My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 301

301. Rebellion

Shian’s thoughts froze for a moment.

The flow of thought stopped, and his mind stalled.

The news that the investigation team’s heads had arrived at the Imperial Palace.

It couldn’t even be compared to Aria causing a ruckus.

This meant…

It was as good as saying the investigation team at the Imperial Palace was dead.

To be precise, it was as good as saying they had been murdered.

And the place the Imperial Palace investigation team went to investigate was Elan Dur.

“Could it be… did it happen in Elan Dur?”

“We are currently confirming.”

Conrad didn’t give a definite answer.

That’s because he had just received the information.

There was no clear evidence yet that Elan Dur had done it.

Of course, the circumstances of Elan Dur were suspicious.

However, that was not proof that Elan Dur had committed the act.

The investigation team on the way to Elan Dur.

Or the investigation team on the way back to the Imperial Palace.

At any time, someone else had enough time to attack the investigation team.

So, the only thing that was certain was…

The Imperial Palace investigation team was murdered.

“But we are focusing on Elan Dur.”

However, Conrad was almost certain it was Elan Dur.

And Shian’s thoughts were not much different from Conrad’s.

The Imperial Palace investigation team.

They were none other than the Royal Knights.

Skilled individuals, all members were Experts [individuals who have mastered their craft].

The Empire’s premier knight order, protecting the Imperial Family.

To attack, subdue, and murder such a knight order?

How many places in the Empire could do such a thing?

It wasn’t a matter of how many, but it was already determined.

Of course, an investigation was necessary, but…

It was safe to assume that Elan Dur was the culprit.

‘What are you doing…?’

So, Shian wondered what this was all about.

He wondered what Isabel was doing.

The Imperial Palace investigation team was not just a simple investigation team.

They were the ones carrying out the Emperor’s will and orders.

In other words, they were backed by the Emperor’s name.

They were no different from the Emperor’s representatives.

To attack and murder such an investigation team.

‘Committing treason?’

This was treason.

It wasn’t just close to treason.

It was simply treason.

Treason that no excuse could justify.

‘What are you thinking?’

That’s why Shian couldn’t understand at all.

No matter how cornered they were.

No matter how far Elan Dur had gone.

Treason was something that should never be done.

Of course, Elan Dur’s current situation was terrible.

Their power had collapsed due to the war with Ruben.

They had become the Empire’s enemy and were being criticized by everyone.

Frankly, it was true that they had nothing more to lose.

However, it didn’t mean the destruction of Elan Dur.

Even if it was revealed that they were colluding with demons.

And even if all those involved were purged.

The Elan Dur family itself would not be destroyed.

If they groveled and begged for mercy, they could live a miserable life.

Isabel and the rest of Elan Dur’s bloodline would not be able to survive.

However, Elan Dur’s collateral lines could survive.

But if they committed treason, everything would be over.

Not only those involved, but everyone with the name of Elan Dur would be wiped out.

The name of Elan Dur would completely disappear from this Empire.

It was a move that should never be made…

‘Are you crazy…?’

Frankly, that’s all he could think.

Isabel couldn’t withstand the mental pressure and had gone mad.

After the war with Ruben.

Elan Dur had completely collapsed.

On top of that, they had become the Empire’s enemy and were being criticized by people.

It was easy to say it like this.

But the pressure the person involved would receive would be enormous.

So, Isabel couldn’t withstand the pressure and had gone mad.

She had gone mad due to the mental pressure, and she committed this act as part of it.

But if this wasn’t the case…

‘Do you have confidence?’

It meant that she was confident in winning against the Imperial Family.

It was as good as saying that she had the power to overthrow the Imperial Family by committing treason.

Furthermore, she had the power to devour the entire Empire.

If that wasn’t the case, there was no reason for Isabel to commit such a crazy act.

But.

‘No.’

Shian shook his head firmly.

As he said, Elan Dur was currently on the verge of collapse.

