Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 98

“Kill the First Prince?”

I repeated Julian’s words in a tone devoid of emotion. He didn’t avoid my gaze and continued speaking.

“Haven’t you already eliminated the Fourth Prince, Beortio, Duke Weiss, and the Second Prince? It’s just one more step.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

It suddenly occurred to me that I needed to verify if Julian was someone with whom I should even be discussing the death of the First Prince.

“And I think there’s some misunderstanding. I didn’t eliminate the Fourth Prince.”

“That’s a funny joke. Didn’t you eliminate the Fourth Prince by using the Second Prince’s hand?”

“Why do you think so?”

Julian rose from his seat and walked towards the bookshelf piled high with newspapers. He rummaged through the bookshelf and brought back a few newspapers.

“I’ve compiled only the important articles related to the Fourth Prince’s assassination at the time.”

I quickly scanned the newspapers he brought.

“Newspapers from Twilight and Blue Moon.”

Twilight was a media outlet representing the South, and Blue Moon represented the East. Naturally, the content published on the same incident was completely different.

Julian picked up two of the newspapers he had placed on the table.

“These are newspapers from Twilight and Blue Moon immediately after the Fourth Prince was assassinated. The Blue Moon article asserts that the assassin of the Fourth Prince is the Northern Liberation Army. On the other hand, Twilight claims that there may be a third force behind the assassination of the Fourth Prince besides the Northern Liberation Army.”

He put down the two newspapers and looked at me.

“I was convinced that the third force Twilight claimed was the Second Prince. At first, I thought the Second Prince might have made the decision to abandon the Fourth Prince. The fact that the Fourth Prince was a notorious scoundrel had been a widespread fact for a long time.”

“Then why did you suddenly change your mind and think that I moved the Second Prince to eliminate the Fourth Prince?”

“The Second Prince had no choice but to damage his relationship with the Second Queen, who was his biggest supporter, by eliminating the scoundrel Fourth Prince. He is not capable enough to make such a big decision on his own. The only people who could have instigated him were… Fifth Prince, who asked him for help at the time, or Count Clian. Only those two.”

“Then it could have been Count Clian’s opinion, couldn’t it?”

“Didn’t he personally show his pettiness by treating Count Clian coldly afterward? I know that there was an opinion that the Fourth Prince should be abandoned even before the royal trial. If the Second Prince was going to follow Count Clian’s words, he would have kicked out the Fourth Prince a long time ago.”

“That’s an interesting deduction. But how could I persuade the Second Prince to kill the Fourth Prince?”

“The Fifth Prince must have found out, right?”

“Found out what?”

“That the Fourth Prince is not of royal blood.”

Honestly, I was a little surprised.

How did he know that?

“Isn’t it a hush-hush story that the Fourth Prince, the only redhead among the royal bloodline, might be a cuckoo’s egg [illegitimate child]?”

“How could I find out that the rumor is true?”

“Weren’t you two deeply connected as plaintiff and defendant in the royal trial? The Fifth Prince, who found the headquarters of the Tricolor Cane Gang that even the Royal Secret Service couldn’t find, and even the house I’m staying in, would have easily figured out that the Fourth Prince is a cuckoo’s egg.”

“Okay, let’s say I found out that fact. But do you think that’s enough to make the Second Prince decide to kill the Fourth Prince?”

“Wouldn’t it have been a perfectly timed opportunity?”

“Such as?”

“For example… the Royal Secret Service is digging into that fact, and it might be revealed to the world soon. At the time, the First Prince and Second Prince factions were desperately trying to find each other’s weaknesses, weren’t they?”

I felt a chill and tried to hide it.

Looking at Julian’s expression, it seemed like he was guessing that it was a situation close to certainty, though not quite.

I even suspected that he might have [Library] like me.

***

Articles don’t just convey facts.

Julian realized that fact from the moment he heard the stories of two tellers who were saying different things about one incident in his childhood.

