The Knight Commander Abandoned The Kingdom

The King’s Omniscient Point of View

The King of Ragion let out a sigh of relief.

This country was garbage. The territory was cramped, and the environment was so harsh that crops barely grew.

Moreover, being located right next to the demon realm, it was impossible to attract foreign investment. What fool would take such a risk?

Although there were previous kings who tried to build up the country despite these extreme conditions, everything became futile after the demons invaded this place.

Thirty years ago, they barely managed to defeat the demons thanks to a hero’s efforts, but the country was already half-ruined.

It was truly a godforsaken place.

That’s why the King held no great affection for Ragion. Why should he care if these lowborn commoners lived or died, as long as he took care of himself?

Let the country fall to ruin. He would live luxuriously by sucking the blood of his citizens until his death.

This time too, if he just hid away properly, wouldn’t the Empire take care of those demon bastards?

When that time came, he could quietly return and enjoy life again.

While he had resigned himself to whatever would happen, an unexpected variable emerged.

Thanks to the border knights’ efforts, especially that young fellow Leon, the demons couldn’t ravage the territory like before.

Perhaps seeing some promise in this, the Empire sent massive support.

However, there was nothing to share with them. It was just luck – how could those bastards possibly hold back the demons?

There was no need to provide more support to those who would soon be overrun anyway. They should be grateful just for not having their supplies cut off.

Still, he controlled the information to avoid unnecessary trouble if this fact reached their ears.

Another five years passed.

The demons were driven to the brink of defeat by the Border Knights.

‘Am I screwed?’

Only then did the King finally realize the gravity of the situation.

If the Border Knights were to win like this, there was no way his head would remain attached to his shoulders.

For his own survival, they had to be defeated.

If it ever came to light that he had embezzled all that support to line the pockets of the leadership, he wouldn’t even have a corpse left intact.

Fortunately, none of the kingdom’s nobles would betray the King. They all enjoyed luxurious lives thanks to the Empire’s support.

Thinking he should first secure public opinion, he released some of the hoarded food supplies, and the pig-like masses mindlessly praised the King’s greatness.

They were truly an ignorant bunch.

Afterward, he secretly negotiated with the demons. The content was to establish mutual friendly relations in exchange for cutting off supplies to the Border Knights.

Of course, this entire plan assumed the Knights wouldn’t revolt, but he couldn’t just wait for his death, could he?

Whether he failed in backstabbing them or just stood by watching, death would be the same either way.

Naturally, the demons accepted the conditions. What fool would refuse when being handed victory?

Unlike their former powerful days, the current situation where they could barely survive without touching the kingdom was ideal.

If the demons disappeared completely, it would mean one less excuse to control these pig-like masses easily.

Afterward, as promised, he cut off supplies to the Knights.

When the vice-commander came to protest strongly, the King stalled for time with various excuses.

For unknown reasons, Alice killed a noble and fled. That idiot probably died while pestering her without knowing his place, as she was quite beautiful.

As planned, the Knights were defeated, and Leon returned with the remnants of his forces.

Thanks to the widespread propaganda, no citizens welcomed them, and the King held Leon responsible for the defeat.

What tormented them most was the criticism from the citizens they had protected with their lives, and the Knights quickly disbanded.

All that remained was the exile of Leon, the unparalleled genius who made all this possible.

While killing would be the best way to prevent future problems, how could they kill such a monster? They should have just ended it with exile, as if doing a favor.

And that’s how the situation has evolved to the present.

The demon race, which was the biggest problem, has become a toothless tiger, and the country has regained stability with massive support from the Empire.

‘Hehehe, everything according to plan. How could heaven not make such a genius the Emperor? If they had, the continent would have been unified long ago.’

The king emptied his wine glass while continuously marveling at his own brilliant mind.

The wine tasted particularly sweet today.

***

‘These bastards deserve death!’

After hearing Leon’s brief explanation, Jade’s face turned completely red with rage.

‘Please calm down. It’s all in the past now. You’ll collapse if you get too excited.’

‘How can I stay calm after hearing this! We should send troops right now to deal with these sons of bitches!!’

Jade could finally understand all of Leon’s eccentric behavior until now. Not a single piece of information had reached them for the past 15 years.

He needed to run to Lord Elric right now and report this fact.

It wouldn’t even take three days for Ragion to disappear into history under the invasion of an enraged former hero.

‘Let’s calm down a bit. There’s no need to send an army. Ragion is already as good as finished.’

‘!!’

Only then could Jade finally calm down.

‘What do you mean Ragion is finished?’

‘The two things I know best in this world are Ragion and the demon race. There probably aren’t any worse creatures than the demon race, nor a more corrupt country than Ragion.’

‘Then…’

‘I can assure you. At most within a year, Ragion will fall.’

The demon race was truly persistent beyond measure.

During the last war, the demon race suffered near-extinction level damage in an all-out war with the Empire, and even their Demon King was forced into deep rest due to near-fatal injuries, but they managed to rebuild their forces in just 30 years.

If they hide in the demon realm with determination, they can’t be completely eradicated, and given time, they recover their strength at a frightening pace – that’s just how the demon race is.

But how about Ragion in comparison?

The kingdom’s military power, excluding Leon’s knights, was worse than pathetic.

They were a ragtag bunch not even worth a single city, and they would helplessly crumble before the demon race’s invasion.

And I will show them no mercy.

This is all a disaster of their own making.

‘So you had it all planned out. As expected of Sir Leon!’

Jade’s expression brightened so quickly it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been enraged moments ago.

‘So please forget about that matter and could you guide me around a bit?’

‘I’ll guide you anywhere you wish to go, Sir Leon!’

‘Then, please guide me to the Academy. I’ll be appointed there soon, and I’d like to greet the headmaster in advance.’

‘Yes, I’ll guide you there as quickly as possible.’

‘Before that, there’s one thing we need to address. Someone has been watching us for a while now.’

‘What?’

At those words, the owner of the gaze that had been observing us finally moved.

‘Oh? I thought something felt off about the presence, so you noticed my existence from the start? Impressive.’

‘You are…!’

Jade, having failed to detect the gaze, showed signs of bewilderment.

This was certainly not due to any lack of skill on his part. How could someone lacking ability enter the Empire’s intelligence department?

It was simply that the opponent’s caliber was overwhelmingly superior.

Though standing right before him, there was no sense of presence, as if looking at an illusion.

Even while taking leisurely steps, not the slightest sound was permitted.

Those red eyes brimmed with hegemonic qualities and boundless confidence.

She was a beautiful woman in exotic attire who naturally drew the attention of those around her.

But what intrigued me most were those long, protruding ears. After all, there was only one race with such characteristics.

‘This is my first time seeing an elf in person, but what business could they have?’

Pleased with my attitude, the elf’s ears twitched slightly.

‘To show such a reaction even in my presence, you seem quite ignorant of worldly matters despite your skills.’

‘Sir Leon, that person…’

‘Leon, you say?’

Jade tried to tell me something, but the elf interrupted him.

‘Surely you mean Leon of Ragion? There couldn’t be another person with the same name emanating such an aura. I’ve met quite the distinguished person today.’

‘You’ve been speaking your mind since earlier, but who exactly are you?’

When I showed signs of displeasure, she raised the corner of her mouth as if quite amused.

‘I apologize for my rudeness in this unexpected meeting. Let me properly introduce myself. I am Arwin, one of the ten strongest in the same continent as you and an instructor at Ludwig Academy.’