If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 62

✦

Several rounds of three minutes passed. With each update, the black knights experienced slight changes in their rankings, steadily moving across the board. Before long, the leading piece reached the one-third mark of the entire track.

 

Marquis Osbond gestured to a servant, summoning a wagon into the pavilion. The wagon carried a roulette wheel and chips, the kind commonly seen in casinos.

 

“Simply waiting would be too boring, so I’ve prepared a little game for Your Highnesses to enjoy.”

 

“A game?”

 

A green mat with betting lines was spread across the table, and game chips were handed out to the princesses.

 

“100 each. No transfers allowed.”

 

Four neat stacks of 25 chips each were placed in front of them. But when it was my turn, the servant moved his hands twice more.

 

“As a special reward for Princess Silver Bird, who correctly guessed her personal knight, you are given 50 extra chips.”

 

“Thanks to Sister Gwen. I guess I should offer my gratitude.”

 

Gwendellin’s face twisted with frustration, but she couldn’t respond. By now, even the sisters were starting to catch on.

 

“What’s going on with you two?”

 

“What did Sister Gwen do to Sister Sasha?”

 

“W-What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything. She’s just accusing me.”

 

“…”

 

The only person dumb enough to believe that would be herself. Even Lilliana, who was openly hostile towards me, didn’t actively help Gwendellin and just made a passing comment in a detached tone.

 

“Well, since you hit the mark as the last place, I’m not particularly jealous of you getting 50 more chips.”

 

“Have you finished your conversation?” Marquis Osbond began explaining the rules. “Every time I present a question, Your Highnesses will bet chips on the number you believe is correct. It’s a simple game.”

 

The betting line had numbers from 1 to 7 written on it. Among them, the third section was blocked off for betting, covered with the symbol of Silver Bird.

 

“When the question is revealed, you’ll have one minute to think. Then, starting with the princess seated in the direction the roulette points to, and proceeding clockwise, you’ll place your bets. The minimum bet is 10 chips, and you cannot spread your bets across multiple numbers. Additionally, after everyone has placed the initial bets, you can place additional bets in the next turn. If there’s no raise, the correct answer will be revealed immediately.”

 

“Is there any use for the chips?”

 

“That’s an excellent question, Princess Silver Bird. For every 50 chips, you can sponsor one item for the personal knight. Whether it’s a potion or a sword, as long as it’s obtainable within the imperial palace, anything is possible.”

 

“Then right away—!”

 

“Please calm down, Princess Safflower. The right to sponsor an item will only be granted if you win at least once in the game starting now.”

 

“…Understood.”

 

“For smooth proceedings, the broadcast will be temporarily paused during the game. Now, let’s begin the first game.”

 

Marquis Osbond spun the roulette wheel even before presenting the question. The metal ball roamed across the seven divided sections before stopping in one spot. It was in front of the eldest sister, Vivian.

 

“I will now present the question. Guess which number is the horse of Sir Bellinger, Princess Blue Wave’s personal knight. Betting will begin in one minute.”

 

The order of the horses on the board was number 2, 1, 7, 5, 6, 4, 3. Until recently, numbers 1 and 7 had been fighting for second place, while number 4, 5, and 6 were occasionally changing their positions among themselves.

 

“One minute is up. Place your bets.”

 

The person who should have guessed who Bellinger was first was none other than his lord, Sister Vivi.

 

“Sir Bellinger has exceptional qualities as a knight. If I were Sir Bellinger…”

 

Sister Vivian pushed ten chips into the betting line using the chip rake. Her choice was number 1, currently in second place. Everyone seemed to understand her choice.

 

“Well, Sir Bellinger is clever.”

 

“Since there’s an ambush, leading the race carries a lot of risk. He’d probably avoid being in first place on purpose.”

 

“I think second or third place makes the most sense too.”

 

The atmosphere leaned towards betting on either number 1 or number 7, who had been competing for the second position. Meanwhile, I placed my bet on number 2, the one in first place.

