He wished earnestly, but it was just a vain hope for now.
"First… to Daphenon…"
"Daphenon? Are you sure?"
The knight commander wanted nothing more than to corner Matthias if he could.
Passing on his duty to others and questioning their certainty was just a way to shift blame onto me later when problems arise.
But there was no other choice.
"Line has mountains behind, and we might be isolated if we're not careful. Daphenon is a high ground, making it advantageous to use as a base for attacking the enemy…"
"Got it. Look! Bring the messenger from earlier!"
Without consulting others, Matthias ordered the messenger to designate Daphenon as the next base.
He believed this would suffice for a while, but Daphenon surrendered to the Southern Coalition forces in just a few days.
Now the enemy was approaching the gates of Pata's, where Matthias stayed.
"What's this! Saying it's safe to use Daphenon as a base!"
"Take cover, Your Highness! They might have sent assassins!"
"What? Secure my surroundings quickly! Are the carriages ready?"
"Riding a horse would be faster!"
"What if I fall off or arrows come flying?"
Even while fleeing, Matthias was preoccupied with protecting himself.
Yes, it was 'fleeing'.
Among the people who saw someone with the title of Crown Prince abandoning them, even temporarily, discontent grew.
"If only His Highness Carlyle were here, the Southern Rebels wouldn't have made it this far!"
"If someone competes for the position of Crown Prince, they should at least fight the enemy! Running away alone?"
"Why did he come if he was going to do this?"
The sentiment in the Imperial South turned sour quickly.
Not only the commoners but also the nobles were incensed. Those whose territories were invaded expressed their anger, as did those with estates below the capital.
"Is this the extent of our Imperial Chad's military power? How could we crumble like this against a coalition of minor states?"
"The Emperor seems to lack the will to resolve this! Do they need to reach Zyro before realizing the severity of the situation…?"
Meanwhile, some openly sought Carlyle.
"The only thing different from before is the Crown Prince's position. We haven't properly acknowledged how much His Highness Carlyle has achieved!"
"We must reinstate His Highness Carlyle! There is no hope with Prince Matthias!"
***
As the Southern Front gradually moved north, the Imperial Palace was flooded with letters demanding the immediate reinstatement and participation of Carlyle in the war.
To the Emperor, it felt like a coup d'état could happen at any moment.
"We need to call Carlyle."
"But Your Majesty! If this continues, Carlyle will continue to ignore you. Please trust Matthias a little more!"
Beatrice pleaded with the Emperor.
If Carlyle came at this point, the Crown Prince title would be as good as gone.
However, the Emperor refused outright.
"How much longer do you want me to wait? Until my head falls off to those who have rebelled?"
"Your Majesty...!"
"It's my fault for trusting that Matthias bastard. And it's your fault for not letting him touch a sword since he was a child!"
He even rebuked Beatrice.
Beatrice gritted her teeth, but the Emperor, who was on fire, immediately called Carlyle.
However, there was no way Carlyle, who had been waiting for this moment, would obediently follow that request.
"Hmm.... It seems that Father is not in a hurry yet."
Carlyle muttered idly in front of the messenger who had arrived from Zyro to Pervaz in just five days.
The handwritten letter from the Emperor that the messenger delivered contained an order for him to return and take the position of commander-in-chief, as the situation in the south was currently not very good. An order, no less.
"Tell His Majesty the Emperor that I 'politely' decline."
"Yes?"
The messenger forgot even his manners in front of the prince and raised his head to ask back.
"I'm busy defending Pervaz."
"But, Your Highness! The southern part of the empire is in a very serious situation! If this continues, those bastards will invade the capital...!"
"Surely, if we combine the capital guards, we won't be unable to stop the coalition of small countries, right?"
"That, that is...."
It doesn't make sense that the military power of a great empire is only this much. It was clear that something was wrong somewhere.
As expected, the messenger confessed with difficulty.
"The great noble families with territories north of the central region are not providing any support at all. There are also too many troops escorting His Majesty the Emperor or His Highness Matthias...."
"It seems that Father has taken the Southern Alliance too lightly."
"In fact, the number of soldiers dispatched is the same as when Your Highness Carlyle was in charge...."
