Chapter 71

“I am deeply concerned about the situation unfolding on the island of Britannia, but…”

The Duke of Saxony spoke.

“Our duchy is already stretched thin defending the imperial territories against the demonic forces’ great migration from the Demon King’s domain.”

He feigned regret. Yet his resolve was absolute: Saxony’s forces could not be sent to the British Isles.

“Heh heh, we fully understand that point as well. His Majesty is certainly not unaware of Your Excellency’s devotion to the Empire.”

Scarlet smiled as if she had expected it.

“What we desire is not the Saxon family’s military force, but the invincible mercenary company whose fame resounds across the entire continent… the Black Armor Company.”

Lady Scarlet addressed Dale, who stood guard beside the Black Duke’s throne.

“Under the command of that infamous ‘Black Prince,’ a legend in its own right, writing an unbeatable myth!”

“…….”

“His genius extends beyond swords and magic—he reads the battlefield and moves his ‘chess pieces’ to secure victory, a true master of military strategy.”

Lady Scarlet began to speak of Dale’s talents, which people whispered about.

“His military prowess, which annihilated the Hounds of the Sacred Sword in the Black-White Battle…”

The Hounds of the Sacred Sword. He continued, hiding neither his cold mockery nor his sneer toward his own allies.

“Against the traitorous faction of Britannia, would you not please unleash your full might for the Empire?”

At those words, a momentary hesitation flickered across the Saxon Duke’s face. He surely didn’t relish the idea of sending his son all the way to that island nation beyond the continent. Especially when internal enemies could strike from behind at any moment.

But retreat was not an option here.

The sacred maiden who champions the cause of independence against the Empire’s tyranny. The War of Independence of the Kingdom of Britannia. This was an opportunity absolutely not to be missed.

That was precisely the moment when Dale was about to nod in his father’s stead.

“Very well.”

Just then, the Black Ball opened its mouth.

“……!”

It was an unexpected acquiescence, one even Dale hadn’t anticipated.

“However, hiring Black Armor Company in a situation like this… as Lady Scarlet said… is akin to buying my son, who is said to be the empire’s greatest talent.”

With an unexpected addition even Dale hadn’t considered.

“He is a genius of military strategy, and in individual combat prowess, he dares to challenge the empire’s strongest warriors.”

“……”

The Black Knight continues. Like a doting father boasting about his proud child, he lays out a tale of his son that would make even the world-renowned Dale blush.

“Moreover, the heavy infantry of the ‘Black Armor Company’ are elite among elites, trained under the rigorous discipline of the Knights of the Night Crow.”

The Duke of Saxony continues.

“Even now, within the Duchy of Saxony, hundreds of candidates formally await their enlistment into the ‘Black Armor Company’.”

As tales of their exploits echoed throughout the empire and the company became a dream employer for mercenaries, soldiers from across the empire poured into the Duchy of Saxony to formally enlist in the Black Armor Company. Now, they are preparing to refine these enlistees, selecting the finest to forge the strongest heavy infantry unit.

It’s not without reason that existing mercenary companies feel their livelihoods threatened and show hostility.

“Is the Imperial Court prepared to pay the price required to hire them all?”

Moreover, the situation is what it is. The foe Black Armor Company will face isn’t the foot soldiers they’ve dealt with so far, but an independence army led by the Virgin of the Fortress. And that’s on an island at the eastern edge of the continent.

This was absolutely not something that could be resolved with a few pennies.

“It will require a fortune.”

Lady Scarlet smiled, understanding the implication.

“But to acquire the talents of Prince Dale…”

…she said it with profound significance.

“Even a thousand gold pieces would be a ridiculously low price.”

She accepted the Saxon Duke’s demand without even attempting to negotiate the price, accepting it all too readily.

“I’ll pay a fortune.”

“……!”

Lady Scarlet uttered an absurdly high sum that defied comparison with any mercenary company. It was a payment several times beyond the Duke of Saxony or Dale’s wildest imaginings.

“To acquire the talents of that very ‘Black Prince,’ such an expenditure is nothing at all.”

As if even that were easily bearable in the face of Dale’s talent.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Prince Dale?”

“……”

The heavy-armored infantry regiment of Dale, by Dale, for Dale. To acquire Black Armor Company is to acquire the ‘talent of the Black Prince’.

The fame of Black Armor Company had been spreading for years. He recalled countless tales of nobles who hired them when defeat seemed inevitable, only to achieve miraculous victories.

Sometimes those victories stemmed from Dale’s own strength, but the majority were strategic triumphs achieved by Dale maneuvering the ‘chess pieces’ at his command.

Black Armor Company’s capabilities extend far beyond its heavily armored infantry forces. Commanding the employer’s entire military contingent… with bold and precise judgment, he strikes like a dagger at the enemy commander’s weak point, securing victory. The tales of such ‘miraculous victories’ secured by Dale are already too numerous to count.

For it was precisely this capability—possessing “operational execution power surpassing that of the client,” as Dale had envisioned, and intervening in every operational process necessary for victory in war—that constituted Black Armor Company’s supreme value.

