The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

24. A Dark Mage’s Strategic Move! (4)

In response to Kariel, the Pope found himself at a loss for words, unable to make any further demands.

If it were someone else, one could say they were just bluffing about Empire secrets to take control, but such tactics were not possible with the Pope.

After all, he was titled ‘The One Most Loved by God,’ and possessed the ability to discern a bit of truth.

“…Are you sure you can subdue the Behemoth?”

“I don’t know. But we have to try something, right?”

The Pope contemplated for a moment at Kariel’s answer.

It was already a headache that the Behemoth had awakened. Would the Holy Knights and High Priests really accept leaving the Behemoth in the Empire’s hands?

As if anticipating the Pope’s concern, Kariel smiled cheerfully and suggested, “If you’re worried about the justification, how about exploring the Labyrinth?”

“The Labyrinth, you say?”

“Exactly. We need to find out how that Behemoth was awakened and whether there are any tricks occurring inside the Labyrinth.”

The Pope frowned at Kariel’s words.

“You think the Dark Mages are still up to something?”

“Based on my experiences, it’s highly likely.”

The Pope squinted at this possibility—that the awakening of the Behemoth might not be the whole story.

He couldn’t shake the disbelief, especially since many Dark Mages had already drawn monsters from the Giant Mountain Range to their side.

‘This fellow hasn’t had enough experience with Dark Mages yet.’

Kariel thought to himself, clicking his tongue internally.

The Pope, who was drained from daily battles with Behemoths, seemed dazed, as if his brain were on a short circuit.

Even if the Pope had reached the level of a Mage, fighting while squeezing out divine power every single day would wear anyone out, and when one gets physically worn out, their mental faculties begin to dull too.

Considering he didn’t know much about Dark Mages and was weighed down by fatigue, it was unlikely he’d come to an immediate judgment.

To assist the weary Pope, Kariel kindly began to explain.

“Think about what the Dark Mages have been doing all this time.”

“…?”

“It seems they wanted to protect the Labyrinth.”

The Pope clicked his tongue at Kariel’s inquiry.

“That’s….”

“The most critical aspect is that they caused the landslide.”

Kariel interrupted as the Pope’s frown deepened.

The Pope’s eyes widened.

“If they could bring down the Labyrinth with that explosive power, the Behemoth could go utterly wild, but they still chose to induce a landslide to gather monsters.”

The Pope also seemed to wear a doubtful expression in response to Kariel’s assertion.

Being so preoccupied with stopping the disaster of the Behemoth, many had overlooked this point.

And the thought of ‘Could there be something even worse than this?’ lingered in their minds.

Those two thoughts unconsciously narrowed the scope of their response to immediate threats.

Meanwhile, Kariel maintained his composure.

He had been quietly gathering information about the Dark Mages from behind the scenes, allowing him time to think calmly enough to arrive at these conclusions.

“Discussions with the Empire’s Intelligence Department are already complete. The conclusion is that there’s something over 80% likelihood inside the Labyrinth.”

“80%…”

“If the Dark Mages were up to something inside the Labyrinth, stopping that would be the Holy Nation’s task.”

The Pope fell silent at Kariel’s words.

He swallowed hard at the suggestion to relinquish the Behemoth and seek justification.

He understood in his mind that this was the best course of action.

But his emotions screamed that they should handle the disgrace of the Holy Nation themselves. Yet, despite the desire, there was no solution in sight.

Ultimately, the Pope had no choice but to say what he did.

“…I will deliberate on it.”

As the Pope said this, he quietly rose from his seat.

Being a person of intellect, he must have already completed his calculations.

Although starting on something fresh might be tough, once presented with a topic, he’d likely draw conclusions on the Dark Mages’ plan as well.

‘Just like past commanders did.’

The commanders of the Empire in his previous life were those who, once he voiced his thoughts, would swiftly devise all plans on their own.

Reflecting on the scarcity of talented individuals back then, the current competent commanders would undoubtedly be even better.

