THE LAZY PRINCE ABANDONS HIS HOMELAND

〜 a Life of Decadence Begins with Captivity 〜

Volume 01

Chapter 1

Lute believed that wars were always beyond his control. After all, a large
country boasting one of the best national and technological capabilities on the
continent was at war with a small country whose only distinguishing characteristic
was its relatively resource-rich land. In addition, the number of Lute‘s troops
ordered to retreat from the main force was fifty-three. In comparison, the strength
of the powerful enemy was over 10,000 at a rough estimate. The difference in
strength was so overwhelming even the word despair didn‘t cover it.
“… Heinrich. What do you think? Tell me honestly.”
“… If I may be frank, if we were to engage in any form of warfare, we would
inevitably be destroyed. There is no way Your Highness can fulfill their role as a
Lord. Your Highness, there is no other way but to surrender. Even though Your
Highness is a bastard child, Your Highness is undoubtedly a member of the royal
family. If Your Highness is taken prisoner, Your Highness will not be treated
unfairly.”
Although a bastard, Lute had a right of succession as the fourth prince and
was the sixth in line of succession. Heinrich, one of the very few loyal retainers of
someone with such a worthless title, advised him to surrender.
Heinrich was now Lute‘s bodyguard, but was a veteran soldier who once served
as a high-ranking military officer in national defense. If he hadn‘t been demoted for
his involvement in his former superior‘s lost political battle, he would still be
wielding his shrewd skills in the upper echelons of the military. This was why his
assessment was so brutally accurate. Well, since there was a nearly two-hundred-
fold difference in strength, there really wasn‘t a more accurate assessment than
that, unless you were teeming with fighting spirit, the only option to suggest was
surrendering.
“Surrender, huh? Thank you for this utmost pragmatic opinion. However,
you‘re being a little too hopeful. The other country is the Froysel Empire, one of the
two great conquerors of this continent. And even though our Land Kingdom is
slightly better than the other small countries, it‘s still a tiny country. A bastard
prince there would be no different than any other wealthy commoner, you know.”
“… I think Your Highness is being a little too self-deprecating.”
“This is a fact. It‘s not that I‘m deprecating myself, but rather my lineage.
And my horrible ｆｕｃｋｉｎｇ homeland.”
“… Your Highness is as foulmouthed as ever.”
Heinrich had a bitter look on his face at the outburst, which was unbecoming
of royalty, but the prince himself seemed unfazed, as if he didn‘t care at all about
the severity of his words. Even though, in the worst case scenario, his careless rant
could lead to disinheritance. … Still, if one would look back on Lute‘s life up to now,
they would probably agree with his sentiment.
“Even so, I don‘t care what happens to me. Being a bastard royalty with a low
chance of succession is like being half a tumor. I‘ve had my share of malicious
gossip and other annoyances, but I understand that it‘s unavoidable given my
position. Just like the sacrificial pawns used to save my brother while he‘s serving
in the military… Actually, it would be a meaningless death, even worse than the
sacrificed pawns, but let‘s ignore that.”
“Your Highness…”
Heinrich couldn’t help but avert his eyes at Lute’s overly cogent words. He
was fifteen years old, and although he was an adult in the eyes of society, he was
still young. It was a pity that the boy, who was like a grandson to the old Heinrich,
had accepted his own unfortunate position like this.
“… But, still. Even if I can overlook my own treatment, I can’t overlook this
situation. Is my own country so stupid?! The opponent is an empire, you know! It’s
a superpower with far greater national strength, military strength, and even
technological prowess! Why did we end up in a war with such a monstrous nation?!
Are all the higher-ups messed up in the head?!”
“Your Highness…”
At this rant, Heinrich averted his eyes for a different reason….. That’s right.
Even though Lute was supposed to have grown up in a disadvantaged position, for
some reason, he was terribly thick-skinned. Even if he was treated politically and
societally as the black sheep, if he was to not like it and boldly declare that, “If
anything, this is easy. On the contrary, it’s annoying to care,” the public would go
into a tirade to the maximum extent and tell him, “Go to hell and never come back,
you bastard!” In informal settings, he was fearless, calling people “idiots” and
“fools”. At the very least, he took the power balance into account in his words and
actions, but even so, he was not well received by those around him. That, coupled
with his lazy nature where he only did the bare minimum amount of work as a
member of the royal family, earned him the title, ‘incompetent prince’ behind his
back.

Chapter 2:
The Mask of Incompetence

Facing the hopeless situation, Lute’s earnest screams echoed around him.
“This is why we should’ve done something about that baldy straight away!
Even though it was originally the country of Gilse, it’s now been annexed to the
Empire! And yet, to pick a fight based on emotions is nothing short of stupid! I
should have switched with Baron Raine, who understands the logic of this all!”
“….. The Margraviate of the Rize family is a prestigious and noble one that
contributed to the founding of the country, you know.”
“If they’ve been here from the founding of this country to its ruin, they sure
must be really prestigious!”
“….. That’s right.”
 At Lute’s forceful irony, even Heinrich couldn’t help but get a faraway look in
his eyes. The cause of this war was so hopelessly inexplicable that calm people
could only laugh at it, while those involved, like Lute and his company, wanted to
cry.
In the past, there used to be a small country called the Duchy of Gilse between
the Land Kingdom and the Froysel Empire. Although called a Duchy, the territory
used to be in the hands of the Land Kingdom and ruled by the archduke Gilse and
his faction. The Duchy of Gilse was then born as an independent country as the
result of a civil war caused by oppression of the people. From the Land Kingdom’s
perspective, that was the main cause of the country’s downfall from a middle sized
kingdom to a small one, as the size of its land was drastically reduced. From the
perspective of the Duchy of Gilse, the country was born after being driven to
independence by the hateful former ruler. Naturally, the relationship between the
two countries were at its worst, and although no there had been large-scale clashes
due to the continuously shifting international situation, skirmishes occurred almost
every year.
However, the skirmish that had become an annual event did not happen this
year. The reason for this was that the Duchy of Gilse had been annexed by the
Empire, which was pursuing an aggressive expansion policy. How that happened,
Lute would never know, but what was important is that the Duchy of Gilse, who
was the sworn enemy of the Land Kingdom, had become a region of the Froysel
Empire. Originally, the Duchy of Gilse had been a vassal state of the Empire, but
once it was officially annexed, the situation changed at once.
Of course, regardless of the feelings of the local residents, the Froysel Empire
had no reason to engage in a skirmish with the Land Kingdom. Now that the nation
itself had changed, engaging in armed conflict did not serve any purpose, and a
skirmish with a small country like the Land Kingdom would just be a waste of war
expenses. If they were going to do it, it was better to use their just cause and
superior military strength to swallow the land in one gulp.
For that reason, the right choice to make for the Land Kingdom, or more
specifically, for the Margraviate of Rize, which was adjacent to the border, was to
resist the expansionist policies of the Empire with all their strength. When you
didn’t have a million in one chance of winning in an armed conflict, the best course
of action was avoiding at all costs to give them any justification to advance in the
country.
But unfortunately, according to Lute, that idiot Margrave Rize did not
understand that logic at all and, prioritizing his own and his citizens’ feelings,
carried out their established practice of fighting the enemy.
“….. Well, we did receive the explanation from the margrave that he had been
subjected to an unbearable insult from the Gilse side.”
“Was that made in public? Or maybe in writing? As long as there’s no public
evidence, the Empire is given the cause of retaliation in the eyes of the
international community. Thanks to that, our country will only remain in history
books. We’ll be this stupid little country that picked a fight with a huge empire even
though we had no chance of winning, and got destroyed because of it!”
In the first place, from Lute’s point of view, it was natural to be provoked in
such a way, and he should have been prepared for more vicious means and
schemes that would have limited his options. It would not be surprising if the
Empire viewed this provocation as nothing but a greeting that no one would have
actually fallen for. In other words, Margrave Rize was stupid enough to fall for the
bait, and by extension, the Land Kingdom were the way bigger of fools for
assigning the rank of margrave to such an idiot.
“It would have saved us if all the members of the Margrave Rize’s family had
been decapitated as soon as this was discovered, and along with the Margraviate
presented their heads to the Empire as an apology. After that, we could have
proposed to become their vassal nation.”
But unfortunately, the reality was the exact opposite. In response to the Land
Kingdom’s repeated and inconclusive meetings, the Empire quickly issued a
declaration of retaliatory action and began their advance. In a blink of an eye, the
Margraviate of Rize fell and, with that momentum, they advanced towards the royal
capital. The Land Kingdom also hurriedly mobilized its forces, but they were
instantly defeated by the overwhelming difference in the number of troops, skill
level, and equipment, and were currently running to the royal capital with Lute and
his men acting as sacrificial pawns in a fort along the way. As a result, they were
doomed.
“….. Your Highness, that’s a bit much…”
“Heinrich. Look at the situation. As incompetent as I am, even I understand the
importance of a nation’s honor. I also know that if we’re looked down on, it’s over.
Still, honor only means something to someone who’s close to your equal. When
dealing with an empire that is overwhelmingly superior, the only thing that should
be protected is not its honor, but rather the survival of the nation itself. In the first
place, by the time of the first screw-up, our honor had long been destroyed.”
It was one thing if we picked a fight with the Duchy of Gilse, with which we had
some sort of justification, but if we went against the Froysel Empire, with which we
had no rationalization for whatsoever, our reputation with the international
community went down the toilet. In this situation they were going to do nothing
except look on passively and allow the Empire to advance in the country and place
the country on the verge of ruin.
“Huh… I can’t believe I’m saying this now, but I never thought our country
would end up this horrible.”
“This is why I’ve repeatedly said that Your Highness should aim higher.”
span style="font-weight: 400">Heinrich replied earnestly to Lute, who was
deeply troubled. Lute was despised for his incompetence, but Heinrich, who had
accompanied him for a long time, knew what he was really like. No, anyone would
understand if they listened to the conversation they had just had. His Highness
Lute, who was said to be incompetent, had a solid political perspective. He was in
fact extremely rational in thinking and had the talent to be a ruler, but it was just
that he didn’t have any desire to be one.
“As I’ve told you so many times before, I’m not the kind of person that can
stand above others. I’m a social misfit who really just wants to spend his days
lounging around and not work.”
“However, Your Highness does have the talent to stand above others. Even
though Your Highness spends all day acting incompetent and lazy, Your Highness
has still managed to charm me and more than fifty other soldiers. That is proof that
Your Highness has unmistakable abilities.”
“It just means that you guys are weird…”
The fact that his self-deprecating denial was met with reverence put an
unsettling look on Lute’s face.
However, the simple fact was that all of the men in Lute’s squadron had
volunteered to join. Not only those who had been with Lute since a time of peace,
such as Heinrich, but even those who became temporary subordinates in this war
chose to give up their lives under Lute’s command. The ease with which they
almost forgot that he was royalty, the intelligence that proved his reputation for
incompetence to be a lie, the breadth of his perspective that allowed him to see
things from a coldly accurate perspective, and above all, the charisma of a leader
that occasionally peeked through, transformed the men from mere subordinates
under orders into Lute’s loyal subjects.
The number of them was only a little over fifty men. However, that was the
number after Lute willingly wore a mask of incompetence and did not actively
interact with others. If Lute had been more, if he had wanted to take the throne, he
would have certainly become a force that the current crown prince and others in
the upper echelons of the succession would consider a threat.
“Ha ha ha. I don’t deny that we are weird. After all, if Your Highness’s life is at
stake, we are willing to charge into the empire and die a noble death, or surrender
and become prisoners of war.”
“Stop putting all this pressure on me, you idiot! Don’t try to give a lazy slacker
extra responsibilities!”
This was a strange sight in that world; a prince was cornered by his vassal.
However, in that scene one felt a sense of both warmth and loneliness. The light in
Heinrich’s eyes may be reminiscent of a grandfather in his last moments, playing
with his grandson.
“….. Well then. That’s about all the joking around I can do. Our time here is
limited, after all. Now, Your Highness, decisions have to be made.”
“So you want me to make a reckless assault and have everyone die in a
spectacular fashion?”
“I do not care.”
“Or do you want me to surrender my life, become a prisoner of war, and be the
one that destroys our country in one move?”
“I do not care.”
Heinrich’s heart did not waver in the face of Lute’s overly pessimistic two
options to choose from. The determination that dwelled in his body was that of a
loyal vassal who justly followed his master.
“Your Highness. Since this is an emergency situation, I will reveal my true
intention here. I joined the army with an oath to be loyal to the Land Kingdom and
to defend my country. … However, that is no longer the case. I was appointed the
escort of His Highness, and I have remained by your side. My loyalty is not with the
Land Kingdom, but with His Highness.”
These were words that a soldier should not have uttered. A soldier, a part of
the armed forces of a nation, did not swear allegiance to a country or to a king, but
to a mere prince. If anyone had heard, he could have been arrested as a traitor.
However, Heinrich remained undaunted and continued his declaration with
pride.
“This is true not only of me, but of all men who remain under Your Highness’s
command! Our will is with Your Highness! Therefore, please make a decision as
Your Highness sees fit. We will not regret dying or forsaking our honor. We are
willing to accept that our country will be destroyed as a result. …That’s why, Your
Highness. Please, please, please make a decision without any regrets.”
“….. Heinrich.”
This declaration shook Lute, who had come to like being called incompetent, to
the core. Although Lute claimed that he was a lazy snob, his true nature was by no
means one of a beast that had abandoned his innate goodness.
Lute sighed and strengthened his resolve. No matter how much he dismissed
his subordinates as a bunch of weirdos, there was no way that he wasn’t going to
reward the devotion that they had shown him so far.
“I accept your resolve. Gather the men. I’ll tell them what we’re going to do.”
“Oh? … Which decision did you arrive at?”
“Don’t let the old man steal a march on me. If I’m gonna tell you, I will do it
with all you weirdos together. … Just don’t worry. It’s not gonna end badly. We’ll
get the best result with only a little bit of lost honor. I’m choosing the third option.”
“….. At your service.”
And so Lute smiled boldly, although young, he was clad in vigor befitting a
king.

