The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 161
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 161. Subjugation Campaign (1)
The borderlands between Adamant Kingdom and Bentrum Empire.
A massive barrier that looked like a giant snake’s waist cut into sections.
The Adamant subjugation force was waiting on top of it.
“There, I can see them.”
Aurel, standing on the fortress wall, frowned.
It was because of the unusually bright midday sunlight today.
“Let me see, where might His Highness the 3rd Prince be?”
“He must be at the very end of the procession, naturally.”
“Ah, because he’s the youngest?”
Aurel shrugged as if he understood Oliver’s answer.
“Your Majesty, shouldn’t we go out to greet them?”
The King of Adamant, Kaiden, gazed at the procession with an indifferent expression.
Even though there was the justification of monster subjugation, this situation itself—with the Empire’s army near the borderlands—should be tense.
Yet there was no sign of tension on the young king’s face.
Only slight irritation and impatience could be glimpsed.
“Lord Aurel, did something happen at yesterday’s meeting by any chance?”
“Nothing in particular happened.”
Oliver poked Aurel’s side while watching the king’s mood.
“If nothing happened, why is our lord acting like that?”
“What’s strange about it?”
“He looks very displeased right now.”
“Doesn’t our lord always look displeased?”
“What do you mean…”
“If I had to say something happened…”
The fact that he couldn’t reach that caretaker who communicated through the crystal orb?
Aurel recalled the young king sitting in front of the small orb, continuously pouring mana into it.
When the other person’s face didn’t appear until the end, the king’s expression as he frowned and stormed out was quite unfamiliar.
“I suppose you could say there were some woman troubles.”
“What? Don’t tell me that habit of going crazy whenever he sees green eyes is…”
“I’m joking.”
To dare make a joke about a king of a nation.
Others would have been shocked to see it, but the actual subject of the joke seemed unaffected.
“You have no words you can’t say in front of the king. It’s not actually true instead of a joke, is it?”
Kaiden responded to his aide’s words as if it were nothing.
“And it wasn’t woman troubles, it was communication troubles.”
He didn’t forget to correct the reason for his displeasure.
“Let’s go down.”
Kaiden’s black cloak fluttered in the wind.
His steps descending the massive fortress wall showed not a hint of hesitation.
“I should go out to greet them as our court mage suggested.”
The irritation that had clearly been gathered between his brows just moments ago was nowhere to be found.
Kaiden simply smiled with the dignified face of a king.
“The Empire’s royalty probably don’t know yet how terrifying the monsters of this land are.”
* * *
The border between Adamant and Bentrum Empire.
One of the places where monsters appeared most frequently.
‘However, this place.’
I looked up at Adamant’s towering fortress wall.
The translucent blue wall surface was faintly showing rainbow colors in the sunlight.
It was too beautiful to be called a barrier dividing the border between two countries.
“What’s that wall made of? It’s all sparkly.”
“Idiot, that’s adamant. The hardest and strongest ore in the world that even ancient monster teeth and claws couldn’t completely destroy.”
“Wait, wasn’t adamant the most expensive ore in the world? They made a barrier of that scale with it?”
“They must have money rotting away.”
I strongly agreed with the knights and soldiers’ murmuring.
‘Right, unless money was rotting away, they wouldn’t think to cover a barrier with adamant ore.’
Even if they had the world’s largest adamant mine on their land, this was a bit much.
‘What were they thinking?’
I looked up at the barrier with wide eyes.
The perpetrator of this insane act was coming down with a dignified stride.
‘He looks well.’
The young knight king clad in black, Kaiden Ram.
The king greeted the Empire’s subjugation force with golden eyes that resembled those of monsters.
“You’ve worked hard coming such a long way.”
Kaiden extended his hand with a fake smile devoid of emotion.
“Not at all, Your Majesty must always have many hardships.”
Count Crowner, the Gloria Knight Order captain and the Emperor’s representative, smiled warmly.
He jumped down from his horse and grasped the young king’s hand.
A strange tension flowed between the two men who were among the strongest on the continent.
“Then, commanders of each unit, please gather at the encampment. There will be a meeting about the direction of future subjugation operations.”
At Adamant’s request, commanders from each unit were called out.
Thanks to this, the knights and soldiers could rest briefly in the shade.
“Do I really have to go?”
“Are you going to go fake? You need to hurry and go.”
Edwin looked at me with a thoroughly tense face.
The boy looked exactly like a frightened golden puppy.
“But, but…”
Edwin made a stunned expression watching the people entering the encampment.
Count Crowner, the Marquis of Redcliff, and all the other princes were entering the encampment.
Of course, including my very old nemesis.
