Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 86

086

“Then, I shall depart to carry out the official duties Your Highness has assigned me.”

Alphonse left, wearing a face as if he were undertaking a tremendously difficult task.

Left alone, I turned my chair to face the window. As always, I felt an immense sense of exhaustion after the cabinet meeting.

I cleared my head for a moment, appreciating the clouds moving slowly in the sky. Perhaps it was the mental fatigue combined with the post-lunch drowsiness, but my eyes began to close on their own.

Knock, knock.

I had dozed off slightly.

I quickly opened my eyes at the sound of the knock.

“Your Highness, Count Clian is here to see you.”

I checked the time.

2 PM.

What was he doing here when he should be receiving business reports from the Ministry of Finance? He was obsessive and hated deviating from his routine.

“Let him in.”

Shortly after, Clian entered, guided by the attendant.

“What brings you here? Without prior notice.”

“The agenda Your Highness raised during the cabinet meeting… would you mind telling me what your intentions were? I couldn’t concentrate on my work, so I came to ask.”

“Do you have no idea?”

“If it were right after Your Highness had ascended to the throne, I could understand. Reforming the laws is a good way to strengthen royal authority. But at this point… I can’t understand why you would raise an agenda that even those who support you wouldn’t particularly welcome.”

Should I tell him already?

This was a story that shouldn’t be leaked.

If I made a mistake, everything I had built up until now might collapse like a sandcastle.

“I also don’t understand the things you said in front of the ministers during the cabinet meeting regarding the introduction of statutory law. You gave examples that could easily be misunderstood as republican. Didn’t Count Miloa actually think that way?”

I tapped the desk with my finger and then playfully poked his forehead with my ghostly hand.

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Clian White

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Race: Human

[Stats]

[Skills]

[Relationship: Vassal]

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Clian, one of the few ‘vassals’ I could still count on my fingers. If I couldn’t trust him, whom the system recognized, who could I trust?

“Count Clian, what do you think are the chances of me succeeding to the throne?”

“100%.”

Clian’s immediate answer, without a hint of hesitation. I felt a little embarrassed but also pleased.

He immediately added an explanation.

“From having nothing, you have built a force comparable to the First Prince in just two years. Even considering that all your future actions will be met with opposition… in five years, perhaps five years, you will be able to ascend to the throne without shedding a drop of blood.”

“Thank you for the high praise.”

“Don’t you think so yourself, Your Highness?”

I gave a faint smile. And then, with a serious expression, I opened my mouth.

“But five years is too late. I need to secure the succession to the throne within two years, two years at most.”

“Yes?”

His eyes trembled slightly.

His always consistent expression had crumbled. It was a rare occurrence. Was it that shocking of a statement?

“Why are you in such a hurry… Could it be! Do you think His Majesty’s life is not long for this world?”

“That’s part of it. If the throne were to suddenly become vacant, the chances of countrymen shedding blood would be very high. But that’s not the only reason.”

“What else…?”

I got up from my chair and approached the map on the wall of the office. It depicted the Kingdom of Lionel, along with parts of the Hamel Empire and the Arya Kingdom.

Bang!

I slammed my hand hard on the northwestern region of the map, the area that the kingdom had lost, and looked at Clian.

“We need to recover this place as soon as possible. You know why, even if I don’t explain it, right?”

“Gray Steel…”

“Yes, Gray Steel, the raw material for making the magic superconductor Lac [a material crucial for advanced magical technology], is buried there in large quantities. I don’t know the exact amount, but if the Hamel Empire moved, it must be worth at least three or four mines that produce top-grade magic stones, right?”

“If the kingdom’s nobles had known that fact a little earlier, Your Highness’s maternal family wouldn’t have collapsed so futilely.”

I gave a bitter smile at Clian’s consolation.

“Well, would it really have been so?”

“…”

“That issue is settled. I think the golden time to recapture the Northwest with minimal damage is, at most, five years. So, we need to stabilize the domestic situation as soon as possible.”

The Emperor of the Hamel Empire was old.

He was a man who boasted that he would sit on the throne for another 10 years, but his energy would suddenly weaken, and he would leave in an instant.