Chapter 3:
The Mighty Froysel Empire

On Lute’s order, the fifty-three men who had volunteered to join the troops
gathered in the square inside the fort. The sight of fifty-plus soldiers lining up
without any disorder was truly spectacular. They were, after all, men of valor who
had willingly stayed behind to die for Lute. Even their facial expressions were
different from ordinary soldiers.
Standing in front of them, Lute once again strengthened his resolve. These
men had such spirit and loyalty. There was no way he was going to let them die for
nothing, or let them bear the disgrace of having abandoned their homeland and
lead them into exile.
With that resolution in mind, Lute slowly opened his mouth in front of them.
“Well then, gentlemen. … No, weirdos who remain in this place of your death
for the sake of a lazy bastard. Thanks for gathering all here. To be honest, I didn’t
think you’d be here, but I’m really impressed that you didn’t get scared off at the
last minute and lose your numbers.”
“Your Highness is as sarcastic as always!”
“Can’t you talk to people without resorting to sarcasm!?”
 “Shut up! We’re caught in such a stupid situation, you know!? You have to be
sarcastic to get by!”
“““That’s for sure.”””
As soon as Lute shouted, all the gathered soldiers burst into laughter.
This was a spectacle that would be unthinkable in an ordinary army,
interrupting Lute, a commander from the royal family, with teasing remarks and
making a joke out of it. However, Lute, who had never considered his status to be
all that important, felt that this was much better rather than being spoken to in a
stiff and formal manner, and was therefore extremely tolerant of this kind of verbal
exchange.
So, after the soldiers had gotten their fill of laughter, Lute decided to get down
to business.
“As I was saying, the situation is as bad as it gets. The original ａｓｓｈｏｌｅ
who caused the problem died shortly after provoking the monster nation. The only
ones left are the monster – the empire – whose eyes are gleaming at the perfect
bait that suddenly appeared in front of it, and the bait – our country – who is about
to be eaten up because of the imprudent thinking of a pathetic fool.”
Lute’s grand irony was, sadly, a perfect representation of reality.
The local army led by Margrave Rize, who started the whole thing, was
destroyed in less than a day by the Empire’s retaliatory invasion. The Margrave was
reported killed in action, and his territory was being taken over by the Empire at a
frightening pace. And the Empire, who now had a justifiable reason for the
invasion, would not stop its momentum until it had swallowed all of Land.
On the other hand, the Land Kingdom had no means to resist the Empire. In
terms of military power they were overwhelmingly outnumbered by the Empire, and
even if they were to ask other countries for reinforcements, the Empire was the one
with the just cause for invading. If they were to send reinforcements in such a
situation, it would be as if they would ourselves become fodder for the Empire.
Even if the Empire didn’t have justice on their side, none of the friendly nations to
the Land Kingdom that we could request reinforcements from had the military
power to fight the Imperial Army. … In the first place, even if we did ask for
reinforcements, the possibility of the Land Kingdom to still be in existence by the
time they arrived was basically zero.
“Anyway, I’m going to explain how the ““Empire”” is dangerous, as well as give
an analysis of the strength of the Imperial Army. … Well, you probably know most
of this already, but it’s also a way for us to share and confirm information, so shut
up and listen.”
“““Yes, sir!””
After confirming that everyone had agreed, Lute began to speak about
everything he knew about the Empire.
“The Empire, officially named ‘Froysel Empire’. It’s a monster nation that,
excluding the lands unexplored by humans, controls a quarter of this continent in
land area alone. Including its vassal nations, its influence may extend to nearly half
of the continent. In terms of national power, military power, and technological
power, it is a superpower unrivaled by any other.
“In case you’re wondering, the land area of the Land Kingdom is about one-
tenth to one-twentieth that of the Empire. Although it was regarded as one of the
top small nations because of its fertile lands and rich ore resources, it’s still
incomparable to the continental champion.
“The main reasons that the Empire, which is a world apart from our own in
terms of national power, is a threat can be summed up in three main areas.
‘The most advanced magic system on the continent’
‘The best industrial technologies on the continent’
‘Possessing superior military strength in a single horseman that matches the
strength of an entire army’
“Those are the three threats.”
With that said, Lute began listing each of the threats’ characteristics one by
one.
“Let’s start with the first one. ‘The most advanced magic system on the
continent’ is the result of the compilation of magic worked on by the previous
emperor and his predecessor in his later years. In the empire of those days, and
incidentally in most countries even today, ‘magic’ is considered a secret technology
that has been passed down only within one’s clan. This is mainly due to the fact
that magic can perform miracles that ordinary people can’t perform, and those who
were once powerful insisted on it to justify their privileged status.
“On the continent, it’s known as the ‘Magical Nobility Theory,’ and even today
it’s an argument that has deep-rooted support among the race of people known as
the Noble Race. In short, they make claims like, ‘We who are able to use magic and
perform miracles that ordinary people are unable to do, are obligated to subjugate
and lead those ordinary people. Therefore, this symbolic magic should only be
handled by those chosen for it,’ and justify keeping their magic a secret by saying
that they’re a privileged class.
“Well, that’s the official reason they give but in reality, the rulers and magic
users probably want to avoid mixing with other people and diluting their blood,
since magical talent is often hereditary and passes down the blood line, and it
would be troublesome for the number of magic users to increase in the event of a
rebellion or such.”
Still, the truth was that a good number of the Noble Race were the annoying
kind that wholeheartedly believed their own justification.
“Your Highness is a part of the ruling class, right? Is it really okay to be saying
all this?”
“I’m not involved in any work that relates to ruling others, so it’s fine. I’m not
involved in most work, to be honest.”
“That’s why they call Your Highness incompetent…”
“Even if you’re excellent, it’s only proper to be considered incompetent if you
don’t do your job…”
“You fool. It would be more troublesome if the ones low in the succession rank
were not competent at all, right?”
“I guess that’s true, but…”
Well, in fact, the reasons he gave them were just a front, and in truth he was
just slacking off. Basically, it was in Lute’s nature to be lazy.
“Anyway. Our next door’s great former emperor and his predecessor smashed
away this belief that rulers had thought of as common sense. With their two
generations of terrible political skills, they suppressed the opposition and forced the
disclosure of information on magic that every single Noble family in the empire had
kept secret, and actively researched lost magic and gathered magic users who had
drifted away or been banished from their hometown. The culmination of these
efforts was the creation of a new academic system called ‘Sorcery’. As a result, the
skills of the empire’s ‘sorcerers,’ or magic users as they’re called in other countries,
rose dramatically.”
Magic, which had long been kept secret within the family, was systematized as
sorcery and refined to a frightening degree. From the information gathered about
their magic, all excess was eliminated in training, effective training methods were
shared, and new ideas were born.
Furthermore, even though it was conditional on belonging to a special faculty,
since the range of the sorcery to learn had become much bigger the number of
sorcerers themselves had increased. As a result, people hidden in the countryside
who were, as if due to mutations, overflowing with magical talent, were discovered
one after the other, and the empire quickly gained the status of a magical
superpower on the continent.
“There are still quite a few magic users in the military, but this trend will
probably not stop. If we’re unlucky, one out of every ten soldiers in the army is
going to be an advanced magic user, which for anyone from the outside will mean
the completion of an army straight out of a nightmare, right?”
“… That’s certainly very scary.”
“Most regular countries use magic troops as their trump cards, you know.”
“I think it’s downright dirty to have at least one magic user in every unit. While
we’re here doing our best with swords and bows, they’re firing guns and cannons
and on top of that their bloody magic?”
Perhaps remembering the previous clash, which was a one-sided overrun, the
soldiers began to speak out in fear.
The fact was that magic users were the most fearsome beings on the
battlefield. Firearms were the most destructive weapons on the battlefield, but it
took a high level of technology to manufacture them of a quality that could be used
on the battlefield. It was impossible to produce effective numbers of such weapons
for the battlefield without possessing a certain amount of national power, and
swords and bows were still the main weapons of war in small countries. In such a
situation, it was nothing but a nightmare for a mere man to unleash a long-range
attack that could blow away several people at once at any given moment, or to go
on a rampage with a rock-crushing strength. Magic users were the decisive
battlefield weapons for nations that lacked firearms, and it was the empire that had
a large number of those decisive battlefield weapons all lined up.
“Well, the first reason alone makes it obvious that we shouldn’t fight the
empire, but unfortunately we’re not done yet. Which brings me to threat number
two. ‘The best industrial technologies on the continent.’ The difference in
technological prowess is frightening in itself. After all, they can produce all of their
own firearms, which are known as high-end products. Furthermore, a new
technological revolution that combines magic and industry has appeared, which
means nothing but terror to other countries. … But to be fair, that’s just something
I’ve heard through the grapevine and I don’t know much about it. Anyway, I’ve
tried to summarize the information I’ve heard and investigate it, but it seems that
they’re doing a wide range of experiments and discoveries, such as activating
magic without needing a person to do it, increasing the effectiveness of magic, and
combining phenomena brought about by magic with physical phenomena.”
With that said, Lute ended his explanation. No matter how intelligent he was, it
was impossible for him to accurately grasp the unique technology of another
country, especially technology that he had never laid eyes upon and only knew
about through rumors. The best he could do was to let his fantasies take wing and
call it an analysis.
“Is Your Highness really this scared even when Your Highness doesn’t know the
details?”
“Unknown technology is a threat in and of itself, you idiot. Frankly speaking,
according to the rumors, the technology of the empire is extremely advanced. Don’t
tell me it’s just a stupid rumor, okay? The difference between the Imperial Army
and this nation’s army is obvious just from the equipment that we saw during the
last clash. There’s not only a gap in terms of technology, but also in terms of our
culture! Can you guys defeat an army clad in iron weapons and armor with only
wooden clubs, spears, and pitchforks?”
““It’s impossible!!””
“That’s what I mean. And this analogy can really be applied to our situation
with the empire.”
In all seriousness, the empire was not only ahead of its time, it was full on
living in the future. This technological revolution would eventually spread
throughout the continent, but it was extremely likely that by that point, the empire
would be even further ahead. At worst, the empire could be two or three
generations ahead of the latest technology in other countries.
“And finally, the third one is the most important of them all. ‘Possessing
superior military strength where a single horseman matches the strength of an
entire army’. The most powerful and renowned magic user in the empire, ‘The God
of Flame’. A magic user recognized by the empire, the birthplace of sorcery, who
uses ‘magic’ in the true sense of the word, and which cannot be classified as
sorcery. There are currently only two such magic users on the continent, and they
are capable of defeating armies and nations on their own. In other words, as magic
users, they possess the rank of ‘demi-gods’.”
‘Demi-god’. The term referred to the super-powerful magic users on this
continent who had been recognized by the Froysel Empire and Romas Republic,
which was a continental powerhouse equal to the Empire.
── ‘The God of Flame’ of the Froysel Empire turned the battlefields of enemy
armies into scorched earth with a single magic spell.
── ‘The Apostle’ of the Romas Republic transformed, with a prayer that
reached everyone, pious soldiers into tenacious soldiers of god with unparalleled
strength.
Although different in type, both had super-powerful fighting capabilities
comparable to the heroes of myths and fairy tales. What was most frightening was
that, although there may have been some exaggeration, all of these anecdotes
were true.
If his demi-god descended on the battlefield, he would bring nothing but
despair, and even if he didn’t, one could never rest in peace, and would constantly
wonder when he’d appear. With or without his appearance, the empire possessed a
terrifying presence.
“Still it seems that the God of Flame is not participating in this progression,
and there’s no need to worry about that at the end of it. He’s the most important
force against the Republic, and can probably not be moved around much. However,
under the current circumstances, if he does show up, the war will end in an
instant.”
That was, of course, in the form of the defeat of the Land Kingdom.
“… For now, those are the empire’s dangerous elements. Just to be clear, this
is only an analysis of the fighting power of the empire, and even the points I made
now are only a part of the story. There are still loads of things to be afraid of, such
as the abundance of human resources and a strong political system. To be frank, as
someone from a small country who is called incompetent, the country seems
immeasurable to me.”
Lute muttered to himself, “There’s really nothing to do but laugh, being at war
with such a country,” but this time, none of the soldiers made any teasing remarks.
Confronted once again with the might of the enemy nation, they could not help but
comprehend the fate of their nation, which was “destruction”.

