To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 196

If only the troops would side with Count Esteban, we could at least extract some intelligence as we did ten years ago.

Kazef ground his teeth.

Ten years ago, during the Hundred-Year War, they had used a method where Eric Scadugard would extract Count Esteban’s battle strategies and invasion routes in full and deliver them directly to Gauwe’s side—but now, the troops were being split into groups of just two or three and dispatched across Castarti’s entire border.

To make matters worse, the forces noble allies loyal to him had promised to send were now being called off entirely… Good grief, this practically forced him to rely entirely on Prince Gauwe.

At this rate, he felt he wouldn’t even have the face to look the prince squarely in the eye.

While Kazef let out a low groan, Claude, standing before him, deftly plucked the crumpled dispatch from the Emperor’s hand. Indeed, the contents were grave enough to make even the Emperor bow his head.

Yet, for the Emperor to appear so lacking in composure before a prince from a fallen kingdom—Claude suppressed the frown threatening to crease his brow and instead affected an air of calm.

“The Grand Duke may be playing his cards cleverly enough, but that fool won’t realize that every word spoken in the council is being relayed directly to Your Majesty. He’ll undoubtedly believe any strategies or tactics discussed there are genuine.”

“That may be so…”

Could it be true, that positions shape people? His father now looked utterly dejected, completely lacking the dignity he once carried upon the throne, speaking hesitantly and withholding words. Claude glanced briefly at the prince and spoke.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty.”

Just moments earlier, the prince had been scowling, but now he leaned forward toward Claude.

In the prince’s eyes, it seemed, Claude now appeared far more trustworthy than the Emperor himself.

He’s a decent fellow, that one. Claude sneered inwardly at the prince, who, upon retaking Castarti, would surely test which of the two—his father or himself—held the upper hand.

Then, slowly turning his head as if to survey the knights standing behind the prince and the troops stationed below, he continued.

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