Chapter 039

The Grand Commanderof the Knights asked him to point out the parts he didn't understand, but Matthias couldn't find any parts he did understand. What was he supposed to point out?

However, the Grand Commander did not tolerate his grumbling.

"You must stop all external activities and acquire military knowledge. There may not be a war with foreign countries or barbarians for the time being, but you never know when or where monsters will appear!"

"M-monsters? That's something the Knights can take care of, right?"

"Dealing with monsters is not something that can be done recklessly. It's not a simple matter."

He picked out one of the books stacked next to him and turned to a page with illustrations. Then he opened it up in front of Matthias.

"This is a monster."

"Ugh!"

It was only a drawing, but the monster's appearance was hideous.

It looked like a four-legged beast, but its back was hunched and its spine had horns. Its claws seemed to exist for the sole purpose of tearing and ripping living things apart.

Its eyes glowed red, and its sharp teeth were numerous and protruded from its mouth, saliva dripping from its lips.

And above all… it was huge.

The moment he realized that the human figures drawn next to the monster's legs were meant to show scale, Matthias covered his mouth with his hand.

The Grand Commander reassured Matthias, who had turned pale.

"You don't have to go to every place where monsters appear. You only have to go when a monster this big and dangerous appears."

"I, I can't do it."

"The knights and soldiers will do the fighting. Your Highness only needs to assume the role of commanding the army."

"I'll leave it to you, then. You take care of it."

"That is not possible."

Matthias flared up again at the Grand Commander's adamant attitude.

"Are you disobeying the Crown Prince's orders right now?"

However, the Grand Commander sighed deeply and shook his head.

"That's not it… I'm saying it's impossible according to imperial law."

"What?"

"Article 5 of the Imperial Law states that military power is the exclusive right of the Emperor and cannot be transferred or delegated to anyone other than a descendant of the Emperor."

Matthias had never paid attention in imperial law classes, but he vaguely remembered that clause.

The Grand Commander did not stop there and continued to press him.

"In special cases, it can be temporarily delegated to a non-imperial family member, but even then, it must be decided by His Majesty the Emperor, not His Highness the Crown Prince."

Matthias clenched his jaw.

He had already asked his father, but he had been lightly dismissed.

[Don't you have to show that you're not inferior to Carlyle if you want to be the real crown prince?]

He couldn't dwell on those words and had to turn around, but now that he thought about it, after seeing the image of the monster, he felt like he had been too passive.

"Damn it!"

Matthias, unable to do anything, could only swear again.

"That punk Carlyle is the one who's blessed by the gods! Not me!"

"Your Majesty, there have been other emperors and crown princes who have fulfilled their responsibilities of military command without the blessing of the gods, unlike His Majesty Carlyle. His Majesty Carlyle was a special case, usually… …"

"Are you telling me to die? Are you telling me, the crown prince of this country, to be trampled to death by the monster's feet?"

"Yes? That's not… …"

"The people who should be protected the most in the empire right now are His Majesty the Emperor and I, the next emperor, aren't they?"

The Grand Commander's eyes went dark at Matthias's screams, which seemed to have lost all reason.

'We're all going to die. Damn it.'

They were overwhelmed by the fact that they had to teach this coward to be a battlefield commander. At the same time, they missed Carlyle, whom all of the knights could trust and follow.

'His Majesty Carlyle would have almost single-handedly defeated a monster of this level… …'

The monsters that appeared in the empire were basically no more than beasts that used low-level magic, unlike the monsters that came from the 'Abandoned Land'.

Of course, they were terrifying because of their hideous appearance and large size, and they required a systematic attack plan, but they were not an unstoppable disaster.

In fact, Carlyle had led the charge and slaughtered the monsters with the power he had received from the blessing of the god Aguileus. At that time, he had felt like the true embodiment of Aguileus.

'Back then, I took it for granted… but in fact, he must have been fighting fear as well.'

Even though he was blessed by the gods, Carlyle was still human. Maybe Matthias's reaction was the normal one.

'Maybe we were just too used to His Majesty Carlyle, who always ran ahead without complaining… …'

He felt heavy-hearted because he didn't think he had ever properly thanked Carlyle.

Normally, he would have tried to comfort and appease Matthias, but now he didn't want to say anything nice to him, who was only thinking about his own safety and enjoying the rights that came with being the crown prince.