Chapter 4:
The Ruler

Even the loyal retainers, who should have been prepared to die, could not hide
their agitation at the might of the enemy and the fate of their home country, which
was to be destroyed, being forced down their throats. In the midst of all that, Lute
clapped his hands loudly once.
“You nitwits, what are you getting dazed now? It’s been hopeless from the
start. It’s a miracle we haven’t been swallowed up already. Rather, you should
reflect on the joy of being able to even talk right now.”
By all rights, the Land Kingdom Army should have been destroyed without
even having the option of retreating.
The reason that didn’t happen, was that the Empire did not consider the Land
Kingdom Army to be a threat at all, and the speed of the invasion was relatively
slow.
Since it was an invasion operation toward the mainland, there was no escape
route for those of the Land Kingdom, and since the Empire had just cause for
invading, there was no hope for reinforcements.
In such a situation, there was no need to rush and pile up unnecessary wear
and tear, so the Empire was aiming for victory with a steady march and minimal
loss of life.
 It was a miracle that the abandoned pawns of just over 50 men still survived in
such circumstances, that was why it shone so brightly in the face of inevitable
doom.
A “miracle” was a ray of light that cut through the darkness of despair. It was
the gospel that illuminated the darkness and brought hope. That was why Lute
transformed the small “miracle” of the present situation into a sword of brilliance
that broke through adversity.
“You guys did really well. Not only did you survive the clash, but you showed
loyalty to this incompetent slacker and stayed here. The way you survived in a
hopeless situation on the battlefield with an unbreakable heart is a true example of
a soldier.”
“Your Highness?! It’s really out of character to give us that kind of honest
compliment?!”
“That’s right, please stop. It’s bad luck! I don’t want to hear this kind of
deathbed talk!”
“You’re the ones with the bad luck, you idiots! Don’t turn a person’s well-
deserved compliment into one’s last words!”
Lute was simply expressing his appreciation for his loyal retainers in an
unusually honest manner, but sadly, due to the departure from his usual behavior,
the soldiers only became worried. Well, considering the situation and the speech,
the soldiers’ reaction was rather appropriate.
“Seriously. That’s the situation. I can understand why you’d take my words
that way. Do you guys really think I’m the sort of person who accepts the situation
and dies?”
““No, not at all!””
“Am I the sort that carries out orders to die in vain and charge to our deaths,
screaming about our love for our country?”
““Definitely not!””
“How about being willing to fall into the hands of captives while having no idea
how I’ll be treated, or even what the future holds?”
“…. Probably not.”
“Deny it more forcefully, you idiots! Even in my former life I never refused to
think critically about choices that made me feel uneasy! It’s a given that I’ll at least
secure the ingredients needed for a peaceful life, right!?”
““…Oh!””
The soldiers voiced their consent to the anger in Lute’s voice, which was so
typical of him.
Lute did not seem averse to the idea of falling into captivity, which was why
the soldiers weren’t sure how to respond, but now that they thought about it, there
was no way that Lute, whose heart was set on being “lazy,” would become a “mere
prisoner of war” with no future prospects. If his own qualities were taken into
account, Lute would have without a doubt been able to obtain the honors and
riches of royalty, but he kicked them away along with his duties, and had only done
the minimum amount of work, knowing that he would be ridiculed by those around
him.
And there was no way that a person with that kind of a rebellious heart, would
do such an auspicious thing as praising his subordinates just because he was on the
verge of annihilation.
“… In other words, what I said earlier was just a compliment to you guys from
the heart. It’s not like I’m trying to make a good memory in our last moments
before death, so don’t worry.”
“Yeah but, isn’t this a little too abrupt?”
“That’s right. It is true that we’ve survived under His Highness’s care, but to be
honest, we haven’t done anything yet, have we?”
“No. You guys just don’t realize it, but we’ve done some solid work.”
To the soldiers’ puzzled looks, having not the slightest idea of the honest praise
they just received, Lute gave only a quiet smile as an answer.
“…. In response to your resolve and loyalty, I am now temporarily giving up
the name of ‘Incompetent’. This is not because of the danger of this country going
into ruin. It is my gift to you for your devotion.”
That was the first time the soldiers, and even Heinrich, who had served him for
so long, saw Lute as royalty.
── All the soldiers unconsciously knelt down in the face of this overwhelmingly
impressive appearance.
“Be proud! By your loyalty, the Land Kingdom avoids the fate of destruction!
As long as it is not completely destroyed, they will never achieve full victory! Our
honor will be tarnished. But Land will not perish! Most of its people will never
understand, but I will vouch for your great achievement! I say it once more. Be
proud! You are the heroes of our salvaged nation!”
──The spoken words put a pleasant pressure on the soldiers and made their
hearts flutter.
Everyone understood now the words Lute, who was far removed from his usual
lazy appearance and now stood like a king, had spoken earlier.
All the soldiers had the same thought: “We were fools. It would be
troublesome if those of the lower ranks in the line of succession weren’t competent
enough.”
That’s right, surely this kind of appearance should not be shown on a regular
basis. If this personality of his would be constantly on the surface, the country
would seriously become divided.
He had an overwhelming charisma that would overshadow the royalty above
him in the line of succession, the crown prince, or even the king himself.
His charisma was on a different level, one that would make ordinary people
instinctively fall on their knees.
Lute Land was a bastard son, but he was a genuine royalty, or rather, a
genuine monarch.
The soldiers understood now that his usual lazy appearance, while probably
due in part to his own personality, was also a necessary act to cloud his
overwhelming charisma.
“… Anyway. Well, that’s why I praised you. You may stand up now.”
As if to prove it, the pressure in Lute’s tone of voice from earlier disappeared.
It was as if he knew his speech from earlier would make them kneel, further
confirming the soldiers’ speculation.
 Nevertheless. Although they now understood the difference in character, even
those who knew Lute’s personality had a hard time swallowing it.
Heinrich, who had known Lute for the longest period of time, was the first to
express his doubts.
“Um…., Your Highness. Was that….?”
“Hmm? Oh, that. That was a secret of mine, or rather a glimpse of one of my
trump cards that I’ve been hiding. I will tell you as a reward for your loyalty, but I
actually have two secrets. I’m going to show one of them now.”
“… Is it something that will help us in this war?”
“Oh yeah. If used well, it’ll be a powerful move that could end the war without
any further casualties.”
Lute’s unhesitating affirmation. As a result, Heinrich and the other soldiers
present recognized it as a “fact”.
At the same time, a question arose in their minds.
“…. Your Highness. We have pledged our allegiance to Your Highness.
Therefore, we will not be swayed by any response. Thus, I would like to ask you a
question. Why are you only using your “trump card” now? No, why did you keep it a
secret in the first place?”
Why did he not use his powerful trump card, which would have averted his
doom and even caused the Empire to retreat, until now?
This was a natural question for a man who served his country.
Lute understood this, which is why he answered Heinrich’s question without
any pretense at all.
“There are four reasons.
“First, my two trump cards are too powerful. To be frank, I wouldn’t have told
anyone for the rest of my life if it wasn’t for this emergency. If it weren’t for your
loyalty, I would still be hiding them, and I would have quietly disappeared on my
own. They are so dangerous that they should never be used in our country. Too
much power will always destroy oneself. That is why I’ve kept it a secret until now.
“Then there’s the question of opportunity. The war had progressed too far for
me to use my trump card. The first battle in the Margraviate was physically too far
away, and in the earlier clash, the outcome was almost decided by the time I
arrived at the battlefield. Therefore, there was no point in me using it.
“And next is the difference in national power. My trump card passes for the
Empire’s, but the fundamental difference in national power is insurmountable. If the
situation reaches a stalemate from confronting the enemy poorly, I might get
crushed from an economic standpoint, rather than a physical one. That is why I was
waiting for the right moment to use it.
“Finally, there is the issue of command. Currently, as we have been cast aside,
we are fighting independently. That means I am the supreme commander. That is
why I can play my trump card. As I said before, too much power will always come
back to you. And as far as I know, there is no one in the upper ranks who can
handle my trump card. If I reveal its existence in such a situation, it could be fatal
to the relationship with the Empire and ultimately destroy it.
“That is why now is the time to finally play my trump card. Have I convinced
you?”
 “Yessir!”
Lute’s explanation seemed to make sense, at least to Heinrich.
Of course, others would be furious if they heard it, but Lute was not that
concerned about the Land Kingdom, and the people here had sworn their allegiance
to him.
It would be one thing if the leader was clearly going down the wrong path, but
otherwise it was best not to interfer with Lute’s decision.
“But does that mean that His Highness will remove himself from command of
the army?”
“That’s right. From this point onward, actions are beyond my original
discretion. Well, of course, if we do nothing, we will perish. We don’t need to worry
about that. … And even if we’re discovered, there’s nothing our country can do
about it anyway. At most, we’ll be called traitors or something.”
“Your Highness is as unwavering as ever…”
No matter how one looked at Lute’s speech, who was acting on his own
initiative and had his private, albeit a small one, military force, it was a clear
insurrection.
It was a serious crime that would surely result in the maximum penalty if
discovered, but Lute didn’t even show any emotion.
“…Ahh but those of you who don’t want to be branded as traitors, tell me. You
have families and loved ones, and don’t want such a bad reputation I guess. The
situation is what it is, so we’ll act with resolve. That’s why only those who don’t
care about their honor in our country should stay. Those who choose not to will be
sent back as messengers without hearing about the details. We can avoid
destruction even if our numbers are reduced, so don’t be afraid to come forward.”
Lute showed his consideration. However, no one raised their voice in response.
“Your Highness. When we volunteered for this unit, we entrusted our lives to
Your Highness. Why the hesitation now?”
“That’s right. In the first place, we’re the heroes of our country’s salvation,
right? If so, it’s only logical to serve Your Highness to the end. We cannot boast of
being heroes if we are not there when it counts.”
“Above all, here we are only lonely, single men. We have nothing to lose!”
““Without a doubt!!””
It was a powerful reply. One that made Lute laugh in spite of himself.
“Haha, you guys are pretty unwavering yourselves. By the way, it’s time for
you to return to your normal way of speech. It’s creepy.”
““That would be pretty difficult.””
“I guess there’s nothing to do about that…”
The fact that they had answered immediately without showing any confusion
made him realize that the sense of distance between them had not changed.
“Well then. Let’s get to work. All of you, line up in front of the fort! Heinrich,
raise the banner of negotiation!”
“Negotiation, sir? Not surrender?”
“Yes, negotiation. Normally, it wouldn’t happen with this gap in strength, but…
The war is not a normal one to begin with. So, the way to deal with it doesn’t have
to be normal either.”
 Lute’s smiling face looked as if he was a child about to play a terrible prank.

