The Prince Wants to Retire

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Crown Prince Wants to Retire

Side Story 5: Scary Kariel! (3)

After the negotiations broke down, Kariel and his entourage descended immediately.

A gigantic serpent gazed at them, but it was meaningless.

In a situation where it was hard to gauge how much damage Kariel alone could inflict, all the heroes who had defeated the Demon King were gathered.

Moreover, Kariel’s level was higher than he had anticipated.

If that was the case, it was likely that the others were also on a similar level.

– Is it confidence?

Confidence that they could win even if another dimension invaded.

A steadfast belief that they could win without forcibly becoming gods and protecting the world.

At the moment he opened his powers, he could keenly sense two sharp auras flying toward him and realized it too.

Kariel was not the only one among humans capable of reaching the Divine Rank.

– Huh… is war the end result?

Having heard the decision of Kariel, who represented humanity, he had to make a choice himself.

Whether to sit idly by and buy more time, or step out and prepare to fight seriously…

– Baldur…

Quetzalcoatl murmured the name of the old god as he gazed quietly at the sky.

His origin once stemmed from a giant serpent that ruled the world.

Having lived on by partly inheriting the essence of the serpent that coiled around the dead world during Ragnarok, he harbored a desire to become like that serpent one day.

Just a little more, if only a millennium could pass, he felt he could approach the great serpent, Jörmungandr.

However, the situation didn’t seem to accommodate such aspirations.

“How about showing some courage now?”

The words Baldur once said.

If he wished to become the serpent that coiled around the Second World, it was advice to not just accumulate power steadily but to take a gamble at least once.

At that time, he had thought it was merely a ploy to stop the Demon King.

But after seeing Kariel, he began to understand why Baldur had said such things.

Life-and-death battles and efforts that surpassed limits to confront powerful enemies.

As a result, they were rapidly gaining strength.

Perhaps those threatening their future survival were not other dimensions, but humans themselves.

– Has my time to gamble finally arrived?

The massive serpent murmured, beginning to move its immense body that coiled around the great mountain.

Rather than remaining idle in the face of impending threats, it was necessary to build its own power.

*

While the giant serpent in the New Continent prepared to move, Kariel ascended once more to the Airship.

“Your Majesty, we have received a call from the head of the Intelligence Department.”

An officer who had been waiting inside reported to Kariel in a whisper.

The message was simple.

The Anti-Empire Faction had strongly protested to the Empire.

They too must have an intelligence network, and by now they likely knew that Kariel had gone to meet their god.

“And what is their current response?”

“They are gathering at the borders of the Mazuka Kingdom. It seems their ‘gods’ are also on the move.”

“Are they really planning to fight us?”

Kariel murmured quietly, glancing back.

The two Grand Masters, the core of the Empire.

If they were out so openly with them present, it was simple.

‘They trust their gods…’

They didn’t yet know that Kariel and the Grand Masters had come down from the mountain.

This implied they planned to pressure as much as possible before Kariel and the Grand Masters arrived.

The fact that they hadn’t started a war yet might be due to the thought that even the massive serpent could be defeated by the Grand Masters.

“Then let’s use that to our advantage.”

With a grin, Kariel murmured as he immediately commanded the officer behind him.

And the order was promptly relayed to Talion.

“Spread the information that the Grand Masters and I have not come down from the mountain!”

The essence of information warfare is deception.

Whether the opponent is speaking falsehoods and how close those falsehoods are to the truth is key.

To confuse the opponent by mixing a slight amount of lies based on as much truth as possible.

They knew Kariel was heading to meet Quetzalcoatl, but they didn’t yet know he had come down from the mountain, allowing for this operation.

“The Empire’s army is moving beyond the borders of the Mazuka Kingdom toward the place where the god resides!”

Receiving Kariel’s command, the Imperial Army moved deliberately.

If that were all, the Anti-Empire Faction might not have moved either.

However, the subtle information leaked by Talion forced the Anti-Empire forces to ponder.

“Is this certain information?”

“It’s fresh intel straight from my superiors.”

“Hmm…”

He looked at the high bureaucrat the Anti-Empire spy had contacted.

“Paying the full amount immediately is difficult. We need to go through a verification process and if it’s true…”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Not at all. It’s just that verification is necessary. If it’s true, I’ll pay double the originally promised amount.”

“Ugh! Double… well…”

Regrettably, the bureaucrat who was calmed by the prospect of double payment returned obediently.

Once the high bureaucrat stepped back, the spy immediately reported to the higher-ups.

The informations leaked by the high-ranking officers of Ignit, including Talion, found their way through corrupt bureaucrats into the hands of the Anti-Empire Faction, allowing them to finally gain conviction.

“The Emperor of Ignit is still tied to the Serpent Mountain!”

“It seems he is restrained by the Grand Masters.”

Considering the various pieces of information, the rumor circulating among the Pro-Empire faction now appeared to have a high likelihood of truth.

The Imperial Army was gathering at the Serpent Mountain, and it seemed they were mobilizing all remaining forces left with the Pro-Empire Faction as well.

From the accumulated context, it appeared that the Emperor was bound to their god.

And it was also very probable that those Grand Masters who had instilled fear in them were similarly restrained.

This meant the moment presented itself as an opportunity for them.

With overwhelming force compared to the Pro-Empire Faction, they persuaded the gods of various nations and charged forward, while the Ignit Imperial Army readied for combat.

