[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 118
The Imperial delegation headed to Lasker with a crucial mission.
The mission, personally ordered by the Emperor, was to show maximum goodwill towards Lasker.
However, this goodwill was not to be achieved by the Empire bowing its head, but by making Lasker bow theirs.
The blueprint was already drawn. Some individuals from Lasker had plotted mischief within the Empire.
Fortunately, the Fifth Princess of Lasker had informed them beforehand, and Count Friedrich and his son personally stepped in to suppress Lasker’s momentum and gain the upper hand.
For Lasker, with a new Queen just crowned, this was an extremely burdensome situation.
Not only had some of their own engaged in political maneuvering in a foreign land, but that foreign land was none other than the Empire.
And above all, it was those who valued ‘honor’ who had committed such acts.
Therefore, the subsequent events unfolded smoothly. The Empire didn’t need to cross any lines.
It was the other side that had crossed the line, and they were the ones who felt indebted.
The Empire just had to sit back and smile, and they would become desperate and make various proposals.
Moreover, the Empire didn’t want territory, resources, or anything of the sort. They simply wanted Lasker to accept the Empire’s superiority. It was enough for Lasker to be internally divided and unable to form a unified opinion.
So, they showed goodwill to the newly crowned Queen by reducing the cost of gunpowder.
Additionally, despite the incident within the Empire, hadn’t they swept it under the rug with just one friendly match?
This would create two opposing opinions within Lasker.
Either they would show proper respect for the Empire’s goodwill and adopt a more humble stance, or they would view it as a political ploy, acknowledging the Empire’s superiority but remaining wary.
‘The conclusion of our Empire is always the same.’
War is always the last option. They wouldn’t choose it when there were other ways.
It’s a hell where countless lives are lost. Every single person is precious, and pushing them into that hell should be avoided.
Therefore, war should be avoided as much as possible. And the way to do that is to divide the opinions of potential enemies, preventing them from uniting their strength.
‘So far, everything has been going well…’
The Imperial delegation delivered their congratulations to the Queen of Lasker.
They also presented a letter expressing their wish for the kingdom and the Empire to work together for the harmony of the continent.
The head of the delegation thought they had done their part.
“Captain, Young Lord Karl Adelheit and the Lasker knights are having another friendly match…”
“What?”
He couldn’t believe it, but it was true. Karl was dueling with the knights again. And not just anywhere, but in Lasker!
“No! Why didn’t anyone stop him?!”
They had just shown goodwill to Lasker. This was troublesome! It couldn’t be allowed!
Was he worried that Karl might lose? No! It was quite the opposite!
It would have been better if it happened within the Empire. But if he defeated all the knights within Lasker, wouldn’t the situation become a mess?!
If this happened, everyone would unite against the Empire, and everything would be ruined. Did Karl not realize this and acted recklessly?
‘No, no. That can’t be. He had a private meeting with the Crown Prince before leaving!’
It was highly likely that he had been informed of the Empire’s stance. 𝖋𝔯𝔢𝔢𝖜𝖊𝖇𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖊𝔩.𝖈𝖔𝖒
Moreover, Karl was the Crown Princess’s brother. The Crown Prince’s brother-in-law! If such a person was part of the delegation, he must have heard something!
But a friendly match? In the Empire, it was a warning to Lasker for their actions, but there was no reason to do such a thing in their own country, was there?!
The head of the delegation panicked and rushed to the location of the friendly match.
There, he encountered Queen Imir II of Lasker, who was smiling as she watched the scene.
“Your Majesty.”
“Ah, the head of the delegation. You’ve heard the news too?”
“I apologize. I’ll go and persuade the Young Lord right away—”
“No, no. Leave it be. It’ll be fine.”
Fine? In what way? Could it be that Imir planned to maintain anti-Empire sentiment through the friendly match?
This shouldn’t be happening. The Empire could have intervened before her coronation, but they didn’t. Instead, they even sent a congratulatory delegation and a gift!
‘…I want to say that, but I can’t.’
The head of the de bit his lip.
He had to understand. He had to figure it out. He had to find out the Queen’s true intentions. Whether the Empire should definitively consider Lasker as an enemy.
Meanwhile, the friendly match had just begun. The first opponent was a knight of similar age to Karl.
Unfortunately, the head of the delegation was a figure who excelled in diplomacy. Therefore, he couldn’t fully understand the direction of their duel.
Nevertheless, there was one thing he could explain.
Karl was overwhelmingly faster than the knight.
Clang! Clang!—
The knight had a sword.
Karl had a greatsword.
