Chapter 3
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 3 - The Princess’s Proposal
The news that the princess would visit the office brought me an unexpected gift.
Thanks to her declaring that she would have a private meeting with her brother, I could enter the palace late tomorrow.
"Lord Leopold, then I shall take my leave."
"Yes, go and rest for today. You worked hard, Edric."
As soon as the prince's considerate permission was given, I cheered inwardly.
Inside the carriage heading home, I recalled the memories of the original work regarding Princess Camilla.
Camilla Minerva.
She was a character called the 'Last Conscience of the Empire' in the original work [I Became a Barbarian in a Romance Fantasy].
A tragic woman who struggled to stop the maddened prince until the end and fought hard to prevent the division of the empire.
Eventually failing to stop the rampaging prince, she gave up on everything and opened the city gates to the rebel army, meeting her death by the blade of her own brother, Leopold.
From the beginning of the original work, the prince was rampaging and had many arguments with the princess, so their relationship was not good.
But if it was the current prince... if it was the prince who was intoxicated and armed with a golden spirit, the story could be different.
'Since the prince has changed like that, the atmosphere should be good.'
I surrendered my body to the peace that had come after a long time.
As soon as I returned home and lay down on a soft bed for the first time in a while, my consciousness grew hazy.
Please let there be no overtime from tomorrow...
The next morning, in the prince's office.
The door opened, and Camilla walked in with a chilly aura.
Leopold greeted his sister with a friendly smile while organizing the documents piled on the desk.
"Princess Camilla greets His Highness the Prince."
"Yes, it's been a while, Camilla. Have you been well?"
Princess Camilla was flustered by the prince's friendly smile.
Because the brother she knew had not shown her such a gentle smile for the past few years.
At the hand gesture telling her to sit since she didn't need to observe formalities, Camilla was finally able to take a seat.
Drinking the tea prepared by the servant, Camilla spoke.
"...It seems the rumors were truly fact. Brother."
Camilla stared intently into Leopold's eyes even before she sat down.
It was not the cloudy gaze steeped in desire of the past.
It was firm and straight; the brilliance from when their mother was alive dwelt within it.
"Yes, I too have only now realized how foolish I have been all this time. If it were not for my close friend and loyal subject, Edric, I probably would never have realized it for the rest of my life."
As Edric's name came up, Camilla's brow twitched faintly.
Camilla spoke as she set down her teacup.
"Do you truly think that person is a loyal subject?"
At Camilla's words, Prince Leopold's gaze instantly turned sharp.
In fact, even before he came to his senses, Camilla had told the prince countless times that Edric was a sycophant and to keep him at a distance.
"Camilla, that talk again. You haven't looked favorably upon Edric since the past. However, he is a man who risked even his life to offer loyal advice for my sake. To insult my person is the same as insulting me."
"Brother, you are too naive. If you knew what kind of secret conversations that person was having behind your back, you would never be able to say such a thing."
"Stop it!"
At the prince's sternness, Camilla could not speak any further.
She felt a sense of pity.
The prince had truly returned to being the brilliant brother of their childhood.
But just one thing... his misplaced trust in his close aide had not yet reverted.
She felt so much pity wondering just how well that wicked 'Red Snake' Edric had acted to deceive her brother's eyes like that.
And from the conversation just now, she could tell.
That she could not correct that misplaced trust through ordinary means...
A radical but certain method was needed to show that he was a sycophant.
"Brother... you truly believe him."
"Of course. He is someone who risked his own life for my sake."
"If you trust that person so much, how about entrusting the current issue of the Southern peasant rebellion to him?"
"The Southern peasant rebellion?"
Leopold narrowed his eyes and listened carefully to his sister's proposal.
The situation in the South was serious.
While the prince had washed his hands of territory management and acted like a scoundrel, his territory, the South, had literally gone to hell.
The nobles of the South, free from control, harshly exploited the commoners, and eventually, the commoners started a peasant rebellion to survive.
In that chaos, a 'Saintess' bearing stigmata, the proof of being chosen by god, had awakened, and with her at the center, the peasant rebellion was morphing into the form of a rebel army.
The nobles had requested the dispatch of the Imperial Knight Order and permission for armed suppression in order to put down this peasant rebellion by force, and currently, the South was in a state where the peasant rebel army and the local nobles continued a highly volatile standoff.
"You are saying we should entrust the Southern peasant rebellion to Edric?"
"Yes, if he is truly the loyal subject that you think he is, Brother, he should be able to resolve the Southern peasant rebellion well."
"Hmm..."
Watching the agonizing expression on the prince's face, Camilla smiled.
The Southern peasant rebellion was a matter that had started in the prince's territory, so it was an important issue that absolutely had to be resolved.
And although the prince didn't know, according to Camilla's investigations, a significant portion of the bribes the Southern nobles had amassed by exploiting the territory had flowed to Edric's father, Albert Noel.
In that case, Edric would not be free from the influence of that money either.
'He will absolutely never be able to resolve the Southern peasant rebellion.'
Camilla's plan was clear.
Edric would definitely not be able to resolve the Southern peasant rebellion peacefully.
He would certainly try to mobilize the knights and massacre the commoners in order to cover up his own shameful flaws.
