Chapter 4

"Off with his head, this disrespectful child who insulted the royal family and the Supreme Commander, immediately!"

Upon hearing my command for Ken's execution, Lucas's face drained of color.

"But, Your Highness! Ken is a valiant knight of the Empire, momentarily out of his senses due to exhaustion from consecutive battles!"

"..."

"He fought most bravely in our recent confrontation. I beg you, show mercy!"

"It seems you've ignored my order, Lucas."

Of course, I had no intention of killing Ken.

How could I? In these dire circumstances, every party member, every knight, every soldier was precious. Besides, I was not a madman killing people left and right.

"Right here, right now, execute Ken. That's an order!"

But above all, it was essential to firmly establish my authority here.

Ash, the man whose role I had inherited, was a colossal failure.

The situation was so critical that this place might fall by tomorrow, and I had no hope of earning my subordinates' trust in just one night.

In the end, there was only one way to make them follow me.

Fear.

It was a crude strategy, a malevolent move, but there was no other choice.

"Ken!"

Seeing that I was not backing down, a frantic Lucas turned to Ken.

"What are you waiting for? Apologize to His Highness immediately!"

"Kuk..."

"Ken! Hurry! Show your respect as an Empire knight and apologize to the Prince!"

Ken, who had been trembling, slowly bowed his head.

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness. I let my emotions get the better of me. Please forgive my impertinence."

"Ken."

I offered him a cold, sarcastic smile.

"You were thinking this, weren't you? We're all going to die here anyway, so what does it matter if we die by my sword or a spider's claw?"

As if hit by a pointed accusation, Ken's shoulders shook violently. I continued to grin ominously.

"But, there is a difference. The two are worlds apart."

"...?"

"If you die battling the spiders, you'll remain a knight, but if you die defying me, you'll go down as a traitor."

I pointed towards the end of the corridor. Looking in that direction, Ken's face turned ghostly white.

At the end of the corridor was a cage housing doves.

Carrier pigeons.

These were the doves that had been tirelessly sending letters pleading for reinforcements over the past few days.

The Black Spider Legion didn't bother with birds in the sky, so the carrier pigeons were still operational.

Though it seemed we would be wiped out before any reinforcements arrived... Anyway, my point was.

"If you die a dishonorable death, your family back home will be left in shame."

Mess with me, and it won't just end with your death, I'll make sure your disgrace is known back in your homeland. And your families will bear the repercussions.

I was openly threatening him.

I already knew from the character directory that Ken had a large family to look after.

Now, Ken's face was not just pale, but deathly pale. I whispered softly to him.

"Death isn't the end, Ken. Consider what comes after."

"I, I, I deeply apologize, Your Highness the Prince!"

Ken was now prostrate on the ground.

"Please, I beg your mercy...!"

"Directly insulting the royal family, you certainly earned a beheading, however..."

I gave a casual shrug.

"Given the tough situation we find ourselves in and your past bravery, I'll let this one pass."

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

I feared Ken might rebel out of bitterness, but fortunately, he only continued to kneel in obedience.

'Thank heavens he fell in line.'

Inwardly, I exhaled a sigh of relief, hidden from the eyes of others.

It didn't matter if it was a perilous balancing act. It didn't matter if it was desperate.

This place was a high-stakes gamble. One wrong move and we'd all perish. Luckily, my initial show of force seemed to have taken root.

"Now, that being said!"

I scanned my party members, nodding my head.

"Wouldn't we all rather survive together than die together?"

It was such a self-evident statement, there was no need for confirmation. The party members nodded, their faces a mix of bewilderment and relief.

I extended my hand before them.

The carrot after the stick.

"I won't make excuses! Due to my severe misjudgment, our troops are on the brink of obliteration."

Everyone's eyes widened. Perhaps they were startled to see this erratic prince admit his faults for the first time.

"But now is not the moment to brood over past errors. We need to figure out how to survive against those spider bastards."

