The Prince Wants to Retire

---

The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

23. Who is the True Leader of the Empire?

As Kariel left the Imperial Palace, the palace busily sprung into action following his orders.

First off, the Continental Conference was abruptly halted due to a sudden disaster.

“A powerful earthquake has struck the Northeast of the Empire.”

At the Second Prince’s words, the leaders of the various nations participating in the Continental Conference wore bewildered expressions.

The absence of the Third Prince made them worry something significant had occurred, and indeed it was more than they had anticipated.

Even the Pope, who had presumably been informed in advance, listened to the Second Prince’s words with a grave expression.

“You mean it happened in the Empire’s Northeast?”

“Yes. The scale is unprecedented; the damage is significant.”

The Second Prince looked flustered and turned to the Prince of the Empire.

“I suspect we must consider the Dark Mages as responsible.”

What had occurred along the escape route of the Dark Mages.

Everyone nodded since incidents had been reported in the Northwest and Southeast.

“Let’s adjourn today’s meeting for now.”

Everyone nodded at the Second Prince’s words and hurriedly left their seats.

If the serious earthquake was indeed caused by Dark Mages, there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t happen elsewhere.

Thus, the leaders of various nations urgently commanded their officials to investigate the whereabouts of the Dark Mages.

With the agenda of the Continental Conference put on hold, Marquis Sicario also hastily followed Kariel north.

Simultaneously, every department in the Empire began mobilizing to address this issue.

“What a nasty bunch they are.”

Jeyron Paul shook his head disapprovingly at the fact that such a situation had arisen due to suspected Dark Mages.

Being located in the Northeast, the Iron Alliance, which was in a relatively secure position, acted calmly to assess the crisis at the palace where the Envoy Group was staying.

As a result, they realized that the situation was more severe than they had thought.

“It seems we’ve been underestimating them all along.”

Jeyron came to the realization once more that the Dark Mages were far more dangerous than he had previously believed.

Thinking they’d managed to deal with the incidents in the Northwest and Southeast, he realized that was far too optimistic.

While participating in the Continental Conference, they had only focused on the upcoming situation and balance of power in the West Continent, but that mindset needed to change.

“For now, the Alliance should actively support until we completely drive the Dark Mages out.”

Understanding that the Dark Mages posed a serious threat to the peace in the West Continent, all members of the Iron Envoy Group nodded in agreement.

Each of them was a merchant leader steering large merchant groups, and they had calculated which would cost them more—aiding the Empire or the threat posed by the Dark Mages.

Thus, they agreed with Jeyron’s proposition and began determining the amounts and supplies to be provided to both the Empire and the Holy Nation.

With the decision made to fund the eradication of the Dark Mages, the policy of Iron was set.

Operation Name: Become Friends with First Prince Kariel!

The merchant leaders, who believed that strengthening ties with Kariel——the perceived center of the Empire——was crucial for the future of the Iron Alliance, viewed this support as an investment for what was to come.

Baiting with bribes to eliminate Dark Mages?

From a merchant’s perspective, it was a profitable deal. Of course, the acknowledgment of the danger posed by the Dark Mages led to their unanimous agreement on the support plan.

This sentiment was mirrored by other nations as well.

The two nations in the South, while relatively unaffected by the Northeast incident, understood the dire situation in the Principality.

For now, it was a matter concerning only the Holy Nation and the Empire, but the territory of the Principality was highly likely to be threatened during the process of any incursion over the mountain range.

Thus, the Prince of the Empire ordered Marquis Chardonnay to return to the Principality.

“Prepare yourself, for Roman might come through.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Marquis Chardonnay bowed his head to the Prince’s order and hurriedly made his way back to the Principality.

With instruction to monitor Roman and eliminate the Dark Mages who might infiltrate the East, the Prince of the Empire received more and more urgent reports with a serious expression.

“Why, of all places, must it be the Northeast…”

With a troubled look, the Prince began planning ahead. For the weakest Principality among the nations gathered at the Continental Conference, he felt utterly at a loss regarding how to handle the situation, realizing he needed to create a plan to respond.

However, there was an even more urgent place than the Principality.

That place was the Holy Nation.

“Did the Dark Mages really enter the labyrinth?”

“…Yes, Your Holiness. I’m deeply sorry.”

Watching the Holy Knight bow his head in shame, the Pope clenched his fists in disbelief.

“The earthquake that just happened must have been caused by the Dark Mages awakening the Behemoth.”

“That appears to be the case.”

“How dare they…”

At the Holy Knight’s response, the normally benevolent Pope trembled with rare fury.

The Behemoth was a being they had actively sought to hide, being a shameful figure in the myths of the Holy Nation that once devoured the sun.

For hundreds of years, it had been managed with intent, deliberately tossing monsters into the labyrinth to disguise it as an utterly perilous place.

Yet, the Dark Mages had revived this deeply embarrassing history.

“You need to go in my stead.”

“Yes.”

At the Pope’s command, the Sun Blade lowered its head in response.

The individual rated as having the highest Divine Power in the Holy Nation, aside from the Pope, began mobilizing the army to head toward the labyrinth.

Since the Continental Conference hadn’t concluded yet, the Pope couldn’t just leave.

It would be an issue unless it was imperative for him to act, as he believed that the Behemoth wasn’t simply going to slip out of the labyrinth.

Furthermore, if the Pope did move, it would draw the attention of everyone in the continent to the labyrinth, bringing forth shame from the depths of the Holy Nation’s storied past once again.

