âW-wh-why do you have that?!â Tremblin stuttered.
âYou already said my response, Your Grace,â Joshua said.
âWhatâŠ?â
ââThatâs not the answer to my question.ââ Joshua smiled.
Tremblin gaped at Joshua, astounded by the audacity of Tremblinâs words against him.
âI know His Majestyâs last location,â Joshua declared.
âIs-Is he alive?â Tremblin gasped.
âIâm not sure,â Joshua said with a shrug, âbut I know who can give you an answer to that.â
âWho is it?!â Tremblin yelled anxiously.
âI already told you that itâs Heimdall.â
âWait, did that man named Heimdall harm His MajestyâŠ? That son of a bitch!â Tremblin shouted with murderous intent.
âIâll take that as a yes to my proposal.â Joshua turned away from Tremblin.
âWa-wait!â Tremblin reached out his hand.
âIâll get going thenâŠâ Joshua disappeared immediately, it was like he had never existed in the first place.
That was the last memory Tremblin had of Joshua Sanders.
* * *
âOur commander is alive,â Cazes said. Despite his succinctness, his words had a tremendous impact on everyone.
ââŠHuh? What are you talking about? You know itâs still the middle of the day?â
âWell, youâre right, since the man before us really is our commander Cazes.â
In fact, these knights were reacting gently.
âDo you want us to reaffirm our love for you just like my lover does?â
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âDid you eat something weird during lunch?â
âHas he gone senile?â
âWell, you can get age too.[1] â
The knights giggled at their silly comments, but Cazes was unphased.
âIâm not talking about me⊠I mean our real commander.â
The knights all seemed to turn into stone sculptures at the same time.
ââŠAh, cut it out.â
âWhat? Our real commander? Youâre not talking about the man Iâm thinking of, are you?â
âYou donât have to say that kind of stuff. Weâre different from those unloyal bastards that left.â
âWell, I understand why you say such stuff since half of us already left.â
Despite the knightsâ reactions, Cazes still looked straight into the knightsâ eyes.
âVice commander Ranger! Sir Viper! What is seriously up with the commander today?â One of the knights shouted with a frown. âWe already feel uneasy about our current situation, so why would he say such stuff? Jokes are only funny if you know why the person is jokingâŠ!â
The knightâs fervent speech petered off when he realized that Ranger and Viper were acting similarly to Cazes.
ââŠNo way,â the knight gasped
âItâs actually âyes way,ââ Ranger said.
The knightâs eyes widened.
âI myself have seen the commanderâs traces,â Ranger continued.
âOh my godâŠâ The Auxiliary Battalionâs knightsâ jaws dropped. Some knights even shed tears. It had been way over three yearsâno, it had been almost four years if they considered how their real commander had been accused of high treason and hunted down. How many hardships had the knights gone through in the meantime? In fact, some knights had secretly resented the commander.
Of course, most of those knights had already left and joined the other battalions, but the other knights had silently stayed in the Auxiliary Battalion. In some ways, they were the true knights of the Auxiliary Battalion, so it was only natural that they were filled with emotion.
ââŠThere are less than one hundred knights even if we count both the Eleventh and Twelfth Battalionâs knights,â Steven quietly said; he was one of the Eleventh Battalion Knights and the first to recover from the shock. There were one hundred knights in one battalion, so the Auxiliary Battalions were only nominally a battalion.
âThat's why Iâm worried,â Steven continued.
Cazes quietly looked askance at Steven. The other knight looked at the floor.
ââŠThe commander might be disappointed in us.â
Cazes smiled slyly.
âWho do you think our commander is?â
Stevenâs eyes widened.
âThere are countless heroes who left their names in the history of the continent, but heâs at the zenith of those heroes. Our commander is the Hero King.â
Silence fell upon the room as they processed Cazesâs words.
âAhâŠâ Here and there, the knights gasped in astonishment.
One of the knights suddenly held up his sword and fervently shouted.
ââŠAh, ahhhhhh!â
However, that was just the beginning.
âAhhhhhhhh!â Almost a hundred knights roared, shaking the ground and sky. Cazesâs smile deepened the longer their celebration stretched.
ââŠWait!â Ranger shouted, but the knights were not listening
âOur commander is coming back!â
âWait a moment, you bastards!â Ranger yelled using his mana.