From then on, he had an interesting game.

What is the intention of publishing the article?

Are there any lies?

What are the objective facts?

What is the reporter’s subjective opinion?

What exactly is on the other side?

What is the truth?

Constantly asking questions and trying to answer them.

The thrill of proving that his answer was correct was indescribable.

“How is it? Isn’t it true that the Fifth Prince instigated the Second Prince to get rid of the Fourth Prince?”

“It seems like you won’t believe me even if I say no, so does the answer matter?”

To Julian, the Fifth Prince’s words sounded like his deduction was correct. He felt a thrill like being struck by lightning.

“Then did I pass the test?”

“Test?”

“Weren’t you asking about the Fourth Prince, whom you dealt with a long time ago, to see if I was someone worth talking to before you brought up killing the First Prince?”

“I can’t say anything back to that.”

The Fifth Prince, who chuckled and shook his head, opened his mouth again.

“Then shall we go back to the main topic? You were talking about killing the First Prince as if it were a walk in the park. How exactly are you going to kill him? You know he’s a 6-star knight, right? I know of at least three magical tools he has to escape emergency situations. One of them is designed to move him next to Galad, the leader of the Azure Lion Knights, a 7-star knight of the kingdom.”

Julian realized something from the Fifth Prince’s words.

“…You weren’t entirely opposed to the idea of ending the succession battle early by eliminating the First Prince.”

“If I simply wanted to end the succession battle, I could have done it even when the Red Star Fever broke out. If I had tampered with the Generol and Genesia [fictional medicine/supplies] to be supplied to the South, the South’s power would be less than half of what it is now, right? Why do you think I didn’t do that?”

“To minimize the damage to the kingdom’s people…?”

“That’s also correct. In addition, I want a kingdom with as much power preserved as possible when I ascend to the throne. To that end, I’ve considered every possible plan at least once. Of course, that included eliminating the First Prince.”

“You couldn’t find a way to kill him?”

“No, there is. But I’m not sure if eliminating the First Prince is the best option. Do you know why?”

“…”

Julian was momentarily speechless. His head was busy trying to find an answer to the Fifth Prince’s question.

***

Julian was lost in thought for a long time.

He didn’t seem to be able to find an answer. It was in stark contrast to how brilliantly he had deduced the process of me eliminating the Fourth Prince.

I had a guess as to why.

“Can I take a look at the bookshelf for a moment?”

“…As you wish.”

I got up from my chair, walked to the bookshelf, and examined the piles of newspapers.

‘As expected.’

Only domestic newspapers.

It’s amazing that he deduced my actions with just those and the rumors he picked up. I admit it. But…

“You don’t read foreign press?”

“I’d like to, but they’re hardly available on the market.”

“Do you know the political situation of the Hamel Empire?”

“I know that the Crown Prince has not been decided.”

“That’s as good as saying you know almost nothing. Do you know the number of knights in the Hamel Empire? The level of the Royal Knights? How many members are there in the infamous Black Knights?”

“…”

His vision is narrow.

Output can only come from input.

With only domestic newspaper articles as input, the resulting output cannot look at the world.

“Kill the First Prince? I can do it. I, who have a record of catching the traitor Duke Weiss, a 7-star knight, and Amika Arya, a 7-star summoner from the island nation, can’t do that? But! To assassinate the First Prince, there’s a nine out of ten chance that I’ll have to eliminate his master, Galad, the leader of the Azure Lion Knights, a 7-star knight, as well.”

I paused for a moment and continued speaking.

“Or, if I’m lucky enough to eliminate only the First Prince? Galad won’t follow me even if he abandons the secular world. Let’s say I inherit the throne that way. There’s no option to keep Moria Runtia alive. Now, how many 7-star or higher-level powerhouses are left in the Lionel Kingdom?”

“…Two people.”

“That’s right. Only two people. The former Second Knights Commander, who cherished the Second Prince like a nephew and is estranged from me. And Fran Nim, who can leave without looking back if he sees signs of the kingdom’s destruction.”

