Chapter 221: Humiliation of Mytilene (2)
Elena, who had become the 1st Princess from the 13th Princess overnight, picked up a newspaper with a bewildered expression.
「The Emperor of the Empire is dead. Or at least deeply ill and out of his mind.」
“I think so too, and probably most people on the continent think so.”
The 2nd Prince, Estilt, accepted the newspaper. He gave a wry smile as he saw the speculation about the current Emperor written there.
“Well, it makes sense to think so. His Majesty the Emperor is keeping to himself, and older brother 1st Prince, and the Administrative Duke are taking care of all the work.”
The Administrative Duke handles the practical matters.
The 1st Prince, Victor, handles matters that require bigger decisions.
Other important matters were being dealt with by voting at bureaucratic meetings or aristocratic councils.
In other words, it wasn’t one person but the system created by the history of the ‘Kreuz Empire’ that led the empire.
The Administrative Duke, Morning, also roughly guessed what kind of article it was and smiled bitterly.
“Actually, only the three dukes, the 3rd Prince, and the 1st Princess……”
Morning, who was about to mention the original 1st Princess out of habit, hurriedly corrected herself as she saw Elena, who had newly risen to the position of the 1st Princess.
“Lady Charlotte, who is now the 2nd Princess, only about a hundred people in the palace know the truth.”
“Then is His Majesty the Emperor alive and well?”
Elena tilted her head.
She had been far from the imperial family and had no interest in it, so she couldn’t know about the secret history of the empire.
“He’s dead.”
Cain, who was sitting leisurely in a rocking chair, spoke up.
Morning snapped at him for casually spitting out something even a hero wouldn’t know.
“He hasn’t passed away yet!”
Cain turned his head.
And with a slight smile, he mentioned the truth that only those who had heard the story directly from the hero who knew the future could know.
“To be precise, his body is dead, but the supernatural power passed down through the Kreuz bloodline is so vast and great that it’s preventing real death.”
Thud!
Morning jumped up from her seat in surprise. The chair she was sitting on fell backward.
Estilt didn’t fall over this time, but he couldn’t hide his horrified expression.
The current Emperor’s condition is a top-secret even the Holy See doesn’t know.
The fact that Cain knew it in such detail made the 2nd Prince and the Administrative Duke unable to hide their shock.
「The Iron-Blooded Princess also found out later. What the blood of Kreuz means, why only the strongest of Kreuz became emperors, and why they went so far as to directly create descendants.」
Before crossing the world line.
There are still many secrets of the world that Abel told him.
Cain rose from his chair with a soft smile.
“That’s why you all want ‘Summer’ even more.”
“……How much did you know?”
Morning’s eyes narrowed.
This was more than just Cain being smarter, more assertive, and stronger than she thought; it was the empire’s top secret.
He even seemed to know quite a bit about the Kreuz bloodline.
The fact that Cain knew what only a handful of people who could actually discuss the succession to the throne, unlike the countless princes and princesses, was a big deal in itself.
“More than you think. Most of the current princes and princesses of Kreuz are not qualified to inherit the throne.”
“..━.”
“That’s why the Emperor is keeping the position of Crown Prince vacant.”
Estilt turned his head.
He was a powerful flame ability user, but that wasn’t enough in the Emperor’s eyes.
Emperor Ludwig von Kreuz.
The Iron-Blooded Emperor who removed the influence of the Holy See that had been cast over the empire and built the current absolute empire.
As a boy, he killed all his siblings, cut off their heads, and displayed them on spears outside the imperial palace. As a young man, he continued his undefeated march with his overwhelming supernatural power.
And there was nothing that could stop him in his middle age.
It was even said as a joke that even if the Knight Duke and the Magic Duke joined forces, they wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
But that was fifty years ago.
Now approaching 100 years old, the Emperor had disappeared behind the curtain of history, and only the 1st Prince, Victor, remained in front of it.
He, who had not appeared since he was over 70 years old, appointed Victor as regent when he was 90, and it has already been 10 years.
Voices are growing louder that a proper crown prince should be appointed now.
However, the Emperor stubbornly kept Victor as the 1st Prince and made him regent, but did not raise him to Crown Prince.
“That’s when you need this ‘Summer’.”
Thump.
Cain tapped the golden short sword hanging at his side, ‘Summer’.
[‘Summer’ smiles bitterly.]
“The symbol of the empire and the mark of Kreuz. And a scar of humiliating history that was practically taken away by the Holy See.”
“……”
“If everyone’s abilities are about the same, I think they’d want to gain the power of ‘Summer’ and stand out.”
“Yes, especially me.”
Estilt nodded.
No matter how much the Emperor didn’t acknowledge it, everyone would naturally assume that the 1st Prince, Victor, would become Emperor if the Emperor were to suddenly pass away.
Then what should Estilt, who was chasing Victor, do?
Before the Emperor disappears.
Before the Crown Prince is decided.
He needed something to try and overtake Victor, and that was the support of the new nobles and ‘Summer’.
“I didn’t intend to wield the holy sword from the beginning. I thought that if I wasn’t the chosen one, I could just bring the one who could wield the holy sword, which is supposed to be burned if not wielded by the chosen one, to my side.”
