Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 72

072

If you take the leftmost road at Barona Queen’s Crossroads late at night, the atmosphere gradually becomes strange.

More and more buildings are painted with vibrant primary colors like red, yellow, and blue, and neon-pink signs beckon passersby.

Of course, the lighting is a mysterious, alluring red.

It’s the largest entertainment district in the royal capital.

A top-class carriage was heading there now. *Clunk*, the window slid open, and a woman’s face, a cigarette dangling from her lips, appeared.

It was Milroa.

‘How long is this bastard going to keep playing around?’

She was extremely annoyed with the First Prince right now.

Lucas Lionel, who had been swinging his sword like a man possessed for a while, had changed drastically after being humbled before the wall of a 6-star knight.

‘It’s been months already.’

For the first month or two, he locked himself in his palace and just slept. After that, he started drinking and smoking, habits he had never indulged in before. And finally, he succumbed to the allure of the entertainment district, hanging out with insignificant hangers-on.

It was a common downward spiral for those who were once confident in their own talents, only to be confronted by an insurmountable obstacle.

‘I’m stressed to death.’

Because of that, Milroa had relapsed and started smoking again, a habit she had barely managed to quit.

*Cheek*, inhale— *haa*—

Inhale— *haa*—

She quickly finished one.

She frowned, lost in thought, then placed another cigarette between her lips.

“Lady, you’re smoking too much.”

A knight, who had been with Milroa since before she became the head of the family, offered his concern as she chain-smoked. He was an old knight from Cristi County.

“It’s okay. The healer said stress is much more harmful than cigarettes.”

“······Are you that worried about the First Prince’s… temporary… detour? I think he’s doing pretty well, though… At least he’s not crossing any lines, is he?”

“Hmph, if he were that kind of guy, I wouldn’t have become friends with him in the first place.”

“I think it’s best to wait until he overcomes this himself. If it’s the First Prince, he will surely emerge stronger after shaking off this adversity.”

The opinion of most people who supported the First Prince mirrored that of the old knight.

Thanks to the Fifth Prince’s actions against the Joe Bayley pirates – essentially sinking them in reverse – the east, which could be considered the Second Prince’s power base, was significantly destabilized.

Securing the removal of naval generals on Seokham Island, a stronghold tightly controlled by the Second Prince’s faction, and replacing them with loyalists was a major achievement.

On top of that, they even benefited from a major accident at the magic stone mine owned by the imperial family who married the Fourth Princess.

“I know the recent atmosphere is favorable.”

Milroa also acknowledged it.

The First Prince had been vying for the throne since he was young. This current phase could be understood as his delayed adolescence.

Lucas had never betrayed the expectations of those around him.

He would eventually shake it off and rise again, even if it took time.

But.

“I’ve been feeling uneasy since I heard the news that the Umbrella Protest had started in Freeholoho. It’s not the time for Lucas to be acting like this.”

The old knight fell silent at her reply.

He knew about her strange premonitions. When Milroa was young, assassins would invariably appear on days when she said she felt something was amiss.

*Clatter, clatter, tap.*

The carriage stopped in front of a top-class bar that occupied an entire building. It was a place frequented only by nobles.

Milroa, stepping out of the carriage, moved purposefully. An employee who attempted to stop her quickly opened the door after catching the piercing gaze of the old knight.

Milroa, entering the bar, frowned and scanned the room.

A drunkard, attempting to whistle and flirt at the sight of the beautiful woman entering the bar, quickly shut his mouth upon seeing the crest of Cristi County engraved on the armor of the old knight following behind.

The manager, wearing a thigh-high slit dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure, rushed forward.

“Countess Milroa, what brings you to such a humble establishment?”

“Where is our popular First Prince?”

The manager flinched for a moment.

It was a delicate question whether to answer or not. She made the best choice she could, subtly gesturing towards a room on the 3rd floor.

Milroa headed there without hesitation.

And *clunk*, she opened the door without knocking.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Who is it!”

“Gasp! Countess Milroa!”

“I, I just stopped by for a moment.”

The naked people lowered their heads and quickly scurried away. Only Lucas remained on the sofa, staring at her with glazed eyes.

“Oh, Milroa. Long time no see.”

“Long time no see, my ass. Put your clothes on properly.”

Lucas followed Milroa’s gaze. It was directed at his chest, covered in kiss marks.

He smiled and began to fasten his loosened shirt.

“I’m just so popular.”

“Really? Will you still be popular even if you fall from grace?”

