The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 179
“He’s similar to the current king, Wandolf Spelt, in that he dislikes the empire.”
It was inevitable, as the empire was a force that devoured his own kingdom. He couldn’t help but dislike it.
Before long, we received a message saying the prince was waiting for us, and we moved from the waiting room to the reception room.
It seemed that meeting the 1st Prince was a more formal occasion compared to chance encounters with the leaders of the interspecies union or the archbishop of the earth mother church.
However, I didn’t feel nervous.
When I thought about it, the leaders of the interspecies union and the archbishop of the earth mother church weren’t low-ranking officials either.
It was just the situation.
I didn’t have the ability to be ignored in any case.
“I’ve really grown a lot.”
The fact that I didn’t feel particularly nervous about meeting a prince and the heir to the throne made me realize that I had grown significantly since the last time.
As we entered the reception room, the prince himself stood up to greet us.
“Please, come in.”
“I pay my respects to the 1st Prince.”
As I followed Prina and bowed my head, the prince waved his hand lightly and said,
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s just a few times.”
Following his words, Prina and I lifted our heads, and the prince’s eyes sparkled as he looked at me and Kayla.
“This is Mage Do-in, and the knight beside him is Kayla. It’s an honor to meet you in person. My name is Rashuder Speteran.”
The first king of Speteran was known to be of commoner origin, without a surname.
Later, he founded a kingdom in his own name and left it to his descendants as a surname.
Therefore, the royal family members of Speteran used the surname Speteran and took great pride in it.
It’s common for the six kingdoms to have the kingdom’s name as their surname, but Speteran is the only one who used his own name as a surname.
“Usually, it’s a family name or a group name.”
The fact that Speteran’s descendants still proudly use the surname shows that he was a highly respected king throughout history.
Of course, the royal family might think so, but to commoners, the Kingdom of Speteran wasn’t exactly a great place.
The fact that the first king was of commoner origin was a bittersweet result.
“I’m Do-in.”
Kayla also introduced himself.
“I heard you’ve gone beyond the wall.”
Prina must have conveyed the message through her maid.
“You’ve helped the kingdom’s revival a lot, and now you’ve even surpassed the wall. I’m also delighted. This is a great honor for the kingdom.”
“Your praise is too kind.”
“I’ve also heard that the knight beside you has a promising future. It’s fortunate to have someone like you join the kingdom. Count Griant was in charge of you, and I told him to take good care of you. Was the treatment insufficient?”
“No, I received a lot of help.”
“Then that’s fortunate.”
The crown prince smiled lightly and said,
“Actually, the royal family values you, but we didn’t expect you to grow this fast. When I heard that you became a mage, I was surprised. Count Leneata even engaged you to him, which was unexpected. He had a keen eye for the future.”
“…….”
There was nothing to say.
It was all just a coincidence, anyway. The engagement was just a kind of transaction from the start. I didn’t expect to surpass the wall this fast, either.
Of course, the pace I expected was probably unimaginable to others.
Anyway, the fact that the engagement was just a transaction was something the crown prince wouldn’t be unaware of, but his words were a bit strange at that moment.
“If I had known, I would have sent one of my siblings to you.”
It was clearly a joking tone and action.
However, it was also a piercing remark.
The crown prince’s words made Kayla’s body stiffen slightly, and the crown prince didn’t miss Kayla’s reaction.
At the same time, Prina stepped forward.
◈ Mage
“It seems the royal family highly values my fiancé, so I’m delighted as his fiancée.”
“There’s no choice but to be. Count Leneata’s foresight is simply admirable.”
“Your praise is too kind. However, I’m worried about unnecessary rumors. As you know, our engagement isn’t the kind that can be easily broken.”
The crown prince was the first to back down in response to Prina’s words.
“Haha, just a joke. If you thought I was overdoing it, I apologize.”
“It’s not that, it’s just excessive concern.”
“But as the Duke said, it’s a fact that the royal family highly values my achievements. Especially from today, they will value me even more.”
Before I knew it, I was being called “Merit.”
“Who would have expected someone so young to become a mage? If I’ve surpassed this wall, what about the future? Not only is my ability high, but I’ve also contributed to the royal family, and my colleagues are excellent, so it’s natural to pay attention.”
Instead of responding, Prina silently gazed at the Crown Prince.
It was a bit surprising.
I knew the relationship between the royal family and the Rinteet Bach family was very good.
In fact, the royal family had provided significant support to the Bach family for a long time.
Even now, that support had not stopped, and the soldiers guarding the Cross or the Forest Shield were sent by the royal family.
Rinteet also remained loyal to the royal family and repaid their favor.
However, a strange atmosphere suddenly arose…
‘Even if the relationship is good, is it because we’re from different families?’
As I watched each family engage in a subtle battle, I felt a strange sense of unease.
The story didn’t end there. The two exchanged a few more words, and the Crown Prince changed his target from me to Kayla.
“A knight with such abilities cannot be without a title. I’ll arrange for the royal family to confer a title on you.”
“…….”
Prina remained silent, unable to refute this.
The Bach family could also confer a title on a knight.
However, a knight recognized by the royal family was a different story.
Just being acknowledged by the royal family was enough to receive recognition from many knights.
It seemed like they wanted to create a stronger bond with me through indirect means.
Kayla was not just a simple colleague or escort knight.
If the royal family had investigated me thoroughly, they would know that she had a special relationship with me.
‘Are they trying to indirectly control me through Prina?’
If Prina, as a member of the Rinteet Bach family, mediated my relationship with the family and prevented me from exerting too much influence, then Kayla would play a role in controlling me and preventing me from getting too close to the royal family.
In other words, even if Prina broke off her ties with the family and married me, if she maintained a close relationship with Rinteet and received their support, Kayla would maintain a suitable relationship with the royal family and prevent me from getting too close to them.
