Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!-Chapter 58: The Crown Prince’s Campaign

How the hell had it come to this?

Why was I standing in the middle of an audience hall before the Grand Duke, the Crown Prince, and every minister? No matter how you looked at it, this was a punishment game. I felt like a low-level employee at the company I used to work for, suddenly asked to brief the executive board.

I recalled what had happened a short while ago.

I’d handed over the captured Rafel executive and was eating lunch with Michael at the Military Department when an unexpected visitor arrived. Leo von Vermeer. A confidant so close he was practically a brother, having grown up alongside the Crown Prince since childhood. This red-haired young man was very polite but had a somewhat rigid side.

"It’s been a while, Brother Michael. Have you been well?"

"I’ve been doing well... but what brings you here?"

Since Hilda, Vermeer, and the Crown Prince had been childhood friends, Michael naturally had a personal connection to Vermeer as well. But since Vermeer, who normally stuck to the Crown Prince like glue, had come alone, something was clearly off—hence Michael’s puzzlement.

"Is it strange that I came to see you, Brother?"

"It’s strange, which is why I’m asking. You’re the type who draws a line with everyone except His Highness the Crown Prince and Hilda."

I’d seen Vermeer and Hilda conversing casually at Count Mainhof’s banquet. Hadn’t he asked Hilda to help rescue Crown Prince Franz from Lady Mainhof’s advances? I recalled Hilda, who had been very interested in me at the time, looking a bit annoyed.

"Actually, I didn’t come for you, Brother, but for Sir Streit. I visited his residence first and was told he was here."

"That figures. Brother-in-law, he’s your guest."

He had business with me? Vermeer wouldn’t have personal business with me. I had no real connection with him aside from having exchanged a few words through Hilda. His expression was unusually bright. He was clearly struggling to contain his excitement.

"Sir Streit, you must come to the royal palace immediately."

Hold on. Shouldn’t you explain why I had to go to the royal palace? Going there out of the blue? That bewilderment must have been plain on my face. Realizing his mistake, Vermeer’s eyes went wide with alarm, and Michael chuckled at the sight.

"S-sorry! The ministers’ opinions were divided regarding Lord Franz’s first campaign, and the Finance Minister suggested entrusting it to Sir Streit. So I came to escort you on Lord Franz’s orders."

"Why would that old fox single out my brother-in-law instead of recommending another minister’s man?"

Michael’s expression soured. I felt the same.

The Crown Prince’s campaign was one thing, but why was the person recommending me, of all people, the Finance Minister?

I was currently digging into Finance’s corruption alongside the Judicial Department.

"A campaign for His Highness the Crown Prince at a time like this. Isn’t that too convenient?"

"And in the form of recommending my brother-in-law, no less. The Finance Minister is clearly scheming something behind the scenes."

"Sir Vermeer, can you tell me what happened in detail?"

According to Vermeer, the Crown Prince had long wanted to personally command troops and gain battlefield experience, because word had spread widely that the neighboring Duchy of Roden’s crown prince had defeated Burgundian guerrillas. Driven by competitive spirit, the Crown Prince wanted to earn military merit of his own.

My father-in-law supported the Crown Prince’s ambition, but the problem was that Finance and Judicial opposed it. Finance flatly stated there was no money to waste on the Crown Prince’s war games, and Judicial opposed out of concern for what would happen if something befell the Crown Prince. The Administrative Department maintained nominal neutrality but was effectively opposed.

The Crown Prince had been under assassination threats all this time.

A guard unit had been created to prepare for them, but half its members had died facing Klugen.

Believing there were no further threats now that even the Burgundian spies had been arrested, the Crown Prince actively appealed to the Grand Duke for a campaign. Eventually, the Grand Duke summoned the ministers to reach a final decision that very day. But the Finance Minister, who had been opposed all along, suddenly reversed his position and expressed support—by recommending me.

"The old fox suddenly switched sides. Brother-in-law, could this be—"

"Looks like the Finance Minister’s ploy to get me out of the capital."