Chapter 5:
The Incompetent Prince and the General Imperial Prince 1

“… What a drag.”
Klaus Julius Froysel, the second prince of the Froysel Empire and the
commander-in-chief of the invasion force of the Land Kingdom, was bored out of
his mind.
Of course, an army at war was always hectic, and when it came to managing
more than 10,000 people, the amount of work involved was enormous.
Klaus, being the commander-in-chief, also had a workload commensurate with
his position, and if anything, his workload was lagging.
In fact, Lambert, a tall, thin young man who served as Klaus’ close aide,
frowned at Klaus’ mutterings.
“Your Highness, Klaus. For all your talk of triviality, I believe your
administrative work seems to be falling behind, correct?”
“…. I didn’t mean it in that way, Lambert. No, it’s true that the paperwork is
boring, and I’d like to throw it away if you’d do it for me. What I mean is that this
war itself is boring..”
“I do not have the authority to handle His Highness’s papers, so such a fantasy
is not feasible. And what is there to complain about this war? We have suffered
almost no damage, and if we continue as it is, our country will gain new territory. Is
that not a good thing entirely?”
“I suppose it is…”
Klaus was not offended by Lambert’s condescending tone, and simply let his
words slide.
Lambert and Klaus had known each other since childhood, and this level of
exchange was a common occurrence in informal settings.
“Somehow, there’s too much of a lack of a challenge. We just advance the
troops at a steady pace. That’s probably all we need to do to win this battle. We
can also win with almost no damage. … But what even is this? A progressive
military operation, right? If the supply lines are cut off, we will be isolated within
the enemy country, and yet there is no sense of tension at all. Can we really call
this a ‘war’?”
“… Well, I understand what Your Highness is saying. As for that, I can only say
that it is because this is the Land Kingdom.”
Lambert, too, responded with a wry smile to Klaus, whose expression was filled
with confusion.
These were harsh words to describe the enemy country.
“To put it bluntly, the Land Kingdom is a much weaker country than we had
anticipated. Even the excuse for starting this war is outrageous. I could not believe
that they would fall for such a provocation as the one we gave them, even the
people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were confused by it.”
As far as Lambert had heard, the Imperial Foreign Ministry officials’ plan was a
crude one, a subterfuge that really amounted to little more than a greeting.
In any case, they brought along a former high-ranking official of Gilse to assist
them, who expressed sarcasm toward the Land Kingdom and the Margraviate of
Rize in a non-disrespectful diplomatic manner and ultimately manipulated the topic
to end the meeting by saying something in the manner of, “The Duchy of Gilse will
develop much more than the Land Kingdom in the future.”
The result was the unexpected use of force by the Margraviate of the Rize
family. It was a rare incident that stunned not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
but also many Imperial officials.
“Furthermore, the subsequent response was also extremely poor. Not only did
they hesitate to make a decision and allow the invasion, but they clashed with our
forces with bad tactics due to poor tactical command. It’s unbelievable that they
split their forces in two, despite their inferior numbers and equipment, although I
cannot say that I am shocked.”
In addition, the Land Kingdom had at that time a maximum estimated force of
8,000 soldiers.
Their equipment consisted of metal helmets and breastplates, and their
weapons were mostly swords and bows, with only a few firearms, which was
reasonable for a small country.
“I mean, it’s not a wrong tactic to attack the opponent with an ambush…”
“Your Highness Klaus, even though they are ill-prepared, how can you defend
the opponent?”
“I’m not defending them. I’m just talking about tactics.”
Lambert glared at him with half-open eyes, but Klaus tried to fool him by
shrugging his shoulders.
“…. Well anyway. The reality is that the upper echelons of the Land Kingdom
are extremely incompetent. According to the information that has been circulating
the Intelligence Department, they are a group of non-developmentalists with no
potential. Although they are not abusing their rule, they have done nothing but
continue the same tax rate and such for generations. They had skirmishes with the
former Duchy of Gilse basically every year, but the clash with each other continued
to the extent that it became a regular event, and they seem to have been able to
muddle through the clashes half-heartedly. Other than that, there have been no
war-like wars since the days of the preceding king. The result is the spectacle that
Your Highness sees here.”
“The peace has melted their brains. I feel puzzled by this absence of war.”
“The reason is simply that a group of incompetent fools lacked a sense of
crisis.”
Hearing the conclusion drawn by Lambert, Klaus let out a small sigh.
“If so, wouldn’t it have been unnecessary to mobilize such a large number of
troops? If the enemy’s troops are not well-equipped or even very aware of the war,
even a small army could have won the war without any problems, right? After all,
that Margrave was the most battle-hardened man in the country.” The top brass is
already thinking about governing after the victory. If we were to shift to occupation
and rule, I would rather say that the number of troops is too small.”
Lambert only replied with a sigh.
As Klaus said, if all there was to do was to defeat the Land Kingdom, there
would be no problem with even half of their military strength. However, it was a
different story if the work of governing the country followed the victory.
There was no end to the number of things that needed to be done, such as
securing a base where the entire invading army could rest without problems,
maintaining security, and reconstruction work.
There were also the various additional clerical tasks to think about, such as
handing over administrative matters to the civilian officials who would be
dispatched there, so the headcount of 10,000 men was not at all excessive.
“… Your Highness. From now on, Your Highness is going to be involved in
national politics in earnest. Please stop worrying about the military and focus a little
more on politics.”
“Hahaha. You can leave the politics to my brother. I don’t have that talent. If I
clumsily step into the field of politics, there will be people who will make a big fuss
of it.”
“… Well, that is certainly true.”
Having received a sound response to his bitter words, Lambert stopped
pursuing the matter further.
Klaus was the second prince, and due to his position, he was the leader in
political strife, regardless of his own will.
He had a good relationship with Lionel Grand Froysel, the current crown prince
and his own brother, and he officially declared that he would rather sit on the
general’s seat than on the throne, but unfortunately, those around him did not
allow him to do so.
The reason was that the two princes showed outstanding talent in their
respective fields. Crown Prince Lionel’s talents lay in the political field. The second
prince, Klaus, possessed exceptional natural ability in the military field.
 Crown Prince Lionel had a solid political vision, analytical ability, and
decisiveness. In particular, his sense of political balance was extraordinary, and
even dignitaries who were known as “foxes” in the field of negotiation and under-
the-table deals, were so amazed that they called him “The Heavenly Pillar”.
Although a different type from the current emperor Friedrich, who led the
empire with his natural intuition and overwhelming charisma, Lionel also possessed
qualities befitting an emperor. Because of his talents, he enjoyed the support of the
civil servants.
Klaus, on the other hand, had an overwhelming talent in one aspect: military
prowess. As an individual, he had an excellent sense of sword and bow, and above
all, an extraordinary aptitude for “strengthening” magic.
His sword blows cut through large rocks, his arrows penetrate walls, and his
fists shatter the earth. Despite all that, his “strengthened” body was strong enough
to withstand most magic attacks, not to mention bullets.
Apart from the “God of Flame”, his individual combat power was the best in the
empire, and he was one of the tacticians who could dominate the war situation by
himself. Possessing such strong military prowess, while also excelling in the ability
to lead an army, made him too much for one to handle.
Klaus, who had the natural charisma to lead others, read the flow of the
battlefield instinctively with his natural “military” instincts, and crushed the enemy’s
intentions with his command ability that transcended logical thinking.
He was so unreasonable on the battlefield that he was known and feared in
neighboring countries under the name of “Roaring Dragon”. Because of his
strength, he enjoyed overwhelming support from military officers.
“Politics” and “military”. The throne was entrusted to the two princes because
they possessed the essential talents for managing a nation.
Those who favored Lionel were sure that if Klaus were to become the strongest
weapon in Lionel’s reign, there would surely be peace.
Those who favored Klaus believed that Lionel and themselves should run the
country under the banner of a strong, warlike emperor. They’d created factions
based on their own ideologies.
…. It was extremely annoying to the two men in question, especially to Klaus.
“What’s especially galling is that half of the people who are making a racket
aren’t even doing it in their own self-interest…. What sort of a joke is this, with the
interest-seekers being the better of the lot? They’re likely to go off the rails if I
leave them alone, so as annoying as it is, I have to keep an eye on them no matter
what.”
“Isn’t it good that there are so many patriots out there?”
“The country is becoming unstable as a result….”
Naturally, as long as there was a political dispute over the next emperor,
national politics would be affected.
Since the two princes had a good relationship and many of their supporters
steered the great ship that was the empire in a rational manner, there had been no
turmoil that could split the country, but from what Klaus saw, there was a lot of idle
intrigue and gamesmanship going on in various places of concern.
Could those who influenced national politics through such idle actions really be
called patriots? Klaus wondered.
In fact, the “patriot” remark made by Lambert had been a sarcastic one, as he
himself deemed that those who supported Klaus for their own interest were much
better than those who did not.
“Well, it is the duty of those in high positions to manage such people well.”
“Yeah, that’s why I think that that kind of work is my brother’s area of
expertise.”
“There is no denying that a general is a high position as well. Therefore, as
soon as we have marched to our next destination, you will start working on the
paperwork.”
“Ughh….”
As Lambert happily brought the matter to a close, Klaus uttered a small grunt.
Well, as the head of the military, there was no escaping the paperwork, and
the only thing that prevented one from becoming swamped was to work fast rather
than slow.
“What a hassle! War is such a hassle! If the opponent were strong, the tension
would continue, but this one is such an easy victory! It’s fine that the losses are
low, but I feel like we’re doing so much unnecessary and ineffective work for
nothing!”
“What a thing to say…. What if something really unexpected happens?”
“In that case──”
Klaus was about to reply to Lambert’s question when they were interrupted.
“Report, sir! The scouting party ahead of us has confirmed the target fort. A
little more than fifty soldiers are now lining up in front of the fort, holding up a
negotiation flag!”
A messenger had rushed in the room and imparted the unexpected situation to
them.
“…. Your Highness.”
“No, it’s not my fault! Will you stop looking at me as if I were the cause of
this!”
Klaus couldn’t help but yell out as Lambert glared at him with half-open eyes.
In fact, Klaus was not at fault, the timing had only been impeccable.
“Usually, petitioning for negotiation means surrendering, right? In that case,
this is not unexpected.”
Klaus imagined that the negotiation would go something along the lines of,
“We will surrender quietly, so you must guarantee our safety.” The difference in
strength was so overwhelming that it was to be expected that the enemy forces
would offer to negotiate.
“No, it’s actually… That is to say…”
The messenger reacted in a half-hearted manner. This sort of a vague answer
was not acceptable from a messenger and Klaus shouted angrily at him.
“You idiot! How can a messenger react like this!? If you have something to say,
spit it out!”
“Y-yes! I beg your pardon! The one who offered to negotiate was the fourth
prince of the Land Kingdom, Lute Land. The matters to be discussed are
“negotiations for a ceasefire”!”
 “…. What?”
This was something that Klaus, who was endowed with the natural talents for
warfare, could not have anticipated at all, and it was proof that the situation was
indeed unexpected.

