I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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“I never imagined the day I would stand side by side with you would come so soon. To be honest, I’m overwhelmed with emotion. I am now recognized by you on the battlefield, right?”

With lively eyes and a sharp nose, his entire body encased in plate armor and only the face partially revealed behind the visor, even in this situation, one could guess the beauty of his voice.

The hero walking right beside him on horseback was also not someone who would be outshined in appearance, but unlike this man, who showed the freshness of a rookie that only the young possess, the hero had started to exhibit signs of weariness and concern as time passed.

His name is Alex Caprice. The only son of Anton Caprice and second in line for the imperial succession. He is also a passionate follower of his sister, Rose Caprice, and the commander of the royal knight order.

“Alex, you need to speak correctly. It’s not me who acknowledges you, but Rose. She believes your skills have matured, and with that, I decided to place you in a position of importance. You should keep in mind that your actions directly affect Rose’s honor.”

“Is there any doubt about that? I may not be as talented as my sister, but I must prove that I can at least hold my own in battle.”

“The standard for one person’s worth in war is quite high. If you can truly meet that standard, I won’t ask for anything more.”

“If it’s about fulfilling the worth of someone recognized by my sister, I have no doubt about it!”

After Alex shouted with enthusiasm, he laughed heartily. Rose assessed this young prince who had barely grown a peach fuzz on his face as being ‘decent enough.’

Before the expedition, Walter had serious discussions with Rose regarding her command over the royal knight order, harboring doubts about Alex’s ability to contribute. At that time, Walter said to Rose:

“I’d rather you take charge of the knight order and hand over command of the infantry legion to someone else. This is not the situation to be overly confident. We must be prepared for anything, and there’s only so much carelessness we can afford.”

To this, Rose responded with a smile. “I’m sure Alex will be fine, Walter. I’m not saying this because he’s my brother; it’s genuinely how I feel.”

“He’s still a rookie. It’s clear that he’s at an age where he should have some real combat experience, but bringing him on this expedition is a bit too soon, especially considering the gravity of the situation.”

“Alex’s age is just right. I faced the Demon King’s army for the first time when I was 18. Back then, I held my position on the hill against 3,000 of the Demon King’s army with just a few hundred soldiers. It wasn’t an easy task, you know?”

“That was possible because it was you, Rose. It was something I entrusted to you.”

“I’m not saying Alex can do the same. However, he has potential.”

Walter didn’t doubt Rose’s judgment of character. Even if it were his family, Rose wasn’t someone who would give undue praise to others. Although she had softened since meeting Walter, she was still fundamentally a crown princess with a mindset that often regarded those she deemed inferior as insignificant.

She didn’t treat others rudely, but she was slow to acknowledge others’ talents. Her speech was more polite than anyone else’s, but in reality, she looked down on the world more than anyone else.

Walter thought that such charming arrogance wouldn’t spare even his family. From what Walter had observed, Rose was never gentle in helping Alex train; perhaps due to her high expectations of her blood relative, she was stricter and harsher than she was with anyone else.

“Tell me what you think of Alex. He calls me brother and follows well, but honestly, I can’t grasp his temperament or talent.”

“Just as I inherited my father’s eagle-like temperament, he has remarkably inherited the temperament of our late mother. He may act like a gentle pup on the outside, but I know better than anyone that there’s a hunting dog writhing around in Alex’s mind.”

“I’ll need to be careful he doesn’t bite.”

Walter chuckled. Rose shrugged her shoulders as if to say that there was no need for such worries.

“He’s a loyal and well-trained hunting dog. He won’t bite his own master.”

“If he’s your dog, then that makes you his master, Rose?”

“He’s not foolish enough to pledge loyalty to just one person. Alex understands that you and I are a unity, and what you mean is what I mean. You’ve already effectively tamed him, Walter.”

“Still, I have someone else I’ve already been using well.”

“Alex can be utilized differently from Bernard. Bernard is a fool when it comes to army operations, and there’s no need for him to take on such tasks. However, if Alex takes charge of the knight order, he can hold his own. I’ll guarantee that, Walter.”

With Rose saying this much, Walter couldn’t continue to harbor doubts.

Ultimately, Walter accepted Rose’s advice, handing her command over 40,000 of the 70,000 forces mobilized for the expedition, allowing Alex to lead the entire cavalry into combat.

While Walter still had reservations about this young rookie, given the forcefulness of the crown princess’s insistence, he couldn’t help but harbor strange expectations for the young man as well. In fact, Walter hadn’t been much older than Alex when he first took command and began the defense of Nomember Castle.

“If there’s something surprising, brother.”

