Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 174

174―――――

The Last Gift

Sizzle—.

After a week-long voyage, Prince Erader, who had finally set foot on land and drifted into a deep sleep, suddenly felt an intense red glow on his eyelids and opened his eyes.

With a sense of foreboding, he quickly got out of bed and looked out the window.

“Damn it… those bastards!”

He spat out words that would have earned him a stern lecture from the chamberlain about maintaining the dignity of the royal family, then immediately jumped up and rushed out of the room.

Soon, Prince Erader encountered Count Bremen Isik, who was also hurrying out, looking just as flustered.

“Your Highness!”

“Count Bremen, what’s going on? Could it be…?”

“Yes. It seems the pirates who were secretly following us on our return have launched a surprise attack in the night. They must have realized we were exhausted from the voyage and battle.”

“Those treacherous bastards…”

Night battles can inflict critical damage on the enemy, but conversely, they can also endanger one’s own forces.

This is true on land, but even more so on the far more dangerous and unpredictable seas.

Yet, as if mocking such concerns, the pirates had launched a surprise attack under the cover of darkness.

“There were patrol boats, but they were insufficient in the dark. The general situation has been assessed, and Duke Zion Clausen is preparing to engage the pirates approaching the harbor.”

“Duke Zion?”

Upon hearing Count Bremen’s words, Prince Erader paused to consider the situation, then quickly headed to where Zion was preparing to set sail.

There, he found Zion, along with Heman Isik, assessing the situation.

“Duke Zion Clausen.”

“Your Highness? What brings you here so suddenly…?”

“I heard you’re setting sail to eliminate the pirates near the coast.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then, how about using the ship I was on?”

“The ship you were on, Your Highness?”

Heman and Zion asked almost simultaneously.

Once a ship is assigned, it’s rarely given to someone else. Yet, the prince was offering his ship without hesitation.

“I was planning to go back to sea in a few days, so it’s somewhat prepared, though not perfectly. In this urgent situation, it can handle a short battle without needing extra preparations.”

At those words, Count Bremen gave his son a look, urging him to answer quickly.

Thanks to that, Heman, acting as the captain, agreed, and Zion nodded as well.

As they watched the combat personnel board the ship that was already docked, Count Bremen spoke.

“As expected of Your Highness. My son’s ship isn’t bad, but Your Highness’s ship is the newest and certainly superior. We’ll surely be able to drive away the pirates without much difficulty.”

“Indeed. That’s why I offered the ship.”

Prince Erader replied with a cold smile.

‘Yes, the ship is newly built, so it will boast excellent performance. But what about the captain on that ship? What about the crew? What about the combat personnel? Are they all in good condition?’

Absolutely not.

The only change is that Zion is on board instead of him; the rest are the same.

In other words, Zion Clausen would have to fight leading men who were already somewhat exhausted from sailing and combat.

‘Moreover, if the pirates have been watching our movements, they must have identified the flagship to some extent, and they will definitely try to target my ship.’

Whether the prince is on that ship or not doesn’t matter much.

In naval battles, burning or sinking a ship that important figures have been on can have a significant impact. The pirates would surely target the flagship even as they retreated.

That’s the only way they could undermine the kingdom’s morale, even if just a little.

“We should also check each area. If any pirates have landed during the chaos, it could disrupt future operations.”

“We’ve already dispatched soldiers in all directions for a search operation. Most of them are familiar with the people in the harbor, so they’ll be able to identify suspicious individuals quickly.”

“That’s good news, Count Bremen.”

Things were going exactly as he had planned.

Prince Erader thought that if Zion suffered a little more damage here, he could perfectly wrap up the affairs in the south.

‘Yes, exactly in the best way I had imagined.’

The events that began at midnight finally ended around dawn.

Fortunately, the overall damage to Sardena was not significant. This was perhaps natural, as the battle had broken out when the pirate ship entered the harbor and was intercepted by those on guard and the ships there.

However, it couldn’t be said that there was no damage at all.

In fact, the damage elsewhere was significant precisely because the damage to the harbor was minimal.

“…I’m sorry, Your Highness. It’s all my fault.”

Heman Isik stood with his head bowed like a sinner.

