The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

“What!? What was that shock just now!?”

“President Gentner, What is happening!?!”

“It’s alright, please calm down. A few slaves just rampaged a little.”

The fat merchant, Gentner explains the situation in a calm manner to the customers who came to buy slaves from him.

Gentner was standing on a theatre-like stage while his customers are watching him from the audience seats. There are 20 customers with him today, all of them are nobles who support slavery who live inside the imperial capital.

This place is the basement of the Gentner company and this room is their secret auction house.

The underground tunnel is complicated and many guards were stationed at the entrance to take care of their security.

Confident that no intruder would be able to get to him, Gentner was calm.

However.

“This is surprising, to think that President Gentner himself is running a slave business.”

“What!? Guha!? Agh!! M, M, My leg…….”

The person who slowly came up to the stage was none other than Elna. The place she came out from was originally the slave entrance for the captured slaves that would be auctioned off and was the place where Gentner’s guards were stationed at.

Those guards were all finished off by Elna and now Christa and the other children are watching Elna from there.

Gentner tried to think of how is this happening and that now he couldn’t escape. Elna had slashed at both of his feet. The wound was shallow enough for him not to die but it is deep enough that he couldn’t run away. Her slash was that precise.

“Captain of the Third Knight Corp of the Imperial Knight Order, Elna von Amsberg is here. You are under arrest under the charge of abduction of Her Imperial Highness the Princess and slave trading.”

“A, Amsberg!? Wh, Wh, Why!?”

“Why? It’s because you are a criminal that’s why. I will cut you down if you try to move. Don’t think you can easily escape from an Amsberg now.”

The customers put their waists back on their seats.

They are all nobles of the imperial capital.

They know the horror of the Amsberg well. if one of them appeared in front of you, you are done. They are something like a grim reaper to them.

“H, Hiii! H, Help me……..!”

“Help? You just abducted an imperial princess and that’s all you are saying?”

“I, It was a request!”

“Right. That’s why I am not going to kill you. I will have you spit out everything later alright?”

“That would be troubling.”

Accompanying the voice, a dagger flew toward Elna.

Elna parrys it.

The Masked Assassin uses that gap and goes for Gentner.

Elna then blocks the dagger that the Assassin stabbed out with her sword.

“There’s no way I would let you silent him now would I.”

“So I have to deal with you first after all.”

The voice was muffled. Elna couldn’t tell if the owner is a man or a woman because of the mask the Assassin is wearing.

Irritating that the mask has been catching on lately, she keeps stopping the Assassin’s attacks.

The assassin’s attacks were quick and the assault of daggers from both left and right hands of the Assassin managed to drive Elna to the corner of the stage.

However,

“It seems you are holding back because you are trying not to collapse the building aren’t you.”

“I am. But,”

Elna Raises her sword up the moment the Assassin aims for her torso. The Assassin who plunge deeper toward Elna than intended couldn’t dodge Elna’s counter.

It was a counter-attack that was born from completely reading her opponent’s intention.

The Assassin who wanted to quickly settle the match will aim for an area where the most damage can be dealt and Elna knows that attack would be coming from her experience.

“Guh……!”

The Assassin’s shoulder is severely cut.

The Assassin tried to quickly move away but at that moment, Elna uses the difference in their speed to close the gap.

While taking care not to collapse the building, she judges how much power she could use and goes at the Assassin.

At that moment, the Assassin immediately switched objective.

Using the right hand, a dagger was thrown toward Gentner.

In exchange for that, Elna’s sword pierces the Assassin’s abdomen.

“Uwaaaa!! Blood, there’s blood everywhere!!??”

“Cough……”

“Tsk!.”

Immediately pulling out her sword, Elna rushes toward Gentner.

The dagger stuck deep inside Gentner’s chest. It’s a heavy wound. If she leaves him alone he will die.

While she was thinking so, the building greatly shook.

Almost at the same time, it starts to collapse.

“This is…….!?”

“I think it’s better for you to escape quickly……..”

Holding their abdomen, the Assassin was moving away from Elna.

Given the shaking and the current situation, there’s no doubt that the Assassin did something to the building.

Not to mention Christa, Rita, and the other children slaves, Gentner is an important source of information that she must protect.

Elna gave up pursuing the Assassin and chose to escape.

“Everyone, follow me!”

Tightly tied Gentner’s wound, Elna started carries him with her.

With the current situation, there’s no choice but to quickly get everyone to the surface.

With that in mind, Elna leads the children and Gentner’s customers toward the exit.

“This one has important key information! Absolutely do not let him die! And arrest all those following behind me as well! “

Arriving at the surface, Elna instructed the knights stationed there and ordered the arrest of the nobles.

The Imperial Knights were immediately dispatched via the Emperor’s direct order. They head toward the direction where Elna flew straight at and surround the headquarter of Gentner company.

They were joined by the Imperial Capital Garrison and were about to storm the place but Elna came out just before that.

