Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 117

117

Two events occurred while I was leisurely relaxing and observing those attending the banquet: Yanderesia and the blueprints for the Titan.

My mind was briefly in chaos, but I quickly regained my composure and took out my pocket watch, clicking it open.

‘Not much time left.’

Soon, I would have to express my gratitude to the delegations from various countries who had come to celebrate the kingdom’s 500th anniversary and my ascension as crown prince.

Buying the Titan blueprints could wait until after that. Surely the value of the information wouldn’t skyrocket in that short amount of time…

> Genie, I want to view the blueprints for Juggernaut-00.

「The usage fee for this information is 1,855,000 RP.」

It would be troublesome if the price suddenly surged just as I was about to seriously examine the blueprints, making it impossible to view them.

I decided to buy them in advance.

Having purchased the Titan blueprints, I looked down at the banquet hall.

Yanderesia Arya was wandering around where people were gathered, constantly craning her neck.

‘…She must be looking for me?’

Just as I had that thought, Yanderesia quickly turned her head in my direction.

I swiftly hid behind a pillar.

I hope I wasn’t seen.

‘What is this all about?’

In the ‘future,’ the object of her obsession was her cousin. It was such a bizarre and shocking incident that it was heavily reported in the world’s media.

I’ve never even met her or had a conversation with her, so I have no idea why the object of her obsession has changed to me.

As I was frowning, a person with brilliant blond hair was looking at me and coming up the stairs.

Charles Han Hamel.

((I wanted to have a word with you, so I came here.))

Why is this guy looking for me again?

I began to understand how celebrities feel when they are hounded by obsessive fans.

((Are you talking to me?))

((I wanted to become friends with you.))

Unfortunately, that’s impossible.

I had no intention of becoming friends with him at all. But I couldn’t say what I was thinking, so I smiled and opened my mouth.

***

((I’m honored.))

Charles stared intently into Evan’s eyes as he replied with a friendly smile. A huge fire was burning within them.

I had suspected it from the moment I shook his hand during our first meeting, and as expected.

‘He’s one of my kind.’

Now I was certain.

He is not someone to be dominated. He is a man who is meant to dominate.

The problem is.

‘Lionel, a small country, is not enough for this man.’

The fire burning in Evan’s eyes was not something that would be satisfied with swallowing up the small kingdom of Lionel.

It was the kind of fire that would only go out after swallowing at least the Hamel Empire.

I couldn’t help but notice.

Charles, in the mirror I face every day, had the same fire burning in his eyes.

((That’s too bad. I thought we could be good friends.))

((Oh, dear. I seem to have disappointed you, Your Highness.))

((No, it’s the opposite. It’s better than I expected.))

Charles raised the corner of his mouth.

It wasn’t as unpleasant as I thought.

Playing a game alone is no fun. This crown prince of the Kingdom of Lionel, who suddenly appeared, will be a very interesting participant.

I didn’t feel any sense of crisis at all.

The Hamel Empire consists of 13 ‘states.’ The national power of the Kingdom of Lionel is not even close to one state, no matter how generously you evaluate it.

((I have one question for you.))

((What is it?))

((What confidence did you have to request a friendly match against the Black Knights? Did you want to ruin your own inauguration ceremony?))

((You never know until you try, right?))

Charles snorted.

The Empire is different from the Kingdom of Lionel, which has only a handful of 5-star knights. There are plenty of 5-star knights. Of those, only the ones he carefully selected can join the Black Knights.

There’s no need to go as far as the two 6-star Black Knights who will be hiding their skills and participating because of the Black Knight Commander’s meddling. The knights that the Kingdom of Lionel sends out in the gauntlet match will surely be taken care of by one or two people.

Charles stared intently at Evan, who seemed strangely confident.

Come to think of it, I remembered that one of the knights from the Kingdom of Lionel who would be participating in the gauntlet match was Evan.

A 5-star knight at the age of 16.

A great achievement.

That fact alone will make the people of the kingdom go wild, regardless of the outcome.

His skill was comparable to his own at the age of 16, when he was hiding his skills. Perhaps he will enter the Aura realm before he turns 20, just like himself.

((I’m looking forward to it. I heard you’ll be participating in the gauntlet match yourself, so I’ll let the knights know. Tell them to be careful not to hurt you too much.))

((It’s okay. Please tell them to do their best.))

He must also be calculating that the Black Knights would not cause great harm to himself, the crown prince of a country, even though the Imperials see the Lionel royal family as being below the families of the governors of the states.

But that alone wasn’t enough to explain his confidence.

‘There must be a knight hiding his skills.’

Well, Evan, who took control of the kingdom in less than three years, couldn’t have failed to do what the stiff-headed Black Knight Commander had thought of.

He must have prepared an unrevealed trump card.

Charles was a little less excited when he thought about that.

‘I wonder what kind of expression he’ll make when his trump card is useless.’

Still, I came as a congratulatory envoy, so it would be a bit much to see blood, so I thought it would be good to make him unable to use magic again.

***

“Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to all the distinguished guests who have taken the time to visit the kingdom, and I will now step down.”

I quickly thanked the delegation and left the banquet hall.

Everyone knew that the 500th anniversary ceremony and the crown prince’s inauguration ceremony were tomorrow, so no one stopped me.

There was one persistent gaze following me, and it was hard to ignore it.

Even as I got into the carriage, I could feel Yanderesia’s gaze piercing the back of my head from the second floor of the terrace, sending chills down my spine.

“Let’s depart for the Emerald Palace.”

The carriage departed with the coachman’s words.

Alphonso, who was sitting in front, glanced at the window on the back of the carriage and opened his mouth.

“No matter how I look at it, the First Princess of Arya seems to have fallen in love with you at first sight, Your Highness. Did you know? Her eyes kept following you.”

