The Prince Wants to Retire

---

The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

Side Story 3. Is This a Honeymoon or a Work Trip? (2)

I started a serious discussion with Seriel, feeling like someone had just dumped a mountain of work on me.

Eventually, Kariel asked Aila for permission and stepped out of the autonomous territory alone.

Pretending not to notice, I felt reluctant to leave Aila, whose eyes were glimmering with hurt, but I was half-dragged away by Seriel.

“Here it is.”

“Is it an eel-like creature?”

“It is presumed to be a giant eel that has consumed remnants of the past.”

Kariel tilted his head at Seriel’s words.

“Remnants, you say?”

“Feces.”

“Ah…”

Realizing the implication, Kariel nodded.

“But can feces retain power?”

“Isn’t the feces produced by remnants of the past a bit different?”

Seriel seemed unsure, tilting his head in response.

“Hmm…”

Kariel looked at Seriel with a meaningful expression.

He always handled the tasks assigned to him well, even if he complained about them.

Now he was giving orders to search for any potential remnants left by the past, delegating additional questions to his subordinates to resolve, proving that his leadership skills were no less than Rufiel’s.

‘Rufiel seems to be struggling lately… If it gets too difficult for him later, I might have to let Seriel handle it.’

Having thought that, Kariel requested information about the mutated monsters from Seriel.

While he was busy being lost in marital bliss, Seriel had been steadily managing his duties. As a result, he had identified all major threats on the world map and had developed some countermeasures.

The problem, however, was the existences that had absorbed the remnants of the past.

The strong entities among the existing monsters had blossomed in power after consuming the remnants, which was quite concerning.

– Kieeeeeek!

A massive eel was being lifted from the sea into the air by mages.

Seeing the enormous eel writhing in agony after being struck by electric magic, Kariel’s expression turned serious.

“Their development is quite rapid, isn’t it?”

These creatures were growing even as they fought.

If the remnants of the past had a strong motivation to find their original power, the mutated monsters they were hunting were different.

Even though their nature had awakened, relying on the primal instincts of monsters, it still lingered.

What posed an even bigger problem was that the remnants of the past wanted to hide or slowly recover their strength to regain their former glory.

But the mutated monsters were different.

Could it be that they had experienced a sudden enhancement?

They wanted to devour everything in sight and grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Naturally, if there were good points, there would also be bad ones.

“Is it starting to collapse?”

Perhaps because they were consuming everything in sight—the remnants of the past or the residual powers they left behind—their bodies were unable to hold together and were starting to crumble.

The strength to support their massive forms was scattering chaotically, leading to a breakdown in their physical structure.

Both their bodies and the powers within them appeared unstable, yet despite that, the power itself was formidable.

“Is this just a creature that consumed the remnants of the past?”

“Yes.”

Kariel’s expression darkened at Seriel’s response.

From his own assessment, the creatures that had awakened by devouring the power left by the remnants of the past did not present any advantages for Kariel in terms of compatibility.

Most remnants had come from Hell and gained vitality by accumulating the powers of Hell, giving Kariel a slight edge.

But these were different.

The power that the remnants of the past once held was merely a catalyst for their awakening; the power they used was something they had forged themselves.

“I guess we should regard them as ordinary monsters.”

Seriel’s expression fell at Kariel’s words.

“Then… the characteristics of the remnants of the past…”

“It won’t mean anything.”

The data on the remnants of the past obtained during the Grand War had become obsolete.

Since many remnants were still spread across the continent, they shared the same desire to become gods, so the previous data would still have some effect against them.

But both Kariel and Seriel wore serious expressions.

“Commander Seriel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“From now on, focus all of the Empire’s intelligence network on these creatures.”

As Seriel bowed in response to Kariel’s orders, he quickly left the room.

Something felt off.

Whenever there was a sign of trouble since my previous life, Kariel had a knack for sensing it; he was sure that this was no ordinary matter.

While it may not be as serious as the Grand War, it seemed like it would certainly pose a serious problem for his retirement plans.

And Kariel’s instincts were spot-on.

Things were about to go awry.

「Massive ghost sightings near Lapra Volcano!」

「Giant fish appearing near Aysarman’s waters!」

Suddenly, bizarre phenomena had emerged.

As if mocking Kariel’s sweet honeymoon, significant issues began to unfold.

“Can such a thing happen without any premonition?”

Kariel inquired of Talion, who had come to see him, and he silently lowered his head.

“I apologize.”

“Save the apologies. Tell me the problems.”

In a hurry, Talion relayed the findings he had gathered since rushing to the Luminous Autonomous Territory.

First off, the situation had escalated due to Ignit’s lackadaisical response.

In truth, it was hard to classify them as lazy, because the remnants that had fled from the Giant Mountain Range were mostly weak beings.

Moreover, the remnants that had refused to join Asgard were similarly weak.

From Ignit’s perspective, they could only conclude that they were slightly stronger monsters, and stabilizing an Empire threatened by all sorts of problems had to take precedence.

But did that mean they were doing nothing?

Of course not. They had continuously carried out operations to hunt down and eliminate the remnants of the past.

“The wave of power spread by the collapse of Asgard. That’s the problem, right?”

“Yes.”

An unfathomable number of remnants had perished, and with Asgard’s collapse, the aftershocks had spread across the entire continent.

The issue was that this wave affected the remnants that had escaped in some manner.

“Was sealing the Giant Mountain Range not enough?”

