The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Desires Retirement

50. The Formation of the Human Alliance! (2)

To block the approach of the demons in advance, I scraped together hidden information and informed the kings of the East Continent.

I was so committed to this task that I was willing to risk revealing the extent of the information Kariel possessed.

“Just one place will do.”

Thinking that, Kariel bit her lip.

Although the initial goal was already achieved, human greed knows no bounds.

To dismantle Roman’s alliance system, she had her sights set on the countries in the Central Region.

It didn’t require many; just three places with a glimmer of possibility became her focus.

Surely, one of those places might be unstable, or so she thought, but perhaps the demon’s contract was significant.

“All the kings in the Central Region are rather elderly.”

The fear of not knowing when they might die.

Ordinary people would naturally be more concerned with surviving than with ultimately dying as humans.

Even if it meant becoming pawns for the demons.

“Did I have too much hope?”

As Kariel murmured, the attendant quietly spoke up.

“Your Majesty, your original goal has already been accomplished, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Seeing the worried expression of the attendant, Kariel forced a smile.

“That’s unfortunate.”

If just one place had been shaken, they could have rattled Roman’s alliance system. Then, it would have been much easier to draw the North into the Human Alliance, and surround Roman to beat him up.

“Shall I be satisfied with simply strengthening the Human Alliance for now?”

It was while Kariel was muttering like that.

“Your Majesty! Director Talion from the Intelligence Department has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

At Kariel’s command, Talion hurried in, bowed, and presented a black letter.

“We’ve been caught.”

“It seems so.”

Talion replied with a smile.

Seeing him, Kariel asked seriously, “But the demons are still approaching?”

“Yes.”

The demons aren’t fools either; they probably realized the Empire was making moves in the East Continent.

What? They don’t accept their offers?

In that case, the demons would surely employ some tricks.

“It seems they are making various proposals, but it looks like they are promising treatment at the High Demon level.”

“Again?”

“It appears they are trying to woo the nobles in case we refuse until the end.”

At Talion’s report, Kariel frowned.

“They’re planning to incite a rebellion if need be.”

“That is the judgment I’ve come to.”

“Then we should assist them.”

“Shall we send out more Shadows?”

Kariel nodded slightly at Talion’s words.

“Approach the remaining two nations as well. If they haven’t contracted with the demons yet, it’s worth a try.”

“Yes.”

As Talion left to carry out Kariel’s orders, she let out a sigh of relief.

One of the three nations, the most crucial one in her opinion, had joined. A nation connected to the nomadic tribes.

Being located far from Roman and sandwiched between the Southern Kingdoms and nomadic people made it perfect for executing future plans.

Now all that remained was to accelerate the existing plans.

“Haven’t found the Hell Gate yet?”

“Not yet. I’m sorry.”

When the attendant bowed and spoke, Kariel shook her head.

“Tell them to look in the likely areas?”

“The librarian is searching, but it doesn’t seem easy.”

The period suspected to be when the Hell Gate opened.

They are heavily focusing on the time of the First Emperor, but there doesn’t seem to be much documentation related to hell.

Even those documents could only be found if they opened the library accessible only to the imperial family.

“Tell them to look further. If we can prevent it before the incident occurs, that would be the best outcome.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the attendant withdrew, Kariel sighed quietly.

Initially, she thought finding the Demon Gate would be the end, but the history didn’t support that belief.

“The Hell Gate….”

It was highly likely that Garum lay dormant where the Hell Gate was.

According to the attendant’s report, the demons were also searching for where Garum lies asleep.

Even those who were practically minions of hell didn’t know where the Hell Gate was.

-First, let’s deal with the demons.

At the sudden remark from Surth, Kariel sighed and asked, “Do I have to go to the East Continent myself in the end?”

Surth nodded slightly at her question.

If the bloodline ability links her with Garum, just being in the vicinity of the Hell Gate will trigger a reaction in her body.

That meant she ultimately had to go personally to find the Hell Gate.

“There are two candidates in mind….”

Kariel pondered over the map.

Two suspect sites.

1. The barren plateau of Roman.

2. The desert deadlands of Sandria.

These two were the most suspicious.

Considering the characteristics of hell mentioned by Surth, that was unavoidable.

While there were places in the North where living beings struggled, they were not completely barren.

Thus, she excluded those and only focused on the two.

“You suspect Roman’s plateau?”

-Yeah. The demons must have some knowledge of something and are likely plotting nearby.

Kariel nodded at Surth’s reasonable suspicion.

She thought so too.

However, Sandria lingered in her mind too.

If the tribes that had worshiped hell for so long were involved, one of them might possess information related to the Hell Gate, which couldn’t be ruled out.

“Sigh… This is nerve-wracking. Everything seems to be coming to fruition, yet I feel anxious.”

-But isn’t it better than in your previous life?

Seeing Kariel’s anxiety, Surth crossed his arms and examined the map.

He had been informed about the events that transpired after her death, so he knew all too well what happened when the Hell Gate opened.

Especially since Surth had experienced hell during the Mythical Era, he had a clearer understanding.

To him, Ignit felt sufficiently strong.

If she continued to grow like this, she was confident they could sustain the front lines even if the Hell Gate opened.

Of course, there was a high possibility they’d eventually get swallowed by hell, but at least, it wouldn’t be as easy as in her previous life.

-Just hang in there. For now, staying alive is the most important thing.

“….I agree.”

Even if the Hell Gate opens, it’s not the end.

As long as Kariel survives, they could close it again.

Being the Emperor of the Empire, she must exercise caution, but more than that, Kariel had to be prudent.

