The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 311: Disguised Departure

The 6th Corp Captain, Lambert is a tan man.

He is in his early thirties.

Born as the fourth son of a rural noble house, he has little to no chance of succeeding his house. With that being the case, Lambert aimed to climb through the ranks of the Imperial Army. However, when he was recognized for his aptitude with the Divine Falcons, he decided to follow the path of a Falcon Knight.

Lambert who joined the 6th Corp gradually advanced his career by contributing to the Empire through various liaison and reconnaissance missions.

However, what he has always requested was a chance for him to fight on the frontline

He believes that the 6th Corp is the strongest air force on the continent and in fact, that is not overconfidence. However, people only tell the stories of the Griffon Knights and the Dragon Knights.

The Falcon Knights who never appeared on the battlefield were never recognized as the strongest.

Thats why this dispatch is like a wish comes true for him.

Of course, he might have other reasons to be on the battlefield though.

Let us rout the Dragon Knights of the United Kingdom Your Highness.

You sure are reliable. Still, I have one thing to say before we head out.

What is it?

Our mission is to assist Leo. That is our primary mission. Keep that in mind.

Naturally. There is no need to remind me.

Is that really true? Dont you want to take revenge for your friend?

Lambert turned silent.

Lambert had a close friend. He was the same age as him and a fellow Imperial Knight Captain, Captain Oliver.

Lambert was on the North border during the rebellion in the Imperial Capital. He was there to immediately relay the news of the Dominions expected invasion.

Lambert knows that such a mission is the job of the 6th Corp but he cant help but wish he were in the Imperial Capital at the time.

Olivers body was eventually discovered with a large number of swords stabbed inside. He literally used his entire body to stall the rebels for us.

However, the direct cause of his death was a wound he received in his abdomen. A surprise attack from behind him.

Raphael, the traitorous Imperial Knight Captain was the one who inflicted that wound on him. And right now, Raphael is currently serving Gordon.

We might encounter him once we joined the northern front.

When such a time arrives, can Lambert stay composed?

is it wrong to desire revenge for my close friend

I am not saying that its wrong. That feeling is natural. But Oliver was acting as an Imperial Knight until the end. He did what he could for the sake of the Empire. If you abandon your mission and run off to avenge him, you would betray Olivers feelings.

I understand that but..

If you understand then its fine. You are a Captain of the Imperial Knight Order. Once you have fulfilled your mission, you can have your revenge. I have no complaint as long as the mission is successful.

Your Highness..

To be honest, if we meet him then I would like to punch him once myself. If you found Raphael then do it for me. Well, we are prioritizing the mission though.

It is useless to tell someone to control their feelings. Surely when the time comes, their body will move on its own.

In that case, it would be better if the person himself recognized that feeling. Still, I do have something that I can not compromise. This mission needs to be successful.

If he can do that then I wont complain.

However.

Even so, you must never be defeated. Of all the Imperial Knight Captains, one has already died and one has betrayed us. Many Captains are away from the Imperial Capital as well. If we lose any more than this, it will be difficult to guarantee Fathers safety.

Understood. I shall engrave Your Highnesss words into my heart.

Saying so, Lambert quietly bowed.

The Next Day.

I was going to depart yesterday but the Prime Minister told me to wait.

Since he was saying that he is gathering more elites for the force, I have nothing to do but pick something that looks like it can be used from Minister Cubers stash and try them out.

And the unit that responded to the Prime Ministers call was someone unexpected.

We heard that Your Highness is going to depart to the frontline so we literally flew to your side you know.

The Prime Minister is also unexpectedly overprotective huh. Not only the Imperial Knights, I never thought that he would dispatch you guys as well.

There was a unit of about 100 strong in front of me.

Their leader was a person I knew well.

Its the Commander of the Narbe Ritter, Colonel Lars.

Apparently, the Prime Minister summoned 100 Narbe Ritters just for me.

The Narbe Ritters main mission is to defend the central part of the Empire. Since we do not know when and which army division would rebel, they are highly trusted in this situation.

Thats why they were kept close to the Central Part of the Empire.

Even if it is just a hundred of them, for him to include Colonel Lars for me as well is quite gracious.

Ever since that day, everyone wanted to fight under Your Highnesss command. We leave our lives in your hands, Your Highness.

I did take commands of your guys during the rebellion though?

At that level, we cant say that you took command of us at all. Everyone is looking forward to serving you, Your Highness.

Id like you to stop saying that if possible though.

With that said, I shrug and prepare a black hooded cloak.

Obviously, I am officially still in a coma.

I cant be careless and let anyone know the truth.

Alright, lets head out. First, we will head west. The enemy has eyes in the Imperial Capital after all. We will pretend to march to the west until nightfall.

So the plan is to use the cover of darkness to move to the north, correct?

Thats how it is. We have quite a few things that we have to bring along after all. Lets pretend that this is a transport mission.

Saying so, I point to several nearby carriages. They are all packed with Cubers inventions.

