"If this were several years ago, I would have agreed that the Third Imperial Prince was the epitome of incompetence and greed. But considering the abilities he displayed in the war with Dotrin, we cannot simply call him incompetent."

After learning the enemy commander-in-chief's identity, Malcoy paused for a moment before objecting to my opinion.

"The nobles of the Empire consider it highly possible that the Third Imperial Prince had been hiding his abilities while waiting for the right moment. I am inclined to agree with them."

Malcoy emphasized that, since I was not an imperial, I might not have known the circumstances, and that the Third Imperial Prince was currently one of the leading candidates for the imperial throne.

"If the Third Imperial Prince truly were nothing more than the greedy, incompetent scoundrel of the old rumors, he would never have achieved such great military accomplishments in the war with Dotrin."

He repeatedly warned me to be wary of the Third Imperial Prince.

"Your Highness was not there, so it may not feel real to you. But as someone who took part in the subjugation of Dotrin, I can tell you that preserving one's troops and retreating all the way to the mainland while every occupied fortress was collapsing and the Dotrin Kingdom's army was counterattacking was by no means easy."

But when I showed no sign of taking the warning seriously, he even sighed and laid out his own painful memories.

"Of the Empire's thirty-odd legions that took part in the subjugation, only the Third Imperial Prince's army realized the fortresses' collapse in advance and avoided major losses, shook off Dotrin's relentless pursuit, successfully regrouped its troops, and reached the mainland."

His expression seemed to ask whether, after hearing that much, I ought not finally feel some sense of caution toward the Third Imperial Prince.

But as for me, far from feeling cautious, I was on the verge of laughing.

"With that alone, the Third Imperial Prince has already proven his abilities more than enough."

He was wrong.

Completely wrong.

The Third Imperial Prince had never proven a thing.

He had merely eaten what was spoon-fed to him.

"Surely the Dotrin Kingdom did not go easy on the Third Imperial Prince's army alone."

If anything, that very "surely" was close to the truth.

The Dotrin Kingdom's army had fought while going easy on the Third Imperial Prince from beginning to end.

Even while pressing the attack, they gave the Third Imperial Prince opportunities to claim military achievements so that he could save face, and when they collapsed the fortresses, they informed only the Third Imperial Prince in advance so that he could avoid the collapse.

Even when they fiercely launched attacks at the Imperial Army withdrawing from the front, they only made a show of pursuing the Third Imperial Prince's army and never truly attacked.

I explained all of those circumstances to Malcoy.

"How could Your Highness know that..."

Of course, Malcoy did not readily believe me.

"Because I was there too. Back then, I was not there as a prince, but as a mercenary."

At last, his eyes went round, and he made the face of a man who had heard something utterly bizarre.

It was not strange.

If a successor to the throne of one country had disguised his identity and joined another country's war as a mercenary, and someone found that easy to believe, that would be the stranger thing.

I drew the sword I had set upright against the conference table.

『A soldier dies and becomes six silver coins, a knight dies and becomes thirty gold coins.』

『Victory is merely honor in name alone; only my storehouse filled with fleeting death shall be truth.』

Inwardly, I recited the Mercenary King's Poem of Martial Deeds, which I had chanted day and night on Dotrin's front.

Malcoy stared blankly at me.

He seemed bewildered, unable to understand why I had suddenly drawn my sword.

I deliberately infused mana into the sword right in front of him.

FLASH!

A yellow light burst from the sword, which had not been glowing at all.

"Nopsaebaram Citadel, the Sword Master with the golden Aura Blade."

"... Hah!"

As expected of the quick-witted Malcoy, he immediately understood what I meant and widened his eyes.

"Surely Your Highness is not Ian, Commander of the Vale Mercenaries?"

"Vale is the name of the one I loved most dearly, and Ian was the nickname he used for me."

I grinned and briefly laid out what I had done in Dotrin.

"I was the Sword Master of Dotrin who captured the Third Imperial Prince alive, and I was also the collaborator who helped the captured Third Imperial Prince escape. I was the one who repeatedly engraved Nopsaebaram Citadel's weaknesses into that stupid Third Imperial Prince's head so he would not forget them while he was fleeing in terror, and I was the one who later warned him of the collapse in advance so that the Third Imperial Prince could get out of the citadel."

Watching Malcoy gape, I laughed in delight.

"He was so stupid that he could not even eat what he was given, and I had to suffer no end of trouble for it."

Malcoy, who had been staring blankly at my words, sank into his own world.

"Then the Third Imperial Prince truly is incompetent and greedy, just as the original rumors said..."

Based on the facts I had told him, he reorganized the current situation.

"And the reason you piled military achievements onto such a Third Imperial Prince and raised his presence was to make an incompetent prince into the strongest candidate for the imperial throne and throw the Empire into confusion..."

He even grasped in an instant the intent I had not told him.

But even Malcoy seemed to assume that the effort I had put into the Third Imperial Prince was merely to throw the Empire into confusion, and that there was no further intent.

No.

What I wanted was something far greater.

The Third Imperial Prince.

