175 The kingdom army is defeated by the steppes
***[Prince Emile]***
“Aww!”
With a powerful shout, the beast’s head fell.
He is the Marquis of Hoven.
The whole body of the Marquis Hoven, who wielded a large sword on horseback, was covered in blood.
not his own blood.
All of them belong to witches.
Although his hair and beard, as well as all the fine hairs on his body, were old enough to turn white, Marquis Hoven was leading the way in brandishing his sword.
‘To be able to still fight on the front lines at such an age…’
Even compared to a young person’s strength, no, it’s so strong that it can’t even be compared.
‘amazing.’
I heard that he was once the best military commander in our country, but it seems to be the same even now when he is old.
Even though I had traveled to many battlefields, I had never seen such strong swordsmanship.
‘I’ve only seen a narrow world so far.’
Compared to Robert, I thought I had a lot of experience.
He said that he was completely different from Robert, who was fussing around like a child, and that he was an adult who had gone through all kinds of prenatal battles compared to his age.
But it’s different.
Thrown into a harsh world, he thought he had tried his best to survive, but he was always guarded by the royal guard and soldiers.
Only now do you know that
The Marquis Hoven’s harsh shouts spread in all directions.
“Don’t look away! Then you die! You’ll stare at him until the end and throw a knife at him! Even if you die, don’t take your eyes off him!”
The Marquis Hoven’s gaze turned to Emile.
He shouts as if staring.
“Prince Emile! Don’t stop your hand! Then you will die.”
Emil was taken aback by those words and pointed the knife at him again.
The Marquis Hoven shouted again, as if intimidating.
“Put eyes on the back of the head! Stare in all directions!”
It’s a word that makes no sense at all.
However, the soldiers shouted as if they were answering the Marquis Hoven’s cry.
“Whoaaa!”
“Sweet!”
The air shakes at the shouts of soldiers.
It seems as if the whole forest vibrates.
The actions you do are brave, but sometimes you can’t understand these people.
It’s strange that the conversation seems to work.
He wondered if he was the only one who thought it was strange, but the escort and soldiers provided by the ducal family also had expressions of amazement.
‘As expected, the Marquis Hoven is strange.’
Emile muttered to himself and took a deep breath.
It’s in a forest with witches.
Now is not the time to think otherwise.
At first, the number of monsters, which were dozens, was reduced to less than half.
When several soldiers surround one bird and stab it with a spear, it retreats, and the waiting soldier enters again brandishing a spear.
The movements were orderly, like a group dance, and it was a testament to how well they were trained.
The duke’s soldiers hardly intervened in this monster hunt.
They quietly escort Emile around.
It wasn’t to prevent the loss of soldiers or because of the conflict between the families, but simply because there was no need to touch it.
It was terribly easy to hunt monsters with only the soldiers of the Marquis Hoven.
Emile clenched his teeth.
‘Really… What is my father thinking?’
At one time, the royal family’s troops were also excellent.
It is said that there were many excellent armaments.
However, it has gradually declined, and now it is barely holding down other families.
Compared to the past, it could never be said to be superior.
If this is the case, sooner or later, the position in which he had the upper hand will also change.
In fact, compared to the duchy, their military power was already far beyond comparison.
‘No, it’s not just the military strength, it’s like that in all respects.’
It is secretly said that the money borrowed from the duke’s family is a desperate amount to repay.
Aristocrats who were good at information were whispering that in the shadows.
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Despite this situation, the cost of training soldiers is decreasing day by day, and more and more are being devoted to decorating banquets and buildings.
If this continues, the royal family will become phantoms whose names remain.
The Marquis Hoven opened his eyes and shouted at the soldiers.
“Keep your eyes on them until the end! Scare them! Kill them and then throw your sword. When stabbing them with a spear, aim for the inside of their necks! If they fall down, then the stomach!”
It’s nonsense to scare the beast.
However, it was strange that the Marquis of Hoven seemed to think so.
Emil matched his surroundings and swung his sword.
As the junior soldier and Emile stood side by side and drove the Witch Beast, the Marquis Hoven leaped forward again.
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Disgruntled voices erupted from the soldiers and commanders of the Marquis Hoven.
“It’s too much!”
“It’s too much!”
“It’s already been several times. Stop now, give us a chance to be a shepherd!”
This was not the first time the Marquis of Hoven had acted like this.