You couldn’t possibly be unaware of Dale’s reputation, which echoes endlessly day after day.

War Agency, Inc.

Now, the empire was preparing for war in the truest sense. And as commander-in-chief of that war, they were counting on the talents of the ‘Black Prince’.

It was an offer impossible to refuse.

That evening, in the Saxon Duke’s office.

“He agreed surprisingly readily.”

“It was an offer he couldn’t refuse anyway.”

The Black Count spoke in response to Dale’s words.

“And even if I had tried to refuse, you wouldn’t have agreed.”

As a father, he seemed to understand Dale better than anyone else. He hit the nail on the head.

“You, too, cannot spend your entire life holed up in the frozen wasteland of the Duchy of Saxony.”

The Duke of Saxony continued.

“It wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to experience the empire’s powerful forces firsthand there.”

Regardless of Dale’s will, clashes with the empire’s people would be unavoidable going forward. That was precisely why he needed to gain solid experience now.

The empire’s powerful figures, their true nature.

“Understood.”

That was the Duke of Saxony’s own resolve, and Dale had no reason to object.

“I will never betray my father’s expectations.”

The night was deep. In the deepening darkness, an unexpected shadow blocked Sepia’s path.

“Oh my, what do you know.”

“…….”

It was a blood-red witch, wearing a see-through red lace gown and smiling seductively.

“To meet Miss Sepia here of all places.”

“……Lady Scarlet.”

“Are you on your way to keep the Saxon prince company for the night?”

Sepia remained silent, finding the taunt beneath her worth responding to.

“Heh heh, the face of a female consumed by possessive jealousy.”

Scarlet continued, seemingly amused.

“Who would have thought the world’s most stubborn elf would end up with such a female’s face.”

As if he couldn’t contain his amusement.

“This only makes me even more unable to bear not knowing about Prince Dale’s technique.”

Sepia remained silent, saying nothing.

“The Snow Elf, renowned for being so noble and haughty.”

Yet Scarlet paid it no mind.

“Not content with being a disgrace to her clan, she’s been reduced to a concubine serving a human child at night.”

She made no effort to hide her blatant mockery.

“Mother… Queen Crystal must be deeply grieved.”

At that name, Sepia’s expression froze coldly.

“Is that not so, Princess Cristal?”

Cristal Princess. It was at that very moment. A bitterly cold chill, as if it could freeze everything, began to swirl around Sepia.

“Oh my, how frightening.”

Seeing this, Lady Scarlet hurriedly took a step back.

“Disappear from my sight immediately.”

“Heh heh, I know. I know.”

She exaggeratedly made a fuss.

“Then, for the sake of your cozy night together, this intruder will quietly slip away now.”

Turning her back, Lady Scarlet melted into the darkness beyond the hallway.

“…….”

Watching that scene, Sepia remained silent. Biting her lip amidst an uncontrollable agitation.

Several months later, around the time of Dale’s twelfth birthday.

A mobilization order was issued across the entire empire, gathering a large imperial force totaling nearly 40,000 troops.

Dale of Saxony, the Black Prince, and his ‘Black Armor Company’ also officially joined the Empire’s large-scale deployment. By then, they had grown into a heavily armored infantry unit of 500 men.

Additionally, some members of the Saxon family’s Oru Knights, including Charlotte, joined as ‘Black Armor Company officers’. Sepia, the 6th Circle elf mage, was no exception.

To assist their commander, Dale of Saxony.

The Imperial Army’s main force finally began its landing toward the island of Britannia.

Against the Britannian independence forces, gathered under the banner of the Holy Virgin Aurelia, the standard-bearer of the nation’s salvation.

“…Please do not show me mercy.”

Before the statue of the Sistine Sisters. Clutching the cross necklace in her hand, the Holy Maiden Aurelia knelt.

“Grant mercy and compassion only to those I must protect.”

It was a cross carved from wood, without a single adornment of gold or sparkling jewels.

A birthday gift from her deeply devout father long ago.

“Intelligence reports that a large contingent of Imperial forces has begun moving across the continent.”

It was at that very moment. Her aide-de-camp, the knight ‘Zil de L’, appeared at the chapel entrance. A large-scale deployment of Imperial forces. The worst-case scenario everyone had long feared was now becoming reality.

“It also appears the ‘Black Prince’ of House Saxon has joined the campaign as one of the Imperial Army’s commanders.”

On the island of Britannia, news from the continent rarely reaches them. Yet even so, she was not unaware of the eldest son of House Saxon, whose name echoed daily.

“To entrust such a heavy responsibility to a mere child.”

Gilles de Léger tilted his head in apparent confusion.

“I, too, was merely a ‘peasant’s daughter’.”

“My lady…”

“What meets the eye is not all there is to this world.”

Yet not a trace of complacency could be found in the expression of the Holy Maiden Aurelia.

“Even if the eldest son of the House of Saxony is young, that is no reason for us to be careless.”

A twelve-year-old child and the daughter of a serf. Who could dare to dismiss the Virgin of the Castle as merely the daughter of a lowly serf?

The eldest son of the Saxon family, the Black Prince, would be no exception.