Rising Flames

Each faction holds regular meetings.

When Marquis Falkion didn’t attend without any notice, the First Prince’s faction grew suspicious and sent people to the castle.

And they learned of the marquis’s death.

The news soon reached the royal palace.

“Who died?”

Illumina’s Queen Phillena asked with a puzzled expression.

“Marquis Falkion.”

“Did Rezhen invade or something?”

“No.”

“Then was he assassinated?”

“That’s not it either…”

“Stop being frustrating and speak quickly!”

The chancellor answered while breaking into a cold sweat.

“It’s a guild! The S-rank guild Named has occupied Marquis Falkion’s territory!”

“A guild? Mercenaries?”

For a moment, she doubted her ears.

“You’re saying the castle was taken by mere mercenaries?”

“Th-that is correct.”

“Do you think that makes sense?”

“The thing is…”

The chancellor hesitated, then spoke carefully.

“…They claim it’s royal contempt…”

“What kind of absurd nonsense is this!”

The situation was already noisy inside and outside the nation due to the succession war.

At this time when the royal candidates were returning, why was such ridiculous talk of royal contempt arising?

“Dispatch an investigation team immediately!”

“Who should…”

“Just send a duke!”

“Ah, yes!”

“Also tell the lords near the marquisate to ready their troops! Have them move as soon as the investigation ends!”

“Understood!”

The chancellor hurriedly left the bedroom, and Phillena called her lady-in-waiting to fix her makeup.

Though just over a month had passed since the state funeral, an unexpected death had flowed into the royal palace.

Like the wrinkles blooming around her eyes, it felt as if a strange crack had been drawn in the royal palace, making irritation surge up.

* * *

Pernok leisurely gazed at the knight order imprisoned in the dungeon.

“Do you think you’ll be safe doing this!”

A surviving member shouted while gripping the iron bars.

“You killed a noble, so you’ll have three generations…”

Pernok lightly flicked his hand and beheaded that member.

The head rolled and fell into the adjacent cell.

“Have I still not told you who I am?”

It was like the crying of a demon crawling up from hell.

The knight commander Joseph’s eyes wavered.

“Listen clearly. I am this nation’s bastard prince, Pernok.”

“Nonsense!”

“Commander! We need to escape from here!”

The knight order cried out, but Joseph couldn’t move at all.

He remembered the marquis’s final moment.

Those words about a bastard son.

“Noisy.”

When Pernok raised his hand, Joseph urgently shouted.

“Wait! Your…!”

“Your?”

“I deeply apologize for the rudeness toward Your Highness the Prince!”

When Joseph cried out while pressing his forehead to the floor, the knight order blinked.

“Prince?”

“Commander, what are you saying!”

Joseph swallowed dry saliva and shouted.

“This person is His Majesty’s bastard son!”

“What?”

“Didn’t you follow me to that village turned to ashes before! It was to conceal the traces of First Prince His Highness killing the bastard son!”

“…!”

“This person is the prince the marquis acknowledged!”

The knight order seemed to fall into shock and sank down where they stood.

Pernok looked down at Joseph raising his head.

“Do you want to live?”

He wanted to immediately break that pitiful neck struggling desperately to live.

After all, Joseph was also involved in the village cleanup.

But Joseph had utility value. He couldn’t kill him easily.

He’d work him to the limit, then make him die on the battlefield.

Harshly enough that the half-living in the Netherworld would look down laughing.

“Your skill reaching level 7, it’s a waste to let it rot like this. Though you put knight order members into the Fighting Pit…”

“It, it was the marquis’s orders!”

Joseph, who’d even dropped formalities at some point, thrashed in desperation to live.

“That doesn’t mean your sin in helping with that matter disappeared. You foolish bastard who drove territory residents to death and wasn’t satisfied with that, standing by while pocketing money. Is there a reason I should keep you alive?”

Joseph’s mouth went bone dry.

‘There was no need to exchange such questions and answers—he could have just killed me right away. But this guy wants to use me now. I need to prove I have value!’

Joseph shouted earnestly.

“I’ll serve Your Highness the Prince with my entire life!”

“Someone like you?”

“Th-though I can’t compare to Your Highness, there’s no knight in the vicinity who can handle me! Having assisted the marquis at his side, I’m thoroughly versed in methods to procure military strength and supplies!”

“For someone claiming various abilities, your cleanup was sloppy enough to have your name written in the ledger?”

“My life is in Your Highness’s hands anyway! But if I’m going to die, at least permit me to die fighting like a knight!”

