“Young Viscount! It, it’s a big problem!”

“What on earth is the matter?”

He urgently sought out his lord, Leonard, with a frantic voice.

At that moment, Leonard, who had been lying in ambush at the rear with his knights, appeared and answered with a disinterested voice. The messenger immediately dismounted, paid his respects to him, and then whispered the information.

“What? Is that true?”

Leonard’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing the information from the messenger.

With a pale face, Leonard asked the messenger again as if he couldn’t believe it. Then, he received a letter from the messenger and hurriedly rode his horse to approach Duke Yusten and said,

“Duke, I just received unbelievable news from the messenger.”

“Unbelievable news? What is it, Viscount Leonard Blake Klein?”

“The, the warriors of two barbarian tribes have already crossed the imperial border!”

“Wh-what…! Where on earth did those bastards cross over!”

Duke Yusten exclaimed in shock. Leonard continued with a miserably distorted expression.

“…They crossed the Tara Gorge in the Anatolia Mountains. It seems their target wasn’t Alpens Castle, but Denaon Castle.”

“Damn it! Why on earth did they…! Ha, Viscount! Order the mage to bring a scroll to teleport to Denaon Castle immediately!”

Upon hearing his words, Duke Yusten also panicked, not knowing what to do, with a pale face. Leonard shook his head with a complicated expression as he watched him.

“…It’s already too late. Those barbarians have already been subjugated, and the two chieftains who led them are now being escorted to the capital as prisoners.”

“What? Subjugated! Who on earth managed to stop their surprise attack!”

The Duke asked. Leonard answered with an expression as if he was chewing on an insect.

“…Duke Elliot Francis Haven and his White Lion Order. They say they prevented the barbarians’ surprise invasion.”

“…Im-impossible. Ha-Haven? That kid, I mean, the Duke? How on earth did he know and stop them!”

Duke Yusten raised his voice in shock. He couldn’t believe it. No, he didn’t want to believe it. He trembled all over from the great shock.

Leonard poured out more shocking facts that would further agitate him.

“That’s not all. It seems… the news that Haven Duke brilliantly prevented the barbarians’ surprise attack has reached His Majesty’s ears. His Majesty was reportedly unable to hide his amazement at the Duke’s achievements, and… has ordered our allied forces to stop the operation immediately and return.”

“…This can’t be.”

“This is His Majesty’s imperial edict containing that order.”

Leonard handed the emperor’s edict to the Duke with a gloomy expression.

Duke Yusten unfolded it with trembling hands. The short sentence ordering the return and the emperor’s seal stamped below it were clear. It was the moment when his hope that this wasn’t true, that this letter was fake, became futile. Duke Yusten violently vented his frustration, striking his armored knee with his bare hand.

“Damn it! Curse it! Did that worm-like viscount actually deceive me?”

The Duke frowned fiercely and kept snorting.

At the Duke’s shout, the gazes of the allied knights all gathered on him. Aware of those gazes, the Duke forcibly swallowed his anger. It was obvious that venting his frustration here would only damage his reputation. The Duke barely opened his mouth, which wouldn’t move, and said to Leonard,

“…Show this letter to Earl Atley over there as well. And tell the adjutants immediately that the operation has been cancelled and to hurry with the preparations for return.”

“…Yes.”

Leonard answered lifelessly to the Duke’s words.

Soon, the emperor’s letter was also delivered to Earl Atley. The allied knights in the camp whispered among themselves, confused by the sudden change in the situation.

A few hours later, Duke Yusten set out for the capital leading his troops.

His face at the vanguard was filled with despair and resentment, like that of a defeated general.

In that appearance, not a trace of the triumphant look he had just a few hours ago, like a victorious general, could be found.

Two days after Duke Haven successfully prevented the attack of the Rugl and Yalta tribes, in the central imperial palace of the empire’s capital.

Empress Maria convened a noble council. The members of the noble council gathered one by one in the main palace conference room called the ‘Goddess’s Room’. Seated at the head of the table, the Empress looked over the faces of the nobles gathered around the long table and spoke in a solemn voice.

“As you may have already heard, recently two barbarian tribes crossed our empire’s southern border intending to invade our empire. Having received intelligence in advance, I sent secret investigators to determine which castle they would invade. However, we couldn’t figure it out.”