“Don’t overlook anyone who came out of that place! Those who have nothing to do go and check out all of the Gentner company’s branch offices now.”

After giving her directions, Elna speaks to one of the imperial knights she familiar with.

It was a knight who excelled at healing magic.

She leaves Rita to that knight.

“It’s already alright. Rita……you did great.”

“Unnn…..my belly hurt……”

“It will be cured soon.”

“Rita……..”

Rita who is laid down is receiving treatment on the spot.

Christa is grabbing her hand and staying beside her.

Rita was working hard until now but perhaps she finally felt relieved, she slowly lost her consciousness.

“Rita!?”

“It’s alright, Your Highness. Please let her rest.”

“But….”

“Your Highness. Please leave her to him.”

Urged by Elna, Christa stands up.

There were tears in her eyes but she managed to leave Rita’s side.

For now, it’s best to let the Emperor know that she’s safe.

That was what Elna thought but she immediately knelt down quietly after she heard the sound of a large number of horses galloping.

“Christa!”

It was Emperor Johannes himself who called out to Christa as he rushed toward their direction.

Behind him were a large number of his escort knights and Franz.

Without being able to wait for their return, he came to the scene himself.

“Ooh! Christa! You are safe!? You are not hurt!?”

“Y, Yes….Otou-sama. Ah, no, Your Majesty.”

“Otou-sama is fine, don’t mind it! I’m glad, I truly am……”

Johannes quietly repeats how glad he felt many times while hugging Christa.

In the meantime, Franz turns away the nearby ordinary citizens. This is both for the Emperor’s security and to avoid getting the citizens involved.

Then, when the only ones left are the knights and the soldiers from the imperial capital garrison.

Johannes stands up and looks at Elna.

His eyes are burning with anger.

“Otou-sama…….?”

“Even though you were by her side, how could this happen! Elna! You are one of the captains of the imperial knight order and you can’t even protect a single princess!!”

“My deepest apologies……everything was my responsibility.”

“Exactly! You just drove the reputation of the Amsberg to the ground!”

“O, Otou-sama……Elna is……”

“Be quiet. I am talking to Elna right now.”

“I’m, I’m sorry…..”

Being stared at with stern eyes, Christa was scared and her body visibly shrinks.

She then looks at Elna who is slowly shaking her head sideways at her.

“Elna. do you have any excuse?”

“I have none.”

It’s simple to tell him that Zuzan called her away. At that time, Zuzan was also calling for Christa. Nevertheless, the fact that she went to Zuzan alone was Elna’s decision.

Even if Zuzan and Zandra become suspects with the investigation, that decision was Elna’s responsibility.

One can’t afford a forceful method inside the inner palace. It was because of that preconception that Elna left Christa’s side. That was Elna’s mistake no matter how one looked at it.

“I will hand down your punishment later. Until then you are to stay at your house.”

“Yes……”

Saying so, Johannes takes Christa back to the castle.

Elna kept staying down like that for a while.

“How did it go?”

“The assassination has failed. However, even if they can save his life, he shouldn’t be able to talk for a while.”

“I see. Good work.”

Hearing so, the masked assassin, Xiaomei makes her report.

Her body is under severe pain because of the curse but it is a tolerable pain for Xiaomei who has undergone intense training since a young age.

“With this Leonard will not stay quiet, they will surely have an all-out war with Zandra’s faction soon. This is a good development.”

“But Amsberg’s prodigy will probably be relieved from the imperial knight order with this incident.”

“It will be temporary. She was punished because the Emperor has no other choice after all. He will probably take her back in when the situation calms down.”

“Even if it’s just temporary, Leonard’s faction will be free to use Elna von Amsberg during that time. That woman is dangerous. When she didn’t hold her sword I thought that I could somehow manage her but once she started wielding one she was like a completely different person. I thought that she was some kind of monster back then.”

“That’s the Amsbergs for you. Their minds switch during battle. It was nothing surprising. If she became too much of a problem then I can just pull her back to the imperial knight order myself.”

“Shouldn’t she be eliminated instead?”

“She is my promising future subject. There hasn’t been any emperor who has a bad relationship with the Amsbergs after all. It’s a good time to sell them a favor as well.”

“However…..”

Xiaomei appeals while enduring the pain.

it was true that she seems manageable when she doesn’t hold her sword.

If you can keep her away from the succession war then there should be nothing to worry about.

Even though she is holding a grudge against her, Xiaomei felt that Elna was a worthy enemy.

However,

“I am different from the other candidates. They only desperately aim for the throne not what to do with it afterward. In that sense, I am different from them. Spare me from dealing with the resentment from my own subjects. Besides, even if I don’t move, Zandra and Gordon will.”

“…….Understood.”

“Continue to follow my mother’s instruction in the inner palace. Get your wounds healed for now. This is not the time for us to move yet.”

“Yes…….as you wish, Your Highness Eric.”

Saying so, Xiaomei disappears from Eric’s sight.

Seeing her off, Eric slowly starts walking.

All the while having a smile on his face.