“Your Highness, did you really discuss matters with the Intelligence Department?”

Inquired Marquis Sicario, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere, to which Kariel smiled and replied.

“That’s a bluff.”

“A bl… bluff?”

“Exactly. I’m merely guessing at this point, so how could I have consulted the Intelligence Department?”

As Kariel said this, he rose from his seat.

Marquis Sicario chuckled lightly at Kariel’s ability to deceive the Pope.

“Still, it wasn’t entirely a lie.”

Kariel, who had smiled gently, calmly elaborated on his thoughts.

Adding to what he’d told the Pope, he explained the patterns of actions taken by the Dark Mages during this time, mixing information acquired from both his previous life and this one, causing intrigue to glimmer across Marquis Sicario’s face.

“Indeed, that’s quite fascinating. I’ll need to analyze this with the crows as well.”

With those words, Marquis Sicario fell silent as Kariel observed him.

Feeling a sense of unease from the Marquis’s intense gaze, Kariel quickly turned his head away.

‘This is dangerous.’

It was a look that reminded him of someone eyeing their prey.

Kariel realized that the expression was eerily similar to the look he had when he discovered usable talents in his previous life, which prompted him to hastily change the subject.

“We need to come up with a way to deal with the Behemoth.”

“Indeed. At this point in time, we’re practically reliant on Your Highness.”

If they strained themselves, they could handle the Behemoth.

If they called upon the Captain of the Imperial Palace Knights stationed in the capital, it would be feasible.

However, the timeline posed a significant issue.

There were numerous pressing issues confronting the Empire, making it impossible for Achelio to leave the capital.

“Please create a space for me to be alone with the Behemoth. Can you do that?”

“Are you thinking of doing it like at the Volcano?”

“Exactly. I don’t know if it’s possible, but… I plan to at least try.”

At Kariel’s words, Marquis Sicario nodded heavily.

“If it seems even a little dangerous, please shout. I will stand by nearby.”

Kariel nodded slightly at Marquis Sicario’s words.

Then the bowing Marquis hastily disappeared.

With a new operational form taking shape, fleshing out the details would be the job of the subordinates.

“Phew…”

Kariel gazed at the sky with a troubled expression.

He had clearly only dreamt of a YOLO life.

And yet, the situation was becoming increasingly complicated.

Initially, he only intended to crush the Emperor Faction and retire the Crown Prince, but things escalated with the Dark Mages stepping in.

Now, it had spiraled into a situation affecting the entirety of the West Continent.

“Better wrap this up before it gets any bigger.”

Dealing with the Behemoth would spell the end of it for him.

‘Perhaps I can feign an injury at this opportunity.’

Thinking this to himself, Kariel sighed.

He never realized that retiring would be this tough.

“I don’t recall it being this difficult in my past life… Did I go too far?”

Muttering to himself, Kariel shook his head. At this point, it was too late for regrets.

—

To prove that point, late at night, the Pope returned to the Holy Nation’s encampment and gathered the Cardinals and High Holy Knights for a late-night meeting.

As a result, they decided to entrust the Behemoth to the Empire, aligning with Kariel’s intentions.

The next issue arose.

“…If the opportunity arises, we must absolutely kill Prince Kariel here.”

At the Pope’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Despite his retirement, he was far too dangerous.

Thus, everyone consented to this decision.

“Retiring doesn’t mean it’s over. Just his presence poses a threat of ruin for the Holy Nation.”

With those words, the Pope cast a cold look.

However, the Empire had contrary thoughts.

“Your Highness must be protected at all costs. Handling the Behemoth is secondary.”

At Marquis Sicario’s statement, everyone nodded in agreement.

The Behemoth could either be dealt with later or they could seal off this area while observing from a distance.

But for overcoming the current crisis in the Empire, Kariel was absolutely essential.

