Chapter 94
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Chapter 94
"It's a personal matter."
"...Well, it doesn't really matter who it is right now.... Anyway, that's how it is.... But listen, Yurien. That condition is difficult for me to accept. You understand that, don't you?"
"If this engagement doesn't happen, it will appear that I don't support Your Highness, won't it?"
"Yes, you understand well. Even if I trust you, once you refuse the engagement, no one will believe you support me."
"I have no intention of becoming Your Highness's vassal, so it doesn't concern me."
"It may not concern you, but it concerns me. Don't you know why I wanted your support?"
The Crown Prince furrowed his brow as he spoke. Most of the Empire's military faction stood with the Second Prince. This was because the current Emperor, who held military authority, supported the Second Prince. It also helped that Second Prince Kareem was performing well as a capable knight.
The Crown Prince had the support of numerous nobles, including his maternal relatives and in-laws, but it was true that their private armies were insufficient compared to the Imperial Army and the Knight Orders.
The Imperial Army was directly under the Emperor and difficult to sway. However, the Knight Orders were different. The knights stationed at fortresses in strategic locations, responsible for defending those regions, were a fairly independent group deeply connected to the local noble families. And they largely maintained neutrality.
Yurien was the idol of the Empire's knights. The factions that secretly desired Yurien to become the next Emperor were mostly the Knight Orders and families connected to them. Therefore, if the Crown Prince obtained Yurien's support, it would become much easier to bring the neutral Knight Orders into his fold. He would become capable of standing against the Second Prince, who controlled the military.
Power without force is inherently precarious. While hoping this competition wouldn't escalate to civil war, he always had to keep the possibility in mind. The Crown Prince had therefore tried to bring Yurien under his wing.
"I need your name. I need your declaration of support itself. Such things are difficult to trust on words alone. Is there a simpler way to prove it than an engagement?"
The Crown Prince's situation and his demand were both anticipated. Yurien took a deep breath. He recalled what Rosalind Diasante had told him.
"For your information, even if Your Excellency refuses to become engaged, it doesn't matter to me. To be honest, I'd prefer if you declined."
"However, if you truly refuse the engagement, I will certainly exact a price."
He could pay any price. As long as it had nothing to do with Echinacea. Yurien voiced the decision he had made.
"Then I will enter into a false engagement. Only until Your Highness ascends to the throne."
"What? False? What kind of nonsense is——"
"I plan to negotiate with the Diasant Princess. After negotiating with the Princess, I will discuss it with the Diasant Duke as well."
"Why go through such trouble? It would be simple if you just married. Or is it that you're insisting the woman you want must be your primary wife, not a concubine?"
"It has nothing to do with her. She rejected me."
The Crown Prince, now too exhausted to be further shocked, clutched his forehead.
"...Unrequited love? You? You can't even become engaged because of unrequited love? When there's no guarantee you'll ever marry that woman? Are you insane?"
[Insane, absolutely. My masters are all the same.... Well, only the righteous become my masters, so it's only natural.]
The Holy Sword muttered in resignation. Yurien pretended not to hear and answered the Crown Prince.
"It is my choice. I will provide detailed plans after negotiating with the Princess."
"I've watched you since childhood, but this is the first time you've seemed human. So you do have desires."
"I take it you understand."
Yurien spoke expressionlessly and slid the documents toward the Crown Prince.
"I will explain the remaining demands at a later time."
"Hmm."
The Crown Prince accepted the documents and handed over the parchment he had signed earlier. While Yurien secured it, he broke the seal and examined the documents inside.
The documents detailed how the Emperor had obtained the Demonic Sword Bardegiosa, the outline of the conspiracy the Emperor and Second Prince had planned with it, and where and how to investigate to find evidence and detailed information.
It was written in greater detail based on the documents the Crown Prince had given Yurien before time turned back. As Yurien recreated his memories and wrote it, he did not mention that the Count Loaz Estate had been chosen as the sacrifice for the Demonic Sword. In the past, the Crown Prince had ultimately failed to discover which candidate family had been selected, so if Yurien kept silent this time, he would be unable to find out.
[If he uses the fact that I made her my squire as a clue, he might figure out that Loaz is involved.... But even if he does, he can't touch it. She's my squire's family.]
As the Crown Prince read the documents, his expression hardened, then grew deathly pale. When he closed the final page, his fingertips were trembling.
"If this is true... he's gone mad. Completely mad."
He cast the documents aside and ran his hand through his hair. A groan escaped from him.
"Bardegiosa? He's lost his mind. I never thought Father was sane, but this.... To deliberately cause a massacre with a Demonic Sword. Unless he's truly insane.... If this becomes known...."