“……”

“But then, didn’t Duke Yusten somehow grasp my intentions and claim he had found out their invasion route and could prevent their invasion? I was greatly pleased with the Duke’s words and even personally lent him my knightly order. …But then.”

The Empress paused briefly and turned a chilling gaze towards Duke Yusten. Then she continued in a voice as cold as her gaze.

“Duke Yusten’s prediction was spectacularly wrong. As a result, my knights and I were greatly humiliated. Is that all? My beloved imperial subjects were almost violated by those barbarians. …Do you have anything to say about that, Duke?”

Duke Yusten spoke with his head bowed low.

“I am ashamed, Your Majesty. By believing information that wasn’t properly verified and acting rashly, I almost ruined everything.”

“Yes, you did. The Duke should engrave this incident in his bones and reflect thoroughly.”

“…I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

The Duke apologized again and bowed his head to the Empress. The Empress looked at the Duke with a gaze as if he was pathetic and said to him,

“Duke Yusten need not attend the next month’s regular noble council. Stay at your mansion during that time, and reflect on this mistake, turning it over and over in your mind.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Duke answered the Empress’s words through gritted teeth. His face, with the tips of his ears bright red, was flushed with shame and humiliation that he couldn’t fully suppress.

The Empress coldly turned away from him and looked at Duke Haven Elliot, seated to her right, and said,

“In contrast, Duke Haven protected my empire with excellent foresight and insight. Indeed, if you and your White Lion Order hadn’t stepped in at the right time, what would have happened? Your contribution to this incident is great.”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty. I merely fulfilled my duty as a duke and a knight of this empire.”

Elliot responded to the Empress’s words with a humble attitude. The Empress looked at the young duke’s face with an affectionate gaze, as if proud, and said,

“And such a humble attitude! I could praise you all day today and it wouldn’t be enough. …I’m proud of you, Elliot. How happy your father and mother in heaven would be if they could see you like this!”

“…You flatter me again, Your Majesty.”

“I will never forget this incident.”

The Empress patted the back of Elliot’s hand with an affectionate touch. Then she turned to her vassals with a stern face.

“In that sense, I intend to bestow upon the Duke the Platinum Medal and Welt Castle in the south of the empire. What do you think?”

At those words, the nobles who sided with Duke Haven let out low exclamations, while Duke Yusten and Duke Klein’s faction nobles, who had been silent like criminals, gasped.

Such a reaction was natural. Welt Castle in the south of the empire possessed the empire’s largest orichalcum mine, which all nobles with knightly orders coveted without exception. If it fell into Duke Haven’s hands, it was obvious that the already wealthy duke would become even wealthier.

Finally, unable to contain himself, Duke Yusten slammed his palm on the table and shouted urgently,

“Your Majesty! Of course, the Duke’s contribution to this incident is significant, but isn’t it a bit excessive to bestow Welt Castle as a fief to commemorate this incident!”

“Huh, excessive? Fine. Then shall I take away one of Duke Yusten’s territories and give it to the Duke instead of Welt?”

“…Yo-Your Majesty!”

“If you don’t like that, Duke, then keep your mouth shut.”

The Empress rebuked in a cold voice. Duke Yusten tightly closed his mouth, seemingly indignant. His clenched fist, hidden under the table, trembled again with humiliation.

“Then I’ll adjourn today’s regular noble council. Only Duke Haven remain, everyone else withdraw.”

Meanwhile, the Empress declared the end of the meeting to her vassals.

The nobles who sided with Duke Haven left the conference room with bright faces. In contrast, the nobles who sided with Duke Yusten and Duke Klein dragged their feet out like defeated soldiers, following behind them.

Duke Yusten, who was the last to leave the ‘Goddess’s Room’, strode quickly across the palace corridor, inwardly venting his frustration.

‘Damn… Curse it! Damn it!’

He had wasted no small amount of money moving his knightly order because of this incident.

That alone was enough to make him unbearably angry, but not only did he lose the Empress’s trust and suffer great humiliation because of it, but Welt Castle, which he had been eyeing, also fell into the hands of that kid-like Haven.

All of this was because of that guy, Viscount Miles. For some unknown reason, it was certain that he had passed false information to him and true information to Duke Haven.

“…That rat-like bastard dares to do this to me? I won’t let him get away with it.”

He would also hold his niece, Christine, somewhat responsible for letting things come to this.

Duke Yusten muttered in a voice full of murderous intent as he made that decision.