In the ‘future,’ it was half a year after the death of the Lionel King.

A natural death.

No matter how much the future changes due to the things I do, a person’s natural lifespan won’t change much.

‘A civil war will break out in the Hamel Empire.’

It would be a happy ending if it were torn to pieces there, but unfortunately, a member of the imperial family will appear who will purge all political enemies in a short period of time.

‘The Red Emperor…’

A human who is already an 8-star knight at this point.

He’s not someone I can do anything about right now, like Amika Arya, who will be a threat in the future.

Anyway!

The moment after the Hamel Emperor dies is the perfect opportunity to recapture the Northwest.

‘This time, it won’t be easy for the islanders to move either.’

In the ‘future,’ the Arya Kingdom started the Lia War when the Hamel Empire was in chaos due to civil war.

The Arya’s royalists suffered fatal damage because of me, so they would still be bickering with the aristocratic faction until then.

“So, you’re saying that the Emperor of the Hamel Empire, who had his 32nd son last year, doesn’t have much time left.”

Clian, and sometimes when I talk to my vassals, I get the feeling that they think of me as a prophet who is right every time.

Well, the death of the Hamel Emperor will come true, so I decided to just leave it alone. After that, I’ll just say that I lost my ability to see the future because I read too much of the heavenly secrets.

… But I couldn’t understand why Clian was suddenly looking at me with a wistful look.

***

Clian saw lotus flowers blooming splendidly in the lake as he left his mansion this morning. Why did that come to mind while talking to the Fifth Prince?

‘Ah… I see.’

Because the lotus flowers in the lake would all wither as early as tomorrow, or at the latest, in three days.

The Fifth Prince would be the same.

Even just from what he had grasped, the Fifth Prince had read the Red Star Fever [a deadly disease], the King’s lifespan, and the Hamel Emperor’s lifespan.

‘How much of the Prince’s remaining lifespan has been consumed?’

His own remaining lifespan wouldn’t be very long either. Only then did he understand why he was in such a hurry.

“I see. Time is running out…”

Evan nodded with a sullen expression at Clian’s calmly spoken words.

“There are other reasons as well, but the biggest reason why the domestic situation needs to be stabilized as soon as possible is that the Hamel Empire’s chaos is not far off.”

“I understand. But what does that have to do with the reorganization of the judicial system?”

“… This might be a bit of a dangerous story. Don’t accidentally reveal it anywhere.”

Clian became slightly nervous at Evan’s serious expression.

“What do you think of me?”

“Especially to Count Miloa.”

“… I won’t.”

Clian’s brow twitched.

Evan chuckled.

“I’m just kidding, just kidding. I said it just in case, since you two sometimes have dinner and drinks together.”

“You know very well that I don’t drink. And that was a misrepresentation of the fact that I was sitting there to listen to information that Count Miloa happened to blurt out while drunk when we happened to meet for dinner. Don’t you know the saying to keep your enemies close? I’m just putting it into practice, so please don’t misunderstand. And…”

“Okay, okay, I understand enough, you don’t have to explain anymore.”

Clian realized that he had been more talkative than usual. Like a subordinate explaining why they had to work overtime because they couldn’t finish their work on time.

He was about to bring up another excuse.

“I’m going to contact the Tricolor Cane Society.”

Clian’s mind went blank for a moment at Evan’s whispering words.

The Tricolor Cane Society.

It was a secret society in the Kingdom of Lionel that dreamed of a republic.

– So, what is it that the Fifth Prince wants to say? You don’t mean to argue that we should establish a republic like Aden, do you?

Miloa’s words at the cabinet meeting kept ringing in Clian’s ears.

He hurried to the door. And he opened the door with a clatter and looked around to see if anyone was there.

Fortunately, no one was there.

It was Evan’s voice, so small that it would never be heard outside the door, but the shock was so great that he couldn’t bear not to check.

He closed the door again and approached Evan.

“Are you seriously thinking of contacting those traitors? They are a group that seeks to overthrow the state. Just the fact that Your Highness contacted them would be fatal.”

“Clian, do you know that the Tricolor Cane Society, which was active in the East, recently moved its base?”

