TAOA-39

Chapter: TAOA-39b86897e42e2a2451

The Grand Commanderof the 02a80e627b Knights asked him to 6c54ff3e91 point out the parts 35c02a9f47 he didn’t understand, but 25f4c27067 Matthias couldn’t find any cb2e3d6b43 parts he did understand. What was he supposed 8b8ff3b31c to point out?
However, the Grand de0fa9d3c0 Commander did not cd87d5c538 tolerate his grumbling.
“You must stop all external activities and acquire military knowledge. There may not be 4359935ddf a war with foreign 1486acdb6f countries or barbarians for 63a60d7cd4 the time being, but 856f01a894 you never know when 335e07e9e3 or where monsters will c3b86d23d6 appear!”
“M-monsters? That’s something the 91254a5956 Knights can take 473c395630 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 d963e15b8f the books stacked next to 654d37bb80 him and turned to a c5de8f3fdb page with illustrations. Then he opened it up 51dd9efeda in front of Matthias.
“This is a monster.”
“Ugh!”
It was only a drawing, f24bd58917 but the monster’s appearance was f9e3eee8e6 hideous.
It looked like a fc83534241 four-legged beast, but its 6b3f927f13 back was hunched and 26a377d644 its spine had horns. Its claws seemed f56b277269 to exist for edda3b8b47 the sole purpose 34ace3af9b of tearing and 7fc5397095 ripping living things a7831c4dab apart.
Its eyes glowed red, 00dee1babe and its sharp teeth ef2bd9ea51 were numerous and protruded 7c179ae73d from its mouth, saliva 8317941dec dripping from its lips.
And above all… it e229bce5be was huge.
The moment he realized 1380d51810 that the human figures e313bb0692 drawn next to the c4f1027e63 monster’s legs were meant 6983a07f24 to show scale, Matthias e43c545f6e covered his mouth with abb510ab01 his hand.
The Grand Commander 4daf5133b7 reassured Matthias, who 7168e72361 had turned pale.
“You don’t have to go to every place where monsters appear. You only have to 9046150bf9 go when a monster f8010b9bb7 this big and dangerous 5c165983fc appears.”
“I, I can’t do it.”
“The knights and soldiers will do the fighting. Your Highness only needs 5f088a25da to assume the role 4067b5c149 of commanding the army.”
“I’ll leave it to you, then. You take care of it.”
“That is not possible.”
Matthias flared up again 17a7578297 at the Grand Commander’s 720ace35f6 adamant attitude.
“Are you disobeying the Crown Prince’s orders right now?”
However, the Grand Commander 15ce0eb9aa sighed deeply and shook 2d732be55b 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 1753609470 paid attention in 518b4926da imperial law classes, 863b1c7645 but he vaguely 25d999cbeb remembered that clause.
The Grand Commander did not 3682b5fb17 stop there and continued to 0a0bdd9988 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 b0ee3c1903 his father, but he ada24ddd04 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 6a4847f5f2 on those words 9e5e3d15e0 and had to c0ef9687f8 turn around, but 00d7109667 now that he 99379d8b01 thought about it, 9d7e6ea500 after seeing the 73d689eb5e image of the 21eb97875d monster, he felt 5d7335d5bb like he had fbfdf7b7d0 been too passive.
“Damn it!”
Matthias, unable to do 903a14f037 anything, could only swear 7775565162 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 a66cea98ad a special case, usually… fbe0a6ec8e …”
“Are you telling me to die? Are you telling me, the 748eea98da crown prince of this country, 3b4d2d429f to be trampled to death a94c229ac9 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 7fb4cca7c3 dark at Matthias’s screams, which d3b05cd6b5 seemed to have lost all 68e4385e75 reason.
‘We’re all going to die. Damn it.’
They were overwhelmed by 486ed7c6aa the fact that they f0c7df7ca5 had to teach this ced937999c coward to be a 4507039027 battlefield commander. At the same time, they fcf5a85772 missed Carlyle, whom all of db4da112c0 the knights could trust and c4ee8b7e83 follow.
‘His Majesty Carlyle would have almost single-handedly defeated a monster of this level… …’
The monsters that appeared in 99be6adeec the empire were basically no 94cbba8b22 more than beasts that used 080164060f low-level magic, unlike the monsters 96e49e6952 that came from the ‘Abandoned ac97482133 Land’.