I wanted the Third Imperial Prince to become Emperor of the Empire in the end.

And by doing so, I expected those rare, calamity-like traits of his to fully bloom, and for the thousand-year Empire to crumble without even leaving its foundation stones behind.

I still remembered clearly the moment I first met the Third Imperial Prince.

It was when I felt despair before the Empire's underlying strength, which I had realized while crossing its vast territory and prosperous cities, and when my worries only deepened before that overwhelming national power, which would not collapse under ordinary circumstances.

The Third Imperial Prince appeared before me like a single ray of starlight in the darkness.

He truly had been dazzling.

That arrogant, insolent face that looked exactly like the kingdom's Scoundrel Prince.

Those wretched traits floating above his head.

[Arrogant], [Overconfident], [Greedy], [Intemperate], [Lecherous], [Violent]

The traits that revealed his trash-like natural disposition hardly even entered my eyes.

After all, it even felt natural in a way for an imperial prince born at the very top of the world to be arrogant, greedy, and ignorant of restraint.

Even a prince of some ruined kingdom had been like that, so what was so strange about an imperial prince being even more arrogant and vicious?

What I focused on was not the traits related to his rotten temper, but those related to an innate nature that could not be traded for anything.

For instance, traits like Adelia's [War Maniac] and [Butcher].

That trait was so terrible that even the traits of a timid madwoman seemed almost charming in comparison.

[Heavenly Slaughter Star]

The bastard was born with the fate of a slaughterer.

Since ancient times, those born under the [Heavenly Slaughter Star] were one of two kinds.

They either ran wild alone and destroyed themselves, or committed all manner of atrocities and ruined everything around them.

The former belonged to the category of those so incompetent that they could not even properly inflict evil on the world, while the latter belonged to those with enough talent in their own way to torment their surroundings.

And the Third Imperial Prince I saw was certainly the former.

A piece of trash born with the fate of the [Heavenly Slaughter Star], but without any talent to speak of, who would be weeded out without even winning the competition among the imperial princes; a wretch who would fail to properly bloom that grand trait, torment only his subordinates, and destroy himself alone.

I had no intention of watching the Third Imperial Prince become that.

A rare human disaster had been born in the Empire, and I was supposed to let him perish so meaninglessly?

Could there be anything more regrettable than that?

That was something that absolutely must not happen.

If necessary, I was determined to see the bastard take flight even if I had to give him some other ability in place of the talent he all but lacked.

Fortunately, the bastard was not the troublemaker of some ordinary family, nor was he the scoundrel of some middling noble house.

Also, the bastard possessed another trait just as terrible as the [Heavenly Slaughter Star].

[Ruinous Talent]

An incarnation of ruin with an outstanding ability to break what was perfectly fine.

And such a bastard was a direct blood descendant of the Imperial House of Bourgogne with the right of succession.

The Third Imperial Prince had more than enough justification and background to seize power in place of his own lowly qualities and incompetence.

All he needed was a bit of military achievement and fame.

And in the war with Dotrin, the bastard filled in what he lacked more than enough.

Now, all I had to do was wait.

I only had to wait for the moment when the calamity-like traits he possessed bloomed.

Looking forward to which would bloom first, the [Heavenly Slaughter Star] or the [Ruinous Talent], would be a rather novel pleasure of its own.

Of course, if they bloomed all at once like in Adelia's case, nothing could be better.

While I was thinking about the Third Imperial Prince for a moment, Malcoy seemed to have finished organizing his thoughts as well.

Before I knew it, Malcoy was staring intently at me.

But there was something strangely odd about that gaze.

It also felt strangely familiar.

"To think Your Highness was that Sword Master who was active on the Dotrin front."

It was as if...

"The one who stood alone against countless Imperial Knights and Mages and ultimately forced Dotrin's army to retreat."

It was just like the way I looked at Yorden.

"The very Sword Master who arrogantly claimed to be a One-Man Legion and was mocked for it, only to prove his own words in the end..."

In other words, it was the look of someone wondering if there was anywhere he could put me to work.

But I was not some low-ranking(?) commander like Yorden who had to do as he was told.

I was the kingdom's proud Crown Prince, and so I decided to give new work to this new staff officer who had dared to look at me with such an insolent gaze.

"Revise every operation."

Malcoy looked at me as though he had snapped wide awake.

"Press them hard, but revise the plans so that the Third Imperial Prince can save face."

"To what extent should we let him save face?"

At Malcoy's question, having understood my words exactly, I thought for a moment before answering.

"A victory somewhere that is not a major stronghold should be suitable. If necessary, it is fine to give up one small citadel or stronghold. But under no circumstances should the kingdom's soldiers fall in vain."

"That is difficult. You are telling me to lose, but not create any war dead."

"Also, do not forget that we must be able to return that severalfold to the Imperial Army later."

"Your demands are growing more and more difficult. Is there anything else I should keep in mind?"

Without hesitation, I gave him the most important demand.

"Guarantee the Third Imperial Prince's safety under any circumstances."

At my words, Malcoy looked utterly dumbfounded.

