This Is Why a Quick-Witted Princess…
In battle, everything depends on the commander.
Whether it is a small elite unit or a massive army, there is always someone who represents the force—and the victory or defeat of those figures heavily influences the outcome of the entire battle.
A single overwhelmingly powerful individual can flip the tide of war.
And the clear center of the Empire's forces at this moment was the Red Dragon Knight Order.
Its commander.
The blade that had pierced his chest seemed to symbolize the defeat of the Imperial army.
"You little—!"
"Glory to the Southern Alliance! Glory to His Highness Pablo Barkat! This is His Highness's foresight. He predicted exactly how you scum would act and left me here in reserve!"
"Shut your mouth!"
THUD—
The Red Dragon Commander smashed his elbow into the knight's helmeted head and yanked the sword out of his body. Blood gushed out in heavy spurts.
"Commander!"
"You bastard!"
The commander staggered.
It was a sudden situation—sudden chaos—but Pablo was not a man to miss the chance of a lifetime.
"Well done!"
His greatsword spun like a windmill. Knights threw themselves in the way.
CRUNCH—
The massive hunk of steel crushed through armor. A knight screamed as he was hurled aside. But his life did not vanish so easily.
"Protect the commander!"
"The commander has been ambushed!"
"You cowardly swine!"
After the initial charge, the Red Dragon Knights—who had scattered and were butchering the Alliance from all sides—regrouped.
"His Highness has struck down the Red Dragon Commander!"
"Cowards attacking in concert!"
"Follow His Highness!"
The remnants of the Alliance—on the brink of losing morale—began to rekindle their fighting spirit thanks to the knight's agitation and the unexpected news.
But the battle did not burn as fiercely as before.
With their commander injured, the Red Dragon Knights began to retreat. The overwhelmingly one-sided battle now tilted in the opposite direction.
"Out of my way!"
Pablo Barkat desperately tried to finish off the Red Dragon Commander, but the resistance was fierce.
In the end, he could not kill him.
But he did seize victory in the battle.
He raised his blood-soaked sword high.
WAAAAAAAH—!
The Alliance's knights roared in triumph.
Though barely half remained.
"Where is that knight?"
"Sir? Which knight do you mean?"
"The Alliance knight who stabbed the commander in the back! The one from the Kingdom of Torkan!"
Survivors and late-arriving reinforcements began searching.
And then—
"…Cough."
A knight from Torkan was discovered—buried naked in the dirt. Fortunately, he wasn't dead, but he was not the one who had turned the tide.
The Alliance realized someone else had intervened.
"...Who?"
***
"Did I hear that correctly?"
The man laughed. It wasn't a pleasant laugh.
"They say the Red Dragon Commander suffered a severe injury, and while they briefly gained the upper hand because of it, the Red Dragon Knights eventually retreated. Although they failed to reclaim the lode, the Southern Alliance supposedly suffered greater losses overall."
"The losses aren't the important part."
No matter how many died or how much damage was done—
"The only thing that matters is whether the lode was taken back or not. Don't tell me you've forgotten that."
People only see what they want to see. They only hear what they want to hear.
The Empire had many enemies—and even more who wished to tear them down.
To those who were watching the Empire's every move with sharpened ears and narrowed eyes, the details did not matter.
What mattered was that the Empire had been defeated and had failed to reclaim the lode.
"How many people know about this?"
"Very few. But…"
"How the Southern Alliance chooses to act now is the real issue."
"Even if they run their mouths and spread exaggerated tales, it changes nothing. The Empire is steadfast."
"Our prestige will change. The Empire's honor will be scratched—and in turn, my honor. Did you forget who was in charge of this operation?"
The five knight orders granted the right to bear the dragon's name were the Empire's pride.
They must always win.
Defeat meant the crumble of the Empire's pride.
And that pride had collapsed.
Collapsed to the very ants they had mocked and looked down upon—the Southern Alliance.
Those who already disliked the Empire would swarm like hyenas to tear at the wound. That alone was but a small scratch—but the patriots of the Empire, who viewed their nation as supreme, were a different kind of problem.
"Then this means… full-scale war."
Those who would not tolerate defeat—
had been defeated.