Due to the war with Ruben, Elan Dur currently had no power.

The White Wolf Knights, who were on par with the Royal Knights.

The White Wolf Knights were no more.

In that situation, to commit treason against the Imperial Family?

It was practically turning the entire Charlotte Empire into an enemy, could Elan Dur handle that?

Currently, even Shian and Ruben couldn’t guarantee anything against the Imperial Family.

Even Ruben was like this, but Elan Dur was committing treason?

Did Isabel not know that?

It was impossible.

Even if he included the demon part, he couldn’t nod his head.

Unless the Holy Empire stepped in…

‘The Holy Empire…?’

At that moment, thoughts flashed through Shian’s mind.

Rachel, who was the leader of the Twilight Sect.

Elan Dur, who was with such Rachel.

Isabel, who had been strangely unresponsive all along.

Cardinal Lahir, who came as an envoy this time.

The situation of the Papal States, which had been stained with demons a thousand years ago.

Finally, the act of treason that killed the investigation team.

They were all separate puzzles.

They were pieces that were messily intertwined in his head.

Now, one by one, they were starting to find their place.

And it was strangely, really strangely, starting to fit together.

The picture that the assembled puzzle pointed to was one.

‘Could it be…’

A truly unexpected guess.

That guess was starting to turn into a certain degree of conviction.

The Charlotte Empire and the Holy Empire.

‘Did you prepare for war…?’

The unprecedented war in which the two overlords of the continent would clash.

Isabel was preparing this last resort.

#

Shian seriously pondered the related issues.

Of course, it was true that the guess had turned into a certain degree of conviction.

But it was still just a guess…

There was no way around it.

That’s why Shian couldn’t help but worry.

Should he tell Conrad this fact or not.

If it was true, he should definitely tell him.

But what if it wasn’t true?

War with the Holy Empire or something.

What if he made all the fuss and it wasn’t true?

This was not a problem to be approached simply.

So, Shian pondered for a very long time.

“Your Highness. I apologize for being presumptuous, but…”

After a long deliberation, he decided to speak.

The risk of speaking and it not being true.

The risk of not speaking and it being true.

It was obvious which one was bigger.

“This issue seems to be more complicated than you think.”

“A complicated issue?”

“It doesn’t seem like a simple rebellion…”

Conrad tilted his head at Shian’s words.

Shian explained his previous thoughts to Conrad in detail.

The story that was neither too long nor too short ended.

“Heo…”

Conrad let out a great sigh.

Shian opened his mouth to Conrad.

“But this is just a guess. We need to check whether it’s true or not…”

“However, would the Holy Empire leave any related information? Assuming what you said is true, it means that all preparations have been completed since the time the envoy came.”

Shian nodded.

The fact that they had revealed their appearance to the front.

Furthermore, the fact that Isabel had taken action.

That meant that the preparations were already completed, as Conrad said.

Perhaps even if they searched, no related information would come out.

But.

“We have an excellent informant in Ruben. Diana, who used to lead the Shadow Moon Guild…”

“Shadow Moon, are you talking about the guild that dominated the underworld?”

“That’s right.”

The Empire’s premier information guild, Shadow Moon.

Diana’s ability was so outstanding that even Crown Prince Conrad knew her name.

“But it’s about the Holy Empire, not any other place. I don’t know the reputation of Shadow Moon, but… is it possible?”

Even so, it was by no means an easy task.

As he said, it was about the Holy Empire, not the Charlotte Empire.

In particular, the citizens of the Holy Empire were all united by faith.

It was not easy to obtain information from the Papal States against such people.

“It is possible.”

But Shian nodded without hesitation.

Of course, it might not be possible with Diana’s ability alone.

But what Shian believed in was not just Diana.

《I’ll pierce through you, I’ll figure you out! Information Agency Lv.2》

《You’re going to pierce through? Hmph! I’ll block you! Security Facility Lv.1》

The P2W [Pay to Win] facilities of Mobile Lord.

