Morning broke, in other words, they had survived the night. For that alone, the soldiers offered thanks to the gods they believed in. Some, apparently sleepless, rose with bloodshot eyes and stepped outside.

“Urgh… So it wasn’t a dream.”

As they looked upon the cold morning sunlight and the royal flag gleaming all the brighter in it, memories of yesterday resurfaced, and they frowned.

It was such an absurd event, it could’ve been mistaken for a dream. The prince had entered the fortress accompanied only by two guards. And if that wasn’t enough, 

“Right? It really wasn’t a dream. That His Highness the Prince came here, and that he actually drove the enemy away with nothing but his presence…”

They still couldn’t believe that the prince had repelled the approaching enemy alone.

“Guess we got lucky.”

“Yeah. We were lucky.”

“That was insane. Honestly, a reckless act.”

“Damn it. Who knows what’ll happen now?”

“If he’d at least brought a real knight order, it’d be a different story.”

“What if, just what if it’s a deception within a deception?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know, that famous saying, if you want to deceive the enemy, start by deceiving your own.”

Everyone turned to the halfwit soldier with a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

“You’re saying the prince actually had a knight order but pretended he didn’t, even to us?”

“Exactly! It’s a trap. When the enemy swarms in …bam! The knight order and hidden forces reveal themselves. Doesn’t that sound more likely?”

“Well… it kinda does.”

“Yeah, that’s actually more plausible.”

A few soldiers nodded along. It was a fairly reasonable hypothesis.

Could it be that His Highness had prepared everything before his grand entrance?

People tend to believe what they want to believe. Even the prince’s confident demeanor from yesterday lent weight to the theory.

Come to think of it …

“Well, if he went as far as planting the flag, I guess it makes sense?”

“Hey, maybe he really did! Maybe he did!”

“Look, there’s a knight passing by. Should we ask him?”

“What, like, ‘Hey, is the knight order on standby somewhere?’”

Amid the soldiers’ excitement, Andre glanced in their direction. Perhaps inspired by the cool display of the prince at the orphanage the night before. He raised his index finger to his lips.

“Shhh.” He even made a hissing sound like someone peeing.

That sealed it for the soldiers nearby. The prince must’ve had a plan all along!

Soon, rumors began to spread throughout the Nameless Fortress,  that a hidden force was secretly stationed somewhere. Otherwise, if he really caused all that chaos without any backup, then he must be insane.

In a way, their speculation was quite perceptive. The prince was, indeed, truly insane.

• The morning in the war room –

Everyone had gathered, gulping nervously as they stared at the prince. Naturally, since he hasn’t spoken yet, no one dared to raise their voice first. Ignoring their stares and barely-concealed curiosity, he coldly studied the map before him.

Silence is an effective way to set the tone. Even more so with a greatsword at your side.

The prince leaned back lazily in the seat at the head of the table, one hand stroking the hilt of the massive sword resting beside him.

How long did I keep them in silence like that?

By the time a few were sweating from their temples, I finally spoke.

“How fortunate.” 

With those first words, a collective breath of relief escaped the room.

Some even smiled faintly, one of them replied,

“Yes, indeed. It is fortunate that we survived the night unharmed.”

Surviving the night was a given.

The prince wasn’t so timid as to consider that something to be grateful for. Clearly, what he  meant by “fortunate” was different from what they did. So he corrected them.

“No, I meant it’s fortunate that I didn’t have to personally behead anyone in this room.”

“…Huh?”

“Ah,”

“If even one of you had voiced complaints despite yesterday’s warning, we’d be clearing away corpses right now.”

A chill settled over the war room. More sweat poured now than during the silence.

The night before , even those who hadn’t known of the prince, must have heard the stories. That explained why everyone was visibly more tense that day .

The prince  liked it. That atmosphere of fear …it was just right.

“Let’s begin the meeting. First, report the current food supplies and the state of the soldiers’ equipment.”

