Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 188

188

That path is hell.

“Sir Zion Klausen.
What did you just say…”

“Ah, it seems the Prince didn’t quite catch what I said.”

Zion grinned and spoke again, this time a little louder.

Loud enough for the surrounding nobles to hear, very clearly.

“Unfortunately, the Griffin unit.
Cannot be with the Prince…”

Suppressing the laughter bubbling up inside, Zion wore a very regretful expression and even gestured apologetically.

Thanks to this, Prince Erader could only blink and stare blankly at him.

“Sir Zion Klausen?”

“Yes, Count Bremen Isik.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?
That the Griffin unit cannot be with the Prince.
Could there be some problem with the unit itself…”

“I wouldn’t say there are no problems at all.
Certainly, they’ve been roaming the seas throughout the voyage, searching for and attacking pirate ships, and finally attacking the pirates’ base.”

Zion started like that.

But that wasn’t his real intention.

“But with a few days of adequate rest, they could certainly carry out operations.”

“Then it doesn’t seem like there’s a problem.
The Prince isn’t setting sail immediately either, but will be preparing for departure for a day or two…”

“Even so, the Griffin unit will not be going out with Prince Erader.”

Zion cut off Count Bremen’s words right away.

Thanks to that, Prince Erader, who had regained his senses, opened his mouth as if he didn’t understand, and with a slightly angry voice.

“Why on earth can’t the Griffin unit be with me?
In the current situation, I have the authority to command all military groups, even temporarily, as I have come down to the south under His Majesty’s orders. Zion Klausen, the war hero, knows that better than anyone, doesn’t he?”

Prince Erader was right.

The ‘commander’ dispatched under the King’s orders had the authority to mobilize and operate even the soldiers of noble territories with a certain degree of independence, if deemed necessary.

This was in preparation for times when nobles might not cooperate due to their own interests or other reasons in national crises such as war.

However, in most cases, the nobles in the area would cooperate as much as possible before the commander even mentioned using such authority, because defying the commander could lead to the perception of directly opposing the royal family, which could result in being branded as a traitor.

“Of course, I know.
Prince Erader is a commander who has come with a military purpose to subjugate the pirates in the south under His Majesty’s orders.
So you can temporarily control all military power in the region.”

“…You know it well.
Then I will formally request, Sir Zion Klausen.”

Prince Erader had now completely erased even the smile he had been wearing out of courtesy and was looking at Zion Klausen with sharp eyes.

“I would like you to temporarily hand over the operation of the Griffin unit, along with the newly created warship tailored to the new strategy you have devised.
Since you have almost won the battle anyway, the Griffin unit won’t have to suffer as much as before.
Just their presence alone will put pressure on the pirates.”

“Is that so.”

“I’m making a request now, but if you continue to refuse, I may not be able to help it.”

He was trying to be subtle, but in the end, he was telling him to hand it over nicely and step back.

At that, Zion bit his lip slightly and nodded.

“If you request it as a commander, I have no choice.
Then, wishing nothing goes wrong, I will have my people hand over the warship I modified.”

At that reaction, Prince Erader let out a sigh of relief and smiled again.

As if to say, ‘No matter how much you refuse, I am the one who received authority from the King, so of course you can’t do anything about it.’

But as the saying goes, ‘You should always listen to what people have to say until the end.’

“Thank you, Sir Zion.
Then…”

“The flagship without the Griffin unit won’t have much to do on the sea anyway, so I should tell them to take a long break for once.”

“…What?
Sir Zion, what did you just say?”

“I said the Griffin unit is going on a break?”

At Zion’s answer, Prince Erader frowned, looking quite displeased.

He had been speaking nicely and trying to give Zion Klausen as much credit as possible, asking for minimal concessions that wouldn’t harm him, but he was now refusing even that.

“Sir Zion.
Are you serious right now?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Even though I am a commander who received orders from His Majesty?”

“That’s why I said I would hand over the warship, didn’t I?”

“I wouldn’t be making this request if I didn’t need the Griffin unit as well as the warship!
Although you came to the south with me under His Majesty’s orders, the command is still mine.
A royal-appointed commander in charge of a region has the authority to operate even the soldiers of noble territories if necessary…”

“…has the authority to operate them.
I know.
I am clearly aware.”

Zion nodded, emphasizing that it was the most basic thing that any nobleman in Hispania would know.

That was the powerful authority of the royal family that ruled Hispania, and a forbidden area that nobles should never defy.

But even in such a forbidden area, there are always loopholes.

“But Prince Erader.
When the royal family appoints and dispatches a commander to oversee a region, the commander can only use soldiers within that region.
Aren’t you aware of that?
So, Your Highness currently has the authority to operate troops in the noble territories of the ‘southern region’.”

