The Prince Wants to Retire

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Chapter 24: A Blow from the Dark Mages!

“The Crown Prince wants to retire.”

The Shadows lurking in the Empire were now facing exposure because of the Crown Prince. Their plans to unleash chaos through the Northwest and Southeast had been perfectly thwarted.

Therefore, this operation was crucial for them.

“Is everyone ready?”

Their leader, considered the one who would execute the Great Plan, asked three Mages.

“Yes, however, the First Prince seems to be a variable.”

At that, the man in the center fell into brief silence.

“…What about the dagger we prepared?”

“That’s ready too, but we must consider the First Prince.”

“The First Prince…”

He was originally someone not worth their attention.

But now, he had become a rather cumbersome presence.

As if he knew exactly where they were hiding and what strategy they were planning, he seemed to attack them directly.

Because of this, the Great Plan they had been preparing in the West Continent collapsed.

Fortunately, they had managed to secure the seeds to realize the Great Plan, but to successfully transition to the East Continent and prepare the plan, they needed a strong blow to divert attention.

“Can I kill the First Prince if I personally step in?”

“That’s not advisable. Master must take the seeds with you.”

If the leader of the Dark Mages, known as the Dark Master, personally intervened, it would mean sacrificing a significant part of their force to possibly capture the First Prince.

But the risk was too great.

If they failed, the Dark Mages would be irreparably damaged.

They would have to hide and wait for another few hundred years.

Yet, the leader couldn’t shake the feeling of irritation regarding the First Prince.

“If the First Prince is alive, he will undoubtedly become a major obstacle to our Great Plan in the future.”

The Dark Master spoke in a grave tone.

Somehow, it seemed he was well aware of their moves.

Moreover, they had confirmed that the First Prince had quelled the rampage of the Fragment of the Spirit King in the Southeast, making the threat even greater.

Thanks to a Dark Mage risking his life to send a brief image, they had verified this fact.

The sight of the Fragment of the Spirit King, torn apart and being subdued.

The moment he witnessed that, the Dark Master became convinced that the First Prince was continuing the legacy of the First Emperor.

“…He is too dangerous.”

“Master, we might as well move ourselves.”

The Elders offered to take action, but the Dark Master shook his head.

“Moving clumsily is likely to just drain our forces.”

The Dark Master sighed.

Given the demonstrated ability of the First Prince, the prepared blow was insufficient.

“They won’t be able to completely deceive the First Prince and the Empire’s Intelligence Department. We need something more.”

“…Are you suggesting we use what we’ve hidden in the East?”

A hidden card reserved for the potential return to the West Continent.

The Elders, realizing the Dark Master’s intent to use it, fell into heavy silence.

In essence, they had decided to unleash all the power hidden in the West Continent and leave for the East Continent.

At this moment, the Dark Master viewed the Empire’s First Prince as such a dangerous figure that he was willing to draw upon the power that could plunge the West Continent into chaos later.

“…”

Seeing the Dark Master in silence, the Elders pondered deeply.

To capture the First Prince, they would either have to risk everything or sacrifice half of the remaining members to prepare for the Great Plan.

But this wasn’t just about the Great Plan; pouring everything into capturing just the First Prince was out of the question.

Thus, the only conclusion was that sacrifices would again have to be made.

One Elder had already stepped forward to initiate action towards the Northeast.

In a situation where it would be difficult to return alive, another Elder now had to leap into a position where he was highly likely to die.

The Dark Master hesitated to make a decision regarding this painful sacrifice.

“We cannot risk everything just to capture the First Prince.”

With that declaration, the Dark Master looked at the remaining Elders.

Originally seven, only four remained, and he had no choice but to impose another sacrifice.

But it wasn’t easy to make that decision.

Having been together for many years, they struggled to speak, prompting one Elder to step forward.

“I shall be the dagger.”

“…”

As the Dark Master hesitated to respond, the Elder who suggested becoming the dagger stood up and bowed his head.

“With the Empire becoming unnecessary for the Great Plan, it is right for me to take this path.”

He was involved in all operations causing chaos in the Empire.

But now, as they had to move to the East Continent, he had become unnecessary to the Great Plan.

Then, he needed to deal a significant blow to the Empire while assisting the Dark Mages’ escape.

“I can die with a smile if it’s for the Great Plan. Please grant me permission.”

After a long period of silence, the Dark Master finally nodded, and with a smiling face, the Elder quietly disappeared.

Everyone bit their lips at the sight of a long-time comrade, one who had prepared for the Great Plan alongside the Dark Master, walking willingly into the jaws of death.

“Everything is for the Great Plan.”

“For the Great Plan.”

At the Dark Master’s lead, everyone echoed the chant and dispersed.

*

As the Dark Mages decided to draw upon everything hidden in the West Continent, Kariel, who had arrived at the border between the Holy Nation and the Empire, moved directly to the region where the labyrinth was located.

“…Already a reaction?”

Placing a hand over his heart, Kariel felt the pulsing sound of his heartbeat.

The Fire Energy sensed within resonated with the Behemoth that had created the labyrinth.

Though it was still distant, the resonance was faint but definitely felt.

‘That thing is suffering.’