Apparently, the Finance Minister felt a mounting sense of crisis because I’d exposed a Rafel executive who had seemed impossible to find and was steadily closing in on the core using the scouter. As expected, the intelligence Adelbert had passed me was proving devastatingly effective.

Getting me far away from the capital—and in the guise of a recommendation, no less?

Michael and I were both caught off guard by the unexpected turn.

A cunning old fox of a minister, as expected. He wouldn’t go down easily.

In the end, I headed to the royal palace with Vermeer and found myself facing the four ministers, the Grand Duke, and the Crown Prince in the audience hall. The Administrative Minister wore a look of indifference, but my father-in-law’s face was flushed crimson from suppressing his fury. The Judicial Minister looked equally troubled.

The only ones smiling were the Finance Minister and the Grand Duke.

"This is the first time we’ve met face to face. Gale Knight, your fame precedes you. I’ve been wanting to thank you for protecting the Crown Prince."

"I’m honored, Your Highness. I only fulfilled my duty as a knight of Beren to the Altringen royal family."

"Hahaha, a loyal knight rare to find in times like these. I can see why the Crown Prince is so fond of you."

I didn’t know much about Grand Duke Karlus.

According to my father-in-law, the Grand Duke enjoyed watching his ministers fight among themselves, and if one side seemed at a disadvantage, he was adept at exploiting the imbalance to make them indebted to him.

So I first checked the Grand Duke with the Manager Scouter.

His mindset was amusement and his disposition was conspiracy (neutral).

Different from Bertheim, who was favorable toward me and conspiracy (good). 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Amusement and conspiracy. Wasn’t that the worst possible combination? Anyone who took pleasure in intrigue for sport was decidedly not normal. Absolutely a type to avoid getting closely involved with. Whether the Grand Duke found the current situation entertaining, he sat on the throne at a careless angle. As if that were a signal, the Finance Minister addressed me.

"Who could doubt that you, the man who protected His Highness the Crown Prince from French assassins, are a loyal knight of Beren? Therefore, I recommended you as vice commander to lead His Highness’s first campaign on his behalf. Are you prepared to shoulder this glorious duty?"

The Finance Minister delivered this with a smug grin, practically daring me to refuse, and my father-in-law, who’d been silently holding himself back, erupted.

"Count Reinfeldt! Sir Streit has no combat experience and has never led an army—how dare you entrust His Highness the Crown Prince’s first campaign to such a greenhorn?! Don’t talk nonsense!"

Was that taking my side or insulting me?

Or was it my father-in-law’s roundabout revenge for taking Hilda away?

"Weren’t you the one who argued that His Highness should learn war? I came around to your position, so I don’t see what you’re dissatisfied with."

"The personnel selection is wrong! The personnel! Does it make sense to entrust the Crown Prince to a knight with no war experience? Wouldn’t it be better to entrust the task to my son?"

My father-in-law was right.

I had no war experience and had never set foot outside the capital.

If it were me, I’d never entrust the Crown Prince to a knight with no track record.

Michael, on the other hand—someone who commanded duchy troops with skill and had served in actual campaigns—would be a different matter entirely.

Wouldn’t the best course of action be sending Michael while I continued investigating Rafel?

"The War Minister is right. Even in my assessment, entrusting this to Sir Streit carries too many risk factors. It’s true that Sir Streit is capable, but war is another matter entirely."

"But no knight starts with experience. I want to give Sir Streit an opportunity. Is it so objectionable to offer one to the loyal knight who shielded His Highness from assassins? Moreover, it was His Highness himself who strongly requested Sir Streit."

On the surface, it looked like he was giving me an opportunity, but the Finance Minister was tenaciously working the room, doing everything in his power to get me away from the capital. The Judicial Minister sided with my father-in-law, but as someone who avoided open confrontation with Finance, he couldn’t hold his opposition indefinitely.

If only the Judicial Minister brought that same tenacity he showed when conducting interrogations.

In any case, the situation had grown thoroughly absurd.