115. The Flame Spirit Sorcerer
"I heard you met with my brothers and sisters."
The relay of imperial siblings—starting with the first prince, then the second prince, followed by the first princess—finally reached its conclusion late that night with a meeting with the third prince.
"Yes. They showed quite a bit of interest in me."
"What did you talk about?"
"Probably just what you're imagining."
"And your response?"
"I told him I already have a contract with Your Highness and can't accept right now."
"He said he'd think it over, but you're not even giving him that much time. I'll prepare a formal contract right away."
"The better the terms, the better."
"Why me?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"What you want is support for a hero expedition toward the Erjest Mountains. And truthfully, my other brothers and sisters could provide that better than I."
An ancient ducal house, a wealthy marquess house, and a relatively declining marquess house.
As long as the emperor didn't hand over public authority, the imperial family's power meant the backing of their mother's house.
Of course, the third empress's house, the Aintheil Marquessate, wasn't lacking either. It was a prestigious family with money and influence.
But everything was relative, and compared to the other two empresses' houses, it fell short.
That was why the third prince lagged behind the other royals.
So it was strange.
"If you want ties to the future emperor, you should go to my eldest brother, second brother, or sister."
"Then the answer's simple, isn't it? I don't want that."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want to defeat the Demon King of Erjest."
"You won't say, huh."
"That's all there is to it."
Martin stared at him sullenly. That smirking glint in his eyes was deeply unsettling.
But instead of cursing him out, he weighed his options. Was it better to cast aside this Hillon with unknown motives, or bring him in to prepare for the future?
"The situation's turning peculiar."
His decision was the latter. Choosing the former would just send Hillon to another prince—something he absolutely couldn't allow.
"His Majesty intends to use this incident as a test."
"To gauge the imperial family's abilities through the subjugation of the black wizard?"
"Exactly."
Hillon barely managed to keep a calm expression.
Berge was spot on. Things were unfolding just as he described.
How?
A chill ran down his spine. At the same time, an unexpected surge of loyalty welled up inside him.
"And he'll acknowledge the heroes' help too?"
"No matter which heroes you recruit, he'll see that as ability too."
"So that's why the royals came to me."
"You could say that."
Among the thousands of active heroes, the absolute best were undoubtedly the Stars.
And among those Stars, Hillon—who had slain two Demon Kings—stood out especially. With him in the empire's capital, it was only natural they'd come calling.
"So I suppose I should make this a formal request."
"Go ahead."
"Will you help me with this subjugation? You and your entire strike team."
"Truth be told."
Hillon paused for a moment.
He slowly crunched on a cookie.
"There's this thing called intuition, right? From the moment we first found traces of the black wizard, I had a feeling it might come to this."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. If heroes don't subjugate a black wizard, who will?"
"Your answer?"
"If the reward's sufficient, there's nothing I can't do."
"And if not?"
"I'd have to go to whoever offers better terms."
"I thought you were on my side."
"Don't think of me as a fish in your net. I'm swimming free in the open sea."
"What do you want?"
"Can I tell you after the subjugation's over?"
"You're bold."
"It'll never be to Your Highness's detriment."
"Fine. You approached me first with goodwill and even brought back Kaede's necklace. I can wait that much."
The hero and the prince clasped hands.
Money and fame were always right.
Fame would come naturally once this was resolved, so demanding money—specifically, massive funding for the Golden Moon Merchant Company—was the best move.
But he couldn't do it. He figured creating a direct link to the third prince wasn't wise.
No matter how I look at it, the third prince has slim chances of becoming emperor.
Hillon Kargil had decided to aid the third prince on his Demon King's orders, but he was honestly skeptical about the prince ascending the throne.
This emperor, a tyrant who had killed all his blood kin to claim the throne, demanded the same of his children.
Perfect neglect. Survival of the fittest.
To survive, the royals had to grow strong—or cling to the strong if they were weak.