Her intention was to expose the evidence she had investigated at that moment and bury him permanently.
Seeing Edric massacre the commoners to hide his own shameful flaws, even the prince would no longer think of him as a loyal subject.
After agonizing for a moment, the prince answered.
"Fine. Let us have Edric go to the South and resolve this issue."
The prince nodded confidently.
Seeing his shining eyes, Camilla felt that her plan had succeeded.
"Instead, if Edric resolves this issue perfectly... at that time, you must formally apologize to him."
"Understood. I will gladly do so."
Camilla answered with a cold smile.
She had absolute confidence that something like her having to apologize would never happen.
In a place where Edric was not present, his fate was tossed away to the South.
"The weather is nice~"
Having gotten a good night's sleep for the first time in a while, I was able to enter the palace with a refreshing mood.
The weather is nice and my mood is refreshing, so surely only pleasant things will happen today.
Just as I arrived at the prince's office thinking that, Princess Camilla, who had just finished her private meeting with the prince, was coming out.
It was the princess of beautiful appearance with pink hair, Camilla Minerva.
Wow... she really was pretty.
Is this the power of Imperial Family genetics?
"I greet Her Highness the Princess."
"........."
She glared at me, displeased with something.
No, I really felt wronged.
I haven't done anything bad...
Passing by such a me, the princess said.
"I will definitely... liberate my brother from you."
"...Pardon?"
With those final words, Princess Camilla turned and left.
Liberation from me?
I recalled the memories of doing overtime while being caught by the prince for the past few weeks.
It's unfair. The one who wants to be liberated is me!
Entering the prince's office with those thoughts, what awaited me was an even more shocking piece of news.
"Edric... I think you will have to go to the South on my behalf."
"...Pardon?"
My expression stiffened within three minutes of arriving.
The South? Are you talking about that South that's turning into a hellscape because a peasant rebellion broke out right now!?
I squeezed my brain desperately to think of another reason I would go to the South.
"If it's the South... is it the matter of the Oracle territory?"
"No. Edric, it is about the peasant rebellion in Livia."
This is crazy!
I prayed as much as possible that it was another matter, but as expected, it was the peasant rebellion.
No! Why was this crazy event assigned to me?
The peasant rebellion in Livia was one of the representative acts of tyranny committed by the prince in the original work.
In response to the peasant rebellion that broke out in his territory, the prince personally led the knight order and ordered a cruel suppression.
Although not yet officially recognized, the Saintess 'Azelia', who had awakened with stigmata, was present, so the church was also supporting the commoners in this situation.
In such a situation, the prince utilized the 'Shadow Warriors', an assassin organization directly under the Imperial Family, to sweep them away under the charge that the commoners were traitors receiving support from the 'Carlos Kingdom' bordering the territory.
The South became a hell, and completely turning his back on the church was a burden even for the prince, so the charges were fabricated with the story that Saintess Azelia was kind but had been manipulated by traitors.
Because of this incident, Saintess Azelia became greatly disappointed in the prince, and Azelia came to hate the prince until the end of the story.
Why was such a big event assigned to me?
I searched through Edric's memories for someone who could make the situation like this, and soon exactly one person came to mind.
"Did Her Highness the Princess perhaps..."
"Yes... that's right. Camilla was doubting you."
As expected... my lips trembled.
It meant that she, who was the last conscience of the empire as well as being like a venomous snake, had been investigating my background and ultimately pushed me into a death trap.
"Edric, Camilla does not yet know your true feelings. She suspects you are a sycophant blinding my eyes and eating away at the empire. So she suggested assigning the Southern peasant rebellion to you to test you."
"...I see."
Flinch!
Because the me of the past was indeed a sycophant, my conscience was pricked for no reason.
But that is not the me of now.
Why do I have to take responsibility for past things I didn't even do!?
Call a lawyer! I am falsely accused!
When I was having such thoughts, the prince spoke.
"I do not believe my sister's words. Edric. I trust your eyes that offered loyal advice at the risk of your life for me."
"...Lord Leopold."
The prince looked at me with a gaze of trust.
Right, if he trusts me like this, he won't just send me away.
Surely he will drag out the time somehow and...
As I was thinking that, the prince suddenly stood up and picked up an ornate sword lying on the desk.
It was one of the heirlooms of the Imperial Family and the symbolic treasured sword of the prince, 'Erpis'.
The huge magic stone embedded in the golden scabbard brightly illuminated the inside of the office and gradually approached me.
Excuse me?
Why are you bringing that sword over so anxiously?
Excuse me. Lord Leopold... Your Highness!?
Contrary to my wishes, the prince did not stop and gradually approached right in front of me.
Having no choice, I knelt down and prepared to receive the prince's bestowed item.
And the prince carefully placed the heavy treasured sword onto my two hands.
"From this moment on, I appoint Edric Noel as the 'Chancellor' who will act with my full authority. Take this sword and go to the South, realize justice in my name, save the people who have fallen into misery, and return!"
"...I accept your command. Your Highness the Prince."
The prince, who said he trusted me, handed down his sword to me as proof of that trust and ended up appointing me as his representative.
And the next day, I was dispatched to the South.
Ah... is it because I have received too great a favor from the prince?
Today, of all days, the weather felt truly like shit.