There were only two ways to recover from such disgrace.
One: conceal the truth entirely, erase the defeat as though it never happened.
Two: achieve a victory so overwhelming that it would bury all shame.
The man placed his weight firmly on the second option.
The Southern Alliance, who were practically the Empire's nemesis, would never bury the great victory they had won over the Empire.
Especially with a mana-stone lode at stake.
"Pablo Barkat… A star truly is a star, it seems. To think he would actually stop the Red Dragon Knights."
The man gnashed his teeth.
There would be no second failure.
***
"…We must withdraw."
Pablo Barkat.
Berze had once compared him to a male Louise Verft—explosive, reckless, and stubborn—yet he possessed an eye for reading the world.
He could understand the broader picture and grasp the flow of events.
Without that insight, no matter that he was the crown prince of the Barkat Kingdom, no matter that he was one of the Stars, he would never have been able to represent the Southern Alliance itself.
"What do you mean?"
"We have struck down the Red Dragon Knights. We have touched their reverse scale."
There are lines that must never be crossed.
Even enemies like the Southern Alliance and the Empire must honor them if they have no intention of fighting to total destruction.
For the Empire, the five knight orders granted the Dragon's Crest were precisely that absolute line.
"The Dragon Knights must never be defeated. And if they are defeated, the defeat must be erased."
A knight order that must never fall—
Their defeat was the Empire's, the Dragon's reverse scale.
"From here on, things will be different. They may come at us with the single-minded intent of wiping the Southern Alliance from existence."
"You're exaggerating."
"Are you saying they should have won?"
"Wasn't it Your Highness who defeated them?"
"Exactly. And that is why I am telling you this: from here on, we have only two choices. Lower ourselves and beg for peace, or stand our ground and face the Empire's coming wave—a wave seeking a victory vast enough to bury the Dragon's defeat."
"..."
"..."
The nobles of the Alliance swallowed hard.
They had united for generations to counter the Empire. None among them failed to understand what Pablo's words implied.
"We must propose reconciliation to the Empire and declare this battle nonexistent. As if the Red Dragon Knights never appeared here at all."
"Must we go that far?"
"If we were preparing for war anyway, wouldn't we have accounted for the Dragon Knights from the beginning?"
"The mana-stone lode is at stake! Only recently, Your Highness declared that we must take it no matter the cost—are you now afraid after winning?!"
The nobles protested.
Naturally. They feared the Empire's retaliation, but the Southern Alliance was far from weak.
And if they loudly proclaimed that they had defeated the Red Dragon Knights, morale would soar to the heavens.
At that moment, a noble spoke up.
"I am well aware of the Empire's terrifying nature. But even so, I see no need to disgrace ourselves after achieving victory. If Your Highness believes otherwise, there must be a reason."
"Yes. If this were an ordinary war, I would not press this issue. After securing victory, we would find a way to halt the Empire. That is why I tried so desperately to kill the Red Dragon Commander."
"Then what is it?"
"A third party has intervened in this war."
"...!"
"...!"
"What do you mean?"
"When I first went alone to the lode, I was ambushed. You will recall that."
"Yes."
"At the time, I assumed it was an excuse. But thinking back… Austin Croin of the Blue Griffin Knight Order truly seemed unaware."
"You mean someone ambushed Your Highness to incite this war?"
"Could he not simply have been acting?"
"And regardless, this is the mana-stone mine. How could we turn back now that we've come this far?"
"If it were only that, I would agree."
But something else had happened.
"When I was speaking with Austin Croin, an Imperial knight suddenly acted on his own and attacked me. That was the spark that ignited the battle. No trained knight would interrupt when their commander is negotiating with the enemy commander. I don't believe Imperial knights are that undisciplined."
"It may have been Imperial strategy."
"Then what about this? While I was fighting the Red Dragon Commander, a Torkan knight suddenly ambushed him from behind. Thanks to that, the commander was gravely wounded, and we barely escaped defeat."
"A knight from our side?"
Hearing that their own knight had achieved a great feat, the noble representing Torkan smiled with pride.
"That is good news, is it not?"