Evan didn’t answer and instead asked a question.

The Tricolor Cane Society, which the Royal Intelligence Agency was searching for with their eyes wide open. Clian nodded, recalling Miloa’s story that they had raided their base a while ago, only to find it empty.

“Where did they move to?”

Clian answered immediately.

“They must have moved to the South.”

“That’s correct.”

“You didn’t intend to touch the judicial system from the beginning. The words Your Highness said at the cabinet meeting, depending on how you interpret them, the fact that the words that punishment appropriate to the crime should be given regardless of status came from Your Highness’s mouth itself was important. To win the favor of the Tricolor Cane Society. You’re thinking of using them to shake up the southern nobles, right?”

“Half right and half wrong.”

“Yes?”

“That’s it for today. Haven’t your questions been answered enough? If the story gets any longer, you’ll have to work overtime today, right? You’re famous for not making your subordinates work overtime, so how can you work overtime yourself?”

Clian flinched and looked at his watch.

Evan was right.

The terrible unpleasantness that he had forgotten until now overwhelmed him.

“I’ll come back another day. Please tell me in detail then.”

“Of course. Don’t worry and go take care of your work.”

***

A man wearing a hood was walking through the bustling city of Barona.

“Giddy up! Giddy up! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!”

Neighhhhh!

A nobleman’s carriage was seen speeding madly. The man stepped aside to the edge of the road and opened his pocket watch to check the time.

8:50 PM.

It was a road where you would have to pay a large fine if you were caught driving a carriage, but it was a frequent occurrence at this time. It was clearly a royal official who was late for work.

A scene no different from usual.

But.

Today must have been an unfortunate day for a single parent.

An apple rolled along the carriage’s path, and a little boy, who looked to be about six years old, ran out to pick it up.

“Henry───!!”

“A child!”

“Stop! Stop─!”

Neighhhhh.

The panicked coachman tried to pull the reins, but it was too late. He turned his head away, imagining the terrible sight that would soon occur.

Thump- Roll.

Fortunately, the man jumped in with amazing speed, grabbed the child, and rolled away.

“A magic awakener!”

The people who saw the scene shouted as if they had become one.

Neighhhhh.

“What’s going on? Why did you slow down? Don’t you know I’m in a hurry!”

“Ah, no. It was nothing.”

The coachman sped up the horse again and ran towards the palace.

“Oh dear…”

“Anyway, nobles are… tsk tsk.”

The people clicked their tongues.

The man, glaring at the receding carriage, checked to see if the child in his arms was injured.

“Are you okay?”

“Waaaaah.”

The child suddenly burst into tears.

“Th, thank you! Oh, Henry! Didn’t I tell you not to let go of Mom’s hand? Thank you. Thank you. How should I repay this… Huh!”

The woman, who ran to the man and bowed her head, covered her mouth when she saw the man’s face wearing a ghostly mask inside the hood.

“It’s okay. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”

The man quickly slipped through the crowd.

The place where his steps were heading began to become increasingly dark. Soon, he reached a place where stench and rot vibrated.

The man’s steps stopped in front of a beggar lying next to a trash can. His gaze turned to the newspaper that the beggar was covering.

『Fifth Prince Proposes Introduction of Statutory Law』

『Statutory Law from the Daichi Kingdom, the Leader of the Brissen Alliance, Does the Law Take Precedence over Status?』

The beggar, feeling the man’s gaze, gently opened his eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before, go back. You’ll die if you stay here for long.”

Despite the beggar’s sarcasm, he opened his mouth without concern.

“Where do I have to go to get to the end of the night?”

The beggar, with a hardened expression, looked around and opened his mouth.

“Did you come knowing where the wave starts?”

“From our aspirations.”

“Where does the flower of hope bloom?”

“In everyone’s heart.”

The beggar, scratching his head, got up and brought his face close to the man’s nose. He examined the mask inside the hood and clicked his tongue.

“Look at that masked face… Tsk, follow me, I’ll guide you to the boss.”

After walking in silence for a while, the beggar suddenly asked as if curious.

“By the way, I have a feeling that I’ll be running into you quite a bit, what should I call you?”

“Nave. You can call me Nave.”