Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 165

165―――――

I’m back, but what is this?

The people who had filled the audience chamber were all gone, leaving only four figures.

One was, of course, King Edgar IV.

The other two were Prince Erador and Princess Vanessa, respectively, and finally, Zion stood there, looking slightly embarrassed.

“You both have quite dissatisfied expressions.”

At Edgar IV’s words, Prince Erador and Princess Vanessa flinched, then quickly straightened their postures as if nothing were wrong, erasing all emotions from their faces.

Of course, after their true feelings had been completely exposed.

“I know everything.

One must go to an unwanted battlefield, and the other cannot go to the desired battlefield.

If possible, you’d want to switch places.

Wouldn’t you?”

“Absolutely not, Your Majesty.”

“We are merely acting according to Your Majesty’s will.”

Still, both of them utter politically correct words quite well.

Seeing their very commendable behavior, Zion almost applauded but immediately realized it wasn’t the place and quietly lowered his hand.

“An urgent message has arrived from the south.”

As expected, or rather, as the novel’s plot dictated.

Though he had roughly anticipated it, Zion feigned ignorance, even showing a hint of surprise as he listened to Edgar IV’s words.

“The pirates, who had been quiet for years, have reappeared.

Many merchant ships have already been damaged, and some have even been seized.”

At Edgar IV’s words, Prince Erador and Princess Vanessa’s expressions twisted simultaneously.

The kingdom’s south is home to several port cities, the center of maritime trade.

They do trade with Nudia to some extent, but their main partner is the Holy Prussen beyond.

Land routes are too far and have many unstable elements, so naturally, sea routes have developed.

‘And where wealth flows, thieves naturally arise to steal it.’

It was only natural that pirates would appear, targeting merchant ships engaged in maritime trade.

Above all, there were many uninhabited islands in the southern sea, which people from Hispania, Nudia, and even the Holy Prussen used as bases for piracy.

At first, piracy caused only minor disturbances.

But as they continued their misdeeds, the pirates, becoming accustomed to the sea and seafaring, gradually became more organized and operated on a larger scale.

The kingdom’s proud mages and knights were useless in the middle of the sea.

Most of them were born and lived on land.

The sea itself has tremendous currents, unlike a calm lake.

They were often incapacitated by seasickness, so Hispania had to train skilled navies to suppress the pirates.

‘And a few years ago, they succeeded in attacking the pirates’ base, judging that they could no longer engage in piracy, but as expected, those pointy-eared bastards [a derogatory term for elves, often used in fantasy settings] extended their reach even there.’

Even the great Kim Yu-hyun struggled several times, one of which was suppressing these southern pirates.

Kim Yu-hyun also had a very hard time getting on a ship and sailing the vast sea, whereas the pirates were very familiar with navigating the sea, raiding maritime transport routes.

By the time they finally suppressed the pirates, two months had already passed.

At least in Kim Yu-hyun’s time, the Holy Prussen had not yet moved, but now it is different.

The Holy War is imminent, and Princess Vanessa, whom Zion was trying to get close to, is participating.

‘So, should we abandon the south?’

That would not do.

Hispania, whose relationship with Nudia is always awkward, has long since switched to trading by sea rather than by land.

It was truly Hispania’s lifeline, so even Nudia hesitated to touch it.

They knew very well that touching it would mean the end of truce, peace, talks, and future, and they would have to endure a long and drawn-out war until one of them died.

Abandoning the south would be the start of utter chaos.

It would mean completely ruining Zion’s efforts to quell the chaos.

“Your Majesty.”

“Prince Erador.

You will take charge of the south.

While Princess Vanessa leads the expeditionary force and fights the Holy War, you will root out the other enemies threatening the kingdom.”

“···Couldn’t this have been entrusted to Princess Vanessa?”

Prince Erador raised a slight objection.

In fact, it was hard to see it as unreasonable. If the Holy War had been entrusted to Prince Erador and the pirate suppression to Princess Vanessa, everyone could have understood without any problems.