 

The betting ended. Since it was the first game and the odds were 1 in 6, there was no reason to approach the game aggressively. Without anyone calling for a raise, the answer was revealed with a total of 70 chips on the line.

 

“The correct answer is horse number 2. All chips go to Princess Silver Bird.”

 

“My goodness. Sir Bellinger was in the first place?”

 

“I feel bad for Sir Bellinger… Anyway, congratulations, Sasha.”

 

“Congratulations to you too, Sister Vivi. At this point, you have the first-place knight under your command.”

 

“Hmph, so what if you guessed the first place right? Your own knight is still in last place anyway.”

 

Ignoring Lilliana’s sarcastic remark, I turned my gaze steadily to Marquis Osbond. The words I wanted to hear came out of his mouth.

 

“Would you like to sponsor?”

 

Of course.

 

“A sword and a potion for my knight.”

 

✦

He had to move as much as possible while the effects of the poison attack were subdued. Regen hurried through the garden, not even pausing to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. Even with the poison coursing through him, his sharp senses hadn’t dulled, and he noticed movement.

 

Following the sound of weak groans, Regen pushed through the bushes without hesitation. There, he found a knight, half-hiding and slumped against the ground.

 

“Sir Ciel?”

 

The knight of the youngest princess, Shumel, had a youthful face that teetered on the edge between a young man and a boy. Judging by blood soaking his apricot-blond hair, he seemed to have suffered a serious head wound.

 

“Sir Regen… be caref…” The warning, squeezed out with all his strength, faded away, quieter than a breath.

 

The moment Ciel lost consciousness, Regen found himself surrounded by three soldiers clad in armor. The sharp tips of three swords were pointed at Regen, who was unarmed. But Regen remained unfazed, having already sensed the ambush before approaching Ciel.

 

“Did you do this to Sir Ciel?”

 

“That’s right. A knight without a sword or magic is nothing special.”

 

“Actually, it wasn’t just us. There were two more involved.”

 

“Even if we were a bit underhanded, I’m sure the knight will understand. Soldiers who take down a personal knight get rewarded, after all.”

 

These men were soldiers serving the emperor within the imperial palace. Boasting superior swordsmanship compared to ordinary knights, they carefully measured the distance between themselves and Regen, tightening the encirclement. Just when Regen was within the reach of their arms that they could put blades to his handsome jawline,

 

“Stop right there.”

 

A servant draped in a sash appeared from a side path and interrupted. In his hands was Regen’s sword, which should have been safely stored in Silver Bird’s chamber. Along with it was a potion.

 

The servant calmly pushed through the soldiers’ encirclement and respectfully handed the two items to Regen. “By the rules of the competition, Princess Silver Bird has sent these gifts to Sir Regen.”

 

“Rules?”

 

“I cannot answer any questions. Best of luck to you.” The servant then withdrew.

 

Srrrng, the clear sound of metal rang out as the sword slid from its sheath. The knights, who had been caught off guard, finally snapped to their senses at the sharp resonance of the masterfully crafted blade.

 

The gentle atmosphere from moments ago had completely vanished. Now, facing Regen’s transformed presence, they hesitated and began to step back.

 

“W-Wait. This isn’t right.”

 

“We weren’t told it would turn out like this…!”

 

Now that the imbalance of armaments had been resolved, the knights in front of Regen lost their ability to serve as obstacles.

 

✦

2, 1, 7, 5, 6, 3, 4. An intriguing shift occurred in the arrangement of the knights on the board.

 

“Number 3 has overtaken number 4? He’s no longer in last place.”

 

“By the way, it seems like number 4’s position hasn’t changed at all for a while now.”

 

“Co-Could he be injured? They said soldiers were going to ambush them.”

 

“Oh no. It better not be my knight…”

 

I focused my attention on the black knight marked with the number 3. He passed by the spot where number 4 was standing still. The timing for sponsoring his sword was perfect.