Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 101

101

Evan left the study.

Cliang stared at Julian silently for a moment.

His face was dark and pale.

It sounds odd, but that’s the best way to describe his complexion. He looked like his father, the late head of the White Back family, shortly before his death.

The difference was in his eyes.

Unlike his father’s fading eyes, Julian’s were blazing, like a candle burning its last flame.

As Cliang was thinking this, Julian spoke.

“Do you like Count Miloa?”

He’d received this kind of question a few times.

He also knew what the correct answer was.

Cliang replied with a blank face.

“He’s been like a younger brother to me since we were young.”

“Let’s say that’s true. Anyway, Count Cliang wants her, who supports the First Prince, to maintain her position even after the succession is over.”

“Miloa has the ability to achieve the accomplishments of ten thousand ordinary administrative officials on her own. She’s an essential talent after the Prince inherits the throne. But… I don’t know why I have to have this conversation with you.”

Cliang slowly walked to the sofa and sat down. He frowned at the newspapers scattered on the table before slowly opening his mouth.

“The instigator of the revolt? The Prince wouldn’t ask me to talk to you for no reason. Can you tell me what happened with the Prince?”

“It’s not difficult. In short…”

Julian briefly summarized what had happened in the early morning. Cliang listened to his story and nodded slightly.

“I see… He brought you in to come up with a neat solution to the southern revolt?”

He didn’t need to test Julian again. He knew that Evan’s judgment was eerily accurate.

“The Prince said he would provide you with high-quality information?”

“Yes.”

Cliang realized one of Evan’s intentions in pairing him with Julian.

He could provide domestic and international affairs on the spot that newspaper scraps could not convey, and the number of people who shared some of Evan’s secrets could be counted on one hand.

No, it was just Cliang.

He looked at the newspapers piled up in the study and opened his mouth.

“You can put those things away for now. I’ll give you a crash course. For one hour, I’ll answer all the questions you have. After that, let’s have a serious conversation.”

“Then, here’s my first question.”

Julian folded the newspaper and looked at Cliang as if he had been waiting for this.

“There’s a rumor that the First Prince and Count Miloa are in a ‘special’ relationship. Is it true?”

“No! And what does that have to do with resolving the revolt!”

“It’s a very important issue. If they are deeply in love, Count Miloa will never leave the First Prince.”

“…That’s true. I guarantee they are definitely not like that.”

“Don’t they have even a small amount of affection for each other? It’s well-known that they are friends, but I don’t believe that men and women can be friends or close siblings…”

“Absolutely not! Miloa wouldn’t like a guy who looks at other women besides herself.”

Julian’s eyes flashed at Cliang’s words.

It was a story he hadn’t even heard rumors about.

“Are you saying that the First Prince has a woman he cherishes separately?”

“Rather than cherish… he couldn’t control his bloodlust. When he was wandering around without his sword, it was a mess.”

“He might have an illegitimate child.”

“…Maybe.”

“Really?”

“There was a maid in Topaz Palace who suddenly returned to her hometown about half a year ago. I heard she was pregnant with a child whose father was unknown. I heard she gave birth recently… and she’s said to have black hair. I think there’s a high probability that it’s the First Prince’s child.”

“Hmm… Both the First Prince and Count Miloa are softer than I thought.”

“Softer?”

“There are plenty of royals and nobles who kill illegitimate children as soon as they know about them, aren’t there?”

After that, the hour that Cliang mentioned continued indefinitely.

Knock, knock.

“I heard you didn’t have dinner, so I brought you some snacks!”

Alphonso appeared with sandwiches. Only then did they realize that they were long past dinner time and it was getting dark outside.

***

In the dark dawn.

While Cliang and Julian were having a heated debate and staying up all night.

Outside the royal palace.

In front of the vine-covered castle walls.

A man wearing a hooded cloak to cover his face was rummaging through the vines, looking around.

“It was definitely around here.”

It was Lucas.

After rummaging through the vines for a while, he suddenly smiled.

“Found it.”

It was a secret passage he had used since he was a child.

It was possible to leave the palace secretly by using the secret passage of Topaz Palace, but that route required passing through the sewer.