"All the empire's citizens will turn their backs on the Imperial Family. The Changtian Knights will declare a holy war against the throne and reclaim the Demonic Sword. Foreign nations may even seize this as justification to wage war."
The Crown Prince felt a chill run down his spine and rubbed the back of his neck. Yurien continued in a low voice.
"Therefore, Your Highness, before that happens, you must raise this banner and gain the cooperation of the Changtian Knights to depose the Emperor and ascend to the throne."
Before the regression, it had been Crown Prince Cruien who made this proposal to Yurien. Now, it was Yurien who presented it to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince stared at the documents with darkened eyes, maintaining a long silence. After a stretch of time that grew almost tedious, he finally spoke.
"Seeing this, I realize you truly have no interest in the throne."
"...?"
"You are the commander of Changtian, guardian of Giosha, the lord of Agenka—the sacred land of knights—and a prince of the empire. Had you not brought this matter to me but instead presented it yourself, you could have become both the lord of Agenka and the Emperor of the Empire."
"...."
"If you had drawn the Holy Sword Langiosa and declared your intention to punish the Emperor wielding that wicked Demonic Sword, you would have gained the support of all people, entered the Imperial Palace, and become the new Emperor. Your tale might have been passed down like the legend of a hero who slew the Demon King."
"I do not desire such things."
"Yes, because you brought this to me, that must be your true heart. Truly...."
The Crown Prince fell silent and regarded his half-brother with unfamiliar eyes. Crown Prince Cruien had always stood by as a bystander to the twisted relationships among the Emperor, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince. He had long abandoned any affection or expectations toward his father, and he had frowned upon the Second Prince's inferiority complex.
As for the youngest, the Third Prince, he had felt nothing. The boy, so desperately suppressed that he knew not desire, was pitiable but did not stir his heart. His exceptional talents in every regard also played a role. The Yurien he had known in the Imperial Palace was a beautiful youth who accomplished everything perfectly with eyes devoid of passion. Watching him from close quarters sometimes made him seem inhuman—it was unsettling.
'He has changed so much. He seems like a different person.'
The Yurien he had known would naturally have no interest in the throne, but he would never have come forward so brazenly, saying he would make him Emperor in exchange for granting his request. He would not have stubbornly refused marriage so obstinately either.
'Is it because of that woman he desires? I should look into this.'
Separate from his cold judgment, the Crown Prince found that the current Yurien pleased him far more than his former self.
"I will trust you, Yurien."
He smiled faintly and continued.
"Make me Emperor. In return, I too shall repay you—with the courtesy afforded to an ally, not a subject."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Yurien bowed his head respectfully. The Crown Prince settled back with a satisfied expression, resting his chin in his hand.
"Then, shall we discuss this in earnest now?"
Within the secret chamber, conversation continued for a long time. Beneath the surface, something began to move.
* * *
Upon returning to Agenka, Echinacea took a full day of rest.
Her body had grown accustomed to the strain from repeated ordeals, so she was not bedridden as she had been before, yet rest still seemed prudent. It was because Yurien had pointed it out, though she pretended not to know his reason.
Upon arrival, she learned from Alice that several cadets from the Noblesse Club, including Bred von Poum, had withdrawn from the academy. They claimed it was due to family circumstances, but there was suspicion as to whether such serious matters truly warranted withdrawal from Agenka Military Academy.
Echinacea had never taken interest in Bred, so she paid little attention to the rumor. She had many other pressing concerns. She felt a moment of curiosity, then quickly forgot their existence.
After resting, she moved about busily. She visited the Cathedral to confirm that Shay was adapting well and promised to visit often. Afterward, she visited Nicole, who was staying at the Knights Headquarters, and requested several books. They were ones she had referenced when investigating the Nodule before the regression, and others she had been unable to find. As a disciple of the Sage, Nicole would be able to procure them easily.
'In truth, I wish to confess everything about the Nodule and discuss it.'
It was difficult to speak of how Lakia Giosa's backlash against Kairosgiosa might be involved, or to reveal that she had turned back time. In the end, she had no choice but to conduct the investigation alone.
Finally, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, she sent a telegram to the Count Loaz Estate requesting that no new servants or strangers be brought in for the time being. It was to guard against the Wedge's approach to Loaz. Nicole had mentioned leaving some preparations before her departure, so there seemed to be no major cause for concern.
Her Lord, Yurien, had not yet returned from Jedo. By moving about busily without encountering him, she found it easier to calm her mind. She consciously avoided thinking of him. She turned away from the thoughts that continued to surface and sting within her chest.
Time passed in this manner, and June 10th arrived. That day was when the Wisdom Club held its gathering.
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