Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 81

081

Count Royce Godron.

As the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, he had provided the assembly point when Evan suppressed the eastern pirates.

The day before meeting the Fifth Prince in his territory, Royce had a dream from his childhood.

– Prince Royce, do you know how luck is shaped?

– Hmm… Maybe it’s like a fairy, palm-sized with dragonfly wings on its back?

– Hehe, no. Luck is shaped like a big ball.

– A ball?

– Yes, a ball made of mithril [a mythical metal]. The front is covered in fluffy fur, making it easy to grab, but the back is smooth, so no matter how hard you try, you can’t hold it.

– What’s that?

– It means that when you see it from the front, it’s hard to tell it’s precious mithril because of the fluffy fur, but only after it passes do you realize it was mithril. Once it’s gone, you can never catch it again. So, if you see something strange, grab it first.

– What if it’s just weird trash?

– Then you can just throw it away. Hehe.

Waking up, he realized that the nanny, whom he could no longer see, had left him with a valuable lesson.

So, although he originally supported the Second Prince, he began to reach out to the Fifth Prince as well. Of course, very cautiously, considering the Second Prince’s watchful eye.

He would periodically send letters of greeting, occasionally share a meal with figures from the Fifth Prince’s faction, listen attentively to the Fifth Prince’s words at cabinet meetings and seek advice separately, and provide meat to the Lionel Guardian Army, who were working hard for the kingdom.

“Hey, Count Royce. Has there been any particular word from the Fifth Prince?”

“Tell me quickly. I hear the Royal Secret Service is raiding the families connected to the Robreuk Duchy one after another. I’m worried we might get caught in the crossfire.”

In the meantime, along with Clian, he had become the nobleman closest to the Fifth Prince in the east.

That was why the eastern nobles were gathered at the Godron County estate, pressing him.

Royce silently thanked the nanny from his dream once again and addressed the crowd.

“Everyone, please calm down. The Fifth Prince is a fair man. Those who did not participate in the Second Prince and the Robreuk Duchy’s acts of treason have nothing to fear.”

“We know the Fifth Prince is fair. The problem is the Royal Secret Service! Countess Miloua, that woman, might use this opportunity to fabricate flaws and brand us as traitors!”

There was too much bad blood for the eastern nobles to side with the First Prince.

It wasn’t entirely impossible, but it would require sacrificing too much. Their only viable option was to express support for the Fifth Prince.

Although the power of the east had been halved with the collapse of the Robreuk Duchy, most eastern nobles believed that joining the Fifth Prince, who had the support of most of the north and west, would allow them to regain a force equal to that of the First Prince’s faction.

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I have received word from the Fifth Prince.”

“Really!”

“Tell us, tell us quickly.”

“He has already promised Countess Miloua to root out only the traitors who have been gnawing at the kingdom, without any personal feelings influencing her.”

“Whew, thank goodness.”

“So, everyone can rest assured… Huh? Baron Gidre, you came too?”

Baron Gidre, who had treated the Second Princess extremely well before she went to the Arya Kingdom, was sitting in the corner with an anxious face, prostrating himself.

“Count Royce, please save me! Our family only provided the Second Princess with a meal and a place to sleep. We never imagined the Second Prince would commit such heinous acts.”

The watching eastern nobles swallowed hard.

Royce stroked his beard and looked at him.

– Count Royce, please arrange a meeting with the eastern nobles.

– May I take on such an important role?

– Many people find it difficult to approach Count Clian. Someone with your popularity, Count Royce, is the right person for this.

– You flatter me.

– Here, take this.

– This is…

– I’ve compiled a list of people you should definitely invite, according to my own assessment.

Baron Gidre was not on the invitation list that the Fifth Prince had given him.

Royce gestured to the knights guarding the door and spoke.

“But… how did Baron Gidre get in here? Today is a meeting only for those who have important business with me. I’ll arrange a separate meeting later, so let’s talk then.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the knights forcibly lifted Baron Gidre.

“Please save me! Count Royce! Count Royce──!”

The eastern nobles who watched Baron Gidre being dragged out breathed a sigh of relief.

They realized that the very fact that they were meeting with Count Royce Godron was already a sign that the Fifth Prince would accept them.

***

While working in my office, I felt bored and opened [Support Rate].

North 90%

West 80%

East 60%

South 20%

Considering only the support of the kingdom’s people, excluding nobles, I had surpassed the First Prince.

