Jester stood before everyone assembled in front of him. The knights were lined up on the right in order of rank, with the highest-ranking knight standing at the front. On his left stood the workers who had been brought along.
“Why are there only ten?”
Igrio, who stood beside Caelan, stepped forward before lowering himself into a respectful bow.
"Your Highness, please accept our deepest apologies. The number of workers we were able to recruit was unfortunately limited. Most of the skilled workers have already settled here and are unwilling to relocate.“
“However, once we have established ourselves in Necroton, we can recruit additional workers there or bring more from here during future trips. Even so, I can assure you that every worker standing here has solid potential and will be able to contribute to our development."
Jester gave no reply.
Instead, his eyes slowly swept across the workers once more. Several of them were beastkin. The knights were not much better. At first glance, none of them looked particularly capable. Their bodies showed signs of poor care, and the armor and weapons they carried were old, worn, and badly maintained.
No wonder every single one of the knights Caelan brought on the last expedition ended up dead.
What a useless bunch.
"How many dire wolves do we still have that are ready to be deployed?"
The man answered without hesitation.
"We currently have ten that are still being raised and trained, and another five that are already prepared to participate in operations, Your Highness."
Jester gave a small nod. He knew this force looked weak. But that was only natural. After all, this was the army left behind by the incompetent Prince Caelan.
Ideally, Jester should have eliminated one of the stronger princes instead. If he had, he would have inherited a far better army.
Still...
If he managed these troops properly, trained them with discipline, and led them through the right battles, this force could become something entirely different.
Perhaps his plan to immediately send these knights into battle against monsters would have to wait.
He was fairly certain they were still carrying the trauma of watching every one of their comrades perish during the previous expedition.
The ten knights standing before him could one day become ten Knight Commanders. Those beneath them could continue climbing the ranks as well. If everything developed according to his expectations, he might even be able to raise one or more Royal Knights from this very group.
He was confident in that possibility.
This was already an incredible beginning.
None of the other players had the privilege of gaining direct control over a kingdom's military this early.
The only thing he still needed was to uncover more of Chaos' true potential. If he could earn the complete trust of these people, perhaps he would eventually be able to use his Chaos power to strengthen and evolve them even further.
If that worked… The growth of this army would surpass anything ordinary training alone could achieve.
Jester slowly lifted his chin, looking down at everyone before him with calm arrogance.
"A great army is not born through talent alone. It is forged through discipline, hardship, and countless battles. Strength is earned by those who refuse to break."
"Our destination is Necroton. From this day forward, that city will become the foundation of something far greater. We will rebuild it into a fortress worthy of the kingdom, and while the city rises, so will every one of you."
"You will train harder than you ever have before. You will fight more than you ever imagined. Those who endure will grow stronger. Those who surpass their limits will stand above the rest."
"I have no interest in commanding weak soldiers."
"I am building an army that will shake this kingdom."
"If you have the determination to follow me, then one day your names will be known across the continent. Your ranks will rise. Your strength will surpass what you once believed possible."
"So stop dwelling on the past."
"We leave for Necroton immediately."
For a brief moment, silence filled the air. Then every knight struck a fist against their chest and answered in one powerful voice.
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"As you command, Your Highness!"
"We will follow Your Highness to Necroton!"
"We shall devote our strength, our loyalty, and our lives to your command!"
[The knights serving under Eighth Prince Caelan have witnessed their prince's confidence and vision for the future. Their faith in their lord has begun to grow.]
[Chaos +20]
Not bad. Turns out Jester wasn't terrible at giving speeches after all.
Before this, he had only imagined doing something like this while watching movies or fantasy anime. But now he was actually standing here, playing the role of a prince in front of his own army.
Maybe he should've become an actor in the real world. He might actually have a talent for it.
Preparations under Igrio's command resumed almost immediately. The migration would begin at dawn the following morning, leaving no room for delays.
That meant Jester still had one night left. He could spend it inside the palace or simply log out for the night. Either option was available to him.
After finishing everything he needed to do, he returned to his private chamber.
The curtains had been pulled back, allowing the evening light to pour through the large windows and brighten the room. Elora was also there, standing quietly near one side of the chamber. As always, she kept a respectful distance, ready to serve the moment he gave an order.
To be fair, Jester had never actually asked her to stay with him like this.
Still, it would probably look strange if she wasn't here. It seemed to be one of Caelan's usual habits to keep a woman inside his private chamber.
For what exactly… Jester didn't even want to think about it.
Did that mean every maid serving inside this palace had already been used by Caelan?
...Damn that bastard.
Jester let out a quiet sigh before taking a seat beside the large glass window. Resting one arm against the frame, he looked out over the palace grounds while organizing the strategies he needed for the days ahead.
Time passed without him noticing. The sky gradually shifted into shades of orange and crimson as the sun slowly sank beyond the horizon.
There was one thing he had been curious about ever since arriving in this world.
Eventually, he called Elora over before giving her a simple errand. It wasn't an important task by any means.
He was simply curious about something.
After some time, Elora returned to the chamber.
She politely asked for permission to enter before stepping aside, allowing the other maids to file into the room one after another. There were ten of them in total.
The last person to enter was Igrio, who quietly took his place a short distance behind Jester. Without a word, he stepped forward and presented a leather-bound record book.
Inside were the records of every maid serving within the Eighth Prince's residence, including their identities, backgrounds, races, abilities, and details gathered during their recruitment.
Jester accepted the book before shifting his attention to the people standing in front of him. Something about them had been bothering him. He couldn't explain exactly why. It was simply a feeling that several of them were hiding something.
He opened the book to the first page, where Elora's profile immediately caught his attention.
[Name: Elora]
[Race: Wood Elf]
Her birthplace, recruitment history, and service record were all neatly documented.
According to the report, it had been Igrio who personally investigated her background before recruiting her into Prince Caelan's household.
...Seriously?
This man was doing work far beyond that of a mere personal attendant. He probably deserved a far higher position than this.
Jester closed Elora's file and turned to the next page. A portrait of another maid appeared.
She was noticeably tall, standing above most of the other maids. Her ash-blonde hair was woven into a long, thick braid that fell all the way to her calves.
She wore a short-skirted maid outfit with full black stockings covering her legs, giving her an elegant yet striking appearance. The most unusual feature, however, was her crimson eyes, with narrow vertical pupils almost identical to those of a snake.
"Pearl, step forward."
The woman immediately obeyed, taking a step forward before lowering herself into a graceful bow.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Jester calmly studied her for a moment.
"Raise your head."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
From the outside, there was nothing particularly strange about her. She looked like an ordinary woman. Perhaps only those unsettling eyes stood out.
Yet the moment Jester read the race listed in her profile… His breathing nearly stopped.
[Name: Pearl]
[Race: Vessel Parasite]
What? A parasite?!
His eyes immediately moved to the explanation beneath it.
[Vessel Parasites are an extremely rare lifeform that survives by inhabiting living hosts. Their true form resembles a centipede with numerous long, sharp legs.]
[Once they enter a host, those tendrils spread throughout the nervous system, perfectly replacing damaged signals and allowing the parasite to control the body as though it were its own.]
[After complete synchronization, the parasite can preserve the host's appearance, voice, memories, habits, and even subtle mannerisms with remarkable accuracy, making them almost impossible to distinguish from the original individual through ordinary observation.]
[The host body remains physically alive while under complete control, sustained entirely by the parasite.]
Jester slowly looked up from the page. Then back at Pearl.
[Current Level: 135]
"A Vessel Parasite? And Level 135?!"
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