyes, Helios smacked the armrest and burst into laughter. He looked more like a foolish father amused by his child’s antics than an emperor.

“Haha! Lighten up! Stop being so serious!”

I found myself curious if Helios had ever received the rigorously thorough etiquette training that royalty undergo.

In a situation where I couldn’t laugh or get angry, I was stuck making a face like a Tibetan fox, but Helios soon stopped laughing and leaned over, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

“It’s not a curse. It’s a compliment.”

His deep blue eyes locked onto mine. As I met his gaze, I suddenly thought of Caesar.

“If I don’t do it properly, I could get dragged down, but conversely, if I do it right, that means I’ll always be loyal, right?”

It was strange. He had a completely opposite color and personality from Caesar.

Caesar was so cold he might have laughed only once in his lifetime, whereas Helios was always full of smiles.

A genius in swordsmanship, yet his political skills left much to be desired—while Helios was politically adept but physically weak.

Still, I felt a strange similarity between the two.

In Helios’s eyes, like Caesar’s, there was trust directed toward me.

‘…I succeeded.’

I slightly curled my lips.

As I had hoped, I was earning the trust of the emperor. It wasn’t absolute trust, but at least I wasn’t being suspected.

“Duke Crisis. Can we accept the Young Lady of Kashmir’s words as the official position of Crisis?”

“Yes. That indeed reflects Crisis’s stance.”

Caesar answered firmly. While I couldn’t forgive him for pushing me into the role of heir without prior notice, I felt a slight flutter in my heart at how he supported my words without adding anything more.

“Alright. Crisis and Einhart will dedicate their soldiers, and other nobles will do so voluntarily. I emphasize ‘voluntarily.'”

I caught a faint sound of Count Cypross’s groan.

Crisis and Einhart held the first and second largest military forces; their dedication meant that for other families, it was more or less obligatory, even if they only said it was voluntary. Like a boss committing to work on a holiday, who could expect the employees to take a day off?

‘Cypross is planning to ally with the North… it’s ironic he would dedicate his soldiers to contend with the North.’

I stifled a laugh and took a sly glance at Harvis Cypross, who looked like he was about to stomp his own foot.

‘Oh my.’

I found myself intrigued, letting out an intrigued breath. Harvis glared at me ferociously, as if blaming me for the entire situation.

It seemed that not only Mir but also Kashmir had made enemies with Cypross, but that didn’t matter. After all, he was an enemy that needed to be smashed.

“Now, let’s decide on the devoted soldiers. Next, I’d like to discuss the relationship between the incident during the hunting tournament and the North.”

As I exchanged a brief, chilly gaze with Harvis, Helios clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention. Taking his time, he scanned the gathered nobles one by one before ultimately gazing at me.

“Kashmir Crisis. Please testify.”

This was the reason I had been summoned to this place.

“Yes.”

I was to testify about the massive monster incident that had occurred during the Hunting Tournament.