Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 202

202. The Empire’s Dawn (2)

Alphonso Einberg.

A vassal who had been with Emperor Evan Lionel since his days in the gutter. Naturally, his position within the Empire was quite significant.

Many envied and were jealous of Alphonso.

They would whisper that he had risen to prominence thanks to being by Evan’s side without any particular ability. In particular, those from Hamel and Arya, who had been incorporated after the Riha War, often shared such gossip to build camaraderie.

Glith, the chief disciple of the former Magic Tower Lord, who had preserved his life and position by surrendering quickly during the Riha War, was one of those people.

“Hmm… So you’re saying you have no idea how these blueprints almost ended up in the Rabia Empire?”

“Th, that’s right! I know nothing about it!”

Glith’s eyes trembled violently as he looked at the thick documents fluttering in Alphonso’s hand.

‘H, how did that man get his hands on that!’

Everything had been perfect.

He had fragmented the Titan’s blueprints and smuggled them out, successfully delivering them to an agent of the Rabia Empire.

But the blueprints that should have gone to the Rabia Empire were in Alphonso’s hands.

‘C, could it be!!’

There was an unbelievable rumor about Alphonso: that he was actually the head of the Empire’s shadows.

The Lionel Empire had the Imperial Secret Service, which was said to make even crying children stop. But the Empire had another shadow? Naturally, he had thought it was nonsense.

‘Was that real?’

The cold blue eyes visible through Alphonso’s narrowed eyes. Glith shuddered without realizing it.

Glith’s gaze turned past Alphonso’s shoulder. A man wearing a mask that covered half of his face was looking around the lab. Glith noticed that the little and ring fingers of his left hand were short.

He was presumed to be Alphonso’s bodyguard.

Glith’s mind raced.

He was a 7-star mage, and one with expertise in Titan construction. If he could just get out of this situation and apply for asylum, there would be many countries that would welcome him with open arms.

A smile appeared on Glith’s lips.

He was confident that he could subdue Alphonso and one bodyguard. He would use the third eye that perceives mana…

Swish─ Thud.

His head rolled across the floor.

The masked man holding a sword was visible in Glith’s blurring vision.

‘H, how…’

That was his last thought.

Alphonso looked at the masked man.

“Why did you have to kill him right away?”

“If I had stayed still, I would have had a big hole in my chest, wouldn’t I? And you weren’t planning on letting him live anyway.”

His identity was Lucas.

“Well, that’s true.”

Alphonso scratched his cheek and muttered quietly.

Lucas, who shook the blood off his sword, looked at Glith’s head rolling on the floor and opened his mouth.

“Was this the last one?”

“You’ve worked hard. I think you can rest with your family for a while.”

“A while? Give me a definite answer. I can’t trust you at all.”

Lucas had faked his death to hand over the throne to Evan. Since then, he had been working in the shadows, overcoming countless life-threatening situations.

Lucas, who became a 7-star knight in the process of throwing a National Bird [a symbolic act of defiance or sabotage] into the Hamel Empire and fleeing.

More than 10 years had passed since then, and he was still working in the shadows as the Empire’s hidden 8-star knight.

An 8-star knight in the shadows?

Because of his irreplaceable existence, he was thrown into dangerous missions whenever he was about to get some rest.

“Well… As you know, when Nave moves, my superiors are involved, so I can’t give you a definite answer…”

The only person who gave Alphonso instructions was Evan. Lucas clicked his tongue and put his sword back into its sheath.

“Then I’ll go first, so please take care of the cleanup.”

“Understood. Get some rest! I’ll come see you soon!”

“Don’t come!”

Alphonso knew why he was in such a hurry. His daughter, who was attending the Imperial Academy, was on vacation and coming home for the first time in a while.

That daughter, who had come into the world because the First Prince Lucas couldn’t control his lower body, was already almost 20 years old.

Lucas had been secretly supporting the mother and daughter for nearly 10 years. After many twists and turns, in the first year of the Imperial calendar, Lucas reunited with the mother and daughter and started a family. And he became a father who cherished his family.

The story of Lucas and the mother and daughter could easily fill two novels. Alphonso was one of the few people who knew that.

‘Family…’

Lucas threw himself out the window and disappeared like the wind. Alphonso smacked his lips as he watched his receding back.

Alphonso was already over forty.

Luna, who he thought would always remain his drinking buddy, fell in love with a magic engineer from the Aimen Empire during an operation and got married. Next month was already her due date.

The First Prince Ian, whose diapers he had changed when he was a baby, had also recently married. The maids said that they were having a very passionate newlywed life, no less than Evan and Reina in the old days…

He might hear the news that the Crown Princess was pregnant tomorrow.

Alphonso’s heart felt empty.

‘Should I have a drink with Senior [a respectful term for someone with more experience] for the first time in a while?’

He suddenly remembered that Austin had visited the Imperial Capital due to tax-related issues. He probably hadn’t returned to his territory yet.

Alphonso’s hands moved faster as he disposed of the body of Glith, the chief disciple of the former Magic Tower Lord.

That evening.

Alphonso visited the best hotel in the Empire. Austin was staying in the top-floor suite.

“What brings you here in the middle of the night?”

Austin greeted him.

The loose, comfortable clothes and Austin’s fox mask were in stark contrast. The slightly crooked mask suggested that he had put it on in a hurry while resting.

Alphonso smiled as he shook the wine in his hand.

“I just wanted to have a drink with Senior for the first time in a while.”

“…Come in.”

Austin hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Alphonso entered the room and looked around before opening his mouth.

“You come to the Imperial Capital quite often. Wouldn’t it be better to just buy a mansion?”

“No, it’s too much trouble. This is more comfortable for me.”

