The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 59

< Party >

The Second Princess’s waiting room.

Knights weren’t usually allowed inside a princess’s waiting room, but Rael disregarded such trivialities.

He confidently opened the door and entered, settling in for tea.

“Sir Rael, is there anything else you require?”

“Nope, I’m good.”

“Allow me to pour you more tea.”

Pour, pour—

Rael watched Isabel, the maid, intently as she filled his cup.

He’d thought Isabel was wary of him… but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been overly nice since yesterday.

‘Sudden niceness is a classic assassin trait… surely she’s not an assassin.’

Feeling needlessly concerned, Rael quietly spoke to Yuri.

“Ms. Yuri, why is she acting like that?”

“…I’m not sure either.”

Yuri was just as bewildered.

She never expected Isabel, who had warned her to be careful of Rael, to change so drastically overnight.

‘Could it be the armor? It suits Rael, but not to this extent…’

Yuri recalled Isabel’s words in the carriage.

She’d called him a knight with a debauched face and warned Yuri to be careful… but shouldn’t Isabel be the one being careful now?

Yuri glanced at Isabel, who still wore a gentle smile.

“Hmm, anyway, Ms. Yuri. Now that we’re here, we need to make a proper impression.”

“Impress whom?”

“Show them that the Second Princess, Yuriel, has arrived.”

Rael said, looking at Yuri.

She was strikingly beautiful but lacked the confidence expected of a future empress.

‘Since the world is already strange… I need to solidify her position as the next empress.’

The butterfly effect Rael created had even shaken the demons.

It might even affect the imperial succession competition.

But that was alright.

Now that he had become Yuri’s ally, he intended to fully support her.

“Let’s start by building your confidence.”

“Confidence?”

“Yes. With more spirit. You need to practice looking down on others.”

Rael said, meeting Yuri’s gaze.

The Yuri in the original story, the future empress, had a stronger and more assertive image.

But the current Yuri was too kind.

Rael, immersed in this medieval fantasy, felt responsible for correcting her.

Rael continued with a serious expression.

“The most important thing is to think of everyone else as idiots. Since 9 out of 10 people are idiots anyway, it’s more efficient to think that way.”

“Ah… is that so?”

Yuri was inwardly surprised but nodded.

Indeed, although the word ‘idiot’ was aggressive, Yuri often felt frustrated when dealing with the people around her.

“…Sir Rael?”

Isabel, standing behind Yuri with a smile, realized that something was going wrong.

Sir Rael was injecting strange ideologies into Yuriel.

Knock, knock—

A knock echoed in the waiting room.

“Second Princess, are you resting comfortably? This is Kirue, the adjutant of the Rein Knights. His Excellency the Grand Duke wishes to see Sir Rael, your knight.”

“Sir Kirue. This is Rael. Could you wait a moment?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Rael, having Kirue wait outside, hurriedly continued.

He had to instill confidence in Yuri before meeting the Grand Duke.

“Ms. Yuri, what’s even more important is to think that anyone who opposes your words is a stupid bastard…”

“S, Sir Rael! I think it would be better to see His Excellency the Grand Duke first. Sir Kirue is also waiting.”

Isabel waved her hand, interrupting Rael.

She had finally snapped out of her infatuation.

She couldn’t let that man speak any longer!

“Ah… tsk. I suppose so. It’s not polite to keep him waiting. I’ll be back in a moment. Don’t forget what I said.”

“I understand, Sir Rael. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Rael earnestly asked Yuri before leaving the waiting room.

As soon as the two knights’ footsteps faded, Isabel sat across from Yuri and looked her in the eyes.

“Lady Yuriel. You must forget what that man just said!”

“Huh? Why? Isn’t it true that there are many strange people in the empire?”

“W, well, that’s true, but…!”

Isabel had to work hard to correct Yuri, who had been injected with such strange ideas.

*

Rael walked through the Grand Duke’s mansion with Sir Kirue.

As expected of the only duke in the empire, his house was far too large.

‘The kids from the orphanage could run around all day here.’

Rael also wanted to build a house like this someday.

He felt like he could if he sold a few hundred more emblems…

“You can go inside here.”

Kirue stopped in front of the reception room.

It was a luxurious reception room that showcased the Grand Duke’s dignity.

“Oh, you’re already here. Thank you, Sir Kirue.”

“It’s nothing, Sir Rael. Could you perhaps review my Kirue Swordsmanship Chapter 3 sometime?”

“…Huh? Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you.”

Kirue bowed and returned to where the Rein Knights were waiting.

Rael blinked as he watched him leave.