The Empire could replace her, but not the Hell Gate.

“This is also frustrating.”

Not knowing the location or when it might open, it was understandably aggravating.

It felt like carrying around a bomb that could go off at any moment.

Still, they couldn’t give up on finding it.

The sheer hope of sealing it before it opened was enough to justify all these efforts.

Thus, information about the demons was gradually handed over to the Shadows, while the Secret Guardians focused solely on finding the Hell Gate.

In the future, all matters concerning the East Continent handled by the Secret Guardians would be handed over to the Shadows.

-Stop worrying and start your training for today.

“Ha… fine.”

Kariel nodded and replied to Surth’s words.

Even if they found the Hell Gate, if she doesn’t get recognized by Garum, it would be all for nothing, so she headed to the training grounds to master fire energy.

As Kariel once again immersed herself in training, the Empire was undergoing rapid changes.

To control the ever-developing Empire, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Technology, and the Ministry of Finance were working tirelessly, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Department were racing about with sweat on their feet regarding matters related to the East Continent.

Perhaps because of that, matters pertaining to the Human Alliance were progressing smoothly.

“Your Majesty, one more nation has decided to join the Empire’s alliance.”

“Could it be… the one we thought was almost lost to the demons?”

Kariel tilted her head, asking after Talion’s report.

“Yes, and the Intelligence Department is suspicious that they might be trying to join under false pretenses.”

The report from the Intelligence Department suggested a high possibility of them acting as spies to extract information from the Human Alliance while being puppets of the demons.

However, Kariel immediately gave her consent.

“I don’t care. We’ll just use them.”

It didn’t matter if they used the information from the Human Alliance or not.

As soon as they officially joined the alliance, they would have to appear antagonistic toward Roman, making it much easier for the Southern Kingdoms to intervene with that nation.

“Proceed to the next operation. We must be ready to strike the moment the alliance is formed.”

“Yes.”

At Kariel’s command, Talion bowed and exited.

The moment a nation fails to join the alliance, Kariel intends to label them as enemies of humanity.

She would announce that in advance and gradually form public opinion in the Central Region of the East Continent.

Simultaneously, she also intended to make serious contact with the tribes of the Sandria Empire.

Of course, moving so aggressively might provoke Roman to mobilize his army. But she had already made preparations for that as well.

“The moment Roman moves, a war will begin.”

Thinking that, Kariel clenched her fist tightly.

The impenetrable walls she had faced innumerable times in her past life. The time for her to repay Roman for the past was approaching.

With Kariel’s orders, Talion himself crossed over to the East Continent to carry out the operation, and, as Kariel anticipated, the Central Region of the East Continent gradually fell into chaos.

“The Enemy of Humanity”

The title of betrayer of humanity weighed heavily as one human being.

No matter how much the king and high nobles tried to smooth things over, the kingdoms in the Central Region were already shaking.

Then Roman could no longer hold back and began to mobilize his army.

To prevent the formal creation of the Human Alliance, he sought to pressure the Southern Kingdoms.

“It’s about time to move.”

“I’ll prepare.”

At Kariel’s words, Duke Devir bowed in response.

Then, Kariel nodded and looked at Marquis Sicario who had secretly entered the Imperial Palace.

“Is the Sun Blade ready?”

“It has been brought.”

At Marquis Sicario’s answer, Kariel nodded slightly and instructed the attendant to call the masters from the old Southern Kingdoms.

As Kariel entered her office, three masters bowed their heads as they stood wearing handcuffs crafted by Duke Welch himself.

Were they all dangerous individuals? Achelio, Glen, Marquis Sicario, and Duke Welch were gathered in her office.

“I will give you the chance to lead your armies.”

“…Is it war?”

At Duke Pires’s question, Kariel quietly nodded.

“If you keep your promises, I will spare the princes.”

“…”

“…”

In response to Kariel’s words, Duke Cletta and Duke Pires fell silent.

In the end, the king’s life would not be spared.

However, as a monarch spending a long time in court battles, the king wouldn’t escape death, given Kariel’s determination.

So, they had to at least save the remaining princes.

Not only them, but to save their families and ensure the citizens of the old kingdom did not face discrimination, sacrifices would need to be made.

Knowing full well that the current development of the old Southern Kingdom’s cities was due entirely to the Emperor’s grace, they bowed their heads without complaints.

“You too shall keep your promise. Then, I will allow you to build a temple in the capital of the Empire.”

“…Understood.”

The Sun Blade also bowed silently.

Thinking of what the Pope had said before coming here, he suppressed his feelings of humiliation.

“Obey the Emperor’s words absolutely. We must endure all humiliations and crawl to be accepted once more as the center of the Empire’s faith.”

They had to display a thoroughly submissive attitude.

That was what the Pope wanted, and the Sun Blade was fully committed to fulfilling that.

“Release them.”

“That’s dangerous.”

When Glen, standing next to her, placed his hand on the handle at Kariel’s command, she shook her head.

Then Duke Welch sighed and unlocked the handcuffs.

“I’ll put my trust in you.”

At Kariel’s order, the three masters knelt and bowed their heads in silence.

Seeing them making what seemed like a pledge of obedience, Kariel nodded subtly.

Having commanded the former center of the Church with declining power and the masters from the old Southern Kingdoms, Kariel prepared to depart towards the East with a satisfied smile.

*

A short while later, in the Aisa Archipelago, the leaders of the East Continent gathered with Kariel.

And that day, one proclamation spread across the entire East Continent, including the Empire.

“The Human Alliance has been formed!”