Chapter 45
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Chapter 45
"This isn't a good situation, is it?"
"If Yurien de Harden Kirie were the Crown Prince, there would be no problem. But he's the 3rd Prince. A member of the royal family who shouldn't shine is shining far too brightly."
"When you join the Changtian Knights, your nationality changes, doesn't it? Strictly speaking, he's no longer a member of the royal family."
"So the Empire's citizens think of him as a foreigner?"
"...."
"He remains royalty to the end. Even if his nationality changed to Agenka, as long as his surname carries the Kirie Empire and the Harden Royal House within it. As long as the Empire's citizens regard him as their own prince."
Nicole lifted her spoon and dampened it with tea water. She began drawing pictures with the tea on the table. First, she sketched a simple lion—the white lion, symbol of the Kirie Imperial Family.
"The current Emperor had two Empresses."
She drew a small circle beside the lion.
"The first Empress, whom he took during his time as Crown Prince. She was frail and passed away not long after His Majesty ascended the throne. The son born between her and His Majesty is the 1st Prince and current Crown Prince, Cruien de Harden Kirie."
A line was drawn between the lion and the first circle. Nicole wrote the number 1 beneath it. Then a new circle was drawn.
"The Empress's position became vacant, and a second Empress was taken. Two sons were born between her and the Emperor. The 2nd Prince Karaem and the 3rd Prince Yurien de Harden Kirie."
Two lines were drawn between the new circle and the lion, with the numbers 2 and 3 written respectively. Then Nicole erased the circle with tea water.
"And the new Empress passed away giving birth to the 3rd Prince. You know that the Empire's Empress position has remained vacant ever since, don't you?"
"I do. His Majesty loved the second Empress so dearly that he won't take another. With three princes, the ministers have nothing to say about it either."
"Right. The first Empress was a political marriage, but the second was someone His Majesty genuinely loved and took as his wife. It was quite the scandal—she was the daughter of a humble baron family. There are even rumors they were in love before he married the first Empress. Now think about it, Echinacea."
Nicole tapped the 3rd Prince's position with her spoon. Then she pointed at the lion's head.
"What does the Emperor think of the 3rd Prince? The Empress he loved so dearly died giving birth to that child. His Majesty didn't need any more sons."
"...Surely not."
"I don't know the detailed circumstances within the Imperial Family. But it's certain that His Majesty doesn't favor Yurien de Harden Kirie. In fact, he probably dislikes him quite a lot. It might even border on hatred."
"Even though he's the son of the wife he loved?"
"He's the child born from consuming the wife he loved."
I frowned. It was a bitter tale. I could sense that Yurien de Harden Kirie's upbringing must have been far from pleasant. Nicole set down her spoon and rested her chin on her hand.
"And right now, the succession is quite complicated. The Crown Prince is the 1st Prince, the Crown Prince, and has a solid maternal family. On top of that, he married the eldest daughter of the Diasant Duchy, so his wife's family is solid too. But the Emperor favors the 2nd Prince, the son of the second Empress he loved."
"Are you saying those two are competing for the throne?"
"Yes. And quite fiercely at that. The Crown Prince has the more established power, but the Emperor is openly backing the 2nd Prince."
"That's a dangerous situation in many ways...."
"Here's the problem. There's the 2nd Prince, whom the Emperor supports, and the 1st Prince, backed by solid noble families from his maternal and paternal sides with legitimate succession rights. If both factions are evenly matched, which side would gain the advantage?"
"The one with the people's support?"
"Correct. That's why both sides are desperately trying to prove their abilities. They're trying to win the people's hearts by demonstrating competence and concern for the nation. But what's the result? Which prince do the Empire's citizens know by name, care about, and praise?"
"Yurien de Harden Kirie."
I answered blankly. My own life was too intense to concern myself with the imperial succession of the Kirie Imperial Family, so I knew little of these behind-the-scenes matters.
'Now that I think about it, before my return, who ultimately became Emperor? After Agenka was annihilated.... Was it the Crown Prince?'
As I searched my memory, Nicole continued speaking matter-of-factly.
"Both the Crown Prince's faction and the 2nd Prince's faction see Yurien de Harden Kirie as a thorn in their side. A common enemy. It would have been no problem if he were an unremarkable prince. Don't you know? Excessive talent often becomes a curse."
Few people would understand that statement better than I would. The tragedy born from my own talent was truly horrific. I closed and opened my eyes slowly to hide my turbulent emotions. Nicole didn't notice my agitation and continued her explanation.
"Yurien de Harden Kirie was excessively outstanding from childhood. When I asked the elder mages of the Mage Tower, they confirmed it immediately. In every field he studied, he achieved results the other princes couldn't match, which greatly displeased the Emperor. That's why he was sent to Agenka, practically exiled."
"Wait, didn't Yurien de Harden Kirie join the Changtian Knights of his own volition?"
"That's what's known publicly. In reality, he was driven out. They couldn't kill or exile an innocent prince, so they used his talent in swordsmanship as a pretext to send him to Agenka. But the result was...."
"...Master, Giosa Owners."
"Right. I drove him away because I couldn't stand the sight of him, and he's grown brilliantly. His Majesty the Emperor and the other princes must find him utterly tiresome."
Nicole laughed bitterly and shrugged her shoulders. I stared blankly at the table, where traces of tea still lingered. I had no idea. The Yurien de Harden Kirie I knew was noble and radiant. I thought the only misfortune in his life was being entangled with me—the demon of the Demonic Sword.
Nicole exhaled a long sigh and slumped back in her chair.
"That's the background. Now for the main point. Why was the Demonic Sword delivered to the Count Loaz Estate? For what it's worth, we couldn't identify the culprit. Even if we did, there's nothing we could do about it anyway."
