Chapter 173
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173
In the current Empire, the ambitious justify their military actions through one of three pretexts.
First, those who claim a branch member of the imperial family they support is the true successor, aiming for the position of Regent.
Second, those who demand the Second Prince be interrogated to uncover the late Emperor’s true will and reveal the truth.
Third, those who act the part of loyal subjects, claiming they will rescue the legitimate successor, the First Prince, and uphold the late Emperor’s wishes.
‘They all sound plausible enough, but in reality, none of them are proper justifications except for the third one.’
In the first case, the branch royals they put forward are far too removed from the line of succession.
Lords who didn't even know these royals existed would never acknowledge them, and the blatant greed behind the move was obvious to everyone. Naturally, while some forces might gather for the sake of profit, no one truly sympathized with the cause.
The second case was much the same.
It was even less persuasive than the first, as it merely postponed the issue without offering a practical solution. It was nothing more than a tattered excuse used temporarily until a proper justification for military action could be found.
‘The only legitimate cause is supporting the First Prince, like I am... but honestly, even they don't truly want to rescue him.’
The Great Families with the power and potential to realize their ambitions all chose the first pretext. Their imperial leashes had finally been snapped; they weren't crazy enough to put those suffocating collars back on.
Naturally, the majority of those using the rescue of the First Prince as a justification were weak families who lacked the strength to actually oppose the Imperial Family. In other words, rather than having a sincere desire to save the First Prince, they simply wanted to use a solid justification to ward off foreign invasion.
If one puts forward a justification that no one can deny, it becomes that much more burdensome for an aggressor to attack. Surprisingly, this tactic was quite effective, allowing many families to remain safe from the predations of others.
However, every gain comes with a loss. The third pretext didn't just offer them advantages.
"Since they’ve decided to support the First Prince, they can never disobey if His Highness gives a direct order."
"It’s the price for playing the loyalist. If they try to change their tune later, they won't just be a laughingstock; they’ll lose all credibility in these chaotic times. They’ve essentially backed themselves into a checkmate."
Raymond, standing beside Lucian, picked up the thread of the conversation. His cold sweat had stopped, but his body still trembled slightly, as if the shock from earlier hadn't fully faded.
"To be honest, even if it is a checkmate, it didn't seem like a bad strategy to me. It’s nearly impossible for the First Prince to escape the capital, which is under the Second Prince's control."
"I thought so too. If someone were capable enough to help the First Prince escape, they would have pursued their own ambitions first."
The Second Prince was competent, but he wasn't a monster who could see through every plot and manipulate the entire Empire from the palm of his hand. If a few capable nobles joined forces, they could certainly have smuggled the First Prince out.
The problem was that in these chaotic times, no capable noble would ever side with a wreck like the First Prince. Only those who lacked both talent and power—those desperate for a dramatic reversal of fortune—would cling to him.
The Second Prince could easily handle nobles of that caliber.
"...And yet, he actually escaped. Did he use a magical artifact?"
"Most likely. If he had escaped by any other means, he would have been caught during the pursuit or collapsed from exhaustion."
"True. That’s the only way he could have made it all the way to the North on his own."
The First Prince was a man who didn't even know how to prepare a single meal for himself. No matter how well he evaded his pursuers, if he had traveled alone without attendants, he would have starved to death along the way. The fact that he arrived in the North in one piece was proof enough that he had used a magical artifact.
At Lucian’s muttering, Raymond wore a troubled expression.
"Um... to be honest, His Highness's condition isn't exactly 'in one piece.'"
"What? Was he attacked by a wild beast?"
"It’s not that serious. You should see for yourself."
Lucian tilted his head at Raymond’s subtle tone. From the sound of it, he wasn't badly hurt, so what happened?
A short while later, Lucian arrived at the underground prison and headed toward the cell where the First Prince was being held. Inside the cell, a figure in prisoner’s garb was sitting with his back turned.
"Your Highness?"
"..."
Lucian spoke cautiously, but the shadow didn't budge. It was impossible to tell if he was ignoring him on purpose or if he had fallen asleep like that.
"Your Highness? Are you asleep?"
"...Who zhaid... I'm zhleeping!"
"Pardon?"
Lucian reflexively asked back at the sibilant, snake-like voice. Setting aside the fact that it was hard to understand, he couldn't fathom why the Prince was suddenly speaking that way.
When Lucian didn't answer, the shadow whipped around and shouted.
"Duh-ke! Look at thiz face! The men under your command dared to...!"
"Pfft!"
The moment Lucian saw Claude’s face, he had to stifle a burst of laughter. His face was so swollen it reminded Lucian of bread baked with the wrong ingredients.
Seeing Lucian shaking with suppressed laughter, Claude grew furious and tried to say more, but he quickly shut his mouth. He realized that saying anything more in this state would only result in more bizarre sounds.
Lucian, struggling to hold back his mirth, said, "B-bring... pfft... bring a potion for His Highness!"
The effect of the potion crafted by Ian was superior to any potion Claude had ever used. It instantly brought down the swelling in his face and completely eliminated the pain.
However, consumed by a maddening rage, Claude couldn't have cared less about the potion's efficacy.
"Duke Lucian, this, I, the gate, at the gate...!"
With a face flushed bright red, Claude spat out disjointed words at random. He was so enraged he didn't seem to know where to start.
As Lucian waited calmly, Claude took several deep breaths and glared with wide eyes.