Edgar IV smiled and offered Prince Erador a rather sweet deal.

“It takes at least two weeks just to organize the expeditionary force.

And the Mortal Lands [likely a reference to the demon-infested lands where the Holy War will be fought] are very far from Hispania, so another two weeks will easily pass.

Adding in various other matters, it could easily take more than a month or even two.

Before Princess Vanessa begins her attack on the demons.”

“Are you saying···.”

“If Prince Erador, you finish your work within that time and return to the royal castle triumphantly, I will grant you a mission to follow as a rearguard of the expeditionary force.”

The moment Edgar IV finished speaking, Zion felt as if he could hear Prince Erador’s mind racing.

In fact, Prince Erador was busily rolling his eyes, deep in thought.

As his father, King Edgar IV of Hispania, said, it was giving him the opportunity to gain two achievements that would be greatly recognized even if he only achieved one.

There was no need to mention how important the southern sea route was, and only a fool would not know how significant the Holy War was in this world, which treated demons as evil.

“Princess Vanessa.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Now you know why I have put you in charge of the Holy War.”

At those words, both Princess Vanessa and Zion nodded.

Edgar IV was giving his daughter a warning and an opportunity at the same time.

Either don’t delay and give Prince Erador a chance, or find another way to completely remove Hispania’s expeditionary force from the Holy War.

‘The king knows it too.

That Prince Erador cannot finish the job in less than two months.

So, he is sending Vanessa to gain merit in the Holy War and get closer to the position of the next king!’

Indeed, when political battles were involved, siblings sharing the same blood became enemies in an instant.

Even their own father was encouraging competition, telling one to survive and become the ruler of this country.

“Of course, there is no doubt that both of you have been given difficult and challenging tasks.

So, I would like to suggest a way for you to receive even more public attention and support.”

Having said that, Edgar IV turned his gaze to Zion, as if he had left him behind for this purpose, and opened his mouth.

“Sir Zion Claussen.

You are intelligent, so you must understand the current situation.”

He understood it too well, which was the problem.

He was openly shown this important issue, as well as the internal conflict within the royal family.

What did this mean?

It meant he had to decide here.

Whether to help Princess Vanessa and participate in the Holy War, or to focus on resolving the situation in the south with Prince Erador.

‘Originally, I should have followed Vanessa to the Holy War without hesitation and thoroughly interfered with those Holy Prussen bastards···.’

If he openly supported Vanessa here, the image of ‘a nobleman who sincerely cares about Hispania’ that he had built up until now would collapse in an instant.

If someone who had been showing a negative attitude towards the Holy War suddenly followed Princess Vanessa, it could be seen as Zion Claussen, the war hero, and furthermore, the Claussen Margraviate [a territory ruled by a Margrave, a noble title], officially supporting Princess Vanessa and jumping into the succession battle.

‘But if I follow Prince Erador and try to resolve the situation in the south···.’

He felt a strong sense of betrayal towards Vanessa, who had even abandoned her pride as a princess and gotten angry for him.

In addition, Prince Erador, who already treated him as half an enemy, might cause trouble and annoy him.

“I am sorry to ask this of you, but aren’t heroes never allowed to rest?”

It felt like they were making a hero out of a mere twenty-year-old.

Was this because they needed a legitimate reason to exploit him like a dog!

Damn it, but Zion immediately discarded the thought of ‘should I betray him?’ because Edgar IV was not the kind of man who would use and discard him.

“What do you think?

The Holy War and the southern pirates.

Which do you think is the more important issue?”

He wasn’t just asking.

Depending on his answer, his future actions were very likely to be determined.

‘···Actually, I should see it as me choosing my own path of suffering.’

Of course, Zion had the option to refuse.

Even if he got some flak, he could just say he wanted to go home, stretch his legs, and get some sleep, or officially say that he was not in good condition and needed to rest, and no one would be able to say anything, given what he had done so far.

