The Crown Prince
The Crown Prince
"So this is the Imperial-Certified Alchemist Pocket Watch. Only twelve of these exist?"
Alex gazed at the pocket watch in his hand as if it were a treasure.
Alex had seen rarer timepieces in the imperial palace, but this one stirred an unfamiliar emotion in him.
When he opened the watch, a picture appeared showing the protagonist brothers and their mother from Iron-Blooded Alchemist.
The moment he saw that image, a pang shot through his chest.
'William, Mother....'
He, the Emperor's firstborn, and William, the second son, had shared the same mother.
How much would it have pained her to see one son called a wastrel and the other a lecher?
'You must look after your younger brother, my prince.'
Even when illness left her too weak to hold herself upright, his mother had always worried only about him and his younger brother.
"Damn it...."
For the first time, Alex felt despair at how pathetic he had become.
A foolish son who, in the grief of losing his mother, had resented his father and neglected everyone around him.
He could not forgive himself for acting as though it was none of his business when the younger brother he was truly supposed to protect went astray.
Thinking of the Edric brothers in Iron-Blooded Alchemist shamed him even more.
An older brother who sacrificed his own leg and attempted a transmutation that could have failed, all to bring his younger brother back.
A younger brother who, in a body that had become armor, fought enemies for that older brother's sake.
They were truly strong brothers, enduring circumstances far worse than his own and tragedies far more devastating, yet still fighting on.
Alex closed the precious pocket watch he had won in the drawing and tucked it into his coat.
It was a strange thing.
He had held only three drawing tickets, so he had never imagined he would win.
And somehow he had won the one marked No. 01, supposedly the most collectible of them all.
The attendant who had gone to collect the item reportedly had a hard time because of the crowd that swarmed him.
If one of the Crown Prince's escorts had not gone along as a precaution, things might have gone badly.
That alone made its popularity easy to guess.
"Your Highness, this is the area where the tunnel snake was recently sighted."
A voice broke into Alex's thoughts.
It was Yustaf announcing that they had finally arrived at their destination, the tunnel snake's territory.
"It was a rumor with little credibility, but seeing this hole, it really does seem to be a tunnel snake."
A rough, yawning hole opened in the middle of the forest.
It was too dark to see far inside, but the echoes made it clear that the passage continued deep underground.
"The reason tunnel snakes are rare is that they are monsters that feed on soil, so they are only occasionally seen in the outlying regions of the empire's south, where the soil quality is good."
Harun spoke as he examined the traces.
But contrary to Harun's words, their current location was a mountainous area near Chaldea, the imperial capital.
Traces of a tunnel snake, said to live in the southern outskirts, should never have been found here.
It did not add up.
And in most cases, a situation like that pointed to one thing.
"So a dark wizard really was involved after all?"
The deduction had begun with the Crown Prince’s unconventional question: if they could find no trace of the dark wizards above ground, could they have disappeared underground?
Taking a hint from that remark, Yustaf remembered both the tunnel snake and the dark wizards’ secret art for controlling monsters.
Harun then used the guild to gather reports and information on tunnel snakes, and at last they found the enemy’s trail.
"We must make a choice here."
Yustaf spoke in a firm voice, facing the hole.
"What choice do you mean?"
"The first is to return to the imperial palace as we are, report what we have learned so far, receive additional support, and then search the burrow."
The first option Yustaf gave in answer to Alex's question was reasonable.
The people present amounted only to the Crown Prince, Yustaf, and Harun, plus agents of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau assisting them and the Crown Prince's escorts.
They lacked the manpower to search the burrow as things stood.
With Yustaf there, they were unlikely to be overwhelmed, but even he could not prevent every enemy from fleeing or making a dangerous move. They needed more people.
"What is the second option?"
"It is only my intuition, but considering the number of people who have disappeared and the time frame, I suspect their scheme is nearly upon us."
What worried Yustaf was the lack of time.
Returning to the imperial palace, receiving reinforcements, and forming a plan would take at least several days.
If the enemy acted during that delay, they could be caught completely unprepared.
"So as a second option, I propose that while Your Highness returns to the imperial palace to request support, I search the burrow with the remaining people."
Had anyone else said it, they might have been scolded for excessive eagerness—called overconfident rather than confident—but because the speaker was Yustaf, everyone nodded without hesitation.
After all, no matter how vicious or underhanded the dark wizards’ tricks were, before Yustaf—the man called the Human Dragon—they would amount to little more than child’s play.
