When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 78

Episode 78

The Kingdom’s parliament began at the scheduled time. Unlike regular sessions, this day’s meeting was convened for an extraordinary agenda.

The topic was the activation of Royal Order 11 during the Southern Great Uprising by Princess René Tashman, the commander of the 7th Legion and the third princess.

Given that the activation of Royal Order 11 itself hadn’t occurred for over a decade, many members of parliament were unfamiliar with it, so thorough explanations and adjustments were made beforehand.

Let’s explain Royal Order 11 again here. During peacetime, commanders from the 1st to the 10th legions are entirely independent equals. Therefore, whether it’s Leo Tashman, the commander of the 1st Legion and the Crown Prince, or Princess René, the commander of the 7th Legion, they are treated simply as one of the legion commanders, equal to the others.

However, this changes with the Royal Order 11 declared by Princess René this time. This is a privilege granted only to adult royals serving as legion commanders.

As a result, all command authority is unified under the royal serving as legion commander. Thus, an adult royal can give orders to other legion commanders as the sole supreme authority.

Originally, it was a privilege for the 1st Legion, traditionally commanded by the Crown Prince, but legal grounds were also established when Princess René became the commander of the 7th Legion.

While it’s an overwhelming privilege, there are, of course, constraints. The activation of Royal Order 11 can be decided on the spot. This is, of course, to respond promptly to emergencies.

However, after the emergency ends, within six months from the day Royal Order 11 is declared, it is mandatory to report directly to the king and appear before the Royal Parliament, the king’s advisory body, to demonstrate the legitimacy of the declaration.

Today’s session of the Royal Parliament was precisely for this purpose, the appearance and report to the Royal Parliament after the activation of Royal Order 11.

—

The emergency session began as scheduled. All 300 members of parliament were present in the chamber, and in the galleries, civil servants from various ministries, researchers from academies, and off-duty legionnaires had gathered.

At the beginning of the session, Chairman of the Royal Parliament, Ivan Dragomir, provided an explanation of the proceedings. Ivan’s explanation, delivered with sharp eyes and a commanding presence, proceeded smoothly.

Then, reference materials for this session were distributed to everyone in the chamber. These materials were meticulously prepared by Erin, Lilly, and the chief secretary, Jez, based on the Zwey Document.

After Ivan’s explanation, René Tashman, wearing the formal attire of a knight and the crimson cloak symbolizing the 7th Legion, made her way to the rostrum in the chamber. Despite her youthful age of 22, her dignified demeanor commanded applause from the entire chamber.

Of course, King Ramses, Prime Minister William Saylor, Crown Prince Leo, Minister of Internal Affairs Eva Robbins, and other department heads were present at this session. However, they too were captivated by René’s presence, as if saying, “Oh?”

René Tashman, a woman born with a mysterious charm that naturally drew attention, was beginning to exude the dignity of a leader through her experiences in the recent battles and as a legion commander.

Originally, René’s evaluation from the parliament, ministries, and even from the king and the crown prince was, “Blessed with overwhelming martial talent but lacking in leadership qualities.”

That’s why Hugo Zwey was assigned as René’s chief of staff to keep an eye on her, and there was also the background of the 7th Legion stationed in Kohane, a non-frontline city, being chosen as their deployment site.

But look at her now. An extraordinary royal who ascended to the position of legion commander solely on overwhelming martial talent is now demonstrating not only martial prowess but also the caliber of a great strategist, and a remarkable one at that.

At the chamber, as René explained the events leading up to this moment, the audience nodded along with each explanation, pondering what she must have thought and how she made her judgments. Among the listeners were not a few who saw not just the potential of a great strategist in her but even the makings of a monarch.

Some of the parliamentarians, considering such thoughts, glanced briefly at King Ramses, Crown Prince Leo, and Prime Minister Saylor, but they were quietly listening to René’s speech as usual. These parliamentarians were not the kind to show their thoughts on their faces in such situations.

On the other hand, internally, both King Ramses and Prime Minister Saylor were extremely surprised by René’s unexpected talent. Especially Prime Minister Saylor, knowing that his daughter served as Princess René’s personal knight, understood well that any power struggle arising could put him in a delicate position, causing him great concern.

While King Ramses, as a parent, was greatly pleased by René’s dignified behavior, he also couldn’t help but be astonished by her unexpected talent to the point of seriously considering advancing the abdication to Crown Prince Leo.

As for Crown Prince Leo himself, his expression remained unchanged, and his thoughts were inscrutable to onlookers.

—

As René finished her series of reports, the session transitioned to a question-and-answer session. The reports and explanations were just the warm-up. The real deal started now with the Q&A.

First, as if testing the waters, various questions flew from the young to mid-level members representing the three factions of the parliament.

René handled all these questions adeptly and confidently, answering each one without any trouble.

Even as the Q&A moved from the younger to the senior members, René remained unfazed. Those who asked questions seemed satisfied, recognizing her competence and sincerity.

Just when it seemed the session was winding down, a man stood up to ask a question, interrupting the originally planned sequence and causing a stir in the parliament.

Chairman Ivan Dragomir attempted to intervene, but the man quieted the commotion with his hand and, in a polite yet insolent manner, addressed René, “Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness René. May I ask a question?”

Seeing his impudence, Lilly moved to step forward, but René motioned for her to wait.

“Very well. Let’s hear your question. But first, may I have your name?”

The parliament fell silent as they observed their exchange, some realizing: Who is this person?

Before Jez and Erin, who had noticed the unusual atmosphere, could react, the impudent man, with an exaggerated bow, introduced himself, “I am Azargon. Yes, let’s go with ‘demon’ for now.”

Simultaneously with his words, explosions occurred throughout the capital. Furthermore, a strange gate opened in the sky above the parliament, and from it emerged a dragon.

Thus began a long day in the capital.