Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 144

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The Blue Moon, a newspaper company in the Helmang Kingdom.

Once overshadowed by Twilight and always second in the industry, it was now the undisputed number one. It was a newspaper company that the kingdom’s people trusted.

All thanks to good timing.

They had been publishing articles favorable to Evan in the newspaper regularly from early on.

Fisher was the chief reporter of such a Blue Moon.

『The Fifth Prince’s Pirate Suppression』

『The Growth Story of Reina, the Future Sword Empress』

『A Northern Travelogue with the Lionel Guardian Army』
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Having written special articles that received enthusiastic responses from subscribers one after another, he was on the verge of being promoted to deputy editor.

“So… that guy said he’s applying to be a war correspondent?”

“That’s right. Everyone thinks you’ll be promoted to deputy editor, Fisher… but if that guy goes as a war correspondent, things might change a bit, don’t you think?”

Fisher, who was smoking in the break room, bit his lip at the news of the reporter who was his nemesis.

War correspondents are dangerous.

It’s strange if it’s safe to follow the battlefield. [Meaning, it’s inherently risky.]

But the rewards are that great.

Enough for his nemesis, who had only written mediocre articles and failed to get a response from subscribers, to snatch the deputy editor position in one fell swoop.

For that reason.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

Fisher boarded a train heading north.

Chiiiik- Squeeeak!

The train stopped briefly in the royal capital, Barona, and the owner of the empty seat next to Fisher boarded.

“Who is this? Isn’t it Blue Moon’s Fisher?”

It was Kappa, a reporter from Twilight, once the top newspaper company in the industry. Fisher knew his face, so he nodded his head slightly.

“It’s been a while, Kappa.”

“This is lucky. If I’m near Blue Moon’s Fisher, I can get scoops for free.”

Fisher the Fisherman.

It was the nickname given to him for writing scoops related to Evan one step ahead of others.

“Not a chance.”

Fisher snorted and turned his gaze back to the train window.

Chiiiik- Chiiiik─

The train started moving again, and the two remained silent for a while.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

As the train left the royal capital.

Twilight’s war correspondent, Kappa, muttered quietly.

“The appearance of two 7-star knights. The Queen’s pregnancy. The development of a vaccine by the Aitz Merchant Guild. I thought only good things would happen, but then there’s the great uprising of the Khan. It’s the first misfortune since His Majesty the King’s inauguration.”

Fisher, who was looking out the window, glanced at Kappa.

“Are you worried?”

“Of course. Although I’m part of Twilight, which once criticized His Majesty the King, I’m also a Lionel Kingdom citizen.”

“I’m not at all.”

“Hoo… why is that?”

Fisher paused for a moment.

He had been writing articles about Evan since his first start, the royal trial.

“Royal trials, hearings, the Joe Bayley pirates… When ordinary people faced misfortunes that were hard to survive even with three or four lives, His Majesty the King overcame those crises in unimaginable ways. And each time, he gained tremendous benefits. This time will be the same.”

Fisher’s eyes gleamed strangely.

That’s right.

He was an ardent supporter of Evan. The more he wrote articles about Evan, the more passionately he fell for him.

Unlike someone from an island nation across the sea, in a healthy way. [A subtle jab at obsessive fandom.]

“The Khan’s large-scale invasion. It’s something that only happened during the Hayeon Kingdom, which was a vassal state of the Hamel Empire before the Lionel Kingdom was founded. It’s definitely a huge misfortune. But that’s why I’m even more excited. I wonder what His Majesty the King will gain while overcoming this difficulty.”

***

A few days later, Bellington Fortress.

Fisher, holding a notebook and pen, entered the press conference hall and surveyed the reporters who were already seated.

Most of them were faces he had encountered here and there.

Those he was seeing for the first time also felt the need to become close before the war with the Khan ended. If they only returned alive, they would all be figures who would hold key positions in each media outlet.

Taking his seat, he focused on examining the name tags of the unfamiliar people and memorizing their names.

And the awaited time came.

Fisher looked towards the door.

