Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 79

079

Opal Palace, the Second Prince’s office.

Mooyoung concealed himself in the dim shadows near the bookshelf, silently watching Damian.

Damian rose from his chair and paced anxiously around the office. He opened the window by the desk, took a deep breath, and then closed it, resuming his restless movements before finally settling on the sofa.

To an outsider, he would have seemed like a student awaiting the results of the Royal Military Academy entrance exam.

“Mooyoung, still no word?”

At Damian’s question, Mooyoung immediately responded,

“Not yet, Your Highness. I will inform you as soon as I receive any news.”

Damian, upon hearing the reply, grimaced and ran his hand roughly through his hair.

‘It is definitely late.’

Even Mooyoung found the delay unusually long.

The last report indicated a loud noise and a massive explosion at the location of the target, Schuetz Lemming. Since then, there had been no contact.

“Could it be! Could it be that Duke Weiss and the Arya Kingdom have stabbed me in the back?”

Damian muttered.

Mooyoung was unsure if it was a soliloquy or a question directed at him. In his experience, it was best to respond in such cases.

“Since the report of Duke Weiss and Amika Arya’s departure from the Lovroque ducal residence, as monitored by our shadows, there have been no unusual activities. If your concern is valid, Your Highness, there would have been some movement.”

“Don’t just talk about it, check it out. Now!”

“…Understood.”

Mooyoung closed his eyes, his consciousness delving into the shadows.

Shortly after.

Mooyoung opened his eyes with a look of dismay. He had lost contact with the shadow monitoring the Lovroque ducal family.

‘Eliminated? That’s impossible!’

The shadows assisting the Second Prince in secret were all connected. Mooyoung was the head of it. If the shadows acting as his arms and legs were eliminated, he should have felt a corresponding shock.

‘Could it be!’

If someone had incapacitated the shadows without giving them a chance to contact him, it would explain why he hadn’t noticed anything until now.

Mooyoung’s expression turned grave.

It was clear that someone very familiar with the Second Prince’s shadows had done this.

‘Could Duke Weiss really have betrayed us?’

The thought that Damian’s earlier muttering might be true flashed through his mind.

“Mooyoung! Why aren’t you answering?”

“…It seems the shadow monitoring the Lovroque ducal family has been compromised.”

For a moment, Damian thought he had misheard.

Soon, his face flushed crimson, and he jumped up, yelling at the top of his lungs,

“You’re telling me that now?! Find out what’s going on immediately!”

As Mooyoung hurriedly closed his eyes to refocus his consciousness.

Thud!

A heart-wrenching pain struck him.

“Keuk!”

Mooyoung, hidden in the shadows of the bookshelf, coughed up blood and revealed himself.

“What, what is it! What’s going on!”

“Cough, the Royal Secret Service… the shadow… cough…”

“Are you saying the shadow monitoring the Royal Secret Service has been compromised? Mooyoung! Report properly!”

“Cough… Yes, Your Highness.”

Damian’s mind raced.

It felt like something serious was happening around him, but he couldn’t grasp the full picture.

It was like wandering in a fog.

‘Let’s hide for now.’

His instincts provided the best answer.

He unhesitatingly stepped past the fallen Mooyoung and approached the bookshelf.

『The Prince』

『Absolute Monarch』

『I am the Sun』

.

.

.

Damian sequentially pulled out about ten books.

Thump, thud…

The bookshelf opened, revealing a secret passage.

“Mooyoung, stop exaggerating and get up. You know better than to die just because one or two shadows were taken out.”

“Cough… Understood, Your Highness.”

Despite Damian’s utterly devoid of humanity words, Mooyoung struggled to gather himself. The parasite in his head compelled him to do so.

At that moment.

– Dear citizens of the kingdom.

Fifth Prince Evan’s voice echoed, as if he were shouting right in front of them. It reverberated throughout the royal capital.

Damian’s face twisted.

