4 - Humble display of strength

He is holding his own, I'll give him that. However, he isn't managing to switch to offense. Olaf was watching the match not only as a referee, but as a retainer for Prince Ortho. Assessing how much a rival has improved was part of his duties, even if said person had not shown to be a rival. The noble's influence could easily make Prince Alphonse find a pretext to retract his declaration, under the guise of altruism or patriotism. Prince Ortho was the one better positioned to succeed to the throne, but he trusted no one in the Palace; he knew the Prime Minister Faust, had a hidden agenda, and the rest of the princes all had some sort of plan to undermine his master's path. Only Prince Alphonse declared otherwise, but a successful campaign, might change his stance as well. While he couldn't prevent it, he could at least gather as much information as possible in order to maintain their current position. 

Prince Alphonse was still blocking Tergan's assault. However, a change in flow was becoming noticeable; Tergan was having more and more of his attacks parried instead of just blocked, and he was skilled enough to notice. But even then, Alphonse was not attacking back. Bastard's reading my attacks. Even when I change their pattern... Damn it!

""Woaah!""

Prince Alphonse had just counterattacked for the first time. The crowd became ecstatic, as the flow of the momentum was quickly changing. Tergan was getting flustered as each attack failed to connect and was simply deflected. After the third attempt, he stepped back and created some distance from his opponent. He breathed deeply and began concentrating on his mana.

"No! That's too much, don't...!" Olaf tried to stop Tergan, but he was being completely ignored. He gathered enough mana to increase his strength and speed to completely new levels. That imbecile! If he hits him with that, he won't be left with minor injuries. He might kill him! Olaf dashed to try and block the attack, but he knew he would be too late to stop Tergan's attack from connecting. The reason people spared only using their martial skills, was in order to lower the risk of serious injuries or death.

As Tergan covered half the distance in the blink of an eye, Olaf noticed. For a slight moment, his instincts screamed to him not to approach them. Magic? But I thought he only knew Water M...? Olaf wondered, as he noticed a sharp look from Prince Alphonse. He stepped closer to Tergan, and the next moment, both swords clashed. A piece of wood flew for a few meters before ending up on the ground. Tergan was astonished, as he looked at the broken piece of wood in his hands. Even after using magic, I... Overwhelmed by frustration, Tergan barely managed to keep up on his feet. The crowd was speechless, as they couldn't fully grasp the final moments of the match.

"That is enough! The winner, Prince Alphonse!"

Olaf announced the result, while still trying to process what had happened. Even with magic, there was not enough time for any kind of Body Enhancement techniques, unless a person had mastered to an extremely high level. Furthermore, he didn't sense any kind of difference in Prince Alphonse's aura. What the hell did he do? It's almost as if he predicted Tergan's attack before he tought about it himself. Does he have that much insight with so little battle experience? And the sudden surge of mana I saw from him... Was it a technique, or did he change his mind? It certainly wasn't a feint, as it was too sudden for Tergan to notice... Olaf, who wanted to gather more information was now overwhelmed with questions. Prince Alphonse gave a short bow, put away the wooden sword and picked up his own, heading to the locker rooms without saying a word. 

It took a few minutes until training resumed among the prospects. 


October 11th, Year 305: Brigsberg Castle

"Your Highness!" 

Prince Ortho's work was interrupted by shouting from the other side of the door. He immediately recognized the voice behind it. If he is that flustered, it must be something serious, he thought. 

"Come in, Olaf."

"If you excuse me..."

Olaf entered the room, still trying to catch his breath. It was obvious that whatever had happened, he had come immediately to report. He remembered he was dealing with the potential retainers, so there shouldn't be anything urgent to report. Even if an accident had happened, he would have resolved any issues and given a report later; he would never rush to give him such news. Prince Ortho pondered, as Olaf composed himself. 

"Can you tell me what happened, Olaf?"

"It's... it's Prince Alphonse!"

"Yes, I'm aware that he has returned. You were informed of it as well, were you not?" 

"Not that, I mean... Prince Alphonse, we... we... we need to be extremely careful around him."

Prince Ortho tensed up. What's this all about? I've never seen Olaf so shaken before

"What do you mean, Olaf? Explain yourself."

