Jester kept walking until he entered his private audience chamber, a grand hall reserved for the Eighth Prince's official affairs. The spacious chamber was lined with tall stone pillars, while banners bearing the Valtherion Kingdom's crest hung neatly along the walls.
Around five knights stood guard at their assigned positions, maintaining complete silence as their prince passed through.
"There is another matter I must report to you, Your Highness," Igrio spoke respectfully as he followed behind.
Jester gave no reply. He simply continued walking toward the center of the chamber.
"I must also inform you that, due to the poor state of our finances, the training program for new knights under Your Highness's command has been delayed. Our current resources are insufficient to continue recruitment and training at the expected pace. Equipment, provisions, and maintenance costs have all exceeded the available budget. Unless additional funds are secured soon, the situation may continue to worsen."
Jester let out a quiet sigh, though he did not show it on his face.
So he really did have authority as one of the Eight Princes of the kingdom. Unfortunately, he had inherited the territory of someone as hopeless as Caelan.
The man was arrogant, possessed the lowest level among the princes, and to make matters worse, even the financial management of his domain was in terrible condition.
"How many knights do we currently have under our command?"
While asking about the knights serving under Caelan's command, Jester also took another mental note of the kingdom's knightly hierarchy. The ranks were divided into Page Knight, Squire Knight, Knight, Knight Commander, Royal Knight, and finally, Imperial Knight.
The first was the Page Knight, the youngest rank, usually consisting of children between eight and fifteen years old. They served as apprentices to experienced knights, learning the fundamentals of knighthood, including horsemanship, swordsmanship, discipline, and proper court etiquette.
Above them were the Squire Knights, generally between sixteen and twenty years old. At this stage, they took on greater responsibilities, guarding castles, escorting nobles, assisting senior knights, and gaining practical experience before earning full knighthood.
Once a squire had proven his ability, he would be formally knighted and receive the rank of Knight. These knights formed the backbone of every noble house's military force.
The next rank was Knight Commander, a far more prestigious position. They commanded groups of knights on the battlefield while also serving as trusted military advisors to their lord.
Above them stood the Royal Knights, elite warriors personally appointed by the royal family. They were entrusted with leading large military campaigns, carrying out missions of national importance, and protecting members of the royal family or other individuals of exceptional importance.
At the very top of the hierarchy were the Imperial Knights, the kingdom's strongest and most respected warriors. Each Imperial Knight possessed extraordinary strength and authority, often leading entire armies into war while acting as the right hand of a king or prince.
Their status symbolized the military might of a kingdom. The greater the number of Imperial Knights a kingdom possessed, the more powerful and influential it was considered.
In reality, the Kingdom of Valtherion possessed only two Imperial Knights and five Royal Knights.
Although that number was not particularly impressive compared to the strongest empires on the continent, it was still considered fairly average among neighboring kingdoms. It was enough to maintain stability and defend the kingdom's borders, but not enough to dominate the continent's balance of power.
The two Imperial Knights naturally remained at the king's side, entrusted with protecting the ruler of the kingdom at all times. Meanwhile, two Royal Knights served as the personal guards of the Crown Prince, while another Royal Knight was assigned to protect the First Princess.
The remaining two Royal Knights oversaw the kingdom's armies, commanding military operations and maintaining order throughout the realm.
Even Rania had been accompanied by two Knight Commanders earlier. Each of them commanded no fewer than a hundred knights under their authority.
Jester let out a quiet sigh at the thought.
Igrio began his report once more.
"Your Highness, we currently have twenty Page Knights. They were only recruited recently, but many of them have already shown remarkable promise during their training. As for the Squire Knights, only ten remain after the last expedition. In addition, we have ten fully knighted Knights still serving under your command."
That was all. In other words, he only had ten actual Knights. Including the five stationed in the audience chamber earlier, that was the entirety of Caelan's remaining military force.
With strength like this, how had Caelan ever thought it was a good idea to lead another hunting expedition beyond the kingdom's borders?
The soldiers he had taken with him on the previous expedition had been completely wiped out.
Then again… Caelan himself had died there as well.
Jester had been the one to kill him.
What a truly useless prince.
"I'll focus on strengthening the training of our knights while ensuring each of them develops their individual potential," Jester said calmly. "As long as they serve under me, none of them will remain stagnant. Every single one of them will grow stronger."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
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"I've also obtained the Heart of the Abyss. You know exactly what that means, don't you, Igrio?"
Igrio immediately lowered his head in a deep bow.