Not even when Councilor Bert had desperately advocated for supporting the north during the Hamel Empire’s invasion did he amplify his voice across the entire capital.

It was a magic typically reserved for the King’s address during the New Year’s banquet.

‘It’s him! It’s his doing!’

Damian had a gut feeling that everything happening to him was Evan’s doing.

He glared coldly at Mooyoung.

The incompetent shadow hadn’t noticed anything while Evan was pulling off this stunt. He wanted to kick his head in, but he barely restrained himself, knowing he had to enter the secret passage alone.

“Get up, quickly!”

***

“Dear citizens of the kingdom.”

As my voice spread throughout the royal capital, the murmurs of the crowd in the plaza subsided.

It was a magic that shouldn’t be used except for the King’s address. But sometimes, rules must be broken.

If things went well, or even if they didn’t, no one would dare to reprimand me for this level of transgression.

Of course.

After all, I was exposing those who nearly sold the kingdom.

It had to be done swiftly.

The Second Prince had to be relentlessly pressured.

The groundwork had already been laid.

The Lionel Guardian Corps had been mobilized to raid and suppress the Second Prince’s shadows. It cost a tremendous amount of RP [Resource Points, a form of currency or power] to identify their locations and communication times, but it was essential.

No matter how important the Titan’s blueprints were, they couldn’t take precedence over dealing with those who had sold out the country.

The Second Prince must have noticed the anomaly by now. He was probably trying to escape through the secret passage.

It was futile.

He was already in the palm of my hand. Councilor Bert and the Third Order of Knights were waiting at the end of the secret passage.

“Today, I have unfortunate news to share. The kingdom’s Second Prince, and also my brother! Damian Lionel, has committed an unforgivable act.”

Even the intermittent murmurs completely ceased.

The eyes and ears of the people gathered in the plaza were solely focused on me.

“Recently! I moved Schuetz Lemming, who was developing a cure for the Red Star Fever, to a safe location. It was for his safety and protection. I received much criticism for not trusting the royal family because of that. But! The feared event has become a reality! The Second Prince of the kingdom! Has conspired with the Arya Kingdom! To kidnap and assassinate him and steal his research!”

The people gathered in the plaza were in shock.

– I, is that true?

– Are you crazy?

– Shh! He’s still royalty! Watch your mouth.

– But, if it’s just a plan, hasn’t it been executed yet?

– Be quiet!

Murmurs began to rise from all directions.

“Fortunately! Thanks to Count Clian Wite, who had foreseen the Second Prince’s plan, we learned of the fact before it happened. But! The situation was a matter of minutes and seconds, and there was no time to distinguish who was friend or foe. So, I had no choice but to move urgently. As a result, I was able to protect Schuetz, the hope to quell the Red Star Fever.”

– Ooh…

– But is there any evidence?

– That’s right. What if the Second Prince denies it?

“Surely, Damian, who has committed such an outrageous act of treason, will deny it. Therefore! I would like to present evidence to support my claims to the citizens of the kingdom here.”

Snap-!

As I snapped my fingers, a video began to play in the air.

「…How did you find out that the healer was hiding in such a secluded place?」

The video began with Duke Weiss questioning Clian. It was cleverly edited as if he were talking to himself.

The angle of the video shifted away from Weiss, showing Amika Arya and her guards.

– 「((Wait a minute. It seems like there are alarm spells around here.))」

Amika Arya’s words were even subtitled for clarity.

– It’s Duke Weiss and Amika Arya!

– I, is it real?

Most people knew the faces of 7-star powerhouses through newspapers. The citizens of the kingdom who recognized the two began to stir.

The edited video continued to play.

Parts that would not be good to be known, such as Clian and G-Dragon, were cleverly cut out.

And then, the crucial scene arrived.

