The Prince Wants to Retire

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Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

44. A Stronger Emperor Than Expected? (2)

Honestly, this couldn’t really be considered a true battle scenario.

With the Master and the Palace Knights standing by, ready to intervene at any moment, my safety was assured.

Yet, merely using the full extent of my power had proven to be immensely beneficial.

Burning through the tremendous reserves of fire energy increased my control, and my recovery rate improved drastically.

– The key thing you need to do moving forward is to reach Garum. This is something you have to accomplish yourself.

Kariel bit his lip at Surth’s advice.

Garum’s abilities were predominantly threefold.

1. Hellfire

Creating a domain where the dead from Hell could roam freely.

This power always opened the Hell Gate, summoning forth the Legion of the Dead.

While they might be able to break through as an army, the real issue came after that.

2. Land of Lava

Literally transforming the ground into a bubbling land of lava.

Unless one has fire resistance, crossing it would be quite the challenge.

3. Fire Storm

As a loyal Gatekeeper of Hell, he doesn’t stray too far from the gate.

However, he viciously rips apart any approaching foes, creating this storm to filter out the multitude of enemies because he can’t face them all at once.

To break through the second and third defenses, one would need either robust resistance to fire or affinity with it.

Even if the Master could manage to break through the Fire Storm for a fleeting moment, crossing the Land of Lava and fighting Garum there would ultimately be impossible unless one’s affinity with fire was honed to perfection.

Ultimately, when Kariel thought about reaching Garum alone, he knew that he had no choice but to grow stronger to hold the enraged Garum even for just a moment.

– Even if I summon both of them, I can only hold Garum for a minute at most. I need to decide the outcome in that time.

Kariel’s expression crumpled at Surth’s words.

Even achieving the rank of Grand Master wouldn’t guarantee a win against Garum at full power.

That’s precisely why he needed to train.

“It feels like I just need to touch him…”

– Right. The issue is getting to Garum. While we’re busy holding him down, one must risk their life to even brush against him.

A ferocious Garum could turn Kariel into mush just by moving.

That’s why he also needed to train his body.

“Ha… ha…”

Seeing him grow increasingly fatigued, Surth signaled for Agni and Skoll to return.

As the Palace Knights, who had been observing from a distance, arrived at the right moment to escort Kariel backward, they prevented any monsters from approaching.

Once outside the forest, they completely recalled the summoned beings, including Surth.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“I’m a bit worn out.”

Kariel answered shortly, collapsing to the ground, looking exhausted, as Akhelio gazed at him with concern.

“Your Majesty, please take it slow.”

“There’s no time.”

Kariel sighed at Akhelio’s words.

Hell was drawing closer.

“Disaster is approaching. And I shall be the one to confront it. So we cannot afford to be idle.”

“Still… you must take care of yourself. The Empire can only thrive because of you, Your Majesty.”

All the Palace Knights nodded at Akhelio’s words.

Only with Kariel at the helm could the Empire run without a hitch. What would happen if he were to die?

In an instant, the factions would split.

“I wish that were the case, but thinking of the plans ahead makes me anxious.”

As Kariel spoke, he explained his future plans to the still puzzled Akhelio and the Palace Knights.

Stopping the Gatekeeper of Hell to close the Hell Gate.

That was Kariel’s ultimate goal.

“Unifying the West Continent? Containing the East Continent? All of it is merely part of the process to avert the disaster.”

“… So there’s nothing we can do right now?”

A question from a Palace Knight made Kariel force a smile.

“I’ve not left it unattempted. I thought of informing Roman and other nations in the West Continent about this.”

After all, the Empire alone couldn’t stop the disaster.

Thus, Kariel had intended to collaborate with other nations in the West Continent to face the disaster. However, that effort had failed.

According to Shadows, it seemed that Talos was already swarming with nobles in cahoots with Roman, and the Holy Nation was no different.

“If the Pope fails to manage internal affairs effectively, a rebellion could arise.”

Due to the Pope’s continuous failures.

It wasn’t just Ignit who sought to exploit the turmoil.

Roman was also reaching out to the Holy Nation, and the Dark Mages were similarly lurking.

“If you inform the other nations in the East Continent…”

“I’ve tried. However, most of those who contacted us ended up dead shortly thereafter.”

Once the civil war in Iron came to an end and Kariel gained some leisure, the first thing he did was reach out to the East Continent.

Initially, only Wingzar had been active, but to face a colossal enemy like Roman, he needed as many nations from the East Continent on board as possible.

This led Kariel to consider moving the Pirate King to rally the other nations of the East Continent.

Numerous individuals were eager for support from Ignit, so he believed it wouldn’t be a significant issue.

But what was the outcome?

Only Wingzar was acting reliably, while the other nations simply kept stalling, clinging to their support from Ignit.

At first, he thought, ‘Did they just pocket the money?’

But upon further investigation, he found out that those receiving Ignit’s support were quite active in their own rights.

‘To halt Roman’s expansion.’

Shared goals led them to bolster their military forces and construct fortresses near their borders with Roman.

Yet, there were opposing voices. Those individuals constantly delayed the process of designating Roman as an enemy, leading to the present standoff.

‘They weren’t pro-Roman.’

He still had no clue which faction was obstructing their efforts.

However, what was certain was that they were certainly not allies of Ignit.

Thus, Kariel had no choice but to focus solely on Wingzar. Only they held a strong hostility towards Roman.

‘Sandria was also odd.’

Despite being dubbed the Desert Empire, Sandria was more of a coalition of numerous tribes.

Given their active trade with the West Continent, Kariel initially thought there wouldn’t be any significant issues. However, the reason Wingzar had become so proactive against Roman was that Sandria was not keen on forging an ‘alliance’ with the West Continent either.

“The East Continent might not, but the West Continent is unlikely to believe us even if we announce it.”

Without clear evidence, the probability of disbelief was quite high.

Their own nation was already facing rising revolutionary forces, stirring up chaos.

In such a situation, making such claims would likely lead the Empire to feel justified in intervening in their internal affairs. Therefore, he needed to uncover solid proof.

Of course, there would still be nations that would refuse to join until the very end.

In the case of Talos, the moment they allied with Ignit to stop Hell, they would be sure they’d be devoured themselves.

‘They’d probably prefer to align with the nations of the East than join us.’

Chuckling wryly, Kariel realized he had come too far with Talos to turn back.

Thus, he decided to fully consume them.

At that point, Rotheon and the Holy Nation would likely become frantic. Whether to swallow them whole or leave them as vassals could be determined then.

One thing was certain: By that time, the West Continent would possess a definite force to counter Hell.

– If we’ve rested, it’s time to start again.

“Exactly.”

As soon as he felt somewhat rejuvenated, Kariel rose again at the sight of Surth appearing.

Although the concerned knights looked on, they couldn’t stop him.

Seeing their Emperor charge towards a clear objective ignited a spark in the eyes of the knights.

After becoming Palace Knights, those who had been stagnant began to look up again, prompting a smile from Akhelio as he observed them.

‘Those who were stagnant may finally achieve more.’

The thought that they might give rise to successors filled him with joy.

Simultaneously, a small spark ignited within him.

‘Your Majesty even gets this old man moving.’

After reaching the status of Master, he had halted in his strides, but now he felt his pace starting to shift once again.

“Grand Master, huh…”

Even if he now put in the effort, it was uncertain whether he’d reach that level before he died.

But he had to try.

Becoming even slightly stronger would help reduce the number of lives lost to disaster…