Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Mad Prince Route
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In the end, Jess tried to bestow both a silver medal and a fief upon me, just like when we subjugated the Necromancer Army.
I accepted the silver medal as before but refused the fief. Instead, I brought up a topic that would score points with the ministers around us.
“I dare not accept a fief. Instead, I humbly request that you promote the Necromancer Countermeasure Team I lead into a knight order.”
“A knight order? So you’re saying you’ll personally become the knight order captain? When you’re not even a knight?”
“The captain can be anyone. However, I wish to continue stepping forward to resolve issues that the Empire struggles to handle easily, just like this time.”
“Then… you mean to lead an army.”
“No. A regular knight order that mobilizes troops is too large-scale to move lightly. A small number of personnel, like now, is sufficient. The total headcount won’t exceed thirty, no matter what.”
“Thirty? What do you plan to accomplish with just that? No. Never mind. Your intentions are commendable, so I’ll grant your request.”
Jess, who had been flustered, suddenly remembered something and promptly approved the request.
Of course, I could see it coming. Looking back over the nine previous regressions, he was probably already scheming to assassinate me with his own hands.
So, for now, he figured it didn’t matter what he granted me?
“Your Highness, a messenger from the palace just delivered the silver medal and left.”
Lania entered the room holding an elixir vial. I had returned to the mansion after a long time and was sprawled out, but the moment she appeared, the elixir’s horrific smell made me sigh repeatedly.
“Ugh, come on. Isn’t there any way to improve that stench?”
“Unfortunately, the smell isn’t something we can refine. For now, we’re focusing on enhancing the elixir’s effects.”
“For something like that, I don’t feel like I’ve grown much taller…”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Lania suddenly dropped to her knees and bowed her head.
“It’s all because of my shortcomings. But the effects will surely manifest, so please trust me and continue taking it.”
“Why are you getting so serious? Get up already.”
“Your Highness…”
“There’s no better elixir master than you in the world. So don’t mind my complaints.”
With that, I snatched the vial from her hand and downed it without hesitation.
Ugh, bitter!
What is this!
I was trying to look cool, but my face scrunched up. Why did they upgrade it to taste even worse?
“Honestly… it tastes like sewer water mixed with rotten tree roots.”
“Your palate is sensitive. We actually added fermented—no, properly aged—Clethol tree roots to the ingredients.”
“So the rest of the ingredients really came from a sewer?”
“Of course not. Hehe… Ah, my apologies.”
Lania smiled for a moment before quickly composing herself.
“That was improper. I’ll bring all the ingredients used in the elixir right away to show you.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, you’re sending the meat properly, right?”
Meat. The ogres’ staple food.
Three days ago, right after returning home, I cleared out the large warehouse behind the mansion and set up connection stones inside.
Then I instructed that various meats bought from the city’s shopping district be sent to the ogres through them. Lania nodded immediately and reported.
“We’ve already loaded 500 silver coins’ worth of meat into the connection stones. We’ve also purchased large quantities of the grain flour you mentioned additionally and stored it in the warehouse. They must be mixing it into dough and baking ogre bread?”
“Not bread—porridge.”
“Huh?”
Oh, slip-up. That’s prepared for something else, no need to mention it here.
“Whether bread or porridge, it’s not for the ogres. Just send them meat.”
“Understood. By the way, I heard that starting this dawn, a massive shipment of rockfish arrived at the shopping district for very cheap prices. Should we buy that and put it in the connection stones too?”
“The ogres asked to skip the fish. Send land meat as much as possible. Anyway, with Yoton Bay open, the rockfish fishing must have resumed.”
The surviving sea serpent packs had retreated a bit away from Yoton Bay’s entrance to watch the situation.
The fishermen who started fishing again were still anxious, but from my perspective, it was a relief. If they fled too far, hunting them would be tough.
I had already sent three sealing priests and twenty regular priests for a second subjugation. Without me, it wouldn’t match the first subjugation’s results, but it should still be enough to brag to the ogres.
Anyway, thanks to all these ongoing expenses, my finances were in shambles.
Support funds to the Elstone Earldom, revival costs for the Gusf Merchant Guild, sea serpent transport fees, and meat costs for the ogres— the initial 3,000 gold coins from the reward evaporated in no time.