“Who are you saying you’ll fight?”

“Your Highness’s enemies!”

“You’ll always fight at the forefront?”

“If Your Highness wishes it!”

“You’re pitifully attached to life. A knight commander who doesn’t even know shame.”

Joseph’s face flushed red.

“But I understand. You wouldn’t want to die as a loser. Your appearance trying to prolong life even wretchedly isn’t bad. But how can I trust mere verbal loyalty?”

“What?”

“Isn’t Marquis Falkion part of the First Prince’s faction? If I spare you, won’t I be unnecessarily keeping an enemy inside? There are subordinates who worry about that.”

“N-no! Though I was involved in the Fighting Pit, I only received all orders from the marquis! I’ve never seen the First Prince even once.”

“Words can say anything.”

Pernok grinned and set down a bottle containing red liquid before Joseph.

“Drink.”

“What is this…”

“It’s a contract that if you harbor hostility toward me or disobey orders, all your blood vessels will burst and you’ll die.”

“Su-surely not contract magic?”

It’s a type of special magic that’s established with the target’s consent regardless of level.

[Blood Binding Lv.5]

Establishes a blood oath with the target.

The target’s consent is absolutely necessary, and if they violate the oath’s conditions, the target dies.

It had considerable restrictions, so Pernok had buried this magic in his memory for a while.

Though the contract doesn’t establish with mages higher level than oneself, just having placed this on him would make Joseph fear and be bound.

“The contract holder is one of my guild members. And the moment he dies, you die too.”

Joseph gulped down dry saliva.

“Also, if you violate the conditions I mentioned earlier, you die. In exchange, I’ll spare you and the knight order members. Though of course you’ll have to manage them thoroughly.”

Literally meaning to work like a dog while offering even your soul.

“Offer your loyalty to me.”

Joseph grabbed the bottle with trembling hands.

After alternating looks between Pernok and the bottle, he squeezed his eyes shut and gulped down the blood in the bottle in one go.

‘A hunting dog to use and discard has been born.’

Pernok grinned widely.

Joseph set down the bottle and bowed his head to Pernok.

“I-I’ll devote my loyalty!”

“The knight order will be reorganized into a new system with my subordinate guild masters from now on. Your position will be vice knight commander, and depending on how much loyalty you offer, I promise even greater compensation.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Pernok opened the prison door.

Joseph walked out with a haggard complexion, and soon headed to where the members were confined.

Watching him desperately persuade the knight order members, Pernok laughed.

He’d finally grasped everything of Marquis Falkion’s territory.

* * *

The territory residents also knew what had happened during the night.

With soldiers being their family members, it wouldn’t make sense not to know.

Pernok summoned all the territory residents before the inner castle.

Thanks to even the VIP children stepping forward to urge them, the area before the inner castle teemed.

Pernok stood above and spoke.

“I am Illumina’s Prince Pernok!”

The territory residents’ murmuring cut off completely.

They’d heard from the soldiers but still couldn’t believe it.

No, they had no means to believe it at all.

Because anyone could claim to be king or god with words.

“I understand your disbelief! But think about it! If I weren’t royalty, how could I behead a noble’s neck and stand boldly in this place to introduce myself to you!”

Those words had merit, but there were many insufficient aspects to clear away disbelief.

Pernok had no intention of continuing clumsy persuasion either.

“But I didn’t call you to boast about myself. I wanted to bestow a good gift upon you who must be confused by last night’s disturbance.”

When Pernok snapped his fingers.

Commander Joseph, who’d sworn absolute obedience, appeared pulling a cart.

“This person is Illumina’s legitimate prince!”

When Joseph stepped forward to speak, the territory residents’ eyes widened.

“Hi-His Highness the Prince felt sorry for your hunger and bestowed provisions!”

Then, when knight order members distributed the food loaded on the cart, they gaped.

“Listen.”

Pernok’s resonance was low.

But it clearly reached the territory residents’ ears.

“It’s fine if you can’t trust me. However, I clearly convey my intention to govern this territory with the heart hoping your daily lives will be peaceful.”

Before they knew it, the territory residents all shook off their puzzlement and fixed their gazes on Pernok.

“When you’re struggling without even being able to pay taxes due to drought, how could I turn away from your poverty? I won’t collect taxes until the drought is resolved! Also, I’ll lend out the castle’s cattle and horses hoping your farming goes well, and distribute provisions once a week so you won’t be hungry, so don’t be afraid and come find me!”