“Kirue Swordsmanship Chapter 3? What’s that? This world is so lacking in fundamentals.”

Rael shook his head and entered the reception room.

“Rael.”

“Oh? Captain!”

Rein, wearing his armor, was waiting inside.

Rael smiled and sat across from him.

“I was nervous because it was my first time here, but seeing you, Captain, makes me feel relieved.”

“…You didn’t seem nervous at all. Anyway, Rael, since when did you become the Second Princess’s exclusive knight?”

“Ah, so that’s why you called me here.”

Rael breathed a sigh of relief.

The captain had a frown, so he was worried that his greeting, ‘Captain, hi,’ hadn’t been well-received, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

As expected of a show-off knight, he was generous in that regard.

“Yes. Can you explain what happened?”

“Of course. I was introduced to the Second Princess through Beggars [an information network].”

“…Beggars?”

“Yes. With some help from the Blue Magic Tower Lord, Perma, too.”

Rael naturally sold out the Magic Tower Lord Perma.

After contacting Beggars, he still firmly believed that Rael was a dragon.

As expected, once a sucker, always a sucker.

“So, you’re saying you contacted the Second Princess through Beggars and the Blue Magic Tower? As far as I know, the Second Princess is carrying out a secret mission under the direction of the Imperial Family. How did you get in touch with her?”

“The details are confidential, so it’s hard for me to say. I just happened to meet the Second Princess and became her exclusive knight.”

Rael spoke with sincerity.

It was truly a coincidence, so his words were filled with genuine emotion.

“Rael, you really do live as things come your way.”

“That’s not an easy thing to do. You know that, right?”

“…Yeah. You’re right. It’s not easy to go down the river without any accidents.”

Rein nodded.

He decided not to pry into how he met the Second Princess.

He wasn’t under the Rein Knights, but in an equal position.

Besides, he had already told him many secrets, such as Beggars and the Blue Magic Tower.

There was no need to damage the trust of the future Sword Master.

Creak—

The door opened and a man entered.

The dignity of a nobleman radiated from him.

The jewels embedded in his luxurious clothes and the elegant embroidery made his presence even more noble.

‘People can change this much.’

Rael admired as he looked at Uncle Eric.

His clothes changed, his expression changed, and his demeanor changed.

He looked like a completely different person now.

“Rael. The saying ‘clothes make the man’ exists for you. A street thug looks like a perfect knight just by wearing proper armor.”

Meanwhile, Eric had the same thought as he looked at Rael.

He had been watching Rael for a long time, so the difference seemed even greater.

“Your Excellency the Grand Duke, your presence has changed completely. I wouldn’t believe you were the bar owner from District 4 at all.”

“…Rael.”

“Just kidding.”

Rein sighed as he looked at Rael.

If a Rein Knight had said those words, he would have had to punish him, but… since the lord was silent, he couldn’t say anything.

“Anyway, I heard you participated in the party as the Second Princess’s exclusive knight, Rael.”

“Ah, yes. What happened was…”

Rael told the Grand Duke the same story he had told Rein.

Selling out Beggars and the Blue Magic Tower.

“I see… Beggars seems to be more outstanding than I thought. Can I get help from them later?”

“Of course. But you must never tell anyone else.”

Unintentionally, a little bit of the secret about Beggars had spread, but no more should be revealed.

In this world without openness, there’s no good that can come from revealing that beggars are informants.

“Come to think of it, there’s a strange rumor spreading among the nobles. Rein. Are you aware of it?”

“Yes. The rumor is that Your Excellency the Grand Duke is going to announce something huge at this party.”

“That’s good. All we have to do is properly announce that we support the Second Princess, right?”

Rael continued with an indifferent expression.

It was Rael who spread that rumor.

“Everyone seems to be very excited. Simply approaching the Second Princess may not be enough.”

The Grand Duke was just going to approach the Second Princess and talk to her.

That alone would be enough for the nobles to notice who he was supporting.

“Hmm… don’t make it so boring.”

Rael shook his head.

That method wouldn’t attract the nobles’ interest.

Besides, if you don’t do it properly, some people might dismiss it as a false rumor.

The Grand Duke supporting the Second Princess is that much of a groundbreaking event.

“Rael. This isn’t a place to find fun.”

“Let’s go with something more impactful. I already have something in mind. Even Captain Rein will get the attention of the nobles.”

“…Really?”

Rein, who had a determined expression, perked up his ears as if he was interested.

He was worried because the Kamen Knights’ position had been growing lately, so it was time to let everyone know that the Rein Knights were still going strong.

