In the realm of the continent, it’s a rule that the conqueror must possess a certain majesty.
The current conqueror, aware of this, has gradually expanded the once shabby capital into a colossal city, boasting a size comparable to two or three towns combined.
Located in the heart of the continent, the capital city of the Empire, Hashvalt, was born from this vision.
“Man, it’s filthy vast.”
“Indeed, as you said, it’s horrifically spacious.”
“To get to a candy shop, you need to ride a carriage! It would be great if it was right outside our house!”
“Haha, Amy. We must maintain decorum since we have guests.”
“But I’m so bored!”
Seems like a typical childlike comment from little Millia. If Millia were still a kid, she’d probably be acting like this all the time. But being a child does make her cute, especially since she’s still getting spoiled by Karina.
I gazed out the window, picturing Millia, who by now is wrestling with books in the library, preparing for second grade.
…So dazzlingly extravagant.
While Kalon had its fair share of splendor, Hashvalt took it up a notch, filling the view with a brilliance that practically dazzled the eyes.
Is this the Emperor’s taste, or was the city always like this?
Anyway, the land here looks frighteningly expensive. I wonder if selling a small plot of land here could buy a house in Kalon.
“It truly is magnificent.”
“All thanks to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“That makes sense.”
Thinking about it, this person is quite deep in royal admiration. Rational on the surface, but I carefully chose my words so as not to stir any unnecessary troubles.
“Speaking of which, do you know about royal etiquette?”
“I learned some from Lady Karina, but I’m not very knowledgeable about the details.”
Mentioning Karina conjured up the image of her anxiously looking up at me, holding my hand.
Also, the kids watching me with worried eyes.
They all seem anxious about me visiting the palace, but all I could do was reassure them. And so, I came to the capital with Kalintz, the former captain of the Knights.
Perhaps because we had worked together in the West, he readily offered to show me around the capital.
It was rather unprecedented for the Duke of Kalintz to take the initiative to guide me, but I had no greater fortune than this.
Even if an annoying pest clung to me, the former captain sitting across from me could just give a “Go!” and that annoying little brat would scamper away like a dog with its tail between its legs.
What kind of fool would pick a fight with a former Duke, especially someone who used to be a captain of the Knights? Unless they were seriously reckless, they wouldn’t dare dream of it.
Of course, someone might not recognize Duke Kalintz, but if they can’t identify him from his fancy attire and the carriage emblazoned with the Ryan family emblem, then they should just drop dead.
“I’ll give you a brief overview of royal etiquette once we arrive at the Duke’s residence.”
“Thank you.”
“And you’ll need new clothes tailored. While knight uniforms are fitting, they’re not exactly in line with the latest capital trends.”
Do knights care about that stuff? I looked at Kalintz with a puzzled expression, and he chuckled before responding.
“Even a knight can’t completely ignore trends. Before being a knight, one is still human, and they should know what trends mean for self-presentation. An old man like me doesn’t need to care, but you’re not in that position, right?”
Is he trying to help me not look foolish? I smiled at the message from Kalintz and said,
“Thank you.”
“Grandfather! I’m scared!”
“…Ahem, I think you should try not to wear that smile.”
What’s wrong with my smile?
But under Kalintz’s serious gaze, I had no choice but to nod in agreement.
———————
“It’s been a long time. Two months, right?”
“With the new year and the start of second grade just around the corner, yes.”
“Time flies… It feels like just yesterday the capital was buzzing with tales of war.”
Duke Ryan closed the cap on his pen, which he had been fiddling with, and tucked it into his chest pocket. I couldn’t tell if he was done with work or putting it away to talk to me.
“Thanks to you, the West is stabilizing rapidly. It will take years to restore the first defensive line, but I hear the second defensive line is somewhat normalizing now.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“That’s thanks to you. Honestly, I still can’t believe you outsmarted that demon.”
“Really?”