This side is much cleaner.

“The hole is too small?”

Swish-

Lucas drew his sword.

Using his aura [magical energy], he expanded the hole to a size he could squeeze through, then crawled out on his stomach.

Lucas escaped from the palace like that.

He looked at the stars in the night sky and got his bearings.

“That way.”

His destination was about half a day away by train and carriage. If he, a transcendent [someone who has surpassed human limitations], ran leisurely, he could arrive in about the same amount of time.

“Shall we go?”

Lucas put strength into his feet.

Running, walking, resting, and running again.

After running for about three hours, he heard the roars of monsters and the shouts of people in his ears as he crossed the mountain.

Lucas used magic to enhance his senses.

“Kuaaaaah!”

“Scatter!”

Kwaaaang!

“Kuaaaak!”

“No!!”

“Potion! Pour the potion quickly!”

Lucas turned towards the sound.

Soon, he arrived at the scene.

“Kuaaaaah!”

“No way! You bastard!”

It was a troll.

A party of five adventurers was struggling.

It seemed they had been attacked while camping.

One man was covered in blood and on the verge of death.

Taat, Lucas kicked off the ground, and a thread of magic wrapped around his sword.

Woong- Woong-

The sword spat out its name.

Aura wasn’t even necessary.

“Kuh?”

As if instinct had rung an alarm, the troll briefly turned its head towards Lucas.

Swish-

Too late.

The troll’s head was cleanly cut off by the second form of Lionel’s Guardian Swordsmanship, Shadow Cut. Its head rolled to the ground, and its huge body fell with a thud.

“Knight!”

“A 5-star knight!”

The adventurers exclaimed in admiration.

“Thank you!”

“Thank you so much!”

They immediately prostrated themselves and expressed their gratitude.

“It’s okay. That friend looks critical, so hurry up and treat him.”

Lucas waved his hand and pointed to the man who was panting as if he was about to die.

“Ah, I understand.”

“Everyone, take out all the potions you have and pour them on him! Quickly!”

Lucas slumped down in a chair and watched the scene for a while.

Whether they hadn’t missed the golden time, the injured man’s breathing stabilized. The situation was resolved earlier than expected.

A blonde man who appeared to be the leader let out a sigh of relief and approached Lucas.

“Thank you. We survived thanks to you, knight.”

“It’s okay. If you’re grateful, can you give me something to eat?”

He had impulsively escaped from the palace and forgot to pack any snacks.

“Ah! Please wait a moment.”

Lucas opened his pocket watch to check the time while he rummaged through his bag.

‘Plenty of time.’

He had enough time to take a three- or four-hour nap and then leave.

As Lucas was thinking this, the blonde man hesitated and approached, holding out his hands.

“Here, it’s not much, but…”

Small pieces of jerky.

Hungry, Lucas quickly took them.

“Thank you. Hmm… It’s better than I thought.”

The blonde man’s face lit up at Lucas’s reaction.

“Really? I’m glad. Haha.”

The blonde man stayed by Lucas’s side, who was chewing on the jerky, and became his conversational partner.

“It’s a real honor that a royal guard knight saved us.”

“Huh? Why do you think I’m a royal guard knight?”

Lucas hadn’t brought any sword that was lying around in the training ground because his own sword was too flashy.

“Do you recognize this emblem [on the sword]?”

“I was a trainee blacksmith before becoming an adventurer. I’ve seen it a few times.”

“Really? You have a good eye. Then can you tell if I’m a Blue Lion or a White Lion?”

“Haha, of course, you must be a White Lion.”

“Why?”

“If you were a member of the Blue Lion Knights, which is made up of high-ranking royals and nobles, would you be talking to me like this?”

Lucas looked at the stars in the sky for a moment.

He recalled the faces of the Blue Lion Knights. Even he thought they wouldn’t mingle with these people.

“That’s true.”

Lucas chewed on the jerky silently for a moment before asking the blonde man.

“Your accent sounds like you’re from the West, am I right?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know what people in the West think about the Fifth Prince these days?”

