Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 191

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Among the countries of the Western Continent, some remain independent of the Brissen Alliance.

These nations serve as buffer zones between the Rabia Empire, which aspires to expand into the Western Continent, and the Brissen Alliance.

The Kingdom of Polonia, bordering the far west of the Rabia Empire, is one such country.

Antoine Curie.

An 8-star magician and the foremost authority in alchemy, he is a point of national pride for the Kingdom of Polonia.

Having just returned from appraising the Imperial Bird at the invitation of the 19th Prince of the Hamel Empire, Antoine was summoned by the King. He was in a foul mood, having already guessed the reason for the summons.

‘The 7th Prince of the Hamel Empire claims Antoine Curie’s appraisal was incorrect and insists that his Imperial Bird is the genuine article!’

‘Is it possible Antoine Curie made a mistake in his appraisal?’

Antoine had dedicated his entire life to the study of alchemy.

He was, without a doubt, the best in the world when it came to appraising artifacts and treasures. He could identify the age of an item and the precise ratio of metals used in its creation with his eyes closed.

Appraising the Imperial Bird had been a simple task for him.

And yet, an appraisal error?

The 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird was undoubtedly a fake.

“Duke Antoine, the 7th Prince has requested that you revisit the Hamel Empire to appraise his Imperial Bird. Would you be willing to do so?”

“No. I have no time to waste on appraising such a forgery,” Antoine stated flatly, refusing the King’s request.

“Just make a quick trip there and back. I’m asking this as a personal favor.”

Antoine’s resolve softened slightly at the King’s earnest plea.

Polonia was a small kingdom.

He understood the weight of the King’s decision to make such a request of him.

“Either way, if someone else appraises the 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird, it will quickly be exposed as a fake. There’s no need for me to go.”

“Don’t you think I know that? My concern is that the 7th Prince might bribe other alchemists to certify a fake as genuine.”

The Hamel Empire’s reputation for passing off fakes as genuine was well-known throughout the world.

Antoine nodded involuntarily at the King’s words. If that happened, he would inevitably become embroiled in the ensuing scandal.

Even now, with the world’s media buzzing about the Hamel Empire’s request for an appraisal from him, the world’s foremost authority, some were already sneering, wondering if they had mistakenly written ‘was’ instead of ‘is’.

This was because he had not made any significant breakthroughs in the field of magic superconductivity.

What were they saying?

That Isabel Ronelli of the Kingdom of Lionel was now the foremost authority in alchemy?

It was a ridiculous notion.

He acknowledged Isabel’s creation of LacK [Likely a magical substance or formula], but that alone was not enough for her to surpass his lifetime achievements in alchemy.

Besides, she wasn’t even a magician.

“Is there truly no way?”

The King bowed his head again.

Antoine sighed softly and replied, “…I understand. I will go to the Hamel Empire once more and explain to the 7th Prince in detail why the Imperial Bird he possesses is a fake.”

The King’s face brightened at Antoine’s words.

“Thank you.”

And three days later.

Antoine’s eyes widened as he grimaced, appraising the 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird.

‘Why… why is this real?’

It was an exact twin of the one the 19th Prince had presented to the world.

Could it be that there were originally two Imperial Birds?

“How is it? All the alchemists under my command have staked their reputations on this Imperial Bird being genuine. Even you seem to have a different look in your eyes than when you first arrived?”

Antoine’s neck was slick with cold sweat as the 7th Prince, a man of fleshy build and cold eyes, questioned him.

The 19th Prince’s Imperial Bird was genuine, so the 7th Prince’s couldn’t possibly be genuine as well. One of them had to be a fake.

It was the first time in Antoine’s life that he was unable to distinguish between genuine and fake. He stared intently at the Imperial Bird, not even hearing the 7th Prince’s question.

Then.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

He noticed something peculiar.

He spotted a slight scratch on the corner of the Imperial Bird. He distinctly remembered seeing the same scratch when he appraised the 19th Prince’s Imperial Bird.

