Secret Inspection
Once again, a great uproar swept through the royal palace of the Phanelia Kingdom.
It was the morning after Evan’s meeting with him.
Bishop Augustus suddenly announced that he would return to his homeland on the pretext of “urgent official business.”
Those most thrown into confusion by his abrupt decision were, of course, the faction of the Third Prince.
They had poured a massive budget into preparing a banquet just to win the bishop’s favor; for them, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck from a clear sky.
Yet the bishop did not so much as bat an eye at their pleading attempts to detain him.
In the end, just as he had arrived, the bishop departed at a leisurely pace, escorted by the royal family, the nobles, and the common people.
As Evan watched the golden carriage vanish beyond the horizon, someone approached his side.
“It seems you had a hidden move prepared that no one expected, Elder Brother.”
It was the Second Prince, Leopold.
Behind him stood his maternal grandfather, Duke Barsha.
“Thanks to you, I enjoyed a most entertaining spectacle for the first time in ages.”
A smile curved Leopold’s lips.
The sight of the Third Prince’s faction—so arrogant with the Empire at their backs—being thoroughly outmaneuvered by the First Prince and left pale with shock had clearly delighted him.
“Then I shall take my leave first.”
Leopold offered a light bow and turned away.
Duke Barsha, following behind, fixed Evan with a meaningful, searching gaze before finally departing as well.
No sooner had they vanished than a shadow thick with murderous intent blocked Evan’s view.
“…Evan.”
It was Queen Margaret.
The voice that slipped past the fan half-hiding her face was edged sharp enough to raise gooseflesh.
“This matter… will not simply be forgotten.”
Fury filled her eyes.
“I will make certain you understand just how reckless it was to stand in my way.”
It was a declaration of war.
Having spat her venom, Queen Margaret spun her skirts with brutal force and strode toward the Rose Palace without delay.
Edwin glared at Evan with every ounce of strength he possessed, then hurried after the queen.
From a distance, Marquis Gregory, the chancellor who had silently watched the entire exchange, slowly approached Evan’s side.
“Your Highness, will you be all right? There is nothing more dangerous than a viper whose poison has fully risen. And since she has revealed her hostility so openly, there is no telling what schemes she may hatch out of sight.”
At the marquis’s sincere concern, Evan let out a short snort of laughter.
“Marquis.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“There is no value in fearing a dog that merely barks loudly.”
Evan’s blue eyes shifted into the gaze of a predator locking onto its prey.
“A true beast never makes a sound until it tears into its quarry.”
Startled by that cold, razor-edged composure, Marquis Gregory stared blankly at Evan for a moment before he could no longer hold back a laugh.
“Heh heh heh… This old servant’s thoughts were too shallow. Indeed. As Your Highness says, it is usually the frightened dog that barks the loudest.”
The greatest strength of the Third Prince’s faction had been the Empire.
Yet at this moment, having secured neither firm promise nor support from the bishop, the Third Prince’s side was nothing more than a gaudy empty cart.
There was no reason to fear hollow shells whose substance had been scooped clean away.
“By the way…”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you have time?”
“For what purpose, if I may ask…”
“I wish to borrow a little of yours.”
The marquis’s face showed surprise at the sudden question, but the seasoned bureaucrat soon answered with a smile.
“If the First Prince requires this old man, then even time that does not exist must be carved out and created.”
“I am grateful to hear you say so.”
Evan continued with a faint smile.
“Then join me for a walk tomorrow morning.”
“If that is Your Highness’s will, I gladly—”
Just as the marquis was about to finish his ready acceptance, a booming voice cut boldly into their conversation.
“Forgive the interruption, First Prince. I am an old, dull warrior who cannot spin amusing tales like the marquis. But my legs are still sturdy. Would it be acceptable if this Waldstein joined that walk tomorrow as well?”
At the sight of Duke Waldstein’s eyes sparkling with fervent enthusiasm, Marquis Gregory let out an incredulous “Heh heh” of laughter.
Evan looked back and forth between the two pillars of the kingdom standing before him.
With these two alone, half the kingdom was already as good as in his grasp.
Not bad.
Concealing his satisfaction, Evan nodded with a smile.
“Very well. Duke, come to the Lily Palace tomorrow as well.”
“As you command!”
Marquis Gregory could not hide his dismay at the shabby garments laid out before him.
“…Your Highness. Do you truly mean for me to wear these clothes?”
What the chancellor who oversaw the entire household of the Phanelia Kingdom now held in his hands was not soft silk, but the everyday wear of commoners, stained with grime.
While the marquis failed to conceal his bafflement, Duke Waldstein had already entrusted himself to Emilia’s hands and was changing clothes.
“Come now, Marquis. These are garments bestowed by His Highness himself, yet you complain so much. They fit the body perfectly and feel quite fine, do they not? Hahaha!”