"Indeed, Your Highness. It is an achievement worthy of the highest praise. More importantly, you returned alive despite the disaster that befell the expedition.”
Jester still had no idea what the Heart of the Abyss was actually capable of. Still, judging by Igrio's reaction, it was clearly something extraordinary. The praise sounded almost excessive, bordering on flattery, yet the sincerity in Igrio's voice and expression left no room to doubt his words.
The two of them continued walking through the palace corridor leading toward Caelan's private bedchamber. Rows of female attendants stood neatly on both sides, lowering their heads the moment Jester approached.
"Welcome back, Your Highness."
Their voices echoed in perfect unison.
Damn! Caelan really was a shameless womanizer. Every single maid serving in his residence was unbelievably beautiful.
There were around ten of them. Most looked like ordinary humans, though one of them was a beastkin. She was a bunny girl, and honestly, she was easily the cutest among everyone standing there.
Igrio spoke once more.
"Your Highness, would you like the attendants to accompany you while you bathe?"
"No."
Jester answered without hesitation.
"Leave them outside. I wish to rest alone."
He didn't really have another choice.
Maintaining the Harvest Mask consumed an alarming amount of stamina. If he stayed in this disguised state much longer while continuing to interact with other people, he might suddenly collapse from exhaustion before he even had the chance to deactivate the skill.
"As you command, Your Highness."
Igrio bowed respectfully before signaling the attendants to remain outside.
Jester could hardly wait to dismiss the Harvest Mask.
The skill was far more exhausting than he had expected. If he intended to keep using it in the future, he would have to manage his stamina much more carefully.
One of the attendants stepped forward and gently opened the large double doors.
Jester walked inside.
The doors closed behind him.
[Critical stamina level detected. Harvest Mask will be deactivated automatically.]
[Harvest Mask has been deactivated.]
Almost instantly, the invisible burden pressing against his body disappeared. His tense muscles relaxed, and the constant drain on his stamina came to an abrupt end.
Jester let out a long breath before suddenly sensing someone's presence.
A young woman stood a few steps in front of him.
"Damn..."
She had appeared so quietly that he hadn't noticed her at all.
She was a young elf with long emerald-green hair that flowed past her waist. Her pointed ears peeked through her silky hair. She wore a maid dress, its design far more revealing than the uniforms worn by the attendants outside.
"Welcome back, Your Highness," she greeted with a respectful bow. "Please forgive me if I startled you. Sir Igrio assigned me to serve you from today onward. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elora."
Damn. That bastard Igrio hadn't mentioned this at all.
Or rather… Jester himself hadn't thought that far ahead.
It seemed Caelan really did have the habit of demanding a new girl whenever he grew tired of the previous one.
"Are you new here?" Jester asked.
"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the young elf answered with a trembling voice.
She looked visibly nervous.
Of course she was.
The prince standing before her had suddenly changed completely. His face, appearance, as though he had become a complete stranger.
Jester simply walked past her before making his way toward the sofa in the center of the room. He sat down calmly without another word.
The young elf hurried after him before stopping a respectful distance away. She lowered her head once again, her shoulders trembling.
"Your Highness... please forgive me if I've made any mistakes," she said. "I'm still new here, and I was told that my duty is to attend to all of Your Highness's personal needs. I hope you'll be patient as I learn how to serve you properly."
"Sit there," he said, pointing toward the sofa across from him.
The young elf blinked in surprise. She hesitated for a moment before carefully taking a seat. Her posture remained stiff, and her hands rested neatly on her lap as she lowered her head.
"Y-Your Highness... is there something you wish to ask of me?"
Jester looked at her quietly for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Alright. Now tell me..."
"Who am I?"
Elora froze.
"Y-Your Highness...?"
"I asked you a question," Jester said calmly. "Who am I?"
She swallowed nervously before answering in a trembling voice.
"Y-You are His Highness Prince Caelan... the Eighth Prince of the Kingdom of Valtherion."
Jester slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on the young elf.
Elora instinctively shrank back under the pressure. His narrowed eyes alone were enough to make her heart race.
"Don't play games with me.
The young elf's face instantly turned pale. "I-I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness!"
She hurriedly slipped off the sofa and dropped to her knees on the floor, lowering her head until it nearly touched the carpet.
"Please forgive me! If I've said something wrong, I beg you to show me my mistake. I never intended to offend Your Highness."
Jester stared down at her without changing his expression.
"Now tell me."
"Who am I?"
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