Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 200

200―――――

Because it’s raining,

Why bother keeping Prince Erader alive?

It’s simple.

‘Bait.’

In the novel, the Celestials shattered Hispania’s strong unity in one fell swoop.

By literally erasing the royal family, who served as the linchpin of that unity.

And the starting point was Princess Vanessa, whose heart had been riddled with holes by Kim Yoo-hyun.

‘But the current Princess Vanessa has no room to be exploited.

And with the added responsibility of becoming queen, she will become an even more trustworthy woman.’

So, through whom will the Celestials try to ruin Hispania from within?

Shion thought about who he would try to seduce if he were a Celestial, to find or create a weakness.

Frankly, Shion didn’t need to think for long.

Isn’t the best bait he created right in front of him?

‘A man who couldn’t become king despite being the eldest son, yet still lives on, leading a life without purpose.’

Prince Erader will be the best prey for the Celestials.

If they can seduce him to create a hole in the defense of the royal castle, or at least dull and loosen the solid unity of the kingdom, they will surely try to approach Prince Erader by any means possible.

Shion had no intention of preventing such movements of the Celestials in advance.

Rather, he intended to secretly push it forward, allowing the Celestials or their underlings to approach Prince Erader, then wipe them out all at once, and slowly brainwash the survivors to reveal all the information they had.

‘I threw the bait, and the Celestials bit it hook, line, and sinker!’

So, Prince Erader, you must live.

And gain considerable sympathy so that someone can secretly approach you.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Count Bremen is…”

“Ah, he went ahead to inform the other nobles that a memorial service should be prepared.”

“…It’s as if he expected me to persuade Prince Erader right away.”

“My father said you are more than capable of doing so.”

At Heman Isik’s words, Shion chuckled.

Count Bremen probably knew that ‘persuasion’ could be read as semi-coercion.

So, without hesitation, he left to inform the southern nobles that a memorial service would be held.

‘Even better.

A friend who tries to make a good impression is much better than someone who is wary of switching sides.’

As Shion thought so and tried to sit down and rest, Heman in front of him subtly watched his expression, looking like he wanted to say something.

Shion waited for Heman to speak first, but Heman, who called himself Shion’s follower, seemed determined not to speak until Shion signaled him to speak.

“…Is there something you want to say?”

Finally, when Shion spoke first, Heman opened his mouth with a smiling face.

It was like a seal waiting with a ball on its nose until the trainer said, ‘Okay, stop!’ and then putting the ball down and moving.

“Thank you, Duke Shion.”

“Huh?”

“Despite the numerous soldiers in the South who have died fighting pirates, we have never held a memorial service.

The reason was that there was no reason to hold such a national event for those who died while subduing mere bandits.”

“…”

“I know that there are unavoidable circumstances.

This event is held after the wars in the East, where we have to fight a bloody battle with Nudia, and in the North, where we have to fight the northern barbarians every time, so from their perspective, it is the most honorable event.”

“That has been the case until now, but it will change a little now.

After two pirate outbreaks, everyone will know that the country can be shaken by mere bandits, and how honorable the fight is for those who subdue them.”

If the public sentiment in the South wavers, the economy will be shaken, and if the country’s finances are shaken, the foundation itself will be threatened.

Before the Celestials even started trying to burn the entire continent, if Hispania was shaken, it would be like Shion’s main base exploding before he could even play the main game.

‘If it were the South of Prince Erader, maybe, but now it’s an area where I have to get along with Princess Vanessa, and at the same time, it’s a place where I need to fill my wallet a bit.’

There were many things he wanted to do, but all of them required a lot of money, so Shion himself couldn’t even think of starting them.

He had already spent a lot of money on raising the Griffin Corps and building warships.

Every time he did something new, he always needed money more than time, so the solid economic power of the South was essential for Shion.

“Our Klausen has no intention of antagonizing the Isik County, or even the South.

Rather, we are all suffering in our respective positions for the sake of Hispania, so why should we growl at each other and keep each other in check?

Especially when the country is noisy both internally and externally.”

“I agree with Duke Shion a hundred times over.

Some nobles seem to be unnecessarily worried that the people of Klausen and I seem to be close, and I don’t feel good about it!”

