"W, what?!"
It was a surprisingly fast speed. And before he could turn around and defend himself, Asha's sword slashed across his neck.
"Ugh!"
The knight seemed to not understand the situation that had unfolded in an instant, but it was too late to think slowly.
Blood gushed out as his carotid artery was severed, and Asha, who was looking down at him with his eyes wide open, muttered a word.
"Who the hell are you to be so arrogant… ."
At those words, Carlyle also felt a little creepy, but he tried to smile.
"You're quite capable."
"I told you, didn't I? I'll play the role of a capable wife properly."
Asha smiled brightly and briefly swung her sword in the air. The blood that had been on the sword splattered onto the ground.
It was not an action meant to be shown to anyone, but Carlyle's gaze was momentarily drawn to the indifferent movement.
[Oh, beautiful god of slaughter!]
Why did a line from the song of the bards who praised me come to mind now?
Perhaps that was why, when he saw Asha suddenly running towards him, his heart started to beat for no reason. Of course, the reason she ran was not at all romantic.
"Concentrate, Your Highness!"
Her sword stretched out to Carlyle's side and pierced the vital point of an enemy soldier running from the other side. And then it immediately stretched out to the side and struck down the swords of other enemy soldiers and slashed their spears.
Only then did Carlyle come to his senses and swing his greatsword, and the enemy soldiers, who had been shaken by Asha's quick attack, collapsed feebly.
"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."
"You seem to be quite relaxed. I can see why though."
Thanks to Asha's prediction, the war was quickly suppressed this time.
The cooperation between the Haven Knights and the Pervaz army was better than before, and especially the attack style of the Pervaz warriors was unfamiliar to the Southern Kingdom Alliance, so it was able to deal a bigger blow.
"At this rate, it won't be long before we push down to the southern border."
"As you said, it was effective to choose a 'quick and decisive battle'. The words of someone who has been through war longer than me are always helpful."
Carlyle smiled broadly and jumped on his horse.
"Then let's go finish them off, wife."
"Right. It will be easier to hit them before they come to their senses."
Asha also found her horse and climbed on it, and then chased after the fleeing leaders of the Southern Kingdom Alliance.
As Asha had expected, the Southern Alliance was so beaten up in the face of a great victory that they could not come to their senses.
Before they could even come up with a plan to counterattack, Carlyle's army came and crushed them all, so they were busy running away without even being able to properly withdraw their troops. It was the exact same pattern as when they defeated Matthias' army, but it was even faster and more damaging.
"What, what the hell is going on here! Wasn't Carlyle supposed to be absolutely unbeatable?"
"W,we've heard it too! Whether it's towards the Paral Kingdom or the Kadore Empire, we're not sure…!"
"Seeing as Carlyle hasn't shown up until now, that information was undoubtedly accurate. We should have negotiated and withdrawn at an appropriate line rather than engaging in this war!"
"Well, even the emperor's getting desperate, so he must have summoned his hated son!"
Attempting to find the source of the false rumors now would be futile. Those allied with the Kadore Empire, having avoided participation in this war citing internal issues, found it hard to justify their defeat solely due to that information.
Ultimately, greed had ruined everything, but they couldn't admit to that fact.
"But even so, to lose this badly, is that even possible? Carlyle's army is smaller than ours!"
The war instigator, Queen Serenis, was agitated as if she were about to burst.
The royal knights were only meant to assist in the cleanup and reconstruction of reclaimed areas, and it was heard that the actual fighting force consisted of Carlyle's Haven Order and the forces from the 'impoverished' territory he married into, so it was natural for them to react this way.
However, even if they argued amongst themselves in their seats, the situation didn't change.
"Negotiate! Propose negotiations!"
"Now is not the time to propose negotiations, Your Majesty! Negotiations are proposed when we are winning!"
"So, are we just going to let everyone die like this? Are we going to end up like Elvenia up to the Kingdom of Palesso?"
"We weren't supposed to attack the Empire in the first place!"
"What? You were so excited about rewriting history when we were winning…!"
The ensuing defeat led to division among the Allied Forces, and Queen Serenis and the Kingdom of Palesso, who had been leading the alliance, couldn't avoid blame.
