NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55
Crown Prince Wishes to Retire
19. Continental Conference
Fragments torn by Dark Mages swelled in number as they sucked molten lava at the volcano’s peak.
Despite being a colossal fiery mass beginning to stir, it posed no threat to Kariel, who resonated with a red energy.
“…Your Highness.”
Talion watched anxiously, but he well knew that the immense fireball would not harm Kariel.
Instead, it was aggressively pushing away other humans who dared to interfere.
Normally, the Masters would resist, but they stepped back in meek submission to the miraculous sight presented by Kariel.
As the fragments of the Spirit King began to resonate with Kariel, lava finally began to spew forth from the volcano.
What was remarkable was that all the lava gathered around the gigantic fireball, forming a single colossal shape.
Just then, a fireball appeared before Talion, and letters began to inscribe themselves in the air.
「It seems it will take some time.」
Staring vacantly at the fiery letters, Talion turned his gaze toward Kariel and nodded.
As the letters vanished, Kariel also disappeared into the curtain of flames.
“It seems like it will take a while.”
Achelio approached Talion upon seeing the fiery text from a distance, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“Let no one approach until His Highness has finished.”
“Yes!”
At Achelio’s orders, the knights bowed their heads in unison as they answered.
Having witnessed this, Achelio took action as well.
Just like in the Northwest, three Masters took their positions, while the knights formed a thick circle around the summit of the volcano.
*
While the impenetrable formation was being established, the Southern Allied Forces were pushing up from below.
Some tried to flee for their lives, but they were captured or killed by the Imperial Southern Army and Eastern Army lying in ambush below.
Like the fierce resistance of the Dark Mages in the Northwest, the overwhelming military strength rendered their struggles meaningless.
Once the combat concluded and the Southern Allied Forces set about organizing the aftermath, Duke Pires gazed grimly at the volcano’s peak.
“Is it because of that?”
The ground that had been shaking as if it would explode calmed gradually.
Moreover, the unusual flow of mana occurring near the summit disappeared.
Whatever it was that had occurred, one thing was clear: the Crown Prince was involved in the cause of this phenomenon.
“Is it one of the Empire’s secrets?”
The Empire, boasting the most venerable history on the continent, harbored countless secrets.
And since the imperial family was at the center of that history, it was not at all strange for such phenomena to occur.
“Retirement…”
Duke Pires pondered as he looked at the summit.
Observing the actions of the Empire’s Masters when they welcomed the Crown Prince, there was an unspoken respect for the current Crown Prince.
Furthermore, there was a palpable trust in the military towards the Crown Prince, evident in their gazes.
‘In such a situation, is there perhaps another motive behind the Crown Prince’s retirement?’
It was just a fleeting thought that crossed his mind, but upon deeper reflection, it seemed plausible.
Currently, the support for the Crown Prince among Empire Citizens was absolute.
He was regarded as the only candidate capable of resolving the Empire’s situation, which had been devastated by the dark forces.
Someone like him suddenly retiring?
‘He’s planning to wield influence from the shadows.’
When actions defy common sense, one must seek out the reasoning behind them.
As he stepped down from the position of Crown Prince, he could use his newfound freedom to govern from the shadows of the Empire.
The Crown Prince could lead secret organizations like the Empire’s Intelligence Department and the Shadows to amass a colossal power to keep foreign nations in check.
The Crown Prince retreating to become the Empire’s hidden blade.
‘That’s terrifying.’
Duke Pires felt a chill at the thought that such a young Crown Prince was harboring such intricate schemes.
With just a slight misstep, several nations could vanish from history.
The hidden dagger was more frightening than the revealed sword.
“Revival of the Empire, huh…”
He had barely begun to dream of breaking free from the Empire’s influence and soaring high.
But seeing the Empire attempting to rise again brought a heavy heart to Duke Pires.
The same was true for Duke Cletta, another Master from the South.
In times like this, nations other than the Empire should band together, yet the Holy Nation and Iron chose to attack the South to recover their own losses.
“…I’ll convey this situation to His Highness.”
“Yes.”
Duke Cletta summarized what had occurred at Kapur Volcano and communicated it to the messenger.
He hoped this information would be of help at the Continental Conference.
Yet he also knew already.
This Continental Conference would spell disaster for them…
*
The Imperial Capital, hosting the much-anticipated Continental Conference, was bustling with activity, as envisioned disasters by Duke Cletta and Duke Pires began to unfold.
The Crown Prince had set the stage and even provided the spoon, yet it would be shameful for the bureaucrats not to partake.
Thus, most bureaucrats worked tirelessly, day and night, preparing to crush other nations expected to attend the conference.
Nobles were also busy with political maneuvers.
The princes who would preside over the meeting were no exception.
Even the young princess Miriel was preparing for what to wear to the conference and studying for the upcoming party.
However, amidst the bustling capital, there was one who remained leisurely.
“…Your Majesty.”
The newly appointed old attendant displaced the existing Attendant Hall and looked at the Emperor with concern.
At the end of the attendant’s gaze, the Emperor wore a bitter expression as he looked down at the black blotch he had just vomited onto a handkerchief.
His health worsened as he tried to quit the drug.
Yet, he couldn’t indulge too much in the drug either.
The lingering Dark Mage had disappeared from the capital, eliminating his means to procure the usual drugs.