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

‘Ah! This is the same item as the Imperial Bird I appraised before!’

He didn’t know how it was possible, but it was clear that the 7th Prince had stolen the 19th Prince’s Imperial Bird.

Antoine, believing he had uncovered the truth, glared at the 7th Prince, who had made a fool of him, with unkind eyes.

“Where did you get this?”

At Antoine’s question, the 7th Prince recalled the day he had acquired the Imperial Bird.

The beastly couple who had engaged in incestuous marriage had first unveiled the Imperial Bird, and Antoine Curie had acknowledged it as genuine. He had been mentally cornered by this.

He had been walking in the garden on a moonlit night, unable to sleep. It was a new moon, and the promenade was particularly dark. The 7th Prince had ‘found’ the Imperial Bird, shining alone in a crack in the rock, quite by chance.

“I picked it up. Just like the legend that it chooses the Emperor, it suddenly appeared before me.”

“I see.”

Antoine chuckled inwardly, finding the acting pathetic.

“So, is this Imperial Bird genuine?”

“Yes, it is. This Imperial Bird… is genuine.”

“Ooooooh!”

“As expected!”

At Antoine’s declaration, the alchemists, who had been nervously wiping sweat from their necks, burst into cheers.

Their reputations, and perhaps their lives, were on the line.

But their joyful cheers soon died down.

“Uh… but what about the one over there?”

“Are you saying that both of the Imperial Birds that Duke Antoine appraised are genuine?”

“What’s going on?”

It was a moment to recognize a huge contradiction.

The surroundings instantly became noisy, and the 7th Prince decided to seize the opportunity to discredit Antoine.

“Duke Antoine, then is it true that the Imperial Bird you appraised some time ago was not genuine?”

“That one is also genuine.”

“…Do you think that makes sense? There is only one Imperial Bird in the world!”

Antoine sighed softly.

He was growing weary of playing along with the 7th Prince’s pathetic charade.

“The 7th Prince knows the truth, doesn’t he? All I can say is that this Imperial Bird here is genuine.”

For the 7th Prince, who had genuinely ‘found’ the Imperial Bird by chance on the promenade, Antoine’s words made absolutely no sense.

***

Things were unfolding in a very interesting way.

『Antoine Curie declares that the 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird is also genuine!』

It was inevitable.

Antoine Curie, who had never once failed to appraise an artifact in his life, publicly stated that the 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird was also genuine.

『19th Prince declares that Antoine Curie is clearly senile and will invite new authorities to prove that the Imperial Bird he owns is genuine』

Of course, Charles’ side immediately protested.

He was so desperate that he even sent a request to Isabel, the best alchemist in the Kingdom of Lionel, to appraise the Imperial Bird.

Of course, I didn’t forward it to her.

Anyway.

Antoine, having returned to his home country, the Kingdom of Polonia, was furious at the 19th Prince for calling him senile and immediately called reporters.

『Antoine Curie: “The 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird that I appraised is definitely genuine. This is just the grumbling of a fool who couldn’t properly safeguard his treasure.”』

Everyone understood that his statement implied the 7th Prince had stolen the 19th Prince’s Imperial Bird.

『19th Prince: “The Imperial Bird has never been stolen. This is just a figment of Antoine’s imagination. It’s clear that it’s time for him to retire and enjoy a comfortable life.”』

As someone who knew the truth, I couldn’t help but chuckle every time I read the overseas news articles.

I personally feel sorry for Antoine Curie, who is suffering because of the trouble caused by my actions.

I have carefully recorded in the [Library]’s [Notebook] that I will repay this debt of gratitude someday.

I always repay these favors.

Back to the main point.

The alchemists invited by the 19th Prince set off for the Hamel Empire, and the eyes and ears of the world were focused on them.

『The masters of alchemy invited by the 19th Prince unanimously acknowledge that his Imperial Bird is genuine』

A shocking conclusion that defied Antoine’s expectations.

