"Are details still unknown, Your Majesty?"
"Noah."
"Yes?"
"How large do you think this rebellion is?"
He answered my question with another question.
Still, whatever the Emperor asked, a subject had to answer.
I thought about it for a moment.
The '+' modifier on my stats had dropped from SS to S.
Almost all of the Water stat boost had been added when my fief was decided.
Which meant the entire SS portion came from Almeria.
And that had dropped by just one rank down to S.
"At this point in time, I believe it is small-scale."
"Correct."
An unexpected "Correct."
So His Majesty hadn't been asking for my opinion—he already grasped the situation and was testing me.
"The military reports say five thousand so far. What do you say, Noah?"
"Pardon?"
For a second, I wondered what he meant by that, but he immediately explained.
"As you understand, it is small-scale, and it is your fief. Do you have any desire to subjugate it yourself?"
I see, so that was what he meant.
Surprised, I thought it over for a moment.
"I believe it is impossible for me."
"Oh?"
"I am young, and I have yet to experience the battlefield. Even if I set out to subjugate them, there is no telling whether the soldiers would obey my orders. If an imperial prince must go, I believe another of my older brothers would be better suited."
"Hmph... that is an unexpected answer. To think you would decline after assessing yourself so objectively."
Even as he said that, His Majesty chuckled with amusement.
"Very well. In light of that wisdom, I shall choose someone other than you. Who do you think would be best?"
"...If it is to be an imperial prince, I believe Brother Henry would be best."
"Why?"
"Given the scale, I think crushing them head-on is the best approach. There is no need for trickery, so Brother Henry, being the most cautious among the princes, would be ideal."
"A splendid choice. Let us do that."
His Majesty decided on the spot.
He summoned Cruz and ordered him to bring the Fourth Imperial Prince to the imperial palace at once.
Despite the late hour, my brother appeared at the palace without delay, and His Majesty commanded him to suppress the rebellion in Almeria.
☆
After receiving our orders, I set off on the journey home alongside Brother Henry.
My brother's carriage and mine drove side by side, traveling through the night of the imperial capital illuminated by torches.
"Are you sure about this? It was a rare opportunity."
"You mean, me leading the troops?"
"Yes."
My brother nodded firmly.
"The Empire is a nation of warriors. It serves you well later in life if you build up military achievements."
"I'll pass this time. It happened so suddenly, and I haven't studied such things."
"However, you possess a magic sword."
"Leading soldiers without knowledge... Well, I might not die, but there's a high chance the soldiers would die in vain as a consequence."
"...You truly are incredible. To think you considered that far ahead."
My brother's eyes widened in admiration.
"That's how it is, so I'm counting on you, Brother."
"Understood. Well, dealing with cavalry is my specialty. I'll go sweep your fief clean."
Huh, so the rebel army has a lot of cavalry?
I seemed to recall that Almeria was on the frontier and had weak agriculture and livestock farming.
"That is correct."
"Eh?"
"The cavalry stationed there are strong, but they are outsiders. They only fit in well after being brought in through close ties with a horse merchant; they aren't home-grown."
"I see."
I gave a slight wry smile.
It seemed whatever I was thinking had shown on my face.
Being too easy to read is a bad habit, so I need to tighten up a bit.
"—?!"
"What is the matter, Noah?"
"They're here. Stop the carriage!"
At my command, the coachman pulled the reins, and the two horses neighed to a halt.
"What do you mean, 'they're here'?"
"..."
I leaped out of the carriage.
The one that reacted was the loyal dog Leviathan, which meant I was the target.
That was why I jumped out of the carriage first—to avoid dragging my brother into it.
Immediately afterward, magic circles surrounded me on all sides.
The magic circles generated nets of water, bearing down on me like fishing nets.
Assailants.
Having sensed the bloodlust and leaped out of the carriage, the water nets rushed in to capture me.
Nets made of shapeless water contracted at a speed impossible for solid ropes.
Clang! A metallic sound echoed.
The oncoming water nets were blocked by the armor of the Leviathan-linked ring.