The Anti-Empire Faction also hastily gathered their troops.

In a situation where war could erupt at any moment, the skies were filled with Ignit’s air forces.

Then, amidst them, a giant Airship loomed, breaking through the barrier that obscured sight.

When the enormous airship adorned with the latest weaponry appeared at the forefront, the Anti-Empire forces began to panic.

“T-That’s the Emperor’s Flagship, isn’t it?”

“Why is that here?!”

While everyone was startled, some desperately tried to deny reality.

“The Emperor can’t possibly be aboard it!”

“That’s right. The Emperor’s Flagship wasn’t heading to the Serpent Mountain!”

With denials about the Emperor riding the ship, the morale of the Anti-Empire faction started to rise again.

As their spirits began to stabilize, someone stood alone atop the massive flagship.

“Who is that?!”

In the moment they stared at the man floating in the air like a madman, massive spheres of fire began to form around him, simultaneously radiating a wave of flame outward.

At the same time, a pure white light erupted from the man’s forehead.

By this point, they had no choice but to recognize.

“T-That’s!”

“The Emperor?”

“Why is the Emperor here?!”

In the moment the leaders of the Anti-Empire faction were taken aback, Kariel unleashed a storm of flames in mid-air that split and vanished.

A technique reminiscent of erasing space itself.

The people of the New Continent, witnessing the most famous technique from the era of the Grand War, were astonished.

“Those are the Grand Masters too!”

The instant they laid eyes on the Grand Masters standing beside Kariel, the morale of the Anti-Empire faction began to plummet.

Some even began to throw down their weapons.

The divine beings who accompanied them attempted to retaliate, but as Kariel and the two Grand Masters intentionally projected their overwhelming might, all their previous aggression evaporated instantly.

The beings serving Cadán and the divine beings from the two nations closely following Cadán put up a decent show of strength, but compared to the Grand Masters, they were like infants.

At best, they could match up to the three Masters.

The god that Cadán served seemed capable of rivaling Duke Devir, but it would be difficult to withstand the pressure from the Grand Masters.

“Those are the beings known as the gods of battle, huh?”

The Grand Masters were the very figures referred to as gods of battle since ancient times.

Heroes who had saved the continent.

The embodiment of total destruction.

The demon who single-handedly brought down nations.

Those with numerous titles were beings who were symbols of victory surpassing mere one-man legions.

And the people of the New Continent finally understood why the Grand Masters were so revered and feared in the West Continent and East Continent.

Go ahead and try to oppose the Masters, but Glen alone easily ‘subdued’ them.

By merely incapacitating them, the soldiers completely lost their will to fight.

Just when it seemed the Anti-Empire faction would be forced to submit to Ignit, a massive mountain stirred.

– Those not born of this continent, if you do not wish to fight with me, then cease at once.

With a voice that resonated through the heavens, a serpent that had coiled around the mountain revealed itself as the mountain crumbled partway.

As the colossal serpent, obscured by clouds, descended to the ground, it unleashed a powerful intention to kill upon Kariel and the Ignit forces.

“…That thing has made a choice as well.”

Kariel murmured with a bitter expression.

Having given up on becoming a god, Quetzalcoatl was not standing idly by but was rather readying himself for the upcoming fight.

“How unfortunate.”

“…It shouldn’t be a fight worth taking on, should it?”

When Glen spoke confidently, Marquis Sicario nodded as well.

He might have been inexperienced during the Grand War, but things were different now.

Glen had evolved beyond the hero of the New Age, and Marquis Sicario had long since shed his previous inexperience when fighting the Demon King.

Thus, there was confidence that they could win even without Kariel joining them.

But Kariel shook his head.

“No, there’s no need to take the risk.”

“However…”

“War is the most straightforward means, yet there are many ways to torment them apart from that.”

Saying so, Kariel cleared away the fireballs and retracted his aura to show he no longer wished to fight Quetzalcoatl.

At that, Glen and Marquis Sicario also lowered their auras with expressions of regret.

Unless Ignit was to envelop the New Continent, they needed to be strong enough to defend themselves from the invasion of other dimensions.

And that core would undoubtedly be Quetzalcoatl.

While it might be wiser for the empire to fight this way, they needed to hold back for the sake of the world.

“Let’s stop here.”

Kariel, channeling mana toward the Pro-Empire faction, spoke to Quetzalcoatl.

“Making the Mazuka Kingdom neutral ground would be wise. Please manage it well so that no fight occurs.”

Having said that, Kariel turned as if there was nothing more to say.

And with that, the war came to an end.

What would go down in the history of the New Continent as a great war concluded rather anticlimactically.

Yet they were unaware.

Their hardships were just beginning…

Why Kariel was nicknamed the epitome of pettiness by his subordinates…

Those who had caused him suffering would not be forgotten, and Kariel’s nature would lead the Anti-Empire faction to endure hardships far beyond what the Pro-Empire faction had faced.

And within the flames of revolution sparked by the Pro-Empire faction, the leaders of the nations that incited war would not survive. This would be enough vengeance for Kariel against those who had troubled him.

“Now that we’ve finished our business, let’s return.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Bowing his head in response to Kariel’s command, Talion promptly issued the orders.

With matters in the New Continent wrapped up, it was time to return to the Empire.