Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 187

187

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『[Breaking News] Otto Arya Found Dead in Cold Blood』

Otto, the King of Arya, who was on the run, is dead.

He was still the king of a nation.

Revealing the truth that he met his death at the hands of the Lionel Kingdom army would do no good. The Royal Secret Service immediately began manipulating public opinion.

『Otto Arya, Found Already Dead Upon Discovery』

『Traces of Battle Found at the Scene, High Likelihood of Internal Strife』

『Body of a Servant Found Nearby. Why Was He Alone in Such a Remote Location?』

Of course, many did not believe those words at face value.

『A Cruel King Who Left Not a Single Political Opponent Alive, Evan Lionel』

『Otto Arya’s Death Was Inevitable』

Foreign media were convinced that I had killed Otto.

‘A cruel king, huh.’

I felt a little wronged.

Lucas was alive and well, after all.

Lucas, who was helping the Civic Assembly to spread the poison of ‘republicanism’ in the Hamel Empire, was doing well. If he had pushed a little harder, the flag of a fierce popular uprising might have engulfed the Hamel Empire….

Unfortunately, it failed spectacularly.

Not long after I was trapped in [Barisada], there was a large-scale attack by the Black Knights. Internal information had been leaked, they said.

The Civic Assembly was annihilated, and Mars, who led them, also met his end on the spot.

Lucas barely escaped with his life and is recovering in the royal capital.

…How did he survive?

Looking at it, he survived even the cruel king Evan Lionel, recognized by the world, and has an extraordinary ability to survive.

‘Once the situation in Arya is sorted out a bit, I should ask to see his face.’

I brushed off thoughts about Lucas and put down the foreign newspapers. Then, I picked up a different kind of newspaper, different from both domestic and foreign ones.

『Evan Lionel’s Atrocity of Killing the Father of the Nation』

『The Day of Promise, Great King Otto Will Be Resurrected from the Sky on Etrium』

The headlines were just….

These were printed by forces opposing me in Arya’s territories, where the Lionel Kingdom army’s influence had not yet reached.

Reading them, they described me as a half-breed of the Demon race, a monster who eats the flesh of the Arya people and bathes in their blood.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

I turned my head at Alfonso’s voice and looked at him.

“About what?”

“Do you really have to read those? They’re all just cursing Your Majesty and our Lionel Kingdom. Doesn’t it just make you feel bad to read them?”

“I have to read them. It’s very important to know what the Arya people think of me and the Lionel Kingdom.”

“Those newspapers don’t reflect the opinions of all Arya people. I’ve heard that there are places where the Arya nobles were so tyrannical that they actually welcome our occupation.”

“I know.”

As with most countries, the Arya Kingdom has a very high illiteracy rate.

Even if they publish these newspapers, only a very few people will read them—only the royalists and the privileged class who clung to them and sucked the blood of the lower classes.

So, this is nothing more or less than for their internal solidarity.

But before long, they would gradually convey their thoughts to the Arya residents and try to evoke their patriotism.

Because they would need soldiers to move from below.

As I was thinking about that and reading the newspaper, Alfonso asked a question.

“Does Your Majesty intend to annex the Arya Kingdom?”

“Why, all of a sudden?”

“Wasn’t I once active as a member of the Northern Liberation Army? From the perspective of the Arya people, I feel strange thinking that we might be seen as the same invaders who occupied the North.”

“That depends on how we treat the Arya people.”

I have no intention of using excessive hardline measures.

I know very well how much backlash the Hamel Empire’s policy of ethnic cleansing in the North has caused.

I plan to gradually annex the Arya Kingdom in the long term.

Absolutely!

If I get Arya, I can embrace the vast sea. I wonder how many resources there are in that sea….

Many people mistakenly believe that the sea has been conquered with the advent of ironclad ships. But they haven’t even properly explored 100m below the sea yet.

Even in my hazy memories of my past life, humanity could not dominate the sea, even though they had created weapons to destroy the planet.

Also, if Arya is annexed, the geopolitical position of the Lionel Kingdom will become quite plausible [advantageous].

I think it’s better to have as few foreign countries bordering us as possible, especially now that long-distance trade is possible with airships and ironclad ships.

“Winning the hearts of the Arya people won’t be easy.”

“…That’s right.”

It’s a difficult problem in many ways.

In the future, I will have to put my head together with the kingdom’s officials and deliberate for days to come up with policies.

But I’ve already decided on the person in charge.

‘Julian would be reliable, right?’

He was the perfect person to minimize the Arya people’s antipathy ‘wisely’ and lay the foundation for the two countries to naturally become one. It was entrusting him with the important task.

He was also the hidden mastermind behind the Southern Rebellion. He had a knack for manipulating the hearts of the people.

‘Is the title a bit of a problem?’

Then I had to appoint him as the governor-general to manage Arya. Looking at the examples of the world powers, he had to be at least a Marquis [a noble title].

Let’s see, his achievements….

He safely returned the Golden Dragon and played a major role in winning the Battle of Caros.

They are great achievements, but if I promote him two ranks right away, there will be some backlash….

‘Ah, that’s how it should be.’

As Arya is occupied, there will be a lot of land to divide as fiefdoms [land granted by a lord]. There is no problem even if the number of high-ranking nobles increases.

All the nobles who put a spoon on this Arya expedition would be promoted one rank each.

