The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 162
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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 162. Subjugation Campaign (2)
“King Kaiden!”
He seemed pleased that I greeted him first.
Edwin’s face lit up as he watched Kaiden approach him.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
It must be my imagination that I could see a puppy tail wagging behind the boy’s rear.
Kaiden smiled as he looked at the prince greeting him warmly.
“I’m always doing well. Have you been well too, Your Highness?”
“Yes! I’ve been training hard in swordsmanship and preparing for the subjugation campaign…”
The two of them had a fairly friendly conversation.
Though it was closer to Edwin rambling on one-sidedly.
“However.”
Had the greetings ended?
Kaiden’s gaze was now directed at me.
“You’re someone I haven’t seen before.”
He raised one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.
“But you look remarkably similar to someone I know.”
The moment I saw his eyes gleaming with interesting light, I knew immediately.
‘This bastard figured out who I am.’
I had cut my hair short and dyed it jet black, even disguised my build, so how did he figure it out?
‘This is why I hate perceptive bastards.’
When a child is perceptive, it’s either pitiful or admirable, but when an adult is needlessly perceptive about useless things, it just annoyed me.
As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Kaiden spoke with a sly smile.
“I didn’t expect you to bring a non-knight as your attendant, Prince Edwin.”
“Y-yes?”
Edwin was visibly flustered.
‘His poker face never improves no matter how much I teach him.’
I nagged him so much about it when we were at the Prince’s Palace.
Perhaps it was due to Edwin’s transparent nature. The boy had absolutely no talent for hiding emotions that showed plainly on his face.
“W-well, you see.”
Edwin floundered before awkwardly smiling and making excuses.
“H-he’s not a knight, but he has a lot of experience in monster subjugation. So you don’t need to doubt his qualifications.”
“A lot of experience in monster subjugation?”
Kaiden looked straight at me and muttered in a low voice.
“That can’t be right.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The cunning young king grinned and turned his back.
“Well then, I’ll go greet the other princes as well. Please take care of tomorrow’s operation.”
“Yes! Please take care of us too.”
Edwin stared at the spot where Kaiden had disappeared until he was completely out of sight.
His large blue eyes held a light of admiration.
“Do you like the King of Adamant that much, Your Highness?”
“Huh?”
At my words, Edwin immediately turned his head.
His face, tanned to a healthy bronze from continuous knight training, was blushing red.
“Honey is practically dripping from your eyes.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad!”
“From what I saw, it was exactly that bad. You don’t even look at the ducal lordling that intensely…”
“Why are you suddenly bringing up Bridget here!”
Edwin snapped in a sharp voice.
The boy glared at me while huffing.
‘Just like an angry cat.’
For some reason, it made me want to tease him even more.
But if I went further, he’d sulk, so I’ll stop here.
“Well then, shall we go have our strategy meeting?”
“Huh? Strategy meeting?”
Edwin’s expression softened immediately upon hearing my words.
“Didn’t the strategy meeting end earlier?”
“That was a meeting, but it was merely a strategic agreement between commanders.”
How to efficiently deal with the monsters that Adamant’s subjugation force would drive into the camp.
We needed to discuss methods for that.
‘That’s not all.’
Since the operation had changed from just dealing with monsters entering each assigned area to freely hunting monsters, variables would arise from all directions.
‘The 1st Prince’s faction and 2nd Prince’s faction will go wild trying to achieve more merit than each other. We can’t fall behind them.’
To do that, we had to kill more monsters faster than anyone else.
Moreover, that wasn’t the only thing we needed to worry about.
‘When chaos breaks out is the easiest time to eliminate enemies.’
While the monsters were rampaging, there was no telling what schemes the 1st or 2nd Prince’s factions might attempt against Edwin’s life.
‘The 1st Prince’s faction is somewhat reassuring.’
Though Duke Crowner was an extremely selfish nephew-doting fool, he wasn’t petty enough to target Edwin’s life on a battlefield like this.
‘Above all, Edwin is also the Emperor’s son. There’s no way Duke Crowner, the Emperor’s right hand, would directly try to kill Edwin.’
So the faction we needed to be most wary of was definitely the 2nd Prince’s faction.
‘The Marquis of Redcliff and Ian.’
The fox-like marquis himself wouldn’t make a direct move.
If anyone did, it would be the 2nd Prince’s attendant.
‘I wonder how much Ian’s skills have changed while I was dead.’