As Prince Erader looked at Zion Clausen, who was also looking down and silent, he laughed inwardly.

He had only vaguely anticipated and hoped for it, but things had truly turned out perfectly.

They had driven away the pirates, capturing some and half-killing others in a victory.

However, in the process, there was damage: many of the crew and combat personnel on the ship that Zion and Heman were on were injured or wounded. Moreover, as if the pirates had made a pact, they had all swarmed in, nearly causing the ship to be captured.

It was an inevitable outcome.

Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well try to capture and burn the ship that the Prince of Hispania was on, or might still be on, which would shock the kingdom.

“No, Heman. The pirates were desperate because they realized they were cornered, so the damage was greater; there’s no need to blame yourself too much.”

“…I’m sorry, Father.”

“Duke Zion, there’s no need to be discouraged either. Anyone who knows the sea will recognize that protecting the ship against more than twice the number of enemies is a great achievement.”

“It’s comforting to hear you say that. Thank you, Count Bremen Isik.”

After replying to Count Bremen, Zion looked at Prince Erader and bowed his head.

Prince Erader waved his hand as if to say it was nothing.

“Night battles are difficult, and fighting at sea is even more so. Duke Zion, you are blameless and fought with all your might, as I know better than anyone, so don’t worry. Rather, you and Heman have done a great service. The greater the enemy’s damage, the greater the damage to our own forces, so don’t be too concerned.”

“…Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.”

After replying, Zion and Heman, looking quite tired from the battle, expressed their intention to withdraw first.

After granting their request, Prince Erader and Count Bremen Isik watched them leave.

“The timing wasn’t good, and perhaps due to the unique circumstances of being at sea, even the war hero Duke Zion Clausen couldn’t minimize the damage. Your Highness, if you were disappointed…”

“Disappointed? On the contrary, I’m very pleased. The fact that the ship wasn’t captured despite so many attacks is thanks to the efforts of Duke Heman and Duke Zion. Of course, the captain must have worked a little harder.”

Prince Erader subtly favored Heman Isik, the heir to the Isik family and Count Bremen’s son.

This clearly showed that he valued the Isik family, his supporters, more than Zion, who supported Princess Vanessa, his rival.

Count Bremen smiled slightly and expressed his satisfaction.

‘I can’t cut him off completely. After all, he’s the one who will eventually take over Clausen. But he mustn’t become an obstacle. Here, in this place filled with my supporters, I must prevent his name or reputation from spreading. I won’t apologize, Zion Clausen.’

If you’re smart, you’ll know how ruthless power can be. And you’ll know how dirty the political arena, the heart of it, is.

Prince Erader thought as he looked in the direction where Zion had disappeared, and smiled.

After a short break, the nobles of the south talked about the recent events, lamenting that even Zion Clausen, a great war hero, couldn’t perform well at sea.

“Well, he’s from the Clausen March [a northern territory], so it couldn’t be helped.”

“He only needs to be good at fighting on land there.”

“There’s nowhere to fight naval battles in the north either…”

“…He’s not a good fit for the south.”

“But why did His Majesty send Duke Zion, knowing that?”

“Perhaps he hoped that he would show genius even at sea…”

“…But unfortunately, the battle at sea…”

“Perhaps it was to gain experience…”

“…But unfortunately, the battle at sea…”

Prince Erader, Heman Isik, and Zion himself were all aware of the numerous comments being made.

One man was smiling, another was depressed, and the last man was…

“Meow, meow, meow, meow!”

“Whoa, is that really just a simple cat punch? If I get hit by that, I’ll just go down, won’t I?”

He was admiring Ria’s cat punch, which she called an improved version of her affection. And he was doing so with a very calm expression, so relaxed.

Lilith was the one showing a bewildered reaction.

“…Zion?”

“Yes, Lilith.”

“My stomach is boiling right now, but aren’t you angry?”

“Me?”

That was his reaction, as if wondering what she was talking about.

“No, doesn’t this situation feel like a big deal to you?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Ugh! Are you doing this on purpose? Are you afraid that if I get disappointed, I’ll get angry and tear that prince or whatever to pieces?!”