Once the change of clothes was complete, only two ordinary old men one might see anywhere on the street remained.
And it was not only them.
Walter had disguised himself as the aged steward of a third-rate noble house, while Gareth had taken on the rough appearance of a mercenary.
Before them stood Evan, looking for all the world like the somewhat immature son of a provincial noble family.
“This should be sufficient. Shall we go for a light stroll, then?”
Only then did Marquis Gregory and Duke Waldstein grasp the true meaning of the “walk” Evan had spoken of.
A secret inspection…!
The eyes of the two nobles grew hot.
This was no leisurely stroll through the palace gardens to discuss the political situation.
True to the First Prince who had declared that protecting the people was a king’s duty, this was a move to examine the lives of the common folk with his own eyes and open his ears to the state of the kingdom.
Without a word being spoken, they saw Evan carrying out the work a king must do as if it were second nature, and they became certain their choice had not been wrong.
Of course, contrary to the thoughts of his two loyal retainers, Evan’s true intentions were entirely different.
I must raise Phanelia as quickly as possible.
To Evan, who intended to devour the entire Pangenian Continent, the people were merely resources to be managed with maximum efficiency.
Feed them well and raise them well, and the population grows. When the population grows, the national treasury swells, and ultimately the kingdom’s military power strengthens.
In short, this secret inspection was a thorough data-gathering operation to determine the current state of Phanelia’s human resources and decide where to begin repairs.
The scenery not far from the palace was ordinary enough.
A lively main avenue typical of any medieval fantasy game.
But the true data Evan sought could not be found near the inner castle.
The real lives of the people were always found closer to the outer walls.
After walking a long while from the palace and approaching the outer castle, the surrounding landscape changed at once.
Streets overflowing with thick filth, the nauseating stench rising from it, and vagrants collapsed like corpses in every alley’s shadow.
“…Your Highness, the gazes around us are quite vicious… For the sake of safety, it would be best to turn our steps back toward the inner castle now.”
Unable to endure it any longer, Marquis Gregory offered advice, and Duke Waldstein likewise scanned the surroundings with wary eyes.
But Evan casually brushed aside their attempts to stop him and spoke.
“Walking has made me rather hungry. Let us fill our stomachs over there before we continue.”
The place Evan’s finger pointed to was a shabby tavern whose weathered sign greeted them.
Creeeak—.
When Evan’s party stepped inside, the people already in the tavern turned wary stares upon the unfamiliar newcomers.
Paying those gazes no mind whatsoever, Evan dropped heavily into an empty table at the center.
A short while later, a boy of about twelve, wearing an apron, approached hesitantly.
“Would you like to order? In our tavern the potato stew with rye bread is the most popular…”
“Then that will do.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Evan’s words the young server scurried off toward the kitchen.
Soon he returned bearing the recommended dishes.
Everyone’s expression except Evan’s turned sour.
Compared to the food they normally ate, the stew before them was closer to unidentifiable dishwater, and the bread was like a lump of stone.
Yet Evan tore the rye bread without the slightest hesitation, soaked it in the stew, and pushed it into his mouth.
“Mm. Just as one would expect from the house specialty—the seasoning is perfectly balanced. Excellent cooking.”
When Evan met the boy’s eyes and offered light praise, the young server’s face flushed faintly.
“Thank you.”
At Evan’s behavior, the wary stares from the others in the tavern melted away.
In the now lively, noisy atmosphere, Evan asked the child,
“What is the mood in the capital these days?”
No sooner had the question fallen than the boy rubbed his small fingers together, eyes gleaming.
When Evan gave a glance, Walter pressed a coin into the boy’s palm.
The child’s mouth stretched in a grin that nearly split his face.
“Heheh! Customer, you know how things work! The mood these days? Don’t even get me started. The nobles’ exploitation is enough to dry a man’s blood, I tell you. Taxes have doubled, and the streets are overflowing with people starving to death.”
Thrilled by the unexpected free money, the boy prattled on with spit flying.
“People say the country’s in this sorry state because of those royal bastards.”
“……”
Marquis Gregory’s and Duke Waldstein’s faces froze over in icy silence.
Even Gareth’s hand beneath the table drifted toward his sword hilt.
The boy had spoken without knowing the First Prince sat right in front of him.
Yet the moment he had dared to curse the royal family to a royal’s face, it was not something that could simply be overlooked.
At Evan’s look, however, Gareth released the hilt.
“Ah! But lately there’s a royal who’s started getting a completely different evaluation among the people.”
Unaware that his life had just brushed the threshold of the underworld, the boy’s mouth continued without pause.
“And that person is…”
Bang!
The wooden door of the tavern slammed open with force enough to nearly tear it from its hinges.
The boy’s voice cut off, and every guest inside turned their heads as one.
There stood men who were unmistakably back-alley thugs.
At the sudden appearance of the unwelcome visitors, the air inside the tavern froze solid in an instant.