“First of all, I hope that the resolution of the long-standing conflict between the South and the East will be conveyed to others at this memorial service.

That way, the South will stabilize quickly.”

At Shion’s words, Heman nodded diligently, saying it was obvious.

Shion inwardly let out a satisfied ‘껄껄껄! [Korean onomatopoeia for hearty laughter]’ while maintaining a subtle smile on the outside as he continued to speak.

“Ah, and I will keep the Griffin Corps here for a while.”

“Huh?

But they belong to the Klausen Frontier Territory, so of course they should be with Duke Shion…”

“That’s true, but the pirates haven’t been completely wiped out yet.

They must be hiding somewhere, waiting for the navy’s alert to subside before launching sporadic attacks again.”

Then Heman nodded as if agreeing with Shion’s words.

The main force, Captain’s group and followers, had all been defeated, but some escaped pirates were still wandering somewhere in the sea, waiting for another opportunity.

If the remaining forces continue to wreak havoc, the trade routes will continue to suffer damage, even if they are restored.

And if they continue to be neglected, it could lead to a situation where the pirates who were painstakingly defeated reappear.

‘There’s a reason why they say ‘broken window theory,’ right?’

Even if they can’t be completely eradicated, they must show a firm will to eradicate them.

As evidence, if the Griffin Corps stays in the South for a while and patrols the sea, the surviving pirates will no longer be able to hold out and will eventually give up, and at least no sane people will be tempted to turn into pirates.

Everyone will know that if they try to become pirates, all they will get in return is a firestorm falling from the sky.

“If Duke Shion does that for us, everyone in the South will welcome it.

In addition, we should also try to create a Griffin Corps.”

“It won’t be easy.

Klausen was just lucky enough to capture five of them.”

After joking like that, Shion discussed with Heman how to proceed with the memorial service.

Originally, he should have discussed it with Count Bremen, but the fact that he deliberately left his son in this place probably meant that he was entrusting this task to Heman.

Perhaps he wanted his son, who would soon succeed him, to learn from Shion Klausen not only practical experience and sea life but also how to think and act in the political world.

‘I welcome it too.

If this guy leads the Isik County later!’

Shion would never let someone who antagonizes him prosper.

At the same time, he would unconditionally support those who treat him favorably.

Forgive your enemies and embrace your foes? He absolutely rejects such nonsense.

He must kill his enemies, burn his foes to death, and kill anyone who antagonizes him.

That was the easiest way to survive in this world.

Anyway, he can live well enough with the people who gather around him because he is doing well.

“So, when are you planning to hold the memorial service?”

“Well,

the festival is scheduled to last until tomorrow, so I think three days from now would be the most appropriate.

What do you think, Duke Heman?”

“Hmm, not bad.

It’s a memorial service held just after the enthusiastic atmosphere of the festival has subsided to some extent, so it seems like an opportunity to recall who the festival was thanks to.”

―

The news that a memorial service would be held in the name of Prince Erader immediately after the festival celebrating the suppression of pirates was delivered throughout the South.

At first, everyone reacted with, ‘A memorial service in the South?

What if the nobles in the North or East object?’ But after realizing that the organizer was a commander dispatched by the royal family, even a prince, they gradually began to think that it might be possible.

―However, Prince Erader is currently suffering from injuries that make it difficult for him to move, so Duke Shion Klausen will be in charge of the memorial service on the day of the event―

And when this news was delivered again, everyone in the South immediately agreed.

Shion Klausen, the successor of the Klausen Frontier Territory, the center of the East, and at the same time, a war hero who crushed Nudia, silenced the barbarians in the North, and even swept away all the nobles in the North who had rebellious intentions, a true hero of the kingdom, was stepping forward.

He had already secured an absolute position in the East and North, and he was also in charge of the memorial service, as he was tasked with assisting Prince Erader by the king’s order, so no one was worried about the fact that it was the first memorial service in the South.

‘Since it’s a memorial service held in the name of Prince Erader, there’s no need for separate permission from the king, and since I’m here, there’s no need to see the nobles in the East or North acting up.’

