NOVEL WEB Chapter 35
“I’ll handle it one by one. First, the martial arts tournament.”
Acella skimmed through the report I brought.
“When did this knight order…”
Acella stopped mid-sentence as she realized Camilla, the Empress, was watching. She must have sensed that showing our cards wouldn’t end well.
Thump, Acella closed the report and leisurely sipped her tea.
“You’ve done well as commanded. The additional hundred twenty knights will be used for the tournament.”
“A hundred twenty? Where did the Imperial Family get that much troop strength?”
Camilla shouted in surprise.
A hundred twenty is one company. Four companies make a regiment, and four regiments guard the north, south, east, and west walls of the Imperial Palace. The Emperor and the direct knight orders of each palace are separate.
The martial arts tournament will feature palace knight orders aligned with factions and some from the Imperial Family.
While the Emperor moves, the army moves too, but leaving the palace is out of the question.
One succession faction can muster at most two hundred knights. Add the twenty knights from Moonlight Palace and that totals one hundred forty, enough to stand up to other claimants.
“Your Majesty.”
Acella declared to Camilla.
“You will see me win this martial arts tournament without any support.”
“This…!”
Camilla couldn’t contain her anger, fuming at Acella.
Hearing that you’re no longer needed would indeed make anyone furious.
I had been eavesdropping on their conversation outside. Apparently, Acella had tried to exploit my anxieties and charm the second prince, but it all went to waste.
“Ha! Let’s see how long that reckless fool will cling to you! No matter how Gothberg he is, how could he end up with such a schemer!”
Camilla lightly lifted the hem of her dress and swiftly left the room.
Only after she exited did Acella relax, letting out a small sigh.
“Look at you scheming without permission.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Does that look like a compliment? Why did you increase the size of the knight order without telling me?”
Acella glared at me.
I guess she wasn’t fond of this matter at all.
“I was hoping our faction would grow stronger?”
“That’s my job. You are the prince’s attending physician.”
“And also his betrothed.”
For some reason, Acella’s lips twitched at the word “betrothed.”
After a moment, she said, “These knights will prove useful. They are bound by contract, so they won’t betray us for just one tournament, and these knights are generally easy to handle.”
Acella looked up at me and asked, “Prince, what do you want?”
“If it’s a price, how about you approve the subsequent contract?”
“Hmm.”
It’s a patent for the mask.
I don’t care about producing regular masks. I’ve only applied for the patent on the modern design I created.
“The contract distributes the design usage guarantees to me at a ratio of 7 to 3. How about using the 3 on the Moonlight Palace’s budget?”
“About the mask, right?”
Acella seemed displeased about something.
“Prince, you made a mask for Lau, didn’t you?”
Acella’s eyes widened.
It was a long time since I’d seen such a threatening gaze.
She hadn’t really bothered me that much recently, so why now?
“Did you hear?”
“Observing the movements of other claimants is basic. However.”
Her tone dropped.
“It looked exactly like my mask.”
“The size is different.”
Masks pretty much look the same everywhere.
Only mine is the real deal here.
…What’s going on? The probabilities on my status window are changing wildly.
[No. 077: Incarnation of Jealousy 14% → 62%]
Did a bug occur?
What could I have possibly done to cause such a drastic change?
Before I knew it, my chest was damp with cold sweat.
Watching Acella, the warm weather felt like a blizzard was crashing back in.
“Prince.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you keep the fact that you made a mask for Lau a secret from me?”
I just reported it, didn’t I?
If it’s a mistake, it’s a mistake… right?
Perhaps it could be viewed as an act benefiting another faction without consulting Acella.
Did she think of it as treason?
What kind of extreme mindset does this princess have?
I had been relieved to hear Lau assure me he’d have a good talk with Acella.
I thought it’d be fine since it ultimately helped the Moonlight Palace’s finances.
“It’s a misunderstanding, your highness.”
“What misunderstanding? I don’t think I’m misunderstanding anything.”
I certainly can’t persuade Acella, who is already being stubborn.
I thought I might as well try something.
So I pulled out what I had prepared from my physician’s bag and presented it to Acella.
“What is this?”
“It’s your new mask, your highness.”
“You mean you want me to wear something like what Lau has on?”
“It’s different. If you look closely, the symbol of our Moonlight Palace is embroidered in the lower right corner.”
At the mention of embroidery, Acella flipped the mask over to check.
“Hmph.”
She snorted and unfolded the mask, putting it on.
Ordering the Head Maid to fetch a mirror, she admired her reflection.
“How many of these masks do you have?”
“I just made them today. For now, I prepared three for you to use.”
“From now on, make them exclusive to me.”
“I will comply with your orders.”
I checked my status window slyly.
[No. 077: Incarnation of Jealousy 62% → 14%]
Phew, back to normal.
Since wearing the mask makes it hard to recognize your face, I thought it’d be handy to have the insignia so it’s clear it’s from the Moonlight Palace. I’m just glad it worked out.
I barely escaped the treason label.
