Regressor Instruction Manual - Chapter 273. Carrot, Stick, and the Sword (1)

‘Tsk, tsk…’

It was obviously intentional because when I checked Charlotte’s schedule with Lee Ji-Hye’s help, there wasn’t anything about visiting the imperial knights. This was no different from a regional candidate of another jurisdiction doing a campaign at the same location as a candidate with the home advantage, so of course, I found it ridiculous. When I saw the influential nobles with her, I thought it would be best to continue this visit with some supporters of our own.

After greeting us happily as if she had been waiting for us, Charlotte slowly walked toward us. Charlia was smart enough to figure out why she was here, as she raised her trembling hand and glared at Charlotte.

“Please act like you normally do, Your Highness,” I told her.

When I whispered to her, afraid that she might do something unexpected, I saw Charlia nodding quietly; however, she still looked as if she wanted to rip the woman in front of her to pieces.

‘I’m not sure if she’ll be able to keep it in.’

She was jealous, and she even cried tears of blood just thinking about her step-sister, so of course, I was nervous about what she would do. I was sure Charlotte also thought badly about her older sister, but at least she wouldn’t express it at a place like this.

It was ridiculous how Charlotte nodded while smiling and after seeing her younger sister, Charlia started talking.

“W-What brings you here?”

“I heard that you’ll visit the imperial knights and praise them for their hard work. Since it’s a rare occasion, I decided to visit in case you needed my help. I apologize for not contacting you in advance,” Charlotte replied.

“…”

‘Help, my ass.’

“I see… thanks,” Charlia responded.

Charlia answered by quietly nodding at her sister’s absurd answer. She was still annoyed, but I wanted to compliment her for not making it so obvious.

‘It’s not a bad scene.’

‘The first and second princess visited the imperial knights together’ was good news. For the people who had already known that the sisters had a bad relationship with each other, the news was more than enough to make their heads tilt. If things went smoothly, then both of them would greatly profit, so it would be a win for both sides. The emperor would naturally nod in approval, and the oblivious citizens would cheer for their friendship. The only problem was that I had no idea when Charlia would go insane, but right now, her behavior was pretty normal.

Anyway, the sisters didn’t say anything else as they entered the knights’ practice room. The second princess glanced at me instead of the first princess, and as expected, she still didn’t like me.

‘It’s understandable.’

I was sure she thought of me as a brown-noser. Whenever Charlia did something, I would whisper to her every time, so it would be strange if she still hadn’t realized the fact that I was controlling the first princess from behind. Charlotte wasn’t wrong to think that way since I had been managing Charlia’s actions and schedule, but…

‘I hope she doesn’t think too badly of me.’

It was the wish of the petite bourgeoisie not to leave a bad impression on those with power even if they were considered political enemies.

When we entered the practice room, the vice-captain of the imperial knights and the officer-in-charge of this event greeted them, but they must not have expected them to visit at the same time because they looked pretty surprised.

“W-We’re very happy that you decided to visit us, Your Highnesses.”

“We were worried that we would bother the knights,” Charlotte confessed.

“Not at all. I’m sure the knights will be very happy just by the fact that you visited, Princess Charlotte.”

“I’m relieved to hear that,” she said.

Charlia looked like she wanted to say something, but Charlotte had beat her to it.

‘I knew this was going to happen…’

Charlotte was used to this kind of occasion, so she was skillfully leading the conversation, but Charlia had to be feeling kind of awkward. I was sure she felt useless right now.

“Ah…”

The hesitation she was showing was absurd. It seemed like she really wanted to take the initiative, but the vice-captain and Charlotte were already having a conversation she couldn’t join in. And it became apparent that our second princess had extensive knowledge in this field as well.

“Have you figured out the reorganization of the troops?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes, of course. It’s true that the imperial knights are more cavalry-oriented, but I thought it would be better to increase the ratio of normal infantry and heavy infantry,” the vice-captain replied.

“It’s definitely difficult to manage the troops with just the cavalry…” she commented.

“You’re right, Princess. There’s a limit. And we have high expectations of your support when it comes to the supply of the knights’ personal potions,” the vice-captain said.

“I think it would be best to discuss that with Brother Lee Ki-Young over here,” the second princess suggested.

“Now that I think about it…”

“Yes, the potions supplied to the knights this time will be brought directly from the Blue Guild’s alchemy workshop. There’s no reason for us not to use them when the continent’s best alchemist is in the empire.” Charlotte pointed out.

“Haha, I see. I actually used a high-quality potion distributed by the Blue Guild. It’s true that it’s difficult to purchase it with the salary of an ordinary knight, but it’s so effective I can’t believe it’s a potion,” they confessed.

‘Wow…’

My eyes widened at the sudden reward. It was true that I was annoyed by Charlotte’s punishment, but the reward was really sweet.

‘Is this her way of apologizing?’