“…Conclusion suggests that it probably wasn’t.”

The powers left by countless remnants of the past were now spreading throughout the continent.

In truth, there had been no way to stop this.

Ultimately, it was something that would occur eventually.

However, there was one primary instigator who had accelerated this event.

“A gate exuding an eerie power. What about it?”

“Currently, we cannot know. However, it is presumed to be a force that has crossed into our realm from a completely separate dimension, rather than from realms like the Demon Realm or Fairy Realm.”

“A completely separate one?”

“Yes. If we consider the Demon Realm or Fairy Realm as a dimension bound to this world, then the gate that is opening now is presumed to be from a dimension entirely different from ours.”

As Talion spoke, he presented some materials he had found in ancient texts.

It was suggested that every few centuries Weird Phenomena would appear in Ignit, invoking the crossing of entities from entirely different dimensions each time.

Of course, it was noted that most were not threatening unless they possessed special powers.

“…Your Majesty?”

Seeing the serious expression on Kariel, Talion tilted his head in confusion.

Yet even at his inquiry, Kariel’s expression remained stern.

‘Could it be…’

The sudden thought of his conversation with Baldur came to mind.

And after Baldur vanished, the memory of the collapsing world resurfaced.

‘Is it possible that this place, too, would collapse without a god?’

With this assumption, Kariel’s expression darkened.

Even if he had existed in a shape of a god after losing his power for a long time, Kariel realized that it was Baldur’s presence that ensured their safety here.

‘Without a god, this place would be no different from land without an owner.’

To a god from another dimension, this area would appear as a delicious morsel.

“Ha… that guy.”

Baldur had been grinning at him with a sinister smile.

Most likely, he had anticipated that things would come to this.

What he had once said might not be a problem for a while turned out to be merely a fleeting moment.

‘Only a few years…’

Kariel sighed deeply, wrinkling his brow. Talion, standing beside him, asked with a serious expression.

“Is it very serious?”

Everyone close to Kariel knew he was hiding some secret.

It was likely regarding gods or world-related matters, so they hesitated to ask outright.

“Talion.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Return to the Imperial Palace immediately and reconvene the Secret Guardians.”

Talion’s eyes widened at Kariel’s command.

The Secret Guardians, which had been practically disbanded after all secrets were revealed.

Their revival indicated that the situation was far more serious than Talion had imagined.

“…Should I also call the former Attendant?”

The retired former Attendant.

“Is there a talented individual to replace him?”

“I doubt there will be, given that the mission of the Secret Guardians has ended.”

“…It can’t be helped. Call him.”

Bringing back someone who had already retired was no trivial matter.

But the current circumstances were too dire to afford to overlook even that.

“Seriel!”

Kariel called out to Seriel, who had been standing some distance away.

“Did you call for me?”

“Prepare to cross over to the New Continent immediately.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. As soon as I reach the Imperial Palace, I’ll handle urgent matters and head straight to the New Continent.”

After issuing the order, Kariel gazed at the sky.

Baldur, who had stepped down from the divine seat he had guarded alone for so long, had become a free man.

Whether he had been obliterated or had vanished into some other grand flow remained uncertain.

One thing was clear; the guy had understood what would happen and had disappeared without a word.

“Ha… when we meet again, I’ll make sure to give him a beating.”

Kariel muttered, gritting his teeth as he headed towards the Luminous Autonomous Territory.

“Ahem. Your Majesty, I have something to say.”

Kariel nervously began to explain his situation to Aila, who had become the Empress.

The main points were simple.

1. It seems I need to return to the Imperial Palace earlier than planned.

2. I must go to the New Continent, leaving Aila alone.

3. Given future circumstances, it seems I won’t be able to enjoy a sweet honeymoon. Please understand.

Initially, Aila nodded with a smile at the news of returning to the palace early, but her expression began to darken when it was mentioned that he would have to go to the New Continent.

And when Kariel said their honeymoon was over, her expression no longer could be contained.

How could Aila, having just married, understand Kariel’s desire to wander outside without implicating her?

“Y-Yo, I’m sorry.”

Throwing her serious demeanor aside, she tried to speak sweetly for the first time, but it had no effect.

With a haggard face from comforting Aila, who was on the verge of tears, Kariel boarded the airship bound for the Imperial Palace earlier than planned.

“Your Majesty.”

Upon arriving earlier than expected, Kariel soothed Aila, personally escorting her to the Empress’s palace before heading straight to the Emperor’s palace.

There, he was greeted by the ministers and Rufiel who had gathered.

“You’ve all heard about the situation, right?”

“Yes, but is it true that you intend to go to the New Continent?”

At Rufiel’s question, Kariel nodded slightly.

“There’s really no need to go to the New Continent…”

“The only being close to a god who bears goodwill toward me is that one entity, after all.”

Kariel sighed at Rufiel’s statement.

He didn’t want to go himself.

But there was no way around it.

There were entities on the continent that had lived for a very long time, possessing great power.

If they consumed the remnants of the past, they would have likely become beings like the giant serpent of the New Continent. However, they had not approached Kariel.

As such, there was no way to know if they were hostile or if they were as formidable as Quetzalcoatl.

“Time is short. So we must communicate with a confirmed entity.”

With that said, Kariel instructed Rufiel and the ministers to diplomatically establish contact with the kingdoms of the New Continent and to gradually disseminate the current facts throughout the continent.

Not long later, a shocking fact was published in the Imperial Public Newspaper.