“There’s no need to ask. Everyone hopes that the Fifth Prince will be confirmed as the next successor to the throne as soon as possible.”

The blonde man’s eyes sparkled in the firelight.

“You support the Fifth Prince too, I see.”

“Of course. It would be harder to find a kingdom citizen who hasn’t received the Fifth Prince’s grace. I myself was bedridden for days because of the Red Star Fever. If it hadn’t been for General [the Fifth Prince], I wouldn’t be talking to you like this now.”
The blonde man, who thought Lucas was a member of the White Lion Knights who supported the Fifth Prince, readily opened his mouth.

“Hmm… I see. Are there any people around you who support the First Prince?”

“Oh, don’t even mention it. There are people who say that if the First Prince inherits the throne, the West should start a revolt like the South… Oops. I’m sorry.”

The blonde man, realizing that he had said something he shouldn’t have at the sight of Lucas’s slightly hardened expression, quickly bowed his head.

“It’s okay. Be careful with your words from now on. I’ll get up now. Thanks for the jerky.”

Lucas smiled bitterly and left his seat.

***

9 a.m.

Cliang and Julian came to the office right on time.

They looked tired, probably because they hadn’t slept at all. However, both of their eyes were sharp.

“Did you two have a beneficial time last night?”

“It was worth talking to him.”

“I realized how narrow my perspective was.”

I’m glad to hear that.

“So, what’s the result of your discussion?”

The two looked at each other.

Cliang nodded, as if they had agreed with their eyes that he would speak on their behalf.

“To end the revolt, the First Prince must disappear. As soon as possible.”

I glanced at Julian.

It seemed he had spread his thoughts to Cliang overnight.

“In a situation where the Hamel Empire to the north and the Arya Kingdom to the east may bare their teeth at any moment, there is no option to keep the First Prince alive, who may become a future threat. History in various countries proves how desperately the monarchs who won the succession battle and showed the generosity of keeping the losers alive regretted it later.”

“What about the 7-star knight Commander Gallard and Count Miloa?”

Julian stepped up for this question.

“The Fifth Prince must embrace both of them. The royalist and aristocratic factions of the Arya Kingdom are in conflict, but they are not eroding the national power like the former Lionel Kingdom. Also!”

Also?

“The Emperor of the Hamel Empire is still alive and well. The Prince predicted that his lifespan was not long, but as of now, he looks healthy to everyone. He is greedy. Even now, he is drooling over the Aitz Company, which will lead the bio industry of the future world. The moment the kingdom’s power is halved, he will try to devour us without looking back.”

As expected, the output improved as the input increased. I nodded with a satisfied smile.

“That’s right. Right now, countries around the world can’t move the Hamel Empire because of the cure for the Red Star Fever… but when everyone is well enough to live, they won’t care whether the Hamel Empire invades us or not.”

More brutal than the wild. That is international relations.

It is not enough to keep Duke Gallard alive and use him as the kingdom’s sword. Additional measures must be taken.

Well, I’ll think about that when the time comes.

“But Julian, you changed your mind about getting rid of Count Miloa?”

Julian glanced at Cliang.

“If you get rid of Count Miloa, you might lose another talented person in the kingdom.”

Cliang twitched his eyes and opened his mouth.

“I hope you refrain from saying things that the Prince might misunderstand.”

Julian grinned.

It seemed that he had also realized in one day that Cliang was a human being who was quite fun to tease.

“I will. Anyway, I understood well from Count Cliang’s passionate speech that there are many things that only Count Miloa can do after the Prince inherits the throne.”

“There are many things she can do. There’s even a joke that her administrative processing ability is at the level of an 8-star knight. But, how are you going to get rid of the First Prince and embrace Commander Gallard and Count Miloa? Didn’t Cliang tell you what kind of loyalty the two have for the First Prince?”

“I heard.”

“You must be telling me to take them with you because you have a plan? Tell me.”

“It’s enough if the two can be sure that the Prince was not involved in the First Prince’s death.”

I pondered for a moment what he meant.

One word flashed through my mind.

“Suicide?”

Cliang and Julian nodded at the same time.