Chapter 6:
The Incompetent Prince and the General Imperial Prince 2

Klaus and Lambert looked at each other in utter surprise at the unexpected
message from the messenger.
“…. What do you think?”
“…. No, it is absolutely out of the question. There is no way to negotiate a
cease-fire in this situation. It is not even worth considering. After all, a ceasefire
will not give our troops a single advantage.”
“I know, right….”
A ceasefire is concluded when both sides, for their own reasons, decide that it
is more convenient not to go to war, rather than to wage war.
l
If both sides are exhausted, a ceasefire is called as a draw between the two
nations, or the losing side may propose some kind of compensation as a way to cut
its losses, and the other side, if satisfied with the offer, may accept it.
There are some cases where the winning side cannot continue the war for
some reason and proposes a ceasefire.
However, the numerous “ceasefires” in history that have been concluded in this
way were agreed upon because the scales were balanced after calculating the profit
and loss of both sides.
There was no way, no matter what, that an agreement could be reached under
the current situation between the Froysel Empire and the Land Kingdom.
At any rate, if the empire continued as it was, they would gain everything in
the Land Kingdom. They would gain the entirety of the natural resources and fertile
lands that were the hallmarks of the Land Kingdom.
As a technological superpower, the empire had always been in need of
resources, so why would it voluntarily let the opportunity slip away like that? Unless
a huge emergency occurred, such as the death of the current emperor, the
outbreak of a coup d’état on a scale that would shake the country, or an all-out war
with the Republic, it was highly improbable to happen.
“It seems that they cannot even grasp the situation properly. I guess the Land
Kingdom is full of incompetents after all.”
“You think so?”
“I do not think so, it is the truth. It is obvious that our army will never sit down
for negotiations. I believe this may even be a roundabout provocation from them.”
“I wonder…”
Lambert’s words probably represented the feelings of most of the invading
forces.
 In any case, the offer to negotiate a ceasefire meant that they had a basis for
convincing the invading forces that it had merits.
However, it was obvious to anyone that could see that the Land Kingdom in its
current state had nothing to offer whatsoever that would satisfy the Empire.
The fact that they were willing to negotiate on such a basis indicated that they
believed that the invading forces would be stopped by what they were offering,
which meant that they took the invasion force and, by extension, the Froysel
Empire itself lightly.
Naturally, no soldier would feel good about having their own country looked
down on like that. And even more so when that opponent had a blade held to their
throat by that very country.
“We should just give them a quick word of rejection and take total control. It is
a waste of time to even raise the subject in this way.”
“…. However, as long as the other side has raised the negotiating flag, it’s
customary to wait a certain amount of time after the reply before resuming the
battle. You must wait at least an hour.”
“That depends on the situation. Some people take advantage of this convention
to buy themselves more time, so the recipient has the right to decide when to start
the battle. It is true that it is customary to wait at least an hour, but in this case,
no one will complain if you wait five minutes. Against an army of over 10,000 men,
they are only 50-something soldiers in a meager fortress. No matter how much
time we spend on preparation, the result should be obvious.”
“Is that…. so….”
“Your Highness Klaus?”
Lambert, who had been speaking at length about the situation, finally raised a
question to Klaus, who had been acting strangely nonplussed for some time.
“Your Highness seems to be dissatisfied with the immediate conquest, what is
going on? I do not believe this is the same man that just now yelled at his
messenger to quit his flustered attitude.”
“…. No. Actually, I’m feeling a bit uneasy.”
Klaus’ brow wrinkled more than ever as he said this.
“First of all, it goes without saying that Lambert’s opinion is correct. In which
case, my blood is boiling at the thought of being underestimated this badly…..
However, I don’t know why but I got this unsettling feeling. And I know this feeling.
It’s the same awful feeling that I get when I’m at a battle’s turning point and
whether we win or lose depends on me making the right choice.”
“…. Is that so?”
Lambert gave a small grunt at Klaus’ words. However, the meaning in this
small reply was significant.
The reason for his reaction being so small was because of the messenger by
his side, otherwise, he would have reacted more clearly and with astonishment.
Klaus’ intuition on the battlefield was extremely keen.
Klaus’ abrupt command had often completely destroyed the enemy forces’
plans.
Lambert knew very well that he could accurately sense the atmosphere of the
battlefield and instinctively derive the best solution.
 His intuition was almost absurd, one could think that he was able to see the
future.
That Klaus, with his exceptional abilities, was mentioning even the possibility of
losing the battle, defied all reason. It was so delusional that under normal
circumstances he would be laughed out of the room.
However, those who knew Klaus well, with Lambert in the forefront,
understood that his words had a persuasive power that transcended rationality.
“Tell all men to advance to a position where they can see the fort, and then
stand by. I will go myself to respond to the negotiations. Don’t forget to remind the
men to not do anything uncalled-for.”
“Understood! After advancing until the fort is in sight, all men will stand by! His
Highness Klaus will respond to negotiations! I will make sure to deliver this
message!”
After reciting Klaus’ instructions to himself, the messenger swiftly left.
“…. Is this the right move? Given the difference in strength between our two
sides, I think it would be problematic for His Highness Klaus to give the reply
himself,” Lambert asked Klaus, looking behind him.
Klaus was the general commander of the invasion force as well as a prince of
the empire. For a man of that stature to go out of his way to respond to a 50-
something armed group was, when given a thought about it, an impossible thing to
do.
It was a barbaric act tantamount to the commander-in-chief himself disgracing
the name of his own army.
Understanding that, Klaus gave the order.
“You’re right, in normal situations it’s appropriate to just have a field officer
respond to them. …. However, this time it’s different. My intuition is warning me
about something, and I’d rather not have the situation soured by some extraneous
person.”
“But…. Your intuition in warfare is horrifyingly accurate, but that doesn’t mean
that it can never miss the mark. If it fails, it fails. Shouldn’t we refrain from doing
anything that might give troublesome people an excuse to make a fuss?”
“If there’s nothing going on, then that’s fine. I don’t mind making that small of
a blunder. What is more important is to find out what exactly is causing this
discomfort and, consequently, avoid the worst possible outcome.”
Klaus drew the conclusion that if the worst-case scenario, that is to say,
“defeat”, could be avoided, he couldn’t care less about saving face.
If he could avoid that worst-case scenario, he knew he had the ability and
confidence to make up for it again and again in future battles after this war.
At most, it would be a small blunder. On the other hand, if the worst
happened, what would be lost was the face of the nation as the continental
champion.
There was no need to even weigh those odds.
“Anyway, let’s head out straight away. Even though we gave orders, there’s no
guarantee that some of them won’t get ahead of themselves.”
“Furthermore, it seems likely that high-ranking officials who are not satisfied
with those orders will come to us for an explanation.”
 “…. There’s that too, yeah. We’d better hurry then. Lambert, give me
information about the other party as we move. The representative is a prine, isn’t
he? A lowly soldier is one thing, but if he’s a prince there should be at least some
information about him.”
“Very well.”
Lambert, who was thus ordered by Klaus, began to tell all he knew about the
fourth prince, Lute Land, as he proceeded at a quick pace.
“Lute Land, the fourth prince. Sixth in line of succession to the throne. He is
the bastard son of the current king, who had him with a maid in the castle.”
“So, his mother isn’t even a concubine? He must have had a difficult life then.”
“Although she was allowed to give birth due to the prevailing conditions in the
Land Kingdom at the time, the mother and child may have been kept in the dark,
depending on the circumstances. …. Well, it seems that the mother was eventually
sent to a monastery after the fourth prince became a little older.”
“I guess a small country is no different from ours then.”
Klaus’ expression was indescribable as he listened to the sordid details of the
privileged class.
It was a common story, and he himself was a part of that world, but it was still
unpleasant to listen to such stories.
As Klaus did not enjoy beating around the bush, and preferred to keep things
simple, he felt this way even more than usual.
“Perhaps because of this background, the fourth prince does not have a good
reputation. He seems to be doing only the bare minimum of his royal duties and is
basically living a life of idleness. And yet he has a haughty personality. His habit of
not working and only talking big has resulted in him being called “the incompetent
prince” behind his back.”
“….. So he is called incompetent even within the Land Kingdom?”
A prince who is despised as incompetent even by the upper echelons of the
Land Kingdom, which has an even worse reputation.
Again, that was a pretty big deal that turned up, and Klaus felt his expression
becoming even more subtle.
Lambert’s information was collected from the “official” sources, such as rumors
and publicly known facts gathered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from the
“hidden” sources, such as undisclosed facts gathered by the Intelligence Services.
Therefore, when comparing the two sides, the “official truth” and the “unofficial
truth”, the divergence between them will naturally come to light.
…. However, there seemed to not be an ounce of difference between the two
sides when it came to the fourth prince.
That meant that the prince’s reputation of being “incompetent” was an
undeniable fact, ans if Klaus wasn’t careful, there was a possibility that he’d end up
face to face with a fool beyond his imagination.
“Then the fourth prince, the representative, may be just a puppet. He may
have a subordinate behind his back who is extraordinarily sharp-minded.”
“As for me, I think that His Highness’s intuition overreacted to the prince’s wild
idea, which was too stupid to be true.”
“That’s something that we’ll be able to tell when we meet the person.”
 “Indeed.”
Following Klaus, who looked as if he would never let his guard down, Lambert
covertly let out a small sigh.
Klaus’ attitude was by no means wrong as the leader of an army.
The way he sought victory with the forces at hand without letting his guard
down, no matter how low-ranked the opponent, was probably even the ideal for a
commander.
However, ideals are only ideals, and reality is reality.
Lambert predicted that, no matter how well-reasoned Klaus’ intuition was, this
time it would be for naught.
After all, this was the Land Kingdom they were dealing with, the country that
the Empire assigned the lowest value to, and on top of that it was only a single unit
of their force.
The top brass of the Empire, which reigned supreme on the continent, had
declared that “victory was assured even if the enemy nation applied all their
strength,” so why on earth would they need to be concerned about a mere unit?
“That’s the hardest part about being a subordinate, isn’t it?”
“Did you say something?”
“No, I was only speaking some nonsense that came out of the battlefield.”
“I see, you’re just being sarcastic as usual.”
Still, as long as his master, Klaus, was on the alert, Lambert had no choice but
to do the same.
He grumbled to himself some unabashed complaints due to their close
relationship, but in the end, he took no further action.
Well, as he’d stated so many times already, Lambert was well aware of the
irrationality of Klaus’ intuition on the battlefield.
That is why he knew there was a possibility that he would not miss his mark
this time as well, and, depending on the circumstances, “something” threatening
would pop up, an outstanding figure that would leave its mark on history.
That is why he did not try to forcibly stop Klaus, but rather followed his
barbaric behavior with tacit consent.
── And when Lambert saw it, he was convinced.
“…. Oh?”
“…. What?”
After silencing the high ranking officers who had come to give the advancing
army instructions and demand explanations, the two of them finally saw the
fortress they had been marching towards and the group with the negotiating
banner, and unconsciously let out an exclamation of admiration.
Soldiers, who at a glance were recognized to be powerful, stood in a single file
formation in front of the fortress.
And the boy who was supposed to be called the “incompetent prince,” with
such elite soldiers in tow, glaring imposingly at the invading army. The reigning
prince who had the aura of “royal power” too monumental to be called
incompetent.
“…. I think we should file a complaint against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Intelligence Ministry.”
 “…. I am in total agreement with Your Highness.”
How was that person supposed to be incompetent! Both Klaus and Lambert
wanted to shout these words at the top of their lungs.
That was clearly a man that would be known throughout history, one that
would be called a hero within his country!
Lute Land, the fourth prince of the Land Kingdom. Klaus’ intuition screamed at
him that this prince was to be a great man.

