Chapter 107
Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Fake Crown Prince (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After leaving the mine, we were making good time in a carriage—our stroke of luck.
The Crown Prince had no idea how to ride a horse, so he couldn't keep up with us on foot.
We could've carried him piggyback, but there was no need to rush like that.
"It's my carriage, so why do I have to sit up front in the coachman's seat?"
The Fake Crown Prince grumbled from the coachman's perch.
Inside the carriage sat me, Iriel, and Nederman, while he drove the horses alongside Allen.
I said,
"You're probably bored."
Truth be told, I just couldn't stand the sight of him riding in comfort, so I'd sent him up there to drive. Allen was teaching him the ropes.
He glared through the small window connecting to the interior.
"Bored? I'm the one who's going to lead Francia someday. I don't need to know how to drive a horse!"
"Sure."
I replied indifferently.
For someone putting on such a fierce act, he was learning to handle the reins with surprising enthusiasm.
He might claim he hated it, but clearly, he was having fun.
That guy really did come to the mine out of boredom.
"Hya!"
The Fake Crown Prince shouted energetically as he drove.
"How's this? Not bad, right?"
Allen gave him a thumbs-up as he wagged his tail for praise.
"You're picking it up fast, Your Highness. Impressive."
"It's nothing."
Watching him sniff and puff out his chest at those words made my chest tighten.
To think this dimwit was impersonating me.
Iriel looked at him with a puzzled gaze.
"He's different from before."
"Of course. He's a fake."
"I'm not a fake!"
The Fake Crown Prince's eyes widened as he shot me a look.
He always caught on the instant "fake" came up. After a quick glare, he focused back on the horses. Nederman quietly spoke up.
"He's a bit lacking to pass as Crown Prince, sure, but at this point, I can't tell if he's real or not."
Nederman's suspicions about him seemed to be fading more and more. His words and actions were too genuine to dismiss as lies.
It was possible only because he truly believed himself to be the Crown Prince.
That sincerity was swaying the group's doubts.
I stated firmly once more.
"No, he's a fake. He's dead meat."
I added to the Crown Prince, who started to turn around. He flinched, then swallowed his anger quietly. Allen soothed the sulking guy from beside him.
"You'll get used to it soon."
Nederman said,
"You're awfully certain."
"Naturally."
"Even I, his former fiancée, couldn't tell. How can you be so sure?"
Iriel pouted and chattered beside me, but I brushed it off lightly.
The truth would come out when we met Halent in the City of Immortality.
"We should stop here for the night."
I nodded at Allen's suggestion.
The colorless world had already darkened to black.
We'd set out late, so we'd have to camp overnight.
The group bustled around, lighting a campfire without me saying a word.
They handled their tasks smoothly now, no instructions needed.
While they set up camp and prepared dinner, I sat off to the side, pondering how to get Halent to reveal the Fake Crown Prince's identity himself.
Then I glanced at the Fake Crown Prince sitting next to me.
"What are you doing here?"
"What?"
"Go help."
When I jerked my chin, he pouted but stood up. He scurried over to Iriel, who was cooking.
"Ahem. You must be good at this."
Iriel gave an awkward smile to the guy peeking over her shoulder.
"I'm not great; I just got better with practice."
"I see. If it's all right... could you tell me some old stories? I'm curious about who I used to be."
"Oh. Sure."
Iriel nodded eagerly, beaming.
His words made me cringe, but I stayed quiet, curious what she'd say.
"You were always so kind and upright. Even when I played mean pranks, you'd put up with it every time."
Mean pranks?
A montage of her antics flashed before my eyes.
Those weren't "pranks" by any stretch.
"I had a nasty temper back then."
"Worse than now?"
When Nederman chimed in slyly, Iriel brandished her ladle with ladylike poise. He raised his hands as if to say "go on."
"And you thought about the kingdom every day."
"Just like now."
"Especially with my brother—you two were so close, always with so much to talk about. You never spared me a glance. It was all kingdom talk, no room for me. So as a kid, I threw a little tantrum. Otherwise, you wouldn't even look my way."
So that's why she pulled all those stunts.
To get attention.
Her strategy had definitely worked.
"You must've been less pretty back then."
"No. I was just as pretty as now."
The two locked eyes and laughed.
Watching them, a groan rose from deep in my chest.
"Damn it."
Iriel shot me a dirty look at my words.
Nederman gave me a thumbs-up, clearly relating.
"Feels damn good. Looks like His Highness spent the last ten years buttering up everyone. That woman's a pro at charming ladies."
"Insolent! Who's charming who?!"
Nederman chuckled and shrugged at the Crown Prince's shout. I returned the thumbs-up to Nederman.
A rare moment of agreement with him.
The two ignored us and kept flirting.
"Don't mind them. They're always like that."
"Ahem. I'll endure with my magnanimity. Still, I must've been a decent guy back then. Seeing you smile at the thought of me."
