The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

20. The Final Lesson? (3)

At the Crown Prince’s summons, one of the Envoys of Iron hurriedly moved towards the palace.

He was also someone from a merchant background, a tough heart who wouldn’t flinch at ordinary matters, but this situation was different.

Currently, the high-ranking members of the Envoy Group from Iron were gathered at the Continental Conference hall.

He was merely there for practical negotiations, not in a position to determine anything while talking with the Crown Prince.

While he dripped with cold sweat, thinking all kinds of thoughts, he arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace.

“Your Highness, the envoy from the Iron Alliance has arrived.”

An attendant solemnly announced the arrival and quietly opened the door.

Inside, the Empire’s Crown Prince was waiting.

“Um… I meet Your Highness.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Kariel greeted the envoy with a smile.

“As you must have heard, there’s still much to sort out between your country and mine. The Emperor directly ordered me, as the Crown Prince, to tie up loose ends before I retire, hence your prompt summons.”

“Um… is that so?”

“Indeed. I would prefer to come to a smooth agreement, so try not to be too tense. If we align our proposals well, we can finish swiftly.”

Although Kariel said to relax, the atmosphere did not allow for it.

The envoy tried to soothe his dry throat with tea amidst the heavy tension, but Kariel didn’t permit even that.

“Let’s begin.”

“…Yes.”

Suddenly, with a frosty tone, Kariel announced the start of negotiations.

“First, I believe the compensation needs to be at least three times what you originally sent.”

“Your Highness, that’s far too much. We’ve already strained ourselves to send what we did.”

“…Is that so?”

Kariel smirked at the envoy’s words and called for Talion.

Upon seeing the papers in his hands, the envoy’s expression hardened.

“This is the trade volume between the Alliance and the Empire. And this document shows the flow of finances of key merchants within the Alliance that we investigated ourselves. What’s disclosed is just the tip of the iceberg; the real flow of finances in the Alliance is several times larger.”

“Ha… However, Your Highness, we cannot move such a large amount of money in a short timeframe.”

“I know. That’s why I intend to grant a very generous grace period.”

The envoy’s expression changed upon hearing Kariel’s words.

Initially taken aback by the burden, he regained his wits as the amount of compensation grew.

‘Now he’s back on track.’

As Kariel inwardly pondered that, he decided to playfully engage in a verbal tussle with the envoy.

“Your Highness, these matters are completely unrelated to the Alliance. Demanding compensation for issues that aren’t clearly resolved would be extremely unfair from the Alliance’s standpoint.”

As a practical envoy, he meticulously examined the documents Kariel presented and protested.

Seeing the envoy argue each point carefully, a broad smile spread across Kariel’s face.

Though he had regressed, it was undeniable that he couldn’t know more about the matter than the actual practitioners.

Nonetheless, there was a reason he was directly involved.

“I respect you, but from the Empire’s perspective, there’s no time for idle chatter.”

“W-what do you mean, I…”

“Did I mention context evidence?”

“Y-yes. But claiming compensation solely on the basis of such evidence is…”

Kariel chuckled at the envoy’s response.

“You know that this context evidence is merely a pretext, right?”

“W-ell…”

The envoy’s expression stiffened at Kariel’s words.

As a practical envoy, he was tasked only with discussing compensation based on the presented materials, and anything beyond that was outside his domain.

However, Kariel pressed on that point.

“This is compensation for the significant gains your side illicitly gained at the Empire’s expense. Of course, this is just the beginning. Given that you have benefited, a portion of your future profits must also be returned, and negotiations regarding the trade route will have to start as well.”

“…”

“Seems like you’re aware, so let’s talk again.”

After partially threatening, even as negotiations resumed, the envoy from Iron tried to resist as much as possible.

His goal was to bide time until higher-ups took a seat at the table.

Then came Kariel’s second round of intimidation.

“You’re insisting these are just context evidence, but I think you’ll reconsider after seeing this.”

