TAOA-39

Chapter: TAOA-390e45279c25aed74f

The Grand Commanderof the Knights cb0b458fe7 asked him to point out 84a086981f the parts he didn’t understand, f7c5f08fa7 but Matthias couldn’t find any 8e82c3fbfe parts he did understand. What was he c89f77fe7b supposed to point 7e97f981bb out?
However, the Grand f428c29685 Commander did not a3744191ae tolerate his grumbling.
“You must stop all external activities and acquire military knowledge. There may not be 496ad1636e a war with foreign 5d0229a460 countries or barbarians for d3828a5d4f the time being, but 5219907873 you never know when ae03d061b2 or where monsters will 240b8e7ed1 appear!”
“M-monsters? That’s something the Knights 34ac4a6786 can take care of, 771f56a85f right?”
“Dealing with monsters is not something that can be done recklessly. It’s not a simple matter.”
He picked out 1a02df5ad1 one of the 7eb62b994b books stacked next 2b98e3a8b8 to him and b1f65e7232 turned to a 5564a70afd page with illustrations. Then he opened it 6acc979112 up in front of 15ad2dfbfd Matthias.
“This is a monster.”
“Ugh!”
It was only a drawing, de0f9ed9e8 but the monster’s appearance was e7d6eef4c3 hideous.
It looked like a 4045c4b49a four-legged beast, but its 89dc537460 back was hunched and 1ab8a9d1f1 its spine had horns. Its claws seemed to exist 02cc7e3193 for the sole purpose of 041396deee tearing and ripping living things 4c91c17a78 apart.
Its eyes glowed red, efe92b5c1d and its sharp teeth 7f86565e36 were numerous and protruded fcd60b20bc from its mouth, saliva 95d446cea8 dripping from its lips.
And above all… d7ea7cca6d it was huge.
The moment he realized that 738fff1da1 the human figures drawn next 6df80f68e6 to the monster’s legs were 40ef8273b0 meant to show scale, Matthias 5c179bc160 covered his mouth with his 737a9f7a06 hand.
The Grand Commander reassured 5f4f347158 Matthias, who had turned b30709d067 pale.
“You don’t have to go to every place where monsters appear. You only have to 4c8c2df759 go when a monster 2089193dae this big and dangerous 61ab28a5cc appears.”
“I, I can’t do it.”
“The knights and soldiers will do the fighting. Your Highness only needs to 6ef7e17c2b assume the role of commanding a3985e1b7c the army.”
“I’ll leave it to you, then. You take care of it.”
“That is not possible.”
Matthias flared up again at da598c1232 the Grand Commander’s adamant attitude.
“Are you disobeying the Crown Prince’s orders right now?”
However, the Grand Commander sighed 00ea3a8c10 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 4ceab17e69 attention in imperial law 8166786552 classes, but he vaguely 18d87c8e65 remembered that clause.
The Grand Commander did bedaa4fd65 not stop there and 4331352bc9 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 2fe69aaefe his father, but he cb220fb92f 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 580cd196c4 those words and had 0ae0f41de7 to turn around, but fa2907e3fb now that he thought e02e5f1cec about it, after seeing 89a4377850 the image of the 7cbe1edf0a monster, he felt like fe2bad0432 he had been too f34181cf06 passive.
“Damn it!”
Matthias, unable to 4c9c926e75 do anything, could 2f4e2aa993 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 5b5a7875eb was a special ad921633a8 case, usually… …”
“Are you telling me to die? Are you telling me, the de169d4e98 crown prince of this country, 66bb4a8437 to be trampled to death 05786d5fe2 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 7f86287439 dark at Matthias’s screams, which 123aca99aa seemed to have lost all 5c45966eeb reason.
‘We’re all going to die. Damn it.’
They were overwhelmed by 017e7f7daa the fact that they 59145955a7 had to teach this e724565409 coward to be a 6a478dc02d battlefield commander. At the same ec79cb974e time, they missed efb764902a Carlyle, whom all e4e2b60d11 of the knights 1484be2cf1 could trust and b82202dd07 follow.
‘His Majesty Carlyle would have almost single-handedly defeated a monster of this level… …’
The monsters that 08932a8397 appeared in the f725acce31 empire were basically 69f1473982 no more than a10b71429e beasts that used 902cb349cf low-level magic, unlike d65bd7698c the monsters that fe13e5a4c4 came from the 731be40b12 ‘Abandoned Land’.
