The Returned Sword King Decided To Become a Tyrant

Hidden truths and revealed facts (2)

As I left Daejeon, I heard someone’s urgent running behind me.

“Me, Your Highness!”

When I stopped walking and looked back, there was Baron Vidor with a sad expression on his face.

I smiled and greeted the baron.

“From the looks of it, it must have been quite troublesome.”

“majesty! Why did you leave me alone and disappear!”

“Disappear? Didn’t you leave a letter saying you were going somewhere for a while?”

“They say that it has disappeared from the world!”

“I see.”

“… … .”

Seeing my calm nodding, the baron seemed to have a lot to say.

But what can I do?

In the end, the ranks were thugs.

“Good job.”

As if nothing had happened, I congratulated him for his contribution and moved on again.

In response, the baron, who had softened a little, followed behind and asked a question.

“By the way, where have you been? I wish I had brought George with me… … .”

“I need something.”

“hmm? Can’t you just make the servants do that?”

To the baron’s question, I answered calmly.

“There’s nothing wrong with preparing for the odds.”

There was something I had been feeling ever since I killed Viscount Honoreo.

Recently, the number of eyes watching me inside the palace has increased significantly.

It goes without saying that most of them were concessions of the Commonwealth Empire.

Even if there was a limit to moving secretly in such a situation, there was no need to raise awareness by moving the servant.

There was a stark difference between knowing that the first prince was acting suspiciously and not knowing.

“Even if you feel suspicious now, it won’t change anything.”

“… … .”

In the meantime, we had arrived in front of Prince 1’s office before we knew it.

“Let’s go rest for today.”

“yes? Isn’t the sun still in the middle of the sky?”

“Soon there will be a call from my father. Waiting would be a waste of time.”

Baron Vidor was puzzled by my appearance of saying that it would be so of course.

But soon, when he saw his father’s attendant approaching from afar, he burst into exclamation.

“Your Highness the First Prince. There was a call from His Highness the King.”

“also… … !”

It would be a rather strange story if there was no call even after doing such a thing.

I glanced at the time and nodded.

“Let me guide you.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Then, the baron, who had been observing the situation, cautiously intervened in the conversation.

“I will be waiting for you in the office while Your Highness is away.”

“as you please.”

“Please go.”

kiik-

The door to the office opens with a slight noise.

However, the baron, who was about to enter the office, tilted his head as if thinking of something.

“Ah, Your Highness! By the way, I heard a strange story from George earlier.”

“A strange story?”

“yes. They say that they feel a sense of incongruity when they see the delegations of the Federation Empire… … .”

“Hoo.”

You mean he said that?

I’ve felt it before, but it seems that a unique sense exerts great power even without experience.

I stroked my chin and let out an exclamation.

“Should I give you a prize?”

Thanks to that, a smile spread across my face as I left the office.

* * *

We quickly reached our destination.

At most, I thought the destination would be my father’s office, visible right after passing through the curved hallway, but today it led me to an unexpected place.

It was the so-called king’s library.

“His Highness the First Prince has arrived.”

“… … did you come?”

In the library, there were numerous books that had been collected since the previous generation.

From history books to forbidden magic books. That number alone was over 10,000.

So, this place, along with the king’s bedroom, was guarded with iron-clad security.

Of course, such facts were insignificant to me, who had already endured the weight of the crown.

“Were you reading a book?”

“… … .”

I roughly took off my coat and approached the bookshelf where my father was standing.

All the books at first glance were treasures of the kingdom that recorded the history of Esteban in the past.

Father, who had been silent for a while, sighed and said.

“The Plain of Galderde used to be Esteban’s territory. But we haven’t claimed it, and it wasn’t even worth it.”

“yes. I know.”

“Allen Esteban. As you know, the land is of no use to anyone.”

Even though Galderdeu Plain is adjacent to the border area, the word strategic point did not suit it.

It was for a simple reason. A heavenly mountain range rising from the back of the plain. It was because ‘Siltaf Grande’ completely separated Esteban and the Commonwealth Empire.

Even so, the reason why they have ownership of the plains of Galderde, which is difficult to manage, is not simply because they need the land, but because of how big the land they own can be cited as a symbolic reason.

Of course, the usefulness of the land was exactly that.

“It is up to the information to decide whether it is useful or not. You don’t have to judge it by their standards.”

“… … Did you really have a political thing in mind, as you said?”

“If it looked that way, it would be successful.”

“Stupid bastard. Recovering old things is a story when it is worth the utility.”

Father’s answer was sharp.

The justification I put forward to them is to restore the old territory and establish the nation’s prestige.

but. Esteban’s old territory was already hundreds of years old, and no one thought that it would be meaningful even if they came back and regained the land.

“Moreover, that land belongs to the Commonwealth Empire. Don’t you know that this job can be targeted by nobles like prey?”

