Royal Road
Chapter 218
Chapter 218
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 218: Famous (1)
***
From the next day on, people began flocking to the mansion.
The number of visitors was far greater than when Damien won a single match in the Helian Tournament.
And it wasn’t just the quantity that was different. The quality of the visitors also took a significant leap.
“I am from the House of Willoughby. I have a letter to deliver to Sir Damien…”
“I am a knight of the House of Corsaka. I would like to see Sir Damien in person.”
Even the influential families of the empire came to visit Damien.
These were families with a solid foundation, having long been loyal to the empire.
Even in the name of Duke Lichteawer, it was difficult to drive them out.
As a result, Damien had no choice but to come out and greet the guests.
Among the guests who came to see Damien, there was a familiar face.
“Sir Damien, thank you for your time…”
It was Bradley Heath.
Unlike their first meeting, Bradley Heath looked completely deflated.
It was as if a large bear had flattened its fur and was huddled up as tightly as possible.
Damien glanced at Bradley’s abdomen. It was thickly wrapped in bandages.
“Your injury must be severe. Are you already able to move around?”
“I can’t just lie down after all, when I haven’t even thanked you properly.”
Bradley bowed his head immediately.
“Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I would be meeting my ancestors in the afterlife by now.”
Bradley’s voice trembled faintly.
“To help me, someone I was rude to from the very beginning… Sir Damien, you are truly a model of a knight. I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life!”
Damien couldn’t help but smile wryly.
The reason Damien saved Bradley was simply because he felt sorry for him.
It was true that his first impression wasn’t good, and he was annoying. But that didn’t mean he could just let him die.
‘I wish I could have saved the other two as well.’
Before encountering them, you couldn’t know what kind of abilities the death knights had.
Because of that, Damien couldn’t clearly assess the danger of Everis.
And he didn’t expect a Master Class of the empire to die so easily from a single sword.
For those reasons, he couldn’t stop the two from dying.
“I sincerely hope you will visit Marquisate of Heath. I will welcome you at any time.”
“I will try to visit when I have the time.”
“Please, please do.”
Bradley gripped Damien’s hand tightly and urged him several times.
“Well, I’ll be going now. And Lady Rachel.”
Bradley looked at Rachel, who was sitting next to him.
Rachel had been sitting quietly beside him the whole time, not joining in the conversation. After all, she was the mistress of this mansion.
“Why are you doing this?”
Rachel asked in a puzzled tone. Bradley looked at her without saying a word.
“If you say anything else strange, I’ll kick you out.”
Rachel spoke in a wary voice as the atmosphere became strangely awkward.
Suddenly, Bradley burst into tears. Pearly tears trickled down from his large eyes.
“Ah, I will cheer you on from afar for your beautiful love!”
Bradley shouted loudly and ran out of the reception room.
Damien and Rachel exchanged bewildered looks at the unexpected visit.
***
The visits finally ended around dusk.
“It seems like all the famous families have come and gone now.”
“That’s a relief.”
Damien said it sincerely. He was exhausted from doing something that didn’t suit his nature.
“Then from tomorrow on, you can handle it on your own.”
Rachel asked with a puzzled expression at Damien’s words.
“But Damien, don’t you like to build connections? Knights from other kingdoms get restless when they visit the capital and can’t meet other nobles.”
There were quite a few knights from other kingdoms who wished to be affiliated with the empire. They would try everything they could to get in line with the empire’s nobles.
“What’s the point of caring about that when I’m not even going to live in the empire?”
Damien said as if he didn’t care.
Damien didn’t have any particular romanticism about the empire. It was enough if they could help each other when fighting against Pandemonium.
Moreover, since his family was all in the Apple Kingdom, he couldn’t settle in another place.
“Ah… you don’t have any plans to stay in the empire?”
Rachel said with a shocked expression.
“When did I ever say I was going to live in the empire?”
“You never did. But still, most knights want that… so I thought you would naturally do the same.”
Rachel said with a regretful look.
“I think I’ll miss you a lot if you go back to the Apple Kingdom.”
A faint smile appeared on Rachel’s lips. Damien looked at her silently.
“Because you can’t steal my skills anymore?”
“Oh, how did you know?”
“You keep grabbing people and asking them questions, so how could I not know?”
While staying at the mansion, Damien had been wholeheartedly training Rachel.
It was in preparation for the possible war of destruction that was to come.
“Even the House of Lichteawer should have plenty of Master Classes affiliated with them. Learn from them.”
“I’d rather learn from you than what they would teach me.”
“That’s just because you’re not learning well.”
Just then, someone opened the door to the reception room and entered. It was David, Rachel’s personal butler.
“Lady, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest at this hour? Just turn them away.”
It was almost dinner time. There was no time to receive guests. Even if the guest was a high-ranking noble.
“That’s…”
David made a troubled expression.
“Who is it?”
“The First Prince has arrived.”
At those words, both Damien and Rachel’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“What should we do?”
“…Let him in.”
A moment later, a young man entered the reception room with a knight in tow.
“Thank you both for allowing me to meet you!”
The young man said with a hearty laugh.
The First Prince, Kael Adelard, was a man who could charm anyone with his robust physique, good looks, and cheerful laugh.
“This is my knight attendant. Greet each other.”
The knight simply nodded with a sullen expression.
“I am truly honored to meet you like this. I was also at the Colosseum the day you were fighting, Sir Damien. I watched your performance from my father’s side.”
