The following morning, after breakfast, I was summoned to the royal palace and made my way to the flower garden.
Amidst the vibrant blooms, I spotted His Majesty training a parakeet—whiling away his leisure hours—and strode toward him with long steps.
"Noah Ararat, reporting as summoned."
Dropping to one knee, I lowered my head, and His Majesty addressed me in an unusually cheerful tone.
"Ah, you have come. Raise your head."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I received a report from Henry regarding last night. The assassin has broken."
"And?"
"Indeed. He was working for the rebel army. It seems their goal was to capture you and use you as a bargaining chip."
"I see."
I had already figured as much, so it came as no surprise.
If anything, I was startled that he had spilled everything after only a single night.
"Your Majesty."
"What is it?"
"It seems he talked rather too easily. Is there no possibility that he is lying?"
"You are a clever one."
His Majesty's good mood only brightened.
"You need not worry about that. There are ways to confirm whether one who confesses is speaking the truth. According to those methods, he is."
Leave a snake to know the way of snakes, I suppose.
I knew next to nothing about torture, so if he said so, I would take his word for it.
"Which brings me to this: well done, Noah. Had you been captured, the Empire would have been forced into a difficult position."
"I am deeply honored."
"Furthermore..."
"?"
Is there something else?—I wondered, only for him to say:
"Setting your sights on the horse fodder was truly brilliant."
"—!"
That left me completely dumbfounded.
Buying up the fodder in the surrounding lands to cripple the enemy cavalry during the Almeria campaign was an idea I had come up with on the fly last night, and Byron was the only person I had told.
Yet it had already reached His Majesty's ears.
Things like this had happened from time to time, but this was the most surprising yet.
Paying no mind whatsoever to my shock, His Majesty praised me with growing enthusiasm.
"Anyone can carry out a siege of starvation. But to keep the common folk in mind and target only the horses—and with your own private funds, no less..."
His Majesty stepped closer and gave my shoulder a firm pat.
"Such ingenuity and swift execution are truly remarkable. It is no small feat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I must grant you a reward. Gold would be far too vulgar for an occasion like this... Very well. Cruz."
"Sire."
From the shadows of the garden, the eunuch Cruz materialized.
As always, I had no clue where he was hiding until his name was called.
"I grant Noah permission to add a sword to his crest. Issue the decree."
"By your will."
Cruz immediately set to work.
Still reeling from the surprise, I dropped to one knee once more and bowed my head.
"I am deeply honored," I said.
The Empire was a nation of warriors, so most honors were tied to feats of arms.
Among them, adding a "sword" to an official coat of arms was strictly forbidden without the Emperor's explicit blessing.
The same applied to the signboards of merchants and guilds.
Adorning one's emblem with a sword without permission constituted lèse-majesté, an offense punishable by death in the worst cases.
In other words, being granted that right was among the highest honors the Emperor could bestow.
I raised my head and stood back up.
His Majesty was beaming, dimples showing on his wrinkled face.
He looked far happier about it than I did.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, he spoke again.
"Ah, yes, Noah. Have you decided how you will conduct the Knight Selection?"
"...Yes, I have an idea in mind."
"Oh? What sort of idea?"
"May I take the liberty of demonstrating here?"
"Mm, you may."
Once His Majesty gave a magnanimous nod, I gestured to a low-ranking eunuch waiting within view in the distance.
I whispered instructions into the ear of the eunuch who ran over, telling him to prepare.
He acknowledged the order and hurried off.
A few minutes later, a table and chair were brought into the garden, followed by several more eunuchs.
A tea set sat upon the table, while the eunuchs held buckets filled with water.
Truth be told, using soldiers would have made the demonstration far easier to understand, but bearing arms inside the royal palace was strictly forbidden without His Majesty's permission, so I had settled for this instead.
I glanced toward His Majesty.
He nodded with a grin, his eyes bright with anticipation to see what I would do.
I nodded back, sat down in the chair, and picked up the teacup.
There, in the middle of a paradisiacal garden on which more money had been lavished than anywhere else in the world, I carried myself as though enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea.