Chapter 7:
The Incompetent Prince and the General Imperial Prince 3

A race called heroes. That was the impression that Klaus and Lambert had of
Lute.
The atmosphere in which he was clad was clearly exceptional, more so than
any of the high-ranking officials in the Imperial Army participating in this war.
At first glance, he appears to be a boy with only a few characteristics, such as
azure-tinged black hair and a well-developed but still childlike face, but he wears a
"class" that instantly erases this perception.
It is a level comparable to that of the heads of the great noble families who
rule vast territories in the empire.
If they knew this and gave him a rating of [incompetence], Klaus seriously
thought that he would move all the people from the Foreign Ministry and the
Intelligence Ministry who were involved.
"......This would explain why His Highness's intuition is so excited. He is an
outstanding person, frighteningly so."
"Yeah. I can understand even if we haven’t crossed swords. If the troops were
under different command, our army might have struggled."
That was Klaus's true intentions, without any falsehood. This is because the
race called heroes has such terrifying power.
First of all, an army can be greatly transformed by the person who commands
it. Even an elite force equipped with the latest equipment will become a weak force
if commanded by an incompetent person, and demonstrate power beyond its
capabilities if commanded by a capable person.
The quality of those who lead is such an important factor for the military. So,
how much of a race of people are called heroes as commanders? It is the highest of
all, no need to worry about that.
The mere presence of a hero strengthens an army. This is because the hero's
overflowing charisma transforms ordinary soldiers into powerful soldiers.
And frighteningly, the enthusiasm spreads. The roar of the soldiers who
became strong gradually spreads, and fear turns into exhilaration.
Then, the heat gradually spreads, and the entire army eventually transforms
into a powerful force. Once that happens, there is no stopping.
It doesn't matter the quality of the equipment or the number of soldiers.
Armed with the charisma of a hero, the frenzy always makes them stronger than
they actually are.
Unless one can somehow throw cold water on them and bring them back to
their senses, an army of a hero is extremely troublesome.
"Now then. The question is, what kind of a hero is this prince? If he was a
great hero, he would have no problem leading his troops. The only problem is ......”
“It's a case of being a hero with superior intelligence. Such a person will come
up with ideas that easily exceed our expectations. Of course, when it comes to
battle, there is no way we can make use of our wits with this gap in forces.
Unfortunately, what we are going to do is negotiate. If that happens, it will be very
troublesome.”
Heroes, or those with talents that surpass those of ordinary people, are
classified into several categories.
Most of them are classified according to the talent they possess, but in the
current situation, it would be troublesome if Lute was a hero who excelled in
wisdom and strategy, in other words, a race called a great military strategist.
The essence of negotiations is ``how to make the other side accept conditions
that are favourable to your own faction''.
For this purpose, not only pure discussions, but also fraudulent things using
speech techniques are tolerated.
It is out of the question to tell a lie, but conversely, if you mislead the other
party without giving a commitment, there is no problem at all.
Especially in negotiations between nations, such as this one, once the
agreement is signed, it cannot be easily overturned because national trust is also
involved.
In such a situation, an intelligent hero is extremely strong, with ideas that leap
beyond ordinary people's expectations and a different perspective from the norm.
If they were not careful, it would become a monopoly, and before they knew it,
they could be forced to sign a treaty that would be detrimental to the empire.
The empire has the initiative in the situation, but even so, they can't let their
guard down at all.
"... That said, I have to do it. Let's go."
"Ha"
Klaus and Lambert start walking without letting their guard down.
As if to match them, Lute and his trusted subordinate, Heinrich, came forward
from the Land Kingdom side.
And so, the representatives of both camps confronted each other, with the one
leading the other at his back.
“My name is Klaus Julius Froysel! I am the commander-in-chief of the Land
Kingdom invasion force this time. I take it that you are the representative of this
force, the fourth prince, Lute, is that correct?"
"There is no doubt about it. … Even so, I never thought that the second prince
of the empire, known as the ‘Roaring Dragon’, would travel to a country like ours. It
seems that you hold our country in very high esteem.”
“Hmph. I just happened to be the one who was available. I didn't know there
was such an outstanding person as you, even though you are from…As it turned
out, it was fortuitous that the commanding officer's position was assigned to me."
 “Well, well, well. His Highness Klaus seems to be quite good at pleasing people.
I did not expect such words for an [incompetent prince] like me."
The conversation got off to a very relaxed start.
Klaus gives honest praise. Lute responds with a mixture of sarcasm and self-
deprecation, which shows the difference in their personalities, but they are still
loose enough to smile at each other.
It was so bizarre that it was exchanged by representatives of the warring
factions.
But these are just preliminaries. They are mere greetings that are nothing
more than diplomatic protocol.
Although this place is temporarily a non-combat zone, it's still a legitimate
battlefield.
It's just that words and letters are employed in place of a multitude of methods
of killing, but the essence is always conflict.
Therefore, both sides are not to let their guard down. Klaus, of course, would
stick a sword, no, a pen, into his throat if necessary, even for Lute, who is
supposed to be in the position of the weak.
“Now then, let’s leave the preface here and get down to business. I heard that
your country has offered a ceasefire, is this true?”
"Yes, that's right. We offer to negotiate a ceasefire against the Froysel Empire."
"...Huh? Just to be sure, are you sure you want to negotiate a 'ceasefire' and
not a 'surrender'?"
"Oh. I'll say it again and again. What we are offering to your country is a
cease-fire."
"……I see."
Klaus raised his alert level in his heart against Lute, who asserted without any
hesitation.
The previous information about his reputation for incompetence had already
been discarded from his mind.
Lute is clearly a hero of his race. There is no reason why such an outstanding
person should not be aware of the situation in which his country finds itself.
Even so, emphasising “truce negotiations'' meant that Lute held a card that
would be enough to stop the empire's advance.
"What exactly is it that compels you to offer our army a ceasefire? Even in the
situation in your country, there shouldn't be anything that will force our army to
stop the invasion, right?"
"Isn't it premature to ask for that here? This is supposed to be a place to tell
me whether your country will accept our offer or not. We do not bother to reveal
our cards to a party with whom we do not know whether or not they will sit down to
negotiate."
"No..."
Klaus furrowed his eyebrows slightly because Lute had cut off his question so
bluntly.
Indeed, Lute is right, what is taking place here is not officially a 'ceasefire
negotiation', but a response to whether or not to take the 'negotiating table'.
Therefore, Lute's point that he was getting ahead of himself was not wrong.
 It is not wrong, but it is still problematic.
"I see. Your words are justifiable.…However, in the current situation, there is
no reason for our military to be at the negotiating table under the current
circumstances. There must be a good reason to overturn it. Unless that is
presented to me, I have no way of making a decision."
As I have said many times, the empire is already in a state of thrusting a
sword to the Land Kingdom's throat.
It is Lute and his team who are trying to overturn it, and it is their duty to
present materials of persuasion to make them put back their swords.
From the imperial point of view, it would be no problem to slit their throats.
"It's all well and good to be cautious, but it depends, Prince Lute. You should
consider the difference in position."
"......I was hoping to move quickly to a place where the use of force was not
permitted if possible. As expected, it will not work so well."
Klaus was stunned at the sight of Lute shrugging his shoulders as if he had no
choice.
The information that the fourth prince was incompetent was wrong, but it
seems that the information that he had an arrogant personality was correct.
To have confessed without hesitation that he was a convicted culprit, he has a
very good personality.
With Klaus's inner thoughts elsewhere, Lute spun his words in a terrifyingly
natural way.
"Then, as you wish, I will tell you what we will offer at the time of ceasefire
negotiations. If your country agrees to a ceasefire, I, Lute Land, and fifty-three of
my men will surrender immediately and be taken prisoner without resistance."
It was a word so out of the blue that no one present could have even
anticipated it.
"""……what?"""
After a moment of silence, everyone present except for Lute, shouted dumbly.
For some reason, the man who was supposed to be Lute's subordinate was also
stunned, but Klaus quickly brushed that question aside.
After all, Klaus' thoughts were so confused that such a question seemed trivial.
"... what kind of joke is this? This is a diplomatic forum, albeit a rather
simplified one. That kind of joke is not very complimentary, Prince Lute."
What Klaus managed to squeeze out were such words of advice.
According to Lambert, the prince in front of him rarely attended diplomatic
occasions, or even social circles.
Therefore, he had little experience in conversing on such occasions, and as a
result, he might have made a problematic joke like the one he just made. Klaus
thought so.
After all, the prince before him is a masterpiece with the personality of a hero.
Klaus couldn't believe that such a person would declare such a foolish thing, no, he
didn't want to.
"Ha. You're being very funny again. Do you really think I would make such a
laughable joke in a diplomatic setting?"
However, the words mixed with a wry smile returned by Lute splendidly shatter
Klaus's hopes.
Now that he knew that Lute meant what he said, Klaus, as the commander-in-
chief of the invasion forces and above all as the second prince of the Froysel
Empire, could no longer overlook it.
"...Then are you making fun of me? Are you saying that you are worth that
much? Your king seems to want your country to be destroyed!"
Klaus roars with a fury.
What little reason he had left kept him from pulling out his weapon in front of
the negotiating banner, but his gut was churning to the point that he might
otherwise have exterminated Lute right then and there.
In fact, his fury shook the atmosphere, so much so that even the mighty Lute
loyalists and the imperial soldiers who had formed a line behind Klaus fought back.
……Only one person, however, the [incompetent] Lute, who was supposed to
be facing the raging dragon head-on, did not appear upset at all, but rather
appeared more aloof.
"Hmm? Why does His Majesty, my father, the King, come out here?”
