The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

A few days after I returned to the imperial capital.

The fateful day has come as many people are busy preparing for the festival.

“Who do you think would come?”

“It must be some of the high-ranking captains.”

I was waiting for a person in my room at the castle.

Today is the day that the Emperor’s children will know which of the knight corp will be their for the festival. The method is simple. Each of the knight captains will visit the children’s room.

Each corp of the imperial knight order has its own number. The smaller the number the more elite that corp is. Especially the top three, they are being led by captains of the strongest class. To evenly distribute the war potential, they must have some of the army dropouts included in their rank as well. 

“Anyone is fine as long as it isn’t Elna……”

“Saying something like that again…..She is the prodigious child of the Brave house of Amsberg who joined the imperial knight order at 11 and became a captain at 14 you know? Won’t it be great if we can pull her to our side?”

“Her ability alone that is. I can’t deal with her as a person.”

“She is reputed for her high moral and is said to be the next head of the imperial knight order though?”

“That’s just only on the outside. Both the people and the knights don’t know her true nature. I will never forget the moment I met her. It was when I was 7 years old. Do you know what she said to me after she saved me from the bullies?”

“Well, I wonder.”

“She called me a “weakling” you know? Is that a word you would use on a bullied child? And after that, she handed me a wooden sword and start “practicing” with me. I got beat up one-sidedly and after that day I start playing inside my house so that I don’t have to meet her anymore. I can’t deal with her on the subconscious level! It is a terrible story no matter how you take it right? That woman is the devil herself.”

I was enthusiastically explaining about her to Sebas but Sebas only shrugs his shoulders like I am a hopeless child.

Damn it! Why doesn’t he get it!

As I grew restless, the door suddenly opened.

There appeared,

“What is this about a devilish woman?”

Said the smiling Devil (Elna) herself.

The moment I see her figure, my face immediately contorted. Then.

“SEBAS! CALL THE KNIGHT! THERE’S A DEVIL HERE!!”

“Unfortunately Your Highness, I think nobody would come. The strongest knight is already here after all.”

“As expected of you Sebas. Your Highness the Prince, Arnold Lake Adler. I, Elna von Amsberg, captain of the 3rd corp of the imperial knight order, reporting for duty. It has been a few years since we last met but it seems you are still the same Your Highness.”

“Tsk…..! Is that sarcasm?”

“Yes, of course. It seems you have become quite popular in the capital huh. I heard they are calling you the dull prince. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah, thanks to you. I was having the time of my life.”

We laugh at each other.

Even if we haven’t met for several years, we are still childhood friends. Even though I am a prince and she is the daughter of the Brave family, we know each other well.

We were staring at each other with a smile but it was me who looks away first.

“What are you doing here? I don’t remember calling for you?”

“Of course I am here because of that festival. Don’t you already know?”

“I don’t believe it…..”

“That’s rude. I went through a lot of trouble you know? I even asked the Emperor to let me partner up with you.”

“Don’t do anything unnecessary!? Are you asking to be targeted by my brother and sister!?”

“It’s not that I didn’t think about it. But you aren’t aiming for the throne in the first place right, Al?”

“That’s not the problem here! Argh damn it! Why do you have to be like this even from back then!?”

I know that she did it while thinking about me but it doesn’t help me accomplish my own goal.

For a time like this, I want her to ask father to let her partner with Leo. Well, I don’t know if she will do it if I tell her to go over to Leo’s side though.

At the very least because Elna is now working with me, my status has changed from a nobody to one of the aces. This made it harder for me to move. Elna is a person that naturally attracts attention. It’s safe to say that any covert operation on my part is now impossible.

If she joined the other camp I would be troubled but I am even more troubled because she joined mine. That’s Elna for you. It isn’t just the problem with our compatibility, I just really don’t want her to work under me.

“I will make sure you win this. Let’s make everyone who calls you the dull prince eat their own word!”

“I don’t want that…..”

“Don’t be like that. I already declared so to His Majesty so we will have to undergo special training! For now, let’s see how much you have improved in your horse-riding. Now, let’s head to the training ground.”

“…..Sebas. I have a headache. I think it is serious……..”

“That’s certainly sound bad. It must be some kind of serious mental illness. If you train your mind and body you might be cured, Your Highness.”

I begrudgingly stare at Sebas but he totally ignored me.

There’s not much time left until the Knight’s Hunting festival. Nothing would change even if I train for a few days.

Having that in mind, I was dragged to the training ground.

———

“ ! ! ? ? It hurts…..”

“M, my deepest apologies! I will do it more gently.”

The Next Day.

I couldn’t move from my bed because of the muscle pain so Finne is applying ointment on me. Anyway, my back is totally out of commission. It is so painful that I don’t want to move at all.

This is because Elna thoroughly whipped me into shape at her horse-riding lessons. That was the first time for me to swing a sword or a spear on horseback. That was extremely harsh. I fell off the horse and hit my back so many times. 

If this keeps on going every day I will surely die.

“Arnold-sama. Elna-sama told me that she prepared another training for you this afternoon.”

“Does her dictionary doesn’t have the word rest in it…..?”

“As expected of the person who is said to be the second coming of the hero. But, Al-sama, as Silver-sama shouldn’t your ability be on par with her? Are you intentionally acting like you can’t ride a horse?”

