Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 123

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I had tea time with my sister after a long time.

Ayra and Reina, who was off duty, were with us.

The weather was nice, so we set up a table in a cool, shady spot and took our seats. A maid pulling a tray poured tea into the teacups.

A savory scent wafted through the air.

I tilted my head, feeling like I had smelled it somewhere before.

I could feel Reina, who was sitting next to me, flinch at the black color of the tea, which looked like poison. Noticing her reaction, my sister opened her mouth with a faint smile.

“This is a tea called Kapin that Ayra brought from the Southern Continent a while ago. Uniquely, it’s made by roasting and brewing the fruit instead of the leaves. The scent is really nice.”

I lifted the teacup and deeply savored the scent.

‘Ah, this is…’

The memories of my past life, which had been dormant in my head, surfaced. It was a scene of me waiting for someone at a cafe on a main street, drinking coffee.

‘Kapin, huh… The name is similar to coffee.’

How could I have forgotten about coffee?

As time goes by, the memories of my past life and the ‘future’ that are not helpful in living this life are quickly buried.

Since the present life is what matters, I don’t feel that regretful.

However, I am curious.

What kind of person was I in my past life?

When I think about how my head was spinning when I was plotting against Akard and Beortio, I must have worked in politics, and considering the engineering knowledge that occasionally comes to mind, I might have been a graduate student.

Ah! When I faked Franken’s death, I used magic tricks that even high-ranking wizards couldn’t see through. Maybe I was a magician?

Umm… If I combine those things.

‘A graduate student who was the president of the student council at an engineering university and whose hobby was magic?’

A plausible guess made me chuckle. I wonder if the day will ever come when I can know the truth.

“Evan, you seem to like the scent of Kapin.”

My sister misunderstood my laughter.

“Yes. It’s a scent that brings back memories.”

I responded appropriately and took a sip of Kapin.

Reina, who had been hesitating, also picked up her teacup and carefully brought it to her lips. The full-fledged tea time began.

“The wedding of the two of you is not far off.”

The first topic my sister chose was Cliang and Milroa.

It was a natural choice in a way.

The marriage of the White County and the Christie County, two influential families representing the East and the South, was bound to be a hot topic.

If you eavesdrop on the conversations of people gossiping on the street, eight out of ten will be talking about the two of them.

“I was so surprised when I heard the news while on a business trip in the Imen Empire. Did Lady Reina know?”

“Not at all.”

Reina, who became a 7-star knight, was promoted to viscountess.

It was only a matter of time before the highway to the earldom was opened.

“I heard that the reason the two of you broke off your engagement in the past was because Earl Milroa was seeing another man. So I never thought you two would suddenly announce your marriage…”

“Oh, my. Lady Reina. You are completely mistaken. That was Milroa’s acting to break off the engagement that the family had arranged!”

“Is that so?”

It’s ironic that the marriage she refused was with Cliang of the White County. I didn’t think it was necessary to bring it up, so I remained silent.

“That’s right. Isn’t Earl Milroa really cool? A new woman who refuses the marriage arranged by her family and walks the path she has pioneered!”

There are many noble young ladies who see Milroa as a role model. Ayra was one of them.

Ayra may not know it, but as the news of the two’s marriage spread, rumors are circulating that more and more people are promoting Ayra as a new woman to follow in Milroa’s footsteps.

“Hehe, now that I think about it, I heard that there is a gentleman who is always by Lady Ayra’s side these days. Why didn’t you bring him today?”

“Oh! No! No! We’re not together at all. His Highness asked me to take him around.”

She was talking about Julian.

After receiving treatment from Schuetz, he is now able to live a normal life as long as he takes his medicine well.

I had temporarily placed him by Ayra’s side, who frequently goes on overseas business trips, so that he could experience the world directly, but I didn’t expect it to cause such a misunderstanding.

“That’s right. At my request, Lady Ayra is taking him around.”

I quickly explained.

“Oh my, I misunderstood. I’m sorry, Lady Ayra. I’ll step in and correct the rumors.”

“Please! Please! I beg you.”

I didn’t know because there hadn’t been any reports, but it seemed that Ayra and Julian were not on good terms.

Well, he’s not the type to be kind and friendly to women. He probably didn’t even escort her when she got in the carriage and just hopped in by himself.

“Oh my! Look at my mind.”

My sister, with a look of sudden realization, looked towards the place where the escort knights were. Her gaze was directed at Adol, who was in charge of my escort instead of Reina, who was off duty today.

“Sir Adol, come here for a moment.”

He approached with an awkward expression.

“What’s the matter, Princess?”

“Sir Adol, do you have a lover?”

The blunt question from my sister embarrassed the blockhead Adol.

“Uh, no, I don’t!”

He shouted, his face turning red.

“There is a young lady who really wants to meet Sir Adol. When is a good time for you?”

“Me? I’m just a knight. It’s a bit much to meet a noble young lady who is friends with the Princess…”

“Hehe, a wise woman looks at the future rather than the present.”

There is virtually no difference in skill between the knights selected during the friendly competition. It’s just a matter of who is in better condition on any given day.

However, among them, only Adol’s recognition among the people of the kingdom skyrocketed. This was because his repeated victories against the three Black Knights were so impressive.

On the other hand, the other three were unilaterally beaten by Yuran, the Black Knight who had cheated on his skills to participate….

Well, he’s lucky.

Anyway, for that reason, the story that Adol will be the next 7-star knight is widely spread among the people of the kingdom.

“This is the young lady. How is she? Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Heh…”

Adol looked at the picture of the young lady that my sister handed him and opened his mouth like an idiot.