Of course, Carlyle didn't accept the negotiations they proposed.
"Negotiations? You still haven't grasped the situation, have you? You shouldn't be proposing negotiations to us; you should be declaring surrender. Then we can discuss war reparations."
With a gentle tone masking the threat, Carlyle added while tapping the trembling messenger's shoulder reassuringly.
"Go and tell them. If they're not surrendering, they better run for their lives with all they've got. Otherwise, they'll all end up dead."
Understanding the hidden threat in the soft voice, the messenger didn't doubt that Carlyle had exhausted his patience just by sparing him and sending him back. He immediately ran towards the allied camp.
* * *
It was a week later when the surrender declaration came.
"Hail to His Highness, Carlyle!"
"Hail to His Highness, the Prince!"
As the victory was confirmed, the sound of clinking glasses from Carlyle's camp didn't cease. It already felt like Carlyle's reign had been reinstated.
"You've all worked hard."
"You suffered the most, Your Majesty. We merely followed and believed in you."
Lionel replied to Carlyle's remark.
The time when he was dethroned from the prince's position overnight due to the empress's scheme, used Aisha's appearance to hide in Pervaz and build his strength—all of it flashed through everyone's minds.
Not a single thing had been easy.
From packing up and leaving for Pervaz to quelling disputes among the servants and knights on both sides, repelling the barbarian incursions, assisting in Pervaz's reconstruction, managing the capital's social circles from behind the scenes, and even subduing the major nobles, everything.
But there had never been fear of failure. That was Carlyle's ability.
"We achieved this victory thanks to everyone's unity. Of course, there are still tasks to be completed."
As Carlyle savored the wine he hadn't tasted in a while and spoke, Giles nodded vigorously beside him.
"Now it begins. After the reinstatement, we must completely eliminate Empress Beatrice and Prince Matthias."
"Removing the son is easier, but removing the mother has a better effect… Which one should we deal with first?"
"It will be difficult, but it's better to deal with Empress Beatrice first."
Carlyle asked again at Giles's prompt.
"Why?"
"Prince Matthias is a useless man who can't do anything on his own, so there's no need to worry about him. But if Empress Beatrice loses Prince Matthias…"
"She'll try to kill me at all costs."
"And she'll gain the pretext of 'avenging her son.' Parents who have lost their children always evoke sympathy."
Carlyle chuckled. He knew Beatrice wasn't a woman to mourn her son's death.
"If Matthias dies, she'll somehow manage to make the most favorable person for succession to the throne fall under her control."
All she needed was a successor who could firmly establish her power. If she had loved her son, she wouldn't have let him grow up to be a puppet.
But eliminating the empress first wasn't as easy as it sounded.
"We'll need a bit of luck. Let's think about that slowly. Meanwhile, let's see if we can find a threshold for war reparations that the southern folks can barely manage."
"Understood. I'll calculate a level where their hands and feet are tied but they don't explode."
"Well done. Let's stop talking about troublesome matters and enjoy the banquet."
Although it was inside a tent, it was a party with alcohol, food, and music, so it was a proper celebration.
Carlyle cheered up and encouraged those who had suffered during the ordeal. The sound of clinking glasses was cheerful.
Giles, who had been pretending to blend in with the atmosphere, excused himself and headed back to his tent.
In his tent, a messenger was waiting for him, claiming to have important documents from the Rafelt domain.
"Sir Raphelt!"
"I apologize for the delay. His Highness Carlyle is very perceptive, so it took me a while to find the right time."
"I understand. There's no need to rush now that His Highness Carlyle has won."
The messenger pretended to be relaxed, but he seemed nervous. If you listened carefully, his Imperial accent was a bit awkward.
It was only natural. He was from the Principality of Kadore, not the Raphelt territory.
"How is Duke Axis?"
"As Sir Raphelt instructed, he is officially reported to be ill. So Prince Damian has been temporarily delegated the regency, and he has declared that it will be difficult to participate in this war."
Damian Axis was the one who spread the false rumor that "Carlyle is hated by the Emperor and has been driven to the north and will never be able to come down to the south."
He had been at odds with his father over the way the country was run, and Giles had joined hands with him in order to stir up the southern kingdoms.