Alex spoke, still not leaving Walter’s side. It was clear that Alex held Walter in as high regard as he did Rose. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have shown such sincere loyalty to Walter despite his affection for his sister.

“Something surprising?”

“It’s that the knights don’t express any doubts or discontent towards me despite my age. Honestly, if I were to suddenly transition from my sister’s command to leading, I think I would have discontent myself.”

“That sounds more disappointing than surprising.”

Walter adjusted his glasses as he spoke. Alex chuckled lightly and nodded.

“Did you catch me? I can’t get over that, brother. Although it’s not a huge deal, I do feel it. Doesn’t a desire to prove yourself rise within when you find yourself doubted by others? Throughout my training with my sister, I was always motivated by that. She never let me slack off too much either.”

Walter began to think that Rose’s assessment about the hunting dog living in Alex’s mind might not have been an exaggeration.

“I don’t think Rose doubted your talent.”

“No way! I’ve been told multiple times, ‘Don’t kid yourself thinking you can catch up to me with that level of skill.’ The more I heard that, the harder I studied and trained, but my sister never acknowledged me.”

“No, you’re misunderstanding.”

Walter smirked and took off his glasses. Alex looked sincerely perplexed.

“You say it’s a misunderstanding, brother?”

“If you were to see an ant and say, ‘Don’t dare think you can match me,’ would you? To interpret it in Rose’s language, it means, ‘You’ll soon realize you have some skill, but if you become arrogant, you’ll end up in trouble.’ Rose, having been the most arrogant in her youth, wishes for you to avoid living the same way. She wouldn’t say such things to someone she really thought was worthless.”

At this, Alex looked truly amazed.

“You really seem to know my sister better than I do. Perhaps even better than our father.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but don’t overdo it. The Emperor is the one who knows his daughter better than anyone.”

“Why do you think that? I often get the impression that my father seems indifferent when dealing with my sister.”

Although it might be slightly irreverent to refer to the Emperor this way, it was hardly a matter of concern for Walter, who would occasionally call him ‘my old man’ as well as ‘father-in-law.’

“It’s because they’re alike, those two.”

“You mean my father and my sister? I have no complaints about my father, but I’m not sure if the Emperor is truly that remarkable, brother.”

It wasn’t unreasonable for Alex to say this. In fact, this was the general public’s perception of Anton Caprice.

However, Walter knew that such views about Anton Caprice’s supposed ‘flatterer’ were entirely based on Rose’s perspective. He well understood that the rumors surrounding the Emperor’s susceptibility to the words of those around him were evaluations that ignored the fact that he had only retained those who pleased his own interests.

Anton Caprice was a man just as confident in his own insight and intelligence as Rose was. Years ago, it was the Emperor himself who meticulously planned the defensive lines around Nomember Castle, and it was Anton’s decision that transformed the Imperial Assembly from a near-functional organization into a formidable governing body representing the Emperor’s opinions.

While outsiders would say that the Emperor was subservient to the Assembly’s decisions, they didn’t realize that he influenced the decisions just by existing, despite appearing to be silent and passive during the deliberations.

Thus, the nobles like Harker and Koesernis, who were significant figures in the Empire, never underestimated the Emperor’s influence in politics. Although they sometimes appeared to rebel, every one of their actions was imbued with a sense of respect and obedience toward the royal family.

When Anton took Rose’s statements as gospel without question, it was because her brilliant mind often arrived at conclusions much like the Emperor’s. If Rose made a decision, Anton would trust the idea without hesitation, believing that ‘this would align with my intentions.’

The concerns Alex had expressed about ‘doubts in ability’ had been something Walter Hellhound had truly experienced firsthand. Anton Caprice had abruptly given Walter, the young heir of the Hellhound Marquis House, the position of supreme commander of the Imperial Army, citing the holy sword’s decision.

Ordinary people regarded it as an ‘obvious’ decision. However, that was merely an assessment made after the fact based on Walter’s impressive performance; the skeptical gazes directed at him when the decision was first made were neither light nor trivial.

Anton Caprice disregarded all those doubts. It was because 18-year-old Rose, who faced Walter directly, recognized him as being deserving and capable in one swift motion.

That was the essence of the Emperor, who was a man often swayed by his underlings, but radiated a hawk-like demeanor from on high.

As for Alex, he had inherited more of his mother’s temperament than his father’s, meaning he not only lacked a fundamental understanding of the Emperor’s way of thinking but also was far too young to grasp the Emperor’s plans in this war against the Demon King’s advancing forces.

