The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

46. The Grand War Triggered by Graham!

Finally, what was awaited has come to pass.

As the revolutionary forces from various nations gathered in Graham, large-scale protests began to erupt.

What had been suppressed until now exploded forth with overwhelming numbers, prompting Markus to head directly to Graham to resolve the situation.

Markus negotiated, eager to appease the demands of the revolutionaries.

But their anger wasn’t initially directed at the Empire.

What grievances could they have against the Empire, which was doing its utmost to address the issues arising in various regions while incorporating the revolutionary forces?

Most of their dissatisfaction resided with the Southern Kingdoms.

“In the end, it happened.”

King Roteon spoke to Marquis Chester, whom he had hoped would delay this moment.

“Summon all nobles.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At last, Roteon started to move.

As if waiting for this, nobles were summoned, and troops were gathered in the central area.

Of course, all of this was done secretly.

In line with that, Talos also began to amass its forces.

It showed that they hadn’t been idly sitting for the past year; they consolidated all resources in the center.

Despite significantly depleting military strength through a major purge and dismantling numerous criminal organizations remaining within the country, Talos was not yet dead.

*

“Your Majesty! Roteon and Talos have started to move.”

“Then we must also take action.”

Upon hearing Talion’s report, Kariel immediately summoned the Minister of Military.

“Summon the Counts of the Border.”

“Should we also summon the Northern Count?”

At the Minister’s question, Kariel nodded slightly.

It was necessary to gather all Counts of the Border to meticulously revise the plans.

“Is it starting now?”

Kariel muttered and sighed.

Only one year.

While it felt like a long time, it was indeed a very short period for a nation to do something.

Most nations would still be languishing, unable to heal from the wounds of war.

But the Empire was different.

Despite being devastated by war, the Empire was rapidly developing due to significant reforms, with collapsed buildings replaced by larger ones, and those who had lost their jobs in the war earnestly working for more money.

The most significant achievement in the past year was the construction of a railroad that directly connected the East and West.

Simultaneously, numerous airships were created, rapidly expanding the logistics network and accelerating the Empire’s development.

Merchants, aware that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, invested all their saved capital to obtain business rights, further fueling the Empire’s advancement.

During this time, an enormous amount of tax was collected, and a significant portion of that money was allocated for wartime preparations.

And the result of this was reflected in a single report held by Kariel.

“Northern Army – Fully Recruited
Southern Army – Fully Recruited
Eastern Army – 70%
Western Army – 60%
Central Army – 80%”

Despite working hard for a year to fully recruit the military, they could only be satisfied with the recruitment of the most crucial Northern and Southern Armies.

Kariel frowned at the unsatisfactory result, but he sighed, knowing there was little he could do.

The Eastern Army had to prioritize the swift adoption of new weaponry, but the Western Army, despite not being in that same situation, was in a worse condition by comparison.

“The Western Army is the problem.”

But given the situation in the West, it was understandable.

They had suffered significant damage due to the Dark Mage’s volcanic eruption, the war with Belphus, and Iron’s civil war. It was also impossible to quickly replenish their military strength as the West was one of the key driving forces behind the Empire’s development.

The necessity for manpower to establish railways and logistics between the East and West meant that replenishing the military was continually postponed, resulting in them being only slightly strengthened.

“For now, I guess we should be content with this.”

Kariel’s goal was set on unifying the West continent.

Thus, any shortcomings at this stage only needed to be filled before intervening with the East Continent. To Kariel, the war with the Southern Kingdoms and the Holy Nation was merely a minor event to be gotten through.

Having held secret meetings with his ministers in the meantime, a conclusion had been drawn that the Empire could swallow up the Southern Kingdoms without significant damage.

“Your Majesty, a secret letter sent by Governor Tria has arrived.”

As the attendant carefully presented the secret letter, Kariel took it out and unfolded it immediately.

“The reaction is better than expected.”

At this moment, when the revolutionary forces were rebelling collectively, Kariel wore a satisfied expression at the rapid spread of unrest that exceeded his expectations.

Since the aristocrats had managed to reach some agreement with the revolutionary forces over the past year, this unrest was primarily centered in the Southern Kingdoms.

However, the speed at which it spread was significantly faster than Kariel had anticipated.

“Roteon is surprisingly different?”

Kariel tilted his head.

He was well aware that Roteon had been persuading the nobles.

He had even received a report through Talion that Roteon was turning a blind eye to the artificially-created revolutionary forces.

Yet, considering that, the speed was still too rapid.

“They don’t seem to be imposing any restraints…!”

It felt as if everything was being gathered for one decisive blow.

“This is interesting. I wonder what he’s preparing…!”

Kariel was very curious about what Roteon had in mind.

If he was willing to sacrifice so much, it meant he was preparing something beyond mere troop mobilization.

As Kariel listened carefully for news coming from the South, he was filled with anticipation for what the remaining three nations in the West might be planning.

Meanwhile, the revolutionary forces in the South moved swiftly.

*

The now-magnified forces began resisting the tyranny of the nobles throughout the Southern region.