If he used the information facilities, he could dig into the Holy Empire, no matter how much it was.

Of course, even this might be insufficient.

‘Then I’ll just P2W more.’

If that’s the case, he’ll just P2W more then.

He spent 1.1 billion on the DLC [Downloadable Content], but Shian still had about 1 billion gold left in the treasury.

Anyway, with P2W and Diana’s ability, it was definitely possible.

“However, it will take some time…”

“You want me to wait until then?”

“Can you do that?”

Shian asked cautiously.

That’s because this was a matter of the Imperial Palace’s pride and face.

There was no need to go far.

To punish the crime of treason and watch the situation?

How ridiculous would the Imperial Family look to people?

That’s why Conrad must have been thinking of striking Elan Dur at the same time as the investigation.

He could tell just by looking at the Royal Knights who were moving busily until just now.

But he couldn’t do that now.

“You can punish Elan Dur for the crime of treason now, but you can’t predict what variables there will be.”

If all of the above guesses were true.

All of this was Isabel’s scheme.

Moving Rachel to devour the Holy Empire.

Not caring about Elan Dur’s reputation and not responding.

To be precise, she was drawing attention to that situation and carrying out behind-the-scenes work.

And now all the preparations were completed.

Isabel killed the Imperial Palace investigation team, pulling the fuse of the plan.

It was a meticulous plan that even Shian had missed.

To be precise, he didn’t even think that she would find such a breakthrough in that predicament.

In this meticulous and meticulous plan.

Could Isabel not have thought that the Imperial Family would move?

Of course, she thought about it.

The fact that she committed treason with confidence meant that she had confidence.

Confidence that she could fight back even if the Imperial Family came.

Perhaps it was another scheme waiting for the Imperial Family to lead the troops.

So, it could be a feint operation.

He didn’t know which one yet.

But in any case, it was not good to move rashly.

“However, His Majesty will not stand still.”

“Can Your Highness persuade His Majesty? I will move as quickly as possible.”

“Hmm…”

Conrad fell into deep thought at Shian’s words.

But the thought didn’t last long.

“If what you said is true… it’s not a problem to be dismissed as a simple rebellion, as you said.”

Then Conrad nodded and said.

“It will be difficult… but I will try it once.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Thanks for what. If that’s true, we should be thanking you.”

Conrad waved his hand with a good-natured smile.

Shian bowed his head and moved his feet.

“Then I will move right away.”

“Are you saying you’re going to Ruben right now?”

“Yes.”

Shian nodded without hesitation.

Of course, he could send a letter and handle the work.

But as the situation was, Shian needed to go and direct the work himself.

‘I don’t have anything to do in the Imperial Palace anymore.’

He downloaded the DLC content.

He secured gold from the treasury.

He exposed Elan Dur’s atrocities in detail.

In many ways, it was time to return to Ruben.

But why?

“Hmm…”

Conrad swallowed and looked down.

He looked like he had some kind of problem.

To be precise, he looked like he had something to say to Shian.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No, it’s nothing special…”

Then Conrad showed a slightly troubled look.

He hesitated and didn’t open his mouth easily.

He wondered what it was for a moment.

“It’s a story that doesn’t fit the current situation… but can you meet Elena once before you leave?”

“Are you talking about the Princess…?”

“Yes.”

Conrad nodded and continued.

“Actually… I was going to set up a meeting since you said you were coming to the Imperial Palace.”

“Are you talking about me and the Princess?”

“Me and His Majesty too.”

“…?”

Shian tilted his head without realizing it.

Elena, Conrad, and Balua were going to set up a meeting?

The Princess, the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor.

Wasn’t this a meeting of the Imperial Family?

“Why would you invite me to such a meeting…?”

“No, it’s nothing special. I was going to talk about this and that. But suddenly the situation has become like this…”

Conrad looked very troubled.

“I can’t set up a meeting, but you don’t know when you’ll come again if you leave this time. So, can you meet Elena for a moment before you leave?”