[TL/N: The greatsword mentioned here is a military greatsword.]
The difference in length was stark.
Normally, the one with the shorter weapon would be at a disadvantage.
Not only in terms of distance and reach, but also in the destructive power that could be generated with a single swing, the sword was superior.
However, Karl completely sealed off his opponent’s movements with that greatsword.
The position of the arm needed to swing the sword with force. The leg that must be stepped on to give strength to the arm. The breathing that must be regulated to do all of this smoothly.
Karl was blocking all of it with his almost magical (great)swordsmanship.
“Ugh!”
The knight, who had been struggling even with a sword, finally got hit and fell to the ground.
At Karl’s word, ‘Next,’ another knight stepped forward.
He also drew his sword, and as the bell rang, he clashed head-on with Karl, just like the previous knight.
“Our Lasker has been called the nation of knights since ancient times. We respect honor and love those who uphold it. Do you know why?”
Surprised by the sudden question, the head of the delegation looked at Imir for a moment before answering.
“I don’t know, Your Majesty.”
“In the past, this was a harsh place to live. If there was nothing to warm our hearts… this place would have become a tribal state of barbarians surviving on plunder, not a nation of knights.”
“…”
“The first founding king prevented that with the position of knighthood and the pride of honor. As a result, although we are not as wealthy as your Empire, we have been able to protect this place more firmly than anyone else.”
Ugh!—
Meanwhile, another knight was knocked back.
Unlike the first knight, he managed to hold his own for a while, but ultimately couldn’t do more than maintain the status quo.
Defense alone couldn’t lead to victory.
The third knight stepped forward.
This time, the opponent seemed a bit older than Karl.
Even the head of the delegation, who didn’t know much about swordsmanship, could tell that this knight had considerable experience.
Perhaps sensing a different opponent, Karl took a completely different stance.
He held the greatsword in a reverse grip. He even switched it to his left hand instead of his right and leaned forward slightly.
“That’s why knights, and honor, are more important than anything else to Lasker. It’s the foundation, the very essence. If it weren’t for that, we would have been absorbed by the Empire long ago.”
This stance was different from the one he used against the previous two knights.
Even the hand he used to hold the greatsword had changed. Noticing this, the knight hesitated to move.
He had thought that he gained some information by watching the previous two duels.
But with this change, Karl’s fighting style would be completely different. Everything became a blank slate.
Karl didn’t miss that moment of hesitation.
Once again, he aimed to end it with speed.
The knight tried his best to defend and counterattack simultaneously.
The problem was that Karl’s right hand, which was behind the greatsword in his left hand, struck first.
Although it lacked power, that single strike was enough to slip through the gap and hit the knight’s chin hard.
Thud!—
The knight, hit by the blow, collapsed.
In the last moment, Karl swiftly kicked the knight’s sword aside to prevent injury, a display of ease that drew sighs from the others.
“…But you see, that which was so precious. That which was our pride. It’s now the cause of our own downfall. They still believe that knights, that honor, are more important than anything else. But it’s just our foundation, not a springboard for the future.”
The next knight who came out was clearly a skilled swordsman.
His sword was fast, his footwork was precise, and above all, the aura emanating from him was distinctly different from the previous opponents.
Karl didn’t foolishly face such an opponent head-on.
He slowly tightened the noose from the outside, creating tiny gaps.
And at the last moment, he struck through the gap, hitting the opponent’s neck hard with the hilt of the greatsword.
The next contestant, and the one after that. They were all great knights.
But in the end, they all lost to Karl.
In the face of Karl’s extremely restrained, extremely practical, and thus extremely ‘murderous’ style, the knights who had been focusing on ‘beautiful swordsmanship’ were utterly defeated.
“While we were still focused on knights and honor, the Empire leaped far ahead. They discovered gunpowder, created new weapons with it. Now, a single soldier can easily defeat a knight.”
Finally, the last opponent. It was the middle-aged knight who had first guided Karl to Imir.
He was different from the others. More refined, faster.
And above all, he wasn’t overwhelmed by Karl’s killing intent. He too had experienced countless battles.
“So, that friendly match was a drastic measure I prescribed for ourselves. It was to tell us not to deny reality by dwelling on past glories, nor to be overly optimistic about the future.”
Hearing this, the head of the delegation sighed inwardly. And he quietly decided to revise his report on the Queen of Lasker.
She didn’t have a great animosity towards the Empire, but she was definitely someone to watch out for.
A Queen who could breathe new life into the crumbling Lasker.
Clang! Clang!—
Meanwhile, the final duel ended in a draw, with both stepping back simultaneously.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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