I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

070. Cadet (1)

Exactly two days had passed since then.

In the office of the Dawn Palace, the Crown Prince was greatly surprised when I brought the seal of Estro.

“How on earth did you manage to persuade them? I didn’t expect you to bring it so quickly…”

“…Somehow, it worked out.”

Even as I answered, a strange bitterness lingered in my throat.

Thinking of Philia made it so.

It’s still astonishing.

That Philia, whom I thought was a simpleton, was actually the greatest mind of the royal family.

Moreover,

‘Did I appear that transparent?’

That Philia knew my intentions from the beginning.

This royal family, every person I meet surprises me, making me think that Orteare is not just Orteare for no reason.

I decided not to tell the Crown Prince about this matter.

I had expressed my gratitude for the seal, and it was a judgment to avoid unnecessary trouble with that smart fellow.

Whatever it was, didn’t I get the seal?

It’s good to establish friendly relations with capable people.

Unless I’m holding a weakness over them.

So I asked,

“What about the seal of Belgion?”

“I’ve already received it. We were on friendly terms from the beginning.”

The Crown Prince took out the seal from his bosom and waved it.

I nodded.

With this, two seals, one left…

“…Now it’s the Grand Duke’s turn.”

“Hmm, it won’t be easy to get it right away.”

The Crown Prince smiled as if troubled.

I didn’t feel much different either.

The Grand Duchy of Heiron, the guardian of the North and the last knight of the golden generation.

Because the current Grand Duke, the master of that place, is the last master of the craftsman.

I said.

“We have to face it anyway. Let’s move as soon as we get information from Igrosia.”

“Hmm, I think I need to sort out my personal affairs until then.”

I looked at the prince, who had piled up documents as tall as I was.

He, who was always neat, looked quite haggard.

He was soaked in fatigue, which was quite surprising considering his stamina.

“Are you that busy?”

“Don’t even mention it. I was away for just a few weeks and look at this mess…”

“Oh dear.”

It made sense.

The prince was busy.

He was always busy, and now even more so.

In fact, hadn’t he used a double during the few weeks he was away in Igrosia?

Most of the external activities were handled by the double and Erilda together, but all the tasks that required approval or important meetings were postponed.

This is the result.

In addition to the work that had piled up over the weeks, new tasks were accumulating.

The prince had become so busy that it was hard for him to even make time for such meetings.

‘Classes…’

Should I take a break for a while?

Whether it was because he was busy or my persuasion worked, he didn’t try to test my temper these days.

Rest is also training.

Since meeting me, he had been pushing his body quite hard, so he needed time to rest like this.

I was thinking such thoughts.

Clunk!

“Documents are here… Ah? It’s the young master.”

Erilda appeared, carrying a tray full of documents.

The prince made a tired face, and in the meantime, Erilda pushed the documents towards the prince and took a cheeseburger out of her bosom.

Then she said to me.

“I’m going to eat now. Are you staying longer?”

“…No, I’m leaving now.”

“Really? Goodbye. Oh, when will the recipe be revised?”

Every time I see this woman, she asks about that first.

Does she think I’m some kind of burger researcher?

“There won’t be any revisions for a while. I’m busy too.”

“Huh.”

“What’s with that reaction?”

I narrowed my eyes, and the answer came from the Crown Prince’s side.

“Do you have any work?”

“Both of you are ignoring me. I’m quite busy too, you know.”

“Hmm?”

The Crown Prince tilted his head.

Is my image okay like this?

I thought as I answered.

“…Your Highness, don’t we need to form a knight order? I’m going to find people.”

“???”

“For now, just know that.”

I left the office like that.

* * *

I realized something while dealing with the past few incidents.

‘We’re short-handed.’

Even if I tried to handle things, the only cards I could use were me, the Crown Prince, and a few others, so we were always short-handed during investigations or resolutions.

So, even for tasks that didn’t need to be handled directly, I ended up doing them myself, which created unnecessary obstacles.

So now, with only one thing left to clean up after the demon, I’m going to do what I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

‘Let’s start looking.’

I had to gather my subordinates from before the regression.

Nominally, as the Crown Prince’s personal guard.

In fact, I’ve already gathered about half of them.