A total of six shields formed in front, behind, to my left, and to my right, deflecting the water nets.
The shields and the nets pushed against each other for several dozen seconds before the nets collapsed and fell to the ground with a splash.
That was the characteristic of this kind of magic.
Because it was capture magic, failing to capture the target meant it could no longer sustain its form.
As proof that the magic had completely lost its effect, Leviathan retracted the shields.
A net of water... Water.
Are these assailants from the rebel army in Almeria?
I was only six years old and hadn't set foot in the fief yet, but I was still the lord in name. It was only natural they'd target me at a time like this.
The question was whether to kill them or capture them—right as I began thinking that, six figures clad in black emerged from the shadows around me.
"...Do it."
After one gave the command, all of them lunged at once.
"Noah!"
I heard my brother's voice from atop the carriage.
He was worried about me—but there was no problem.
Drawing Leviathan, I cut down all the charging assailants in an instant with master-level swordsmanship.
"I-Impossible..."
"A mere child... Gwah!"
The slashed assailants opened their eyes wide in disbelief, then collapsed in agony and lost consciousness.
The battle ended in a flash, and my brother jumped down from the carriage.
"Good grief..."
"Eh?"
"Incredible. You've gotten stronger again in the few days I haven't seen you. What were those shields just now?"
"It's a magic tool I found on Cobalt Street. It has great compatibility with Leviathan, so I use them in combination."
"...That is an even more incredible answer than I expected."
My brother was bewildered for a split second before bursting into an amused laugh.
"Still, did you kill them? We hardly need to make them spill everything, but I would have liked to ask who the mastermind was."
"I didn't kill them."
"Eh?"
My brother looked surprised.
He walked over to the fallen assailants, crouched down, and held a finger under their noses.
"It's true. They're all breathing."
"After cutting them down, I knocked them out with Leviathan's intimidation. People like this might commit suicide otherwise."
"Haha, brilliant as always."
"Brother, could I leave them to you?"
"Leave it to me."
My brother nodded deeply and ordered his subordinates to bind them.
My brother would handle the rest smoothly.
☆
The following day, just before noon, I summoned Byron.
Arriving at my room in the mansion, Byron knelt before me, having completely settled into the role of a vassal.
"What is your command, Your Highness?"
"There's something I want to ask. Do you do business around Almeria?"
"I do. That was partly why I attended the Prime Minister's party."
"I see."
Just as I thought.
He had come to that party to curry favor with me, so there was a high likelihood he operated near my fief, Almeria.
That was why I called him to confirm it first.
"Do you require something?"
"Fodder."
"Fodder... you say?"
"Yes, fodder to feed horses. Buy up all of it immediately starting right now. I have prepared ten thousand Rien."
I spoke in a commanding tone that brooked no argument.
Byron had placed himself under me while flying my crest as his banner, and besides, 'this' was an urgent matter.
Hence, I ordered him with a firm tone.
"May I ask why?"
"Consider your life forfeit if this leaks outside—a rebellion has broken out in Almeria."
"What?!"
"It seems the rebel army has strong cavalry."
"Cavalry... Does that mean Lord Karhun is...?"
"To neutralize that cavalry unit, I want to cut off their fodder."
"Understood. I shall buy it up immediately. Are you not concerned about provisions for the men? If you leave it to me..."
"Food for humans is fine as is."
"Huh..."
Byron clearly had a 'Why?' expression on his face.
"Cavalry has devastating striking power, but maintaining horses costs far more than humans."
"Yes."
"Almeria is weak in that regard; fodder must be procured from outside. And horse fodder is just horse fodder. Even if it runs out, there's a limit to how much they can forcibly plunder from the locals and commoners."
"Ah... If it were food for soldiers, plundering would occur... but with horse fodder, there is no way to steal what isn't there."
"Exactly."
"Brilliant, Your Highness! I shall get to work immediately."
"Right."
I saw Byron off as he bowed and took his leave.
With this, fighting should become at least a little easier for my brother.