"I will only follow the orders I have received from His Majesty the Emperor. If Your Highness Matthias refuses to take command, please speak directly to His Majesty."

Of course, it was impossible for Matthias. If he refused command, the emperor would have to go out himself.

Matthias's two clenched fists trembled as the Grand Knight took a step back.

"Your Highness seems tired today, so I will end the lesson early. As homework, please summarize the parts you don't understand well."

"..."

"I will take my leave."

Matthias did not turn his head towards the Grand Commander even as he finished his greeting and left the room.

However, as soon as he left, Matthias threw the quill on his desk again.

He even threw the textbook he was studying to understand the parts the Grand Commander didn't, and stormed out of his office.

He then went to his bedroom and started drinking wine in the middle of the day.

"Damn it! Why are imperial laws like that! The Emperor and Crown Prince are the most important people, so they should be in the safest place possible, why do they have to go to the battlefield?!"

He understood that military power was the Emperor's authority. Otherwise, someone with military power could stage a coup.

However, the clause that the Emperor or Crown Prince must personally go to the battlefield, even if it's not every time, was a clause that he couldn't understand at all.

Isn't that why there are the Grand Commander of the Knights and the knights?

'Are you telling me to go to that horrible battlefield?'

Suddenly, the incident from about 3 years ago, when he tried to trick Carlyle by cutting off his rear material support for a few days, came to mind.

Thanks to his mother, the Empress, he was able to stop the transportation of supplies by making various excuses, but Carlyle said that he dug a tunnel to save on winter supplies, dragged the wounded and dead horses of the enemy and used them as food, and picked up the arrows of the enemy army and used them.

He fought in the battle wearing the same damaged armor and was even stabbed in the side, but he eventually won and returned, angering the Empress and Matthias.

'Can I do that…?'

Matthias gulped as he imagined himself standing in the middle of a battlefield with a cold wind blowing.

I can't. It's not that I can't, it's more like I don't want to.

I don't want to sleep in a muddy hole as the Crown Prince, I don't want to eat rotting meat, I can't trust my life to allies who shoot broken arrows, and I don't want to wear shabby armor.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

No matter how much alcohol he drank, he couldn't moisten his parched throat.

'There's only one way. I have to get that bastard Carlyle out of Ferbaz.'

If he gets him out of Ferbaz, which is an extraterritorial zone, he can send him to the battlefield on the pretext of the 'work for the empire' that he promised to the Emperor.

That's why Carlyle exists, to do such dangerous and difficult things.

The noble me in the golden palace, and Carlyle, who grew up as a murderer, on the bloody battlefield.

'Yes, that's right!'

Matthias quickly finished the bottle of alcohol that was now showing the bottom, and then lay down on the bed as if he wanted to forget everything.

Feeling the ceiling spinning, he hurriedly closed his eyes as the image of the monster he had seen earlier seemed to grow larger in the middle of the ceiling.

***

Clang!

The sound of steel clashing rang out deafeningly, followed only by ragged breaths.

"Haah, haah, I lost."

"You're getting better, so don't be too disappointed."

"I've never even thought about beating Your Highness."

"That's why you lost."

Carlyle sheathed his sword and chided Lionel.

The overgrown clearing near Castle Pervaz had been cleared away and turned into a training ground for Carlyle's knights and soldiers.

Carlyle, who trained there every day and sparred with Lionel, had once again defeated Lionel today.

"Even though this is the far north, it's still summer. It's quite hot, isn't it?"

Carlyle took off his sweat-soaked shirt, seemingly uncomfortable, and lightly washed his face, neck, and forearms with the water in the bucket.

The water, which had been drawn from the well by a servant, was cold, as if to prove that this was the northernmost part of the empire, and it was perfect for cooling down his overheated body.

"So it seems that Countess Pervaz is doing everything she can to revive the agriculture of her territory. At this rate, she should be able to plow the fields twice."

"She was happy to receive all the supplies I sent, but when I gave him the crop seeds, his face was filled with emotion."

"Can you tell the difference in his expression?"

"If you look closely, you can."

Carlyle thought of Asha's quietly growing eyes, her sparkling pupils, and her lips struggling to hold back a smile, and he smiled to himself.