From that culling emerged four: the first prince, second prince, first princess, and third prince.
The emperor preached survival of the fittest but gave his children no direct power.
They had to persuade nobles and build factions on their own. In this, their biggest role came from their backers—the empresses' houses.
The first empress's Osrian Ducal House.
The second empress's Bolderbov Marquessate.
And the third empress's Aintheil Marquessate.
The weakest was Aintheil, and that showed in noble support.
If your backer's weak, you need personal talent at least...
The third prince wasn't bad. Far from it—he was clearly emperor material.
The problem was the other three royals were the same.
Especially the first prince, whose talent was said to overwhelm the others, leading naturally in power and ability.
"What did the third prince say?"
Berge greeted Hillon upon his return to the lodgings.
"You've been waiting all this time?"
"Curious."
"How did you know?"
"You skipped the subject."
"How did you know the emperor would tie this to the succession?"
"Easy. He's the type who shoves his kids to the edge hoping they'll grow strong on their own—just like how he claimed the throne. To him, this crisis is a perfect testing ground for their talents. Isn't that obvious?"
"It's not obvious at all."
"Well, yeah."
Berge wouldn't have known without regressing either.
"So, your answer?"
"I haven't even told you what we talked about."
"Knowing it's a test means it's happening that way. So the third prince tried to recruit you. Too valuable to ditch over a little suspicion—especially after you brought back his beloved sister's memento."
"Wasn't Princess Kaede alive?"
"It's a figure of speech."
"I've decided to side with the third prince."
"Good."
"I hope Lord Fail's words hold true this time too."
"My words?"
"Didn't you say the third prince could become emperor?"
"Did I?"
"Lord Fail."
"You didn't hear right. It was 'maybe he could, perhaps.'"
Hillon bit his lip.
"I turned down the first prince and made an enemy. Same with the second prince and first princess. You saw it yourself."
"Yeah."
"If the third prince doesn't become emperor, I'm done in the empire."
"You have Hildean."
"Lord Fail."
"And Akan too. Don't forget."
I'm the one who saved you and dragged you here.
"Because I'm your master."
Not your slave.
"Am I spoiling you too much that you've lost your senses?"
"...The empire is the continent's greatest power. Making an enemy of it is never a good choice."
Berge stepped forward, closing the distance. Their faces drew near. Hillon flinched, but he stopped just short.
"That's why."
He whispered softly.
"I'm going to shatter it."
Crimson pupils gleamed.
"So just follow me. You won't lose out."
Hillon trembled at the madness buried deep within.
Time passed.
Other royals besides the first prince, second prince, and first princess came to see Hillon too.
Some took interest in Berge, but most focused on Hillon.
A guy with slightly unique, pure mana like Berge paled next to a hero who'd killed two Demon Kings.
They'd introduced Berge as Hillon's subordinate anyway.
They all tried to seduce and recruit him one by one.
"The seventh princess, was it? A princess wearing a beggar's sackcloth to seduce someone. The empire's in its end times."
"That's why it's the empire. For the throne, they'll do anything."
"Just a worm thrashing because it doesn't know its place."
"She did seem utterly lacking for a royal."
That was why they'd abandon royal pride for such antics.
"Anyway, things are moving."
Berge unfolded the newspaper delivered that morning.
With the emperor directly involved, the articles were pure praise. But reading between the lines wasn't hard.
"The emperor issued the subjugation order?"
"Yes. The third prince told me. He'll support any royals who want to participate."
"Four have declared participation."
"They're the core; followers will join them too."
"Who follows the third prince?"
"The eighth prince."
"Dead."
"The ninth princess."
"In my tower."
"Finally, the sixth prince, Trista Jespain."
"Who the hell's that?"
Berge didn't know him well. By the time he'd kidnapped the crown princess, this guy was already gone from the world.
"You know imperial royals must learn swordsmanship or magic, barring total lack of talent?"