Since the supply potions were being distributed throughout the empire all this time, the quality of the potions wouldn’t be good. Considering the knights’ survival rate and safety, using mass-produced potions from the Blue Guild’s alchemy workshop was the right thing to do. In fact, I was actually thinking about signing a contract with the empire, but I had never imagined that Charlotte would push for it first.

‘She doesn’t seem like someone who would do something like that… I’m sure there’s a reason behind it.’

When thinking about stability, it was only right to distribute the potions I made. Giving high-quality items to soldiers was considered common sense both on Earth and on this continent. I was certain there was a place out there where this common sense wouldn’t work, but this empire wasn’t dumb enough to treat the knights and soldiers poorly when those people were risking their lives for them. Before arguing about whether our relationship was good or not, choosing to use my potion was a fact that couldn’t be stopped. Basically, Charlotte had thrown this unexpected opportunity to see my reaction. It would be good if I accepted it. However, she would still profit, even if I didn’t accept it.

‘Driving a wedge?’

It was right to make that kind of assumption. I couldn’t help but flinch when I saw Charlia openly showing an uncomfortable expression. I wanted to act like I was fine, but since I was a political figure, I had to say something, so I thought it wouldn’t be bad to join in their conversation. Obviously, I had to bring Charlia with me as well since she was being completely neglected.

“It’s true that the potion is expensive, but you won’t have to worry about the quality since I will personally take care of the potions that will be delivered to the knights working hard for the empire. To be honest, the Blue Guild isn’t in a good spot financially due to various reasons…” I explained.

Actually, we were doing really well.

“Still, the potions will be a lot cheaper than the market price,” I added.

This was my chance, so of course, I would try to gain as much profit as I could. I wouldn’t give any major discounts as well.

“Actually, Princess Charlia made a similar suggestion to yours, Princess Charlotte… Hahaha. What a coincidence,” I mentioned.

Obviously, she had never said anything like that, and even though I lied about many things in less than a minute, they were white lies, so I didn’t feel bad about them.

When I quietly pushed Charlia to the front, I nodded and saw her walking up.

‘Just play along.’

“I see. So, Princess Charlia also…”

The vice-captain of the imperial knights revealed a satisfied look as he nodded while smiling. Charlia wasn’t dumb enough that she couldn’t join in the conversation, because I noticed her trying to talk.

“It’s embarrassing,” Charlia said.

“Hahaha. I see. Hahaha. I had no idea that both of you have been thinking so much for the knights,” the vice-captain said.

“The country has to be safe for it to develop. The imperial knights are known as the best armed group throughout the empire, so if it’s for the knights, I’m sure everyone here is thinking about the same thing,” Charlia explained.

“Thank you for your kind words, Princess Charlia. Hahaha,” he laughed.

‘Nice. You’re doing great.’

It seemed that reading the note I gave her earlier was effective; however, Charlotte remained calm. When I thought about how this was within her expectations, it was safe to assume that she had made those comments just to see our reaction. My assumption was proven right because while Charlia was talking, Charlotte took a step back and got closer to me. She was determined to drive a wedge between me and Charlia, as she was unable to recruit me.

While exchanging different conversations, Charlotte and Charlia offered words of encouragement to the knights as a way to train themselves when it came to building their image. It seemed like the majority of the knights favored Charlotte more, but it felt like they were trying to show who had more power. This was also my first time entering the knights’ practice room, so even though I was focused on Charlia, I also used Mind’s Eye to check the stats of the imperial knights.

‘Their levels are pretty high.’

Since the gramps Victor Hart had been training them with everything he had, I was sure they were the strongest group in the empire. Seeing that the majority of them had high endurance and stamina, I was certain that their destructive power on horseback was unimaginable. An ordinary mid-sized guild would certainly get blown away with just one attack from them.

Of course, the first princess seemed like she wasn’t thinking about that and was focused on following the actions and movements I had explained to her.

‘She’s doing well, though…’

She offered words of encouragement and complimented their military service. Visits like these were meaningless and usually done for show. The second princess also portrayed a better image since she was skilled with the sword, but it didn’t really matter if Charlia didn’t go that far.

‘She just has to do whatever she can do.’

There was no need to show off.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Charlia said.

“We’ll do our best as the swords that protect the empire,” the vice-captain told her.

‘Nice…’

“It’s thanks to all of you that the empire is safe,” she added.

“Thank you! It’s an honor, Princess Charlia.”

‘Yeah, that’s all you need to do. You just need to do what you can do.’

Honestly, the first princess shaking hands with these strong knights was more than enough to give them strength. Even if the knights controlled their strength, shaking hands with them would still be painful for people with low endurance. Even though Charlia’s hand had already become swollen from all the handshakes, she was still smiling, which made me think that she was indeed spiteful.

What she was doing was more than enough, and while I was nodding with satisfaction, Charlotte started talking to me.

“You think she’ll change?”

Her voice sounded calm.