It felt like looking at a stock chart that was continuously hitting the upper limit. It was satisfying just to look at it.

Knock, knock.

The sweet rest was broken by a knock.

“Prince, it’s Alphonso.”

“Come in.”

Alphonso opened the door and came in.

The guy who put a mountain of documents on my desk opened his mouth.

“The eastern nobles who met with Count Royce yesterday only broke up this morning.”

“Is that so?”

“I heard they all came out with smiling faces. If they declare their support for you soon, will we replace the Second Prince’s faction?”

“It’s still not enough. We need to find someone to replace Vice, who was the Stone Coffin’s naval commander, and completely take control of the 2nd Knight Order to have the same power as the former Second Prince.”

“Ah! Come to think of it, I heard the First Prince visited the 2nd Knight Order this morning.”

“When was my visit scheduled?”

“Uh… it was three days from now.”

“Move it up as much as possible.”

“Understood.”

Currently, the First Prince and I are competing to absorb the forces Damian left behind.

We’re playing fairly in our own way.

I won’t mess with the fever reducers and treatments for the Red Star Fever. In return, don’t use the Royal Secret Service to touch the eastern forces I’m absorbing.

In fact, if I wanted to, I could take advantage of the Red Star Fever to quickly advance.

Messing with the amount of Generol [medicine] supplied to the south could inflict fatal damage on the First Prince’s faction.

‘It’s meaningless.’

What good is a throne obtained at the cost of the kingdom’s people’s lives?

“Ah! And Baron Gidre has requested an audience.”

“Reject it.”

“Isn’t Baron Gidre a little too insignificant to be punished for treason?”

“He’s a person I’m reluctant to keep around.”

“Understood.”

I got up from my seat and approached the window. I looked at the fountain in the garden and fell into thought.

It was true that Baron Gidre hadn’t committed any major crimes yet. At most, he had treated the Second Princess, who visited his territory before leaving for the Arya Kingdom, with great hospitality.

Perhaps any noble in the east would have done the same.

In fact, I had many concerns.

Baron Gidre was a figure who became a henchman of Arya in the ‘future.’ Was it right to abandon him because of something that hadn’t even happened yet?

My choice was to pass him on to Miloua.

I didn’t feel the need to take on a troublesome person.

If she investigates, she’ll know that Baron Gidre didn’t commit any treason worthy of punishment, so she’ll either accept him or abandon him as she sees fit.

After organizing my thoughts, I looked at Alphonso.

“What about the Arya Kingdom? How’s the investigation going?”

“It’s impossible to approach. Senior Austin seems to have to infiltrate directly. What on earth are they hiding there that’s so heavily guarded?”

It was about the location of the Second Princess.

I had succeeded in using the [Library] to pinpoint the place where the Arya Kingdom was likely hiding her.

It was a bit difficult because there were no direct records.

Using the keywords ‘noble woman with unknown red hair,’ I was able to find a place where a person suspected to be the Second Princess was located.

It was one of Etrim’s shrines.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why they had kept her alive. Then, after learning about an Arya legend through the [Library], I felt like I had found the answer.

It’s not a great legend.

The story of an Arya royal princess who saved the country by offering herself to Etrim when a great flood occurred.

The fact that can be learned from there.

Etrim is fixated on some kind of blood flowing in the Arya royal family. The Arya royal family members used to say that they were descendants of the sea dragon, but is it true?

‘They must have kept the Second Princess alive to offer her as a sacrifice when Etrim awakens.’

Anyway, it seemed that the royal princess alone could handle what originally required hundreds of priestesses to sacrifice.

Well, it’s just speculation for now.

“What should we do? Should we ask Senior Austin to move?”

“No, tell him to continue doing what he’s doing.”

He’s already busy enough with the Red Star Fever, so it didn’t seem right to move Austin, who manages the Lionel Guardian Army.

It would take at least three years for Etrim to open his eyes again.

I couldn’t think of any political gains to be made by taking the Second Princess out of there right away, so I decided to wait and see.

“Now, you do your job too.”

“Yes! The Fifth Prince’s chief! Aide! Alphonso, I’ll go to work.”

A smile came out.

It seems that Alphonso’s shoulders have risen sharply as my stock price has soared these days.

I decided to leave him alone. Isn’t that all temporary? He might try to escape soon due to the flood of work.