‘First, Peto.’

Already boasting, “I’ll become the greatest knight of the empire!” there’s no need for further persuasion.

Moreover, Historia can be brought in as a force if necessary.

With the search captain and the medical captain, all that’s left is the main force.

There was a reason for using people we know rather than bringing in external forces.

‘It’s better to use proven ones. They survived to the end even in the special forces.’

Notably, Liam, the original owner of the necklace.

And a few more.

People with deep personal ties or those whose abilities were outstanding at the time.

From noble mtl dot com

Even at this point, if properly trained, they can grow as much as needed.

So the problem is how to bring them in.

‘There is a stage, but…’

I was thinking about that while walking through the imperial city.

“Pharos!”

“Ah! Elder!”

Two strangely familiar voices were heard.

Turning my head, I saw Aria and Philia awkwardly hiding behind a garden tree, waving their hands at me.

What is that combination?

No, the combination is fine, but why are they hiding behind a tree?

I asked, expressing my thoughts as they were.

“What are you doing there?”

“We’re on a mission for the Cheeseburger Kingdom!”

“It’s a spy mission!”

They each answered a word.

Meanwhile, the excited Aria came near me and chattered away.

Philia was appointed as the treasurer of the Cheeseburger Kingdom, and there are enemies targeting the kingdom everywhere, so they came out to investigate directly.

I roughly understood it was a role-playing game.

However, my gaze turned to Philia.

The cheerful, smiling appearance felt only artificial.

Is it because I know the real face hidden behind it?

The moment I thought about it, Philia blushed and turned her head.

“Th-that kind of staring makes me embarrassed. We’re not looking for men today!”

“Yeah! Second sister, His Highness said! Men will take a break for a while!”

“I’ll become a proud woman who doesn’t tremble in loneliness!”

“Aria doesn’t know loneliness either!”

“Oh my, Aria is more mature than me!”

“Ahem…!”

…No need to worry.

I was about to leave, thinking it was roughly like that.

“Elder! Since you are also the guardian of the Cheeseburger Kingdom, you should know!”

Philia approached and whispered to me on tiptoe.

“The villains are quiet because they are plotting something?”

“…?”

When I narrowed my eyes and looked at Philia, I saw her slyly smiling with a mischievous look.

“You have to be careful. Especially when saving people.”

It was hard to just brush off her words.

But this cunning little brat turned her body as if she had no intention of saying anything more.

“Aria! Since there don’t seem to be any enemies here, let’s go somewhere else!”

“Huh? What about Pharos?”

“The elder seems to be busy!”

“Ugh… Got it…! Pharos! See you later…!”

Aria waved at me with a disappointed look, her eyebrows drooping.

Philia bowed her head, laughing foolishly.

I watched them as they walked away.

Thinking about the intention, only that word was clearly recognized.

‘Be careful?’

What does it mean?

* * *

I didn’t think Philia was talking nonsense.

Above all, the fact that she already knew I was trying to save people added to the credibility.

Without informing the Crown Prince in advance, I had investigated it behind the scenes. How could he know even that?

He seemed to be acting favorably, so I didn’t probe further, but his behavior gave me something to think about.

At that moment, his expression darkened.

“Soga-ju, are you not feeling well?”

“…Ah, I’m sorry, sister. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“Is something troubling you?”

“Just some work-related matters.”

What a breach of etiquette during mealtime.

When I apologized, my sister shook her head.

“If it’s a concern related to your duties, it’s fine. Knowing the weight of responsibility is something to be praised.”

She made me feel awkward again.

After showing a small smile, I asked.

“Oh, by the way, sister. How did the matter I asked you to look into go?”

“Are you referring to the matter of the Imperial Knight cadets?”

“Yes.”

Liam’s father is the current Imperial Knight.

At this point, Liam is following in his father’s footsteps, training as a cadet to become an Imperial Knight.

It’s not just Liam.

The other two, and a few knights from the war who are on the list, are also training as cadets now.

I had asked my sister to investigate them.

Did I mention that the people I gather will nominally become the Crown Prince’s personal guard?

We need to take that form so that Pharos can take full charge of their training and education without external pressure.