I gave a signal, and one of the eunuchs hurled a bucketful of water straight at me.
As the water rushed toward me, Leviathan reacted.
The armor transformed from the linked ring, spreading open like an umbrella to shield me from the deluge.
Another eunuch splashed his bucket, followed immediately by the next in line.
A total of four eunuchs took their turns dousing me, but every single drop was repelled by the ring's umbrella.
The ground around me turned into a muddy puddle, yet within a two-meter circle centered on my chair, the ground remained bone-dry.
The word territory came to mind.
Inside that territory, Leviathan would not allow even a stray droplet to pass.
With the demonstration finished, I set down my teacup, rose to my feet, and dropped to one knee before His Majesty.
"I intend to have the candidates attack me in this manner. I will judge them based on how far they can push through my defenses."
The teatime setup had been meant to show that I could withstand a drawn-out trial, though I had intentionally left that unsaid.
"Mm, marvelous. With this, you will easily endure the long hours of the selection."
It seemed His Majesty had seen right through my intention.
"However... hmm."
"Is something the matter?"
"Mm. I cannot help but worry about the danger. There are bound to be formidable warriors among the applicants. If, by some chance, your defense were to be breached..."
"I am fully prepared for that."
I answered without a moment's hesitation.
As an obligation of nobility, and as my duty as an imperial prince.
I had to discover true talent for the sake of the Empire.
Compared to that responsibility, a little risk was a small price to pay.
That was why I gave my answer so decisively.
Hearing it, His Majesty broke into the broadest smile I had seen on him all day.
"Well said! Magnificent, Noah. That is truly worthy of my son—a prince of our Empire," he praised heartily.
When I returned to my mansion from the royal palace, I found Byron waiting for me.
I showed him into the reception room to hear his report. He had already set things in motion to buy up the horse fodder and seemed to have a solid grasp of where to find it.
"That was fast."
"Processed fodder meant for transport exists in limited quantities, and its storage locations are well-known. Securing it will not pose much difficulty."
"I see."
Just as expected of a veteran merchant.
Before I could ask for further details, a knock came at the door.
It was no ordinary knock—there was an urgent, frantic edge to it.
"Enter."
The parlor maid stepped inside.
"Pardon the intrusion, Master, but there is an injured man at the main gate."
"An injured man?"
"He claims to have come from Almeria with an urgent report for you, Master."
At the word Almeria, Byron and I exchanged glances and nodded to one another.
I rose and left the room first, with Byron following close behind.
We exited the mansion and made our way to the main gate.
There, just as the maid had reported, stood a young man clad in rags.
Aside from being covered in fresh wounds, his skin and clothes were caked with sweat and grime—the unmistakable look of someone who had traveled an immense distance in desperate haste.
"I am Noah Ararat."
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Imperial Highness."
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I am a soldier from Adora Prefecture in Almeria Province, a squad leader of ten men."
"I see."
"Your Highness, a rebellion has broken out in Almeria."
"...Oh?"
I listened quietly to the young man's account.
What he shared held little value to me now.
His superior in Almeria had raised a revolt.
Refusing to take part, he had desperately deserted the army and raced to the imperial capital to report it to me.
I considered his words for a brief moment, then nodded.
"I understand. You did well to bring this to me."
Turning to the maid who had followed us out, I gave my orders.
"Tend to his wounds. And grant him a reward of five hundred—no, make it one thousand Rien."
The maid nodded, called another maid over, and together they led the man away to be treated.
Left alone with Byron, the merchant immediately voiced his curiosity.
"Your Highness, if I may ask... what was the meaning of that?"
"Hm?"
"Did you not already know about the rebellion, Your Highness? Why reward him with such a fortune?"
"His information was indeed of no practical use. At this stage, there was nothing new in it, and it will change nothing."
Byron stared straight at me as I spoke.
His eyes practically screamed, Right, so why?
"It was a reward for his sentiment—for his loyalty. A mere squad leader risked life and limb to bring me word. Such loyalty deserves to be answered."
"Such a fortune for that alone...? Truly magnificent!"
Byron's jaw dropped in sheer astonishment, his eyes gazing at me with profound reverence.