The Prince Wants to Retire

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Crown Prince Wants to Retire

Side Story 4: A Problematic New Continent? (3)

Like the wind, most countries in the New Continent were startled to hear news of Ignit’s elite army and quickly accepted its offers.

But there were always those who resisted.

“Some guys only come to their senses after getting punished.”

Just like children who earn a beating, a few countries centered around Kaba clung stubbornly to their positions.

“Something feels off, doesn’t it?”

Kariel made a puzzled expression.

If it was assumed that Ignit wouldn’t move, he could understand that.

But Kariel was operating alongside two Grand Masters and the top-tier forces of Ignit.

These were the kind of strengths that could end a short war without needing to enter a prolonged one.

In such circumstances, their relaxed demeanor was enough to make one tilt their head in confusion.

And the reason for that clarity came during a rest stop at a crucial waypoint on the New Continent route.

“I have figured it out.”

Talion rushed in to report to Kariel in a hurry.

“So they’re relying on the remnants of the past that crossed into the New Continent?”

“Yes.”

Talion nodded in response to Kariel’s statement.

Currently revered as gods in the New Continent, their powers were evaluated as above Master Class. The nations of the New Continent placed their faith in these beings.

There were indeed Master Class fighters in the New Continent. Yet, it was one of the remnants of the past who thoroughly defeated that Master.

“Among the powerful entities in the New Continent, they revere them as gods.”

“If each of those nations were to revere a remnant of the past, it would take only a few to eclipse our forces.”

“It seems they think so.”

Kariel smirked at Talion’s response.

“What do you think? If they gather their gods to oppose us, do you think we’d lose?”

At Kariel’s question, Talion smiled knowingly.

“Not a chance.”

“How would you rate the remnants of the past on the New Continent? Do they appear Grand Master level?”

Talion shook his head firmly at Kariel’s question.

Even if the Master on the New Continent had lost, it was difficult to automatically view the remnants of the past as Grand Masters.

There were levels even among Masters.

Even the Marquis Sicario, once called the strongest in the West Continent before the Grand War, displayed overwhelming superiority in one-on-one battles.

That didn’t mean they were weak, though.

No matter how low the levels of the Masters on the New Continent were, if they showed overwhelming superiority against a Master, that was enough to command caution.

“They are certainly not Grand Master level. At best, they seem to be at the level of the remnants of the past that resided in Asgard.”

“Odin?”

Again, Talion shook his head decisively.

“Probably just the Thunderbird they hunted in the East.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Confirmation has mostly been completed through a number of merchants and our agents.”

As Talion spoke, Kariel turned over the back page of the report he was holding to verify.

The method of verification was simple.

It involved disguising agents of a certain level as mercenaries to verify information roughly. Many of those revered as gods were actually monsters whose spiritualities were not fully established.

By comparing the strength they displayed with videos of battles from the past Grand War, they managed to trace the size of their powers. Simultaneously, they also received advice from merchants who had witnessed these “gods.”

“Best case, they’re at the level of the Thunderbird… If that’s the case, could Ignit’s Masters hold their own?”

“Yes, they likely can.”

Talion showed confidence.

“Is that Quetzalcoatl on the same level?”

“…That serpent remains uncertain. One thing’s for sure, though: it holds a clear upper hand over the others ‘gods’ in the New Continent.”

Kariel sighed at Talion’s words.

He had expected something like that.

Perhaps before ascending to Asgard, it might wield a power close to that of a Demon King.

In the worst case, it could even have the strength just prior to becoming a god.

But he wasn’t scared.

‘It hasn’t just been lazing around since then.’

With that thought, Kariel’s eyes sparkled as he prepared for any situation that might arise.

Though lacking summoned beings like Surth, he was confident in being able to exert similar powers from those days.

Above all, if any unlikely circumstances occurred, he could summon the summoned beings back again.

That process would consume immense strength, but if the summoned beings returned, he felt confident he could roast any colossal serpent.

Most importantly, he wasn’t fighting alone.

He had Glen, who showcased skills exceeding his previous life’s peak, and the swiftly growing Marquis Sicario by his side.

With these allies, Kariel felt reassured as he headed to the New Continent.

Despite having stopped at all the mid-way points during his journey, countries that had resolved to confront Ignit still existed.

“Looks like we’ll have to show them our strength.”

Even after finally reaching the New Continent, some nations still refused to change their minds.

Hearing the news that many core countries of the New Continent had decided to side with Kaba, Kariel did not slow down any longer.

“I shall meet the great Majesty of Ignit.”

If there’s an Anti-Empire Faction, there must also be a Pro-Empire Faction.

The leaders of the New Continent nations wanting to ally with Ignit gathered to warmly welcome Kariel at the point of his arrival.

“Good to see you all.”

As Kariel politely greeted the kings who welcomed him warmly, he made his way towards the Banquet Hall they had prepared.

The street leading to the palace was lavishly decorated, yet poverty was evident just a glance away.

If such was the condition of a capital city, one could only imagine how dire it would be in rural areas.

“…It’s serious.”

The nobility of the New Continent were showing even worse oppression than reported.

As the wagon carrying Kariel passed, the nobles laughing while trampling on commoners in a corner reminded him of Ignit during the dark ages.

“Definitely not a pretty sight.”

Kariel’s expression hardened at Talion’s words.

But there was no solution.

They couldn’t start a conquest war.

It was at that tragic moment when he tried to turn away his gaze that he spotted a group of commoners resisting the nobility’s oppression in a corner of the city. They had gathered, seizing the opportunity presented by the Emperor of Ignit’s arrival.

