Today marks the beginning of Part Four.
The abnormality in the south has been resolved.
Due to the situation escalating beyond expectations, Leo was summoned back to the capital.
His sister and Jurgen were also called to the capital to be questioned about the circumstances and to be rewarded for their swift actions.
I had quietly joined this group of Leo and the others...
"This is quite a predicament..."
I muttered this as I saw the group standing still in front of the main gate of the capital.
Leo and the royal guards, along with the prominent knights who fought alongside him, had been summoned to the capital. They entered the capital under Leo's leadership, only to be met with a热烈的的欢迎。
"The hero prince has returned in triumph!"
"Turn this wayyyyyyyyyy!!!!"
Everyone knew that the purple signal flare had risen in the south.
The last time it rose, it brought news of the Crown Prince's death.
Everyone had braced for the worst this time, but the news that arrived was a relatively minor tragedy for a national-level crisis: the city of Bassau had been attacked.
It was also reported that the prince had led the knights in battle against the many monsters and powerful demons that had appeared.
The people's joy was all the greater for having braced for sorrow.
Leo and his group were being hailed as if they were heading to a festival.
"Long live the Lady General!!"
After Leo and his group passed, it was his sister's turn, leading the cavalry regiment.
Although she had let Leo take the lead this time, the cheers were just as loud.
She was the most distinguished warrior among the royal family, a beautiful princess who guarded the border. The people were clearly very excited to see her after so long.
Next, I followed with Jurgen.
The first to be called out was Jurgen.
"It's the Duke of Reinhardt!"
"He cleared the way for Lady Lieselotte!"
"Marshal Excellency was able to reach the south so quickly thanks to the Duke's efforts!"
The people of the capital had their ears to the ground.
And with that, the attention turned to me.
"Here comes the washed-up prince."
"He went to help his brother but ended up leaving due to exhaustion."
"He just held them back, didn't he?"
"He's really useless. It's hard to believe he's Prince Leonardo's twin."
"What is he walking so proudly for? He should be ashamed."
"A disgrace to the royal family!"
Mockery and insults could be heard from all around.
The slander never ceased.
The same mouths that had cheered for Leo were now condemning me.
I understood that these were the people. So I deliberately held my head high. Lowering my gaze would only make the voices louder. The people would not accept a pitiful royal.
In fact, if I didn't control their dissatisfaction to some extent, it would be a problem for them.
Even now, their disrespect was more than enough, but among the royal family, only I had a different line for disrespect. I probably wouldn't be arrested unless someone threw something. But if someone threw something, the capital's guard would have to act.
It would be a shame for someone to be arrested just for throwing something at me.
They were simply voicing their legitimate grievances as citizens.
"Your Highness... shall I silence them?"
The phrase "if you wish" was very much in character for Jurgen.
I quietly shook my head. Jurgen then smiled wryly and looked forward.
"Rest assured. Your kindness and strength are well known to this Jurgen von Reinhardt and our knights. Please continue to hold your head high. You deserve it."
"In this world, doing nothing is often the easiest. You indeed did not go to help Prince Leonardo. However, you chose to stop. I believe that was a courageous decision. At the very least, we knights were saved. That fact cannot be overturned even by the Emperor."
"Stopping was a courageous decision... The Duke is truly different."
"Is that so? To me, I'm just being normal."
Jurgen laughed as he said this.
While we were talking, the people's voices didn't reach my ears.
I headed to the castle, grateful for Jurgen's consideration.
"Welcome back! My children! My subjects! I am delighted to see you all safe and sound!"
With these words, we were greeted by Father.
Everyone knelt and bowed their heads to Father, who sat on the throne.
"The adventurers who returned earlier have told us of your bravery. You are true heroes who resolved a major national crisis! A banquet has been prepared for tonight to help you recover from your battles."
After saying this, Father cleared his throat and nodded to Chancellor Franz.
Franz nodded in understanding and began to speak.