The First Prince showered Damien with praise as soon as he saw him.
“That refined swordsmanship! The swift movements! It was all so amazing that I can’t forget it!”
“You’re overpraising me.”
Damien’s response was lukewarm.
At this, the knight who accompanied the First Prince frowned. It seemed that Damien’s behavior was not to his liking.
“So I see you’re a man of few words.”
However, unlike the knight, the First Prince showed no signs of displeasure.
“Then let’s get to the point. I have a very important request to make of you.”
The First Prince said with a very serious expression.
“How about you join me in climbing to the top of the empire?”
***
Upon hearing the First Prince’s words, Damien fell into thought for a moment.
‘Rachel was right. The succession war is not yet finalized.’
Before the First Prince entered, Rachel had strongly advised Damien.
– The First Prince will definitely try to pull you under his wing.
– The empire is currently in a fierce battle for the throne between the First Prince and the Second Prince.
– Neither side has the upper hand, so they’re desperate to increase their allies.
– You’re practically a hero of the empire right now. You’ve saved the empire’s prestige by single-handedly defeating the Pandemonium who disrupted the tournament.
– Be sure to refuse. There’s nothing good that will come from getting involved in this complicated fight.
When he first heard that, Damien couldn’t help but be surprised.
This was because in his previous life, the First Prince had already been appointed Crown Prince a long time ago.
‘So I was half and half, but… it was true.’
It was welcome news for Damien. This was because the First Prince was an extremely incompetent person.
During the War of Destruction, his reckless commands resulted in the deaths of countless soldiers and knights.
And in the end, he even sold out the empire’s important secrets in order to save his own life.
He had revealed information about the Extermination Squad’s next operation area.
As a result, the Extermination Squad, including Sword Saint was caught in Dorugo’s trap.
On that day, Damien annihilated the Extermination Squad and killed Sword Saint.
‘But why has the future changed?’
Damien was puzzled by that. Was there anything he had done that could have affected the imperial succession?
“Sir Damien, why do you look so unhappy?”
The First Prince asked, staring at Damien intently.
“It’s nothing. So, you want me to support you?”
“That’s right. With you on my side, I have nothing to fear. My disgusting younger brother…”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to get involved in the empire’s affairs.”
All Damien wanted was the annihilation of Pandemonium. He had no intention of getting involved in the empire’s power struggles.
Above all, he didn’t like the idea of supporting a scumbag like the First Prince.
“…I’m a bit embarrassed because I didn’t think this would happen.”
The First Prince asked with an apologetic expression.
“Is it because the conditions are uncertain? If you support me, I promise you my right-hand man position.”
“No, it’s not that. I just don’t want to get involved in your fight.”
Damien’s cold refusal hardened the First Prince’s expression slightly.
“…Sir Damien, I am a prince of the empire.”
“I know.”
“You can gain all the power if you join me.”
“I suppose so.”
“But if you refuse my request… you may face misfortune accordingly.”
Rachel was furious at what was essentially a threat.
“Your Highness! Sir Damien is a guest of Duke Lichteawer! Watch your words!”
“My apologies. But I think we need to make this clear.”
The First Prince looked at Damien intently and asked.
“Sir Damien, are you prepared to be my enemy?”
Whether he would be an ally or an enemy.
Damien chuckled at the demand to decide on the spot.
“You should save that threat for when you ascend the throne, Your Highness.”
***
The First Prince’s expression hardened instantly.
Just moments ago, Damien had openly mocked the First Prince. It was meant to convey that he had no fear of the words of a mere prince who was not even an emperor.
“How dare you make such insolent remarks to His Highness!”
The knight erupted in anger on behalf of the First Prince.
“A knight from a small, insignificant country dares to be so arrogant! I’ll make you kneel before His Highness right now…”
“Enough.”
The First Prince raised his hand. The knight had no choice but to shut his mouth.
“I see there’s no point in trying to persuade you to join me. Let’s just end this here.”
The First Prince said as he rose from his seat.
“But remember this one thing. From today on, you and I are enemies.”
The First Prince left the reception room without looking back.
The knight glared at Damien as if he was going to kill him, and then followed the prince out.
“Whew…”
As soon as the two left, Rachel let out a deep sigh.
“You… did you really have to say that?”
“I can’t help but get annoyed by things like that.”
Damien just laughed at Rachel’s concern.
In this world, there was only one absolute truth. The strong were treated with respect.
Even the emperor couldn’t mess with the Imperial Supreme Sword and Sword Saint. That was how strong they were.
And Damien was confident that he would soon be in the same level as those two.
‘Let’s see if he can still act the same way later.’
***
“That damn country bumpkin!”
The First Prince exploded in anger as soon as he returned to the palace.
“What? Don’t be rude! Who does he think he is, lecturing me?”
The First Prince stomped around, throwing things. The knight waited until the First Prince’s anger subsided.
“If you wish, I can deliver that man’s head to you, Your Highness.”
The knight said with a confident face. However, the First Prince shook his head.
“No, there’s no need for that. I’ll punish him myself. I’ll make sure he understands what it means to anger a member of the imperial family!”
At that moment, the First Prince made a vow to use all his power to destroy the knight named Damien Haksen.
However, the First Prince’s plan was completely shattered in less than a week.
It was the day Damien Haksen was invited to the palace by the emperor.
The emperor knelt before Damien.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]