Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Crown Prince (2)
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“You’re going to hand over all the mithril to me?”
The blond Crown Prince tilted his head slightly.
His eyes sparkled blue, as if trying to gauge my intentions.
“With this much, you could arm an entire legion’s worth of soldiers and still have some left over. Why hand it all specifically to me?”
As expected, he wasn’t one to yield easily.
In response, I answered in a serious tone.
“I know full well that this metal can be used for military supplies.”
Like a patriot.
“If those with ulterior motives are going to turn this mithril into weapons, wouldn’t it be far safer in the hands of the imperial family, who will soon become the nation’s wealth?”
The Crown Prince smirked at my words.
“You mean, if something happens with the goods you sold, you want to avoid taking the blame.”
Leon gazed intently at the mithril sample he’d received.
At his own reflection in its smooth cross-section.
“I’ll simply pass it along to Sir Burke if you offer a fair price.”
“What do you get out of brokering a deal for the Burke Merchant Company?”
I lifted my head.
“I’ve been promised a fee for my troubles.”
And with a gentle smile, I replied.
“After the mithril is used to craft armor and weapons, I get the scraps from the discarded steel armor.”
With the most innocent face in the world.
“Taking discarded old military supplies as payment.”
Disposing of the existing steel armor was work in itself.
Yet here I was, saying the Burke Merchant Company would handle it naturally and just take the scraps.
Satisfied with my words that knew their place, the Crown Prince nodded.
“Very well, Baron. That’s reasonable.”
The Crown Prince reached into the splendid platinum cloak draped over his shoulders.
And as if bestowing mercy upon me, he said.
“We, the Imperial Knights Order, will purchase all the mithril from the Burke Merchant Company.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The imperial knights began moving to take custody of the wagons.
No one opposed the Crown Prince’s words.
No, they couldn’t.
Even if he had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, he was still the empire’s unrivaled second-in-command.
But.
“That won’t do.”
There was one person who could stand against him.
――――――.
The sound of shoes crunching against the stone pavement of the city gate.
At the sharpening sound drawing near, both the Crown Prince’s guards and I turned our heads.
And there we faced her.
One who had inherited the blood of the Conqueror King, just like the Crown Prince.
“I got my hands on the mithril first.”
Lydia stood boldly before the Crown Prince.
At her appearance, he asked with a stoic, expressionless face.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Lydia? Baron Veil, wasn’t this deal done?”
“Th-that’s…”
I glanced up at Lydia with an awkward smile.
Then the empire’s Third Imperial Princess shook a prepared mithril sample and spoke.
“This is the finest mithril from Mount Bakal. Who wouldn’t have their eye on it?”
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes at her nonchalant tone.
“So, you intend to compete with me?”
His blue eyes seemed to evoke the young Emperor, who had smashed through every obstacle in his path.
“…”
I gazed up intently at Lydia’s side.
She had read the note, so she should hand the mithril over to the Crown Prince without resistance.
Lydia rolled her red eyes to secretly meet mine.
Then she winked.
‘No way…’
“Oh? Are you threatening me with that look right now?”
The youngest sister clasped her hands together.
And with a melancholic expression, she looked at the Crown Prince.
“You’re right, I can’t block you alone. But…”
The more the princess spoke, the higher her lips curved.
“If I report how you, who treated our comatose father like a corpse to build your power, now try to monopolize mithril for military use—what do you think will happen?”
Her once-melancholic eyes soon turned sly and impish, like a little devil.
Lydia had inherited the Emperor’s vile ambitions in full.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lydia. I’m simply reinforcing the soldiers’ equipment for the conquest of the southern city-states.”
The Crown Prince put forth a noble justification.
The little devil immediately struck at his weakness.
“Ha, using the southern rabble that Lea already crushed as an excuse? Most of the ministers will still see it as overinvestment.”
At the princess’s mockery, the Crown Prince fell silent for a moment.
Then, lifting the corner of his mouth just like her, he replied with the smile of a wise ruler.
“So?”
“Uh, what…?”
Lydia faltered momentarily at Leon’s calm retort.
“So, what then? Whether I overinvest for perfect execution or not, how do you plan to stop me?”
The Crown Prince pondered why the Third Imperial Princess was going this far to block him and secure the mithril.
Once certain, he smirked and looked at his sister.
“I see now. You had no interest in the mithril from the start.”
He extended his palm toward his five-years-younger sister.
“What you want is hush money.”
Only then did the Crown Prince’s aides relax their expressions.
They thought, as he said, that the Third Imperial Princess was just asking for pocket money from Leon.
“Tell me, how much? I’ve given you allowance plenty of times before. Isn’t that right, Lydia?”
His gaze treated her like a child.
His aides chuckled and nodded along.
But.
“No, I’m dead serious.”