“Yes, sir! Our food stores can comfortably last a month. If we ration carefully, we could stretch it to two and a half months. We have ample spring water, so drinking water is no issue.”

“As for weapons, all soldiers are fully armed with standard equipment. We have around fifteen thousand arrows prepared. Swords, spears, and shields,”

“Are there any soldiers trained in mountain terrain?”

“Do you mean Rangers, sir?”

“If possible.”

“There are no official Rangers stationed at the Nameless Fortress. Though we do have a few soldiers with basic mountain training.”

“Gather them separately.”

“Yes, sir.”

The rest of the meeting was straightforward.

They reviewed the fortress’s status, expected enemy movements, and previously confirmed enemy patterns. The prince carefully matched the intelligence he knew with the current, local information. Comparing the terrain on the map with the actual geography, checking for passable routes, and reviewing the state of nearby fortresses. Like a competent fortress commander, he compiled all the data and issued orders accordingly.

“That concludes the meeting. Execute the orders without fail. Deputy Commander, stay behind.”

As the officers stood to leave in unison …

“Ah, one more thing, Your Highness.”

“Do You have a different opinion?”

“What should we do about the rumors that a knight order is waiting nearby?”

The question brought everyone to a halt. Eyes filled with anticipation.

It was obviously nonsense, but the prince had no intention of correcting them.

“Everyone, dismissed.”

“Clang.” The prince  roughly shifted his grip on the greatsword. Startled, the officers let out a chorus of squeals and rushed out of the room.

As He looked toward Andre, who was then,  chuckling in response, 

“Commoner and Portable Lamp, take charge of those familiar with mountain climbing. I’ll show you the routes. For now, wait near Neungseong. Some stragglers will arrive. Use this narrow trail here to guide them.”

“Shall we bring them through the main gate?”

“If the enemy is delayed, yes. If not, wait where there’s no chance of an encounter. I’ll update you through the communication crystal.”

“Yes. Any further orders, Your Highness?”

“Portable Lamp.”

“You called for Sol?”

“Move with the commoner. Conceal not only the movement of the soldiers, but also the presence of future ambush forces with your shadows. That much should be within your ability.”

“Yes, I can do that. But… what about the incoming reinforcements?”

Even before she could finish her question …

‘This is the remaining force of Sunset Fortress. We are heading to your location, Your Highness!’

‘This is the surviving unit of Nameless Fortress 6. We are on our way to where you are, Your Highness!’

‘Your Highness! Survivors from Grayrock and Waterfall Fortresses are gathering and awaiting your command!’

The royal communication crystal lit up with back-to-back transmissions. 

Sol and Andre stared wide-eyed at the crystal, then at each other, then at the prince.

The prince simply smiled, as though he had foreseen it all.

“This isn’t the end.”

“Huh? What do you mean it’s not the end? Did you really station a knight order somewhere?”

Andre’s innocence made the prince chuckle.

Why bother? Why drag others along when it’s unnecessary?

“Let’s say I did. Why not?”

“Really?”

“So His Highness did have a plan after all! I, Andre, never doubted you!”

“I had already deployed the knight order. A long time ago. Ages ago. Maybe even centuries?”

Even, he prince could hear the exhilaration in his voice. The Empire exists for the royal family and is run by them, that’s the inherent belief of those born to rule. An utterly absurd, arrogant conviction. The world doesn’t run on such ridiculous logic. People weigh personal gain, relationships, power, money, class and tread carefully.

But He… this tyrant, held a confidence that bordered on naivety. Normally, such a thing would be laughable.

However, 

“This is Redhawk Fortress. This is Redhawk Fortress. In accordance with the Prince’s command, we will dispatch part of the Redhawk Knight Order and our Ranger forces.”

“What …! The knight order really exists?!”

“Your Highness! Redhawk has sent us reinforcements!”

If the situation forced them to move, the story changed.

A way to make dreams into reality. The Easterners, raised in a land surrounded by fortresses, are inherently insular and conservative.