There were many failed works but I picked out some that seem useful depending on the situation.

Has the 6th Corp already gone ahead?

Thats right. It would be too noticeable if we act together after all. We will meet them in the North. Sebas, I will leave watching our surroundings to you.

Certainly, sir.

Saying so, Sebas disappeared without a sound.

We will sniff out the enemys suspicious moves and have Sebas follow up for us.

Well, even without Sebas, it would be hard to keep track of the Narbe Ritters movement.

The Narbe Ritter is a unit that has a high level of training, they can handle any missions be it a frontal battle or a covert operation.

No one would dare to take the risk and pursue us. After all, keeping track of the movements inside the Imperial Capital is also an important mission for the enemy. If they do not have enough resolve to lose their unit then they will not dispatch anyone to follow the Narbe Ritter that is clearly heading to the West.

Even so, with the 6th Corp and the Narbe Ritter, it seems that failure is not tolerable this time huh.

Since you have no plan to fail, please stop pretending to be worried, Your Highness.

Oi Oi, Im not that confident you know? I really do think that I might fail here.

Your expression begs to differ, Your Highness. I can clearly see that you are thinking about ways to deceive our enemy.

Dont say it like I am some kind of scammer.

Personally, I think the word scammer would still be too kind though. So, how do you plan to move this time, Your Highness? If it is alright, can you please share it with me?

Its nothing much. Well, I will explain it along the way. I need you alls strength to pull it off anyway.

Saying so, I try to climb up on horseback.

However, I was stopped by a knight who rushed over in a panic.

Your Highness! His Majesty wanted Your Highness to visit him before you depart!

Haa? I have already greeted him before I left right?

That is the case but..

The knight looked troubled.

Theres no point troubling him any more than this huh.

Alright. I will go.

I said so and headed to the castle.

Inside the Throne Room.

There was only me and Father.

And the reason for my summon is probably this big war banner.

The banner has a black and a white sword crossing over a red background.

Its a war banner that I have never seen before.

Are you saying that you want me to take this with me?

.its the same as Leonards war banner but the color scheme of the sword is the opposite of his.

Did you make it by mistake?

It was deliberate, you fool. I made it for you to use during ceremonies.

Youve made something troublesome again.so I have to bring it with me?

Thats right.

I wont be leading any army and nobody would be able to tell the difference on the battlefield you know?

Use it however you want. Just bring it with you.

Father doesnt allow any objection.

Seeing him like that, I muttered.

After all this time, you are getting worried?

I am worried. Since I have to send you to a battlefield after all this time, I thought that I should have forced you to learn more about warfare in the past.

After all this time huh.

Indeed.

The silence continues for a while.

Father is sitting on the throne like an Emperor but his face belongs to that of a father.

When the Prime Minister is not around, he shows his soft side from time to time.

It wasnt until the Crown Prince passed away that I began this aspect of his.

Zandra has already died as well.

It could be said that his children are going to keep dying steadily like this.

However.

-I am a member of this Imperial Family. And you are the Emperor.

..I know.

Then it couldnt be helped right. I think that Father already knows but Oliver was apologizing to you, you know. He must have felt responsible for what happened.

Yeah, I heard. Traugott and Christa told me.

That was what our Imperial Family has done. Everything is our responsibility. But instead, an Imperial Knight felt that he was responsible for escalating the rebellion. Its a funny story. It is the soldiers, the knights, and the citizens who ended up dying but their grudges filled voices never reached us. They were all saying that it was all Gordons fault.

Right

But the people are watching us. The soldiers and the knights are also watching us. Surely, such thoughts are still inside them. We should solve this incident as quickly as possible with all the power that the Imperial family can muster with our own blood and lives on the line. You are the Emperor and I am your son, it is only natural that I would be on the frontline.

I might have bought that if it was the others. But you have abandoned such obligations so far and continued to be ridiculed for that. It is too strange that you are citing such an obligation now. Even if you start doing it now, the insults you received in the past will not disappear. Dont you feel bitter? Dont you feel saddened by it? Dont you think that such a thing is unreasonable?

Those words were probably Fathers true feelings.

The Imperial Family is respected because of our bloodline and the obligation we carry.

Since I abandoned such obligations, I was ridiculed.

Thats why I understand why he finds it strange that I am now bound by those obligations.

However.

Everything was my choice. I abandoned my responsibility and obligations so I was called the Dull Prince. That is no one elses fault. And this time, I chose to be on the frontline. I chose to do it because I felt obliged to. But I am heading out to the battlefield for the sake of the Empire. I am doing this for the sake of the people who are close to me and my family. I-dont want to see a future where my own family and the people close to me have to apologize in their last moments.

Thats the reason I choose to go.

With that said, I bowed to Father and turned back.

Seeing me leave, Father raised his voice.

good luck.

Please look forward to the good news, Your Majesty.

Saying so, I left the throne room and departed from the Imperial Capital.