A being that should have found eternal rest was forced awake and had yet to achieve tranquility.

Simply put, it was already an irritating situation, but he was now trying to use that existence once again.

The almost vanished Fragment of the Soul was raging within its body, hoping that someone would end its torment.

Despite the faint resonance, the Behemoth’s yearning was intense enough to feel.

Thud!

“Your Highness! Be careful!”

As Talion steadied the agitated horse, Kariel nodded and dismounted.

With his clumsy riding skills, it was better to get off than to remain mounted unnecessarily.

“The Behemoth is rampaging.”

The enormous Behemoth, yet to fully emerge, broke through the walls of the labyrinth, revealing its massive form.

The walls of the labyrinth, larger than an average castle, could barely conceal the beast’s body, which was only partially revealed.

A wave of large-scale holy magic was pouring toward such a Behemoth.

“It seems the Pope has arrived.”

At Marquis Sicario’s words, Kariel nodded.

The massive magic circle engraved in the sky was one he recognized from his previous life.

White flashes falling from the sky.

Despite being struck head-on by the Holy Nation’s strongest attack magic known as ‘Divine Punishment,’ the Behemoth merely roared, showing no significant damage.

Just by this alone, the thought that if it had possessed any sanity, the West Continent might have been destroyed crossed his mind.

“Even though the Mage attacked with all his might, binding its movements is the best they can do…”

“It truly is a Behemoth from the Mythical Era.”

Even the strongest, Marquis Sicario of the West Continent, was sweating profusely in the presence of such a powerful entity.

The Holy Nation was managing to hold its ground adequately against such a being.

Despite even the Pope stepping in, all they did was ‘hold’ the situation, yet they were coping remarkably well.

Though referred to as an old fox, the Pope had successfully led the Holy Nation thanks to decades of accumulated war experience.

‘At this rate, we won’t have to exert ourselves!’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Talion rushed up to Kariel anxiously.

“Your Highness, there’s a problem.”

“A problem?”

“Yes, the Union of Small Nations is attacking the Empire’s border region.”

Kariel gazed at him with disbelief at Talion’s report.

“Where?”

“Aysarman.”

“Could it be the border between the Empire, Talos, and the Principality?”

“Yes.”

Aysarman, the junction of the three kingdoms’ borders.

Once, the Empire had sought to claim this area for direct trade with the East Continent, but Talos and the Principality had united to defend it.

Since then, it had remained a contentious area, and now the Union of Small Nations had launched an attack there.

The reason this was a clever move was that due to Talos and the Principality, the Empire couldn’t easily mobilize its army.

However, it was also perilous because neither Talos nor the Principality was in a position to respond straightforwardly.

“Are they trying to occupy this place to negotiate with the Empire?”

“That seems to be the conclusion from the Intelligence Department.”

Kariel fell into contemplation at Talion’s report.

‘Those cowardly fools couldn’t have made this decision on their own.’

Could these power-hungry morons, too busy safeguarding their power, directly choose to bow to the Empire and remain as nobles?

It made no sense.

‘Is this a ploy of the Dark Mages?’

Thinking so, Kariel inquired of Talion.

“Have we received any communication from my siblings?”

“Not yet.”

Talion also seemed to suspect the Dark Mages’ manipulations, judging by his serious expression.

Just then, the intelligence officer of the Eastern Army and the Shadows simultaneously rushed towards Kariel.

“I report! Large numbers of Undead have appeared in the Eastern region of the Empire!”

With the Eastern Army’s report, a serious expression took over Kariel’s face.

At that moment, the Eastern Count, who had been lost in thought, widened his eyes and looked at Kariel.

“Have those Undead moved towards the Principality?”

“Th…that’s correct!”

The Information Officer answered with a bowed head at the Count’s question.

Then the Count turned to Kariel and said, “Your Highness! It seems they are targeting the Principality!”

“The Principality?”

Kariel tilted his head in confusion, his eyes widening.

“Could it be Roman?”

“Yes, some of the Dark Mages and Roman’s forces might have traded. If that’s the case…”

“The Principality could be breached.”

If the impenetrable barrier known as the Principality were to be breached, it would get troublesome.

He needed to withdraw the Eastern Army immediately to deal with the Undead and the Union of Small Nations.

But even that wasn’t straightforward as he suspected there were some ill-intentions from Talos.

While the Imperial Army subdued the Undead and the Union of Small Nations, he couldn’t predict what trouble Talos might cause.

“Your Highness!”

As the Eastern Count urged an immediate decision, Kariel frowned in thought.

He understood that the Count was anxious, but the emerging monster from the labyrinth and the Behemoth were troublesome. Plus, the lurking Dark Mages had to be considered.

At that moment, something flashed through Kariel’s mind.

“Wait! Please hold on for a moment.”

Suddenly speaking, Kariel gathered his thoughts.

If done well, he could exploit this situation to benefit the Empire.

‘If I play my cards right, we might fully capture the Principality!’

At the very least, they could probably take over some territory in the currently conflicted Aysarman.

‘That alone would elevate the Empire’s trade to a whole new level.’

With that thought, Kariel glanced at the Eastern Count with a grin.