Several times already, he jumped out before anyone else and swung his sword.
When I got the chance, I didn’t miss it and killed it first.
“It’s really too much.”
Mixed in with the people’s grumbling, a complaint came out of Emile’s mouth.
“Really, the Marquis is too much.”
The soldier next to him seemed to hear his voice.
He agreed softly, as if muttering.
Seeing the soldier’s mouth protrude, Emil laughed.
When he first joined the marquis, the soldiers who couldn’t speak properly now treat him normally as they got used to it.
Although it was only limited to the monster hunting time, it somehow lightened my heart a little.
Regardless of the frustration towards my father, the king, or the current situation of the royal family, it is fun to work with them anyway.
Just move your body without thinking about anything.
“If it’s unfair, drop it first! You bastards are idiots.”
Seeing the Marquis of Hoven smiling hahahahaha, Emile sighed lightly.
How happy was the Duke of Weiss, with countless people like this by his side.
I thought Robert being jealous of the Duke of Weiss was an idiot, but seeing things like this every day made me feel envious.
If these people are by your side and supportive, you will be able to get through no matter how difficult the situation is, even if you are stared at like a needle cushion.
“…”
Emil’s heart felt heavy when he remembered the people’s gaze.
Many days have passed since Robert left for the meadow.
In the meantime, Emil, as he had done until now, roamed around the capital and hunted the beasts.
Robert sets out to subdue the grassland tribes that have attacked the kingdom, and Emil hunts monsters around the royal capital.
The gaze of nobles was not so good.
At first, the eyes of the nobles who looked at him with admiration had changed to disparagement before they knew it.
It’s not that Robert’s status has risen.
It’s just that Emil’s actions have lost their value.
Marquis Hoven, perhaps realizing that his mood had gone down a bit, rode his horse closer.
“Prince, let me give you some advice.”
“…”
“It’s the same on the battlefield, hunting monsters, and in aristocratic society.”
“…”
“If you think you’re weak, others will see you as well. Be strong.”
Is it a story from experience?
Marquis Hoven’s words might mean that a path is created for those who are determined.
The Marquis Hoven grinned and continued.
“Well, it’s not like I can beat my opponent just because I decide to be strong. Like bloodlines, strength and weakness are usually innate, and there’s no way the weak can win in front of an overwhelmingly strong person, no matter how they decide.”
“…”
It seems that Emil put on a blank expression at the words that were different from what he thought.
The soldiers around them turned their heads and laughed silently.
“But that’s the case. If your heart is strong, at least you’ll die with a squeak.”
“…”
The laughter of the people around me suddenly grew louder.
Even if you cover your mouth, you can’t hide it.
The Marquis Hoven grinned.
“It’s important. The cheep. Are there any people in this world who don’t die? People die anyway. If so, wouldn’t it be cool to say one thing to your heart’s content and die at least when you die?”
“… well.”
Not cool at all.
Rather, it would just look ridiculous.
But the Marquis of Hoven proudly stretched out his chest and looked around.
“What do you guys think?”
Emile looked at the people around him.
Everyone is smiling, but their eyes are gentle.
Maybe all these people have lived their lives thinking that way.
Maybe this is the family tradition of the Marquis Hoven.
I thought so, but each person said something.
“It’s not cool at all, Marquis.”
“It’s too small. Cheeps.”
“If I’m going to die, instead of making a cheep, no, I’d rather live cowardly than die.”
wahahahaha people laugh
Somehow, it suddenly disappeared.
“…”
Emile suddenly realized that the stuffiness that filled his heart had disappeared before he knew it.
It was then.
“Hey, the Witchbeast is attacking.”
The duke’s magician, who was a little away, muttered in a low voice and fired an arrow.
He was told that he was a ducal magician belonging to the Hoven Marquess.
An instructor who teaches you how to use magic.
His arrow flew off in an instant and lodged in the neck of a nearby Witchbeast.
The witch fell to the floor without saying a word.
I see, so it was.
It was in the middle of a monster hunt.
Other times, it would be a place full of tension, but when you’re with them, you don’t know it.
While thinking about that, Marquis Hoven suddenly turned over and swung his arms.
A large knife cuts right in front of me and flies away.
The Marquis shouted like lightning at the people.
“If you think about anything else during battle, you will die! Wake up!”
