The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

20. The Last Lesson? (2)

No king found the divine right comfortable.

At first, they might have intended to exploit it.

After all, nothing beats it for easily controlling the citizens and building a justification.

However, this divine right grows to an extent where it becomes hard for kings to control after generations pass.

Eventually, it can exert a pressure greater than that of the king.

This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in long-established nations, and the same applies to the two southern kingdoms.

In an attempt to control the local rulers, they backed foreign gods, only for those gods to become overwhelmingly powerful now.

‘I’ll have to take care of this someday.’

‘Though it hurts my pride to be toyed with by the young Crown Prince, it’s not entirely bad.’

The Holy Nation would be too busy checking the Empire, so they could simply follow the paths laid out by the Empire.

Whenever the Empire seemed fatigued, just providing a little push from behind would suffice.

As the kings of the two kingdoms changed their gazes toward the Pope, the surrounding nobles fell into thought as well.

The relatively free Iron Alliance and the Principality were also watching this situation with interest.

While Iron was a mere coalition of merchants and the Principality was known as the land of knights, the increasing influence of the Holy Nation across the West Continent had been discomforting.

But now that it looked like the Holy Nation’s influence would sharply decline due to this Continental Conference, their attitude toward the meeting became actively positive.

In the case of the Principality, they had many injured from battling monsters and criminals sneaking over from the East Continent, and they constantly found themselves in a position of dependency on the Holy Nation for treatment.

Naturally, the cost of treatment could be dictated as they pleased, resulting in an enormous expenditure each year.

But what if numerous religions emerged throughout the continent?

They would compete over the Principality, which was a significant source of revenue, drastically reducing the funds that would otherwise be squandered.

For the Iron Alliance, the potential ripple effects of the Holy Nation’s collapse on the West Continent made them frantic with calculations.

As merchants, they had to calculate what would fill the void left by the departing temples and also weigh the consequences of the Holy Nation’s downfall against the Empire’s resurgence.

“I think I might have said something unnecessary.”

As I watched the scene of rolling eyes in silence, Kariel smiled nonchalantly.

“The Holy Nation is the best expert on Dark Mages; I worry we might have offended them for no reason.”

“That’s impossible. It’s the priests who lack faith, so it must be the Holy Nation’s fault.”

Admiringly, Kariel noted the Pope’s serene expression despite having received a heavy blow.

‘So, just one blow isn’t enough for a cunning fox, huh?’

Kariel thought as he exchanged smiles.

“I don’t know what decision will be made, but the Holy Nation’s role regarding Dark Mages will remain unchanged.”

“Ha-ha… If you think so, I am thankful.”

With that, the Pope slightly bowed his head.

In essence, it was a declaration of defeat for the Holy Nation.

On the eve of the Continental Conference and the preliminary skirmish of power struggles, the Empire emerged victorious.

The one who created that situation, Kariel, walked out of the banquet hall while exchanging ceremonial greetings with the heads of other nations, a satisfied smile on his face.

“It seems just as the rumors said.”

“I underestimated him because of his youthful looks and got hit hard.”

The Pope smiled as he gazed at the door Kariel had exited, though his eyes were chillier than ever.

Prior to Kariel’s arrival, the atmosphere had been one where they played right into his hands; now, he smashed that with a powerful strike.

Even if the Empire had overwhelming dominance, Kariel’s ability to shift the entire atmosphere in an instant made it clear that the rumors regarding him were not exaggerated.

“……It won’t be easy to withstand the Continental Conference.”

The Pope quickly began to devise a plan in his mind.

Already, he had long abandoned the thought of settling by paying compensation and maintaining the number of temples within the Empire.

The new thought was to keep at least a few temples within the Empire.

And to maintain at least some influence of the temples present in various countries.

Only then would there be a flicker of hope for the Holy Nation’s influence to revitalize in the future.

As the Pope fundamentally modified his strategy due to the skirmish, other nations adjusted their strategies as well.

‘Let’s make the Holy Nation the sacrificial lamb!’

Everyone looked at the Pope with this thought in mind.

The moment Kariel bit into the Pope from the banquet hall while bowing ceremonially to them, it was practically an implicit agreement among all nations to bring down the Holy Nation.

The public humiliation of the Pope by the heads of various nations quickly spread throughout the capital.

Within a day, most festival-goers were aware of this fact.

In that situation, the full-scale Continental Conference finally commenced.

On the morning the meeting started.

Kariel called the two princes to the Crown Prince’s Palace, seating them, and said,

“We’re going to pursue two plans from here on out.”

“Two plans?”

“That’s right.”

At Rufiel’s question, Kariel nodded.

“At your current level, it won’t be easy to handle the Pope. So we need to divide our roles.”

The two princes nodded in understanding at Kariel’s words.

Having orchestrated the Continental Conference, they were fully aware of their shortcomings and lowered their heads with anxious expressions. Kariel gently patted their shoulders.

“Seriel, you’re to focus on thoroughly driving the Dark Mages out of the West Continent while presiding over the meeting.”

“Driving them out?”

“Exactly.”

Kariel looked at Seriel and emphasized again.

“It’s not about exterminating the Dark Mages. I’ll say it once more: the main goal is to drive them out of the West Continent. Don’t be deceived by the Pope’s cunning tongue; push this matter with all your strength.”

“Is it really necessary to do that…?”

Sighing at Seriel’s words, Kariel replied.

“How long do you think it would take to completely wipe out the Dark Mages?”

“That would be…”

“If time drags on, the priests might creep back up. So you must aim to drive them out of the West Continent. That’s how the Holy Nation can be plunged into despair.”