"Rewards will be given to all who responded to the crisis in the south. Among them, those with particularly distinguished service will receive special rewards from His Majesty. Those called will come forward."
With that, maids carrying the rewards approached Father.
After confirming this, Franz called out the names loudly.
"First, the greatest merit! Eighth Prince, Leonardo Reux Ardler. Step forward!"
Leo responded and stepped forward to kneel before Father.
Father took a sword from a maid.
It was a long sword with a golden eagle design on the scabbard.
This sword was a ceremonial sword.
It was used to appoint important military positions.
"Prince Leonardo, in the face of the crisis in the south, you made a timely decision to raise the signal flare and led many knights to prevent the situation from worsening. You then took the lead in the final assault to defeat the demon. For this, you are appointed as the honorary general of the capital's guard and are granted permission to attend the council of ministers."
Leonardo respectfully accepted the sword.
A murmur ran through the attendees.
"An honorary general and a seat in the council of ministers...!"
"Isn't this too much favoritism...?"
"Does this mean his contribution was that significant...?"
"I'm starting to see things differently..."
Even as an honorary general, a general is a general. Among the imperial candidates, Leo now held a military position second only to Gordon. Moreover, the capital's guard. While the position of honorary general is honorary, the previous commander, General Dominic, had a strong influence on the unit, so in an emergency, Leo could command significant forces in the capital.
Additionally, he was granted permission to attend the council of ministers, which had previously been exclusive to Eriq. This meant he could convey his opinions directly to Father without going through a minister, and together with the new Minister of Works, Count Berts, he would have two votes.
In other words, he had gained a definite voice and influence in national politics.
This also meant a shift in the balance of power in the imperial succession.
With this incident, Leo was no longer a new fourth contender but a powerful candidate who could even threaten Eriq.
"Next, the second merit! Marshal Lieselotte Reux Ardler. Step forward!"
This time, it was Sister Lieselotte who stepped forward.
Father handed her a staff.
"Marshal Lieselotte responded promptly to Leonardo's signal flare and led the elite forces of the eastern border army to the scene. She then took the lead with Leonardo to clear the way. For this, the eastern border army will be expanded and its budget increased."
He knew well that a medal wouldn't make Sister happy.
Sister looked quite pleased as she accepted the staff.
"Finally, the third merit! Duke Jurgen von Reinhardt. Step forward!"
The last to be called was Jurgen.
Father had prepared a large gemstone for Jurgen.
"Duke Jurgen, to assist Marshal Lieselotte's advance, you and your knights cleared the way of monsters and prepared effective routes for emergencies. For this, you are granted a treasure and an expansion of your territory."
Jurgen accepted the gemstone in a box and stepped back.
With this, the special commendations were over.
Father then concluded the formalities and stepped down.
The banquet to be held tonight remained.
As I was thinking this, I overheard the whispers of the ministers and influential nobles present.
"Should we approach Prince Leonardo...?"
"But it's too late to cozy up to him now..."
"The attitude is important. It's important. We must make a good impression on the imperial candidates. The situation is unclear as to who will be the next emperor..."
"But no matter how great Prince Leonardo is, Prince Eriq's camp is rich in talent. On the other hand, Prince Leonardo's camp even has to use the washed-up prince. The difference in talent is obvious..."
"True, that prince always causes problems... He didn't perform well this time either, and he might hold Prince Leonardo back in the future..."
"But think about it. If he even has to use the washed-up prince, he must be in need of talent. This could be a good opportunity..."
It seemed they were starting to think things through.
Pretending to be incompetent had its merits.
If I, an incompetent person, was being used, it meant they were in need of talent. I had expected that some would decide to become allies based on this reasoning.
Even as siblings, using an incompetent person suggested a lack of talent. Those who were confident in themselves and had yet to secure a satisfactory position would flock to Leo's side.
For this reason, I still had to remain incompetent.
With this realization, I left the scene.