Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 194

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The Imperial City of the Hamel Empire.

Klaus tossed the thick document he was reading onto the desk, a displeased look etched on his face. It was a report detailing the large airship that the Lionel Kingdom had independently constructed some time ago.

He rose from his chair, walked to the window, opened it, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. After reading the report, the urge to smoke, a habit he’d once abhorred, was now irresistible.

Flick, flick.

Klaus inhaled deeply from the lit cigarette.

Before the appearance of the two Jeon-guk birds [likely a reference to a significant event or individuals], he used to despise the smell of cigarette smoke and was a staunch non-smoker. Now, he resembled someone who had been smoking for decades.

Whoosh—

Klaus exhaled the cigarette smoke, hoping his worries and concerns would dissipate with it.

It was a futile attempt.

The report’s contents were too weighty to be carried away by mere smoke.

‘Self-construction of a large airship… They’ve grown stronger faster than I anticipated.’

A large airship represents a pinnacle of magical engineering.

The ability to independently construct such a vessel is a key indicator distinguishing a powerful nation from a weak one.

‘This isn’t just for show.’

The Aimen Empire boasts the most advanced airship construction technology. Their latest large airships are often referred to as 3rd generation models.

The report indicated that the Lionel Kingdom’s newly built airship, while not quite at that level, was comparable to a 2nd generation model.

This meant it was on par with what world powers currently used as their main force.

And they had built two of them.

‘The Lionel Kingdom already possesses five large airships.’

Officially, they have three, including the two newly constructed vessels in addition to the existing Golden Dragon. However, two more are stationed in Arya.

Although the details of the treaty concluded after the Lia War remain undisclosed, the Lionel Kingdom would likely mobilize the Arya army in the event of war.

In effect, it was safe to assume the Lionel Kingdom could deploy five large airships on the battlefield.

During the small and large battles of the civil war, the Charles camp operated a total of six large airships.

The Lionel Kingdom, a nation smaller than one of the Hamel Empire’s thirteen states, had become a force to be reckoned with in just ten years.

The world attributed the Lionel Kingdom’s explosive growth in the gaps between Arya, Hamel, and surrounding powers to sheer luck.

‘Luck, luck, huh….’

Klaus would wager his life that luck wasn’t the sole factor. Only those prepared to seize opportunity can truly capitalize on it.

In that regard, Klaus held Evan in high esteem, secretly even more so than his lord, Charles.

‘We can’t afford to stand idly by any longer.’

Until now, he hadn’t had the luxury of focusing on the Lionel Kingdom, preoccupied as he was with the immediate threat at hand.

But that was about to change.

Charles was on the verge of beheading the 7th Prince. The civil war’s end was imminent. All that remained was to swiftly consolidate their gains and proceed with the Emperor’s enthronement ceremony.

‘Then Dongmak can also be deployed.’

The Dongmak agents [likely a special forces or intelligence agency], previously focused solely on preventing foreign intervention, could be dispatched en masse to neighboring countries.

Klaus intended to thoroughly investigate the Lionel Kingdom.

It was best to eliminate potential threats early on. But in the brief period he hadn’t been paying attention, the Lionel Kingdom had grown at an alarming rate, and it continued to do so.

‘Not yet, it’s still manageable.’

The Hamel Empire’s territory was more than twenty times that of the Lionel Kingdom. Despite troop reductions due to the civil war, they could still field more than ten times as many military units.

Furthermore, there was the Titan, a project the Magic Tower Lord was developing. There was even talk of testing it in actual combat.

In many ways, Klaus believed an unbridgeable gap still existed between the Hamel Empire and the Lionel Kingdom.

Sip- Whoosh—

Yet, a strange heaviness weighed on his chest.

As Klaus exhaled cigarette smoke, he noticed someone rushing into his office.

‘They must have caught him.’

The news was self-evident.

Charles had beheaded the 7th Prince.

Klaus extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and glanced in the direction of the Lionel Kingdom.

‘Now the Empire’s civil war is over.’

But the war was far from over.

***

The newspapers’ headlines all centered on one event.

『19th Prince Beheads the 7th Prince』

『How Was the 19th Prince Able to Quell the Rebellion?』

The civil war in the Hamel Empire had concluded.

Charles had not yet ascended to the throne, but as soon as the surrounding area was secured and an auspicious date was chosen, he would immediately hold the enthronement ceremony.

I convened an emergency cabinet meeting in response to the news.

I sat at the head of the table and surveyed the attendees.

The atmosphere was palpably tense.

Each person wore a look that seemed to say, “What’s coming has come.”

I turned my attention to Duke Miloa. As the head of the Royal Secret Service, she rose from her seat and began her report.

“The civil war in the Hamel Empire is over. Yesterday, the 19th Prince returned to the capital with his head.”

This was hardly news to anyone.

The world’s media had covered it extensively, so even children in remote villages would be aware.

“The crucial question is what actions the Hamel Empire will take moving forward.”

Miloa looked at me.

I responded, prompting her to elaborate.

“What is the Royal Secret Service’s assessment?”

“The Hamel Empire considers September 1st and October 1st to be auspicious dates, but September 1st is too soon. They will undoubtedly hold the enthronement ceremony on October 1st.”

“And after that?”

“The Royal Secret Service believes they will invade the Northwest, which we have reclaimed, before winter sets in.”

Her words caused many in the cabinet meeting room to stiffen.