“Of course it's because the foolish king of your place has set up such a joke of
a negotiation!!!”
"... Oh. I see. That would be normal."
In response to Klaus's angry voice, Lute clapped his hands in a very deliberate
way. That act irritated Klaus's nerves even more.
“It seems that His Highness Klaus has misunderstood. I must correct you that
this cease-fire negotiation was done on my own initiative. No royal order was given.
As a matter of fact, I have never said 'my country' or 'my army,' although I have
used the word 'we', I was referring to those present here."
The words that followed made Klaus calm at once.
Even so, it doesn't mean that the anger has subsided. It’s just that his
frustration has gone beyond the critical point and his thinking has cooled down in a
roundabout way.
As a matter of fact, the words spewed out by Klaus were indifferent.
He does not raise his voice as he did a moment ago. However, there is a
coldness in his words that seems to send a chill down the spine.
“...... So you, on your own initiative and without a royal order, asked the
empire to negotiate with you, a mere bastard prince. It was not a surrender, but a
cease-fire. You, a mere individual, asked for a treaty that should have been
concluded between nations. You asked the Empire to conclude a ceasefire treaty
with an individual. Is that what you are saying?"
"Correct."
"...... I see. You are indeed an outstanding person. I've never seen such a big
man...or such an appalling fool."
Klaus again changed his perception. Lute in front of him would definitely be a
hero. That assessment remains unchanged.
Because the atmosphere he wears and his bold personality never fit into the
framework of an ordinary person.
I was convinced that the bottomless confidence emanating from the boy in
front of me would certainly drive ordinary people crazy.
 I understood Lute's nature as a hero. Lute is an agitator. Like a mad priest, he
spreads his ideas like a contagion and infects the people, a hero but also a bringer
of misfortune.
These people are very troublesome. They are absolutely confident in their ideas
and beliefs. Even though "it" is often wrong, they do not admit any mistakes and
bring others down with them.
I see. Apparently, neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Intelligence
Department of the Empire was entirely wrong.
Lute Land is indeed a fearsome hero, but he has turned out to be an
irredeemable [incompetent] sort.
And now that this has happened, it was decided what steps Klaus should take.
"I am sorry, but I must decline to negotiate a ceasefire. I have no desire to
take you prisoner. I will kill you. You will lose your head, and you will destroy this
country. I'm going back, Lambert."
"Ha!"
Lute's words and deeds were a stain on the face of the Froysel Empire.
He asked him to settle the matter with a bastard prince who was about to be
destroyed and a force of fifty soldiers. There was no way they would keep alive the
man who had made such a shameless offer.
After being insulted to such an extent, we must put our national pride on the
line and crush not only Lute and his people, but also the Kingdom of Land, or we
will lose face.
And apart from that, Klaus swore that he had to kill Lute no matter what.
The mere existence of a provocative hero would throw the world into chaos. It
would be really troublesome if he got mixed up with the common people in the
empire.
It is necessary to crush the buds of disaster early.
"That's enough. I will give you ten minutes according to the customs. By then,
be ready to fight back with all your might."
"...... So you're telling me that negotiations have broken down? That your
country will fight us without even having a seat at the table?"
"Hmph. Declaring that as a ceasefire negotiation is ridiculous. It was just a
declaration of war, Prince Incompetent."
After daring to use Lute's derogatory term, Klaus glared at Lute with a look of
great contempt.
"... Huh? If that happens, it would have really unfortunate consequences for
both of us, are you sure about that?"
"Tch"
──And for some reason, I felt pressure. The look on Lute's face. It was like a
hunter confirming that his prey had been caught in a trap.
"... What are you trying to say! What kind of misfortune will befall us if we
destroy you!"
"I can't do that."
Klaus raised his voice to cover up the fact that he had been pressured, but his
resistance was cut short in an instant by Lute's words.
"...... what?"
 “If, and this is just a hypothetical. If we enter into a state of war, ...... I will be
forced to overrun you and your imperial army, with great regret, to protect the
lives and honour of my loyal subjects who are waiting behind me. And you will be
helplessly annihilated and die in vain in this foreign land. That would be truly
unfortunate for both of us. Don't you think so?"
"T-, stop making fun of me!!! You're going to annihilate our army with less
than 100 soldiers dressed in poor equipment!? You seem to want to die a miserable
death, you!!"
Klaus finally pulled out the sword at his waist, following Lute's theatrical
dialogue.
As if in response, Lambert also raised his gun. This is still a place for
diplomacy, but after being insulted to this point, they cannot back down quietly.
Most of all, Lute's words and actions up until now were so cruel that even in
the international community, the use of force was tolerated.
Lute, on the other hand, remained steadfast. Heinrich, who had been waiting
one step behind Lute, quickly tried to move to shield the lord, but Lute even
managed to stop him with one hand.
He was simply majestically staring at Klaus and the others who were showing
their anger.
"Why are you so angry? I was just stating a fact."
"You still say that!! Who would believe such delusions!!"
"I see. You don't believe me? ─ ─ then, shall I prove it to you?"
"......What did you say?"
With these words of Lute, Klaus once again had a vision of the cunning hunter's
smile.
Wait. Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! What the
hell am I up against!? No, what the hell is this guy in the first place!? Why hasn't he
lost his composure in this situation!? Is he really an agitating hero in the first
place!?
Confusion dominates Klaus' thoughts. Every word Lute spits out is a delusion.
They are delusions that could never happen in reality.
This is because there is an overwhelming difference in strength. The advancing
army led by Klaus has a strength that surpasses even the total strength of the
Kingdom of Land.
But even so, Lute said he would prove it. He did so with dignity. Just like water
flowing from high to low, he declared as if he were just talking about the obvious.
It was so eerie to Klaus that his own intuition was also doing its best to warn
him.
"Be careful, this moment is the tide of war."
“Don't worry. Negotiations are still going on in my mind. Therefore, no harm
will come to you. Well, some of you will be surprised and get hurt, but if it happens,
it will only be a minor accident. If you don't mind, I'll prove it to you. ...... What do
you say?"
Klaus hesitated for a moment as Lute smiled wryly at him. But he quickly
makes a decision.
"... try it"
 “Your Highness!? Why do you want to be insulted so far!?”
“Shut up, Lambert! I will not allow you to interrupt me in this situation!!……
Now, try it, Prince Lute. If this turns out to be a trifle, I'll cut you down at that
moment!"
"Oh, I don't mind. If you can do it."
Klaus barked at him with some devilish vigour, and Lute maintained his aloof
attitude.
The power relations are clearly opposite. Even though it was supposed to be,
for some reason it was a scene that seemed natural.
"Oh, but first of all, I want you to tell your soldiers to be very careful. There is
going to be a little surprise, but it's not an attack, so don't do anything. It would be
really stupid to start an attack in a moment of surprise and then engage without
warning."
“.....Lambert. Tell the whole army not to do anything, no matter what happens.
When you have finished informing the whole army, give the signal."
"…………Understood"
After some pause, Lambert follows Klaus' instruction and steps back.
Lute shrugged his shoulders.
"Apparently, I put a crack in the master-servant relationship. I'm sorry."
"Shut up. I won't allow you to open your mouth unnecessarily until you finish
the proof."
"Oh scary scary"
Despite the words, Lute showed no fear at all.
Seeing Lute like that, Klaus no longer felt angry. To be precise, he could not
afford to be.
──Because he was not sure what to expect, because he had come up with a
worst-case scenario, however improbable it was.
"Oh, that’s the signal."
Seeing Klaus in such a state, a single fireball rose from the invading army. It's
a simple signal bullet that uses flame magic.
This informed Lute that Klaus's instructions had been passed on to the entire
army.
"Then--"
And at that moment, the atmosphere surrounding Lute completely changed.
“T-……!!”
At the same time, Klaus felt a strange sensation running through his body. A
feeling of restraint suddenly appeared around his feet.
When he looked at it at once, he saw that both of his legs had frozen before he
knew it.
"............ Damn it!"
Swearing naturally leaked from Klaus' mouth. Because both of his legs were
sealed by ice magic without him noticing it - no.
From the rear, similar murmurs could be heard from the entire invasion force.
"Now we have proof, don't we?"
“…………This is the worst. I've never been in a nightmare like this before!!!!"
Releasing a cry of hatred toward the irrepressible unreasonableness, Klaus
turned his gaze from his own frozen feet back to Lute.
There was Lute, who looked different from earlier.
The bluish black hair turns blue like the azure sky.
His eyes, which had been steeple-pink, had changed to azure, jewel-like eyes.
Above all, he was clothed in a form of supremacy that was absolutely powerful
and difficult to resist as a living creature.
Klaus knows this feature.
The fearsome flame user that the empire is proud of. A sorcerer of the divine
realm whose body has been stained with the concepts he manipulates.
Klaus knew of a magician who was clad in terrifying pressure, which was
different from the ruler's peculiar ambition possessed by an excellent ruler, and
who thrust a difference in [rank] as a simple creature.
“I thought it was impossible, but I didn’t think you were really a magician of
the same magical status as [Flame god]-dono……!!!”
A strategic-class magician who alone has the power to destroy a battlefield and
even a country. Along with [Flame god] and [Apostle], a new demi-god appeared
on the continent.
This is one of the trump cards Lute intended to keep hidden for the rest of his
life. It was the strongest powerful drug that could even upset the balance of power
on the continent.
"...... Well. Let me ask you again, Your Highness Klaus. Will you sit down to
negotiate? Or do we kick off negotiations and let the entire advancing army be iced
to death?"
The question was posed again. Klaus' response to this was obvious.
If a sorcerer with the power of a demi-god appears on the battlefield, the heap
of corpses will only increase when the soldiers gather together.
The same is true for Klaus, who is counted as one of the strongest in the
empire, except for [Fire god].
Only demi-gods of the same character can fight with each other. That is the
absolute law on this continent.
The situation has already reversed. From hunters, the Imperial army was
transformed into prey to be hunted.
Therefore, the response is obvious.
"... let's sit down at the negotiation table...!!"
"I see. That's good to hear."
Thus, the Kingdom of Land……No. The truce negotiations between the demi-
god Lute and the Froysel Empire began.

