The Prince Wants to Retire

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Chapter 18: A Gift for My Siblings (2)

“I want to retire!”

As the empire’s lifelong slaves plotted, Kariel hopped on the wagon, heading southeast, totally at ease.

Meanwhile, the Southern Allied Forces were moving just as Kariel had anticipated.

The first to act were the Southern Allied Forces, who launched an assault against the Dark Mages lurking in the volcano.

With no other options left, they aimed to capture the Dark Mages and soothe the empire’s anger a little.

The problem was, it didn’t sit well with Kariel.

“Are they just pretending to catch them?”

Kariel muttered in disbelief.

He had just received a report while taking a short break at a midpoint on his route southeast.

“These idiots still haven’t come to their senses?”

Kariel stomped his foot on the ground in anger.

Just a few days ago, he’d been blissfully happy thinking the matter was settled, but now he was infuriated by the note brought by the Shadows, causing Talion to raise an eyebrow at him in disbelief.

‘Weren’t you going to retire? Just ignore it!’

As Talion sighed, unable to voice his thoughts, Kariel immediately summoned a communications mage.

“Connect me to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“Yes!”

As Kariel spoke coldly, the mage hastily gathered mana and infused it into the crystal ball.

Last seen laughing at the beautiful resort-like scenery, Kariel was now a storm of fury, causing the mage to wonder inwardly, ‘Is he bipolar?’ as he established the connection.

“I’m the Crown Prince. Bring the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

Obeying Kariel’s command, a bureaucrat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs soon arrived.

-Your Highness!

“Are you slipping back into old habits?”

-Excuse me? Your Highness, what do you mean……

The Minister flinched and lowered his head, startled by Kariel’s icy tone.

“It feels like you’ve been slacking off lately.”

-No… That’s not true!

The Minister responded hurriedly, trying to explain what he had been up to with a bewildered expression.

Kariel abruptly interrupted him, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand.

“Are you just going to leave the Southern Allied Forces as they are?”

-What do you mean……?

“They’re just pretending to catch the Dark Mages. I set everything up, and yet you haven’t pressured them at all?”

Despite providing the groundwork, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed to think, ‘This is enough!’ and didn’t apply any real pressure.

Because of this, the Southern Allies merely displayed grand military movements without actually capturing the Dark Mages.

-Well… For the future, it might be better to hold back a bit…

“I told you to throw away those diplomatic mumblings and methods!”

-Haona, Your Highness, we cannot overlook what comes after the Dark Mage incident.

Kariel sighed at the Minister’s words.

“Is anyone nearby?”

-Uh… No, there isn’t.

Kariel sighed softly and ordered Talion to find a surrounding presence.

Soon, knights and Shadows lurking in the ceiling and outside the door all stepped back.

“As you say, Minister, considering the future might call for some restrained flexibility.”

Kariel nodded in agreement with the Minister’s sentiment.

However, that was only if they intended to maintain good relations with the Southern Kingdoms continuously.

“But can we truly maintain good relations with them?”

-That’s…

“To recover what the Southern Kingdoms have taken from us, the Empire must adopt a strong diplomatic stance. The Continental Conference will mark the beginning of that.”

-If the current strong stance of the Empire continues, foreign nations may rebel against it. It could lead to war…

The Minister fell silent, realizing from Kariel’s demeanor the potential direction things could take after the Continental Conference.

-Your Highness.

“I’ve talked it over with the Masters. My siblings know too.”

Kariel replied firmly to the Minister’s worried tone.

“To recover even half of what the Empire has lost, I’ve convinced them that we cannot act weakly as we have. My siblings agreed. Whoever becomes the next Emperor, the current stance won’t change.”

-……

“Moreover, right now, both the Holy Nation and Iron Nation will align with the Empire. This is the perfect opportunity to swoop down on the Southern Allies.”

Understanding everything Kariel said, the Minister bowed his head respectfully.

-I will apply as much pressure as possible.

“Good. Trust in me. Do your best to ensure the gifts I give my siblings aren’t half-baked.”

-…… Yes, Your Highness.

As the communication ended, Kariel gazed out the window.

“Don’t stress too much.”

Talion looked at the anxious-eyed Kariel with concern.

Seeing white hair sprouting at his young age, one could only guess the amount of stress Kariel had been under.

“It’s all done. Hah… It’s because the Minister can’t let go of those pesky diplomatic positions. I explained it clearly, so he should take it from here.”

As Kariel continued to look outside, the stunning view began to calm his mind.

The Minister wasn’t incompetent, after all.

In Kariel’s eyes, he was decent enough to make use of, which is why he kept lecturing him.

If he had been utterly useless, he would have been thrown out long ago.

What Kariel learned from years as Emperor was that having a clear goal was crucial for managing such people well.

In that sense, what had just occurred was an opportunity for Kariel to command the Minister to free him from responsibility.

‘The evasion of responsibility among those subordinates is absolutely irksome.’

The current Emperor had improved somewhat recently, but looking back at the past was enough to make one shudder.

To shift blame onto his subordinates, he made them feel as if their mistakes were insignificant.

From Kariel’s perspective, that behavior was incomprehensible.

Already labeled as incompetent, how could one seek to further evade responsibility?

When the Emperor dodged responsibility, ministers pushed their work down to subordinates to avoid losing their heads, resulting in a vicious cycle that made state affairs run amok.

