The Prince Wants to Retire

---

Crown Prince’s Desire to Retire

Side Story 1: Who Will Win the Retirement Battle?

The retirement battle ignited by the retirement of the Chancellor and the Attendant Hall.

Inside the Imperial Palace, a fierce battle of glances was underway.

The issue was that most of them were young people.

“Haha. This is interesting.”

“Indeed.”

The relaxed former Chancellor and former Attendant were enjoying their tea time.

Although the Chancellor often claimed he would leave for the provinces as soon as he retired, now that he had actually retired, he was leisurely watching the internal battles in the capital without a care.

They were fighting fiercely enough that they didn’t need to leave the central area.

With their attention already far removed from the retired, they felt safe watching the daily shifts in power unfold in the capital.

And the Empire Citizens felt the same way.

Normally, when there are internal political strifes, the citizens would sigh deeply, but Ignit was different.

“Retirement battle: Day 432, still a tie!”

“But isn’t the Crown Prince’s side in a better position?”

“Will the Crown Prince retire first?”

The retirement battle that had long become a gossip topic.

While it was a serious matter within the palace, it was already seen as a joke that was the talk of the town beyond Ignit and even in other nations.

“Seems like it has become more troublesome than I expected.”

At Kariel’s words, the ministers gathered in the Emperor’s palace lowered their heads.

Rufiel, who was gripping Kariel tightly on the throne supported by public favor, was pretty troublesome.

Compared to the glamorous line of Kariel, which included ministers and the Chancellor, Rufiel’s power was weak. But that void was being filled by public strength.

“The Kariel line composed of middle-aged men vs. the Rufiel line backed by the youth”

Somehow, this had become the established framework.

“Sigh… How old am I now…”

Talion sighed heavily while reading the report.

Unlike the ministers, who were all middle-aged, Kariel was quite young.

However, due to his team members averaging over 40 years old, Kariel was being treated like an ‘old man’ and appeared to stand against the new faction.

“Well, let’s put age aside. We should discuss what to do going forward.”

With that, Kariel looked at the ministers.

There was an unspoken pressure that if they wanted to retire, they should voice some opinions, and the Minister of Internal Affairs raised his hand.

“Your Majesty, isn’t the biggest flaw they have the issue of marriage?”

At the Minister’s words, Kariel nodded slightly.

The biggest problem currently troubling Kariel was indeed marriage.

“Your Majesty! It has been a long time since you ascended to the throne. Isn’t it time to really think about your heirs?”

Thinking back to Seriel, who had come by recently and casually thrown such words, Kariel grit his teeth.

What was even more irritating was that Rufiel remained silent throughout.

As if Seriel’s concern for Kariel’s heirs came from deep loyalty, he simply tossed the words out and returned to his original position.

Therefore, on the surface, he looked like a loyal minister, unlike Rufiel.

Of course, the Empire Citizens weren’t fools either; they understood this was all choreographed.

But in politics, appearances also matter.

In fact, with Seriel coming out in this fashion, the justification for Kariel’s siblings was gradually increasing.

“As you know, Your Majesty, if it continues like this, even the former Empresses will step in.”

Though currently quiet due to being young and the Empire facing significant crises, that wouldn’t last long.

With the Demon Gate still standing and the remnants of the past scattered across the continent, along with the mutated existences they caused, it was no longer merely a time to survive but to solidify their internal strength.

With Kariel’s mother, the late Empress, deceased, the position of Empress Dowager was vacant.

Thus, it became justified for the Empresses to step forward.

“Sigh… If the Empress Dowager starts to make moves…”

“…It will be hard for us to stop them anymore.”

At the Minister’s words, Kariel sighed again.

If Kariel were to bully them like a tyrant, there could be opposition, but if it became a political fight, it would inevitably end in defeat.

Once married, he would be bound to the palace, and the moment he had a child, Rufiel would use that as a reason to step down from the Crown Prince position.

Pressure was tightening around him.

The anxiety that he might not be able to retire wasn’t only felt by Kariel.

Since they were in the same boat, the ministers too realized that if Kariel couldn’t retire, they too could end up trapped till the end.

Under normal circumstances, officials would stake their lives for promotions, but now they preferred to stop at a suitable level.

Was it enough to earn quite a bit and envision a future? They wanted to aim for relaxing posts in the provinces instead of the palace or the central bureaucracy.

Some even planned to be promoted quickly and then fabricate an excuse to be demoted to more comfortable provincial postings.

This young generation valued their leisure time highly.

Thus, the ministers and high bureaucrats were on edge.

“Your Majesty! I have one question to ask.”

“…Go ahead.”

With Kariel’s permission, everyone turned to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Then he cautiously asked.

“Do you dislike the idea of marriage, Your Majesty?”

“What do you mean?”

“Um… If it were possible to retire, how would you feel about marriage?”

After sorting his thoughts, the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke again.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock as they looked at Kariel.

“Marriage… and then I could retire?”

“Yes.”

With the Minister’s confident words, everyone tilted their heads.

How could that possibly work?

It was obvious that the moment he married, the current Crown Prince would cause an uproar about retiring.