Additionally, using the drugs made his consciousness hazy and his heart waver.
He could not help but constantly suspect the Crown Prince.
“Even the child struggling to retire makes me suspicious…”
The Emperor’s expression hardened as he stared at the bag containing the drug.
Thinking of the Dark Mage who sought to manipulate even his emotions and thoughts, he ground his teeth.
If it hadn’t been for the drug made by the Dark Mages, would things have been a bit different?
Now that he regretted it, he could only shake his head.
The drugs manufactured by the Dark Mages had merely inflated the doubt that had been concealed in his heart.
He had always been that way.
An incompetent Emperor who couldn’t even consider yielding his position to his capable younger brother and merely sat on the throne, engaging merely in power struggles.
That was who he was.
“Only now does death reveal itself.”
He began to see clearly the incompetence that had been concealed until now.
“Your Majesty.”
“If it weren’t for this, I would have once again doubted him.”
The resurgent feeling of suspicion arose again.
Was Kariel aware of his own nature?
The letter Kariel had sent him expressed a desire to live in a quiet place after retirement, asking for nothing but a rustic fief, devoid of any power.
Upon that note, he wrote personal thoughts on how to pressure foreign nations using his retirement ceremony and the path the Empire should take after his retirement.
“Cough cough… My younger brother seems to be preparing a rebellion.”
The Emperor, now with a clearer head, chuckled bitterly as he evaluated himself.
He had felt envy for his son, now nicknamed the “Wings of the Ascending Empire,” “The Tyrant of the Empire,” and “The Golden Pillar of the Empire,” as he plotted to keep his son in check.
Yet, the young child had sensed his father’s thoughts and preemptively made a move.
In an attempt to cut the roots of suspicion before they grew larger, he hastily proposed a retirement ceremony intending to confine him to a provincial fief.
‘The son who cannot even trust his father.’
“Such a wretched situation.”
The Emperor sighed as he looked at the final part of Kariel’s letter.
「It is now time for me to step aside for my talented younger siblings. Please do not delay any longer.」
“Yielding for the sake of capable siblings…”
As he watched his son easily do what he couldn’t, envy grew within the Emperor’s heart.
As feelings of jealousy blossomed, the Emperor couldn’t help but give a hollow laugh.
As suspicion swelled and jealousy arose, feelings of self-loathing began to gnaw at him like garbage.
“How long do I have left?”
“…At most three years.”
“Thus, there is a high chance I will die within two years.”
The old attendant, newly appointed, merely bowed his head at the Emperor’s words.
This old attendant who had appeared before him was capable.
With excessively rich experiences and various skills, though initially doubted, he was kept close.
He remembered secrets of the Empire he had heard from the late Emperor.
‘The fact that those who guard secrets have appeared before me signifies that I am still needed.’
As the Emperor thought this, he came to the realization of what he needed to do.
“Once Duke Devir returns, summon all the Counts of the Border.”
“I shall convey it. However, there is something concerning the Counts…”
“Inform them it pertains to the Crown Prince. It shall be my last decision for the future of the Empire.”
At the Emperor’s words, the aged attendant’s eyes widened, and he bowed before hurriedly exiting.
His son was making a decision akin to confining himself.
Thus, he too had to make a resolution.
Lurking within the Empire were the most prominent of its rotten roots.
However, since they were not fully matured yet, even rotting roots needed time to grow before being well-established.
“Is this what remains for me?”
To provide the time for the pillars who would bear the future to mature without interference.
It was likely that the ones who guarded the Empire’s secrets had appeared before him for that very purpose.
As the jealousy rose within him, the Emperor endeavored to envision the Empire shining brightly once again.
Fostering the desire to be a stepping stone for the Empire as it soared, he clenched his fist tightly.
“…I am the Emperor.”
The Emperor reassured himself while striving to dispel the corrupting thoughts that were beginning to fester once more.
*
As the Emperor began his internal struggle, the attendant conveyed the Emperor’s letter to all the Counts of the Border.
And the leaders of major nations slated to participate in the Continental Conference were preparing to move toward the Empire.
“Are you saying His Majesty will be attending in person?”
“It is dangerous! We cannot know what threats a raging Empire may pose to His Majesty!”
“Please reconsider!”
The Pope, eager to personally attend the Empire’s Continental Conference, was being blocked by cardinals who knelt down in an effort to dissuade him.
To those cardinals, the Pope spoke with a benevolent expression.
“I must go. This is the only way to overcome the current crisis.”
With a heavy sigh, the Pope continued.
The temples within the Empire were gradually disappearing.
This ripple effect was also reaching other nations.
If this continues, it would not only diminish the status of the Holy Nation, but the faith in the God that had firmly stood in the West Continent would begin to wane as well.
Therefore, the Pope himself had to take the risk and travel to the Empire.
“I must once again convey the words of God to the Empire. If I cannot stabilize their wavering hearts, the history of the Holy Nation will come to an end.”
As the Pope thought of the young Crown Prince, who was the very cause of the current situation, he realized he needed to ascertain whether he was truly the one who instigated this crisis or if someone else was behind it.
Thus, as news spread across the continent that the Pope was personally heading to the Empire’s capital, the leaders of major nations sent letters to the Imperial Palace indicating their intention to participate in the Continental Conference.