Abandoned Bastard of the Royal Family Volume 5 Chapter 27 (Patreon)
Content
Chapter 27 – The Return of the Female Knight Commander
The Knights of the Royal Court are the most fundamental military force possessed by the royal family.
They protect the king, follow his will, and crush his enemies.
After the Demon Race was expelled in the last war, the significance of its existence was largely lost, and it somewhat became flaccid with the passage of time.
The proof was just a few months before this, the new generation of knights recklessly started a war to exterminate a swarm of monsters even though they were unaccustomed to combat. This caused them to be inflicted with a tremendous amount of casualties that couldn’t be ignored by anyone.
This massive failure was taken very seriously in the royal court.
In order not to further undermine its authority, the Royal Court Knights were forced to undergo a drastic restructuring.
The heads of the Knights, deputy heads, chiefs of staff, and field commanders, all of whom who had previously served at the top, were forced to resign, and their replacements were required to be competent people, regardless of their origins.
As a result, it was a young, up-and-coming woman who was selected as the leader of the new Order of Knights.
That was Lesnussa.
And now, she is bearing the new sword of this kingdom under Prince Schild’s command.
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“We humbly apologize for the wait, Your Highness,” began the female knight who knelt before Schild.
Compared to Carney, who is also similarly referred as a female knight by name, she is slightly older, approximately in her late twenties.
She had the appearance of a strong woman trained for many battles while also possessing the sex appeal of a calm, mature woman who could handle it all.
This capable-looking woman is Lesnussa, the new leader of the Royal Court Knights.
“Welcome back, Lesnussa. Can I presume that you have finally accomplished forming the new Order now that you have finally come back to the capital?”
“I do not yet classify them as an Order of Knights, Your Highness. They will only become true knights once they fight and win a battle under your command. And that is after we win the upcoming battle against the Demon Race.”
“Still as serious as ever.”
“Y-you two know each other?”
The conversation between the two warriors, which seemed to be a bit friendlier than they expected, confused the nobles, including Marquis Sambani.
However, they also knew that they must not allow the knight commander to intervene with their plans.
“New Knight Commander Lesnussa! You! We have been told that you have left the royal capital unattended, yet you still have the gall to return!”
“We heard that no matter how many times the council invited you, you didn’t respond and instead spent your time training and selecting newcomers outside of the capital!”
“Even ignorance has its limits! Depending on your answer, you may lose your new position as Knight Commander!”
The nobles vigorously criticized the new Knight Commander, finding her faults one by one, but Lesnussa was not the least bit perturbed.
Instead, she responded with the dignity appropriate to a battle group leader, which radiated from her strict looks.
“Why did I stay outside and not return to the royal capital? Why haven’t I responded to your invitations? It is simple. It is because His Highness Schild ordered me to do so.”
“What!?”
“And why did I come back only now? That is also simple. It’s because His Highness summoned us back.”
“!?”
The royal knights are a power of might organized exclusively for a king.
They prioritize the king’s orders over everything else.
“The new Knight Order has always been connected to Prince Schild? When did this happen?”
“What is there to be surprised about? The royal knights are obligated to fight only for the king or the nation. Therefore, it is only natural for us to follow our lord and master Schild, who will eventually stand at this country’s top.”
This was more significant than currying the favor of the so-called royal court that only comprised of nobles that ran their individual agendas.
“Now, let me ask you again, you members of the Aristocratic Federation. What will you do to me if I do not do what you want?”
The aristocrats this time turned permanently mute in the face of Schild’s overwhelming might in another meaning.
That is the king’s authority that drives the force of the knights.
Authority has no meaning if it’s not backed up with might, and this time, the authority with might they feared is backed up again by another authoritarian might.
There was no way for the nobles, who had nothing but authority, to stand up against Schild, who held the king’s authority and the armed might of the knights, subjugators, and people.
Just like that, the uproar of the Aristocratic Federation was settled.
“It seems that I have put you up with them for a long time, Lesnussa. I’m sure you have been wanting to return to the capital as soon as possible.”
“If it’s Your Highness’s order, I will have no objections. My sword will always be there for you to use, Master.”
Schild became acquainted with Lesnussa right after the battle to destroy the monster swarm attacking the capital.
It was also when the reorganization of the destroyed Royal Court Knights was announced, and Lesnussa was just appointed as the new Knight Commander.
At that time, the royal court was still divided between the First Princess Cymbium faction ad the Oscar faction with their Second Princess Serenea.
Amid the intensifying power struggle, Schild, who didn’t want the military might of the new knights to be tied to any of these powers and thus bring uncertainty to the situation, gave Lesnussa a strict order.
“Until the turmoil is settled, do not approach the royal capital.”
Knowing that Schild is the king’s illegitimate son yet the most appropriate heir to the throne, Lesnussa obeyed the order and left the capital with the newly formed knights. But before that time, Lesnussa refused all invitations from the nobles under the guise of recruiting and training the new knights and kept her persistence of not returning until Schild commands her to do so.
The ban was finally lifted when Schild issued an order for them to return to face the Demon Race.
It was also around the time the three great noble houses had stopped their strife, and the devious prime minister, who was the root cause of it all, was dead. So it was safe to say that the turmoil is now over. Internally, that is.
“Above all, we will need to have a considerable fighting force now that the battle against the Demon Race is approaching. Lesnussa. It’s time we use the newly-formed knights you have trained for their purpose.”
“I have a report for you on that matter, Your Highness. An army of what appears to be the Demon Race are witnessed closing in on the royal capital as we speak.”
“What?!”
Schild couldn’t help but be bewildered about the information he had just gotten.
Many secret agents have been deployed to the royal capital so that he can get the information on the Demon Race as quickly as possible.
However, instead of it coming from the secret agents, the information about them in Schild had told them to prioritize did not come from them but was instead delivered by Lesnussa upon her return.
“……”
Schild immediately understood.
This was a move the secret agents had made to give the new knights a glorious start.
Because no way in hell the spies nurtured by the three great nobles were this incompetent.
“Those clever pricks… but if the Demon Race’s Army is heading this way, we can’t afford to not intercept them. Prepare the troops.”
“By your will.”
Only after that did Schild give a glance to the trembling Marquis Sambani and the other nobles.
“As for them, I will deal with them later. Anyway, Lesnussa, seeing that you are now here, I presume you have also brought the knights with you?”
“Naturally, milord. I guarantee that their training is excellent. In fact, the soldiers are now eager to show the results of their training right away. As long as you give us your order, Your Highness, we will crush the enemy at any time.”
“Don’t be so hasty. Your enemies are not only the Demon Race but also their monsters. We can’t afford to get overconfident. It’s best we give the guild a call.”
(In addition to that, those guys will complain to me if we do this without calling them, as they will take it as I and the knights monopolizing all the credit.)
“The campaign against the Demon Army and their monsters this time will be a joint operation of the knights and the subjugators. Do you have the confidence that the two camps can get along well?”
“As long as it’s by His Highness Schild’s will, it is all possible.”
Along with those words, Lesnussa and Schild pushed the aristocrats who were getting in their way aside and entered the royal castle.
It was to devise a strategy to intercept the Demon Army with the appropriate personnel.
“I am a knight of Prince Schild. I will do whatever it takes to obey the orders of my lord. If he tells me to fight, I will fight; if he tells me to die, I will die. Whether in the past, present, or future, everything I do will be according to my lord’s will, Prince Schild’s will.”
“Then…”
After entering the royal castle and cutting themselves from the outside, Schild asked these words.
“What if I order you to have sex with me?”
To which Lesnussa immediately responded.
“Of course, I will have sex with my liege. If it is by your will.”