I studied each of their faces in turn.

Lucas, Lilly, Ken, and... Damien, still huddled and weeping in the corner.

The faces of those fated to die the next day, yet ready to stand with me in defiance.

"And, I have a plan to repel those bastards of the Black Spider Legion."

At my words, Lucas's eyes grew wide.

"Really? Is that true, Your Highness?"

"Yes. It's a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless."

A ripple of shock spread among the party members.

Whether it was the surprise at the notion of a possible victory, or disbelief at the ramblings of a deranged prince, I couldn't discern, but one fact was clear.

"Just once! Just once, won't you put your trust in me and follow?"

The reality was, if they didn't want to face death, they had to follow.

***

After setting the tone.

"From now on, I will explain the roles each of you will assume in tomorrow's battle."

I had the party members gather and started the briefing.

"First, Lilly."

"Yes, Your Highness the Prince."

Lilly watched attentively as if hanging on my every word.

But her face turned grave at my next words.

"You will act as the 'shield' in our group. As the main tank, it's your job to block the spiders' assaults."

"...Excuse me?"

Taken aback, Lilly queried.

"Um, Your Highness the Prince. I'm a magician, specifically, a Fire Mage..."

Disregarding Lilly's incredulous reply, I shifted my gaze to Ken.

"And, Ken."

"Yes, sir!"

"You'll covertly penetrate the enemy camp and wreak havoc."

Ken, mirroring Lilly's astonishment, gestured at himself.

"Me?! Stealth?! Sabotage?!"

"Next, Damien."

Brushing aside his reaction, I swiveled to the next member.

The most crucial and yet, the most anxious one of our team: the cleric Damien.

"You will be the 'sniper' of our party."

"..."

"You'll focus on striking the enemy's most critical targets."

Damien, barely holding back tears, looked stupefied at my proclamation, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Lastly, Lucas. You'll take charge of the remaining soldiers and secure the front lines."

"..."

Lucas's mouth was agape, stunned by the absurd role allocations. Well, the reactions were precisely as anticipated.

Amidst the silence, Lilly carefully aired her thoughts.

"So, if I comprehend Your Highness's instructions... I, a Fire Mage, will be tanking on the front lines."

"Precisely."

"Ken, the shield-bearing knight towering over 2 meters, will infiltrate the enemy base and perform sabotage."

"Exactly."

"And Damien, who has never held a bow in his life... he'll be sniping?"

"Yes, you've got it, Lilly."

"May I voice a query, Your Highness, with all due respect?"

Lilly gazed up at me, concern etched on her face.

"Have you, perchance, taken a blow to your head during today's battle?"

It was clear they were all thinking along the same lines.

My orders definitely sounded like gibberish. A mage turned tank, a shield knight turned infiltrator, and a cleric turned sniper.

But this was a scenario that defied conventional solutions.

So, wasn't the only way to tackle it was with mad audacity?

"Your skepticism is warranted. Merely hearing these instructions would make it seem like yet another lunatic act of a mad prince."

Everyone winced in unison, affirming they indeed harbored the same thoughts.

"But you all possess the 'capabilities' to execute the roles I've assigned, don't you?"

I gave a sly grin and scanned each member's face.

"Am I mistaken?"

"...."

At my words, Lilly, Ken, and Damien shared befuddled looks.

***

Earlier, before convening the party members, in my quarters.

I was perusing the stat window of my team members.

First up, my bodyguard and the hero of this game, Lucas.

[Lucas(SSR)]

- Level : 25

- Title : Prince's Bodyguard/Hero

- Profession : Intermediate Knight

- Strength 25, Agility 25, Intelligence 10, Stamina 25, Magic Power 10

'Oh my~ what splendid stats.'

All his knightly requirements maxed out at 25, the level cap. Even his Intelligence and Magic Power weren't too shabby. He's not the hero and an SSR rank for nothing.

Let's delve into his abilities now.