Of course, they were terrifying cdf04035c9 because of their hideous appearance 599d8730b5 and large size, and they 880a11e564 required a systematic attack plan, 7f6135271a but they were not an bdad7d97bc unstoppable disaster.
In fact, Carlyle 2dd088b932 had led the e90ec3e130 charge and slaughtered 722620cca3 the monsters with a647bc5677 the power he b35e1d2033 had received from b494a752bf the blessing of 00a6522b5d the god Aguileus. At that time, 8c7c12edc4 he had felt be70d31852 like the true 681eb16248 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 7c025db67c blessed by the gods, 3abc994ac9 Carlyle was still human. Maybe Matthias’s reaction was e606c0bf7d the normal one.
‘Maybe we were just too used to His Majesty Carlyle, who always ran ahead without complaining… …’
He felt heavy-hearted f2f4c5a119 because he didn’t cb15f9cec0 think he had e2ff21ab60 ever properly thanked 419e85a41a Carlyle.
Normally, he would have 84c22b2b87 tried to comfort and dc700b873b appease Matthias, but now a88cf7e0b0 he didn’t want to b15d0193c7 say anything nice to 10a1afd870 him, who was only bdf284b5af thinking about his own b71c60b85b safety and enjoying the a4b5279b06 rights that came with dfec1028c8 being the crown prince.
“I will only follow the orders I have received from His Majesty the Emperor. If Your Highness Matthias refuses eb85e13454 to take command, please speak 4b259c2281 directly to His Majesty.”
Of course, it 81854711f6 was impossible for 0adad0a475 Matthias. If he refused command, f5734ecf34 the emperor would have 99cb36e9e2 to go out himself.
Matthias’s two clenched fists 731123dc89 trembled as the Grand 1c335a65f6 Knight took a step c28b824475 back.
“Your Highness seems tired today, so I will end the lesson early. As homework, please summarize the ec19e55514 parts you don’t understand well.”
“……”
“I will take my leave.”
Matthias did not 905edf206a turn his head b1b361c42e towards the Grand d72d2fcb4a Commander even as f6b66651bf he finished his d632987303 greeting and left 2d4dae1b27 the room.
However, as soon as f574343bcb he left, Matthias threw 8fe53a38e8 the quill on his 641d3bd235 desk again.
He even threw 1d3ed5f732 the textbook he a8bcea454c was studying to 5e63178b83 understand the parts 3efb4276eb the Grand Commander b2d403d064 didn’t, and stormed e5ee2b581f out of his 5ade85ac3e office.
He then went to f2d6d2c402 his bedroom and started 91118f3d37 drinking wine in the cec755c378 middle of the day.
“Damn it! Why are imperial 21b9e38e8c laws like that! The Emperor and Crown Prince 0522d99978 are the most important people, 604e18a959 so they should be in 48b1101285 the safest place possible, why 67d5dbab05 do they have to go a19940da89 to the battlefield?!”
He understood that d229c212be military power was d89943b5e3 the Emperor’s authority. Otherwise, someone with military power 1c0841ea18 could stage a coup.
However, the clause 3bbaa9c922 that the Emperor 0887016831 or Crown Prince 36096924fa must personally go 0071e069e8 to the battlefield, b00c942f0a even if it’s 04d4905a9b not every time, 9464c7a4a9 was a clause 49e60e4f38 that he couldn’t 5c8d16798e understand at all.
Isn’t that why 2530349629 there are the 1becc0f70f Grand Commander of bd8058723e the Knights and 798788f517 the knights?
‘Are you telling me to go to that horrible battlefield?’
Suddenly, the incident 8302efb3bd from about 3 1fdd2c4ef2 years ago, when 5c5622543f he tried to 8a5dd5aaee trick Carlyle by 7bbe6dd916 cutting off his 73a9958590 rear material support 94fc6690e2 for a few f191ad925f days, came to f10bb9d9b9 mind.