"Oh, did I?"
I cut off their worthless banter cold.
"Enough. Tell us your story now. You said we were misunderstanding something."
I wasn't eager to hear it, but I needed to know what he knew about the situation.
It was obvious from a quick listen that he had it all wrong.
I figured I could infer Halent's purpose in creating the Fake Crown Prince from the discrepancies.
He opened up more readily than expected.
"I've never told my story to anyone, but hearing it should clear up your misconceptions. If you apologize then—"
I silently raised my fist.
Pretending not to notice, he wisely got to the point.
"The last ten years? A boring life, nothing to explain. Cooped up alone in the mansion. The soldiers and servants were the only ones around, but even they wouldn't talk to me. Probably intimidated by my lofty status."
"Why stay here ten years? Didn't you ever want to leave?"
"I had to perform the ritual. This visit to the mine is my only free time—once every couple months."
"Ritual? What ritual?"
"You really know nothing about this place. For the last ten years, I've been gathering an army for Francia."
The Crown Prince puffed up proudly.
I raised my fist again.
He quickly continued.
"The Immortal Legion sleeps here—ones that don't die easily. I've been performing the ritual to claim them."
"......"
I just stared at him.
An undying Immortal Legion.
No clue what nonsense this was, but Dr. Jurha stuck in my mind, making it hard to dismiss outright.
Somehow, it felt connected to him.
My head grew complicated, so I pulled out questions one by one.
"What's the Immortal Legion?"
"I only know I can claim them through the ritual. Uncle said I need them to protect Francia, so here I am."
"Protect Francia with them?"
"Yeah. I've spent years on this ritual for Francia. Now do you get my efforts?"
It made no sense.
Francia had been forcibly annexed by the empire, under governor rule.
What was a traitor governor like Halent trying to protect it from?
I asked about that.
"Protect it from who?"
"Foreign powers. You need strength to defend yourself. We're under imperial protection now because we're weak, but with the Immortal Legion, even the empire will pull out of Francia."
Protection? The empire pulling out?
It sounded absurd.
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
"No need to overthink. It's like parents letting grown kids go independent. You've all misunderstood the empire's intentions, but I get where you're coming from."
Like hell I did.
I could guess how he saw the situation. Nederman, who'd been quiet, mocked him.
"What great foster parents, kicking out the real ones and playing mom and dad."
A jab at the empire deposing Francia's royals and installing a governor.
The Crown Prince readily admitted it.
"I know. But my father, the late king, was a tyrant. The empire had no choice. They couldn't kill the people to save the king."
"......"
We fell silent for a moment.
This guy had the whole situation twisted in his head.
That's why he spouted such crap.
"Fine, let's say that's true. Why give that power to you, Halent?"
"Because I'm the Crown Prince, obviously."
"Let me rephrase. You said you've done this ritual here for ten years. So the Immortal Legion becomes yours?"
"Of course. That's why I'm stuck on this damn island!"
He argued while rolling up his sleeve to show his arm. Geometric patterns were etched in dark red lines.
"Markings from the ritual."
Hm.
I stared at them intently.
Not just simple tattoos. Layers of complex energy flows intertwined within. High-level magic, probably—unreadable.
The Immortal Legion wasn't pure fiction.
Halent must want that power through this guy.
Making him the Fake Crown Prince probably served political ends too.
"You said you went to the empire?"
"Yeah."
"So the empire knows about this situation."
"Right. It's possible only with their support."
"Why help you?"
This wasn't Halent's solo act.
Imperial forces everywhere, and him visiting the empire—it had to be empire-led.
Then what was their goal?
If the Immortal Legion was that powerful, why let a fake have it through Halent?
The Fake Crown Prince said,
"What's the big reason for looking after your kid?"
No clear answer from him, it seemed.
"Dr. Jurha—is he part of the Immortal Legion?"
Undying legion made me picture a unit of Dr. Jurha lookalikes.
"Huh? I don't know much, but no. From what I heard, Dr. Jurha's in the emperor's direct guard, like Uncle."
"Direct guard?"
"Basically the emperor's right-hand man, from the scraps I overheard."
"Halent too?"
"As far as I know."
That skullhead in the emperor's elite guard.
And Halent too?
Explains why he got this gig.
Halent must have thick trust from the emperor.
Allen exchanged dumbfounded looks with Iriel.
"To think he's such a big shot."
"Yeah."
I shut my mouth, deep in thought.
Even with answers, more questions piled up.
No straight answers from this guy.
Summarizing what the Fake Crown Prince said, stripping his delusions:
He'd performed rituals here for ten years to claim the mysterious Immortal Legion.
Dr. Jurha, emperor's direct guard, got involved—maybe the emperor was in on it.
Not certain, but Halent had poured years into this power too.
They wouldn't go this far for something weak.
That much was obvious.
Sorting my thoughts, I looked at the Fake Crown Prince.
"So, how strong is that Immortal Legion?"