Conrad asked Shian with a sincere expression.

He didn’t look like the Crown Prince.

At this moment, Conrad was just an older brother who cared for his younger sister.

He didn’t know why Conrad was suddenly like this.

But what was so difficult about meeting once and leaving?

“I will meet her right now.”

Shian nodded without thinking much.

#

Elena’s room located in the Imperial Palace.

Shian was sitting alone in Elena’s room.

And the reason why Shian was alone in Elena’s room was simple.

Elena was away for a while.

So, Shian said he would come back later.

But the maid in charge grabbed him so much.

Well, there was also Conrad’s earnest request, so Shian was waiting in Elena’s room.

A woman’s room and a princess’s room.

“I heard that Elena is using the room that Leia used to use.”

Last time he heard that Elena was using the room that Leia used to use.

They had a conversation about it.

Anyway.

Shian looked around, well…

A room with an interior that was like the Imperial Palace.

And a room with the scent of a woman.

Shian roughly checked the atmosphere of the room and turned his gaze.

And to wait for Elena.

He fiddled with the Mobile Lord system that was floating in front of his eyes.

“It’s amazing the more I look at it.”

A scene that seemed to be actually in front of him.

But a virtual scene that only Shian could see.

Shian waved his hands here and there and fiddled with the Mobile Lord.

Then suddenly.

『[Main Story Quest] – ‘Approaching Fate’

▶Read the ‘DLC Content – Kyle’s Journal’ completely.』

-Reward: Kyle’s Legacy

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.

“Huh?”

He could check a quest he hadn’t seen before.

It looked like a newly updated quest.

“When did I receive it?”

The problem was that he didn’t remember receiving the quest.

“Was it when I was looking at Kyle’s memories?”

It seemed like he had unknowingly received the quest at that time.

Shian calmly checked the reward and contents of the quest.

The reward was none other than Kyle’s Legacy.

And the content of the quest was simple.

To read Kyle’s journal completely.

Frankly, it wasn’t difficult.

But ironically, it was something he couldn’t do right now.

《Due to maintenance, ‘DLC Content – Kyle’s Journal’ cannot be executed.》

《We are very sorry for the inconvenience.》

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Kyle’s journal could not be executed due to maintenance.

To be precise, maintenance was only being carried out on the DLC items.

Mobile Lord systems other than DLC could be used normally.

And was it because they were only maintaining the DLC?

《My body is burning up! Fireeeee─!!》

As expected, the Mobile Lord was babbling nonsense as usual.

Shian pressed the X button on the notification window that appeared in front of his eyes.

Then he calmly looked down and fell into thought.

The space he saw in Kyle’s memory.

To be precise, the pure white space he saw at the end.

What was that space?

Also, who was the unidentified man in that space?

Above all, the last words the man left behind.

It doesn’t seem like it’s time to come here yet.

That was naturally the words left to Kyle.

That’s because Shian didn’t exist there.

Shian was simply peeking into Kyle’s memories.

A thousand years ago, only Kyle went to that space.

So, the man would only see Kyle.

“But it felt like he was talking to me.”

But strangely, it felt like he was talking to Shian.

It was absurd, but he strangely felt that way.

If that was really the case.

If those words were said to Shian.

“Did Kyle stay in that space?”

He would have stayed in that space and talked to the man.

Then what did Kyle talk about with that man?

Furthermore, what was the identity of that man?

“Hmm…”

Thoughts were added, but there was nothing he could know.

No assumptions or possibilities came to mind.

The only way was to check Kyle’s memory again after the maintenance was over.

“It’s not urgent right now.”

What was urgent now was the war between the Charlotte Empire and the Holy Empire.

He had to figure out the truth first.

So, Shian shook off his thoughts.

And just when he was wondering when Elena would come.

Knock knock.

-Count Shian? Are you inside?

Elena’s voice was heard from outside the door.