With the former Crown Princess Miriel also threatening to leave her duties, Kariel’s retirement?

“Go on.”

With permission from Kariel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs began laying out the plan step by step.

“Firstly, once you decide to marry, it will buy you some time.”

At the Minister’s words, everyone nodded.

At least they wouldn’t be under such pressure as now. That way, they could face the Crown Prince’s moves with more ease.

“And then?”

“Simply choose someone to marry.”

“And?”

This was the crucial part.

The moment they married, keeping Miriel and Rufiel from escaping was vital.

“This means you will need to go on a honeymoon!”

“That…makes sense?”

“You’ll need to visit the bride’s family as well.”

At the Minister’s words, everyone began to understand. The plan was all about ‘time.’

Using marriage to buy time and prolonging it through the honeymoon.

What comes next?

“While I’m away, Rufiel will surely manage the political arena well, yes?”

“He should, indeed.”

If Rufiel could lead the Empire stably even in Kariel’s absence, there would no longer be a reason for Kariel to continue to sit on the throne.

Thus, it would become easier to divert the situation.

There was, after all, a fitting excuse.

Kariel’s health was not ‘fully’ recovered.

Using this as an excuse, important duties could be continually postponed to Rufiel, maintaining the status quo.

“But this alone won’t be enough.”

Kariel frowned.

It was a plausible plan, but as Rufiel’s power grew, so too would the pressure. By then, he couldn’t keep using the honeymoon as an excuse, nor would there be enough justification for retirement.

“Yes. So, you should leverage the honeymoon to buy time while assessing Rufiel’s abilities, and then prepare for the next steps, Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lucky you, your summoned beings are engaged in important tasks for the continent, aren’t they?”

“Huh?”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was suddenly spouting nonsense.

As everyone looked at him, he smiled brightly.

“You are the Messenger of God who communicates with the ‘God.’ And the threats to the continent haven’t vanished yet.”

“Ah….”

Realizing what the Minister of Foreign Affairs had envisioned, Kariel began to smile broadly.

“Alright. That’s not a bad plan.”

Kariel’s summoned beings.

They had left his side due to their own desires, but no one else would know that.

Currently, in the Empire, Kariel was revered as the Messenger of God and nearly treated like a deity.

What could they do when he was still moving to counter the remaining threats on the continent?

“And I might also be able to entice Seriel.”

“Excuse me?”

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs tilted his head, Kariel smirked.

“You said, my justification is to erase the remnants of the past and the threats for the peace of the continent, right?”

“That is correct…”

“Then couldn’t we bring Seriel down from his position in a similar manner?”

The ministers tilted their heads at Kariel’s words, but the Minister of Military seemed to understand the intent and smiled.

“So, you intend to put Seriel in command of the Special Forces.”

At the Minister of Military’s words, Kariel nodded.

Not as a high-ranking commander, but as the leader of the Special Forces, dedicated to dealing with the remnants of the past.

With a relaxed schedule to leisurely travel around the West Continent and eliminate threats, the size of the army wouldn’t be too large, so Seriel would surely be satisfied.

“He’ll think of it as a leisurely trip, and it’ll make him tempted.”

“By separating him from Rufiel while simultaneously bringing him to your side, even the mighty Rufiel won’t be able to do anything.”

“And while I’m at it, I should entice the military as well. Aren’t there many seasoned veterans there?”

The Minister of Military nodded in response to Kariel’s words.

There were plenty of old-timers who had lingered too long without retiring, especially with rumors that the Chancellor and the Attendant only retired when they were close to death. Moreover, with Seriel standing opposite Kariel, it had made it even harder to speak about retirement.

They’d be forced to comply if Kariel approached them with a gentle nudge towards retirement, just like he had with the ministers.

“It’s turning into quite an intriguing picture.”

With those words, Kariel stood up and patted the shoulder of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“If everything proceeds as planned, I’ll ensure you’re the first to escape from here.”

“Your kindness knows no bounds! Your Majesty!”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs shed tears of joy while Kariel looked on with satisfied laughter.

For a moment, the other ministers looked at him with envy, but knowing they too would soon retire, they smiled brightly and continued their lengthy meeting to refine the details of the plan.

And then, days after their lengthy midnight gathering, Crown Prince Rufiel finally drew his sword.

It was due to the former Empresses expressing concern about Kariel’s heirs by sending letters directly.

“At last, the time has come.”

With those words, Kariel convened a Grand Council Meeting.

With the Empress Dowager stepping in, there was no room left to retreat.

All the ministers and high-ranking bureaucrats gathered for the Grand Council.

There, Kariel opened his heavy lips.

“I have caused concern for the Empress Dowagers by being lacking.”

With that said, Kariel sighed as he looked at Rufiel.

Seeing him, Rufiel thought he had won, curling his lips upwards.

The moment Kariel was about to evade with excuses, Rufiel stood ready to step forward immediately.

“The Empire Citizens and the Empress Dowagers, all of you want me to marry, so I must do it. I will marry, so Minister of Internal Affairs, prepare!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

At Kariel’s words, Rufiel’s eyes trembled.

It seemed like he was thinking, ‘Did he just concede so easily?’

Seeing him, this time Kariel smiled.