Three 7-star powerhouses.

That’s the minimum number I think is necessary to reclaim the lost Northwest region of the kingdom, taking advantage of the chaos in the Hamel Empire after I inherit the throne.

That’s only if I somehow drag Fran into the war and leave the rear empty.

“The first thing I’ll do after I inherit the throne is to reclaim the lost Northwest region of the kingdom. You, who can only obtain domestic information, wouldn’t have been able to deduce it, but that’s the only time you can reclaim the Northwest with minimal damage.”

In fact, he wouldn’t have thought of it even if he had the information. This is not something I deduced through information, but a fact I know from the knowledge of the ‘future’.

Of course!

It seems like two or more new 7-star knights will be produced before the recapture of the Northwest begins.

Me, Reina, and Bert.

There’s also the concentrated liquid of the World Tree fruit, so two of them will become 7-star knights.

…Maybe?

The problem is the gap in between.

“In the worst case, there’s no way to stop the island nation guys from pushing in at the moment when the Lionel Kingdom’s national power hits rock bottom.”

One 7-star knight and one 8-star mage?

And the mage is a guest?

It’s such a delicious bait.

Enough for Arya’s royalist and aristocratic factions, who were fighting each other, to temporarily call a truce.

“Now, do you understand why I can’t readily kill the First Prince?”

***

Julian couldn’t lift his head in shame.

It was like explaining how to plant trees in front of someone who was landscaping a huge forest. Moreover, it seemed like he had seriously interfered with the landscaping of the forest in the process.

He felt a strong thirst.

What is this thirst that feels like his throat is burning?

‘Ah…!’

I want to see it.

I want to see the forest that Evan created.

I want to see the process of the forest being created.

I want to plant his tree there.

I want to see the tree grow.

“Cough, cough! Cough, cough!”

The cough that Julian had been holding back while talking to the Fifth Prince burst out again. Julian quickly covered his mouth to prevent blood from splattering.

‘Is it greed…? ‘

As soon as the conversation ends, Baron Reina’s sword could pass by his neck. As he smiled bitterly, he heard the Fifth Prince’s voice in his ear.

“Ah, there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Ask me anything.”

“How do you think I found out that the Fourth Prince is a cuckoo’s egg and encouraged the Second Prince to assassinate him, raided the headquarters of the Tricolor Cane Gang that the Royal Secret Service couldn’t find, and came to your house, Julian?”

Julian wiped his hands on his waist and smiled subtly.

“Do you know that my name, Julian, is not known to anyone left in this world? Well, even if it wasn’t, I was guessing. Prince, you can read the heavens, can’t you? If there are any questions…”

“If there are?”

“How can you be so healthy? I’m confessing now, but I can also read the heavens very slightly. When I read the articles and looked at the stars in the night sky and inferred the truth behind them, I often reached the truth in a flash. I can also read people’s lifespans a little, even if it’s weak.”

“Read lifespans?”

“Do you know why I collected the Prince’s articles like this?”

Julian got up from his seat and tore off a few of the scrapped articles from the wall.

『Lionel Kingdom, jointly developing a magic stone mine with the Black Anvil Tribe? The main player in the negotiations is none other than the Fifth Prince!』

“It was exactly from this time. That’s when I felt the change in my lifespan.”

『The prophecy left by the Saintess of Paturasit is not the Freeholo Lake incident! The Fifth Prince, who argued that we should prepare for the epidemic』

“And at this time, I was convinced that my lifespan had increased a little. That’s when I guessed. The Fifth Prince can not only read the heavens but also change the fate of others.”

Evan nodded at Julian’s answer.

“I’ve solved most of my questions. Then I’ll go now.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll provide you with high-quality information, so think of the best plan that will benefit me the most in the current situation. If the quality of the information provided increases, the resulting output will also improve. Don’t say nonsense like killing the First Prince without a plan.”