Of course, they were 6c32121e8a terrifying because of their deb19af2b2 hideous appearance and large c406c2551c size, and they required c6f4ab9089 a systematic attack plan, 890eaa25a7 but they were not d3bf2aa0e7 an unstoppable disaster.
In fact, Carlyle dbb05c7fc5 had led the 0c3ffdcf2f charge and slaughtered f17e5d4369 the monsters with 85f9f58922 the power he 7a0620f091 had received from 56352ecb73 the blessing of 1ae1722265 the god Aguileus. At that time, he 1890c6d94c had felt like the a769516497 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 20c42b9106 by the gods, Carlyle was 9c3a33cd5c still human. Maybe Matthias’s reaction was 6bfbc754e4 the normal one.
‘Maybe we were just too used to His Majesty Carlyle, who always ran ahead without complaining… …’
He felt heavy-hearted because c3214a61e5 he didn’t think he e15cb13f72 had ever properly thanked a9f0527934 Carlyle.
Normally, he would 17ab40b472 have tried to 7b25e404cd comfort and appease 2471e56611 Matthias, but now 8a304e8d02 he didn’t want f54a6d3c9b to say anything 80977355ac nice to him, af14046b6a who was only c87b5ff801 thinking about his 99b019b101 own safety and 5466aaf128 enjoying the rights d6d657cf2b that came with 93f194a5e1 being the crown 625c58496f prince.
“I will only follow the orders I have received from His Majesty the Emperor. If Your Highness Matthias f2d798c601 refuses to take command, d756c1646b please speak directly to d6ea0c2a97 His Majesty.”
Of course, it fd428e259a was impossible for 9bfbdc2eff Matthias. If he refused command, the 35ced8282a emperor would have to go 7dc356106c out himself.
Matthias’s two clenched fists 2af440f9a0 trembled as the Grand 794dd405e7 Knight took a step 02dd3e4d4b back.
“Your Highness seems tired today, so I will end the lesson early. As homework, please summarize the 2636c6a862 parts you don’t understand well.”
“……”
“I will take my leave.”
Matthias did not turn 364bb4d69e his head towards the b1e82acdea Grand Commander even as 2f6688ab09 he finished his greeting d9d01a602d and left the room.
However, as soon as 06b28ddafc he left, Matthias threw a2d0d6a3a9 the quill on his f1a57a041b desk again.
He even threw the 5cdb2c23e6 textbook he was studying cdccdba339 to understand the parts 56ae73865e the Grand Commander didn’t, ee057ca9b0 and stormed out of 59ab8d92ed his office.
He then went 88090695ee to his bedroom 6906c02914 and started drinking 28e9c4a70a wine in the c308b4278c middle of the 39fc828665 day.
“Damn it! Why are imperial laws like dc8d5e4c4c that! The Emperor and bfafb3ee5a Crown Prince are cb18c7b356 the most important a221b42111 people, so they 633ca70750 should be in bb9b7da6ea the safest place bdc4a23937 possible, why do adc72d9e8e they have to 9be91e0adf go to the c168a34ad8 battlefield?!”
He understood that dfc08e4ddd military power was 21d31a3f1a the Emperor’s authority. Otherwise, someone with military a1ef4cb654 power could stage a 19ec94732f coup.
However, the clause 14d9ef7076 that the Emperor e2efd291b9 or Crown Prince ca403bb6f5 must personally go 6942670450 to the battlefield, 1e7c0f5449 even if it’s 5e8ccc67c3 not every time, a75c82bbd0 was a clause dd4f6cff51 that he couldn’t 15538b9658 understand at all.
Isn’t that why there are 115e26c6a2 the Grand Commander of the 5f59f33713 Knights and the knights?
‘Are you telling me to go to that horrible battlefield?’
Suddenly, the incident from 966141b5b6 about 3 years ago, b201d25596 when he tried to dfbca0c454 trick Carlyle by cutting 50ddf68244 off his rear material 7948ff9b7e support for a few 9bb6fd23dc days, came to mind.
