The Prince Wants to Retire

---

The Crown Prince’s Desire for Retirement

“Your Highness!”

Duke Cletta shouted upon seeing King Talos, but the king quietly shook his head.

The overwhelming strength of the Imperial Army was enough to crush any will to resist.

Even if one were to flee, capture and death awaited soon enough.

In that case, he must find at least some honor.

“Please, end it for me.”

At the king’s words, Kariel chuckled softly.

“Not a chance.”

The damage inflicted on the Empire by one king alone was far too great to resolve with just his death.

The king’s eyes trembled at the firm refusal.

“Duke Cletta! If you wish to save the royal family, be at the forefront of the upcoming war! Your life can save the royal family and your loved ones!”

As he spoke, he gazed at the castle walls.

“But nobles related to Roman are exceptions. They shall face execution, no doubt about it.”

Kariel’s mercy was reserved for the soldiers and those dragged along by their superiors’ orders.

He planned to eliminate all high nobles, except for the family that could sway Duke Cletta and some royal members.

“Your treatment will be reconsidered after the unification of the West Continent.”

After saying this to the kneeling King Talos, Kariel shifted his gaze to Talion.

“Treat him as a criminal.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

Abandoning any semblance of respect for the king, the soldiers bound him with ropes as if he were just any criminal.

It was a humiliating sight, but no one dared protest.

The sins Talos had committed were too many.

“He violated the unwritten laws of the West Continent.”

Countries from the West Continent had a pathological aversion to seeking help from the East Continent. Talos had not only broken that but had also sought to draw Roman into the West Continent.

For this alone, the citizens of Talos were deserving of exclusion from the Empire.

Furthermore, with all his crimes exposed and such a disgraceful display to the last, the humiliation of King Talos was to be expected.

“Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, Talion rushed in and whispered something urgently into Kariel’s ear.

With a serious expression, Kariel immediately ordered the Southern Commander.

“Can we capture Roman’s army?”

“It may be difficult due to the distance.”

“Still, attempt to try.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

Taking only elite troops, the Southern Commander hurried off at Kariel’s command.

However, the spies from Roman were quicker to report to their own army.

Upon hearing the news of King Talos’s surrender, Roman’s army decided to withdraw without delay. A mistake could lead to total annihilation.

Despite the Southern Commander moving at full force, Roman’s troops were faster in boarding their ships.

In a last-ditch effort, they attempted to launch magical attacks, but the gap had already widened too much to be effective.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Hearing the report of having missed the target, Kariel displayed a regretful expression.

It had been an opportunity to weaken Roman’s strength even slightly.

“Still, I should be satisfied, as we achieved our goals.”

With that, Kariel looked at the kneeling King Talos, bound and defeated.

Having subdued Talos, they had now pacified the south.

Only the Holy Nation remained.

“I’ll leave only the minimum troops needed for cleanup and will return. Let’s sort through the Talos nobles to take back to the capital.”

“I will obey!”

All commanders bowed their heads at Kariel’s orders and immediately began the sorting process.

The criteria were simple.

1st priority: Puppets of Roman.
2nd priority: Those likely to rebel.
3rd priority: Nobles with a history of crime.

While the first and second priorities were understandable, when questioned about the third, Kariel simply replied,

“We must manage our image.”

To the citizens of Talos, the Imperial Army would seem like demons.

A frightening presence that could kill them at any time, yet capturing those who had tormented them could improve their image, even slightly.

Having swallowed the nation of Talos, they had to unify it completely within the Empire.

To achieve such a union without making it a mere vassal state, it was essential to show that being part of the Empire was better than existing as a kingdom.

Thus, better policies than those in Talos itself had to be implemented.

Kariel even showcased a theatrical display of beheading notorious nobles from Talos, who were infamous for their crimes against the citizens.

“Arrest all those affiliated with them.”

At Kariel’s command, the Imperial Army moved to eradicate all criminal organizations within the capital.

Anyone even slightly connected was captured, and in a desperate bid for survival, some informants led to further arrests of criminals residing in the capital of Talos.

“Confess who was backing you. Then, I will at least spare your lives.”

With a merciful expression, Kariel’s demeanor made the criminals tremble as they began to spill the names of their associates.

In the process, nobles who had been hidden from the shadows’ intelligence network started to get caught one by one.

“What a mess.”

Watching the fish get caught here and there, Kariel chuckled and decided to change his plan.

“If we’re doing it, let’s do it right.”

“Within fifteen days, I will dispose of the filth. Capture them all.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

Following Kariel’s command, Talion and the military lowered their heads and began to execute the orders.

During the next fifteen days, the citizens of Talos would come to understand why the current emperor was known as the Blood Prince. Many were arrested, including those involved in human trafficking.

Among them were also those who had abused young children, and Kariel personally set them ablaze.

“Ahhhhh!”

“P-p-please…. spare me….”

Throughout the fifteen days, countless criminals turned to ash in Kariel’s flames.

And on the final day, the most heinous of them all were gathered and made to kneel in the square.

At Kariel’s command, many anxious citizens of Talos gathered at the square, where, in front of them, Kariel swung his sword and beheaded the criminals.

