Preparations for the Founding Festival (3)
Sage raised one eyebrow.
“This place?”
“This map marks all the territories the Adamanth Kingdom has reclaimed since its founding.”
He hesitated for a moment before adding an explanation.
“Most of this area originally belonged to the Lionel Kingdom.”
At his teacher’s words, Edwin’s eyes widened.
The Lionel Kingdom had been his mother’s homeland, after all.
“The Lionel Kingdom was destroyed by Adamanth. Quite brutally, in fact.”
Sage watched the silent prince and curled one corner of his mouth upward.
“What? Has the desire for revenge suddenly stirred within you?”
Revenge?
Edwin shook his head with an ambiguous expression.
“…No.”
He had never felt enough attachment to his maternal family to dream of anything as grand as revenge.
Even when his mother had been bedridden and suffering, not a single person from that side had shown their face. There was no way any affection could have grown there.
‘If anything, the King of Adamanth seemed like a better person.’
They had only met once in the garden, yet the man had even sent a get-well gift right before leaving.
And that was despite knowing full well that Edwin was the Shabby Prince.
“I see. How fortunate that you have no thoughts of revenge.”
Sage crossed his arms and stared at the map.
“The founding king who established the Adamanth Kingdom swallowed up every region in the western territories in just one year. He is no ordinary man. From what I hear, he’s barely past twenty—a mere youngster.”
That meant he had been rolling across battlefields since his teens, toppled the Lionel Kingdom, and ascended the throne.
His influence had grown so great that some now claimed he held more power in the western continent than the Emperor of the Ventrum Empire.
“Yet almost nothing is known about this famous figure’s private life.”
Compared to how much was known about the sleeping habits, favorite foods, and even romantic preferences of other kings and emperors, the King of Adamanth was practically a mystery.
“It must be incredibly difficult to prevent any personal information about such a prominent monarch from leaking. Just how strong must his royal authority be for that to be possible?”
While most people only knew that the King of Adamanth had emerged victorious from every battlefield he had ever entered, it was clear he was a truly legendary figure in many ways.
“So Edwin, you still have a hundred years to go before you can even think about taking revenge on someone like him.”
Instead of answering, Edwin offered an awkward smile.
‘I really don’t want revenge at all.’
He had simply been surprised for a moment.
He had never dreamed that his mother’s country had been destroyed by the King of Adamanth.
‘Still… founding a nation at twenty years old.’
Edwin gazed at the vast territory of the Adamanth Kingdom marked on the map, his eyes quietly gleaming.
He was thinking about how truly remarkable that giant young king was—the one he had only encountered once.
“Now that I think about it, they say the King of Adamanth will be attending this year’s Founding Festival. It will be his first time showing his face at a foreign event, so everyone’s expectations are through the roof.”
“Really? Then I’ll get to see the King of Adamanth during the festival?”
“It seems so.”
Sage noticed the spark of anticipation in the young prince’s eyes and smoothly changed the subject.
“Since we’ve brought up the Adamanth Kingdom, shall we study it today?”
“I already know about Adamanth. It’s the most expensive mineral in the world, right?”
“Do you know why it’s so expensive?”
“It’s difficult to process, but once properly refined, it becomes the lightest, hardest metal there is.”
“Correct. It’s nearly impossible to destroy, yet it’s light, hard, and flexible.”
He posed another question to Edwin.
“Then do you know why the Adamanth Kingdom chose to name itself after that mineral?”
“Hmm…”
After thinking for a long time, Edwin answered uncertainly.
“Maybe it’s an expression of their ambition to become the strongest nation in the world?”
“If that were true, it would be quite a romantic reason. But there’s a more straightforward explanation.”
Sage picked up his pointer and tapped the center of the Adamanth Kingdom’s territory on the map.
“There is a massive Adamanth mine here—the largest on the continent. It used to be managed by the Lionel Kingdom.”
That was why no one had ever imagined the Lionel Kingdom would fall.
Not even when the royal bloodline had become a complete mess due to a king obsessed with women, or when the government had grown so corrupt that bribery and misconduct ran rampant.
“But in the end, Lionel was destroyed by civil war.”
“Civil war?”
“Yes. The King of Adamanth was originally a citizen of the Lionel Kingdom. I’ve heard he came from commoner origins, though the details aren’t clear.”
They called it a civil war, but it had essentially been a rebellion.
A commoner with no power base defeating the royal family? It was something Edwin could barely imagine.