Among them, the Minister of Education, known for her fondness for children, cautiously spoke up.

“Wouldn’t the civil war have created a mountain of problems? Would they initiate a war so soon?”

“Of course, if we possessed the national power of the Rabia Empire, the Hamel Empire might take a breather. But they aren’t ‘starting’ a war; they are ‘restarting’ it. Have we forgotten that we’ve never engaged in official negotiations with them since reclaiming the Northwest?”

“Ah….”

“And from the Hamel Empire’s perspective, war isn’t necessarily a drain on resources. There’s no better way for the 19th Prince, soon to ascend the throne, to eliminate those who opposed him.”

He likely had to reluctantly accept many individuals during the civil war, even those he disliked. Those who joined late, after observing the situation, would also be unwelcome.

Sending them as the vanguard in a war against us would be killing two birds with one stone.

“Duke Miloa, I understand that Kantra of the Kant tribe hasn’t signed a ceasefire agreement with the Hamel Empire either. Is it possible the Empire will attack them before us?”

“The possibility is small. A significant amount of Gray Steel, a valuable resource, is buried in the Northwest that the kingdom has reclaimed. It’s far more appealing than Kantra. Moreover, by October, Kantra’s temperature will be similar to the kingdom’s southern winter.”

The conference room fell silent.

The ministers’ thoughts seemed almost audible.

-If the Empire invades, can the kingdom withstand it?

Miloa, observing them, manipulated the magic tool in her hand. A screen visible to all participants in the cabinet meeting illuminated.

“Some of you may already be aware, but for those who aren’t, I’ll present the Hamel Empire’s military strength as identified by our Royal Secret Service.”

At Miloa’s words, a table summarizing the Hamel Empire’s military power in an easy-to-understand format appeared on the screen.

11 large airships.

4 8-star knights [likely a ranking system for knights].

5 8-star wizards [likely a ranking system for wizards].

These three items were highlighted, as if magnified.

Looking closer, they were indeed emphasized more than the other items.

“Hmm….”

“Still that many….”

Audible groans echoed throughout the conference room.

The Lionel Kingdom had invested heavily in bolstering its national power during the Hamel Empire’s civil war, but the disparity remained significant.

Delving into the details would only exacerbate the situation.

The number of ordinary soldiers was more than twenty times that of the kingdom. Even accounting for the losses during the civil war, it was a staggering figure.

“…Can we stop them?”

A murmur arose from someone.

Bert, the Minister of National Defense, raised his voice, louder than Miloa, who was about to speak.

“Of course, we must stop them! Isn’t that why we’re here – to find a way to do it?”

His energetic gaze swept across the cabinet meeting participants, causing them to avert their eyes as if burdened.

“The Hamel Empire isn’t going to commit all those troops, are they?”

“That’s right. We aren’t the only country bordering the Hamel Empire.”

“Still, after the war with Arya, we don’t have to worry about any country other than the Hamel Empire.”

“It’s a shame the Rabia Empire is engaged in a war of nerves with the Brissen Alliance. If we had played our cards right, we could have used them to keep the Hamel Empire in check.”

Opinions were exchanged here and there.

“If war breaks out, will Kantra come to our aid?”

“I don’t think we need to worry about that. Once the Hamel Empire concludes its war with us, they’ll be next. The Kant tribe has no choice but to help us.”

“Still, it’s a relief to have a friendly country that will join us if the Hamel Empire invades.”

“If they participate… wouldn’t the Hamel Empire retreat if we somehow hold out?”

Reasonable opinions were shared.

Compared to the past, when they were divided into factions and engaged in pointless arguments, they had truly changed.

I felt a pang of guilt.

In reality, the purpose of today’s meeting wasn’t to devise a way to withstand the Hamel Empire’s invasion, as Bert suggested.

It was a notification.

The people here only knew a fraction of what I had prepared to counter the Hamel Empire’s invasion after its conclusion.

Even my closest aides were only aware that I was concealing something, but they didn’t know the specifics.

I glanced again at the table summarizing the Hamel Empire’s military strength.

First, airships.

The number of medium and small airships was more than five times that of the kingdom, not to mention the large ones.

‘There are a lot.’

But that wasn’t a problem.

Fran had Stella, and Isabel had the magic superconductor. While the two of them were researching those, I wasn’t simply idling.

‘There’s no reason to fight airships with airships.’

I had also forged swords to pierce the heart of the Hamel Empire.

I didn’t publish papers or anything, so many people were unaware, but I possessed considerable knowledge of magic engineering.

The reason ground troops were helpless against airships was that ground-based magic cannons struggled to inflict meaningful damage on the airship’s magic shields.

The solution was simple.

The ground-based magic cannons simply needed to be capable of damaging the airships.

Such weapons already existed.

The Aimen Empire possessed several magic cannons capable of doing just that, albeit for display purposes rather than practical use.

The reason they couldn’t be used in actual combat was straightforward.

They required enormous energy, consuming top-grade magic stones with each shot. And they were incredibly large. It was more cost-effective to build an airship with the money required to create one.

The immense energy consumption and excessive size could be addressed simultaneously.

The Titan could handle it.

A magic cannon powered by the amplified magic power of a knight. Capable of tearing apart small airships like paper.

The Titan’s exclusive magic cannon, Thunder.

It was one of the sharp swords I had prepared while the Hamel Empire was embroiled in civil war.