Their laughter stopped abruptly.
“I really want the mithril.”
Lydia stood alone with arms crossed, confronting him earnestly.
“You know there’s no principle of primogeniture as long as Father doesn’t die? From that moment, I’m no longer your little sister. I’m your rival.”
Her red eyes flashed.
She stepped forward as an equal sovereign against the eldest son who had always dismissed her.
“Who would stand by while their rival buys up weapons right in front of them?”
Lydia lightly turned her head.
And pointed at the Burke Merchant Company head standing beside me.
“The authority over mithril sales lies not with Veil, but with Sir Burke. So if you want to buy it, you’ll have to compete fairly with me.”
I stared squarely at the defiant Lydia.
There wasn’t a hint of trembling in her body.
Yet I could see it.
The reason she had crossed her arms.
“…”
Her fingers shaking within the fold of her arms.
The princess was desperately hiding her tension.
That’s when I realized.
She was provoking Leon through this gamble.
‘She plans to drive up the mithril’s price as much as possible through the bidding war and pass it off to him…!’
Not content with just handing it over—she aimed to saddle him with debt too.
A scheme truly befitting the Third Imperial Princess.
“Merchant Company Head Sir Burke, from now on.”
The Crown Prince shed his gentle big-brother gaze.
And coldly looked down at Cornell’s caravan leader stepping forward.
“What are your thoughts? In this situation, who would you hand the mithril to?”
Burke swallowed deeply as he looked up at the Crown Prince’s dignified face.
A piercing, razor-sharp gaze.
It stung his chest with every swallow.
“I…”
Burke turned his head toward me.
And after staring into my earnest eyes.
“Heh… I’ll follow Baron Veil’s orders on this matter. He arranged this whole deal—if not for him, I wouldn’t even be here.”
He elevated me as a key figure in this transaction.
Naturally, the Crown Prince’s gaze shifted to me.
“In the end, the authority falls to you. Give us your answer.”
I swallowed deeply.
“Your Highness, I am but a mere baron. Risen from commoner stock, without even proper roots.”
And with a deeply troubled expression, I let out a heavy sigh.
“How could someone like me dare single out one among such noble personages?”
“Don’t feel burdened—answer honestly with your own intentions.”
Arms behind his back, the Crown Prince spoke flatly.
I lowered my head, lips curving upward.
“I am a merchant by trade. So I shall act as befits my lowly origins.”
Leon fell silent at my words for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“As a merchant, you’ll choose whoever pays the most.”
The Crown Prince looked at me with pity.
Slowly approaching, he patted my shoulder.
“I understand your position well. Choosing one here would draw the ire of the other imperial.”
Leon covered my ear with his palm.
And whispered naturally.
“Come back to this spot tonight. I’ll ease your worries.”
“Y-yes…?”
At my question, the Crown Prince smiled leisurely.
Like one who held all things beneath his feet.
“You’ll know who to choose once we meet.”
Leaving those words, Leon returned to his camp.
Then he spoke casually.
“Fine, I accept the bidding war. For now, store the mithril in Lydia’s warehouse.”
The Crown Prince raised a finger.
And declared to all with practiced finesse.
“But the bidding ends tonight. I need time to smelt the mithril I acquire before the upcoming southern campaign.”
Lydia nodded, satisfied with the proposal.
“Agreed. Better to wrap it up before Father finds out.”
Crown Prince and princess.
Their standoff ended just like that.
“Then hustle and scrape it together, Lydia.”
Leon turned away gracefully, leaving those words.
He returned to his camp with his cloud of resplendent white followers.
“You too—don’t overextend and end up paying the smelting fees yourself.”
Lydia stared rigidly at her departing brother.
Once his figure vanished completely, she cautiously glanced around…
“Haa…”
Only then did she stagger into my arms.
“Your Highness, are you alright…?”
“Even pretending to be tough is getting hard now…”
The princess buried her nose in my chest as naturally as ever.
And like a small animal, she looked up at me and asked.
“How did you read my intentions so well, Veil?”
“Yes, you seemed just like a nasty little sister.”
At my honest words, the Third Imperial Princess giggled.
Her breath tickled my dress shirt.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“So, how high do you plan to bid?”
The princess glanced at Burke standing beside us.
“Hmm, if I pull in all my assets, 2 million gold should be my limit.”
2 million gold.
The price of four buildings in the capital’s bustling center.
“Leon will probably bid at least this much. He’s roughly gauged my wealth.”
Lydia coldly acknowledged the gap in their fortunes.
“But even so, it’s 1.5 times market price, so it’ll sting him plenty. Right, Merchant Head?”
“Ahaha… Yes, indeed…”
Burke was still flustered by the unforeseen situation.
Of course, earning a fortune was good, but he hadn’t expected to provoke the Crown Prince.