"Duke! Cut off the heads of those guards at the gate right now and bring them to me!"
"Please, calm yourself. What crime did those men commit against Your Highness?"
"Can't you see?! A mere guard shouldn't even dare to step on my shadow, yet they dared to...!"
It seemed too humiliating to put into words that he had been beaten, so Claude stammered, unable to finish the sentence.
Lucian spoke, trying to soothe the explosive Prince.
"First, please explain how you came to be here. What on earth happened in the capital?"
"Are you interrogating me right now?!"
"It’s not that..."
"Shut up and just get me out of here! And bring me the heads of those two guards I mentioned! We will talk after that!"
Lucian clicked his tongue inwardly at Claude’s attitude, which showed no intention of having a conversation. He had seemed to possess at least a modicum of self-control before, but even that was gone now. It seemed that with his father gone—the one person he had to be mindful of—he no longer felt the need to restrain himself.
‘It’s going to be impossible to talk to him like this.’
In Claude’s mind, Lucian was a subject who owed him absolute obedience. Unless that fundamental premise changed, a conversation could never take place. He would just keep shouting for Lucian to follow orders like a proper subject.
‘I wanted to treat him well if possible, out of gratitude for the late Emperor’s kindness, but...’
Lucian sighed and stood up. He had tried to play nice, but if there was no other way, then so be it.
Seeing Lucian rise, Claude spat out irritably, perhaps misinterpreting the gesture.
"Open the door first, Duke. My patience is not long."
"...I am aware. That is why I intend to help you grow some patience."
"What?"
"I have urgent business, so I cannot follow Your Highness's orders right now. My apologies, but I will send in some servants, so please give your urgent commands to them."
"Y-you mean to keep me in this cell?"
"Forgive me."
Claude glared at Lucian with an incredulous look, but Lucian didn't bother with a long explanation. No matter what he said, the Prince would only hurl insults.
As Lucian walked away from the cell with Raymond, Claude’s screams echoed from behind.
"You traitor! Do you have any idea what you're doing?! After receiving so much grace from the late Emperor, how dare you...!"
Letting Claude’s curses go in one ear and out the other, Lucian climbed the stairs. Fortunately, thanks to thorough soundproofing measures, the shouting cut off abruptly as soon as he reached the top.
Once outside, Lucian gave Raymond an order.
"Have Dennis attend to the First Prince."
"Dennis? Who is that?"
"The spy the late Emperor planted among the servants. The one who revealed his identity recently."
"Ah!"
Only then did Raymond recall Dennis’s face. When the Second Prince had invited Lucian while impersonating the First Prince, Dennis was the servant who had revealed his identity and blocked Lucian’s path. He had claimed that he even exchanged messages with the First Prince through a magical artifact he possessed.
"He has a strong sense of loyalty to the Imperial Family, so he will serve the First Prince well."
"Wait, isn't that actually the problem? He’s loyal to the First Prince, not to Your Grace. If things go wrong, he might turn his back on us and act solely for the Prince."
"Turn his back on us and act for the First Prince? How?"
"Well..."
Raymond started to explain the potential problems but then faltered. Come to think of it, if the First Prince turned his back on Lucian, there was nothing he could actually do.
The families that had declared support for the First Prince were all weak. Even then, they had only declared support as a pretext to protect their own territories; they had no real loyalty. Even if they did have loyalty, they lacked the power to guarantee even a minimum of safety.
"If he’s a truly loyal subject who cares for the First Prince, he’ll advise the Prince to stay with me even if he’s treated poorly. Relying on a weak subject who just follows orders well is a quick way to get killed."
"The First Prince doesn't seem like the type to listen to advice, no matter how good it is."
"It doesn't matter. If it comes to that, Dennis and the other loyalists will realize it too—that the First Prince lacks even the basic survival instinct, let alone political sense."
Serving the Emperor and following his will was a subject’s duty, but there were limits. A loyal subject might endure unreasonable orders or disgraceful displays of greed. However, it was a different story when a monarch’s foolishness reached a self-destructive level.
A loyalist’s devotion was ultimately toward the direct bloodline of the Imperial Family, not just the individual monarch. In extreme cases, protecting the survival of the bloodline was considered a greater virtue than following the individual monarch’s whims.
‘It would be fine if they lost their loyalty out of disappointment in the First Prince’s behavior, but they probably won't be able to turn their backs on him because of the late Emperor’s grace.’
At most, they would compromise by ignoring his nonsensical orders and focusing on keeping him physically safe. For Lucian, that level of compromise from the loyalists was more than enough.
Regardless, based on the justification Lucian had put forward, he would never harm the First Prince.
‘If I play this right, I can gain the justification I need while reaching a smooth compromise with the loyalists...’
—Waaaaaaaah!
A massive roar of cheers snapped Lucian out of his thoughts. When he returned to the arena to see what was happening, the cheering had already subsided.
Fortunately, he didn't need to ask what had occurred. One of the nearby family heads, his face flushed with excitement, explained it on his own.
"S-Sir Felicia faced a knight! He managed to endure five exchanges!"
"Ho? Is that so?"
"It was incredible! You should have seen it for yourself...!"
Lucian gave a bitter smile as he watched the excited lord.
Did this man even remember? This event was originally meant for those who refused to acknowledge Felicia to challenge her for the title of Sword Saint.
And yet now, far from being her equal, they considered a knight incredible just for managing to survive five exchanges against her.
