“…Brother. Why didn’t you tell me that scum was put in charge of the Royal Guard?”
Yes, this is Harold.
I am currently at the Chevalier family’s Townhouse, watching Cedric as Sandra glares at him with absolute zero eyes.
“D-Don’t worry, Alexandra. There are many within the Royal Guard who are connected to the Chevalier family. Besides… there’s absolutely no way he can manage the Royal Guard.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Royal Guard has Commander Bradley Drake.”
Huh? I’ve heard the name Bradley Drake before… oh.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
“!? L-Lord Hal, what’s wrong!?”
Sandra peers anxiously at my face as I shout, remembering the name.
No, I had completely forgotten.
He… the man named Bradley Drake is the protagonist’s mentor in “Engage Hazard.”
He’s a middle-aged man who is a paragon of soldiers, with a strict but flexible mindset. He exists as an administrator in events to obtain experience points, credits, and enhancement materials in the name of ‘trials’ for the protagonist.
Wow, I never thought such a character would be the Commander of the Royal Guard.
In that case, he seems to have good compatibility with the protagonist, and Cedric’s words of ‘no need to worry’ are completely unreliable.
Or rather.
“Um… isn’t it strange that there’s a Commander when Wilfred is in a position to oversee the Royal Guard? I think this would mean there are two lines of command…”
“That’s right. The reason I said ‘no need to worry’ boils down to this point. In the first place, all the soldiers of the Royal Guard admire Commander Drake, and not a single one of them is happy about this.”
“Ah… I see…”
“Besides, in case something happens, I’ve spoken to Viscount Coleman, who serves as the vice-commander. I told him, ‘Never let Prince Wilfred have his way.'”
Cedric slightly opened his narrow eyes and raised the corner of his mouth.
It seems he has already laid the groundwork perfectly.
“Is that so… then that scum will be reduced to less than a mere ornament in the Royal Guard, right?”
“No, no, he’ll be treated even worse than that.”
Wow, my fiancée and brother-in-law are making very bad faces.
But… they were master and disciple in “EnHaza.” There’s no guarantee it will go well, as Cedric said.
So.
“Hee… so this is it.”
I took Sandra, Monica, and Caz with me and came to the Royal Guard’s barracks, a twenty-minute carriage ride from the Royal Palace.
According to Monica’s explanation, which I heard in advance, a thousand Guardsmen are stationed here, training daily in preparation for emergencies.
Becoming a Guardsman requires passing a strict selection process, and although there are many applicants, the odds are about a hundred to one, making it a very narrow gate.
In short, it’s the kingdom’s elite military group.
“Oh, they’re doing it, they’re doing it.”
We watch the Guardsmen training from a distance.
Well, Sandra’s Special Training is incomparably more severe though…
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah! Put more spirit into it, you lot!”
Among the Guardsmen diligently training, a middle-aged man with white hair and a beard shouts in a particularly loud voice.
No doubt about it. He is the Commander of the Royal Guard, Bradley Drake.
I check my surroundings… yeah, yeah. Wilfred isn’t here. If that’s the case, there’s no need to hold back.
“Excuse me. I’d like to take a look around…”
“There! Put more strength into your stance! …Huh? Who are you, a new recruit?”
It seems Commander Drake doesn’t know me.
But that’s only natural. After all, he hasn’t shown his face at any of the royal family-sponsored events that I’ve attended.
Even so.
“…Excuse me, but is a Commander such an important position that he is allowed to be disrespectful enough to call Lord Hal, the Third Prince of this country, a new recruit?”
My favorite fiancée would never allow it…
Of course, I didn’t come here to pick a fight with Commander Drake, so I’m doing my best to calm her down, okay?
“Oh, my apologies. I am Bradley Drake, in charge of the soldiers in the Royal Guard.”
Commander Drake hurriedly kneels, but even looking at his tone and expression, he’s not apologizing at all, is he? Rather, I can clearly see that he’s making fun of me.
Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to blame him for it, and in the first place, I just came here out of curiosity.
But, you know…
““““““…………………………”””””
I don’t deserve to be looked at with scorn by the other Guardsmen.
“By the way, Prince Harold… am I correct? Why would you come to such a rugged place?”
“Nothing. I just heard that my brother became the person in charge here, so I was curious to see what kind of place it is. After all… it’s a role that even that guy can do, right?”
I stopped using honorifics to Commander Drake, who was still treating me with contempt, and deliberately made fun of him.
As expected, the Guardsmen became murderous.
“That’s true. Certainly, as Prince Harold says, it may not be difficult to stand above these guys. However,”
Changing from his nonchalant attitude, Commander Drake directs a sharp, murderous gaze.
“We, the Royal Guard, serve only the Dehauvalz Kingdom. Even if you are a prince of this country, don’t even dream that you can easily make us obey.”
I see. As Cedric said, he’s not happy that Wilfred has taken over them after all.
Perhaps his rude attitude towards me stems from that.
“I don’t know. It’s not like I’m going to be in charge of the Royal Guard. But… I, the ‘Incompetent Rascal Prince,’ am not humane enough to overlook that rude attitude.”
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