Understanding the intention behind Kariel’s words, Seriel nodded.

“I imagine the Minister of Foreign Affairs has grasped my intentions. Keep him close for support.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Now, Rufiel, what was I preparing you for?”

“I’ve already finished.”

Having been ordered to investigate the capabilities of the priests from religions other than the Holy Nation, Rufiel pulled out a stack of papers containing a brief summary from his pocket.

“You need to subtly convey to the leaders of other faiths what our plans are.”

The revival of folk beliefs within the Empire.

This would definitely be a card that would resonate with the Southern Kingdoms.

If the Empire moved first, the Southern Kingdoms would also feel the need to weaken the divine right and lend their strength.

The problem, however, was the Pope.

“……I’ll have to get past the Pope’s checks, won’t I?”

When Rufiel asked, Kariel nodded.

The Pope would undoubtedly do everything he could to block their efforts to maintain their influence.

Rufiel would have to navigate through that obstruction, making it clear to the leaders of foreign nations, a task that would surely prove challenging.

“Seek help from the Minister of Internal Affairs. Don’t get dazzled by the Pope’s words; just listen to what he says from the side. That alone should provide some degree of defense.”

“……Yes.”

Rufiel wore a look of uncertainty.

The same was true for Seriel.

Would they really be able to go up against the well-known cunning old fox in the West Continent, despite their youth?

It wasn’t long ago, but now that they were overseeing the Continental Conference, they bore a firsthand understanding of how impressive Kariel’s abilities were.

You see as much as you know.

The two princes found themselves floundering in the shadow of Kariel, who appeared as a giant compared to before.

“You will face greater crises if you wish to become emperors. Will you behave the same way then?”

Silence greeted Kariel’s question from the two princes.

Since they were still young, Kariel sighed and comforted them.

Now was not the time to strike but to offer reassurance.

“You’re doing great. The board is overwhelmingly in our favor. Even if we take a small loss, it won’t show, so don’t be scared.”

“……Yes.”

“Understood.”

As Kariel saw the uncertain voices of the two princes, he smiled brightly.

“Let me offer you a helpful piece of advice: the leaders participating in the Continental Conference won’t be able to concentrate on the meeting.”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean?”

At Kariel’s words, the two princes tilted their heads in confusion.

The uncertainty that had been previously etched on their faces faded, now replaced by pure curiosity directed at Kariel, who decided to surprise them.

“You’ve been wondering why I’m not presiding over the meeting myself, right?”

“Yes.”

When Seriel responded, Kariel beamed and said,

“I’m planning to have one-on-one meetings with the envoys of foreign nations.”

“Eh? No way….”

Rufiel’s expression conveyed disbelief.

“Exactly. We need to wrap up the compensation issue.”

The faces of the two princes brightened at Kariel’s statement.

“The main theme of the Continental Conference is Dark Mages. So we should handle the compensation issue separately, right?”

“Yes! That’s right.”

“Exactly so.”

“So don’t feel pressured. Just keep your guard up and defend well, and I’ll handle everything else.”

At Kariel’s words, the little ones hiding behind their strong brother nodded vigorously.

Repeatedly reminding themselves not to be swayed by the Pope’s words and to faithfully execute Kariel’s commands, the princes exited the Crown Prince’s Palace.

Watching them with a satisfied smile, Kariel called Talion.

“Prepare to meet with the envoys.”

“Shall I contact them in advance….”

“You mustn’t do that.”

Kariel halted Talion, who was eager to spring into action.

“The contact shall be made right after the Continental Conference begins.”

With that, Kariel wore a wide smile.

A devilish grin caused Talion to shudder involuntarily.

To align themselves with foreign leaders, they had sent the future Crown Princes to the Continental Conference.

But what about the envoys tasked with addressing the compensation issue?

Given the severe gap in their station, did they stand a chance of overturning a tilted scale where the Crown Prince would already have a winning start?

“Hmm… who should I meet first?”

Kariel muttered that while looking entertained.

He had already prepared materials that would leave the envoys half-dead for several days.

All that remained was to deliver a well-timed factual blow to set the stage.

“It seems we are about to begin.”

While leisurely sipping tea and waiting for the meeting to start, Talion hurriedly entered to announce the beginning of the conference.

“How’s the atmosphere?”

“Not bad. For now, the two Crown Princes are thoroughly ignoring the Pope as they progress with the meeting.”

“That’s a solid strategy. Did the Minister of Foreign Affairs devise it?”

“Looks like it.”

It would be pointless for the princes to engage with the Pope at their inexperienced level.

In such cases, adopting a strategy of ignoring the Pope completely wasn’t a bad idea.

Even if there were discussions later, winning was the priority.

“With this, I don’t have to worry too much.”

“It seems so.”

While the two princes adopted a strategy of ignoring the Pope, the remaining leaders were not mere pushovers.

Though not as formidable as the Pope, they were all seasoned in political maneuvers.

The leader of the Iron Alliance, in particular, was much like a merchant, thus possessing considerable verbal flair.

“There’s nothing to gain from prolonging the discussion. Let’s get right into it.”

Deciding to move quickly for the sake of his younger brothers, Kariel looked at Talion, who bowed and asked,

“Where should we start the discussions?”

“Let’s start lightly with Iron.”

At Kariel’s words, Talion bowingly exited the palace.

Iron, being a coalition of merchants, was sensitive about money.

If they could extort a whopping compensation from such creatures, it would set a precedent that would easily pressure other nations.

“Alright! Let’s have a good tongue duel after a long time.”

Muttering that, Kariel wore the happiest expression he had ever shown.