“To be honest, you seem quite far from being a strategist.”
…Yeah, I kinda do look thick-headed.
With a noticeable physique and a somewhat rough face, I can’t exactly claim to look intelligent.
But isn’t my face rather decent considering its ruggedness? I feel a bit unjust here.
“But how can one judge a person by their face? Speaking of looks, the Third Prince… hmm.”
Are you referring to that angelic-faced Third Prince? I frowned, recalling the character’s persona from the original work, it’s hard not to remember that brat was a complete reckless idiot.
“You know the Third Prince too?”
“How could I not know living in the Empire?”
The only reason I know of the misdeeds he committed in the novel, but I couldn’t say that outright, so I chose to gloss over it. Luckily, he didn’t seem to doubt my words since the Third Prince is notorious.
He simply sighed deeply.
“How did such a brat come to be in the royal family…”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t make me say it. I heard he recently chopped off the arm of a promising young knight, using training as an excuse to stand there like a scarecrow.”
…Typical Third Prince. He’s rotten to the core. It’s going to be tough to find one good leaf off this tree. The fact that the Third Prince is the Empress’s child worsens the situation.
“…If you cross paths with him, be careful. He’s the type to relentlessly bully people over the slightest things.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Oh, and be cautious of the First Prince. He’s quite a narcissist; if you don’t flatter him, he becomes quite savage.”
Flattering that piglet who shamelessly holds Karina’s hand, huh?
…If he weren’t a prince, I would’ve buried him alive in a secluded spot.
“What about the Second Prince?”
“Hmm… you probably shouldn’t encounter him frequently. I’d advise you to steer clear.”
Still, among the three princes, the Second Prince seems the least problematic, but his upbringing is a mess… He’s the only one born of a concubine among the current princes. Ah, do they not refer to that as a concubine here?
Anyway, being born from a lesser consort rather than the Empress means he lacks legitimacy compared to the other princes. Yet, he’s the most popular with the public due to his pleasant personality…
But he isn’t quite normal either.
Based on the setup, he’s become so adept at concealing his true self due to the preferential treatment he suffered that he’s just good at pretending to be nice.
From the original work, whenever the Second Prince got a chance, he tried to get rid of the protagonist after becoming emperor; he’s the most dangerous of the princes I need to watch out for.
A hypocrite through and through, making it impossible for there to be hope no matter who becomes the next emperor.
In the original story, no matter who became emperor, the Empire never regained its former strength.
“Thank you for the advice.”
“Well… it’s just a bit of precaution. After all, you’re unlikely to meet them, right?”
“I wish that were the case.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m just a bit unlucky, that’s all.”
“…I wish you luck.”
[What the hey! Who’s excluded from this inside joke? I want in too!]
Don’t give me that pitying look. You make it sound like I’ll be tormented by princes.
Sighing, I picked up a cookie from the table and took a bite.
————-
“Hey~ Grandfather~”
“Did you hurt your back while showing off your swordsmanship?”
“Yep!”
Why is this kid clinging to me?
I looked back and forth between the restless maids and Amy, who’s sitting on my lap, endlessly repeating the same story.
I can’t say much with guests around, and if I make a mistake, she might start crying, so I’m at a loss for what to do.
“Amy’s bored! Uncle, tell me a fun story!”
“A fun story, you say?”
“Yep! I want to hear about the Saint!”
“About Lady Karina…”
I pictured Karina, who was likely preparing for her second year at Yeomyeong-gwan now.
It’s been a month since our trip to the dungeon.
With her diligently preparing for second grade, she’s probably studying in the library with the other students. Imagining that unsuspecting top-tier study group in the library, I locked eyes with Amy, who was gazing up at me.
“Tell me!”
“Amy dear…”
“Hmm, let me think about Karina…”
There are some things I can say and some I cannot.
I began unraveling the story by mixing together Karina’s past, as seen in the original work, and my experiences with her so far.
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