Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Low-Key Entry to the Capital
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Sharon Kingdom's palace, Azanta.
The palace, covered by a dome-shaped round roof, featured perfectly symmetrical structures that made it resemble a finely crafted work of art.
Adorned with dazzling jewels and marble, Azanta Palace was one of the few buildings on the continent that could match its opulence.
True to its status as Sharon Kingdom's premier architectural marvel, Azanta Palace boasted an enormous number of reception rooms.
In the most inconspicuous corner among the countless reception rooms sat a small chamber.
Inside that modest room, two men were engaged in a hushed conversation.
Or more precisely, one man was seated while the other knelt on one knee.
It was less a conversation and more a report. The scene alone made it clear their relationship was far from equal.
"...I see, Sir Yorn. No further movements from Mercado yet?"
The seated man, Prince Peter, inquired.
"We've deployed the knights to investigate, but nothing unusual so far, Your Highness. The former king's passing must have caught them off guard as well."
Indeed. These were Prince Peter and his knight Yorn, who had miraculously survived a Holy Empire ambush years ago while Jerome was rescuing Millia.
"We can't afford to miss a single move they make. There has to be a traitor among them plotting to sell me out to the Empire."
Prince Peter had never forgotten the attack by the Holy Empire's 27th Holy Knight Order during Millia's transport years prior.
Kwak!
His clenched fist radiated the pent-up resolve he had nurtured all this time.
'Father has finally passed.'
The late King Tolkien van Sharon had been an absolute ruler who gripped the kingdom's every ounce of power in life.
It was inevitable. Sharon Kingdom had amassed its wealth through the slave trade, and King Tolkien owned both the kingdom's premier slave market, Mercado, and its grandest auction house within, Cosax.
Though Prince Peter was designated as the successor, with all power centralized under King Tolkien, there was little he could do.
From the royal family, he could only watch as shameful fortunes were built on the tears of the Ain race, occasionally bidding on and freeing a few enslaved Ain folk as his sole act of defiance.
This earned him the mocking moniker of the one who "loves" the Ain race, but he couldn't have cared less. It was his conviction.
The same held true when he rescued Millia years ago. Sure, there might have been a bit—no, a lot—of personal affection involved(?). But he was simply doing what he always did.
However, the Holy Empire's Holy Knights' assault changed everything.
It meant the slave traders of Mercado weren't just leeching off the late king's power—they were trying to sell him, the next king, to the Empire.
A mere corrupt minister was one thing; a full-blown traitor was another level entirely.
'You rats... I'll catch and crush you all.'
In the past, the unprepared Prince Peter had ascended the throne after King Tolkien's death and pursued policies diverging from his father's, only to be assassinated pointlessly.
But now, saved from crisis by Jerome's intervention, Prince Peter had changed. He had been wary of Mercado's merchants and the Holy Empire ever since.
How this subtle shift in mindset would alter Sharon Kingdom's fate remained to be seen. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The royal capital, Edirne.
As always, Edirne's far milder climate than Banten's already carried the fresh scent of spring across the entire city.
"Kuh! This is it, this! This warm weather! That damn Banten was so cold it killed my appetite entirely!"
Dwayne inhaled Edirne's air deeply, eyes misty with emotion. His nostrils flared nonstop, clearly dead serious.
Well, sure. It had been years since I "kidnapped" him(?), so I got why Edirne felt welcoming.
"...I can't agree with the appetite part, though."
Not really. Pre-diet Dwayne might not have made it here at all.
"It's just a figure of speech. How long has it been since I last set foot in the capital...!"
I waved him off, not wanting to nitpick and spoil his buzz.
"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it while you can."
Heading to Olivia next meant hard times ahead anyway. A little leeway now wouldn't hurt.
"Ugh, why this chill down my spine in such warm weather...!"
Burur!
Sensing his impending doom, perhaps? Dwayne shuddered, hugging his shoulders against the ominous tingle.
"By the way, you sure about this?"
Unlike Dwayne, drunk on the capital's air after so long, Saladin—content with Banten life—asked calmly.
"About what?"
"What else? Even if it's you, a scion of the Shield Family showing up in the capital without a single escort looks kinda off, doesn't it?"
Saladin nodded toward where a carriage bearing the southern Graks family crest rolled through the main road under knight escort, heading for the palace.
Not just Graks—Edirne's streets buzzed with incoming noble processions, drawing crowds of citizens to gawk.
Had we come with the Blizzard Knight Order like last time, Dwayne couldn't have savored the air so leisurely.
The Spring Festival was a social stage for the kingdom's young nobles to shape its future. Saladin seemed inwardly bothered by our understated arrival, where family prestige dictated status.
'Surprisingly perceptive.'
Makes sense—that's why I eventually made him vice-captain of the Stigma Mercenary Corps in my past life.
"Not this time."
"Huh?"
I gazed at the noble carriages speeding along the main road.
"No one knows yet that I'm getting a title this time. Even if they acknowledge my merits, it'll stir controversy."