“What is that…”

Then suddenly, Prince Erader realized.

Come to think of it, even if the ship Zion modified was originally from the southern region, the Griffin unit was definitely not from the south.

They were from the eastern edge of Hispania, the shield of the kingdom that always firmly guarded the gates, the ‘Klausen’ March!

“Do you understand now?”

Zion slightly raised the corner of his mouth, creating a very obnoxious atmosphere, but one that no one could dare to easily criticize, and continued to speak.

“No matter how much Your Highness is the commander of the southern region, you cannot have any authority over those who are territory citizens and soon-to-be soldiers of the Klausen March.
They are just people who flew all the way here from the distant east at my request.”

“Such…”

“Royal commanders only have the authority to operate troops within that region.
Therefore, those who belong entirely to the Klausen March in the east, not the people of the south, are beyond the reach of that authority, and therefore, I can legally ‘refuse’ Your Highness’s request.”

“S, Sir Zion!”

“Therefore, I will state my intention once again, Prince Erader.

The Griffin unit will withdraw from the operation with me and go on a break.
However, I would like to inform you that you can operate the flagship, as it belongs to the southern side.”

The flagship without the Griffin is just a huge ship that is a bit large and clumsy.

It is truly a useless ship, nothing more and nothing less.

There was no way Prince Erader wouldn’t know that.

For him, who needed the Griffin unit no matter what, even if Zion was sent out, it was nothing short of a bolt from the blue [a sudden and unexpected shock].

“Listen, Sir Zion!
This is, this is a path for the country.
So…”

“Your Highness judged that I was very tired and said that the hero who brought victory to Hispania should not be harmed, so you told me to step back for a while.
When you think about it, the Griffins and their riders are heroes who have suffered much more and contributed much more than I have.
If I take a break, shouldn’t they also take a break unconditionally?
They are the ones who brought victory to Hispania, what if they get hurt?”

Zion was using the logic that Prince Erader had used against him.

You’ve already done enough, and if you fight with a tired body, you’ll lose more, so go in and rest!

Zion was now perfectly using Prince Erader’s words.

‘Now you have two choices?
Give up cleanly and step back, or change your mind now and say that it’s better for Sir Zion to fight!

Of course, I don’t think you’ll choose the latter.’

When he told him to go and rest because he was tired, but as soon as he said he would exclude the Griffin unit, he immediately changed his words and said, ‘Actually, it’s better for Sir Zion to finish it!’

At that moment, Prince Erader would show his supporters that he was surrendering to Zion Klausen, and furthermore, to Princess Vanessa.

The moment a leader of a group publicly bends his pride like this, the group collapses.

Therefore, Zion thought that Prince Erader would bite his lip and back down at this point.

‘Actually, in the current situation, the Griffin unit is not really necessary.’

Prince Erader himself even admitted that the pirates’ morale had been broken by the sudden Griffin attacks and the attack on their base.

If so, he could just set sail and push forward, but why is he so obsessed with the Griffin?

Zion could roughly guess Prince Erader’s thoughts.

‘You want to finish it off in a stylish way?
No way, you bastard.’

You should be grateful just for giving up the last hit, where are you trying to turn on the happy circuit [to become overly optimistic or excited]?

Thinking that way, Zion decided that it would be better for him to coolly disappear at this point and was about to open his mouth.

“…I!”

I?

“Am I not making this request!
This is a matter of Hispania’s future, the eradication of pirates.
Are you saying you won’t cooperate at this important time when we must cleanly eliminate the pirates!”

“…I’m not saying I won’t cooperate, but I’m saying that Your Highness mentioned authority, and I said that I’m not within that authority, didn’t I?”

“I’ll take care of that part separately.
So, I’m telling you to have the Griffin unit participate in the war!
Sir Zion Klausen!
This is an order from Erader Ragon Hispania, the First Prince of Hispania!”

At those words, Zion wondered if he had heard something wrong.

No, in a place like this, in a space with many nobles who are very sensitive to pressure, he’s spouting words that should never be uttered?

‘Is this bastard finally crazy?’

It seemed that he had lost his mind because things were not going his way at all.

Zion sighed inwardly and decided to trample on that scoundrel.

It was quite an enjoyable mud fight, but if you suddenly start whining like that after fighting hard, the fun and passion fade away, and only disgust fills the place.

“Prince Erader.

If that’s what you say, it is understood as meaning that you intend to expand that authority to the Klausen March in a distant place, even though you are the commander of the south.
If you insist on giving such an ‘order’, I would have to think about it a bit.
But, are you really okay with that?”

At those words, Prince Erader and the surrounding nobles looked at Zion as if wondering what he was talking about.