As a result, rumors began to spread that Antoine was indeed senile.

『Antoine Curie claims that it is a conspiracy by those who are trying to tarnish his reputation by any means. He is furious, saying that everyone is blind』

Antoine protested once again.

『7th Prince: “We trust Antoine Curie.” He reveals that he is confident in showing the Imperial Bird he owns to the alchemists』

The alchemists immediately moved to the 7th Prince’s side.

Who was really blind?

Those who were watching with interest soon faced a huge twist.

『The alchemists were shocked: both the 7th Prince’s Imperial Bird and the 19th Prince’s Imperial Bird are genuine?』

『Which one is real?』

『Are there actually two Imperial Birds?』

The impossible event caused an uproar around the world.

『Anonymous alchemist claims that the two Imperial Birds must be compared together for accurate judgment』

The 7th Prince and the 19th Prince were reluctant to respond to such a request.

This was understandable.

They each believed that the Imperial Bird they possessed was genuine and couldn’t risk having it swapped with a fake.

『19th Prince announces that he will cooperate with the alchemists. The 7th Prince, who possesses a fake, will probably not be able to cooperate』

Charles was the first to make a decision.

『7th Prince says, “Even if you steal the genuine one, it will eventually come back to me,” and decides to cooperate with the alchemists』

Following this, the 7th Prince immediately countered.

That’s how the dramatic meeting of the two princes, each possessing their own Imperial Bird, was concluded, and the result decorated the headlines of today’s article.

『[Breaking News] Both Imperial Birds confirmed to be genuine!』

‘It’s only natural that it turned out this way.’

I folded the newspaper I had finished reading.

“I have a newfound respect for Gillud. To think that he made a fake that could fool all the alchemists in the world, including Antoine Curie.”

Alphonso, who still believed that the Imperial Bird delivered to the 7th Prince was a fake, praised Gillud.

I decided to let it go, as it was too much trouble to explain the truth.

“Don’t go around talking about the Imperial Bird. Keep the people involved in this operation under strict surveillance. It might cause harm to Gillud.”

“Haha, what do you think of me? You know how tight-lipped I am. Even when I was dragged to the Royal Secret Service in the past…”

That story again.

I think I’ve heard it more than a hundred times.

I quickly cut him off.

“Enough. How is the Boss doing?”

Lucas made a great contribution to this operation, pretending to be a remnant of the Public Association and drawing the attention of Dongmok [Likely the Hamel Empire’s intelligence agency].

Thanks to this, Luna and the other agents were able to leave the Imperial Bird to be found on the 7th Prince’s promenade.

Of course, Lucas is said to have overcome countless life-threatening situations while evading Dongmok’s pursuit.

The climax was his encounter with the 7-star assassin.

Lucas overcame that desperate crisis with his own strength!

The will to live led him to a new realm. That’s how the kingdom gained a hidden 7-star powerhouse.

“He seems to be doing well. Unfortunately, the restoration of his little finger and ring finger seems to have failed. It would have been better if he had been found a little sooner… The scars on his face have healed considerably.”

He didn’t come back completely unscathed.

All the fingers on his left hand, except for the thumb, were severed, and about half of his left face was badly damaged by poison.

When he was found, he was said to have been unconscious, clutching the severed fingers in his arms.

“The little finger and ring finger…”

Should I be grateful that the restoration of his index finger and middle finger was successful?

I turned my chair and looked out the window.

A bird practicing flapping its wings on a tree branch in the garden caught my eye.

The Hamel Empire’s civil war, which was about to end prematurely, had been prolonged. Thanks to the kingdom’s hidden heroes, including Lucas, it seemed that we could rest easy for the next three years.

Like that bird practicing its wings, not a single day can be wasted, and the Kingdom of Lionel also has precious time to prepare for a splendid leap forward.

‘Still, I should give the Boss a little rest, right?’