“How could I not know?”

“You should have acknowledged it. You could have had a conversation with her.”

“No way. It strangely reminds me of the Second Queen and the Fourth Princess’s faces.”

“Hmm… Now that you mention it, those two women’s faces do seem to be there. But aren’t you going back too soon? There are many people who want to have a word with you, Your Highness.”

“It’s okay. There are three people besides me who are going around meeting people.”

He was referring to Cliang, Miloua, and Ayra.

I could trust those three to take care of it.

Because they are my retainers, certified by the system.

While I was at it, I opened the [List of Retainers].

‘Ten retainers.’

I was deeply moved as I remembered when it was full of people who were ‘wary’ and ‘hostile’ towards me.

I took a moment to heal my mind by looking through the [List of Retainers], then closed the window and entered the [Library]. That was why I was returning to the Emerald Palace so quickly.

I moved to the [Storage] to check the Titan blueprints I had purchased at the banquet hall.

The cover of the booklet, which had a drawing of a clumsy, tin-can-like robot Titan and the words ‘Juggernaut-00’ written on it. I stared intently at it.

‘Juggernaut.’

To think that the prototype of the Titan, which would become the Hamel Empire’s main force in the future, was such a tin can.

Well, I guess the appearance doesn’t matter.

It’s the size of an ogre, averaging 5 meters in height, and weighs nearly 50 tons. No matter how much it looks like a tin can, the average knight won’t even think about swinging his sword when he actually sees it.

‘In the ‘future,’ one of my biggest wishes was to develop a Titan unique to the Kingdom of Lionel.’

When the Titan first appeared on the battlefield, the level of the kingdom’s mages and magic engineers was abysmal.

The Titan’s security level surpasses that of airships.

The moment an unauthorized person removes the outer armor for disassembly, a security spell is activated that burns out all the mana circuits inside the Titan.

That is handled by an 8-star mage.

It is impossible for even an 8-star mage to break the security spell on an enemy Titan.

At the time, the best the Kingdom of Lionel could do was to import and use the oldest Titans from the Aimen Empire and the Brissen Alliance.

‘I yearned so much for the time to focus on Titan research for 3 years, or even just 1 year….’

I’m not even starting from scratch.

Based on these blueprints, I will create the world’s most advanced Titan in a short period of time.

This is something I can’t leave to others.

‘It’s my job.’

It’s much more important than swordsmanship or magic training.

The Hamel Empire’s objective military strength is more than 10 times that of the kingdom. No, it has grown even more while I was taking control of the kingdom.

The number of knights alone is like that.

The Hamel Empire officially has more than 30 7-star knights, while the kingdom has only two left. Ah, of course, they are also at odds with each other, so it is almost impossible for them to unite.

If those guys had set their sights on the Kingdom of Lionel with one mind, the kingdom would have been destroyed without a chance to do anything.

Even considering that, it is a near miracle that the Kingdom of Lionel has advanced to the Ellenveira region after retaking the northwest.

‘If the Empire is invaded, the Emperor and the governors of the 13 states will unite.’

There is only one way to make the miracle a reality.

The development of a new weapon that allows one knight to take on ten or twenty knights of the same level.

When no one else can put the Titan into actual combat, we must quickly push up to the Ellenveira region.

‘I have to do it.’

I clenched my fist tightly and viewed the blueprints for ‘Juggernaut-00.’

***

The plaza of the royal capital, Barona.

On the platform that could be seen by the people filling the plaza, Evan was kneeling on one knee before King Philip, bowing his head.

In the solemn atmosphere, people carefully swallowed their saliva as they watched the scene.

The King’s mouth opened.

-Evan Lionel, do you swear to dedicate yourself to the kingdom and its people as crown prince?

-I swear.

-Evan Lionel, do you swear to do your best for the prosperity of the kingdom as crown prince?

-I swear.

-Evan Lionel, do you swear to protect the sovereignty and territory of the kingdom as crown prince, and to lead the people of the kingdom to the best possible future?

-I swear.

.

.

.

A series of oaths.

The people felt a tickling in their hearts at Evan’s words. They unconsciously stroked their chests with moist eyes.

His retainers, who were watching Evan from the corner of the platform, seemed to know why.

‘Because he’s sincere.’

What else could touch people’s hearts as much as words filled with sincerity?

-With this, I declare Evan Lionel, the 5th prince of the kingdom, to be the crown prince of the kingdom!

-Wowwwww!

-Long live His Majesty the King! Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!

-Long live!

The kingdom’s cheers, as if they would spread throughout Lionel, erupted, and Evan’s crown prince inauguration ceremony ended.

***

The King, who had declared me crown prince, went down from the platform with a relieved expression. Afterwards, I, who was left alone on the platform, gave a speech commemorating the 500th anniversary of the founding of the kingdom.

The content was not much different from the oaths I had made when I was inaugurated as crown prince. I could feel the people below the platform starting to get bored.

“Once again, I would like to celebrate the 500-year history of the kingdom, and I will now cut my speech short. For the Kingdom of Lionel, for the people of the kingdom!”

-Wowwwww!

-Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!

The people’s eyes were sparkling again.

They were clearly looking forward to the big event that would take place after the 500th anniversary congratulatory speech.

Count Royce, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was in charge of assisting with today’s event, opened his mouth.

-Then, after a while, we will have a time to strengthen the friendship between the two countries through a friendly match between the knights of the Hamel Empire and the Kingdom of Lionel.

Friendship between the two countries, my foot.

I could feel the intense gazes directed at me.

It was Charles and the Black Knights.

After smiling back at them, who were looking at me with bitter expressions, I looked at the arena that was being set up quickly in the center of the plaza.