“It’s not that, but please don’t do that. I don’t want to see your pretty hands get dirty.”

“What…”

Lilith was caught off guard and clutched her chest.

Whether that man was doing it on purpose or just instinctively blurting out words, he had a knack for gently tickling and sometimes shaking the other person’s heart. Combined with his fraudulent good looks, even a succubus couldn’t stand there nonchalantly.

“Cough, cough! If, if you say so, I won’t get my hands dirty. Don’t worry.”

“That’s good. Ah, Trisha. Don’t you dare say, ‘Then I can just burn it all cleanly.’ I told you that you’ll get in trouble if you keep saying such fiery things.”

“…Tch.”

Trisha immediately pouted her lips at Zion’s warning.

Even in the midst of all this, the fire woman was looking at Ria and Zion with quite sparkling eyes, very envious of Ria, who was playing with Zion.

“First of all, I know what Lilith is worried about and what she’s angry about. You don’t like the current situation in the south and the ‘disappointed’ looks I’m getting, right?”

“Yes! Honestly, if you hadn’t told me to stay put, I would have torn those pirates and that prince to pieces right away. Who do they think they are to judge my things? I could chew them up and spit them out.”

Zion let out an awkward laugh at her rather eerie grumbling.

He was fine, but he didn’t know why the women around him kept getting angry.

‘Maybe Rishi would have been furious if she were here.’

Perhaps Kim Yoo-hyun would have been annoyed without even realizing it.

But Zion really didn’t care.

‘Because I expected it.’

Someone too perfect becomes an object of vigilance and jealousy.

Why do the genius protagonists in coming-of-age dramas receive such enthusiastic support from others? It’s because they experience failure and frustration due to their circumstances despite having talent, yet they don’t give up and grow, eventually becoming ‘winners,’ which gives people a sense of vicarious satisfaction. At the same time, they feel a sense of accomplishment, as if they have contributed to the success of the protagonist by supporting him.

‘Things have been going too well lately. I need to stumble at least once to ease the nobles’ wariness and jealousy. I need to be seen not as someone who annoyingly does everything well, but as someone who, even if they don’t like him, will inevitably succeed. That’s how the future will be easier.’

Don’t win foolishly, lose smartly.

Zion once again recalled the profound words of his great sage father and sent praise today as well.

“And you know, Lilith.”

“Yeah?”

“Even if I don’t do anything, that prince is going to screw himself over anyway.”

“…How do you know that?”

“There are people like that. A type that becomes more suspicious and shrinks back when things go well. They worry that if things are going too perfectly, they’ll be swept away by the rapids and drown.”

“Isn’t that a natural worry? Everyone is wary when things go too well.”

“Of course, that’s true too. But you have to choose the right time for that. Even when the situation is completely in their favor, they hesitate because they don’t have the confidence to control it, and they can be swept away by the current.”

“Hmm…”

“And one more thing. If they fail because they hesitated, they have to admit it’s their fault, but there are always those kinds of people. The type that blames others and looks for a scapegoat. Prince Erader is exactly that kind of guy. Not a third-rate, but a second-rate at best. He can never be first-rate.”

Erader Ragon Hispania is decent as a ‘prince’ of a country. However, he can never be a strong and outstanding ruler.

‘A person who gets caught in his own dilemma and can’t find the right time to push forward or retreat. Yet, he hates to admit his own mistakes and always blames others, slipping away himself. If such a person is a king, who would truly follow him? In the end, it’s just a game of chicken to see who betrays first.’

Zion yawned widely and continued.

“Just watch, he’ll soon fall for his own trick and screw himself over. And then he’ll blame someone else for his fall, not his own fault, right? It’ll be a spectacular sight. Until then, I’m just taking one last gift. It’s okay to eat before you die, right?”

―――――――Author’s Notes―――――――

You see a lot of petty behavior, right?

But that’s how it is when you see it all…

Whether it’s people living, power, or politics, it’s all similar.

They nitpick and drag things out, fighting worse than children, but that makes it easy to find justification and leaves a good impression on people.

I think even if it’s not all fiction, more than half of the cool intellectual battles are fiction…

So please give me a recommendation as a gift…

(Bowing)