It seemed absurd to him that I spoke of the enemy commander-in-chief as if he were some important allied figure.

"That is not something easily done simply because you wish it. Would a man who is both an imperial prince and the commander-in-chief expose himself to danger so easily?"

Watching him answer as if it were no great matter, I urged him once more.

"The Third Imperial Prince must be kept alive."

"Understood. I will ensure the Third Imperial Prince is not harmed under any circumstances."

"I mean it."

"Anyone watching would think the kingdom had already won the war. You are already discussing whether to spare the enemy commander-in-chief or not."

Malcoy indirectly pointed out my hastiness, but I paid it no mind.

Because I knew.

If one thought about it with common sense, it was almost impossible for the Third Imperial Prince, a candidate for the imperial throne and the commander-in-chief at that, to be wounded on the battlefield or suffer direct harm.

But that bastard was a being who transcended common sense.

The Third Imperial Prince had already been captured once in Dotrin, and I swear that was not a situation either I or the Dotrin Kingdom's army had intended.

Since it would have been unnatural to simply let the bastard who had fallen into our hands go alive, we had no choice but to take him prisoner, but both Dotrin's commanders and I had suffered quite a headache revising the plan we had already established.

Of course, if it had been only that once, one could have thought it was merely an accident caused by the hot blood of a young and ambitious imperial prince.

But that was not the only time the Third Imperial Prince exposed himself to danger.

If someone were to ask me when the hardest moments on the Dotrin front were, I would answer without hesitation that every single moment the Third Imperial Prince showed himself on the battlefield was the hardest.

As if he were mad to die, the Third Imperial Prince kept driving himself into dangers he did not need to invite.

I had to run around like a madman to keep that Third Imperial Prince bastard from being killed by soldiers and knights who knew nothing.

Without our allies knowing, and without our enemies knowing.

So that he would not die after being struck by a stray arrow or blade, and so that he would not be injured, fail to earn military achievements, and withdraw from the front.

That was how I protected the Third Imperial Prince throughout the entire first subjugation campaign.

At least in the second subjugation campaign, it was fortunate that the bastard did not show himself directly in battle.

If I had had to clean up after him even in the sea of trees, I might have lost patience, grand plan or not, and killed the Third Imperial Prince bastard.

It was a truly strange case.

He was a cowardly bastard, yet he sniffed out and came to places where he would die like a ghost.

Where else in the world could there be a bastard like this?

I warned Malcoy once more.

"Malcoy. You had best hope that the last two wars have made the Third Imperial Prince cautious."

Or else that the bastard's status, now changed beyond comparison to before, would become a sturdy shield and protect him.

Whichever it was, I hoped that, at least in this war, the bastard would not rampage like a reckless brat.

But unfortunately, my hope was denied far too quickly.

When the enemy's main force had not even reached our citadel yet,

when I secretly left the citadel with Percival and a small number of knights to intercept an enemy reconnaissance unit that had crossed the border,

the bastard just so happened to be among the small group of scouts I had chosen as my target.

"This is driving me insane."

A sigh came out on its own.

I could not ignore him and pretend not to have seen him.

His companions were far too tempting a quarry for that.

Five Mages and one Paladin.

And a number of fairly skilled knights.

If left alone, they were a force that would surely cause harm to countless allies later.

I agonized over it again and again.

But the answer had been decided from the beginning.

"The reason the Emperor did not eliminate an incompetent imperial prince who might become a future source of trouble must be because he expected that, since the bastard has a talent for finding places where he can die on his own, he would not live long."

After sighing, I gave orders to the knights in ambush.

"Prepare for battle."

At my words, the knights silently drew their crossbows.

At that very moment, the enemy reconnaissance unit, which had been approaching this way defenselessly, came to a stop.

The Paladin blocked the imperial prince's path.

He must have sensed the killing intent of our allies lying in ambush and halted the formation.

FLASH!

A wave of a nature utterly different from that of a knight spread out.

A beat late, a translucent film formed and covered the front of the reconnaissance unit.

It was a magical shield created by the Mages.

"So much for the surprise attack."

At my words, Percival nodded and said,

"Then shall we withdraw as we are? A proper knightly order that includes a Paladin and five Mages, already in formation. They are not a force to take head-on, Your Highness...?"

With Percival's voice behind me, I sprang up from where I had been crouching.

The aura of the imperial reconnaissance unit that discovered me wavered.

The Mages smiled coldly and moved their lips.

The Paladin, his eyes grave, blocked the imperial prince's path.

"Kill all the knights and Mages."

And the fool who kept seeking out only places where he would die was looking this way indifferently, without even knowing how the situation was unfolding.

With a face as though he had discovered some insignificant prey.

Without knowing who the real prey was.

"... As for that stupid bastard, we will keep him alive for now and release him again when we find the chance."

I glared at the Third Imperial Prince bastard and kicked off the ground with all my strength.

BOOM!

At that very moment, the flames, ice, and lightning created by the Mages poured down on me all at once.

Without the slightest hesitation, I swung my sword down at the storm of mana raging wildly before me.