"Because the mastermind is the Imperial Family?"
"Exactly. His Majesty the Emperor, the 2nd Prince's faction, or the Crown Prince's faction. It's one of the three. Though the Emperor and the 2nd Prince's faction are nearly aligned, so you could say two. They might have all conspired together. In any case, the conclusion is that the Count Loaz Estate was sacrificed in a conspiracy targeting Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie."
"A conspiracy..., you say."
"I don't know how the Imperial Family obtained the Demonic Sword initially. Regardless, they wanted to put on a show with it. Using the Count Loaz Estate as a sacrificial offering. 'The Giosa Owners are nothing special, just inflated rumors. Look here—we handled the Demonic Sword that the Changtian Knights missed. The Changtian Knights are unnecessary.' That's the narrative they wanted to push. Whether they intended to elevate the 2nd Prince or the Crown Prince through this spectacle depends on who the true mastermind is."
Without realizing it, I clenched my teeth. I barely restrained the mana surging and threatening to overflow with my rage. I couldn't even suppress the killing intent. My violet eyes gleamed with a chilling light. I muttered in a voice that had grown cold and steady.
"For such a trivial reason, they made the Count Loaz Estate a sacrificial offering? Why us of all people? Why?"
"Because you were easy targets. And convenient."
"...."
"You haven't involved yourselves in the Capital's political games, so you have no particular faction or connections. Your territory isn't strategically important, so some collateral damage is acceptable. And since you have someone talented in swordsmanship, there's no risk of the Demonic Sword becoming overwhelmingly powerful."
Nicole answered bleakly. The handle of the teacup in my hand crumbled to dust. My insides churned, and killing intent flooded through my entire body.
[She's really furious now. That killing intent is amazing! But hey, Master, I'm fine with it, but if this keeps up, you're gonna have trouble holding back. Can I kill her?]
The Demonic Sword delighted in the killing intent radiating from me, yet watched cautiously. I barely managed to take a deep breath and calm myself.
"Are we the only ones who fit those conditions?"
"No, there are a few others. Why the Count Loaz Estate specifically was chosen, I have no idea. Maybe they drew lots. Or perhaps it was because of me."
"Because of you?"
"I'm a disciple of The Sage, so I have connections to your family. If your family suffers damage from Giosa, and everyone blames the Changtian Knights for failing to properly manage Giosa, then I'd be angry, right? Then my teacher, The Sage, would take interest. The scale of the spectacle becomes just right—not too grand, not too small."
Nicole twisted her lips. I paused in thought, then shook my head.
"It's not because of you. If the Mage Tower took interest, the whole truth might have been revealed, but they deliberately didn't. Look at what happened—you tracked it down and eventually caught the tail yourself. So the Count Loaz Estate being... chosen must have been for another reason."
A heat even more intense than the fever burning through my body rose up. I leaned back in my chair and buried my face in my hands. A deep, scorching, demonic breath surged from my belly, searing my throat as it escaped. I tempered it with the self-restraint I'd cultivated over nine years of controlling the Demonic Sword.
In my previous life, I finally understood why the Empire had excluded the Changtian Knights and formed a Suppression Unit, insisting they could handle it themselves.
If Echinacea Loaz hadn't been an unparalleled genius, the Imperial Family's spectacle would have succeeded. But because she was a genius beyond imagination, the plan fell apart. And it was achieved in a different direction. The demon of the Demonic Sword destroyed Agenka, including Yurien de Harden Kirie.
Then in this life? The spectacle failed again this time too. Nothing happened, and the Demonic Sword simply vanished. So how did the mysterious mastermind—whether the Crown Prince's faction or the 2nd Prince's faction—respond to this situation?
Nicole provided the answer. She regarded me quietly for a moment, then spoke.
"Echinacea. Earlier, I said that the Count Loaz Estate would only be safe if the engagement between Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie and the Diasant Princess definitely takes place."
"Yes."
"The Diasant Princess is the younger sister of the Crown Prince's consort. So this engagement is an offer extended by His Highness the Crown Prince. It's an ultimatum sent by the Crown Prince's faction to Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie."
"An ultimatum.... You don't mean...."
"Bow down beneath the Crown Prince and become his faithful servant, or turn away and become his enemy. Choose. If you bow down, the Crown Prince will use him effectively against the 2nd Prince's faction. Of course, the 2nd Prince's side is trying to prevent this engagement by assassinating the princess if necessary."
"What does that have to do with the Count Loaz Estate?"
"Listen carefully. If he refuses this engagement, the Crown Prince and Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie become enemies. He'll be completely at odds with the entire Kirie Imperial Family."
"But there's His Highness the 2nd Prince. If he refuses the engagement, he could align with the 2nd Prince's faction...."
"No, the 2nd Prince's faction can never embrace Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie as their own. Because His Majesty the Emperor, the 2nd Prince's greatest supporter, despises Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie. Besides, the Crown Prince at least has administrative authority to keep him under his command, but the 2nd Prince is a knight. If he accepted Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie, the 2nd Prince would be overshadowed by his brilliance."
"...So if he refuses this engagement, Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie becomes an enemy of the entire Kirie Imperial Family."
"Exactly. He's already an enemy of the 2nd Prince, and there's still some possibility with the Crown Prince. But if he rejects the Crown Prince's offer, that changes. Refusing the engagement is tantamount to declaring himself an enemy of the Kirie Imperial Family. Then the first to be in danger would be the Count Loaz Estate."
"Why does the Count Loaz Estate come into play here?"
Echinacea lifted her head, her expression clouded with confusion. Nicole adjusted her monocle as she carefully chose her words.
"The ones who sent the Demonic Sword are suspicious. They're wondering if there might be some kind of connection between Count Loaz and Commander Yurien de Harden Kirie."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org