But the stability of the south and the Holy War were both important issues.

If something went wrong in either place, it would immediately increase the chaos, and the pointy-eared bastards and the Celestial Church followers would not miss the opportunity to cause trouble from all sides, and whether the Holy War succeeded or failed, the kingdom’s edge would be at its peak, and they would wield swords and spears indiscriminately against anyone suspected, regardless of whether they were of a different race or from Nudia.

‘Sigh.’

Yes, my fate was always meant to be like this.

It was a world thrown into chaos to survive, a situation one year before the apocalypse.

Leisure was bullshit, and living a rural life in some countryside was a distant dream.

Since he didn’t know when or how the novel would follow the original story, the most sensible thing to do now was to prevent, ruin, and literally wipe out everything the Celestial Church followers were doing, so that not even a speck of dust remained.

“Despite not having the talents of the three people here, Your Majesty, Prince Erador, and Princess Vanessa, I will answer because Your Majesty has asked.”

His answer was already decided from the beginning anyway.

Edgar IV knew that too, so he was asking this.

Zion decided not to show any signs of being intimidated or sorry.

‘This is not an ordinary place where ordinary people live, but the very center of a vast kingdom, literally a political arena.

We cannot go down a path where both sides fail for the sake of a moment’s trust.

We must compromise appropriately, find a solution within that, and seek a win-win path for each other.’

Zion looked at Princess Vanessa for a moment before continuing.

“If the south is shaken, there is a very high possibility that the already stabilized north will be shaken again.

So, if I have to choose, I would say that suppressing the southern pirates is the more important task.”

It was a question asking about importance, but Prince Erador and Princess Vanessa both knew that it implied the meaning of ‘who will you help.’

Therefore, Prince Erador raised an eyebrow, and Princess Vanessa frowned slightly and stared at Zion.

“Answering that way, I think you have clearly shown where you are thinking of going next.

Am I right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.

If possible, I would like to assist Prince Erador and focus on suppressing the pirates.”

At that, Prince Erador wore an expression that he couldn’t understand what Zion meant at all.

Naturally, Zion had shown a close relationship with Princess Vanessa until now, so the perception that they were already political partners was strong.

But suddenly, Zion said he would help him suppress the pirates, so it was bound to be strange.

If he failed or the situation worsened, Zion’s own political standing would naturally decrease significantly, so he had to succeed in the mission by assisting him unconditionally.

If he suppressed the pirates and quickly returned to the royal castle to depart as a rearguard of the expeditionary force, and even received the command, Princess Vanessa would end up being a mere accessory without gaining anything.

‘Is it because I, who opposed the Holy War, cannot participate as a member of that expeditionary force?’

Prince Erador thought that was the most likely possibility.

If someone who had opposed it to the point of arguing with a foreign envoy suddenly followed Princess Vanessa, he would definitely be caught up in uncomfortable gazes and rumors that could not be taken lightly.

‘···I don’t know whether to welcome this or be wary of it.’

Unlike Prince Erador, who was thinking about the future while thinking that way.

Zion had already thought of all the plans and even run simulations.

Why the old saying that internal enemies are more frightening than external enemies exists.

He was going to teach Prince Erador a crash course from now on.

‘I’m rising, and you’re sinking.’

Prince Erador was confident and receptive to the opinions of those around him when he first started a job.

But when things started to go wrong, he kept trying to avoid responsibility, distrusted those he should trust, and, above all, couldn’t distinguish when to take risks and when not to.

These were fatal flaws that were not revealed when he was a prince, but became apparent as he got closer to the position of the next king.

‘I’ll let you live.

Instead, leave everything but your life behind and go.’

What did Prince Erador do to deserve this?

Nothing much.

It’s just that he was a person who was very likely to block his path.

He had to get rid of him quickly when he could, so that his future self wouldn’t curse his past self.

‘Don’t postpone the trouble you have to deal with today until tomorrow.’

You’ll end up shitting blood.