Of course, even with Yustaf present, danger could not be entirely ruled out, so it was right for the Crown Prince to leave the scene and request support.
The Crown Prince had already done more than his share.
Once the investigation began, it turned into a tedious cycle of the same tasks rather than an exciting adventure, and the party had expected the Crown Prince to lose patience.
Contrary to their expectations, he cooperated actively and spared no support.
He had even deployed his own escorts and personal attendants to advance the investigation.
He had made a major contribution to grasping the dark wizards' schemes.
If the operation ended well, no one would have to invent a ceremonial role for him merely to preserve imperial dignity. He had contributed enough to claim genuine credit.
So no one objected to his wrapping up by requesting follow-up support rather than joining this dangerous burrow search.
Except for one person.
"If I return to the imperial palace now and request support, can we make it in time?"
"That is...."
The Crown Prince's point was valid.
If the remaining party searched first, then no matter how quickly reinforcements were brought, the incident would most likely already be over.
"I’ll requisition reinforcements from the nearby lords in the name of the imperial family—no, in the name of the Crown Prince."
"You must not, Your Highness!!!"
At the Crown Prince's statement that he would requisition troops from nearby territories, the commander of his escort knights cried out in alarm.
The commander had good reason to be startled and try to stop him.
Even for the Crown Prince, this was an act bordering on overstepping his authority. Even if it went well, problems could arise, and if it went wrong, he would surely be driven from the position of Crown Prince.
As someone who served the Crown Prince, the commander could not let him take such a risk.
"Your Highness, you have already helped more than enough. Please leave the rest to us."
Not only the knight commander, but Yustaf and Harun, the leaders in charge of the investigation, all joined in urging him to stop.
In their eyes, the Crown Prince had already fulfilled his assigned part beyond what was expected, and the rest was their responsibility.
But Alex did not withdraw his order.
"I am... the Crown Prince. This country—this empire—is mine to rule one day."
Standing before people who wished him not to take risks, the Crown Prince—no, Alex—began to speak in a trembling voice.
"The people of the empire follow the imperial family as they would their own parents."
A memory surfaced of his father processing down the capital’s main avenue.
When the war had ended, the Emperor had come out to inspect the people's welfare, and the citizens lining the streets had bowed their heads and cheered.
The image of many of them bursting into tears and shouting "Long live His Majesty the Emperor" remained deeply etched in his mind.
Those were the people of the Empire.
Back then, he had not understood why people could cheer so fervently for members of the imperial family they might see only once in their lives, if ever.
Alex finally understood now.
Because they believed the empire would protect them.
Because they believed the Emperor would let them live a slightly better life.
That was why they did it.
"If I alone flee to safety while the empire faces danger, how am I any different from a parent who abandons their child and runs away!"
At Alex's words, silence fell over the area.
"There is something only I can do! I will not run away just because it is dangerous!"
Everyone still thought they ought to stop the Crown Prince, but at the same time, another feeling stirred.
In that moment, a fierce loyalty took root in their hearts: they wanted to follow this man’s lead.
***
People stood in line in front of a building in a somewhat out-of-the-way spot even for the imperial capital.
The building had been an ordinary pub until recently, but after a round of construction it had been transformed into a new shop.
'Somerset Merchandise Shop'
From the name alone, no one could even guess what it sold.
But people had been lining up since dawn, waiting for the shop to open.
"Is that true? That the grade of items you can buy is determined by how much you've spent on books so far?"
"Well, there must be a reason they issued these rank plaques, mustn't there?"
A silver plaque gleamed in the hand of the man who answered.
The Yuren Merchant Company had recently issued a plaque to customers who had purchased picture books, manga volumes, and various merchandise items.
The lowest plaque was bronze, and above it they issued silver, gold, and finally platinum plaques.
They had also informed customers that this item would be essential when using the Somerset Merchandise Shop, which was set to open today.
So people had been trying hard to figure out its purpose.
The most credible rumor among them was that the quantity or types of items one could purchase were determined by the rank plaque.
Once this rumor spread, a curious sight unfolded: people bought books and merchandise they had already purchased again, just to raise the grade of their plaques.
And when opening time arrived, the employee standing at the shop door opened it.
"Welcome! This is the Somerset Merchandise Shop, home to the empire’s first commercially sold figurines and all kinds of merchandise from your favorite picture books and manga!"
That day, a strange rumor spread through the capital's streets: adults clutching exquisite dolls to their chests had appeared all over the city.