Lucas’s hand, which was buttoning up, paused.

“Stop playing around and get your act together. I came here myself because I didn’t think you would listen if I didn’t say it directly. If you stay like this, I might get angry and switch allegiances.”

“Heh, can you get along with Damian [The Second Prince] with your personality?”

“What are you talking about? Why would I go there?”

“You said switch allegiances… are you talking about Evan [The Fifth Prince]?”

“Who knows? Anyway, I’ve said everything I wanted to say, so do whatever you want, whether you keep wallowing or get back on your feet.”

***

While I was working in my office, Alphonso arrived with a stack of documents.

“What’s that?”

“Miss Ayra sent it. It’s the third-quarter report of the merchant guild.”

I received it and looked through the documents, finding them filled with red numbers indicating losses.

‘There’s never been a deficit like this.’

This was because most of the profits from the Black Anvil tribe’s magic stone mine were being used to purchase Jenessen [a rare herb].

Even though it was the result of following my instructions, Ayra, who reviewed the report before sending it, must have been embarrassed. I suddenly remembered her complaining when she briefly visited the royal palace a while ago.

She was rumored to be a spendthrift lady from the West.

She had single-handedly raised the price of Jenessen more than threefold in just half a year, so it was understandable.

‘The new medicine is almost complete. The deficit will end soon.’

Schuitz recently succeeded in extracting a fever-reducing ingredient from Jenessen. It was a completely separate ingredient from those used in existing antipyretics.

The new medicine made using it would greatly help alleviate, if not cure, the Red Star Fever.

At least it will bring down the fever.

I’m planning to apply for certification from the Temple of All Gods as soon as the new medicine is made, but it probably won’t work.

‘They’ll demand extensive clinical trials and act arrogantly.’

I’m not worried about that at all.

Even without the approval of the Temple of All Gods, there will be plenty of people clamoring for the medicine. Rather, I hope they don’t later grab my coattails and beg me to produce the medicine quickly.

‘If the Red Star Fever breaks out, I’ll be able to make a cure quickly.’

I’ve already analyzed all the ingredients of Jenessen. If I can find the one that devours the red star, I’ll be able to develop a cure quickly.

‘And the ultimate goal is a vaccine.’

To be honest, I don’t know if that’s possible.

There is no concept of a vaccine yet. The prevailing understanding is simply that you don’t easily contract the same disease twice. That’s the extent of their awareness.

While I was thinking that, Alphonso suddenly spoke up, as if he had remembered something.

“Ah! That’s right. Did you hear the news?”

“What is it?”

“The First Prince came to the training ground today and sparred with the knights.”

“Brother Lucas?”

Hmm….

‘Has he finally come to his senses?’

The First Prince, Lucas Lionel.

His own abilities are outstanding, and he has a keen eye for talent. In addition, although opinions are somewhat divided, many people are drawn to his generous personality.

‘Objectively, he’s a decent person.’

I think he’s someone who could go down in history as one of the kings who developed the kingdom if he rises to the throne at the right time.

The problem is that the current era is a time of upheaval that can turn even decent rulers into bad ones.

And above all.

‘He doesn’t realize he’s living in a bubble.’

I think it’s largely because the First Queen coddled him too much within the confines of their kingdom. He’s been hearing things like ‘You have the talent of a founding king!’ since he was young, so he must believe he’s invincible.

Just looking at the Hamel Empire, there are more than a dozen knights with similar or even greater talents than him that I know of.

‘Anyway, if he’s come to his senses, he’ll show his face at tomorrow’s cabinet meeting.’

I didn’t attend the last third-quarter regular cabinet meeting because it coincided with my return from Aden, but I wonder what kind of chaos will unfold tomorrow.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of unease, as if my chest was constricted.

***

The fourth-quarter regular cabinet meeting was held.

There were two major differences from the cabinet meeting I attended for the first time.

The First Prince attended, and the Second Prince appeared with the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries instead of Clian.

‘A petty move.’

I know that he blamed Clian for his forces being destabilized by my activities in the East.

The Second Prince is not entirely without ability.

Just looking at his decisiveness and execution in cutting off the Fourth Prince, that’s evident. But if you ask if he’s someone who can become king, my answer is ‘no’.

‘He’s someone who will invite foreign powers as soon as he’s pushed back in the succession to the throne.’

However, many nobles would support the Second Prince because of his ambiguous abilities.

It’s a complicated problem in many ways.

Among the people who support the First Prince, there must have been plenty who were secretly pleased when he crumbled before the wall of a 6-star knight.

