Chapter 179
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Whispers of War and Prophecies of Rain
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A new semester had begun at the academy, but the atmosphere was quite different from before.
There had been major incidents, like the Vile Breeds’ rampage or the descent of a demon, but those events had felt somewhat distant to the student body.
This was especially true because Pernyan, Aint, and the chancellor had suppressed most of the incidents at the academy before they could escalate.
But the winds of war gathering over the Esrin Kingdom were different.
The first, second, and third princes were each mustering private armies, and the nobles were choosing their sides.
And most of the students from Esrin had not returned to the academy.
That fact made the rumblings of war feel all the more real to the students, and Pernyan was no exception.
‘This situation seems like it’s going to blow up bigger than I expected…’
War was not so distant. Disputes between nobles were a constant within the Empire, after all.
But the reason Esrin’s conflict carried such weight was that it was a civil war for the throne.
Esrin was by no means a weak nation.
‘Are they saying they can’t give up?’
And that was quite different from what Pernyan had anticipated.
‘History has changed.’
He had thought that with the survival of Esrin’s first prince, who was supposed to have died in Valerich, the chaotic succession would become clearer.
His prediction was only half right.
It was true that the first prince was the strongest candidate for the throne, and most people assumed he would become king.
The problem was that the current king of Esrin had not yet named the first prince as the crown prince.
And the princes’ ambitions were greater than expected.
The current king was hovering on the brink of death without having named a successor, and the second and third princes saw this as an opportunity, forming an alliance.
Add the Vile Breeds to that mix, and the scales, once tipped heavily in the first prince's favor, would now be considerably more balanced.
‘My other miscalculation was thinking the Vile Breeds would stay quiet.’
Pernyan had put a stop to Adolf’s plans, and the dwarves’ underground city had been a complete deviation from the Vile Breeds’ scheme.
So he had thought they would lie low for a while. But it was the opposite.
Their losses were so great that they couldn't afford to give up on Esrin.
But hadn't they considered that forcing the issue might lead to them being thwarted by Pernyan and Aint once again?
“Hyde, what are your thoughts?”
“Why would they worry about being thwarted?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Yes. They believe their suggestion worked on you, Gongjanim. They’ll think that Aint can do nothing alone, so they only need to stop you.”
If that was the case, there was only one answer.
“Soon, Count Daniel, or some other Vile Breed, will come looking for me.”
They would try to place an additional suggestion on him to prevent him from interfering in this matter. Not just Pernyan, but Aint as well.
“They must think that by sponsoring Aint, I have a great deal of influence over him.”
“Is that not a simple thought, but a fact?”
“Yes, which makes it all the clearer.”
The one who suddenly seeks out Pernyan will be the Vile Breed.
And that meeting was the moment Pernyan had been waiting for.
The very thing he was aiming for by pretending to be under their suggestion. A thread to follow, one that would lead him to the very end of the Vile Breeds.
“Will he bring a book this time, too?”
“Most likely.”
“It would be nice if I could snatch that book and study it.”
“It will not be easy.”
“What about setting a trap?”
In any case, the Vile Breeds would have to approach Pernyan to place a suggestion on him.
“What kind of trap, sir?”
“That’s something I need to think about from now…”
Just as he was about to conclude the discussion about the Vile Breeds, a prophecy surfaced in Pernyan’s mind.
[【An unseasonal downpour blankets Alpresen, and a massive flood completely submerges the northern Hopfen Great Plains.】
【Crops submerged just before harvest. Farmers wail in despair.】
Aint expressed his sorrow as he read the newspaper.
- What a disaster. Isn’t the Hopfen Great Plains one of the three most fertile lands on the Pandrein Continent?
“That’s right. It’s even called the granary of the Alpresen Kingdom. This is a pretty big deal, isn’t it?”]
It was more than a pretty big deal.
‘A flood in the Hopfen Plains?’
The Alpresen Kingdom was one of the two kingdoms considered capable of rivaling the Empire.
Alpresen’s territory was less than a quarter of the Empire’s, but its population density was quite high.
The Hopfen Plains supplied a large portion of their food. It was a vast breadbasket, the size of a small kingdom.
‘And it’s not far off, either.’
The Prophecy Book mentioned a sudden downpour. Alpresen was likely unprepared.
‘It’s an opportunity to make a massive amount of money, but…’
A mix of joy and unease filled Pernyan’s heart. He was reminded of the time the Vile Breeds had manipulated the weather to make it rain.