“Arnold-sama is an ancient magic specialist. His basic physical strength is even lesser than that of a normal person. Horse-riding, swordsmanship, modern magic he slacked off on all of those subjects so his abilities in that regard are nothing special, Finne-sama.”

“Is that so? I thought that the adventurers were all physically strong.”

“Most of them are like that…..but I used ancient magic to cover for my poor physical ability and I don’t intend to train my physical ability in the first place.”

“His Highness often use transfer magic to cover his long-distance travel. The time when His Highness went out without using transfer magic like when he went to the Kleinert Ducal is rare after all. Even then, he used ancient magic to strengthen his body. Without ancient magic, he is a “weakling” just like Elna-sama said.”

I don’t have the energy left to refute Sebas’s poisonous tongue.

I let out a sigh while lying on the bed.

However, Sebas calls out to me with a brighter voice.

“But depending on how you look at it, even if it is a hard time for Your Highness, it has become a good opportunity for Leo-sama.”

“Right…..”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

I decided to give a brief explanation to Finne who looked like she doesn’t understand the situation.

Even so, I don’t have to give her a detailed explanation either.

“Elna is said to be the strongest knight. So, even if I won no one would think that it is my achievement.”

“That is right. It is as Finne-sama said, if we can’t make Leonard-sama the winner, the method with the most certainty is to make Arnold-sama the winner. However, it would be unnatural if Arnold-sama suddenly wins the competition out of the blue….but now we have the strongest card on our hand.”

“I see! Arnold-sama will get serious right!”

“Well, even if I don’t do anything, Elna would have done it by herself anyway. Either case, I think we will win. Elna is that skilled. If I don’t get in her way it is almost certain that we will win.”

“That must be why His Majesty the Emperor paired Arnold-sama with Elna-sama. He must be expecting Arnold-sama to pull Elna-sama’s leg in this competition.”

“The Emperor would never have thought that he just created a tag team between the empire’s strongest knight and the strongest adventurer!”

Amazed at the happy looking Finne, I put on my jacket.

There are a few more days until the Knight’s Hunting festival. I have to do what I can before then.

“Even in the worst case, I would win and keep the ambassador position away from the others. But the best result here would be Leo’s victory.”

“Why is that? Even if Al-sama becomes the ambassador plenipotentiary and builds a connection with other countries, wouldn’t it eventually become Leo-sama’s in the end?”

“Even so, it would be better if Leo wins this. There will be a lot of influential people who come to visit the festival after all.”

“You said such a dignified thing but aren’t you actually just find the position to be troublesome?”

My shoulders jumped.

Seeing that he hit the bull’s eye Sebas let out a sigh, Finne, on the other hand, call out to me.

“Al-sama….aren’t you giving up too much for Leo-sama?”

“Nn? Give up?”

“Al-sama is saying something like that to hand everything to Leo-sama. I know that.”

“Haa…Finne-sama. It seems like you have misunderstood His Highness, the prince in front of your eyes is really a troublesome person you know?”

“I can’t hide it from Finne huh….it’s my habit from a long time ago you see. I really want to give everything to Leo. the throne for example.”

“That’s exactly it! As an elder brother, that is great but it is no good if you overdo it. I think Leo-sama will be sad too.”

I managed to use Finne’s misunderstanding to evade Sebas’s sermon.

Seeing I skillfully tricked Finne, Sebas frowned.

“Tricking a woman is not really something I can approve of.”

“I didn’t trick her. I just made her misunderstand.”

“Saying something like that again. Elna-sama will get angry at you, you know?”

“Is she my mother or something…….”

“I am envious of you to have such a caring childhood friend. I don’t have anyone from my childhood after all.”

“Don’t be, it will just be annoying. Especially since she often does lots of unnecessary things too.”

“Ara? Unnecessary things you say?”

A voice flew into the room.

When I take a look I saw Elna standing by the door.

She is smiling but I feel like I can see the angry mark exuding from her.

For a moment, the deep fear she planted in me made me look away but since it shows no sign of going away, I reluctantly open my mouth.

“You came even without me calling, aren’t you too much of a busybody …?”

“That’s rude. I even went out of my way to bring an ointment to a certain someone who can’t move because of muscle pain you know?”

“I’m fine. I already got some applied to me by a person who is a hundred times kinder than you.”

“Ara? Are you perhaps talking about Ms.Blaue Mowe over there?”

“Ah, Yes. Pleased to meet you. I am Finne von Kleinert.”

“I’m Elna von Amsberg. Leo’s room is one thing but I never thought I would find you at this hopeless prince’s room.”

Saying so, Elna gives Finne a gentle smile.

The nature of her smile is completely different than the one that she gave me. It is a smile to manipulate other’s impressions.

“Al, I get the feeling that you tried to make fun of me just now?”

“It’s just an imagination.”

“Good. now, shall we.

Saying so, Elna dragged me off the bed by the neck.

Seeing me panicked, Elna gives me an explanation with her usual smile.

“Just now you said that you were fine right? Now, let’s head to the training ground.”

“Wha!? That’s not what I mean! Ouch! That hurts!? Stop-! ! I am an injured person you know!?”

“A muscle pain doesn’t count as an injury. Move your body and it will go away on its own.”

Saying so, Elna dragged me to the training ground and we started training just like yesterday.