"But when the battle ended, there was no trace of that man. And when we searched the camp thoroughly—we found the real Torkan knight buried naked in the dirt."
"…Good heavens."
"Your Highness, surely—even you must not lie about such things!"
"Every member of the Alliance present at the scene can testify."
Pablo slammed the table.
"We are dancing atop a stage someone else has set. The Southern Alliance is being used by some vermin."
And that person—
"Wants a larger war."
We should not be fighting each other.
We must find him.
"Because that man…"
Pablo added the final words.
"Invoked the name of a god."
"…Good heavens. Surely not—"
"Don't tell me those cockroaches still remain?"
The nobles' faces turned deathly pale.
***
The Red Dragon Knights.
One of the five knight orders that bore the Dragon's Crest.
They were far too familiar to Berze.
After Berze abducted the Crown Prince of Jespine, it had been they who led the charge and broke through the Tower.
There had been no heroes among them, yet they surpassed most heroes in power.
United as one, the knight order could even stand against Stars.
They were truly the continent's most powerful military force.
What a waste.
Whether it was because he was the Red Dragon Commander—or because Berze's mana was still lacking—
Berze had originally intended to pierce the commander's heart.
But at the moment of the strike, the commander sensed Berze's presence.
Too late to avoid the blow completely—
but he twisted his body at the last instant, sparing his heart.
It saved his life.
Still, the Southern Alliance had won, and that alone was enough.
"In any case, the Empire cannot withdraw now. Not with their honor and prestige at stake."
Just as they had gone mad with rage when their crown prince was kidnapped—
The Dragon Knights carried that same meaning for the Empire.
"But there is another possible outcome, isn't there?"
"Such as?"
"Such as the two sides coming to a dramatic agreement?"
"As if."
Berze scoffed.
"Jumping to conclusions isn't good."
"This isn't jumping to conclusions—this is called a deduction based on clear evidence."
"But the Empire is arrogant. If they realize someone is trying to use them, they won't move as intended. The Southern Alliance is no different."
"Of course that's possible. But when people see a tempting gain right in front of them—and a grudge they're desperate to repay—they will act, no matter what."
"But what if there's another method?"
"Another method?"
"Before rumors spread from the Southern Alliance, they could negotiate with the Empire and cover the whole affair as if it never happened. Accepting some losses in return."
"…Why bother?"
"Because the Demon King got too involved."
"No one knows it was me."
He hadn't used demonic energy at all, and he always kept his mask on or disguised himself as a knight with a full helmet.
"It doesn't matter whether you're the Demon King. What matters is that a third party interfered."
"So you think the war won't escalate?"
"Possibly?"
"You're wrong."
Berze shook his head firmly. At least this time, he could see things more accurately than she could.
"The Empire is greedier than you think. Obsessed with honor. The Red Dragon Knights are their reverse scale. They will never let this go so easily."
"You seem to know the Empire well."
"At the very least, better than you."
"I suppose that's true."
"You're making that arrogant face again."
"I'm not making any face."
"That is absolutely a face."
Berze glared. Ernan looked away.
This is what happens when she gets spoiled…
"Fine. Let's make a bet. If I'm right, you will hand over at least five of the Hilde nobles' vaults."
"If I'm right?"
"What do you want?"
"Hmm, nothing in particular, but…"
A sly smile curved at the corner of her eyes.
"Can I save it and tell you later when I decide?"
"As much as you like—if you're right."
Berze growled.
There was no way she would win this.
****
Ahem.
Ernan shrugged her shoulders.
She whispered under her breath:
"So, where did the great man who 'knew the Empire better than me' go?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
An elf who had rushed in to report the widely spreading rumors looked puzzled.
"You said the Red Dragon Knights touched the reverse scale and the Empire would definitely escalate. You spoke so confidently, as if you were practically an Imperial citizen."
"…Shut up."
"You won't go back on your promise later, right?"
"..."
"The great Demon King wouldn't say one thing and then take it back… right?"
"I swear by the Prime Demon King and the Progenitor Demon King—I do not do such despicable things."
"You don't even believe in them."
This is why quick-witted princesses are…
"…Fine. I'll stake my honor."
"I'll believe that."
The battle failed to become a war.
Damn it.
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