Olaf cleared his throat and took a deep breath before explaining. As he explained in as much detail  as he could, Prince Ortho expression began to tense up. I see; he was hiding his skills. Still, he has no real talent for Magic Arts, making it very difficult for him to be problematic. 

"I see... well, it doesn't really matter, Olaf."

"Your Highness...?"

"He won't be in the palace for long. Faust has already planned a way to deal with him, as soon as he heard of his exploits in the campaign. So you can be assured; he will pose no problem to us, nor will he be able to hinder our plans." 

Olaf's expression changed after hearing those words. Having just discovered that Prince Alphonse was not a kitten, but actually a tiger in disguise made him wary. Having that problem already dealt with meant he had one less situation to prepare for. 

"I see. The Prime Minister's information network and quick reactions never cease to amaze me. As long as he favors us, he will be a tremendous asset..." Olaf concluded. 

"True, but Faust cannot fully be trusted. Cecilia is also favored by that bloodline maniac, and Velmark could end up being considered worthy as well. In the end, he will only consider us three as true candidates. We just have to make sure he sees less worth in them."

Olaf nodded in agreement. After coming to that understanding, they resumed their meeting, pondering on the next course of action. 


October 12th, Year 305: Brigsberg Castle Conference Room Entrance

Prince Alphonse stared at the imposing door, patiently waiting for his call. Prime Minister Faust had summoned him back with his authority as the interim Emperor. The official summons had the intention of rewarding him for his achievements on the battlefield, but Prince Alphonse knew better.  They called me on that pretense, but in reality they wanted to stop me from achieving any more merits... Well, not that I had any intention to. Prince Alphonse was still considering whom to blame for his current situation; the competent scout that was able to discover the enemy's movements, the enemy general, an idiot who was unable to properly execute his risky tactic without getting detected, or himself for not being able to find a proper way to keep that achievement hidden or pushed onto someone else. Well, I guess blaming the Goddess of Fate is out of the question; I would not want to incur her wrath, after all. Alphonse concluded, while composing himself for the audience. Soon enough, one woman approached him. Prince Alphonse quickly recognized her as one of Faust's personal attendants. 

"Prince Alphonse, you may follow me. The Prime Minister will now see you", announced the attendant. Such tone would normally be an offense to a royal, but the attendant was aware that Prince Alphonse would not try to admonish nor punish her as he had more pressing matters to worry about besides a servant acting a bit rambunctious toward him. Still, was she ordered to try to rattle me? It seems a bit unnecessary. Ultimately, Prince Alphonse decided not to delve too deeply about it.

"Lead the way", he answered curtly. At the very least, Alphonse felt the need to show his displeasure in the form of a displeased answer. The attendant simply ignored his tone and led him to the Conference Room. As soon as she opened the door, she bowed towards the person furthest from the room. This won't be a normal meeting, he realized as he noticed the number of high profile nobles present. The Prime Minister was seated at the end of the meeting table, as he expected. Surprisingly, next to Faust sat Princess Cecilia, with a pleased expression. Prince Ortho and Prince Hubert followed her on his right side. And on the Prime Minister's left side, Prince Alphonse recognized the other four men as well; the two Dukes were currently representing the Noble class, the Halsfberg's Cardinal, who was effectively the representant of the Church. And the last person was the representant of the Merchant Guild, all of them present to serve as witnesses to what would be decided in the reunion, which served to increase Alphonse's wariness.

"Welcome, Prince Alphonse. It was considerate of you to return so quickly after we have summoned you". Faust wasted no time in initiating the meeting and the slight provocation. As if I had any other choice but to come back immediately, Alphonse thought. 

"Pay no mind to it, Duke Faust. It seemed urgent enough." The quick witted response, while expected from Prince Alphonse, carried a slight provocation that did not go unnoticed; his current position as Prime Minister, and current interim ruler was purposely left our as he was addressing him. The attendant instantly clicked her tongue, displeased at the lack of respect. No other person present reacted, though, as they were trained to show no emotion openly; in reality, they were all seething, but they already knew the reason for the meeting. This was a perfect opportunity to remove one more variable that could hamper their own agendas. Even Cecilia and Ortho, though much more skilled in hiding their true expressions, were not amused by Alphonse's speech. Nevertheless, Faust looked to be completely unfazed. He simply ignored the remark and proceeded with the meeting. 