If Berok and Vernon saw that 모습… [Korean: mosup, meaning ‘appearance’]

‘Will they spur themselves on to train harder?’

Sometimes jealousy can be a good motivator, so I didn’t think it was necessary to comfort them.

“I’ll set a date, so in the meantime, tidy up your hair. Got it?”

“Ah, I understand.”

My sister, who had finished her business with Adol, looked at me with hawk eyes.

“Our Evan, you wait too. This sister is carefully selecting a good person.”

My sister’s attack came suddenly.

I paused for a moment, then smiled and opened my mouth.

“I think my sister should go first.”

“······.”

Clean defense success.

I was satisfied with the quiet atmosphere and brought the teacup to my lips. But, really, my sister should meet a good match soon….

No, all three women here.

***

The wedding of Cliang and Milroa was grand.

I also gave a congratulatory speech and lent a hand.

The South and the East, which had been in conflict for over 10 years. The union between the two influential families in the two regions was a perfect way to herald the beginning of harmony.

As the heads of the two earldoms, the two had various complicated issues that remained unresolved.

Whether the ‘surname’ of the child to be born should be White or Christie, things like that.

There is no denying that the wedding was rushed before Milroa’s belly grew too big.

You know it, I know it, everyone knows it, but you can’t let it be known that you got pregnant before the wedding.

Huh? Does something sound a little strange?

Anyway.

While the two were away on their honeymoon after successfully completing the wedding, I realized their importance.

While I was bedridden with the aftereffects of the Demon Slaying, I had to take on some of the work of the two people who had no substitutes for the work of the Crown Prince that had been piling up, and wow… I thought I might die buried in documents every day.

So I was eagerly waiting for the two of them to come back hand in hand.

“Cliang, where did you leave Milroa and come alone?”

I looked back and forth between Cliang, who would be taking over his work, and the documents related to the Gimmu Unit piled up on his desk, and asked.

He hesitated for a moment and opened his mouth.

“There was a little trouble. She will come when I leave. Don’t worry.”

That was a relief.

I was worried that they might have had a big fight and disappeared.

“Ah! We definitely didn’t fight or anything like that. There was a slight problem with the schedule, so please don’t misunderstand.”

“Hmm….”

I can find out as much as I want.

Cliang and Milroa both have the excellent habit of keeping diaries. That means they can’t escape the eyes of the [Library].

It wouldn’t look good if the two, who symbolize the harmony between the South and the East, were broken from the start.

>Why did Cliang and Milroa fight?

So this is not to satisfy personal curiosity, but as part of official business.

「Three days ago, Earl Cliang told Earl Milroa, who was trying to give him a morning kiss as soon as he woke up, to brush his teeth first.」

I could understand why Earl Milroa was angry at Genie’s answer. I clicked my tongue and handed a document to Cliang.

“Read this.”

“This is… the Royal Military Academy reorganization plan?”

The Royal Military Academy is the best educational institution in the kingdom.

The most realistic way for commoners who dream of rising in status is to enter the Royal Military Academy and graduate with excellent grades to become officials or soldiers.

Ah, the Knight Department is a bit special, so it’s an exception.

“Are you serious about giving extra points to nobles who graduate from the Royal Military Academy here?”

“Of course. Have you ever seen me talk nonsense?”

“There will be nobles who think that you are taking their successors hostage under the pretext of education.”

“There will be. But there is actually that intention, so I have nothing to say.”

“Hmm….”

“Even if you don’t graduate from the Royal Military Academy, I will still employ you if you are talented. And there will be more people who agree than those who disagree, right?”

“Are you talking about the new nobles?”

A lot of noble families fell during the process of me taking power. But on the contrary, there are those who seized the opportunity.

The new nobles who do not have a solid foundation.

The commoner-turned-nobles who graduated from the existing Royal Military Academy and became officials are a prime example.

“······You’re planning to have the nobles check each other.”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. Of course, things shouldn’t go as far as them being unable to kill each other like before. Factions will form anyway. If they are going to form anyway, it’s better for those who will fully support me from the beginning to form a faction.”

“Hmm….”

“Read on for now. In fact, the previous contents were added as side branches while reorganizing the Royal Military Academy.”

“I understand.”

Cliang read the document again.

“The establishment of the Magic Engineering Department? And the benefits given to the graduates… Was this your real purpose?”

“Cliang, from now on, the country that is most advanced in magic engineering will lead the world. Imagine that one of our kingdom’s airships has the performance to easily defeat three or four airships from other countries. How would that be?”

“We wouldn’t be called a small country anywhere.”

“The existence that makes that possible is the magician and the magic engineer. Even if magicians are born with it, magic engineers can be trained.”

I looked at him with confident eyes and continued.

“Since the discovery of the magic superconductor, many of the great powers have already begun to invest heavily in magic engineering. The kingdom must never fall behind. This is a matter of survival.”

“That would require a huge budget.”

“Well, yes.”

Cliang paused for a moment and examined the document to the end.

“That’s just a plan. The detailed situation and budget should be reviewed again by the Ministry of Finance and Economy.”

“I understand. But is there anyone in the kingdom who is qualified to be the head of the Magic Engineering Department?”

“There is. Over there.”

I pointed towards Fran’s lab.

“Did Fran allow it?”

“Cliang, you know it now, too, right? Once you commit it, you can somehow fix it.”

“······What did I commit?”

“Hey, do I have to say it out loud to be embarrassed?”

He frowned at my meaningful smile.

“That’s a mutual agreement… Hmph… No. I don’t think I should be talking about that to someone who hasn’t even had their coming-of-age ceremony yet. I have a lot of work to do, so I’ll go back and start working.”