Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 64

Vice Minister of Finance and Economy.

Count Clian White.

He possessed an unwavering adherence to routine, experiencing discomfort whenever it was disrupted. This discomfort intensified when changes to his schedule weren’t communicated in advance.

Therefore, Clian felt a powerful urge to push back his chair and leave the office immediately.

Because it was lunchtime.

Only the identity of his visitor, the Second Prince Damian, prevented him from acting on that impulse.

“What are you going to do about this?”

Damian, his face twisted in displeasure, threw a stack of newspapers onto Clian’s desk with a heavy thud.

Clian noticed the haphazardly arranged newspapers even before he could read the headlines.

He didn’t appreciate it.

He meticulously straightened the stack, aligning the protruding edges before examining the articles.

『Jo Bailey’s Reign Ends!』

『The Kingdom’s New 6-Star Knight! Who is Reina Jeanne?』
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.
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‘Fast.’

He had received the initial report only last night, yet the news was already printed and circulating throughout Barona, the royal capital.

Compared to the slower reporting on the atrocities committed by the Imperial Army in the North, this was unusually swift.

Clearly, it was orchestrated.

And Clian had a strong suspicion as to who was responsible.

‘Probably the Fifth Prince.’

The Fifth Prince displayed an unusual concern for public opinion. Initially, Clian had questioned the necessity of such efforts.

The support of the kingdom’s citizens was merely a ‘nice-to-have,’ only marginally impactful in succession battles compared to the influence wielded by figures like the First or Second Prince.

The crucial element was the backing of the nobility.

That was the lesson Clian had internalized, and he had always conducted himself accordingly.

‘The North, the West, and now the East…’

However, whispers originating from the common populace suggested the Fifth Prince as the most suitable heir to the throne.

While no overt incident had occurred, Clian found it unsettling, like a tie perpetually askew.

– Let’s disband them, the Northern Liberation Army.

The Fifth Prince, with his unconventional ideas, had created a significant fissure in Clian’s rigid mindset. Because it was his doing, he kept having doubts.

Was the support of the kingdom’s citizens more important than that of the nobles?

Could his predecessors have been mistaken in their teachings?

“Clian! Are you even listening?”

“…What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“I entrusted Evan with the pirate subjugation based on your recommendation, and this is the result! And Reina became a 6-Star Knight! The very same woman I recognized potential in and brought to the Second Order of Knights!”

“Didn’t you agree to the plan during the cabinet meeting? Furthermore, it was Your Highness the Second Prince’s decision to assign Lady Reina to the Fifth Prince. I distinctly recall expressing my opposition.”

“So, you’re saying it’s my fault?”

“Certainly not. How could I possibly place blame on Your Highness the Second Prince?”

Clian spread the newspaper wide, obscuring his face from Damian’s view.

‘Is Reina’s promotion to 6-Star Knight the most pressing issue for him?’

『Great Victory, the Annihilation of the Jo Bailey Pirate Crew』

『What Exactly Was Seokham Island Doing?』

‘There are far more significant matters at hand.’

When Clian first received the report from Seokham Island, something else had surprised him even more than Reina’s breakthrough.

It was the near-miraculous feat performed by Evan.

A resounding victory against six battleships, including an ironclad, with only a single, outdated battleship.

‘It will become a legend, etched in history.’

To think he would attempt to harness the Dragon’s Ascension [a powerful, risky maneuver]! Clian couldn’t fathom what the Fifth Prince had been thinking when he charged towards Yongamok. It could have easily ended with him being swept away and sinking to the bottom of the sea.

‘It must have been sheer luck.’

That was the only logical explanation he could conceive.

Clian tilted his head, a subtle unease creeping in.

He quickly identified the source of his discomfort.

‘Luck…?’

The Fifth Prince’s achievement. Could it truly be attributed to mere chance?

“Clian, this incident will trigger a bloodbath on Seokham Island. Many of my supporters will lose their positions. Your actions at the cabinet meeting, which led to Evan’s deployment to the East, will undoubtedly draw criticism. I may find it difficult to protect you, so be prepared.”

Damian departed the Vice Minister’s office, leaving Clian staring coldly at the closed door.

If Seokham Island had maintained proper surveillance of the Jo Bailey pirates, this entire situation could have been avoided.

It could have concluded neatly, with both the Fifth Prince and the Second Prince achieving their objectives. The generals of Seokham Island, facing the loss of their positions, would have had no grounds for complaint.

Clian folded the newspaper with a sharp crease, aligning it precisely with the edge of his desk. The headline of the top article caught his attention.

『What Exactly Was Seokham Island Doing?』

“Indeed. What exactly were they doing?”

Was their failure to detect the Jo Bailey pirates’ movements intentional, or simply a result of incompetence? Regardless, both possibilities caused Clian to frown.

‘This is hardly the time for such distractions.’

There were still ten minutes remaining of his lunchtime.

He usually spent this time taking a leisurely walk after his meal, often passing by the fountain visible from his window.

Clian hastily donned his coat and hurried outside.

Reaching the fountain.

He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and slowly strolled back towards his office. The nagging discomfort had lessened slightly.

***

Clatter, clatter.

The rhythmic sound of hoofbeats roused me from my sleep. I cautiously opened the carriage window. We were traveling along a wooded path.

My throat felt parched, so I called for Alfonso.

“Alfonso, some water.”

The man seated beside me promptly offered a water bottle. I moistened my lips and rotated my head, easing the stiffness in my throat.