“How did this all happen…”

This was history that the Holy Nation had fought tooth and nail to bury beneath the surface for hundreds of years.

The rising of that history once again was an unfathomable nightmare.

Crack!

Thanks to the Dark Mages, the damage the Holy Nation was suffering was beyond proper assessment.

Withdrawal of the Empire’s temple.

Enormous compensation fees.

Diminished status in the West Continent that had plummeted.

Not to mention, the re-emergence of their disgraceful history loomed.

Determined to prevent this at all costs, the Pope secretly granted the Sun Blade full authority to resolve matters within the labyrinth, before sinking down into his chair.

Rubbing his dizzy head and briefly closing his eyes, the Pope sighed heavily.

“Ugh… it’s hard enough dealing with the Empire alone…”

Even as the Pope shook his head in disbelief over this dreadful situation happening on his watch, it was clear the situation couldn’t be undone.

Now, all the Holy Nation could do was to patch things up and prevent the worst-case scenario from unfolding.

For that, a massive number of forces needed to be split into two; one sent to the quake-stricken area while the other secretly proceeded towards the labyrinth.

Thus, even the Holy Nation began to mobilize their forces by pulling out their strongest individuals back to their homeland, and the severity of this crisis started to be recognized across the continent.

“An unprecedented earthquake in the Northeast?”

Newspapers quickly reported the rapid responses of the Holy Nation and the Principality.

With news of the earthquake spreading, all attention became fixated on it in an instant.

During such chaos, information regarding the Dark Mages also surfaced.

“Is the Dark Mage behind this disaster?”

“The Dark Mages are causing trouble again!”

“The Principality’s forces have begun mobilizing to prepare for any incidents. Marquis Chardonnay is returning to counter Roman, and there’s a possibility of sending a legion to the Northeast….”

“The Holy Nation! Two legions dispatched to conduct investigations!”

Though news of the Holy Nation and Principality hastily moving troops surfaced, these announcements were quickly overshadowed.

“First Prince Kariel! Leading troops to the Northeast in person!”

“The Empire’s hero! Will he save the day again?”

As the news of Kariel personally heading to the Northeast spread, the Empire citizens’ attention became entirely focused on that.

In response, other nations began to think intensely.

“Was the Crown Prince’s retirement merely for show?”

“…It seems that way.”

King Talos spoke with a bitter expression, and Duke Cletta answered in a serious tone.

The moment the earthquake occurred, the Empire’s ministers moved rapidly.

The Count of the North joined Kariel, preparing the Northern Army for mobilization towards the Northeast.

Additionally, Seriel ordered the Central Army to assemble a legion to aid Kariel.

All of this transpired within less than a day.

Given that Kariel had taken the lead, everyone realized it was only possible because they had observed his participation in the Continental Conference.

King Talos sighed as he directly felt the stark speed difference with and without the First Prince present.

“If the Empire finds itself in danger, the First Prince could return at any moment.”

“In truth, the competition among the Crown Princes may be a mere display.”

“We must not let our guard down,” replied Duke Cletta with a slight nod.

“We have to act before the Empire grows larger.”

“Yes, if the two Princes grow more powerful, the First Prince will have more leeway. We need to find a way before that happens.”

Why did Kariel, who received overwhelming support, resign from the Crown Prince position?

A bit of thought could make that simple question clear.

He was aiming to manipulate the West Continent from the shadows, reclaiming the Empire’s great glory.

If the talents of the two Princes fell short, that would have been one thing, but that was not the case; it was a highly possible scenario.

“Right. Before the First Prince manages to manipulate the West Continent as planned…”

King Talos trailed off, his face serious.

At that cue, Duke Cletta nodded in agreement.

While it might call for the country’s noble lineage, remaining passive while waiting for the West Continent to become engulfed by the Empire was hardly wise.

Thus, they resolved to prepare for any unpredictable situations.

“Let’s devise a plan as soon as we return.”

“Yes.”

With King Talos’ serious remark, Duke Cletta bowed his head in reply.

Such circumstances unfolded similarly in Rotheon.

“It’s dangerous.”

“Indeed, if we don’t expel the Dark Mages, the Empire could act in full force.”

Duke Pires responded with a serious expression to King Rotheon’s words.

Seeing the Northeast being mobilized around Kariel, he felt assured.

‘The true Emperor of the Empire is the First Prince!’

Kariel, who possessed even more influence than the current Emperor, was deemed the pinnacle of the Empire.

“I guess we need to overhaul all information related to the Empire.”

“Yes, the information we’ve had is far too outdated.”

The Empire was already preparing to act, and previous intelligence had become irrelevant.

Instead of relying on a decaying information network, it was vital to assess the Empire’s hidden power.

They needed to pinpoint the hands and feet of Kariel, who was operating in the shadows, in order to prepare for the future.

“Reorganize all the intelligence networks of the Empire around Prince Kariel.”

“Understood.”

King Rotheon commanded, intent on sweeping away the decades-old information network.

It was uncertain how much funding would be needed again to reconstruct the intelligence network after having destroyed it all.

Still, if they didn’t act now, Rotheon would have no future.

“The Empire trying to recreate its past glory….”

The Empire had virtually conquered most of the West Continent, leaving only small nations behind.

Since there was no going back to that era, King Rotheon clenched his fist tightly.

No matter what happened, he could not allow the Empire to return to that time.

As the leaders of each nation focused on Kariel and the Dark Mages, Kariel was inundated with reports concerning the Northeast and the labyrinth.