Cain slowly nodded.
Estilt’s choice was the best he could do.
“Well, it’s going to be difficult now, since even with the holy sword, your support base itself is being thinned out.”
“……Difficult, but not impossible.”
Estilt was still aiming for the 1st Prince’s position.
Looking closely, it seemed that his desire to stop the 1st Prince, Victor, was greater than his desire for the Emperor’s throne.
However, Cain, who had no thoughts to spare for the loot, simply turned his head to look at Elena.
“Do you know that the reason why the emblem of Kreuz is two birds is because of the crow we saw earlier?”
“Huh?”
The reason Morning and Estilt were surprised as soon as the crow appeared.
It was because of the two birds, which were like the symbol of the empire.
“A black crow and a white dove. The two birds have been flying around the world since before the empire was born, and according to the contract with the first emperor, they only listen to the orders of the Kreuz Emperor.”
“Ah!”
Even Elena knew this much history.
“Like just now, they also deliver the Emperor’s direct orders.”
“Was that little guy from the island nation actually a little guy from the empire?”
Morning, who was listening, was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t help but ask.
She had no idea until now, but now it seemed he knew all the secrets of the empire.
At her bewildered expression, Cain shrugged.
“Because I’m a hero.”
“Even my hero grandfather doesn’t know about this…….”
Morning slumped back in her chair, arms outstretched. The weight of the empire pressing down on her was evident.
“One more thing you need to know is that this is the first time in three years that His Majesty has given a direct order.”
Estilt nodded.
And he looked north. It was the direction where the imperial capital would be.
“My brother was trying to do something outrageous back then.”
“What was it?”
“The eastern part of the empire is the least populated and developed of the empire’s four directions because of the Great Wall and the Reminiscence Plains.”
At Elena’s question, Estilt began to explain kindly.
“That also means it’s the best place for those who have caused trouble within the empire to escape to.”
The west was booming with trade and bordered the Free City Alliance, so it was densely populated and highly developed.
The north was very cold and barren, but it was quite wealthy and populous due to its abundant mineral resources.
The south, on the other hand, had pleasant weather all year round due to the warm sunshine and blue sea, and was a center of travel and culture, with a highly developed cuisine.
The east of the empire, however, was different.
‘It’s similar to the Ethelred territory.’
Compared to other parts of the empire, development was slow, and a pastoral countryside spread out.
Of course, the Rhine Plain, the greatest granary on the continent, existed and fed the empire, but that only accounted for 1/3 of the east.
The rest of the area, from the Reminiscence Plains to the Great Wall, was a vast and wide land that even the empire’s administrative power had given up on. So if you were a fugitive, you would naturally flee to a place where you wouldn’t be caught.
“Prince Victor proposed a plan to completely wipe out a part of the east with a magical bombardment.”
Morning said with a sigh.
As Morning had been present at the high-ranking aristocratic council at the time, it was a plan that was beyond absurd.
“But Prince Victor said that the lives of those who live outside the empire have no value and that it would be an opportunity to test the new magic of the Magic Tower.”
“He also said that it would be an opportunity to give the newcomers of the Sword Tower a chance to kill people.”
Cain frowned.
He didn’t know much about Prince Victor, but it was clear from his actions that he and the Seven Wise Men didn’t see people as people.
“And in fact, this plan was only left with the final approval.”
At the time, Morning and Estilt had opposed it.
The Sword Tower and the Magic Tower, who had agreed to oppose it together, cast abstention votes at the promise of massive support from Prince Victor, and the old nobles sided with the 1st Prince.
The new nobles also didn’t want to risk angering Victor for no reason since it wasn’t their area.
And when the regent Victor was about to proceed with the plan to massacre countless people, with only his final approval left.
《Victor’s plan is null and void. Also, all three dukes are to come to the Imperial Palace.》
A crow the size of a human arm landed behind Victor and spoke to everyone, just like today.
As the Emperor had directly expressed his will for the first time in three years, it was only natural that there was an uproar.
Morning smiled wryly as she thought about that time.
“I was outside the door, and the Knight Duke and the Magic Duke who went in seemed to get a real scolding.”
Originally, the Sword Tower and the Magic Tower had to maintain strict neutrality.
However, as the Emperor did not appear and the competition for the Crown Prince intensified, they also began to set their course.
But.
“Both sides have been strictly neutral since then.”
Estilt shrugged.
He was relieved that the two who were about to side with Victor were remaining neutral.
Cain, who was listening to how precious the Emperor’s words were, asked back.
“He could have contacted you personally like this.”
Morning shook her head.
She looked back at the window where the Emperor’s crow had flown away and said.
“That crow hasn’t left the Imperial Palace since then. I’m sure the Imperial City is in an uproar right now. And he must have informed them separately about Princess Elena’s promotion.”
[Calculating World Line Fixation…….]
As the message popped up again, Cain nodded slightly. If it was different from the previous world line to this extent, it would be difficult to calculate immediately.
“Then I guess it’s time to go back.”
At Cain’s words, both the Administrative Duke and Estilt nodded.
“Back to the empire.”
“And to the Imperial Palace.”
The currents of history, which had changed in Mytilene via Airian, now began to flow towards the imperial capital, Loengreen.
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