It’s not like the memorial service is incredibly difficult or grand.

You just stand in front of the memorial monument for the fallen soldiers, offer flowers, and offer a silent tribute.

Nevertheless, this is considered the highest honor because not only knights but also soldiers made up of ordinary kingdom citizens can receive the flowers and silent tribute.

In a place where there is still a caste system, it is literally an incredible thing for nobles to bow their heads first, offer flowers, and offer a silent tribute, even if it is to the dead.

So, the memorial service, which was only held in the North and East, where they fought bloody battles, was held for the first time in the South.

‘The memorial monument has been roughly made, and the flowers have all been prepared… Ha, damn it.’

Shion was uneasy because everything was going so perfectly.

He was worried that things would always go wrong around this time, and his worries were not unfounded.

The weather had been really good until now, but on the morning of the memorial service, the drizzling rain suddenly turned into a downpour.

“…Damn it.”

He thought he hadn’t been swearing much lately.

There was no way the world could be so kind to him.

Swish!―.

Thud, thud!

The first memorial service held in the South.

Originally, Shion himself was supposed to offer flowers and offer a silent tribute on behalf of everyone, and on behalf of Prince Erader, under the warm sunlight shining down as if to commemorate the spirits of the fallen soldiers.

But it wasn’t a drizzle, it was a downpour, and the petals of the flowers would all disappear from being hit by the rain.

‘…Damn it, did Prince Erader curse me?

To have a hard time?’

Shion was even reasonably suspicious because everything was so perfectly aligned.

Swish!―.

‘I know, damn it.

I know it’s raining a lot, so please stop adding sound effects.’

The sky, which had been so clear, seemed to have a hole in it.

Shion sighed and looked around at the people waiting around the plaza where the memorial service would be held.

Starting with Count Bremen Isik and Heman Isik, several powerful noble families in the South.

And the people from various merchant groups and captains and soldiers belonging to the navy who were affiliated with those noble families, and the numerous kingdom citizens of the South who had gathered because it was the first memorial service.

That huge crowd was all gathered in one place, waiting for the memorial service to be held, but the sky seemed to want to say that today was not the day and kept raining.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Shion, fully realizing how important the weather forecast was, looked at the current atmosphere.

Count Bremen and Duke Heman didn’t seem to be particularly shaken, but the other nobles didn’t seem to want to stand in front of the ordinary soldiers and comfort their spirits while being hit by this downpour.

Shion groaned and turned his head to the other side, and a small child standing at the end came into his sight.

The child was holding a bunch of artificial flowers in his hand, and the woman next to him couldn’t hide her gloomy expression, so it seemed that they had lost their family in this pirate suppression operation.

―People believe more in what they see than what they hear.

―So, never ignore showmanship.

―You might end up in deep shit.

―

‘Father, you must be a genius.’

Shion muttered and slowly moved his steps.

Then the nobles standing next to him were surprised and grabbed Shion.

“Duke Shion Klausen?

It’s still raining heavily.

If you go out now…”

“I’m not sugar or salt.”

“…Pardon?”

At the question, Shion completely left the place where he could avoid the rain and continued to speak.

“Just because it’s raining, I won’t melt away just by getting hit by it.”

Thud, thud!―

The incredibly thick raindrops directly hit his head and shoulders.

This wasn’t rain, he could believe it even if it was hail, Shion muttered inwardly and approached exactly where the child was standing and reached out his hand.

Then the child, who was blankly looking at Shion, reflexively handed over the artificial flowers he was holding, and Shion received them and approached the memorial monument.

And in front of the people of the South, Shion offered flowers while being hit by the downpour, and bowed his head in front of those who lost their lives in the battle with the pirates.

‘I hope you all go to heaven.

I will do my best so that your deaths are not in vain.’

―――――――Author’s Afterword―――――――

Somehow, we’ve reached 200 episodes···!

It’s all thanks to the readers who have shown great interest in my lacking writing!

Originally, I was supposed to repay this support with an ultimate move, but please forgive me as this foolish author’s physical condition has barely recovered from the worst ㅠㅠ

But I’m recovering now, so I’ll be sure to put in a 4-person ultimate move on the weekend···!