Chapter 8:
Ceasefire Negotiations between the Demi-god and the Imperial Prince
1

The de facto threat by Lute led to a negotiation between Lute and his group
and the Imperial Army.
 And now, a negotiating tent is being constructed in great haste by the invading
forces.
For the time being, there is a fort equipped with a VIP room (appropriate for a
small country) right in front of them, but since Lute and his party have effectively
become an independent fighting force from the Kingdom of Land, they could not
use it. Or rather, Lute made it so.
Lute was keenly aware of the frightening influence that a demi-god possessed
after all, when such a request was easily passed.
"I knew this power was a powerful medicine. I wouldn't even use it if it wasn't
under these circumstances."
"... I think even the word powerful drug would be lukewarm. I didn't expect His
Highness to be a wizard with the status of a demi-god."
"Are you surprised?"
“Yes. So much so that I thought I was going to lose my back."
"What good would it do if the bodyguards were sitting on their hands?"
Lute burst into laughter at Heinrich's mixed response.
That said, even Lute would be quite surprised if his superior at work came out
to him that he is in fact a counter-national force.
"Well, if it wasn't for this situation, it's a power I intended to keep hidden for
the rest of my life. Forgive me for hiding it."
“Subjects complaining about the lord's decisions…If I had to say, I would at
least have wanted you to tell me about the policy of the negotiations.....I was
chilled by the provocation of the imperialists.”
"You're complaining. Well, I'm sorry about that. But it was necessary."
Lute also understood how insane his words and actions were.
Just as Klaus had said, that was a declaration of war in the name of
negotiation. Even Lute, who is aware of his foul mouth and twisted personality,
would normally not do such a thing.
Even so, the reason he went out on that rampage was because it was
necessary.
“Without such a provocation, it would have been impossible to go along with
the flow of freezing the advancing army once. Of course, I could have proved it
after explaining in detail, but that would have been seen as weak-kneed. The Land
kingdom is already on the verge of extinction. If you show a weak attitude, you will
be at a disadvantage. In order to strike the threat of a demi-god most effectively, it
was necessary to dare to go one step closer to hostility.”
As a result, with Klaus and others riding on Lute's provocation, the entire
invasion force understood the reversal of their positions. The content changed from
"negotiating with a prince on the verge of extinction" to "negotiating with a strong
person who could destroy them".
This difference is really important as it also involves taking the initiative at the
negotiating table.
In fact, the gazes of the soldiers of the invading army toward Lute were filled
with overwhelming awe.
There is no hint of contempt when it comes to the prince of a small country on
the verge of extinction.
 "... I see. I see what you're thinking."
"Thanks to you, the negotiations after this will be relatively easy. The
negotiations I have in mind will require a little bit of friction, but they shouldn't be a
complete disaster."
Heinrich felt an indescribable awe when Lute shrugged as he said that.
Even though he has the power to dominate even a country by himself, he has
the attitude of searching for the most effective way to use it.
The courage to provoke even major powers when necessary.
Above all, the planning ability to use all those elements to build a path to the
desired result.
Ah, how awe-inspiring and dependable Lute is, who is both strong and mighty.
If this person had the ambition of being a king, he would have established
even a third great power along with the empire and the republic.
"It is truly a frightening thing. This is more than enough, but His Highness also
has another trump card. The empire is not so lucky."
"Idiot. No matter how you look at it, it's me who's unlucky. What's sad is that I
have to negotiate with a monstrous nation called the Empire. I'm a petty person
who's content with a life of eating and sleeping."