“I don’t want to go in there. It’s too burdensome.”
Edwin hesitated with a crawling voice.
“I’d rather go fight monsters right away.”
I stared at Ian visible behind the 2nd Prince’s back.
Just seeing the back of his head made my teeth chatter and my stomach churn.
“I feel the same way.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
The resistance was brief, Edwin eventually entered the encampment.
While trying to straighten his thoroughly hunched shoulders.
“I believe you’re already well aware of the areas each unit will be responsible for.”
A massive map positioned inside the encampment.
A handsome man with narrow eyes enthusiastically waved his baton in front of it.
“However, subjugating only your respective areas is logically impossible.”
Monsters are living creatures.
No matter how territorial they are, they’ll keep moving, and when chased by subjugation forces, they’ll try to escape even at the risk of leaving their territory.
“Therefore, we’re changing the operation.”
“What? Suddenly changing it now?”
Prince Lloyd frowned as if he didn’t like the sudden change.
“Such matters should have been coordinated in advance…”
“Your Highness, the 2nd Prince.”
At that moment, Kaiden raised his hand with a smile.
“I apologize for interrupting.”
He gestured toward the man holding the command baton.
“My adjutant is a very rational and intelligent person. He’s not only proficient in magic but also skilled in strategy, so please give him a listen.”
Mage.
At that single word, the gazes of everyone gathered in the encampment turned to one side.
The man holding the command baton made an awkward expression and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I am Aurel, court mage of the Adamant Kingdom. May I continue with the explanation?”
“Continue.”
Kaiden smiled while keeping his gaze fixed on Lloyd.
“What are you going to ask?”
For a moment, Lloyd’s face seemed to redden.
But the fellow said nothing more.
“The number and types of monsters appearing here are beyond imagination. Moreover, special individuals showing abnormal behavior have been appearing recently, making it quite dangerous.”
Aurel drew a circle on the map near the fortress wall.
“So we plan to conduct a drive.”
“A drive?”
“Yes. The Imperial extermination force will form a semicircular formation surrounding the area where monsters mainly appear, while the Adamant extermination force lures the monsters into that formation.”
A kind of fishing ground, perhaps.
It was a reasonably sound argument.
‘Adamant’s knights would be more familiar with monster subjugation. If skilled ones deliberately drive the monsters while the Imperial extermination force with superior numbers traps and eliminates them all at once. That would indeed be more efficient.’
From the Empire’s perspective, it was an extremely comfortable operation.
Since Adamant was volunteering to take on the dangerous role of driving the monsters.
“Hmm, so we just set up formation and wait?”
“Yes.”
Aurel answered Duke Crowner’s question in a respectful voice.
“Monsters are beings that far transcend human strength. Comfortable tactics like dividing territories and handling them separately are meaningless before them.”
He looked around at the Imperial extermination force commanders sitting in the encampment and added a remark.
“The kingdom army drives the monsters, and the Imperial army repels them with one heart and one mind. If that happens, the subjugation operation here will end easily.”
One heart and one mind.
I smiled quietly to myself.
‘Asking people who came to the battlefield to compete with each other to fight with one heart and one mind.’
Whether he was sincere or sincerely mocking, I couldn’t tell.
I didn’t know what that man called Aurel was thinking, but one thing was certain.
‘The subjugation campaign here.’
I quietly looked at the crown of Edwin’s head sitting in front of me.
‘It doesn’t seem like it will end easily.’
* * *
The command meeting ended quickly.
Everyone had readily agreed to follow the operation Aurel proposed.
Only the 2nd Prince looked full of dissatisfaction.
He seemed to be reluctantly following along despite his complaints since his maternal grandfather, the Marquis of Redcliff, immediately agreed.
“Rachel, I…”
Edwin turned to look at me as soon as we left the encampment.
Then, realizing his mistake, he hurriedly covered his mouth.
“Sorry, that was a mistake.”
“It’s fine.”
Fortunately, there were no listening ears nearby.
I gave Edwin another warning.
“But from now on, you must be especially careful.”
“Yeah, sorry…”
“Then please call my name again.”
Edwin answered my words with vigor.
“Kayl!”
“Yes, did you call me?”
Kayl Angela.
The new name to be called as Prince Edwin’s attendant.
‘Is it a bit rustic?’
It seemed quite intentional, but it couldn’t be helped.
This was the only male name that came to mind.
“Since the operation is tomorrow at dawn, for today we’ll rest in Your Highness’s encampment and…”
“Prince Edwin.”
It was at that moment when I was saying something to Edwin.
“It’s been a while.”
A familiar voice came from behind.
“Have you been well?”
It was Kaiden Ram, that man.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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