Even if the cause was sufficient, receiving land was different from receiving goods such as money or treasure.

No matter how much it was the same land as Gyereuk, considering the current situation where ownership was not released, it could be more complicated than expected.

But from my point of view, it just didn’t interest me.

“Isn’t it my father who believed in me and expressed his tacit consent to the agreement? The plains of Galderde have already belonged to our Esteban.”

“… … .”

“But, the expressions of the nobles were more pleasant than I thought.”

I shuddered as I recalled what had happened in Daejeon.

“It was to the point where I doubted that they were from the Commonwealth. Even though it was not a place where we were discussing national interests with the Federation Empire.”

That’s what it says.

This meeting was created to denounce their mistakes and seek solutions.

Even if we tried to go over confidently, in the end, the initiative in this position was with us.

“Shouldn’t we go against the heart of the Commonwealth? It can’t be. No matter what they think, we just have to take care of our own little gain.”

For me, the meeting with the delegation was nothing more than a gain derived from the process of revenge.

Whether it’s a war of nerves with them or a falling out… … That kind of thing was nothing more than a foreseen outcome anyway.

“Could you please check this letter?”

“This?”

“This morning. This is something I received with my own hands.”

“… … Did I mention there is something to check?”

My father’s gaze turned to the letter in my hand.

A piece of paper sealed with red sealing wax.

And above it, in elegant letters, was written ‘Esteban Geological Society’.

“geology?”

“It will be easier to understand if you think of it as a place that deals with the nature of perception.”

Was there even such an association?

After snatching the letter from my hand, my father opened the envelope and began examining the contents.

Swoop-

Given the name Esteban, it must be an association supported by the state.

However, the king thought it was an unfamiliar name because it had never been listed in major reports and was not even interested in.

And think about that for a while. My father glanced over the contents of the letter and widened his eyes.

“… … I guess I need an explanation.”

“It is the result of comparing the composition of the two substances.”

“Not that… … What I am curious about is the attempt at this analysis itself.”

“I can only describe that part as being lucky.”

by chance. And something very unexpected.

The amount of information I have is too certain to be dismissed as mere luck… … .

Finding information from a blank slate may not be feasible, but adding a process to what you know is easier than flipping your palms.

“… … Huh, a small gain?”

The king’s hand holding the letter was trembling weakly.

* * *

same time.

An employee of the Geological Society, who was checking the books, exclaimed at the unexpected situation.

“Yeah. Why did you have a proper guest today?”

It was established as the capital under the name of the association, but in reality, it was here that even the name was not well known at home and abroad.

At best, the only customers who came to visit were the farm owners who came to ask for farmland related requests.

This made me wonder if this was an agricultural association or a geology association.

The staff in charge of the morning time also thought the same.

“You must be saying that our research wasn’t completely useless.”

“Okay, only the farmers will be able to feed them, but… … what? Wasn’t it even a component control test?”

The employee holding the ledger whistled and stroked the checker.

“What kind of cake is this? It was a yard where the support money was running out… … .”

“Looking at the way the sword was used as a material, it seems like they found an iron mine.”

“mine?! big!”

The two substances are brought together and melted, and the enchanted solution is dropped.

after. Through the color change of the solution, how similar the essence of the ingredients constituting the substance is.

This contrasting technique, created for the investigation of the crustal structure, is now a long-lost technique.

Apart from permanently consuming materials, the cost of inspection was just prohibitively expensive.

“So, what were the test results?”

“Red.”

“It means that it contains many of the same ingredients. i envy you.”

Now, he sits down next to the inspection machine and begins to rummage through the ledger.

A voice full of interest flowed from the mouth of such an employee.

“A place that touches the Commonwealth? Was it on the Siltaf Grande side?”

“uh. There just happened to be a sample of soil left over to use for the control group.”

“Hmm… … .”

It would be difficult to develop such a place, so it would not be profitable… … .

The employee swallowed the words that had filled up to the bottom of his chin.

“what. It must be rich in reserves since it is surrounded by the blessed mountain range.”

An employee who put down the ledger without much consideration.

but. Eventually, he noticed something strange and hurriedly picked up the ledger.

The employee’s eyes were trembling in disbelief.

“… … hey. This, this.”

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“… … Did you confirm the element of the sword before inserting it?”

“no? Did you just put it in?”

Even so, the expression of the employee holding the ledger did not intend to relax.

Rather, it seemed that his eyes were shaking more than before.

The staff who was cleaning the counter was just frustrated.

“Why are you doing that? Is there something wrong with the test results?”

“That’s not it… … .”

The symbol of the element marked on the neatly printed test paper.

Should I say I’m used to it? He was a guy I knew all too well.

Rather, it was because I hadn’t even imagined seeing it in a place like this, so it was delayed in recognizing its identity.

“this… … It’s a mithril… … .”

The employee who put down the ledger powerlessly did not even realize that he had forgotten to breathe.