The knights simultaneously turned in Rangerâs direction discontentedly, their eyes silently asking why Ranger had to ruin the moment.
âTov has something to say!â Ranger said and pointed somewhere.
The battalion headquartersâs door had been opened wide, and another knight was standing beside the door, baffled.
âUmm⊠I donât know why you all are doing that, but I have big news.â
âTov! You wonât think of it as big news anymore once you hear our news!â
âItâs not just big news. Hahaha!â
Tov ignored them. Before the knights could break into another uproarious celebration, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
âExactly one week from today, Bercheâs Bloody Battle is going to take place! AndâŠâ Tov trailed off for a moment before resuming. âThe next emperor has been decided internally!â
The inside of the headquarters turned as quiet as the grave. The knights were stunned by the unexpected news.
âWh-whatâŠ?â
* * *
The Military Advisor Duke Zegar tun Reye visited the Kir Palace, also known as the First Princeâs Palace, to make his report.
âThis yearâs Bercheâs Bloody Battle is going to be a tournament.â
âA tournament?â the First Prince Kiser asked, tilting his head in confusion, from atop his seat in the reception room.
âWeâre using the method of the Masters' Battle since itâs the first time Bercheâs Bloody Battle is being opened to the public in the long history of the continent,â Zegar explained.
âFrom what Iâve heard⊠each battalion will be going through group battles too,â Kiser mentioned.
âYes.â Zegar nodded with a heavy heart. âThe Second Prince, His Highness Kaizen, was very insistent, soâŠâ
âKaizen did?â Kiserâs eyes widened.
Zegar smiled and began to tell a shocking story.
âItâs because Duke Tremblin declared his support for you, Your Highness. The Empireâs nobility are already praising you and calling you the next emperor.â
ââŠIt hasnât been confirmed yet,â Kiser replied.
âThatâs not it.â Zegar continued to smile.
After he had reappeared, the Sword Emperor had declared his support of the First Prince. Whatever his reasons were, the winner of the battle for succession had already been decided.
âWhy do you think Kaizen insists on having group battles?â Kiser asked.
Zegar broke away from his thoughts.
âIâm assuming he wants this group battle to be his game changer,â he replied.
âBy game changer, you meanâŠ?â
âHis Highness is thinking that heâll be able to change not only Duke Tremblinâs mind but also other noblesâ if his knights win in the group battle,'' Zegar hypothesized.
Kiser pondered that for a moment.
âThis Battle is going to be public, an unprecedented event⊠so heâll be able to turn the tide around if his knights acquire victory before the eyes of everyone on this continent?â
Zegar nodded. âYour assumption is right, Your Highness.â
âHmmâŠâ Kiser groaned.
âAre you worried, by any chance?â Zegar asked.
ââŠNothing is absolute in this world.â Kiser donned a slight, discontented frown.
The Imperial Knight Order had twelve battalionsâno, eleven battalions because the Reserve Battalion had been merged into oneâand each battalion was going to fight against another battalion, flying the flag of the prince they supported. The First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Battalions were currently supporting Kiser. On the other hand, the Second, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Battalions showed their support for Kaizen.
If Kiser only considered which battalions supported him, his knightsâ abilities were significantly higher, but Kiser was careful, meaning his current assets weren't enough to put his mind at ease. On top of that, this three-year civil war would be decided by the result of this Bercheâs Bloody Battle.
Zegar shook his head.
âYou donât have to worry about that, Your Highness.â
ââŠPardon?â Kiser tilted his head in confusion.
âYou can leave the matter to me,â Zegar mumbled. His smile deepened, making Kiser quiet.
âBut⊠what will you do with the Eleventh Battalion Knights?â he cautiously asked.
Kiserâs eyes turned uncharacteristically cold.
âThere is something that Iâve realized again and again over the past three years.â
ââŠI beg your pardon?â Zegar asked.
âIn politics, respect is a useless piece of trash. If they have no intention of joining our side⊠then Iâll have to eliminate the potential source of trouble.â
Kiser leaned against his chair.
âThatâs an excellent decision, Your Highness,â Zegar said with a contented smile. âYou have to root out the source so it can never become a problem. Iâll prepare accordingly, then. â
With the conversation finished, Zegar stood up from his seat.