Despite this, Talos and Roteon remained unresponsive.

Unlike their previous efforts to suppress the revolutionary forces with all their might, they were quietly summoning the nobles to the center.

It was a situation where war could break out at any moment.

At the very moment the two countries in the South attacked the revolutionary forces, the Empire would use the pretext of virtue to strike at both nations.

In reality, the Empire was waiting for that moment, openly supporting the revolutionary forces with cries of self-determination within the Southern Kingdoms.

Yet, there was no response from the Southern Kingdoms.

“What do they want?”

Seeing the situation unfold without any notable reactions, Kariel tilted his head in confusion.

Just then, the attendant entered cautiously.

“Your Majesty, the Counts of the Border have arrived.”

With the attendant’s words, Kariel nodded slightly and instructed to let them in before heading towards the conference hall.

Not long after sitting and waiting in the conference hall set up in the Emperor’s Palace for the meeting, the Counts of the Border, along with the other ministers, entered.

“I greet Your Majesty!”

“Let’s not drag this out as everyone is busy. Let’s start right away.”

As Kariel spoke, he activated the Image Sphere.

“The situation is moving faster than we anticipated.”

At Kariel’s words, everyone nodded with serious expressions.

“The lack of response means they’re preparing for a decisive blow… but there seems to be more that can’t be explained by that alone.”

“It seems so,” the Southern Commander affirmed with confidence.

“Talion, do you have any additional information?”

“Yes, it’s all clear.”

“That only makes it more suspicious.”

Roteon is clear-cut?

Given that Roteon was the nation least associated with clarity, they had to assume something was being prepared.

What could it be?

“Your Majesty, if it’s truly troublesome, why not set a trap?”

“A trap?”

At the Southern Commander’s words, everyone tilted their heads in confusion.

But upon hearing his plan, they all wore grim expressions.

“That’s too dangerous.”

At Duke Devir’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

On the other hand, Kariel smiled as if he found it amusing.

“There hasn’t been any official announcement that Duke Welch has become a Mage yet.”

Kariel chuckled softly as he muttered.

“They still haven’t accurately gauged Your Majesty’s power. Additionally, they have no clear understanding of the genius’s abilities either.”

Everyone nodded to the Southern Commander’s addition.

“Let’s give it a shot.”

“Your Majesty!”

Everyone was taken aback and called out to Kariel, but he held them off and resolutely stated.

“We’ve come too far to stall with excuses of my safety.”

“Your Majesty, nothing is more important than Your safety within the Empire. This is not just a matter of Your sitting on the Throne but really standing at the center of the Empire.”

The Chancellor’s words made everyone nod in agreement.

“Even if we win the war, if something happens to Your Majesty, it would be a defeat for the Empire.”

As even the Minister of Military opposed, Kariel quietly glanced at the Captain of the Imperial Palace Knights standing beside him.

“Speak, Kyung.”

“I believe… it will be fine.”

At Achelio’s statement, everyone widened their eyes and stared at him.

He had always prioritized the safety of the Emperor above all else.

It was only natural for them to be shocked at his support of this plan.

“Kyung! What does that mean…!”

“The Empire’s genius should be sufficient to fill in for my absence.”

At Achelio’s words, Duke Devir looked incredulous.

“Even if he crossed the wall, the gap in experience…”

Duke Devir trailed off, staring blankly at Achelio.

There was a bitter smile on his face.

“Sometimes there’s a saying that overwhelming talent transcends time… but I never believed it.”

Achelio sighed and added,

“Perhaps the words recorded from the Mythical Era might all be true.”

Heroes who had slain dragons or battled gods were never average from birth.

They became Masters by their teenage years, reached Grand Master status before thirty, and ultimately ascended to the Divine Rank.

Modern historians generally assess that the deeds of these heroes were exaggerated to honor their accomplishments.

Yet Achelio believed that the records had a high likelihood of being entirely true.

Even renowned for his cool-headedness, when he made such a statement, even Marquis Sicario, known as the strongest in the West, looked at him with interest.

Seeing his competitive spirit, Kariel chuckled and looked around the room.

“Then let it be understood that everyone agrees, and we shall commence the plan. Talion.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Proceed alongside the existing plan.”

“Understood.”

As Talion bowed and replied to Kariel’s orders, the Counts of the Border and other ministers exited the palace to execute the new plan.

*

And a few days later, the flames that spread to the capitals of the two kingdoms finally caused a problem.

Violent protests forced their way into the royal palace, leading to a massive massacre. Among the victims were Empire citizens who had infiltrated to lead the revolutionary forces.

As significant casualties emerged, the Empire, which had been waiting for this moment, immediately mobilized its army.

“We will punish Talos and Roteon for oppressing our Empire citizens!”

With this justification, the Empire’s forces rose up, claiming the deaths of innocent Empire citizens.

In response, the Southern Kingdoms immediately reacted as well.

They gathered armies at major fortresses and locked them down.

At the same time, the Holy Nation raised an army under the pretext of protecting its allies.

At long last, the Grand War of the West Continent had begun.