Soon, Count Cliff, the commander of Bellington Fortress, would open that door….

Thump.

The reporters who saw the person who opened the door and entered stopped talking for a moment and widened their eyes.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“Why! Wasn’t it supposed to be Count Cliff?”

“I’m sure of it! It’s written that way on the schedule here.”
The press conference hall became noisy.

When Evan, standing on the platform, looked around at them, it became quiet as if nothing had happened.

“I have decided to personally step forward for the courage of those of you who have volunteered to be war correspondents, risking your lives for the people’s right to know.”

Of course, that wasn’t all.

It was for the people of the Lionel Kingdom, who would be trembling with anxiety due to the Khan’s invasion.

The same statement is different depending on who makes it.

The reporters also noticed this fact and their eyes sparkled.

Thus began the press conference.

“I am well aware that the people of the kingdom, especially those in the north, are greatly concerned about the large-scale movements of the Khan. Thanks to those who are running around disregarding their lives for the kingdom, we were able to detect the Khan’s alliance and southward movement early, and thanks to that, we were able to respond quickly.”

Evan began with a story that all the reporters gathered at the conference knew.

“Ten years ago! The situation was different from when the Hamel Empire invaded the north! At that time, the kingdom’s leadership was divided and only watched the fall of the north.”

Smiles formed on the lips of some reporters. Fisher, the war correspondent for Blue Moon, was also one of them.

“But! This time, everyone has united with one heart to face the Khan’s invasion! Above all! I am here! With just one old battleship! I, Evan Lionel, who sank six new battleships, including the latest ironclad ship, am personally commanding the front lines!”

Fisher saw the confidence filling Evan’s eyes.

He was an ardent supporter of Evan, but he was not without anxiety when he chose to go to war. Life is only one for everyone.

Such anxiety disappeared like snow melting as Evan’s words continued.

“We will definitely! Prevent those barbarians from crossing Bellington Fortress! So, I earnestly hope that you will use your pens to soothe the anxious hearts of the people of the kingdom.”

Clap clap clap!

Fisher applauded without realizing it.

Following him, other reporters also stood up and applauded enthusiastically.

Evan smiled and lowered his tone.

“That’s all I want to say. Next, Count Cliff, the commander of Bellington Fortress, will continue the conference.”

Evan went down from the platform, handing over to Count Cliff. The reporters watched him leave the conference hall, immersed in the lingering feeling.

“I am Count Cliff, the commander of Bellington Fortress. I will continue the conference following His Majesty the King.”

The reporters, who had quickly come to their senses, began to pour out questions.

“Can you tell us the scale of the Khan’s forces currently gathered near Bellington Fortress?”

“There are rumors that a Rahn tribe’s base has been discovered. Can we ask if that’s true?”

“There are rumors that the reconnaissance unit that left the fortress was annihilated. Is that true?”

Fisher also quickly came to his senses and raised his hand.

***

Behind the reporters’ lodgings, the smoking area.

Fisher lit a cigarette, chiiiik, and looked around.

He could have smoked on the veranda, but the reason he specifically sought out this place where the cold wind was blowing was nothing special.

Information exchange.

Some reporters were whispering among themselves, watching their surroundings.

Tsk, Fisher clicked his tongue softly.

Not a single person was approaching him.

‘Everyone’s so wary.’

The immovable number one in the industry, Blue Moon.

Fisher the Fisherman.

Fisher frowned at the wariness of reporters from other media outlets who didn’t want to have their scoops stolen.

Sss- Hoo─

A man walking towards him caught his eye as he smoked alone for a while. It was Kappa, the war correspondent from Twilight who had accompanied him on the train.

Fisher approached him faster than anyone else.

“Kappa! Any new news?”

“Haha, isn’t it Fisher. Do you have a cigarette and a light?”

Fisher quickly took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket.

“Thanks.”

Sss- Haa─

Kappa, who lit a cigarette with Fisher’s help, repeatedly inhaled and exhaled the cigarette smoke.

“Why are you in such a hurry? You’ll choke.”