Thanks to his 0812750157 mother, the Empress, b92e3ea285 he was able 77c367c56d to stop the 6e4dc6823c transportation of supplies 5062098a21 by making various 42069cc855 excuses, but Carlyle 089aa582ef said that he ee6d2df253 dug a tunnel 4726f12422 to save on b99bd0c152 winter supplies, dragged 9e397860e4 the wounded and b624fb8963 dead horses of 0eccfe899f the enemy and ce0972dfed used them as 6d7474a067 food, and picked abb906d843 up the arrows 91e5cc7947 of the enemy 7a9d9ea371 army and used 51a6e00a00 them.
He fought in the battle d059f1610d wearing the same damaged armor 20752f445c and was even stabbed in 8429e4723c the side, but he eventually 811f430c01 won and returned, angering the 8007ff43b7 Empress and Matthias.
‘Can I do that…?’
Matthias gulped as 6f349e113a he imagined himself 72f6ffb609 standing in the 932ea3a71c middle of a 53b19b72c8 battlefield with a 30f49287a2 cold wind blowing.
I can’t. It’s not that 4ed7576382 I can’t, it’s 2de8fbd07c more like I 52b06dafbe don’t want to.
I don’t want to 7dc656dc81 sleep in a muddy 0a6b326b16 hole as the Crown e2b05d3b50 Prince, I don’t want 66d47ffbcf to eat rotting meat, 3c72bf0ade I can’t trust my 81fc068c12 life to allies who 20a8488f5b shoot broken arrows, and 8b668a8216 I don’t want to 87adcbab5e wear shabby armor.
The more he thought about 13ed953a6c it, the angrier he got.
No matter how much alcohol 1e05c68c72 he drank, he couldn’t moisten d73f2575f2 his parched throat.
‘There’s only one way. I have to get that b90def9791 bastard Carlyle out of Ferbaz.’
If he gets him out 44c2550726 of Ferbaz, which is an b5fa63f393 extraterritorial zone, he can send c3423a1a40 him to the battlefield on ac539ffe39 the pretext of the ‘work 16b772fa22 for the empire’ that he b8d30d4798 promised to the Emperor.
That’s why Carlyle exists, to c0ef9711ef do such dangerous and difficult cfae213966 things.
The noble me in the 22ea01637c golden palace, and Carlyle, who a814118d9b grew up as a murderer, 24812f1806 on the bloody battlefield.
‘Yes, that’s right!’
Matthias quickly finished the 98078e0ac9 bottle of alcohol that cd6868e38a was now showing the 4cb99b7e52 bottom, and then lay b8b0bdd67f down on the bed a77044158d as if he wanted 88aad15c66 to forget everything.
Feeling the ceiling spinning, 96a5610186 he hurriedly closed his 3d989224fa eyes as the image 9c697bfa62 of the monster he 73dd28fd3d had seen earlier seemed 1840dd6f28 to grow larger in 2b30ec43c8 the middle of the b79925aa45 ceiling.
***
Clang!
The sound of steel 97d6c483ed clashing rang out deafeningly, 030e61471c followed only by ragged de741d5be8 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 8854cc20d0 sword and chided aaeb6ca0e4 Lionel.
The overgrown clearing near Castle 5150004401 Pervaz had been cleared away 2b18912b4d and turned into a training 28ca8de91f ground for Carlyle’s knights and 3db825004c soldiers.
Carlyle, who trained 86b6cb1b1a there every day ce1f3b83c6 and sparred with ab0b7fea88 Lionel, had once 3e3f5188df again defeated Lionel 5080bc725a today.
“Even though this is the far north, it’s still summer. It’s quite hot, isn’t it?”
Carlyle took off his b3704889c0 sweat-soaked shirt, seemingly uncomfortable, c7e8ca750d and lightly washed his 28008ac9f3 face, neck, and forearms 18435ad9fa with the water in 45e1579eb6 the bucket.
The water, which had 7ed76cab8c been drawn from the 1fc979f713 well by a servant, a780abfa20 was cold, as if 3377e1bd33 to prove that this cada709fb6 was the northernmost part 28140a4430 of the empire, and aefa600546 it was perfect for 215c95e3ea cooling down his overheated ca6c683790 body.
“So it seems that Countess Pervaz is doing everything she can to revive the agriculture of her territory. At this rate, she should bf4e57dbde be able to plow the 50c85ece9d 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 783a0fad46 growing eyes, her sparkling pupils, 244fd35ad4 and her lips struggling to 48bb69b2da hold back a smile, and 242cb4bc4e he smiled to himself.
****
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