âAre you leaving already? Why donât we dine together since youâve already come all this way?â Kiser asked.
âNo, I donât think I can.â Zegar shook his head. âIt looks like I wonât have enough time to prepare everything even if I get moving nowâŠâ
Kiser seemed disappointed.
âIn that caseâŠâ
Zegar bowed and bid his farewells to the Prince.
âIâll see you in the colosseum where the Bercheâs Bloody Battle will take place a week later, Your Highness.â
* * *
After finishing a little act in the palace, Cain, Icarus, and the others were in a shabby inn on the outskirts of Arcadia.
âIt feels like things have gotten out of hand,â Cain muttered.
âWait, get away from me first before you talk any further,â Icarus interrupted and pushed Cain away. âItâs really cramped in here!â
Cain shrugged. âWell, we donât have any other choice. This room is for one person and yet four people are inside itâŠâ
âPhew.â Icarus massaged her temple. âSo, as a person who made things get out of hand, do you have any countermeasures? If anyone notices the true identity of the doppelganger when it participates in Bercheâs Bloody BattleâŠâ
âDonât worry about that, because I have a plan.â Cain pounded his chest confidently.
That made Icarus instantly narrow her eyes.
âOut of everything Iâve heard today, that was the most untrustworthyâŠâ
âEven if anything goes wrong, Iâll make sure Iâll at least take responsibility for your life, Icarus,â Cain assured her. She snorted.
âNo, thank you.â
After quietly watching their conversation for a while, Lilith joined in.
âA doppelganger is known to not only copy oneâs appearance but also oneâs abilities, so we wonât have much problem if the doppelganger can move as skillfully as JoshuaâŠâ
Despite that, Lilith looked worried.
âTwo things are bugging me,â she said.
âTwo things?â Icarus repeated.
âFirst of all, a doppelganger canât speak; second, the doppelgangerâs copied ability and appearance don't change from the time that they were copied,â Lilith explained.
Icarus nodded with a heavy heart; she had expected these issues to some degree.
âI admit that, unlike someone, my master is normally quiet⊠but not enough so to put our minds at ease. The ones with sharp eyes will notice that something is up in no time.â
âYouâre not talking about me when you say âsomeoneâ, are you?â Cain interrupted.
âOn top of thatâŠâ Icarus continued, completely ignoring Cain. She looked at Lilith. âYou said âfrom the time that they were copiedâ, so that means that the doppelganger has the abilities of my master from three years ago, right?â
Lilith nodded. âI guess so?â
âIâve heard that after this technique called materialization was created, it made a great difference between ordinary knights and the knights that had learned the technique. The same goes for the knights of the Avalon Empire.â
Cain chuckled. âI understand what youâre thinking⊠but youâre worrying about useless stuff.â
ââŠWhat?â Icarus asked.
âHave you forgotten already? Our master already became a Superhuman like me way over three years ago,â Cain reminded Icarus. She shut her mouth.
âItâs impossible for me to imagine our monstrous master losing to someone,â he finished.
âThatâsâŠâ Icarus trailed off.
âIn the current Avalon EmpireâŠâ Cainâs face turned a bit serious. ââŠnothing unusual will happen unless the Sword Emperor Duke Tremblin himself takes action.â
âAhâŠâ Icarus gently exclaimed. âCome to think of it⊠I was really surprised because I didnât expect the Sword Emperor to show up at a time like this.â
âThat would mean our reaâ master is close by,â Cain said.
âWhat do you mean?â Icarus asked.
âYou know how he causes all kinds of troubles and accidents wherever he goes? Itâs like the world revolves around him.â
ââŠI canât deny that.â Icarus chuckled.
âAnd about the doppelgangerâs appearanceâŠâ Cainâs eyes shone for a moment. âI have a solution for that.â
âStop stopping and tell us already,â Icarus urged.
Cain grinned. âWe already know the best expert in creating artifacts.â
ââŠAh!â Icarusâs eyes widened in realization.
âThis is exciting. Iâll be able to hear that ice witch ladyâs voice soon,â Cain muttered with inexplicable excitement.
1. The raw is ê·žêČë ëščë 거ꞎ íì§(You can eat age too). This is Korean wordplay. If literally translated, Koreans say they eat age, so yup. If you eat too much age, then you can go senile. â