Those who have made particularly great contributions will be promoted two ranks.

I nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Your Majesty? Why are you suddenly smiling after being so serious for a while?”

Yes, Alfonso should also be given the title of Count [a noble title] on this occasion….

But what did that guy do?

When I think about it, it seems like he didn’t do anything except stick by my side.

“Ah! Could it be! As expected! A brilliant idea came to you like lightning while you were talking to me! Hahaha!”

Alfonso’s promotion should be seriously considered.

***

Arya Royal Castle.

Red-haired people were gathered in the waiting room, originally prepared to receive the king.

“Why did they gather us in one place….”

“N, no way, are they trying to get rid of us all at once!”

“T, that can’t be!”

They were Arya royalty.

Not a single one of them had completed their coming-of-age ceremony.

They trembled with anxiety, guessing Evan’s intentions in summoning them.

In the corner of the waiting room.

Among the mostly red-haired people, there was one girl with black hair.

Age, 12 years old.

Name, Yuria Arya.

A princess whose mother was a woman who had been forcibly brought to the Arya Palace after being spotted by Otto by chance.

‘Fools. It’s obvious. It’s to pick out a figurehead.’

Her thoughts were not wrong.

Evan was in the process of talking directly with each member of the royal family in order to select the person who would sit on the Arya throne after Otto.

“Who is Poros Arya?”

“T, that’s me!”

“Come with me.”

Yuria watched as a man with a nasty smile on his slit eyes summoned the plump Poros and took him away.

‘Alfonso Einberg. Evan Lionel’s closest aide, who has served him since he was at the very bottom.’

Poros came out almost immediately after entering.

‘That means he wasn’t worth talking to.’

As they interviewed with Evan one by one, Yuria’s mind was very busy.

In her opinion, Evan was a very scary person. It was clear that the rest of the Aryas who were not selected as king would disappear without a trace.

Just like his own brothers.

“U, um… Next is Yuria Arya?”

Yuria was determined to survive and walked forward lightly.

Alfonso widened his eyes and stared at her black hair before nodding.

In the past, there were quite a few cases where Lionel princesses married into Arya. It must be the expression of that blood.

It was a rare occurrence.

The royal blood that is not strongly expressed within the Lionel Kingdom loses its power once it goes to another country.

The reason was not revealed. The theory that it is due to the energy of the land is the most likely.

“Come with me.”

Yuria was guided by Alfonso and entered the reception room.

Evan was looking over documents.

Yuria could easily guess that it was a list of her personal information.

‘That person is Evan Lionel.’

It was the first time she had actually seen him.

He didn’t look as scary as she had imagined. He was a handsome man with sculpted features. However, she felt a strange aura that made it difficult to approach him.

Evan, who had confirmed that Yuria had entered, put down the documents and opened his mouth.

“Sit down.”

“Thank you.”

Yuria sat on the sofa and swallowed hard.

“If you have anything you want to say to me, try saying it.”

It was an important moment.

If she couldn’t say something that would arouse his interest here, her interview with him would end immediately.

“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty.”

“Gratitude? Why?”

That was a success for now.

Yuria breathed a sigh of relief that she could continue her conversation with Evan.

“Because Your Majesty drove the father who offered his children to the monster out of the castle.”

She was talking about Otto.

The choice of words was important. Circumstantially, it was certain that he was killed by Evan’s orders, but she shouldn’t express it as ‘killed’.

Evan’s gaze turned to Yuria’s hair.

Aryas who are not red-haired are ostracized [excluded].

Men are better off.

‘Because they don’t die.’

Among the Arya royals who have passed the coming-of-age ceremony, there is not a single woman who is not red-haired.

It is known to the world as illness or accidental death, but Evan knew the secret: that they are secretly offered to Etrium [a deity or powerful entity].

For the eternal glory of the Arya royal family!

Yuria clenched her fist at that thought.

Evan lowered his gaze, met her eyes, and asked.

“Did you hate Otto?”

“I used to have a close sister.”

“I see.”

Evan recalled the time of Yuria’s sister’s death, which he had seen in the documents. The timing coincided with when he sank the Joe Bayley pirate ship.

At the time, Etrium had given a very specific revelation to be wary of Evan.

Based on the sacrifices of numerous priestesses.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Yuria’s mouth was parched.

The reason why she had to become the Queen of Arya. She had to persuade Evan with something that only she could do.

***

‘Yuria Arya.’

I repeated the name of the princess in front of me in my head. She was one of the candidates for the next king of Arya, whom I had already picked out in my mind.

First of all, she scored big points in appearance.

I liked that it was the same black as the Lionel royal family.

If she ascends to the throne, you can immediately tell that the blood of the Lionel royal family flows from the Arya queen.

This could greatly contribute to reducing the Arya people’s resistance when annexing the Arya Kingdom in the future.

Earlier, her statement that she hated her father, Otto, also earned her a lot of points.

Unless the other candidates score higher than Yuria in my interview, she is likely to become the King of Arya.

But, there was no way Yuria knew my thoughts.

Her face was tense. Her pupils were trembling slightly. I waited quietly to see what she was going to say.

Tick, tock.

Only the sound of the ticking second hand from the large clock in the reception room filled the room.

Does she not have anything to say?

“If you don’t have anything else you want to say….”