“If we support the Second Princess anyway, we’re cutting ties with the other princes and princesses.”

“…Cutting ties?”

“It means we’re going to be on bad terms with the other princes. Since we’re going to be on bad terms anyway, let’s ignore the other royals and make this a party for the Second Princess.”

The nobles of medieval fantasy are full of vanity and formality.

Tugging at their heartstrings is as easy as twisting a child’s wrist.

*

Bbam bbam— Bbam bbam—

The lively music of the orchestra filled the banquet hall.

Numerous nobles gathered at the Grand Duke’s return party.

It was the first time in over 10 years that the Grand Duke, who had been in seclusion, was returning.

No noble in the empire could afford not to come.

“Hey, the size of the emblem on your carriage is a bit bigger… how much did you donate [to the Order]?”

“Don’t ask. The knights’ salaries have been delayed for months because of this party. What are those emblems on your cloak?”

“Ah, you recognize them. These are new ones that Cardinal Fernando personally made at the main branch in District 1…”

The topic of conversation among the nobles was, of course, the emblems of the Order [religious organization].

The size of the emblem indirectly showed the noble’s power, and most were humiliated because they couldn’t get a bigger emblem.

It was the ultimate display of vanity for an imperial noble.

“Ahem. It’s been 10 years since the Grand Duke’s mansion has been opened, right?”

“That’s right. It’s been a long time since so many nobles of the empire have gathered like this. It’s comparable to the emperor’s coronation ceremony.”

Fortunately, some changed the subject.

“I heard that even the princes and princesses have all participated.”

“The reason is obvious…”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

Everyone knew.

Who the Grand Duke would support in the imperial succession competition.

That fact would be revealed today.

If it was the Grand Duke, who was no ordinary person, he could cause a big upheaval in the imperial succession structure.

Knowing that, all the royals had participated.

“The princes must be paying attention.”

“Yes. The fact that they all participated in this party is proof of that. Even the Second Princess, who hardly ever goes out, has participated.”

“The Second Princess came? Well… the Second Princess is working hard too.”

“She must want to grab even the slightest hope. If the Grand Duke joins her, the atmosphere might change.”

The nobles were smiling, but they were ignoring the Second Princess.

The Second Princess had almost no chance of becoming the empress.

She didn’t have the legitimacy of the First Prince, nor did she have the supporting power of the Second Prince.

She hadn’t even proven her individual abilities like the First Princess.

She was fighting a battle with no chance of winning.

[From now on, the future of the empire, who will illuminate the banquet, will enter.]

The princes and princesses began to enter, along with the host’s announcement.

The order of entry was also a very important event.

Originally, the more important the guest, the later they would enter.

“The Grand Duke will enter last, right?”

“If it’s the Grand Duke, who is no ordinary noble, he deserves to be the last.”

Basically, it was right for the royals to enter last, but if it was someone like the Grand Duke, it was understandable.

[The First Princess is entering.]

The first to enter was the First Princess.

She was the woman who had greatly grown the empire’s magic tool industry, and she had proven her usefulness even if she didn’t become the empress.

As soon as she entered the banquet hall, she looked around and quietly took her seat.

[The Second Prince is entering.]

The Second Prince received the support of the nobles.

This was because his mother was the daughter of the ruler who dominated the southern part of the empire.

As soon as the Second Prince entered the party hall, he received applause from the nobles.

He went to the nobles who supported him and greeted them.

[The First Prince is entering.]

The First Prince, who had legitimacy.

The eldest son had a powerful advantage even in medieval fantasy.

Many nobles supported him simply because he was the eldest son, especially the families with a long history.

In other words, he had the strongest power.

Thud. Thud.

As soon as he entered the banquet hall, many nobles approached the First Prince.

Not only the nobles who had supported him until now, but also many nobles who were trying to get on his good side this time.

However, some of the nobles expressed their doubts.

“But, didn’t you say that the Second Princess also participated?”

“…Huh? That’s right?”

All the princes and princesses had participated, but where had the Second Princess gone?

Could it be that she was now refusing to attend the party?

Thud. Thud.

The Rein Knights, who were guarding the party hall, gathered at the entrance.

They maintained their formation and slowly opened the door.

Naturally, the nobles’ gazes also gathered at the entrance.

[The Second Princess is entering.]

Tap. Tap.

The Second Princess nervously entered the banquet hall.

It was the first time that so many nobles were looking at her, but she looked at them, recalling what Rael had told her.

‘The nobles are all idiots.’

Recalling Rael’s words, she felt a little less nervous.

Yuri walked confidently into the banquet hall.

Behind her, a rather handsome knight followed.