“…So, more trains in the East….”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Do you want to freeze to death working in this winter! Besides, there are already enough train tracks….”

“The food stored in the South….”

“No! Are you suggesting we give away the grain harvested with blood and sweat at a cheap price….”

The upcoming winter.

There were no major international issues, as the Hamel Empire and the Arya Kingdom were also quiet.

However, it was clear that the voices of the people in the Second Prince’s faction had become quieter than before. On the other hand, the First Prince’s side was so loud that my ears hurt.

I simply listened and didn’t intervene.

These were agendas that would all become irrelevant once the Red Star Fever broke out anyway.

“Hahaha, then let’s move on to Assemblyman Bert’s agenda next.”

At Prime Minister Heo’s words, Bert glanced at me and stood up from his seat.

“Does everyone remember the prophecy left by the saintess of the Patura City Order before she died?”

“Hmm… Surely something about an umbrella. Something like that….”

“Oh! Everyone remembers it. That’s right! When people holding umbrellas walk on sunny streets, those who swallowed the red star will cover the ground with black smoke. That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Hahaha, Assemblyman Bert, why is that prophecy suddenly coming up? Hasn’t it already been realized?”

Prime Minister Heo asked, feigning curiosity.

Ironically, the Hamel Empire’s crest features a red star.

Most people interpreted the saintess’s prophecy to mean that the Hamel Empire’s army indiscriminately suppressed the Freeholoho citizens who were peacefully protesting.

In any case, they’re unhelpful individuals.

“I believe that the prophecy left by the saintess of Patura City before she died might not be about that.”

The people gathered at the cabinet meeting glanced at me once. It seemed that everyone understood that the ‘I’ Bert was referring to meant me.

Occasionally, when I try to share some of the knowledge of the ‘future’ with someone, I get the feeling that unrecognizable entities are watching me.

I instinctively realized that it was a line that should not be crossed.

I can’t directly predict the Red Star Fever or the Umbrella Protest in Freeholoho, but I realized that it’s permissible to interpret someone else’s prophecy and warn them to prepare for the epidemic.

I found out too late.

If I had known a little earlier….

‘Would anything really change?’

When I think about it, the fact that the Umbrella Protest would start this year was also something I couldn’t easily tell others.

“Haha, then what does Assemblyman Bert think that prophecy is about?”

“It’s an epidemic. One that covers the ground with black smoke from burning corpses. I think we need to thoroughly prepare for it.”

“······Hmm···.”

“Huh, that’s something….”

Besides, look at those lukewarm reactions.

They’re looking at me like I’m a con artist fortune teller. They’re not people who will listen. So, in a way, me warning about the epidemic was a kind of self-consolation that I had done enough.

The Second Prince asked me with a bitter smile.

“Evan Lionel. Are you trying to become a prophet because some people in the royal palace are saying that you’re amazing? And why is that agenda coming from the Ministry of National Defense? Shouldn’t it be coming from the Ministry of Health and Welfare?”

I looked at him with pitying eyes and replied.

“If the epidemic harms the soldiers, wouldn’t that soon reduce the national defense power? I wonder why this agenda should be limited to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Brother Damian.”

The Second Prince’s eyes twitched.

He was clearly angered by my sarcastic tone.

“If you waste meaningless taxes preparing for the epidemic, what will you do then? Come to think of it, is that why you’ve been sweeping up Jenessen, a worthless herb, in the East for the past few months?”

“Since when have you been so interested in what I do? Well, that’s beside the point… I have strong faith in my interpretation of the prophecy of the Patura City saintess.”

I paused for a moment and looked around at the people who participated in the cabinet meeting.

“If. The epidemic doesn’t come as I interpreted it and passes quietly! As a sign of repentance, I will block the invasion of the barbarians at Bellington Fortress until I have my coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Finally, a prophet who will amaze the world has appeared in our kingdom. It’s a celebratory event.”

The Second Prince sneered.

I stared into his eyes and asked.

“If the epidemic breaks out as I said, what will Brother Damian do?”

The Second Prince shut his mouth tightly.

“Don’t tell me. You opposed it so much without even being sure that my interpretation was wrong?”

Just living by your mouth.

I didn’t say the last sentence out loud, but only with my lips. It seemed he understood because his face turned red.

“I’ll give you one of the merchant fleets I own. However! Evan Lionel, you must also keep your word.”

It was a story that Ayra would like.

The flower of the merchant guild is maritime trade, isn’t it?