“Leon’s assets are probably about three times mine. At least 5 million in gold coins on hand.”
“Then 2 million would be a hefty blow.”
Lydia nodded.
“The Crown Prince will use the southern pacification as an excuse to amass as much military power as possible. He’ll pour money in no matter the cost.”
The princess clenched her fist tightly.
And wore a regretful expression.
“If only I had more money, I could’ve drained another 3 million from him… What a shame.”
I stared down at the little devil smacking her lips.
Then, struck by a sudden brilliant idea, my eyes gleamed.
“Your Highness, the bidding ends tonight, right?”
“Yeah… He cut it short to keep me from pulling funds elsewhere.”
Lydia fiddled with Tina’s coat draped over her shoulders as she answered.
At that, I grinned like a sly retainer.
“What if we could pull in a massive sum within a day?”
“Huh…?”
The princess cocked her head at my words.
Her twin tails cutely tilted to one side.
“We’re not alone, are we?”
I pulled out two notes.
And handed them to Lydia.
“Deliver these to the two of them. We’ve held those three-way meetings all this time for today, haven’t we?”
――――――
That night.
The mithril was all stored in the capital’s eastern sector, Lydia’s domain.
However, I didn’t go with them and stayed at the spot the Crown Prince had mentioned.
For my meeting with him.
“…”
The empty nighttime plaza was eerily quiet.
It felt like the Crown Prince’s black knights would emerge from the darkness to threaten me again.
“Whew…”
I pulled out a prepared fancy “glass bottle.”
Took a long swig from it.
――――!!
And casually tossed it into a plaza trash bin.
How much time passed after that?
“Baron Veil.”
Fortunately, those who came for me weren’t them.
Just one unassuming middle-aged man in a suit.
“Yes, that’s me.”
The Crown Prince was even more meticulous than I thought.
To put me at ease, he’d sent only this one middle-aged man to lead me to his hideout.
To a nearby, cozy hotel.
「204.」
“Go on in. His Highness awaits.”
‘The empire’s Crown Prince summoning me to a mere hotel…?’
I opened the door impassively.
The moment I stepped into the quiet room.
“…!!”
I froze at the sight of two sharp blades aimed at my throat.
“Bring him.”
Black knights.
Ones boasting even denser, more sinister black auras than the pair who’d tracked me before, waiting by the door.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
They seized my arms.
Dragged me forcibly, and sat me in the chair opposite the Emperor—no, the Crown Prince.
“You came obediently, Baron.”
“How could I refuse His Highness the Crown Prince’s command…”
I said, swallowing hard.
But the Crown Prince continued staring at me with a sour face.
“No other schemes in mind?”
“N-no, of course not… Your Highness…”
The Conqueror King’s eldest son snapped his fingers.
As if prepared in advance, a mage brought over a crystal orb.
“Baron, do you know what that is?”
The Crown Prince gazed at his reflection in the crystal orb and asked.
“As the Emperor’s eldest son all these years, many have sought me out.”
He rubbed the smooth crystal orb with his finger.
A mystical blue light swirled across its surface…
“And the reasons they come to me are usually one of two.”
A confession spell.
A truth-detection magic had begun.
“One is leeches aiming to rise by clinging to me.”
The Emperor—no, Crown Prince—glared at me, his blue eyes flashing.
“And the other is those approaching to stab me in the back.”
Blue light emanated from the crystal orb.
With that glow, the Crown Prince asked.
“Which are you?”
I stared blankly at the crystal orb.
I felt the confession magic coiling around my entire body.
It was certainly something I could easily defend against with Grand Aura.
But doing so would arouse suspicion.
“I-I am…”
No choice but to submit to the magic.
“I’m sorry… Your Highness…”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Let out a heavy sigh, and gave my answer.
“I am a leech who approached Your Highness hoping to advance my station based on my lowly status.”
「….」
The crystal orb reacted to my response.
It soon began judging truth from lie.
「….」
Confession magic typically discerns truth or falsehood within ten seconds.
Yet for some reason, the crystal orb deliberated far longer.
“…”
At the sight, saliva pooled in my mouth unbidden.
The potion inside me seemed to boil in my stomach.
What if Count Timan’s potion was weaker than the crystal orb?
What if it revealed I’d come to stab him in the back?
What would I do then?
Amid such swirling thoughts.
「….」
At the unusually prolonged judgment, even the perceptive Crown Prince began furrowing his brow.
That moment.
「Truth.」
The crystal orb answered clearly.
“…”
The Crown Prince wore a blank expression at the delayed response.
‘Did he somehow detect the grand magic potion…?’
He rose from his seat.
And then…
――――――――.
He drew the empire’s ceremonial sword from his waist.
A sharp, lethal longsword.