You are the one who was doing something else just a moment ago.
But no one is saying that.
Everyone was rushing towards the Witchbeast with their eyes wide open, as if they had been transformed into humans.
It’s a scene I’ve seen many times, but they are really strange people.
*
Emil and the Marquis returned to the royal capital after a few days of monster hunting.
Her heart, which had been soft and relaxed until a moment ago, gradually became heavy as she entered the capital.
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Dealing with the Witchbeast is simple.
It ends with clearing your head and moving your body.
If you lack strength or lose sight of it, you will die.
However, in aristocratic societies, it is common to die even if you live.
Once a bad rumor circulated, no matter what the truth was, after that, there was no way to overturn it, and it continued to follow until death.
There is no time to rest your mind.
To Emil, who has been living in such a situation since he was born, the royal palace was literally a tomb covered with dirt on all sides.
At least now, thanks to my mother’s lady-in-waiting, who came through Countess Becker’s connections, I feel a little more at ease.
At least, worrying about my mother has lessened my heart.
When I thought of Countess Becker, I could only smile with relief.
Thanks to her sticking close to her mother, she has already overcome many dangers.
As Emil begins to speak out, the first queen’s tricks become more sophisticated and vicious day by day.
‘If it weren’t for Countess Becker and the new ladies-in-waiting…’
Just thinking about it is terrifying.
The Marquis Hoven went to the mansion on the royal road to change his bloody clothes, and Emile headed to the palace.
He lives in the prince’s palace, a little far from the main palace.
Unlike the palace of the crown prince or the place where the young prince stays, the palace where the grown-up prince lives is separate from the main palace.
After changing her clothes there, Emile walked back to the main palace.
The number of demons around the capital is still increasing.
This time, I found a new witch nest.
‘As expected, I have to speak to my father again.’
Although the number is increasing to this extent, the royal family’s demon subjugation is still passive.
There were too few royal family soldiers in Emil’s army, and it seemed to everyone that the duchy was leading the beast subjugation.
No matter how much he was in the position of receiving the patronage of the duke, Emil could not help thinking about the status of the royal family.
‘But my father…’
My father seems to be afraid of the decrease in the number of soldiers in the royal capital.
You can’t see it from afar, but you can tell it when you talk up close.
Many times, my father would lead the conversation by asking what he would do if a soldier died.
‘Maybe it’s because I’m afraid of the duke.’
Maybe that’s why she accepted it when she was notified that the country of the first queen was sending mercenaries.
In order not to lose the soldiers around, the soldiers of the royal family.
Maybe my father’s way of thinking is getting weird.
I took a small sigh, and suddenly I saw the people gathered in the hallway of the palace.
After the steppe people’s attack, the number of people staying in the capital increased significantly.
Originally, each family had a person residing in the capital, but now there are many cases where additional agents come to inform the family’s position, so the number has increased.
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During the day, they come to the royal palace to get information, and in the afternoon, they collect and organize the news, and send important information to their parents’ homes.
‘But there are exceptionally many people today?’
It’s kind of strange.
The way they looked at Emil from a little distance remained the same, but for some reason, their gaze was slightly different.
He seems to be suffocating in fear for some reason.
Spotting a familiar person beyond them, Emil hurriedly moved on.
A civil servant of the Duke of Weiss.
The other side seemed to have seen Emil as well, and they came towards us.
When the civil servant moved, people quietly ducked to the side.
An obvious fear permeated the gaze of the people towards the civil servant.
“Is there a problem?”
When Emil asked, the civil servant answered with an expressionless face.
“There was a call that the kingdom’s army headed for the plains was defeated. The mercenary commander is dead and the crown prince is missing. It looks like they were almost wiped out. The number of surviving soldiers is said to be less than 100.”
“What, what? But they’ve left yet…”
It hasn’t even been a month yet.
Considering the distance from here to the meadow, it must have been only a few days since the fight started.
“They said it happened only ten days after they set foot on the meadow.”
“…”
At the words of the civil servant, Emil’s heart jumped.
“oh my god.”
The combined mercenaries and kingdom troops numbered over a thousand.
So many soldiers…
The civil servant looked around and spoke to no one.
“Where have all the people who laughed at our duke as a coward have gone… There’s not a single family this time that’s willing to avenge our allies.”
The cold civil servant’s words echoed through the hallway.
But no one answered it.