Rather, Kariel thought it far better to be seen as a tyrant while sweeping incompetent people aside and quickly sorting out state affairs.

‘Because of this, I’ve received all sorts of scorn.’

Grinding his teeth while recalling his previous life, Kariel took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Well, it’s no longer my concern.”

Muttering to himself, Kariel indulged in the long-awaited, genuine escape.

Free from the stifling Imperial Palace, savoring the beautiful scenery, this moment felt sweeter than any other.

*

After savoring that honey-like rest, Kariel set off toward the southeast.

Looking over the report received from the Shadows before departure, Kariel couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

“Finally, the slowpokes have started moving properly.”

With the Minister finally taking action, the Southern Allied Forces began feeling real pressure.

It was only natural, as the Empire delivered protests and even drew in the Holy Nation and Iron Alliance for more complaints.

With the military pressure and diplomatic grievances escalating through the groundwork Kariel laid, the sluggish Southern Allies moved their forces into the very heart of the volcano to capture the Dark Mages.

They wanted to show that they came not to ‘invade’ the Empire, but to ‘assist.’

But what the Minister did didn’t stop there.

“Impressive work.”

Receiving documents from the Inspection Department, the Minister formally began to pressure the Southern Nations using that evidence.

They started protesting by sending in situations related to drug smuggling, unauthorized trade, and suspicious money expropriation.

In that process, secretly engaging in diplomatic negotiations with the Holy Nation and Iron Alliance played a big part.

“Focusing on just one thing might not be a bad call.”

Though he felt sorry for giving the Holy Nation a chance at survival, one can’t obtain everything all at once.

If sacrificing one thing means completely dismantling another, then this method wasn’t so bad.

“I do find it a bit regrettable that I’ve let the Holy Nation live.”

Marquis Sicario, riding nearby on horseback, said with a look of disappointment.

“Oh! Don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to pressure the Holy Nation.”

“…Is there a way to apply pressure?”

“The only concession we’ve really given to the South is the compensation. So during the Continental Conference, we can pounce on the Dark Mages, can’t we?”

As Kariel said this, he wore a broad smile.

“An old fox is not an easy opponent.”

“I know.”

Kariel nodded as he understood the Marquis’s words well.

The old fox of the North, now the Pope, had caused him considerable suffering in his previous life.

“I’m well aware of the Pope’s crafty nature. But even he won’t escape from this Dark Mage incident unscathed.”

“Going for the opponent’s weakness, then.”

“Foxes are good at fleeing, so once you catch one, you mustn’t let them go.”

“So you have no intention of letting this go at the Continental Conference?”

Hearing the Marquis, Kariel beamed.

Why would he let the fox go after catching it?

He intended to cling on like a madman and strip it of everything it had.

The gifts Kariel prepared for his siblings weren’t just one.

“Would it be acceptable to gift just one thing to my struggling siblings? I should give them several sizable gifts to feel at ease myself.”

Kariel chuckled as he said this, causing the nearby Masters’ eyes to gleam intriguingly.

Watching them, Toto and Talion shook their heads, letting out resigned sighs.

All those nearby looked sadly at the brightly smiling Kariel, who was about to retire.

From what the Masters said, it didn’t seem like it would be easy.

However, Kariel’s mind was far sharper than they anticipated.

‘I must arrive in the capital when the conference starts or concludes.’

Kariel thought this as a smile graced his face.

No matter how much he prepared to keep up at the Continental Conference, he felt sure his inexperienced siblings wouldn’t manage to outmaneuver the South or the Holy Nation.

Though most tasks would be handled by practical staff, there were some things leaders had to do themselves.

It was in those moments, the lack of experience in the princes would put them at a disadvantage.

That was when Kariel could step in to lend a helping hand.

A method to steer the atmosphere back toward the Empire.

‘The official retirement ceremony of the Crown Prince.’

Not only would it empower the two princes, but it also offered him a chance to officially retire.

Plus, it’d give him the opportunity to seize even more assets from the foreign nations that had been plundering the Empire all this time.

You cannot show up empty-handed for a Crown Prince’s retirement.

He’d have to bring something back, with the guilty parties’ standing meaning the scale could only end up bigger.

Just establishing this groundwork would allow the Ministries of Internal and Foreign Affairs to automatically use the retirement ceremony as leverage to extract from foreign nations.

‘To do that, the Southern Allies must be thoroughly crushed.’

Even if the South assembles forces, they needed to be taught that they would never overcome the Empire.

Thus, Kariel planned to create a scenario at this upcoming Continental Conference where the Empire would trample over foreign nations utterly.

The Southern Allies would be the start, and the Holy Nation and Iron Nation would be dealt with when he returned to the capital for the retirement ceremony.

‘After going this far for me, I shouldn’t end up failing.’

Kariel pondered while looking to the sky.

‘I really do give my all before going.’

Feeling proud of his excellent service mentality, Kariel began to examine the documents in the wagon, preparing to trouble the Southern Allied Forces.

After his break at the midpoint, Kariel dove back into work.

As he steeled himself for the future after everything was done, the Crown Prince’s group arrived near Kapur Volcano.

“…So we’ve arrived.”

“The Count of the South is here to personally welcome the Crown Prince.”

At Duke Cletta’s words, the lieutenant beside him bowed in acknowledgment.

“We should also go greet them. Let’s see if the Empire’s potential is as rumored.”

“Indeed.”