***

I heard good news from the morning.

– Prince! Schuitz has finally found the ingredient that devours the Red Star Fever.

The completion of Genesia [cure for Red Star Fever], the cure, was just around the corner.

“Fifth Prince, you seem to be in a good mood.”

Count Royce, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was sitting next to me, spoke to me.

“I’ll let you know soon.”

“I wonder what it is. Hahaha.”

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was an ardent supporter of the Second Prince, had bothered me by trying to arrange a marriage for his sister.

He was in custody by the Royal Secret Service on suspicion of receiving money in exchange for favoring them in trade negotiations with the Arya Kingdom.

“The Foreign Minister of the Arya Kingdom has arrived.”

The door to the conference room opened, and the Arya Foreign Minister and his entourage entered.

They all had gloomy expressions.

Well, Amica Arya, who was expected to become an 8-star summoner, had lost her life in vain. It would be crazy if they were smiling.

They must have been cursing their luck that this was happening when the Red Star Fever was sweeping the continent, and that the Fifth Prince of the Lionel Kingdom happened to have the solution.

I crossed my arms and watched the ministers of both countries discuss.

The battlefield where diplomats from both countries fought with their mouths instead of swords. Originally, it was a place where I shouldn’t be, but no one dared to object to my accompanying them because the export of Generol and Genesia was also involved.

“······ How could you interrogate the Second Princess without the permission of our country······.”

“As stated in the official letter sent in advance, there is no room for excuses regarding that point······.”

“······ What is the specific compensation plan······.”

The Lionel Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was demanding three main things.

First, a grand apology from the Arya royal family.

Second, lowering tariffs.

Third, reparations.

“······ Alright. I will accept everything. So please, there should be no discrimination against other countries in the export of Generol and Genesia······.”

“Hahaha, our Fifth Prince is full of humanity. Although there was an unpleasant incident between the Arya Kingdom and our country, he will fully understand. Isn’t that right, Prince?”

Count Royce, smiling with satisfaction at having obtained everything he wanted, asked for my agreement.

‘Ha······.’

How can he be so naive?

He was facing an opponent who came with a paper knife, seemingly unaware that they were holding a [Barisada] [a type of powerful sword]-class sword.

It was obvious what kind of diplomacy he had been doing all along, as only those who have done exploitation well can do it well.

It seemed like I had to step in.

I replied bluntly to Count Royce.

“I still don’t understand.”

“Huh?”

((Wha, what??))

The Arya Foreign Minister’s mother tongue slipped out of his mouth in embarrassment. He soon regained his composure and opened his mouth.

“Then what else do you need, Prince?”

“First, I request the repatriation of the Lionel Kingdom shipbuilders who have been kidnapped by Arya’s privateer fleet disguised as pirates.”

“We, we never did that!”

I chuckled.

They were the ones who knew the Arya Kingdom’s warship manufacturing process inside and out. Among them were those who participated in the production of ironclad ships.

They would never be able to hand them over.

I expected them to deny it no matter what.

“Hoo, then we can go find them ourselves, right? We won’t be able to find them if they’re not there, right? Or will we?”

The Arya Foreign Minister’s eyes were spinning.

It was obvious what he was thinking.

Exterminate the entire family.

I slid a document to him.

It was a list of the kidnapped shipbuilders from the Arya Kingdom.

“Ah! By the way, we have already identified all of their locations, so don’t try to play any tricks. If even one of them doesn’t return, not a single pill of Generol or Genesia will go to the Arya Kingdom, so you better be prepared.”

The Arya Foreign Minister shut his mouth.

Well, it must have far exceeded his authority.

“Report it well to your king when you return, and then······”

“Do, do you mean there’s more?”

“Document that Geumwol Island, an island that has been the site of a long-standing dispute between Lionel and Arya, is Lionel’s territory.”

The area around Geumwol Island is rich in marine resources. Above all, in the ‘future,’ mithril was discovered buried deep in the seabed.

“That’s! Geumwol Island is Arya’s territory!”

“What nonsense! Geumwol Island has been our land since Lionel was founded! Okay, next!”

“Ne, next?”

“Allow Lionel merchants to engage in free trade at Nagafo Port, Arya’s largest port.”

I looked at Count Royce.

He was watching my negotiation process with his mouth wide open. What was he talking about lowering tariffs when it could be done duty-free?