Thanks to Marquis Midas's grain I secured, the kingdom averted famine. I'd also taken the lead in quelling Philador Kingdom's chaos.
Not to mention the undisclosed feats unknown to regular nobles—but those two alone justified a barren southern fief.
Plus, the Sword Family owed us for overlooking Victor's rebellion. They wouldn't oppose easily.
My plans aside, Olivia looked like nothing but a barren, headache-inducing plot outwardly.
But people’s hearts are fickle.
No matter the merits, a twenty-year-old upstart claiming a title would breed envy and jealousy.
Especially if he strutted in backed by family might.
"We keep it minimal to downplay Shield Family prestige. That minimizes backlash. Besides, Sir Beskin and the Blizzard Knights are too busy prepping anyway."
Saladin tilted his head.
"Just skipping escorts will reduce opposition that much?"
Unable to grasp such simplistic human nature, he looked puzzled.
"Didn't you just ask me the same? Doesn't it look off for a Shield Family scion to arrive without escorts?"
"...!!"
"Conceptual knowledge and visual impact are worlds apart. That's just how people are."
Here came the merchant experience from my past life.
Even knowing I led the massive Carlos Merchant Group, opponents subconsciously underestimated me in shabby clothes and spartan quarters.
Despite rationally knowing I wasn't poor.
"Skipping Shield escorts also signals clear independence from the family upon enfeoffment."
"...Fine, whatever."
Saladin reluctantly nodded, then pointed ahead skeptically.
"So, how do we get past this?"
His finger pointed to Ikenia royalty's symbol: Audra Palace, filling our view.
Audra's center entrance for noble carriages aside, spectator-packed areas left no room to step.
Impossible without the main road.
"...Hmm."
Yeah. How? ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ahahaha! You haven't changed a bit—still as eccentric as ever, even after all this time!"
Prince Julius, emerging from Audra Palace to greet us personally, clutched his stomach, laughing uproariously.
"Enough teasing, Your Highness. I didn't expect that many citizens either."
Julius wiped tears from his eyes and apologized to my grumbling.
"Haha! Sorry, sorry. But don't hold it against the palace guards too much. Who'd expect a direct Shield Family heir to show up without escorts?"
Julius had burst into laughter upon hearing we'd been stopped for inspection on the main road.
Unable to find a side path, we'd walked openly along it—only for guards to halt us.
Right in front of all those staring citizens.
"Yes, yes. A little embarrassment is nothing. It's my honor at stake, not yours, Your Highness."
"Haha, are you sulking?"
Having scored a rare chance to rib me after so long, Julius milked it before getting to business.
"Still, your flashy—in a different way—entrance should keep opposition low."
As expected.
Julius had seen through why I'd kept our group so small.
"When do you plan to announce it?"
"Tentatively, the feast's final day. Monster tournaments or debates aren't ideal for it."
Not bad. Too soon, and it'd seem the festival was my stage; too late, like sidelining me.
"With Victor skipping from the Sword Family, no bold soul will object face-to-face. Even if he came, his debts would silence him."
"Hm? Victor's not coming?"
The prince said it casually, but I couldn't let it slide.
Victor's personality would've drawn him here upon hearing I'd shown up—debt or not—to gauge my growth against his.
But Julius countered with surprise.
"You didn't know? Archipelago pirate sightings in the Continental Federation's south have spiked, headache-inducing. Osiris and Philador too, but our kingdom dispatched major Sword Family reinforcements. Victor leads them, so naturally absent."
Valid reasons aplenty for Victor's absence.
Yet Julius's calm demeanor struck me oddly.
And I wasn't alone.
"Your Highness. You seem convinced young Victor will fail against those pirates."
Dwayne declared flatly, mouth full of tempting cookies from the table.
"Oh? Why so, young Dwayne?"
"Your reaction's too serene. Of the southern fiefs, all but Sapan, Mano, and Jackson—seven total—fell to Sword Family factions long ago. But that's nobles only. Most locals still harbor low favor for them. However."
Crack!
Dwayne shoved the last cookie crumbs into his mouth.
"Repel pirates ravaging their lives, and even commoners' goodwill toward the Sword Family soars. Far beyond the royal family's mere spectatorship."
'Spot on.'
Dwayne nailed my unease perfectly.
Julius always resented the Sword Family's disregard for the crown.
He wouldn't idly watch their ploy to boost southern influence via pirates.
"Heavens, young Dwayne's instincts are sharp. Almost regret letting Jerome whisk you away so readily."
Grumbling lightly about benefiting others, Julius nodded, affirming Dwayne's guess.
"Correct. I expect Victor to fail the subjugation. Even if he succeeds—a hundred concessions—it won't be simple. If archipelago pirates were pushovers, Punish Archipelago would be Federation territory by now."
Swipe!
Julius's gaze turned to me.
"If the Sword Family forms reinforcements out of concern for the populace, what stops this kingdom's royals? Eh?"
...That look from Julius was intensely burdensome.
Very much so.