「Under Damian’s instructions, he conspired with the islanders to kidnap Schuetz Lemming, and if necessary, kill him and steal his research. Just confess it, there’s no need to create evidence, right?」

「Understood. However, in the process, I, feeling disillusioned with the Second Prince, will take the initiative to eliminate Amika Arya and her guards and save Schuetz Lemming.」

The citizens of the kingdom exploded in anger at the scene where Duke Weiss himself confessed the truth.

– T, t, that kind of human is the Duke of the kingdom!

– The Second Prince ordered it!

– What Second Prince. What kind of prince is that traitorous bastard!

– But how did the Fifth Prince come back alive in that situation?

– T, that’s right?

– Is that important now?

– Execute the Second Prince! Execute him!

– Execution! Execution! Execution!

Everyone seemed ready to storm the royal castle right away. It was a situation that could lead to a riot if handled poorly.

Snap-!

I stopped the video.

“The process of suppressing Duke Weiss and Amika Arya has been excluded because it could leak the kingdom’s power. The important thing is! The video I released to the citizens of the kingdom is ‘the truth’! If anyone doubts the authenticity, I am willing to undergo an investigation by the credible Magic Tower at any time. Of course, excluding the Yellow Tower.”

– We don’t doubt it!

– That’s right!

– An investigation by the Magic Tower is not necessary!

“I! Evan Lionel, the Fifth Prince of the kingdom! Will never! Let those who tried to sell out the kingdom! Those who deserve to be torn apart and drunk dry, get away with it! I will make sure that the Second Prince Damian, the Lovroque ducal family, and everyone involved in this incident receive their due punishment! Also! I promise the citizens of the kingdom that I will hold the Arya Kingdom, which dared to covet the kingdom’s precious treasures, accountable!”

– Wooaaaaaaa!

– Long live the Fifth Prince!

– Long live! Long live!

As I raised my hand in response to the citizens’ cheers, Alphonso quietly came up and whispered in my ear.

“Your Highness, the Second Prince has invoked his immunity from arrest. Oh, and the leader of the shadows he commands has been killed on the spot.”

I chuckled.

I knew it.

But he was a rat in a trap. I had told Bert never to open the exit of the secret passage. Damian could never escape from the royal palace.

Smash!

I slammed the podium and raised my voice.

“Now! Damian has invoked his immunity from arrest! Watch closely what fate awaits this traitor who is trying to avoid punishment at all costs!”

– We trust only the Fifth Prince!

– Wooaaaaaaa!

– Execution! Execution! Execution!

***

Three days later.

The hearing was held at an unprecedentedly rapid pace. If Damian’s immunity from arrest was invalidated here, a royal trial would be held immediately.

All 29 members of the committee were present, except for one seat that was still vacant after Beortio left.

Of course, it was a public hearing.

Right now, the security forces must be struggling to control the citizens of the kingdom shouting for Damian’s execution in Barona Plaza.

I was sitting in the witness seat as an important witness.

I glanced around at the members of the Royal Committee. Most of them subtly avoided my gaze.

They all seemed to know now.

That there was someone in the world you should never touch, and that was me.

Creak.

The door opened, and Damian, surrounded by Secret Service agents, entered. He had an expression as if he were carrying all the world’s worries on his shoulders.

“Evaaaaaaan!!”

He found me and screamed with a flushed face.

I slowly stood up, glared at him, and opened my mouth.

“Don’t you dare utter my name with that filthy mouth.”

Damian, receiving my murderous gaze, closed his mouth and lowered his eyes.

Today is a very important day.

It is a day when the Lionel Kingdom, which had no choice but to go down the path of destruction due to the traitorous Second Prince, is pioneering a new path.

Damian, the Lovroque ducal family, and those who tried to sell out the country. They must be uprooted completely.

‘The beginning is important.’

Until now, there had never been a case where a royal family member was ‘executed.’ It was an unspoken rule because such a ruling might one day boomerang back at them.

I will change that.

A promise made in front of the citizens of the kingdom.

I have no intention of breaking it.