Within the court, no one could dare to provoke such dignity, yet the Empress remained obedient only before her husband. The eldest daughter of the royal family bore the talents of their father, which was a great blessing for the Empire, while the second son inherited his mother’s traits yet had far lesser talent—how much greater a blessing could there be?

There could be no quarrel between these two, and no conspiracy could ever instigate a division. Alex was a person who might choose to commit suicide rather than conspire against Rose despite feeling threatened by her. More than anything, this younger brother worshipped Rose, and any attempts to drive a wedge between them would be brushed off lightly, thinking, ‘My formidable sister would do that to me? No way. Even if it were true, I’d just let her have her way.’

“Well, that aside. Haven’t you been away from your unit for too long? While it’s fine to stay here for a bit since there’s still no info from the scouts, the knight order is one of our elite forces. The commander shouldn’t be absent for too long.”

“You’re right, brother. Then I will return to my knights soon.”

“Good. Let’s meet again later.”

Either the Demon King’s army couldn’t freely gather their forces near the border, or the Empire’s Northern Expeditionary Force had advanced several hundred kilometers without a proper engagement.

The Empire’s officers all thought this was a tactic by the Demon King’s army to lure them deep into their territory for an ambush, but Walter pressed on northward without slowing down at all, almost as if he were anxious.

At the very least, Walter had not neglected the army’s vigilance or scouting. However, there was certainly a distinct part of his approach that seemed different from his usual meticulous and cautious nature.

“Um, brother? Isn’t that a hunter?”

As Alex was about to turn back to his knight order, he noticed a dark-skinned hunter approaching on horseback from afar. Walter nodded anxiously and put on his glasses.

“Yeah. Bernard is returning. Alex, wait here for a moment. Bernard returning means that the elves’ scouts have detected something.”

Walter sent out a signal to halt the march from the front of the troops. As Walter’s orders were slowly transmitted back, the entire army began to stop gradually, albeit very slowly.

The rush of Bernard riding to Walter made him glance back and forth between the hero and the prince.

“Have you both been together? That’s a relief; we won’t have to scatter around. But you might want to return to your base quickly upon hearing this news.”

“What’s happened, Bernard?”

“The princess, Princess Margaret’s, scout unit has discovered the main force of the enemy. It’s about 40 kilometers ahead, setting up camp and waiting for us. There are no signs of ambush or siege, but because this is the territory of the Demon King’s army, it’s also possible there are high-level concealment magic in play, so that’s the princess’s opinion.”

“What about the enemy commander? What’s their scale?”

“We couldn’t confirm troop numbers. There are dozens of soil-based fortifications lined up, and it seems they want to prevent our larger forces from flanking or encircling. But whether there are enough troops inside all those fortifications is uncertain; some might just be for show. But I think I know who leads the enemy…”

“Who is it?”

Alex couldn’t help but feel the tension building as they approached the first serious battle.

“It’s the Gargoyle Queen, Your Highness. I hadn’t expected the Demon King to employ her in the frontline defenses.”

“Actually, that’s a solid and reasonable conclusion. This could prove troublesome.”

Walter muttered as he pondered.

“That alone might not be trouble enough.”

Bernard sighed. Walter tilted his head.

“Is there something else? Has a necromancer gotten involved somehow?”

“That would be fortunate. There’s actually a dragon.”

Those words froze the atmosphere among the three of them. A dragon. The Dragon Lord had independent power within the Demon King’s army which made it difficult for even the Demon King to mobilize at will.

While they had expected to confront it at some point during their expedition, no one had expected they would face it at such an early stage.

Walter sighed, his expression one of ‘So it has come to this,’ as he took off his glasses.

“Princess Rose said she would await the hero’s orders. The elves expressed similar intentions. What will you do?”

“What can we do?”

Walter nodded slowly.

“Immediately have everyone unpack and start fortifying. Utilize all the magic materials and war mages we’ve brought to create fortifications capable of withstanding aerial attacks. If we advance any further now, we will certainly be in great danger.”

“Then I shall convey that.”

Understanding Walter’s gestures, Alex nodded silently, lowered his faceplate, and returned to his royal knight order.

While they had advanced with such vigor, now they would once again set to fortifying. This was not a matter of joking around. This was clearly enemy territory over which the Empire had no control, where they could easily face rear disturbances from the enemy or even be subjected to a siege.

Ultimately, if they were to cower in fear of the dragon and attempt a prolonged fight, they would need to commit extensive resources to maintain supply lines stretching hundreds of kilometers away back within the Empire.

Although they had arranged several legions at important intersections in preparation, even so, the current scale of the expedition force exceeded 80,000.

It was the beginning of an arduous challenge, one that would emerge as vastly different from all previous engagements.