The crooked fox mask particularly caught Alphonso’s eye. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t take off the mask and rest comfortably when there were servants around?

It was quite possible.

Alphonso sat on the sofa and opened the wine.

“Try it. It’s expensive.”

“Hmm…”

Austin slightly lifted the fox mask and brought the wine to his lips.

The two drank wine and talked. The main topic of conversation was their hard training during their time in the Northern Liberation Army.

The two’s conversation didn’t stop as they reminisced about the old days.

After a while.

Alphonso, whose face was flushed, carefully asked Austin.

“Can’t you just take off that fox mask?”

“No.”

“Why? Are you afraid of being found out that Senior is a woman?”

Austin paused for a moment.

“Did you think we wouldn’t know? We’ve been together for so long.”

“…I didn’t want to be found out that I was a woman, but that’s not all. It’s because of a prophecy my mother received from an old woman when I was young.”

“A prophecy?”

“She said that I would live a happy life as a woman if I hid the fact that I was a woman.”

“A quack [a fraudulent or unqualified person claiming skill or knowledge].”

“Yes, a quack.”

The two clinked their wine glasses and chuckled.
.
.
.
But that’s what happened.

That’s definitely what happened!

‘H, how am I still here!’

Alphonso woke up to the morning sunlight streaming in through the window. He couldn’t remember why he had woken up in Austin’s bed.

And without a single thread on!

He could hear regular breathing next to him. Alphonso was afraid to turn his head to the side. But it was something he had to confirm.

He slowly, very slowly, turned his head to the side.

He saw a pure white back with elegant curves. Alphonso’s eyes trembled as if there was an earthquake.

Some of the memories from yesterday, which had been all black, surfaced. No, it was better to describe it as a sensation left on his hands rather than a memory.

Austin’s ‘heart’.

It was quite different from Alphonso’s ideal type.

But still.

It was warm.

And above all… her face was pretty.

Enough to fill the warmth in his empty heart.

Alphonso’s gaze reached the fox mask on the bedside table. Hide the fact that you’re a woman and you’ll be happy in the future?

Alphonso’s shoulders became heavy.

He felt that whether the old woman who left that prophecy was really a quack or not now depended on him.

***

“Haa…”

Fran, who was reviewing the blueprints for the Titan being developed by the Lionel Empire, raised her head at Alice’s sigh.

She wasn’t doing the work she was assigned and was staring out the window, lost in her own world.

‘Is she thinking about that guy again?’

Fran, who knew the reason, clicked her tongue.

A few months ago, Zaryan, who she thought would be stuck as a professor at the Imperial Academy until he died of old age, returned to his home country.

In the process, Alice and Zaryan, who had been in a long-term relationship, had a serious fight, and as a result, the two broke up.

Alice had been depressed for a while, saying that Zaryan had abandoned her and chosen the Kant tribe.

She thought she was getting better, but it was starting again.

‘Is it because of Alphonso?’

Just a week ago, Alphonso, who she thought would live alone and die as a lonely old man, got married.

Surprisingly, the spouse was Count Austin Saturn.

Austin’s gender, which had not been revealed to the world despite numerous media pursuits, was finally revealed to the world.

People were surprised that Austin was a woman, and they were also surprised by her beautiful appearance, which made them wonder why she had been wearing a mask.

“Haa…”

Fran chose to stand by as she heard Alice sigh again.

It was the failure of first love that ninety-nine out of a hundred people experience. She knew because she had experienced it herself. Leaving her alone was the best thing to do.

‘Time heals all wounds.’

Fran quietly got up and left the lab.

It seemed much more comfortable to be in the Titan workshop than to be with her sighing disciple.

“Huh? What brings you here at this hour?”

Gillud approached her when Fran appeared in the workshop after passing through double and triple security.

“It’s more comfortable here than being with my sighing disciple.”

“Ah…”

Gillud, who knew the story of Alice and Zaryan, nodded.

“I understand Zaryan’s choice. Isn’t it a turbulent time? He must have been worried about his home country, Kantra.”

The movements of the Rabia Empire were unusual. Local wars between them and the Brissen Alliance had been 끊이질 [ceaseless] for several years.

The Aimen Empire was slowly revealing its ambition to break away from the East Continent and dominate the world.

The Brissen Alliance, which was at odds with the Rabia Empire, was on the verge of exploding due to the festering conflict between the core countries, even though they should have been united.

The flames of war could engulf the world at any time.

“The Emperor let Zaryan go more easily than I thought. Honestly, I thought he would use him in the Empire for the rest of his life.”

“Thanks to Zaryan, they succeeded in developing an engine using top-tier Stella [a powerful energy source]. That’s enough to use him. And… with Kantra’s technology now, even if he joins, it will take him a lifetime to catch up with the Lionel Empire’s technology. Considering his contributions and everything else, wouldn’t he have allowed him to go to Kantra? Still, the Emperor is sure to reward those who have contributed.”

“I don’t know. Let’s stop talking about the guy who’s already left and the disciple who’s lost her love, and how’s that guy doing?”

Fran turned her gaze to the Empire’s new Titan. It was being developed based on an engine made using top-tier Stella instead of top-tier magic stones.

“I need to make more adjustments, but it seems that the maximum output is inevitably lower than that of an engine using top-tier magic stones.”

“I see…”

“Maybe things will change someday when you use top-tier magic stones to create a higher-level Stella?”

If it surpasses top-tier Stella, should it be called transcendent? Fran, who was pondering for a moment, suddenly chuckled.

Zaryan, who had been a great help in Stella research, had also returned to his home country. She might not be able to achieve it in her lifetime.

‘But I won’t be bored for the rest of my life.’

Having a goal that she might not be able to achieve until the moment she dies. It was quite a blessing for a mage.