Chapter 74

Episode 74: A Display of Power

There was no sense of exhilaration.

My body simply moved on its own, subduing each enemy as they came.

There was no need for brutal killings.
Had I done that, it could have tainted the name of Princess Valtluune.

“P-please, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“……”

They’d lost the will to even hurl insults. The ones who’d picked this fight were now trembling in fear, unable to move.

Why?
Why act like I was the one in the wrong?

All I did was defend myself from a threat.

I bent down and picked up a sword lying at my feet, then tossed it toward one of the cowering soldiers, who’d dropped to the ground sobbing.

The metallic clang echoed through the space.

The man’s eyes widened at the sound, completely confused about what had just happened.
How ridiculous.

“Pick it up. We’re not done yet.”

“P-pick it up…?”

“Yes. You were the ones who started this little show, weren’t you? Then it’s only proper you see it through to the end.”

Of course, I wasn’t serious.

They’d drawn their blades to hurt me—so if I returned the favor and inflicted a little pain of my own, no one would fault me.

As long as I didn’t kill them…

I’d make sure they’d never again raise their hands against Princess Valtluune—or me.

“Go on. Pick it up.”

“I can’t… I can’t do it!”

“If you don’t, well… I suppose I’ll have to take your life as compensation…”

“I-I’ll pick it up! Please, have mercy!”

He didn’t even bother questioning the contradiction in my words.

Pick up the sword and it’s hell. Don’t pick it up and it’s still hell.
There was never a choice to begin with.

There were still plenty of others left standing—or rather, frozen in place.

They couldn’t move. Paralyzed by fear.

But that wasn’t my concern.

“If you won’t come to me, I’ll just come to you.”

As soon as I shifted my gaze, the tension snapped.

And with it, they crumpled.

“””We’re sorry! Please, we beg you! Forgive us already!”””

Hmph. So that’s all they were.

These are the Empire’s soldiers? Knights? Nobles?

Just a collection of cowards.

Now I understood the full measure of the New Vanguard’s strength.

Their training was still in its early stages. Most of them were young.
Not just nobles—there were many commoners among them with little natural aptitude.

But with how quickly they were growing, they were already among the most capable in the Empire.

Once their command structure matured, they’d become a force to be reckoned with.

Compared to the sorry lot groveling in front of me, the difference was like heaven and earth.

“Ugh…”

“What a joke.”

If nothing else, this confirmed that Princess Valtluune’s judgment had been right.

No point continuing against such spineless opponents.

I quietly sheathed my sword.

“Hey! There are injured here—wait, what the hell happened!?”

A few figures, likely mages, rushed over in a panic.

They were probably sent by Princess Valtluune.
She must’ve known I’d win and sent them ahead to tend to the wounded.

Though knowing her, it wasn’t entirely out of mercy.

“See to their injuries. I don’t believe any of them are in life-threatening condition.”

“Y-yes! Um… who are you?”

Just as one of the female mages tried to ask, more footsteps approached.

“Al!”

I recognized her instantly.

Princess Valtluune was walking briskly toward us, worry written across her face—though it probably wasn’t me she was worried about, but whether there’d been any fatalities.

“What happened here?”

“Ah, just a bit of a friendly sparring session.”

“Friendly? It looks more like a disaster area.”

“Does it? This seems fairly standard to me.”

I replied nonchalantly, and after a moment’s thought, she nodded.

“I suppose so. It was you swinging the sword, after all.”

“Indeed.”

I gave her a courteous bow and glanced behind her.

As expected, Emperor Gload stood nearby, watching everything.

“Valt—Princess Valtluune, that is…”

I almost called her by name, but stopped myself just in time.
Calling her by her nickname in front of the Emperor would be… unwise.

It was a matter of decorum. I couldn’t risk it.

But apparently, that didn’t sit well with her.

“Al? I thought I told you—that name is mandatory.”

She shot me a sharp look.

She wanted a redo.

But calling her Luune in front of the Emperor? That might come across as disrespectful, even improper.

Even if she was fine with it, others might not be.

I hesitated.
My loyalty lay with her and her alone—but her position was too delicate.

“Val…”

“It’s Luune, Al. I won’t say it a third time.”

“My apologies. Would it be acceptable to reserve that for private occasions only?”

A desperate appeal. I knew it was selfish, but I was asking for just a bit of leeway.

I gave her a meaningful glance, hoping she’d understand.

But she refused to meet me halfway—averting her gaze with a clear message: she wouldn’t speak to me until I addressed her properly.

Just as I was starting to panic…

“Ha ha ha! Valtluune, don’t torment your poor knight too much!”

The Emperor let out a booming laugh.

Was it really that funny?

“This doesn’t concern you, Father. This is between me and him!”

Bold words.
Even to the Emperor himself, she didn’t back down.

Gload just chuckled again and nodded.

I see. That little exchange… was her way of removing the obstacle.

She was saying even the Emperor—her own father—had no say in this.

She understood what I was worried about.

Princess Valtluune stepped closer and took my hand.

“Al. You’re my knight. Mine alone. You only need to listen to me. You don’t need to worry about what anyone else thinks. Isn’t that right?”

I hadn’t forgotten.
Putting her first was a given. And just as I made her my top priority, she made me hers.

That’s why—
That’s why I had to respond to that trust, as her personal knight.

“…Understood. Luune-sama. Is that acceptable?”

“Of course. I said it was, didn’t I?”

With fallen soldiers scattered around us, the scene was grim.

Yet before me stood my radiant princess.

Any hesitation I’d felt dissolved in an instant.

“Let’s go home, Al. We’re done here, aren’t we?”

“Yes, as you command.”

Judging by how Emperor Gload reacted, I’d been acknowledged.

The demonstration had been a success.

And with that, Princess Valtluune’s reputation would only rise.

The nobles backing the anti-Valtluune faction would lose even more influence.

Just a bit more.
One last push, and she would become the next Emperor.

And that final blow was already in motion.

Everything was in place.

“Valtluune.”

“Father.”

“You’ve chosen well. With a knight like him at your side, I’ve no doubt you’ll become the guiding light of the Empire.”

“…Yes!”

That day is coming.

And until it arrives, I will stand beside her.

And even after it does—
I’ll keep fighting for her, forevermore.

I turned to follow Princess Valtluune as she spun on her heel.

And then, she glanced over her shoulder and said just one final thing—

With a proud, beaming smile:

“My Al… wasn’t even trying yet.”

The words silenced everyone present.