"I'm not the commander. In that case, they should have sent at least twice as many as when I was in charge."
Carlyle laughed as if it was ridiculous.
In fact, it was a great harvest that the nobles did not support the military. When I visited Zyro last time, the families with the Knights Order were the ones I focused on the most, and the fact that they did not give up my Knights Order means that their hearts have turned to this side.
'I didn't know that the imperial family would miss the knights of the nobles.'
The reason he worked so hard for the families with the Knights Order was only to prevent the Empress and Matthias from staging a coup when he took back the position of Crown Prince.
Since he had been suppressing Albania, Carlyle had not expected a war of this scale to break out in the south.
"Your Highness! Please bless us with Aguilles' blessing for the sake of the Empire, for the people of the Southern Empire who are in dire straits...!"
"That's enough."
Carlyle cut off the messenger's words again.
"I'm not a fool anymore. If you want something, you have to give something in return."
He spoke with a cheeky attitude, crossing his legs and raising his chin in front of the Emperor's messenger.
"If I succeed in suppressing the south, I will be reinstated as Crown Prince immediately. I will not agree unless this condition is met."
"But, but didn't His Majesty the Emperor say that there is less than a year left of the three years? Wouldn't it be better to show your loyalty by fulfilling it?"
"Then tell them to wait until then. As you said, there isn't much time left anyway."
Carlyle got up without hesitation and left the parlor.
The messenger and his party left behind had a look of despair on their faces.
"What should we do?"
"What can we do? We have to accept that condition."
"But His Majesty will be furious if he finds out!"
The messenger shook his head at the party's concerns.
"This is what His Majesty has already instructed. If His Highness Carlyle makes the Crown Prince position a condition, we should try to persuade him first, and if that doesn't work, we should accept it."
"Ah.... So that was it."
The party nodded their heads.
In fact, it was something that everyone could have expected.
Carlyle was not an ordinary man, and there was no way he would repeat the same mistake twice after being hit in the back once.
The messenger sighed deeply and got up from his seat to approach Lionel, who was standing outside.
"Please let me see His Highness Carlyle... one more time."
"His Highness Carlyle's mind will not change."
"...I know."
Lionel understood what he meant right away and smiled.
"Don't try to fool His Highness Carlyle. He sees everything."
"Yes. I know that too."
"Of course, it wasn't your intention to be disrespectful. Please wait a moment."
Lionel, who felt a sense of camaraderie, sided with the messenger and tried to persuade Carlyle.
In the end, Carlyle decided to go on an expedition after being promised that he would be reinstated a little earlier than everyone expected.
***
"Did you call for me?"
Asha entered Carlyle's office and sensed a different atmosphere.
Lionel was packing things that looked like Carlyle's documents.
"You came. This time, I have something to ask for your help."
Carlyle greeted Asha while putting down an unfinished cigar in the ashtray.
"There's been a war in the south."
Carlyle seemed strangely happy despite the war. So, she could roughly guess what he was going to say.
"My father 'requested' me to go on an expedition. I agreed to accept that request on the condition of 'restoring the Crown Prince'."
Asha's stomach lurched.
'Divorce before even three years are up…'
She felt a pang of self-loathing that this thought came to mind first, but it was the most important fact.
"Then… should I just sign the divorce papers?"
"Did I seem that impatient? Bringing up divorce already."
Carlyle pouted, not hiding his displeasure.
"To be reinstated, we need to win the war first. But it seems the Imperial Knights suffered greatly because of Matthias, that good-for-nothing."
"…Are you saying they lack warriors?"
"Yes. Of course, we can request knights from other noble families, but…"
As if gauging Asha's insides, he stared intently at her.
"I'm asking Countess Pervaz first."
"...!"
"The Heaven Knights and the Pervaz army have already cooperated before, and I think they can fill each other's gaps well."
Asha knew that too. After all, they had already fought alongside each other against the Igram tribe and even felt something close to camaraderie.
"I'm different from my father. The victory rewards will be fair."
"…Promise it in writing."
"Does that mean you accept my request?"
"Do I have any other choice?"
A smile played on Carlyle's lips, seemingly amused.
"I thought so. It makes me happy for some reason."