“Oh, your highness. The left strap is twisted.”
“It is. Wait, I’ll fix it myself.”
Acella quickly extended her palm toward me, signaling her refusal.
Then she carefully adjusted the mask and suddenly turned to me as if she remembered something.
“Prince, did you teach Lau how to wear a mask yourself?”
Golden mana flared up like flames.
Somehow, I intuited I’d better answer cautiously.
“Of course not. She seemed to be quite accustomed to wearing it already.”
“Were you planning to cover for her if she didn’t know?”
“Do you really think I’d do that to another princess?”
“…Right.”
Only then did Acella seem to relax, dropping her suspicions.
Changing the subject, she began looking over the initial report, jotting down notes in her notepad.
“I’ll drastically revise the strategy for this martial arts tournament based on the increased numbers.”
“Yes.”
“Prince, do you have any strategies that might help?”
“Are you asking me?”
“Yeah, I heard you’re quite skilled at hunting goblin shamans. Don’t you have experience commanding knights?”
Did the Head Maid mention this?
I detest increasing my workload.
“Of course, a knight order as organized as the Imperial Family’s would feel different, but from another perspective, it could serve as a reference.”
“In the mock battle, Lau’s faction is planning to bury George’s faction.”
“…Elaborate.”
Acella seemed to be in a good mood as she rested her chin on her hand, grinning like a demon.
*
“Next, Princess Acella, please prepare for the move.”
Following the court mage’s guidance, we stepped up onto the teleport gate.
It was a total of five: Acella, two escort knights, the Head Maid, and me.
As the mages drew the spells and activated the teleportation magic, vaporized mana floated into the air like steam.
“We’re about to start casting.”
The destination was a basin in the middle of the eastern mountain range, a two-day ride even on horseback.
Because of this, most troops had already relocated, and only the key figures of the Imperial Family were set to teleport on the same day.
Teleports are highly costly and difficult, so this method makes sense. The elderly Emperor would also find long-distance travel tough.
Is it really worth going all the way for a flower viewing festival? Still, it must be necessary, so what can I do?
If I were an enemy nation looking to invade the Empire, I would certainly take advantage of this moment when the defenses of the palace are down.
Ugh.
As soon as the teleport was complete, a wave of nausea hit me again.
“Do you want me to carry you, teacher?”
Tanya, who had been waiting at the scene, asked, supporting me.
Although she usually hides her expression, I now know better.
She’s quite amused at my expense.
“No thanks. Did you think I’d lose my mind just because of a teleport?”
“You look perfectly fine. It seems you’ve been training hard.”
“Of course. I’ve been working out for two hours a day.”
That’s a lie.
In reality, I brewed a remedy for motion sickness and took it beforehand.
I’m genuinely improving my stamina. You never know when a reduction might lead to my demise, so I try my best to maintain cardio.
As much as possible.
One day, while running up a hill in the palace, I stumbled upon an herb called “madman’s herb.”
It turned out to be a source material for extracting scopolamine, the main ingredient in the motion sickness remedy.
With that, I managed to overcome the teleportation issue.
“Welcome to the tournament grounds. I’ll take charge of the escort from here.”
“Alright. Let’s see how well everything is prepared.”
At outdoor events, the attending physician must remain within a hundred meters of the royal family.
I followed closely behind Acella and surveyed the martial arts tournament venue.
“They carved out a mountain to build a coliseum.”
It wasn’t exactly the countryside, but it was quite a distance from civilization.
They built such a structure, spending an enormous amount of resources for something the Emperor visits just once a year.
Is this the scale of the Empire?
At the very least, it was the most extravagant money-wasting I’ve ever seen in my life.
What life must the Imperial Emperor lead…?
“The flowers are absolutely beautiful.”
The entire mountain was covered in a light blue hue as if by magic.
Picking a petal from the ground, I noticed its texture and size were almost identical to cherry blossoms’.
Instead, it twinkled as if dusted with silver powder. It was mesmerizing.
“They call that silver blue flower. It only blooms here due to the climate and soil conditions.”
So there are indeed beautiful sceneries in this world.
I’ve never seen such a sight before I regressed.
“Well, what’s important is the martial arts tournament.”
As expected, Acella showed no interest in the fluttering petals and hurried into the coliseum to examine the arena.
The martial arts tournament consists of various forms of competition.
While mages also participate, this mainly showcases the knights, so I don’t have much to do.
Simply cheering for Acella from the sidelines should suffice.
Eight factions are participating in the tournament.
Four from other claimants are all joining, including a cousin or nephew of the Emperor, and that makes seven.
And then there’s us.
Well, with this number, just ranking third would be satisfactory.
This is Acella’s faction, which has never really shone before, so they could make a strong impression now.
“Prince.”
“Yes, your highness?”
“I will definitely win the tournament today.”
“Winning? Of course, the knights will do their best, but just getting third would be…”
[No. 012: Fall of the Empire 35% → 52%]
Correction.
The objective is victory.