Ian was also an assassin whose natural talent was recognized.
His specialty was cutting down targets in one strike with his superior dynamic vision and strong arm strength.
‘Can I block him with my current strength?’
I posed the question to myself.
The answer was unfortunately ‘no.’
‘Unless Ian’s skills have deteriorated, overwhelming him with this body is nearly impossible.’
However, fighting wasn’t a competition where the strong always won.
It was a gambling table where those who knew how to win would win.
‘So I have to win by any means necessary.’
I looked at Edwin, who was deep in thought about strategy.
‘That’s why I followed this boy.’
Though he had grown a lot since we first met, the prince was still small.
Even though he could use a sword and had learned how to kill monsters, the boy was still a child who needed adult protection.
“Ray, no, Kayl, I can’t think of any good ideas, so what should we…”
“Let’s go first.”
I placed my hand on Edwin’s back and walked toward the encampment.
“I’ve thought of some methods.”
* * *
The encampment of Gloria’s 3rd Knight Order.
Knights gathered around a small table in small groups.
A large map showing the local terrain was spread out on the table.
“So you’re saying the operation has changed?”
“Instead of each assigned area, we’re to kill whatever monsters Adamant’s subjugation force drives into the camp?”
The knights of the 3rd Knight Order seemed confused by the changed orders.
“Then wouldn’t there be no point in forming a separate subjugation force? We won’t even know which side killed the monsters.”
“The formation is also disadvantageous for us. If Adamant’s subjugation force drives the monsters from that forest, they’ll encounter the 2nd Prince’s subjugation force first. What if they catch all the monsters coming from that direction?”
This was a competition disguised as a subjugation campaign.
The knights of the 3rd Knight Order were well aware of this fact.
“What should we do? Setting aside the skills of those 1st and 2nd Knight Order bastards, even the 2nd Prince’s knights are all capable fighters.”
“Hey, have some confidence! Those guys are strong against humans, but when it comes to monsters, our 3rd Knight Order won’t lose either!”
A particularly thin and tall knight turned toward Edwin with sparkling eyes.
“Your Highness, don’t worry! This Pinet will slay more monsters than anyone else!”
“There he goes showing off again.”
“Showing off! Bata, aren’t your words a bit too harsh? And you need to show off a little yourself.”
Pinet and Bata.
The two knights with contrasting impressions were bickering with each other as usual today.
Then the rest of the knights also began raising their voices, each spouting their own opinions.
“Um, wait, let me say something…”
Edwin raised his hand and tried to say something, but it was useless.
His small voice kept getting drowned out by the knights’ loud voices.
‘Can’t be helped.’
I let out a small sigh and drove my dagger straight into the table.
Crash, clang.
With a sound like the table breaking, the dagger stuck in the table vibrated.
Instantly, the inside of the tent became as quiet as a mouse.
“His Highness is speaking.”
I said while slowly looking around at the knights with stern expressions.
“It seems the Knight Order doesn’t teach that when a commander speaks, it’s proper etiquette to shut your mouths and listen quietly?”
“Re- no, Kayl, don’t be so harsh.”
“It’s because Your Highness is so lenient that they dare to act so boldly.”
Edwin seemed flustered by my strong tone.
When playing the caretaker role, I had to be careful with my speech because I had to watch Catherine and Emilia’s reactions.
It felt refreshing to speak comfortably for the first time in a while to discipline these rough men.
“Unless you want to advertise that you’re uneducated commoners, show proper respect before your commander, gentlemen.”
Instantly, the knights’ faces turned bright red.
Being of commoner origin was their greatest shame.
The knights, beaten down by accurate words, all clamped their mouths shut like clams.
“Finally, it’s gotten quiet.”
I casually pulled out the dagger stuck in the table.
“Now speak, Your Highness.”
Edwin looked at me with astonished eyes.
Even so, thinking that if not now he wouldn’t be able to properly convey his message, he quickly opened his mouth.
“Actually, as your captain, I have a strategy I’d like to propose to you all.”
I already knew what words would follow.
The strategy Edwin was talking about came from my own mind.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“What kind of strategy are you referring to?”
The 3rd Prince opened his mouth while receiving all the knights’ attention.
“An interception strategy.”
“An interception strategy?”
“Yes, so we divide the 3rd Knight Order into two units…”
He swallowed once and continued speaking.
“One unit will secretly follow behind Adamant’s subjugation force.”
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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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