Though they were soon arrested by the security forces, the reason for their risk could be understood.

They aimed to be seen by the reporters drawn to Kariel’s visit.

“…It doesn’t seem impossible?”

Talion tilted his head at Kariel’s words.

“Pardon?”

“Couldn’t we just apply the methods we used in the West Continent here?”

As Kariel asked, Talion briefly tilted his head before suddenly widening his eyes.

“No way…”

“Revolutionary Forces. Look for ways to infiltrate here.”

As Kariel smiled broadly, Talion returned the grin but soon furrowed his brows.

“However, Your Majesty, the situations in the West Continent and New Continent are somewhat different, aren’t they?”

Kariel nodded at Talion’s remark.

Revolutions need some form of foundation to be viable.

Even if they wanted to incite a civil war, they couldn’t overturn a regime without a way around the powerful forces the nobility controlled.

Most importantly, the desperate people wouldn’t join the revolutionary forces right away.

“That’s why we have to help.”

The moment Kariel saw the youth resisting the nobility, all his calculations were complete.

“Still, they are Pro-Empire. They can’t be exactly the same as the Anti-Empire faction, can they?”

“…Your Majesty?”

“I was thinking of offering some support to the Pro-Empire faction. What do you think?”

Talion tilted his head in response to Kariel’s question.

“Upon reflection, I realized that other countries wouldn’t need to worry about becoming Anti-Empire factions.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“Just as it says. We can create Pro-Empire factions in the New Continent, East Continent, and Southern Islands.”

At Kariel’s words, Talion’s eyes widened.

“Your Majesty, infiltrating revolutionary forces across all of them is impossible.”

“I know. But does every nation need to be friendly with Ignit?”

“Ah!”

“Wouldn’t it suffice to create Pro-Empire factions across each continent?”

As long as the Pro-Empire and Anti-Empire factions maintained a balanced relationship, it would indeed benefit Ignit.

The East Continent had already established a base in Ignit, so those operations would be easy.

What remained were only the New Continent and the Southern Islands.

“Let’s start with the New Continent. It wouldn’t hurt to have a ‘revolution’ happen here as well.”

At the very least, he wanted to ensure that this place became habitable for its people.

For that, Kariel was willing to endure a bit of inconvenience.

The first step towards that was promising active support to the Pro-Empire nations.

*

“Thank you for such a warm welcome.”

“It is only right, Your Majesty.”

Kariel smirked at the kings bowing deeply, devoid of pride, and opened his mouth.

The kings of the countries with Pro-Empire connections gracefully spoke Ignit’s words.

Seeing returning smiles, Kariel expressed, “I wish to show my gratitude for your support during these tough times.”

With that, Kariel shifted to a serious expression.

The New Continent kings were thrown off guard by the abrupt change in atmosphere.

“I’ve heard there have been somewhat unfair trade practices between Ignit and the New Continent.”

“Ah… No way.”

“Impossible.”

“They’re absolutely not.”

Thinking they were being tested, they quickly raised their hands, denying it.

“No. You might think I’m making an excuse, but Ignit never intended to oppress the nations of the New Continent. However, in defending our stance, it seems the bureaucrats made some unreasonable conditions. I apologize for that.”

As Kariel slightly bowed to apologize, the kings from Pro-Empire backgrounds appeared flustered yet wore smiles on their faces.

Anticipation glinted in their eyes.

To meet their expectations, Kariel immediately opened his mouth.

“I wish to balance the unfair trade moving forward. Due to the Empire’s position, such changes cannot happen overnight. However, I will resolve the unfair trade step by step.”

“Ah!”

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Your Majesty’s kindness!”

The kings were practically grinning ear to ear as they expressed their thanks to Kariel.

“This alone won’t suffice for an apology. So, I’ve been considering something: how about investments directed at Pro-Empire factions?”

“Investments?”

The kings tilted their heads.

Seeing their reaction, Kariel smiled.

“I plan to set up branches of the Empire’s upper tiers and workshops, as well as magic towers, right here.”

“Ah!”

“If you could do that…”

“If you give us a chance, we’ll offer the maximum benefits possible…”

“We’ll exempt taxes for the next five years…”

They eagerly spoke up, wanting branches of Ignit’s guilds or magic towers in their lands.

Watching their reactions, Kariel scoffed inwardly.

It may seem beneficial to them right now.

Processing raw materials or whatnot would yield much more profit than simply selling them. An equalization of unfair trade leads to that kind of thinking.

But it would also heighten their dependency on Ignit.

In the future, they might turn into a vassal state, and the people here would come to feel as free as those in Ignit in terms of status.

And at that time, the hidden Revolutionary Forces would spring into action.

Just as they had obliterated the nations on the West Continent, the Revolutionary Forces would thoroughly erode the power of the nobility.

‘The seeds have been sown. What remains will be up to the people here.’

I’ve done all that I could do.

No matter how much groundwork I laid for a revolution, it’d be meaningless if they lacked the will.

What remained was to hope their resolve was strong.

“Phew…”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Now, it’s just the Anti-Empire factions left, huh?”

As Kariel asked Talion, who approached him, he nodded.

“Lord Glen and Marquis Sicario have already departed.”

Hearing Talion’s words, Kariel smirked.

What would happen if the ‘gods’ that the nations intending to oppose the Empire believed in were to become cold corpses or severely wounded the following day?

“I’m curious to see if the gods they believed in can still behave like this after being smashed.”