It could be called a method of raising troops through a kind of detour.

Anyway, that’s why I asked my sister to investigate.

Eventually, my sister nodded and gave her answer.

“It happens to be the time for the cadets’ graduation exam. I heard rumors that this year’s exam will be a martial arts competition with invited guests.”

“Ah, that’s perfect timing.”

“Are you planning to recruit the Crown Prince’s personal guard?”

“Yes, now that the coming-of-age ceremony is over.”

A martial arts competition.

Three cadets, including Liam, had this conversation.

―Back then, we were in the second year… but you know how it is with inviting external guests. If you show a good image, you can catch the eyes of the scouts, so even the lower grades had opportunities.

―Bullshit, only model students like you went. I couldn’t even go.

―Ruben, do you think they would have let someone like you, who barely attends, participate?

―……

―Anyway, it was quite a fun event. It would have been nice if the lieutenant had attended too. If so, our connection might have been faster.

For cadets, being called by a prestigious noble family was the highest honor, except for joining the royal knights.

For that reason, the enthusiasm of the cadets gets quite heated during external invitation dance competitions.

Why, isn’t it the time to directly converse with the nobles?

Nobles, being a bunch who love watching fights, often attended such events and picked cadets like shopping.

In other words, it was the easiest time to approach Liam.

So, it was the moment I decided to attend this time.

Suddenly, my sister came into view.

‘Come to think of it…’

Since the regression, we had many meals together, but we hadn’t spent time together on other schedules.

Even so, she’s my sister, but have I only faced her in a business-like manner?

Such thoughts made guilt slowly rise.

“Why are you like this?”

“Hmm, sister.”

“Yes, speak, young master.”

I slightly parted my lips.

Then, I calmed my mind and spoke.

“Would you like to go watch together? The dance competition.”

Then my sister’s eyes slightly widened.

A surprised look, but she didn’t seem to dislike it.

“Is it okay? It must be official duty.”

Why would someone with more official duties than me say that?

Feeling it was unnecessary modesty, I answered honestly.

“That’s why we should go together. You have a better eye for people than I do.”

A compliment in return.

I watched with some anticipation to see what kind of reaction would come, and indeed, a rather dramatic one emerged.

“…You flatter me. But if you need me, yes, I will go with you.”

My sister blushed.

It seems that people who like to praise others are indeed weak to praise themselves.

I replied with a smile.

“Yes, then I will shamelessly accept your help.”

“I will do my best.”

“To the best, then.”

An outing with my sister.

It was the first event of its kind before and after the regression.

* * *

A private house in the south of the capital.

In the living room of the two-story house, a young man, still not fully matured, was clenching his teeth with a sorrowful expression.

“Liam, I’m sorry.”

Looking at his father, who was smiling bitterly, Liam felt his insides churning.

He… Sir Corin was the most honorable knight Liam knew.

Indeed, a knight who excels in martial arts, knows the way, and is loyal is truly an honorable knight.

For that reason, he had always been Liam’s goal.

But,

“…I’m sorry, Father.”

Such a person was about to be dismissed because of him.

Liam felt his eyes grow hot.

It was then.

“Liam.”

“…Yes.”

“Keep your conviction.”

Corin hugged Liam.

With hands full of calluses, he patted Liam’s back and said,

“A knight does not yield to external pressure. So, there must be no such thing as accepting match-fixing while saying they will reinstate me.”

“…….”

“Answer me, Liam.”

Liam’s eyes squeezed shut.

What settled in his heart was helplessness and anger.

―”There is a cadet that His Highness the Second Prince has taken an interest in. It seems your opponent is him.”

―”Yes! I will do my best…!”

―”No, lose. How can His Highness’s knight lose in a public place?”

―”…!”

―”It seems Sir Corin of the 7th Knight Order is your father.”

A vile scheme.

How could those who call themselves knights resort to such tactics?

Liam could not bring himself to acknowledge such people.

But, the thought of his father, the most knightly of all, being dismissed because of him was even more unbearable.

“Liam…”

At his father’s worried expression, Liam couldn’t help but laugh.

“…Don’t worry, Father. I am your son, after all.”

What he uttered was a lie that even he found laughable.