My physical condition was still poor due to the lingering effects of using Demon Descent [a technique that draws upon demonic energy]. I had been dozing fitfully since entering the carriage, only now fully awakening.

I returned the water bottle to Alfonso.

Noticing the bottle trembling in my hand, he asked with concern, “Are you sure you don’t want to seek treatment from a priest?”

“Yeah.”

The mana received through [Barisada] [a magical sword] was essentially purifying the magical energy dormant within it, using the blood of the founding king.

Demon Descent involved mana even closer to raw magical energy penetrating the user. Barisada had warned that attempting to counteract the aftereffects with divine power could be detrimental.

[Barisada] was already viewed with suspicion by the Pantheon, labeled a ‘Demonic Sword.’

Seeking treatment from a priest would risk revealing my use of [Barisada]. I preferred to endure the discomfort; that option was out of the question.

“But I feel like I can move around a bit better now.”

“That’s a relief. The healer you met earlier must be quite skilled. Though he seemed a bit clumsy…”

“You should cultivate a relationship with him. He’ll become incredibly famous soon.”

“Haha. Well, I suppose so, considering the prince traveled all the way to the countryside to recruit him as his personal physician.”

“He’ll amass a fortune, too.”

‘He didn’t in the ‘future,’ though.’

I suppressed those words.

He had accumulated a significant debt to a noble in the East to pay for the expensive medicine required for his ailing wife. He was exploited as a slave because of it, and his whereabouts became unknown after her death.

‘It’ll be different this time.’

I resolved to settle his debt and employ him as my personal physician, in exchange for supporting his wife’s treatment.

Punishment for sins.

Rewards for merits.

Those who dedicate themselves to saving lives deserve to be appropriately compensated.

“He’ll make a lot of money, you say? I really need to befriend him, haha. His name is Schu, Schu… what was it?”

“Schuitz Reming.”

“Schuitz Reming, Schuitz Reming…”

Alfonso repeated his name. I chuckled and gazed out the window.

The trees, once budding, were now covered in lush foliage. The sunlight streaming through the window felt pleasantly warm.

It was May.

‘The coming-of-age ceremony is in ten days.’

Pirate subjugation, the recruitment of Schuitz and Royer.

Furthermore, Jo Bailey, the troublemaker of the East, had been eliminated, and Reina had achieved a breakthrough. I had surpassed the goals I had set upon arriving in the East.

If it were a quest assigned by the Adventurer’s Guild, it would have earned an SSS-rank rating.

I would have to pay the price of resting for about a month without overdoing it, but it was a pretty satisfying trip to the East.

Ah, right.

“Did you gag the crew of the Kaikanic, especially the captain?”

That I used magic.

The momentary blocking of the aura.

These are things that are better off not leaking out yet.

“Schuitz Reming, Schuitz… Ah! You don’t have to worry. I very kindly instructed them to keep their mouths shut.”

Alfonso mimed zipping his mouth shut and drew a chilling arc with his narrowed eyes.

“Good job.”

Now I felt like I could return to the royal palace with peace of mind.

***

A week had passed since returning to the royal palace.

It was a triumphant return.

‘I didn’t expect them to hold a victory parade.’

It wasn’t originally planned, but the emergence of the kingdom’s new 6-Star Knight and the execution of Jo Bailey prompted the celebration.

It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but my body was exhausted. It was as tiring as standing before the Seokham Island navy, holding Jo Bailey’s severed head.

The royal palace is a jungle.

One cannot display weakness. Only my closest aides were aware of my weakened state.

“…I understand your situation, but honestly, it’s becoming a bit of a hindrance? How long are you going to laze around there?”

So, whenever I felt overwhelmed by my duties, I would often seek refuge in Fran’s lab, collapsing on the sofa to rest.

I was diligently recharging in preparation for tomorrow’s coming-of-age ceremony, but Fran was giving me disapproving looks.

“Please bear with me. And don’t I occasionally provide you with valuable insights?”

“…What was that thing you mentioned earlier, Re, Re… what was it?”

“Radar.”

“Ah, right. That.”

“Isn’t it a good idea? If we can use reflected microwaves to determine the location and distance of the enemy, we won’t have to worry about being ambushed.”

The potential applications of [Magnetron] [a device for generating microwaves] are limitless.

It extends far beyond microwave ovens.

In my past life, magnetrons were also used in particle accelerators and nuclear physics research.

Perhaps I am introducing the origins of a weapon of war into this world, one that could surpass even ‘Titan’ [a powerful weapon].

Of course, it’s merely a possibility.

The existence of ‘mana’ complicates the direct application of the laws of physics from my past life. Artificially inducing nuclear fission in the atoms of this life may prove impossible.

“But why bother? I believe [Detection] is far superior in terms of mana consumption and spell complexity.”

“It offers the advantage of penetrating the opponent’s [Concealment].”

“Won’t a counter-spell emerge eventually?”

“What if the fate of the country hinges on a war that erupts before such a counter-spell is developed?”

I had learned through bitter experience in the ‘future’ that developing new weapons ahead of the enemy could determine the outcome of a war.

“Are you… suggesting that such a war is imminent?”

I simply shrugged.

Fran frowned and grumbled.

“I suppose I shouldn’t unveil this radar concept at Horizon [a scientific organization] either. So, in the end, you were just a hindrance!”

“There’s not much time left, so focus on creating the microwave oven I described earlier. That alone will revolutionize the kitchen. Fran’s portrait might adorn every kitchen on the continent, you know?”

“Just imagining it makes me feel good, you bastard! If you’ve rested enough, get out now!”