Kariel instructed Talion to show the materials obtained from the Inspection Department.

“Do you know why we tried to negotiate compensation with context evidence?”

“T-that’s…”

“It’s all for your benefit.”

The documents from the Inspection Department included a list of merchants linked with Belphus.

For trade with the Empire, it was unavoidable to pass through the West, and that inevitably meant getting entangled with one of the prominent families in the West—Belphus.

In fact, it was an incredibly unfair situation for Iron.

They could have protested by asking, ‘Does this mean we shouldn’t trade at all!’ but unfortunately, they were connected to both a Dark Mage and a traitorous family.

Moreover, given the crimes they had committed, it was hard to protest vigorously.

“As you know, this family is a traitor to the Empire and is associated with criminals who have collaborated with Dark Mages.”

“T-that’s…”

“Oh! Of course, I’m not insinuating that you’re colluding with Dark Mages. It’s simply a fact that these documents appear quite risky on the surface.”

When Kariel smiled, the envoy from Iron swallowed nervously.

“The Empire is doing its best to accommodate you. This isn’t to exact revenge on Iron, but given the Empire’s dignity, I hope you’ll make some concessions.”

At Kariel’s words, the envoy from Iron squeezed his eyes shut.

He was trapped.

Given the situation, if he blocked out Kariel’s flow sharply, the joyful smile on Kariel’s face could twist into something menacing, pushing Iron into a corner.

Yet conceding meant accepting matters of severe importance.

From the envoy’s practical standpoint, each issue was challenging to decide.

Understanding his position, Kariel suggested that they at least maintain some semblance of harmony.

With twenty years of envoy experience, he knew this was nonsense.

He could see Kariel intended to leverage this for an advantage in future negotiations, but there was nothing he could do given his own lack of power.

Given the constraints on him, wrapping things up at this level was the best outcome he could achieve.

“It was a good negotiation.”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

The negotiations ended with Kariel sparing his life just enough to save face.

Returning without having even sipped a cup of tea, the envoy wore a half-lifeless expression.

As the envoy from Iron bowed his head and left, Talion stepped inside.

“Did it end well?”

“Of course.”

“Seems you didn’t push too hard.”

Hearing Talion’s comment, Kariel chuckled.

“What sin is there in the practitioner who accompanied me? Real negotiations should be held with the top brass.”

Talion wore an incredulous expression at Kariel’s words.

‘Is this how you summon someone to trample on them?’ The words almost came out, but he bit his lip and held back.

“Now! Shall we call the next individuals?”

While everyone was focused on the Continental Conference, it was the perfect opportunity to make the most of that precious moment.

Having established a baseline through negotiations with Iron, perhaps things went smoothly with other nations as well.

“Ah… Did Iron really agree to this proposal?”

“The verbal agreement is finished.”

Kariel looked at the envoy from Rotheon.

“As you also know, your nation carries heavier burdens than Iron, right?”

“T-that’s…”

“Well! Shall we revisit this matter?”

With a smile, Kariel pulled out the matters that had been half-discussed earlier.

The envoy from Rotheon let out a long sigh and hung his head low.

The same went for Talon.

Given their past crimes, things were already leaning in a difficult direction, and when Iron committed to an outrageous compensation, the Southern Kingdoms had no choice but to concede.

With no answer to offer on their part, they could only leave a window for future negotiations.

The same held true for the Principality as well.

Having been naughty in trading with the East Continent, the Principality couldn’t escape Kariel’s sharp knife.

Yet at least these were better off.

“Are you kidding?”

“Ha… However, Your Highness, this is too unreasonable…”

“There’s one related to the Empire’s mischief among the Priests in the Holy Nation; should we just overlook it?”

“C-compensation…”

“Compensation is a given. The amount those in the Holy Nation have embezzled over the years must be several times this! Are you testing my patience?”

At Kariel’s roar, the Priest quickly bowed his head.

Still, the Priest didn’t easily agree.