“The only one who can temporarily set aside the rights of nobles and declare mobilization, regardless of the region, is His Majesty the King, the rightful ruler of Hispania and our monarch.
It sounds like Prince Erader is now saying that he is His Majesty the King, am I wrong?”

“What…!”

Even the lowest-ranking rural noble, even the great nobles who could be somewhat dignified in front of princes and princesses, all had no choice but to feel a chill down their spines at the magic word.

Even the eldest son of the King could not be free from that word, no, rather, he had to be even more careful of the fear itself because he was the eldest son.

“Depending on the listener, it may sound like you have ‘other intentions’.”

“Zion Klausen!”

A fierce but slightly urgent shout burst from Prince Erader’s mouth.

Everyone gathered there knew that the other intention Zion was talking about meant ‘rebellion’.

However, he had tried to say it indirectly.

Prince Erader also barely regained his senses when he heard those words from Zion’s mouth.

He had acknowledged that Zion was the top contributor and only wanted to decorate the final finale, hoping that he would give him some concessions, but when even that was rejected, he seemed to have lost his mind for a moment.

‘…Crap, this is bad!’

Words that should never have come out came out.

Even in front of his supporters, the very words that had the power to drop trust to the bottom in an instant.

Prince Erader hurriedly looked around and wanted to end the meeting at this point.

But Zion, who had already caught his prey, had no intention of letting it go.

His inner thoughts were to shake the opponent’s greatest weakness that he had shown to the fullest and tear it to shreds.

“Prince Erader.

Our Klausen March has been in charge of the border for Hispania.
Ignoring the luxurious life in the center.
While Hispania has been growing day by day, Klausen has fought hard against enemies threatening the kingdom every time, and the damage has been great.
Nevertheless, we have always done our best for the kingdom, and knowing such efforts and sacrifices, we have received rights befitting that duty from the previous Kings of Hispania.
And now Prince Erader is trying to infringe on those rights.”

“S, Sir Zion!
That’s not what I meant!
My words are just for this kingdom…”

“Klausen has sacrificed for this kingdom until now, and I am the heir to that family.
As soon as I became an adult, I went to the battlefield and won a great victory, and I defeated the invading forces of Nudia.
Is that all?
I discovered and erased the slave market that was tarnishing the name of the kingdom and the royal family, and quickly suppressed the backlash from the alien races.
And after that, I went up to the north and negotiated with the barbarian tribes that were bothering the royal family, and then I executed all the northern nobles who were daring to harm the kingdom!
Everything was for this kingdom!
For Hispania!
It was for the royal family!”

If someone who had been quite quiet until now suddenly gets excited, raises his voice, and even gets angry, the effect is truly terrifying.

It’s not for nothing that there’s a saying, ‘The quiet ones are the scariest when they get angry.’

Because there’s a lot built up inside as much as they’ve been holding back.

“It’s the same now!
I completely broke the pirates’ angry momentum and returned after attacking their base, creating a perfect opportunity, but there Your Highness is making unreasonable demands on me.
Even infringing on the rights of the Klausen March, which even His Majesty the King has never dared to do, and even giving orders that only His Majesty the King can give.
If this is not ‘another intention’, then what is it?
All you get by pressuring me is division, and Your Highness knows best what it means to cause division in a time of war!”

Normally, it would be unimaginable.

No matter how much he is the heir to a great noble family, he cannot raise his voice so loudly to a prince.

He could be arrested for royal insult and have nothing to say.

But, the situation was too different now.

The trigger was pulled first by Prince Erader, and the one standing in front of him as the target of the attack was a man who had been dedicating himself to the kingdom until now.

Even that alone was enough to be reprimanded by the King, but even that trigger was something that only the King could pull.

‘Even if everything else is overlooked, touching the rights of the King alone is something that no one can ever overlook.’

The higher the power, the more wary they are of someone challenging that power.

No matter how close a friend, how trustworthy a subordinate, and even.

‘Even parents and children are the same.’

Meanwhile, Prince Erader, who had heard Zion’s rebuke, clenched his teeth and turned his head at the gaze he felt from around him.

There, a scene unfolded where all those who he thought would be on his side forever were staring at him with fierce eyes.

Loyalty to the royal family?

Or because of the backlash against a foolish man who challenged the King’s authority?

No, not at all.

They were now wary of someone who was no longer beneficial to them, a ‘landmine’ that could even strangle them and cause the worst damage.

‘So you should have always been careful.
Those who try to climb to the highest place, if they fall in the meantime, it’s like falling into a hell whose end cannot be known.’

Zion, who had literally pushed a person into hell, went into a successful 퇴근 [toe-geun, leaving work] with the greeting, ‘I’ll be on my way.’

―――――――Author’s Note―――――――

Going to work is the real hell―a friend

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