"Roughly. Kaede's the best swordswoman among them."
"Yes. The sixth prince chose magic."
"Talent?"
"Five engravings at age twenty-eight."
"Genius."
"Born from the third empress's faction, like the eighth prince. The third empress had ties to the third faction, so the princes grew close too."
"So aside from childhood bonds, no real connections. He doesn't seem incompetent."
"In a palace where lives hang by a thread, holding onto old ties in disadvantage is commendable."
"Different perspective."
The royal talk ended there. Berge asked about something else.
"How much support from the emperor?"
"Not specified yet, but the third prince expects one knight order, one mage corps, and two hundred troops."
"That's it?"
"The rest they'll have to gather themselves."
"Typical of that bastard emperor."
Berge let out a mocking chuckle.
In the end, royals with strong backers would pull ahead.
"Heroes?"
"No official empire-wide request to the Hero Guild. But they won't stop royals from recruiting on their own."
"Interesting. Very interesting."
It was boring as hell, actually.
The third prince wasn't at enough of a disadvantage from the start.
Berge wanted this to boost the third prince's standing for a more even succession fight. This wasn't ideal.
"First, summon Granada and the Red Hawk."
"Yes."
"And the guild's Argon—know any heroes?"
"No."
"This guy who smiles all day hasn't built a single connection?"
Useless bastard.
"I was just made Argon and shuttling between the dwarf kingdom and the snowfields. No time for that."
"Even in war, new life is born."
"Pardon?"
"No excuses for your incompetence."
"......"
"Troublesome."
Empire affair tied to succession—only heroes could join.
They needed useful heroes, but...
"I've got a good idea."
Hillon's eyes sparkled.
"What?"
"I don't have any, but Lord Fail does. Just a little effort, and heroes will come running on their knees."
"Effort?"
"Offer some mana, and..."
"Fill your gaps with my power? Wanna die?"
Berge conjured crimson flames.
"Good's good, right?"
Hillon stayed calm amid the heat. His shamelessness was infuriating. But not wrong. They needed max forces now to favor the third prince.
Berge extinguished the flames.
"I'll handle calling them. You smooth things over with the third prince."
Akan heroes might cause issues given the bad blood.
"Yes."
Hillon bowed.
Daphne had been formally invited into the imperial castle.
Passing splendid walls and gardens, he entered a grand annex palace.
"His Highness awaits."
"Thank you."
He opened the door.
"Come in, Duke Daphne."
"It's been a while, Your Highness."
"Thanks for rushing over."
"I'm a hero, but also a mercenary. How could I refuse your generous promises?"
"I like that mercenary side of yours. Give you gold, and you never betray."
Keh heh, Second Prince Floyan Jespain let out a somewhat frivolous laugh.
"I heard the details from your envoy. Any other heroes besides me?"
"Gathering as many as possible. Stars like Aina Diaphrin will join too."
"Her? Solid."
"This is our chance. The one who takes the black wizard's head earns Father's trust."
"I won't disappoint you, Your Highness. I'll lead you to his lair faster than anyone."
"That's it. That's why I called you—the best hunter."
The talk went on for a while.
"I'll take my leave then. I'll check the capital's Hero Guild and recruit some mercenaries and heroes."
"Good luck."
"Yes."
"I'll guide you."
"Appreciated."
Daphne left the second prince's annex and followed the knight. On the way back, something pinged his senses.
"Hm?"
A faint aura.
But pure and scorching hot.
Like a spirit.
"Who's over there?"
"That's the third prince's palace."
"The third prince..."
...Does he have a flame spirit sorcerer among his subordinates?
But it felt too familiar for just a fire spirit.
What is it?
Something tugged at his nerves. Familiar, like he'd sensed it before. Curiosity stirred, but he shook his head.
Empire capital, third prince's turf. Even a Star couldn't rampage freely without consequences.
Just a fire spirit sorcerer, probably.
He brushed it off.