‘Could this be the Vile Breeds’ doing…?’
He wondered if it was possible, given it was a record-breaking downpour that would submerge most of northern Alpresen, but he couldn't completely rule out the possibility.
The next prophecy followed.
[“…Aint! This is terrible! Look at this.”
Aria rushed over, frantically holding a newspaper.
【A Tragic Disaster. The Crown Prince of Alpresen, Hein Alpresen, Meets a Terrible Fate!】
【The Crown Prince’s party, while inspecting the flood-damaged northern regions, was attacked by a horde of monsters…!】
“…The Crown Prince of Alpresen is dead?”
“It seems the flood didn’t just hit the Hopfen Plains but covered the entire northern region. In the process, a lot of monster nests were flooded or destroyed.”
It meant they had run straight into a horde of monsters that were wandering about, their tempers frayed.
“But does that make sense? A crown prince would have had a substantial escort…”
“Exactly.”
Aria nodded.
“The escort detail Alpresen officially announced was definitely sufficient. But they were all wiped out. They say there aren’t any monsters in northern Alpresen capable of annihilating an escort of that size without a single survivor. Doesn’t that smell fishy?”
“…The Vile Breeds were involved?”
“Without a doubt. Sunbaenim said she thinks so too. Right, Ruina Sunbaenim?”
Ruina replied coolly.
“It matters not what it is. If they are Vile Breeds, I will kill them all.”
A thick killing intent flowed from her eyes.]
This was more shocking than a simple flood. He didn't even have a moment to dwell on the change in Ruina, who had lost her parents and her domain.
‘The crown prince dies?’
And Alpresen’s, of all people?
Alpresen was different from other countries. It was one of the two most powerful kingdoms besides the Empire.
It was a nation many people subtly distinguished by calling it a grand kingdom.
‘If the Vile Breeds are involved in this…’
What could they be after?
‘Civil war.’
What they desired was blood and corpses. Their goal was to reduce the human population and use the ensuing chaos to summon demonic beasts and demons.
[“Aint.”
“Daniel.”
A man with pure white hair, Daniel Alpresen, approached Aint.
It had been only a week since the news of the Alpresen Crown Prince’s death appeared in the papers.
He looked quite gaunt, as if under immense mental stress.
“I’ll be direct. I need your help.”]
‘…So that’s how it connects.’
[‘What’s this?’
- A pendant.
This was the place where, not long ago, the crown prince and his party had fought a fierce battle with monsters.
Amidst the muddy earth, soaked by the pouring rain, a single pendant was revealed.
‘This looks valuable. Why wasn’t it collected?’
- It was probably buried in the ground during the battle and then washed out by the rain.
Click—
Aint opened the pendant. Inside was a photograph taken with a magic projector.
- That dark blue hair and those emotionless eyes. That face looks familiar.
“…Professor Rosalia?”]
Pernyan opened his eyes.
Hyde wiped away the cold sweat trickling down his cheek.
“A prophecy?”
“Yes.”
“It seems you saw something quite unpleasant this time…”
“I saw something very unpleasant.”
Setting aside the futures he had changed so far, this prophecy had a high probability of coming true.
Just like the situation in Esrin.
“There’s a prince from Alpresen among the second-years, isn’t there?”
“Yes. Daniel Alpresen, the third prince of Alpresen. He is currently ranked sixth in the second-year Magic Department and resides in the La Vie Douce Dormitory.”
“Daniel…”
His name’s the same as that Vile Breed.
“Go and tell Aint I wish to see him.”
Alpresen, and Esrin.
He had to stop it. Somehow.
* * *
Inside a stately room.
The crimson glow of the sunset pierced the windows of the annex, shattering softly within.
“…My brother sent a letter to the academy?”
The room’s occupant, the third prince of Esrin, Tuluin Esrin, looked up from the letter. The messenger bowed his head.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“…Tell Count Plaris I wish to see him at once.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The messenger hurried out.
“What are your thoughts on this?”
The man, having checked the letter once more, turned his head toward a blind spot in his office.
From the shadowed corner where the sunlight didn't reach, a man who had been leisurely reading a newspaper spoke.
“It seems the first prince is a rather timid man.”
No, it would be more accurate to say he was preparing for any eventuality.
“I am quite disappointed in you, Your Highness. How could there have been a survivor?”
“…That’s not what’s important right now. Why do you think my brother sent a letter to the academy?”
“It is likely just as you suspect.”