- Held Abilities

> Passive: Man of Steel

> Ability 1: Soul Strike

> Ability 2: ??? (Unveils post secondary profession)

> Ultimate: ??? (Unveils post tertiary profession)

The passive ability, 'Man of Steel', enhances base defense, and once per stage, nullifies lethal damage. Considering the precarious mortality rate in this game, this passive could be deemed top-tier. It seemed like a lifeline tossed in, perhaps owing to his protagonist status.

The initial ability, 'Soul Strike', was an extravagantly overpowered skill, apt for a main character. Each enemy slain permanently augmented its effect.

In essence, each kill boosted the damage inflicted.

As the game evolved into its third year, the potency of this singular ability escalated to rival the ultimate abilities of other heroes. What an undeniable cheat!

'It's regrettable that the second ability and ultimate remain concealed.'

Even at the tutorial level, his might was considerable. He truly was the protagonist.

'Having analyzed Lucas, next up is...'

How about me? I toggled the display.

[Ash (EX)]

- Level : 1

- Title : Mad 3rd Prince

- Profession : Novice

- Strength 1, Agility 1, Intelligence 1, Stamina 1, Magic Power 1

"..."

What is this scrap?

The ludicrousness momentarily petrified me. But upon rubbing my eyes and inspecting again, I realized I hadn't misread. What?!

Primarily, why is my level 1? Wasn't the minimum level in this game 5? And weren't the base stats also minimum 5? Why is everything adjusted to 1?

'Also, what's with this EX rating?'

It was a ranking I hadn't encountered before. Wasn't the default rating N?

The character ratings in this game were sorted as SSR-SR-R-N.

I was baffled, having never come across the EX rank, even after mastering the game's intricacies.

'In this game, Ash, or 'me', has morphed into a different entity.'

It was baffling. But even so, any change could harbor potential.

Who knows? This unexpected slot machine might tilt the scales in this dire situation.

I eagerly browsed my abilities. Let's examine.

- Held Abilities

> None

"..."

No, maintain composure. Inhale deeply.

It's merely because I'm level 1 now. As the level advances and I transition professions, I'll accrue abilities and my stats will surge.

I clung onto optimism, fuelling my hopes.

Closing the ability tab, I opened the traits tab.

Traits, distinct from abilities, are the idiosyncrasies or habits that a character acquires during their development process, which can influence their stats.

While there are no bounds to acquiring traits, only up to three can be activated at once.

Upon opening the traits tab, one trait surfaced.

- Active Traits (1/3)

> Map-making

"Ah, there it is."

Luckily, the trait that Ash possessed during the game had remained.

Map-making. It wasn't the literal ability to draft a map, but rather...

[Map-making Lv.1]

- Allows you to comprehend the full scope of the battlefield in the form of a dotted mini-map. Can be activated once per day for 5 minutes.

That was the essence of the trait.

It appeared to be a capability that a player ought to have, but why was it possessed by a character? I wondered...

'Was this ability granted in anticipation of a player, like myself, taking over the character?'

Well, it wasn't the moment to dwell on that. Firstly, I needed to tackle the imminent crisis before I could indulge in such musings.

Having verified the existence of the map-making trait, I hastily shut my stats window. I didn't want to confront those dismal numbers anymore.

Now, it was time to scrutinize the remaining trio's stat windows.

"Hmm, they're all fairly standard."

Lilly, Ken, and Damien were as run-of-the-mill as you'd anticipate from characters of their rank, there was nothing else to investigate.

At most, Lilly was an R-ranked mage with satisfactory stats. Ken, an N-ranked knight, and Damien, an N-ranked priest, had stats typical of their N-rank.

If these visible stats were all that existed, I would've relinquished strategizing a while ago. It would've been unfeasible.

However... Lilly, Ken, and Damien had something exceptional about them.

It was the 'joke' that the developers had embedded in the tutorial characters, something that couldn't be utilized in the game.