“Those who torment my citizens shall be dealt with by myself. So trust me. I promise you at least a life better than before. I swear it.”

Shouting this to the anxious citizens of Talos, he set the corpses of the beheaded nobles ablaze.

“Trust me. You are my people, and I have lived for my people.”

As these words were spoken, the fear in the eyes of the Talos citizens began to gradually fade. Having heard rumors of how the Empire was changing, the emperor’s promise felt like a much-needed blessing in their drought.

‘Are we becoming citizens of the Empire?’

‘Do we finally have an opportunity to aspire for something better?’

Possessing a somewhat brutal nature, but that made him all the more trustworthy.

His resolve to punish those who had preyed upon them without mercy increased the emperor’s credibility.

As hope began to shine in the eyes of the citizens of Talos instead of fear, a satisfied expression spread across Kariel’s face as he ordered Talion to distribute most of the grain supply he brought to Talos.

“The Empire is different from Talos!”

A massive banner hung prominently above the Talos Palace.

As Kariel spread vast amounts of grain and funds to the suffering citizens of Talos, he commanded the Southern Commander to leave some troops for contingency before returning directly to the capital with the main forces.

While some Imperial Army remained, the citizens of Talos were not anxious; in fact, they were relieved.

The presence of troops was solely for maintaining order.

Having captured most criminal organizations and detained a significant number of the high nobles who might incite rebellion, the likelihood of major unrest was low.

However, given the sudden collapse of the kingdom, some instability was to be expected.

Typically, during such scenarios, the main forces would remain for several months to stabilize the situation while new high bureaucrats adjusted to the Empire’s systems.

Kariel was well aware of this.

Despite that, the reason for taking all the main forces back was singular.

“I declare to the Holy Nation! Decide whether you will surrender or resist to the end!”

Kariel issued an ultimatum to the Holy Nation.

As soon as he arrived in the capital, he left only Achelio and the Imperial Palace Knights behind, sending the rest of the forces north.

It was a threat; either accept the ultimatum, or he would roll over the Holy Nation.

Simultaneously, he offered King Roteon one last chance.

“I give you the opportunity to confess yourself.”

He commanded the king to apprehend those who had allied with the unknown forces, those who had joined Roman like Talos, and the underlings of the dark mages.

Roteon had not been as chaotic as Talos, and their renowned intelligence department remained intact, making this a feasible order.

Having previously turned Talos into a sea of blood, Kariel was not one to let Roteon escape fate.

“Please… don’t let it come to that.”

As the king was dragged like a criminal and most of the nobles were seized, Talos fell into chaos.

Through this process, many were executed.

While all were labeled as criminals, they were also a substantial part of the southern economic power comprised of nobles.

With them all executed, the strength of the south had significantly dwindled.

In an attempt to prevent that, King Roteon stepped forward to endure the humiliation himself.

“Preserve our lineage.”

“…Your Majesty.”

“If you resist, it will mean extermination.”

At the king’s words, the nobles gathered before him bowed their heads.

They were already well aware of the events that had unfolded in Talos. Officially, it was announced that only criminals were punished, but Kariel had executed or captured every related family member.

The reason was simple.

Families that allied with drug dealers were rotten, including both noble ladies and young dukes.

Using the money from drug sales for luxury goods and indulging in pleasures, many had even acquired child slaves. Thus, virtually exterminating every member of those families except for very young children.

In the south, those with significant influence mostly engaged in activities strictly banned by the Empire, and Kariel had acted on the basis of Imperial law to kill them all.

Thus, Roteon was likely to tread the same ruinous path.

Of course, even amidst such circumstances, some continued to resist.

These individuals were apprehended directly by Roteon’s military, though many ultimately managed to go into hiding.

However, even they could not endure a week before being loaded onto wagons transporting criminals to the Empire.

Evading Roteon’s military meant little against the pursuit of the Empire’s shadows.

“We will take it from here.”

Talion, having personally led the army, began to comb through Roteon’s capital.

From the beginning, Kariel did not trust King Roteon.

Knowing those close to him would be spared, he had to investigate and capture them all.

It was no surprise that such humiliating apprehensions provoked outcry.

One of those was Duke Pires, but in this situation, he was unable to make a significant impact.

For the Empire’s new sword and unparalleled genius had arrived with Talion.

“His Majesty has ordered.”

Glen faced the trembling Duke Pires with an icy expression.

“If you’re going to kneel, kneel properly. If you stand awkwardly, I’ll erase Roteon from the map.”

Having delivered the emperor’s orders, Glen turned away without a word.

Duke Pires clenched his fists in humiliation, trembling.

But there was nothing he could do.

The skies were filled with airships, and the Empire’s special forces lay in ambush around Roteon.

As the Imperial Army, led by Talion, began to capture all remaining criminals in Roteon, Kariel issued another command.

“I think it’s time to repay what has been done.”

“I will prepare it.”

The attendant quietly nodded, bowing as he left.

After all the suffering the Empire endured at the hands of Roman, it was time to return the favor.

“You should taste what it’s like to get screwed, too.”

Muttering this, Kariel smiled slyly.

Just as Roman had sought to divide the West Continent, so too would Kariel look to do the same for the East Continent.