"As addressed in the letter sent to summon you, we have determined that the campaign against the Vestia Kingdom is almost finished, with a resounding success. We managed to annihilate their army, and the number of prisoners that we have captured so far will ensure us a great deal of ransom money. We also expect them to ask for peace talks after losing the troops and that amount of territory. In short, it was a success." Faust resumed. 

The other members present nodded in agreement. They had all seen the previous reports and knew that the situation was overwhelmingly favorable for Halfsberg. Taking any more territory and attempting to control the population after that was a toll they were not willing to pay. Additionally, with the news regarding a possible civil war in Blanchenne Empire, the nobles saw this possibility as an opportunity to gain much more valuable territory than the land they would get from Vestia. Preparing for such an opportunity and counting their rewards was much more appealing than prolonging a war that would not even provide them enough possibilities for achievements to raise their family's rank. Faust was completely aware of it, and had already planned for that shift. 

"The counter-attack that Vestia planned would probably not change the outcome; however, it allowed our forces to attack the main force in peak condition. Casualties were greatly reduced, meaning those soldiers will be available and capable of participating in the next campaign..."

"So, a reward is warranted. Prince Alphonse, by performing admirably, especially when considering the forces and the task at your disposal, you are hereby granted permission to set up your own Domain, managing with the title of Archduke. Count Albrecht Korfell suggested relinquishing the lands he recently took in the former Vermilia's territory. I believe it will be the perfect start for someone who has shown as much talent as yourself." Faust announced. 

All other participants with the exception of Ortho and Cecilia showed signs of admiration and whispered all around. What a sick spectacle, thought Alphonse. They know something is up, and are just going with the flow. I need to study exactly what Faust is getting me into.

"I will develop that territory, all for the sake of the Kingdom. Can I have more details on this assignment?" Alphonse asked. 

"Certainly. Miray...?" 

The attendant who led Prince Alphonse to the room approached the table and produced a map, putting it on the table. So, it's like this. I get what you're trying to do to me. Alphonse instantly realized their intentions the moment he saw the location of his domain in the map. Right next to the Crosslands, and a lot of new members from the League of Eastern Nations.

"You are allowed to prepare by forming your own retinue and you'll have a contingent of troops available to you. The unit you were leading has already been called back, and you can choose as many as you want from them. Guadain Allard should arrive by tomorrow and the rest of the troops should be here in a few days, possibly a week."

"Will they be allowed to bring their families along?" 

"Yes, they will be allowed to do so. Additionally, you'll be heading first to Korfellhausen, where you'll have a meeting with Count Korfell before heading to your territory for additional... instructions." Alphonse noticed a very distinct change of tone in Faust's speech. The remainder of the nobles all gazed at him with pleased expressions. Well, considering they have all been hostile to me, this means that this assignment is much more than meets the eye. 

"Well, they were mostly forcibly conscripted mercenaries, so most probably won't agree to this. Will I be able to recruit additional..."

"Oh my, little brother. Your achievements in this campaign made your talents very clear. I'm positive you'll be able to convince them to join you in your new assignment." Alphonse's questions were interrupted by Princess Cecilia. "You'd be fine even if on your own. It's time for you to start earning your place as a member of the Royal Family, no matter how unworthy you are of the title." Cecilia's mocking tone was accompanied by the nodding of most of the nobles.

"Very well, I will make my preparations to do so. If I may be excused..."  Alphonse respectfully rose from his seat and left the room. As soon as the doors closed, a barrage of insults was unleashed.

"That insolent brat! Disrespecting our Prime Minister like that!"
"Yes, and the way he did not address the other Princes, even for a Royal, there are limits on how rude you can be!"

"Now, now" Faust calmed them down. "There is no need for you to worry. He will learn of his punishment as soon as he steps foot on that territory. Who knows? Such treacherous lands have already claimed the lives of a few nobles, so a disaster may be waiting to happen."

"Yes he can still come back and rethink his stance on running for the throne," one of the nobles warned. 

"Not to worry. Count Korfell will take care of that for us. He'll make sure that path is completely cut off for him." Faust assured. As soon as they saw his expression, the nobles thoughts were mixed with both confidence in their Prime Minister, as well as a hint of fear, having witnessed some of his schemes before.