“In any case, the defining characteristic of the Adamanth Kingdom is that it is a nation of swords. Moreover, all of its knights supposedly wield blades made of Adamanth.”
“All of them?”
“Indeed. And that’s not all. The capital’s walls are reinforced with a special Adamanth alloy. It’s known as an impregnable fortress to its enemies. Despite enduring multiple wars over three years, the capital has never once been captured.”
“Whoa, that’s incredible.”
Edwin let out a pure exclamation of awe.
Sage narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips into a smirk.
“Very well. Then your assignment this time will be about the Adamanth Kingdom. Find a way to conquer the walls of a nation known as a natural fortress and bring it to me.”
“Ehhhhh?”
Hadn’t he just said it had never been captured even once?
Edwin was so flustered he couldn’t even think to close his mouth.
“B-but you just said it’s a country with almost no known information…”
“The deadline is right after the Founding Festival ends.”
Sage rolled up the map hanging on the wall and slid it into a tube.
“After all, I won’t be able to leave this cabin during the festival period.”
“Master, won’t you be attending the Founding Festival?”
“You foolish boy, have you forgotten? I am someone whose face must not be known. Besides, what business would a mere gardener have wandering around out there?”
“But it must feel stifling…”
Edwin looked at his teacher with worried eyes.
In response, Sage frowned and roughly tousled the prince’s bangs.
“Since when does a child worry about an old man? Don’t concern yourself. This master of yours is quite used to living in confinement. And instead of worrying about me, focus on preparing for the Founding Festival.”
“Huh?”
“I heard from Kyle—no, from that Rachel girl. You’ll be performing a sword dance with the Second Prince during the festival, yes? It’s a shame I won’t get to see it.”
Sage grinned as he looked into his bright-eyed disciple’s gaze.
“Do your best. It will be the perfect opportunity to imprint your existence on everyone.”
“…Yes!”
Encouraged by his teacher’s support, Edwin sprang energetically to his feet.
“I’ll work hard!”
Throughout his life, Edwin had never once received anyone’s encouragement.
But now, things were different.
- His Highness is steadily growing stronger.
Just as Rachel had said, Edwin was becoming stronger.
And not just in physical strength.
‘Yes. I have to work hard so I won’t be ashamed in front of everyone.’
The heart that had grown used to giving up and resigning itself to everything was now growing stronger—thanks to the people who looked at him, helped him, and cheered him on.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Good. You may forget about this master, but do not forget your assignment.”
“Yes!”
Edwin left the cabin with a bright, sunny smile.
The hem of his pants, which had once dragged at his heels, now bounced cheerfully above his ankles.
Watching him, Sage let out a soft chuckle.
“Yes, it’s time for you to grow with all your might.”
In the eyes of the old man once called a sage, there shone a tender affection for the young sprout before him.
“I hope you grow straight and tall to the very end.”
Along with the worried wish that he would not fall, no matter what storms he might one day face.
The Empress’s palace in the empire was bustling without a moment’s rest.
It had not been long since the Empress had recovered from the poisoning attempt, leaving a mountain of postponed work. On top of that, preparations for receiving the delegations attending the Founding Festival were in full swing.
“This appears to be the maximum capacity for the annex palaces. I will need to request cooperation from each palace to accommodate the delegations from nations visiting for the first time.”
At Empress Melanie’s statement, the administrators of each palace and the officials from the finance department spoke up in turn.
“The First Prince’s Palace will host the delegations from the Named Kingdom and the Northride Kingdom…”
“The Second Prince’s Palace will receive His Highness the Prince’s maternal relatives, along with the delegation from the Northkan Kingdom…”
The guests assigned to the First and Second Prince’s Palaces were delegations from the strongest nations in the western continent after the empire itself.
Melanie gave a small nod to their answers and stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“Then the last remaining country is the newly established Adamanth Kingdom.”
Adamanth Kingdom.
At those words, silence fell over the conference room.
It was currently the most famous nation on the continent—and from the Emperor’s perspective, an extremely irritating one.
‘They say the king himself will be attending this Founding Festival as well.’
Treating him poorly could cause problems, but lavishing him with excessive hospitality might offend the Emperor’s sensibilities.
No matter how one looked at it, he was a difficult guest to handle.
“Is there no one willing to volunteer?”
Even after Melanie’s question, the silence continued.
At that moment, a young woman sweating profusely caught the Empress’s eye.
It was Catherine, the head maid of the Third Prince’s Palace.