‘It’s not a bad deal to form a close relationship in exchange for a title.’
What’s interesting is that they knew about my special relationship with Kayla and still threw in a witty remark.
If I had shown interest, they would have caught me off guard.
I had acknowledged that my position would be politically exploited after accepting Prina’s proposal, but I didn’t expect Kayla to be involved as well.
Kayla, who had once lived a double life as a knight and a shadow, seemed to understand this situation.
So, her eyes wavered slightly.
I had confidently declared that I would take the master’s seat and claim my position, but it seemed like I had found another way to be controlled.
However, I soon saw her eyes firm up.
She seemed unable to tolerate being used as a tool to influence me.
Considering her personality, I thought she might feel guilty about momentarily wavering.
“What’s going on, Kayla?”
It was a bit ironic that I was being offered a title despite already being called a “strong warrior” due to my skills, but no one was laughing.
Just as Kayla was about to speak, I cut in.
“Are you going to grant me a title as a free knight, Your Highness?”
“Of course. I never thought of taking away your knighthood. You wouldn’t want that either.”
“Then I’ll accept it.”
“Your Majesty?”
I was going to make her a real knight anyway. Even if the royal family didn’t offer, I would have suggested it to them.
But since the royal family spoke up first, I had no reason to refuse.
‘It’s not like Kayla means anything.’
That’s not true. She had entered my service and was tainted by the stigma of being a dark mage.
In reality, she had abandoned her external reputation, and it was hard to believe that someone who once dreamed of being a real knight would completely give up on that ambition.
She was shaken for a moment, and it was probably because the prince had touched on the desire she had buried deep in her heart.
“Kayla, don’t worry about anything else.”
“But…”
“Your skills are worthy of a knight. Honestly, it’s too late for that.”
It’s because of me.
Originally, a knight had to receive an appointment from a noble, and even if one had skills, they couldn’t become a knight without dealing with a noble.
If they received an appointment from another family, they would be influenced by that family.
That’s why it was delayed, but the royal family is a different story.
I was already deeply connected to the royal family, and now that I had a connection with Kayla, it didn’t matter.
The prince and Priena didn’t seem to think so, but what can you do?
I didn’t feel like it made a big difference.
“Don’t worry about anything else. I think you have the skills and character worthy of a knight. Even if we exclude our relationship, your skills won’t go anywhere.”
A knight close to being a master.
Even if I weren’t the one, anyone would want to recruit such a skilled person.
“Hahaha. You’re right, Duke Tohinja. If you weren’t the one, I would have tried to recruit you into the royal knight squad.”
“…That’s true.”
You can’t deny her skills. The prince and Priena nodded in agreement with my words.
So, I hoped she wouldn’t reject this offer.
“Hmm, it seems like the person in question isn’t very enthusiastic about it…”
“…Yes. That’s right. It’s because of our relationship with our master that I’m receiving this.”
“It’s enough to receive it just based on your skills, but you’re being picky.”
“I’ll offer my loyalty in return for the title. I’ve already given it to our master, so I have nothing to offer.”
I knew that receiving a title from the prince would benefit him, but Kayla seemed to dislike the idea of the royal family interfering with me using her as an excuse.
Even if it meant giving up on her long-held dream.
Originally, the influence she could wield with just a knight’s title was limited, and it was clear that they wanted to use her to keep Priena in check, but she wouldn’t even accept a small possibility.
“Hmm, then would you be satisfied if you received it as a reward through a request?”
It seemed like she had changed her mind.
Considering my relationship with Kaila, it wasn’t easy to form a close bond with Prina.
So, I thought it would be better to raise Kaila as a rival to Prina, competing with her voluntarily as a rival idol.
As Kaila’s influence grew, Prina’s influence would naturally decrease, which was a given. However, this would still be helpful in achieving the prince’s goals.
Refusing this offer would be unreasonable. Moreover, since I had already compromised this far, rejecting it now would only damage my relationship with the prince.
I had to accept it. So, I asked, “What’s the request?”
“It’s simple. Help Dorilem.”
“…….”
“You’re also a mercenary with a guarantee from Dorilem, so you have a good reason. What do you say? It’s not an easy task, but wouldn’t you want a knight’s title?”
It wasn’t bad. In fact, from my perspective, it was a very good offer.
“I think it’s doable… I haven’t seen a human corpse in a while.”
If I participated in the war, I could get my hands on many corpses, including those of experienced mercenaries.
I could even complete the Entin’s Skeleton Knight unit.
The only problem was the Oasis side…
“It’s okay for now.”
I had already secured it.
So, it wasn’t bad.
Although it seemed like we would be at a disadvantage if the prince gave us only one knight’s title, considering what we could gain in the process, it wasn’t a significant loss.
Of course, if many people received titles, it could be beneficial, but the problem was that Artina and Valdeur’s goals weren’t focused on becoming knights.
Unlike Kaila, they were different.
Valdeur was tied to Oasis, so I had to exclude him, and Artina’s connection to the royal family could be troublesome.
“Tia is the most important, so I should ask her.”
Considering her social status, she might accept, but she seemed satisfied with her current situation, so I needed to hear her opinion.
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As she was satisfied, she might find a knight’s title burdensome.
Especially since I knew a bit about Kaila’s past, she might have some negative feelings towards knights.
I quickly calculated the pros and cons and replied to the prince’s proposal.
“It’s okay with me.”
Besides, Dorilem was a territory located close to Linetta.
If such a place fell into the hands of a family related to the Goddess Church… it would be a disaster.
Especially since it was a territory related to the Goddess Church… it was unpleasant.
“Hahaha. Finally, we’ve reached an agreement.”