“Then, is it to Aint Armian?”
The man, Count Daniel, nodded.
“When you think of demons, Your Highness, do you not immediately think of the Armians?”
“Then this is a huge problem!”
“It is not a particularly large problem.”
Count Daniel leisurely turned a page of the newspaper.
“Due to Your Highness’s mismanagement, one of the slaves gathered to summon a demonic beast escaped, but due to the influence of the demonic energy, his mind was already half-gone.”
Even if he ran to the first prince’s side and told him every last detail, half of it would sound like nonsense.
“No matter how much that man insists it’s the truth, the first prince cannot simply believe the words of a madman as they are.”
Count Daniel offered the newspaper to the third prince.
“Look. It has been several days since the runaway went to the first prince’s side, yet there is no mention of Vile Breeds or demonic beasts anywhere, is there?”
The first prince couldn't publicize it because he wasn't certain.
If it were true, it would be a means to completely bury the third prince, but if not, it could backfire spectacularly.
“So the letter is meaningless?”
“It will not be entirely meaningless. The very fact that the first prince sent a letter to the academy, to Aint Armian, proves as much.”
The first prince’s intentions were obvious.
He likely intended to gather clues through Aint without escalating the situation for now.
“However, there is something the first prince is failing to realize.”
Aint is an academy student. And the academy has just started a new semester.
“It is not easy for a student to leave the academy for an extended period during the semester.”
It was especially impossible for the affairs of another country, not his own.
“Above all, if it were revealed that Aint Armian helped the first prince in Esrin, the backlash would be immediate. Just as the relationship between the first prince and Your Highness is poor, the Armians and the Schwabens are just itching for a reason to tear each other down.”
If there was even the slightest pretext to attack the Armians, the Schwabens would not miss the opportunity.
And the Armians, as they were now, lacked the power to fend off a political offensive from the Schwabens.
They would be walking a tightrope, especially since he’d heard they were recently expanding their military forces.
“Therefore, the one we must be cautious of is not Armian.”
“Then who?”
“Pernyan Fallenberg.”
“Pernyan? Why does Pernyan Fallenberg’s name suddenly come up?”
“It is not widely known, but he has caught far more Vile Breeds and demonic beasts than the world is aware of.”
Alongside Aint Armian.
“Just recently…”
Count Daniel sighed, recalling the incident at the underground city.
He had placed a suggestion on him to conclude the matter in Friedien, but he never dreamed Pernyan would be making a mess of the underground city out of the blue.
“Just recently?”
“It is nothing. To return to the main point, Pernyan Fallenberg has what Aint Armian lacks.”
Money and authority. And the power that comes with them.
“Pernyan despises the Vile Breeds as much as Aint does. Therefore, if something were to happen, it would be Pernyan who comes. Do not ever underestimate him.”
“Pernyan Fallenberg isn’t free from the charge of meddling in internal affairs, is he?”
“He may not be completely free, but compared to Armian, it’s like comparing a firefly to the full moon.”
The Golden Turtle Merchant Guild has branches all over the Esrin Kingdom. What if he came under the pretext of protecting them from the civil war?
He didn't even need a pretext. The web of bribery Fallenberg had spun across the Empire was so extensive that it would be hard to find someone who hadn't taken a bite.
Neither the Schwabens nor anyone else in the Empire would want to become hostile with the Fallenberg family over something so ‘trivial.’
“Trivial? How is interfering in our internal affairs trivial?”
“The Fallenberg family has the power to make it so.”
“Then is there no way to deal with this?”
“Do not worry, Your Highness.”
Daniel popped a piece of confectionary into his mouth.
“Pernyan Fallenberg is certainly a threat, and the Fallenberg family he has behind him is even more so, but…”
As for us.
“We have our ways.”
Pernyan Fallenberg’s mind had already been tainted by demonic energy once.
The first time is difficult, but the next is easy.
“Pernyan will never be able to interfere in Esrin’s civil war.”
Therefore, Your Highness.
“Just prepare plenty of sacrifices.”
And I will make you the king of Esrin.
“…I will trust you. Still, just in case, I should send a letter to Aint. I must create even a little confusion.”
“That is up to Your Highness’s discretion.”
“And our relationship must never be revealed.”
“Of course, Your Highness. It is not our fault that the demonic beasts were revealed, is it?”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
The Vile Breed, and the man who would join hands with a Vile Breed to become king, clasped hands, their true intentions hidden.