“Don’t joke around. I’ve never heard of choking on a cigarette.”

“Did the soldiers take your cigarettes? You definitely went to the 5th Regiment… didn’t you?”

Cigarettes were precious on the battlefield.

A soldier trembling from withdrawal symptoms was a valuable informant for reporters. There was even a saying that with one cigarette, you could find out the number of spoons in the unit the soldier belonged to. [An exaggeration to illustrate the value of cigarettes.]

“If I had known this would happen, I should have filled my carrier with cigarettes.”

Fisher didn’t urge Kappa.

You could miss the fish you were trying to catch if you rushed. [A reference to Fisher’s nickname.]

Kappa, who had smoked about half of his cigarette, opened his mouth first.

“It’s confidential. Do you have any information to exchange?”

Scoop, important, general.

Top secret, confidential, for official use only.

There are several levels of information that reporters distinguish. If it’s for official use only, many people know it, but it’s the kind that shouldn’t be published as an article.

“Of course. I’ll tell you one for official use only as well.”

“Good. Tell me first.”

“You know what happens if you wash your mouth after hearing it, right?” [A figure of speech meaning to keep a secret.]

“I know that I can’t do this job if rumors spread among reporters, so would I do that?”

Fisher, who threw the finished cigarette on the ground and put it out with his foot, opened his mouth.

“You know that Assemblyman Bert visited here recently, right?”

“Of course. I had to rest for over a month because my mana backfired during dawn training at that time, right?”

“Was it really an accident during training?”

Kappa, who was sucking on his cigarette, paused. He quickly took the cigarette away from his mouth and urged Fisher.

“Could there have been another reason?”

“Well, what’s certain is that it wasn’t an accident during training.”

“…That’s strange. Mana backflow during training only happens to immature mana awakeners of 1 or 2 stars. But is that it?”

“It depends on what Kappa tells me for official use only next.”

Kappa chuckled.

After exhaling cigarette smoke, he opened his mouth to tell the confidential information he knew.

“It seems like the 5th Regiment’s search battalion has gone missing.”

Fisher perked up his ears.

“The entire battalion? If it’s a search battalion, doesn’t each company have a communication mage? Didn’t they even send a message that they encountered Khan scouts?”

“The Khan could have suppressed the mages first, or they could have been annihilated without even having time to contact them. That’s all I know for official use only. Hurry up and tell me more about Assemblyman Bert.”

“That… I’ll tell you next time if you bring me another piece of information for official use only like today. The level of information is too different, isn’t it?”

“Tch. Was I too greedy?”

Kappa scratched his head and looked around. He was trying to use the confidential information he had just given Fisher to get information from other reporters.

Kappa, who made eye contact with a reporter, said goodbye to Fisher.

“Then, if I find out similar level information again, tell me the behind-the-scenes story about Assemblyman Bert’s injury.”

“You’re welcome anytime.”

Fisher smoked cigarettes in the smoking area for a while longer.

He returned to his lodgings without any particular gain. His desk was full of doodles and drawings he had written down. The most noticeable of these was the map of the area near Bellington Fortress.

“The disappearance of the 5th Regiment’s search battalion…”

He acted as if it wasn’t a big deal in front of Kappa, but in fact, as soon as Fisher heard that information, he smelled a sweet scent that stimulated his sense of smell. [Figurative language for sensing a big opportunity.]

At least a scoop-level.

‘Where did the search battalion go?’

Fisher stared intently at the map.

Suddenly.

One way appeared in his eyes that could completely hide the search battalion from people’s eyes. That road was heading towards the northwestern border.

“Eh… no way.”

It was just yesterday that it was reported that the Noya tribe, the farthest from the Lionel Kingdom, had approached right in front of them.

There was no reason for the search battalion to suddenly head to the northwestern border. It was much more convincing that they went to scout the Noya tribe and were annihilated in an instant.

But.

Fisher couldn’t take his eyes off the northwestern border.

If.

If they really headed that way?

Fisher smelled a sweet scent again that seemed to paralyze his sense of smell. [Figurative language for sensing a huge opportunity.]