And Pernok had the guild members open the castle’s storehouse.

While the territory residents went hungry, the storehouse was abundantly full.

“This fucking pig bastard. He was stuffing his face alone.”

“It’ll easily last a month.”

“Indeed. It’ll be more than enough to hold out until reinforcements arrive.”

Sallio and Enri also directly jumped into distribution.

The territory residents who hesitated at first also gradually looked around while taking provisions.

They lent cattle to those farming, and gave horses to those with difficulty transporting goods.

The confused public sentiment changed in one stroke to adoration toward Pernok.

Less than a week had passed.

“Your Highness, will you patrol again today!”

“I brought boiled potatoes, so please share them!”

The streets were filled entirely with territory residents welcoming Pernok.

They didn’t care whether Pernok was a prince or not.

They just hoped he’d continue governing this castle.

Pernok waved his hand to them and returned to the castle.

Familiar faces were waiting, forming a procession of carts.

“Your Highness! We’ve brought supplies!”

A-rank guild masters arrived carrying provisions and military supplies received from Rio.

“You’ve worked hard coming a long way.”

“Not at all. However, it looks quite peaceful for waging war.”

They’d already heard talk of the territory war.

“What do you think is a nation’s foundation?”

Enri grinned and answered.

“Obviously money.”

“Who earns that money?”

“People.”

“Right, the populace. Their labor is the driving force that makes the market run. I’ve invested in that.”

“Can you get it back?”

“Aren’t they lifting me up with cheers and respect now?”

“That doesn’t become food.”

“I have to make it so. By gathering even more people.”

Several shrewd guild masters understood Pernok’s meaning.

“The prominent royals are putting effort into diplomacy, but they’re turning away from the fact that the kingdom’s people are actually starving due to prolonged drought. They have other nations’ power, but to their own nation’s people, they’re just distant existences. I intend to become the most familiar person to such people.”

“While maintaining the current method?”

When Zodiac asked, Pernok nodded.

“I’m not simply waging territory war. That place will be filled with different people anyway. So I need to make the populace, who are the territory’s foundation, turn their public sentiment toward me.”

Recalling how Pernok had settled the territory while waiting for reinforcements, Sallio nodded.

“Did it help, Sallio?”

“Yes.”

After bestowing a title on Sallio, he’d carve out an appropriate territory and govern the territory residents in the same way.

Those cheers would ultimately gather to Pernok, and the newly founded nation would become solid.

“I’ll make this place the stronghold.”

Pernok distributed ledgers to the reinforcements.

“You guys go up from here and drag all the nobles written in the ledgers before me.”

“There are places that aren’t territories.”

“Confiscate even their assets.”

“Understood.”

And he spread out Illumina’s map before the guild masters.

Several regions were marked, all places where public sentiment was turbulent.

“These places have no nobles written in the ledger. But they’re the First Prince’s faction. They’re also very good places to win the people’s public sentiment after occupation.”

“But doesn’t that lack justification?”

“Tsk tsk, what did you learn while handling Rezhen’s royals?”

At Pernok’s cold words, the guild masters recalled those times.

“Ah!”

If there’s no justification, just create it. That reason can be very trivial.

Old grudges. Stale past.

Bring out everything to induce territory war.

“If we just watch and size up the situation, we’ll collapse like Rezhen’s princes too. Besides, they say a truth investigation team departed from the capital. It includes a Magus along with the kingdom’s royal guard knight order.”

“…!”

“Probably orders fell to nearby nobles too. To firmly prepare defenses and ready to gather troops.”

Pernok asked the guild masters with hardened expressions.

“Can you follow?”

It’s different from Rezhen’s princes.

If they don’t show ability, he’ll mercilessly send them back to the mountain range.

If they don’t gain merit, they also can’t have the positions they want.

With the clear-cut method, nobody thinks to step back.

“Three days. By then we’ll bring every single bastard written in the ledger.”

“We’ll create justification.”

Pernok gladly drew lines on the map.

When territories met reaching the marquisate, it formed solid defenses by itself.

“Two weeks.”

Pernok commanded resolutely.

“Occupy three places. If you exceed the time limit, I’ll act alone from then on.”

He’d lit a fire to the time battle.

The A-rank guild masters who once dominated Rezhen Kingdom split up and began hunts utilizing their individual characteristics.

“Then shall we go too?”

“Yes!”

Joseph, wearing a robe as if a leash had been caught, scurried along following Pernok.