It was a matter of significant importance.

Demanding the Empire’s Inspection Department be permitted to investigate the Priests within the Holy Nation was essentially tantamount to domestic interference, something they absolutely could not accept.

Yet the Empire held the moral high ground.

“Your Highness, we’ll increase the compensation. However, this matter…”

“Do you think I’m a fool to speak kindly?”

“It’s not that! This infringes upon the basic rights of the Holy Nation. While I understand the Empire’s anger, this matter cannot be…”

Kariel inwardly chuckled at the Priest’s words.

He was already hooked.

Kariel knew full well that the Empire’s Inspection Department would likely never investigate the Priests in the Holy Nation.

He was merely using it as a half-hearted intimidation tactic.

The difference in status, the atmosphere, the skewed playing field, and the moral high ground all combined to create a method he could use, and this issue could never genuinely be accepted.

If the Empire truly aimed to interfere internally, the Holy Nation would fight with their lives on the line.

“Tsk! Let’s wrap this up for now. We’ll discuss any unresolved issues later.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Pretending to be angry as he concluded the negotiations, Kariel burst into laughter as soon as the Priest left.

“…How pitiful.”

“What do you mean? Negotiations like this are standard fare.”

“Hmm…”

Kariel’s words left Talion tilting his head, as they struck him as very different from what he understood negotiating to be.

In most negotiations, one would at least maintain minimal courtesy, using diplomatic rhetoric to express things indirectly or fighting within certain agreed limits.

But there was none of that with Kariel.

Instead, he simply pressed hard, leveraging status and intimidation with a huge moral advantage.

“If it weren’t for me, it would have ended in a much worse position. I at least left a path for them to survive, right?”

He left them with some space to return and explain themselves.

Kariel believed he had shown enough mercy and smiled satisfactorily.

However, in Talion’s eyes, it didn’t appear particularly merciful that Kariel left just enough breathing room while taking everything else.

“…In any case, it seems the envoys from various nations are in quite a turmoil now.”

“What can they do? It’s their own fault for being careless.”

Saying that, Kariel smiled broadly.

*

While the Crown Prince’s Palace blossomed with smiles over satisfactory results, the palace where the envoys from various nations were staying was plunged into chaos.

“How could this happen!”

“Then why didn’t you go! Why don’t you experience the Crown Prince’s intimidation firsthand!”

The envoy from Iron, stripped of his dignity, had no choice but to close his mouth at the reprimand aimed at his comrade.

“Enough.”

The fighting among the envoy group was halted by Jeyron, the President of the Alliance.

“It is our fault for being careless. The Crown Prince has skillfully exploited our vulnerabilities.”

Jeyron analyzed the situation with a cool head.

“Let’s set a definite schedule for the next negotiations.”

“Do you intend to conduct it alongside the Continental Conference?”

In response to the question posed by Salvatore, the Master from Iron, Jeyron Paul nodded.

“It will be physically challenging.”

“The Crown Prince set this stage, so there’s no other choice. Our task here is to endure as much as possible within this arena.”

At Jeyron’s words, Salvatore sighed and nodded.

Preparing for two concurrent meetings was physically exhausting.

But there was no choice.

Ordinary operatives couldn’t handle the Crown Prince.

Thus, the leaders from various nations had no choice but to prepare for talks late into the night, which meant they would bear the burden of physical strain throughout the meeting.

That, in turn, would lessen the burden on the two princes during the Continental Conference.

*

While the younger siblings held the leaders down, Kariel finished his last agenda and slumped into a chair.

“Finally, the last gift is complete.”

Kariel gazed up at the night sky, murmuring to himself.

The final gift he would give to his still-lacking younger siblings was now finished.

All that remained was the retirement ceremony.

Perhaps the Emperor recognized Kariel’s efforts; right after he completed this final gift for his siblings, the date for the retirement ceremony was scheduled.

His long-awaited retirement day was finally set.