“We shouldn’t only be wary of Dark Mages. The Holy Nation folks are shrewd as well, so we cannot rule out the possibility of them posing a threat to Your Highness.”

Based on countless battles fought with the Holy Nation, Marquis Sicario’s words had everyone nodding in unison.

“Yes, I understand.”

“I’ll reorganize all troops around Your Highness.”

All commanders nodded as if agreeing.

Thus, the Empire and the Holy Nation began preparing measures to keep each other in check from the shadows.

On the surface, it appeared they were working together; in reality, they ended up at odds over Kariel.

“The Pope is said to have accepted this matter.”

“Good. Let’s get started right away.”

Following Marquis Sicario’s words, Kariel smiled and nodded, issuing a march command to the entire army.

At that moment, the Holy Nation also moved all its troops toward the Labyrinth.

The first to move was indeed the Holy Nation.

They sneaked behind the Labyrinth, searching for an entry point inside.

Just then, the Imperial Army launched a preemptive strike on the Behemoth, diverting attention. Simultaneously, Kariel and Marquis Sicario took the lead, moving toward the Behemoth.

“Protect Your Highness!”

The Imperial Palace Knights drew their swords with a united shout.

As soon as Kariel stepped forward, the lurking Dark Mages appeared.

Contrary to their assumptions that all Dark Mages had perished in the Giant Mountain Range, it turned out that some still remained.

Upon quickly informing the Holy Nation of this fact, their initially hesitant advance picked up speed.

“The Holy Nation’s disguised agents have emerged.”

“There’s a possibility they’re targeting Your Highness. Form a tight surveillance network.”

At Marquis Sicario’s command, the crows lowered their heads and dispersed.

“Cease the attack!”

With the Marquis’s order, the simultaneous strikes aimed at the Behemoth halted.

The Behemoth, which had been swinging its arms towards the Imperial Army, tilted its head before turning around.

Having discovered the Holy Nation quietly sneaking into the Labyrinth, the Behemoth revealed itself and began its assault.

“These lunatics… This isn’t what was agreed upon!”

“It seems we’ve discovered the hidden Knights from the Empire.”

Responding to the furious Cardinal, the Sun Blade replied.

Everyone then turned their gaze to the Pope.

“First, gather everyone. Once we’ve entered the Labyrinth, we will seize an opportunity.”

“Yes!”

With the Pope’s command, everyone bowed their heads in response.

Time was on their side.

Regardless of how intricately entangled the Empire’s secrets were, they wouldn’t be able to eliminate the Behemoth in one swift move. Therefore, they moved to deal with the Dark Mages who would be causing trouble inside the Labyrinth.

Once the Dark Mages within the Labyrinth were taken care of, the Holy Nation’s fallen dignity would see a slight recovery.

After that, they’d wait for a chance to kill the Crown Prince.

However, the Imperial Army, having caught on to the Holy Nation’s intentions, kept a close watch on the Holy Nation Army, merely holding back the Behemoth without completely stopping them as they descended into the lower levels of the Labyrinth.

At long last, when the Holy Nation’s forces completely vanished into the Labyrinth’s lower floors, Marquis Sicario began to move in earnest.

“I’ll clear a path.”

“Understood.”

At the moment Marquis Sicario spoke, thousands of dark illusions manifested, cleaving through the nearby monsters and the remnants of the Labyrinth.

Following the path that lay wide open, Marquis Sicario advanced, with Kariel and the knights trailing behind him.

—Graaaarrr!

The growls grew louder as they closed in on the Behemoth.

The intense roar was loud enough for the knights to cover their ears, but all Kariel could do was frown slightly.

It was instead a heart-wrenching wail that tugged at his heartstrings.

“Again…”

Just as he had experienced in the Northwest and Southeast, the pained cries caused Kariel to sigh.

“Now, come forth.”

As Kariel beckoned, a small fireball emerged.

Simultaneously, the rampaging Behemoth halted its movements.

In that instant, the Behemoth stared at Kariel with its enormous eyes.