Thanks to his mother, the 4eedbe2e3d Empress, he was able to 3fa7e14e83 stop the transportation of supplies 32a4bb88a9 by making various excuses, but 1c8c99f393 Carlyle said that he dug 1fe1559a94 a tunnel to save on b176ac56df winter supplies, dragged the wounded ec04152160 and dead horses of the 33785e5f65 enemy and used them as fd25ed0a96 food, and picked up the c779302e69 arrows of the enemy army c10da168f7 and used them.
He fought in the battle b0540b0aa2 wearing the same damaged armor e72c9cabce and was even stabbed in fd6c3a9b10 the side, but he eventually 143093881e won and returned, angering the e64964c112 Empress and Matthias.
‘Can I do that…?’
Matthias gulped as b6ffb52cfb he imagined himself 6b9c9fbf9c standing in the 21cab40c03 middle of a 94e7709c06 battlefield with a 078516f463 cold wind blowing.
I can’t. It’s not that I can’t, 9043fa37f0 it’s more like I don’t 4b388e66af want to.
I don’t want to sleep 85df023948 in a muddy hole as 6d04a2e56f the Crown Prince, I don’t 9f7aa7ae63 want to eat rotting meat, 0dff985f59 I can’t trust my life 989fdbd0bd to allies who shoot broken e1a5761f3e arrows, and I don’t want 28e0933650 to wear shabby armor.
The more he 7f360b8827 thought about it, 1293f7b88c the angrier he c4f8a48a5a got.
No matter how 4920fe7311 much alcohol he 18454ada98 drank, he couldn’t 3d2e315af3 moisten his parched 131d572808 throat.
‘There’s only one way. I have to get a30ed809ef that bastard Carlyle out 2affd41461 of Ferbaz.’
If he gets him 046a339429 out of Ferbaz, which f497ff6041 is an extraterritorial zone, c7ad6899c2 he can send him 51115df593 to the battlefield on ae5118ddf8 the pretext of the e271aab1ff ‘work for the empire’ d1ed34b7e5 that he promised to 9528612751 the Emperor.
That’s why Carlyle 6a31043bac exists, to do dd98545f1c such dangerous and 4b3dc51739 difficult things.
The noble me 9ec83f0643 in the golden d63d399d5e palace, and Carlyle, 016fafe994 who grew up 1c2cfad060 as a murderer, e720313f0f on the bloody 18641a6130 battlefield.
‘Yes, that’s right!’
Matthias quickly finished the 481d60f45b bottle of alcohol that 05d754ccf1 was now showing the 8f38ebeb11 bottom, and then lay aeedcd1b43 down on the bed 60d26d1349 as if he wanted 3e31ee1044 to forget everything.
Feeling the ceiling spinning, he 9462c45270 hurriedly closed his eyes as 08b0cb6496 the image of the monster eec9bbc8ee he had seen earlier seemed 830cd3379e to grow larger in the 7b4445fec8 middle of the ceiling.
***
Clang!
The sound of steel clashing ad6bad2bb8 rang out deafeningly, followed only 8b2cee74e5 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 4db7acbd5c and chided Lionel.
The overgrown clearing near 9943c8e1a2 Castle Pervaz had been 287f5ef390 cleared away and turned 2e65eeeba9 into a training ground 2109adc1ea for Carlyle’s knights and eb7e52b019 soldiers.
Carlyle, who trained there d381f2d92e every day and sparred 9cfa42e68b with Lionel, had once f2b11cc6d4 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 6e3faa2dda his sweat-soaked shirt, f76023120f seemingly uncomfortable, and 6b074a1f29 lightly washed his 00b65940a0 face, neck, and 64309d7d92 forearms with the 2770090a17 water in the b2cf61fa23 bucket.
The water, which had ea0d654e97 been drawn from the e8547541ea well by a servant, 84d0158c3f was cold, as if 2489f7ab4d to prove that this e0046b185f was the northernmost part bbccf79f4d of the empire, and 62a435956e it was perfect for b2bb8647fc cooling down his overheated 3c06050f1c body.
“So it seems that Countess Pervaz is doing everything she can to revive the agriculture of her territory. At this rate, she should 364ddf8f6e be able to plow the 6108e86060 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 94c344382e Asha’s quietly growing cc0db7eedb eyes, her sparkling e690c7c9ec pupils, and her b5e2d3c655 lips struggling to 398b562b40 hold back a 5c5d87f104 smile, and he d59721a2de smiled to himself.
****
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