The new silver medal arriving in the midst of this was a breath of fresh air.
The amount was far less than before: 500 gold coins. Since it was for personal actions rather than an imperial order, this was the legal limit under imperial law.
But it didn’t matter. Soon the ogres would send a massive haul of silver ingots.
Of course, disposing of silver ingots—not even silver coins—directly would be tricky. So I asked the Gusf Merchant Guild to handle it. I requested they relocate their head office to the capital, Emperor’s Road, and start operating in earnest.
“The Gusf Merchant Guild should set up in the shopping district tomorrow or so. Buy meat and elixir ingredients through them as much as possible. We’ll pay with the silver ingots once they arrive.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure to organize the warehouse properly. To stack the silver ingots, that is.”
“Yeah. Check it since something other than silver ingots might come too. And keep the maids who handle it completely silent.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And we’ll build an additional villa near the mansion to serve as the knight order headquarters. We need to clear a large swath of the forest, including an open training ground… Any places to avoid?”
The vast forest owned by the Lunenbreth family sprawls densely around the mansion.
Most of it is worthless scrub trees for timber. But since the real value lies in the elixir ingredient plants beneath them, we can’t clear it indiscriminately.
“You can cut down any trees near the mansion. We don’t gather elixir ingredients from around the mansion anyway.”
“Got it. I’ll have the Gusf Merchant Guild handle that too. What day is it today?”
“September 6th.”
“September 6th. I’ll have lunch downstairs later, so you can go now.”
“Then rest well, Your Highness.”
Lania bowed deeply and left. The reason I asked for the date, even though I knew it, was because tomorrow was D-Day to start the new tech tree: the “Mad Prince Route.”
“Mad Prince… This is the first time starting it this quickly.”
As the name implies, it’s the route where I pull off something insane.
How crazy is it? If you don’t build up some reputation like now beforehand, even as a prince, you’d end up thrown straight into prison.
But despite that, it’s worth carrying out.
Why?
Because it’s the only chance to make one of the Empire’s strongest knights mine—something impossible by any other means.
* * *
“…As such, praises for Prince Claude are growing daily on every street. The imperial family’s great worry has turned into something that elevates the imperial name—this must be a great boon to the Empire.”
The investigator left the office beaming, oblivious to Jess’s true feelings.
“Damn it all!”
The moment the office door closed, Jess tore at his hair with both hands.
“This can’t go on. I need to end it before Claude’s reputation rises further.”
“It seems social elimination is already difficult.”
The knight in black armor beside him, Phiren, interjected in a quiet voice.
“During the Necromancer Army subjugation, the atmosphere was still skeptical, but this incident has skyrocketed Prince Claude’s evaluation among the ministers.”
“At the regular meeting, they all eagerly defended him. Years of building my tower, and it’s crumbling.”
“What will you do now?”
“What else? I have no choice but to step in personally.”
Jess whipped his head around, glaring at Phiren’s eyes hidden by his helmet.
“No more delays. Just kill him.”
“Assassination? Just give the order, and I’ll raid the Lunenbreth mansion tonight.”
Phiren replied lightly, as if it were nothing. Jess seemed tempted by the suggestion, pondering with intrigued eyes before shaking his head.
“No, for this, I’ll borrow an Arch Wizard’s power. It’s about time to respond to the summons.”
Two of the four Arch Wizards in the Empire share the same ‘patron’ behind them as Jess. Phiren thought for a moment before asking.
“Don’t you still not know which of them attacked Prince Albert?”
“Doesn’t matter. Whoever it is, if they can kill Albert, they can kill Claude too.”
“But Prince Claude wields holy magic. Miracles from the gods, that is.”
“Miracles my ass!”
Jess slammed his fist on the table in a fit.
“Turn Undead bullshit only works on Necromancer Armies! Hoo… Anyway, killing with a blade leaves traces. To avoid any backlash, we need magic to erase all evidence.”
“Rumor has it the grand temple assigned four bodyguards to Prince Claude.”
“So?”
“Holy magic has ‘Protection Magic,’ an anti-major spell defense magic. Four skilled priests might block an Arch Wizard’s spells.”
Phiren’s point was valid. But Jess smirked faintly and shook his head.
“No. I heard those priests stayed at Yoton Bay. To hunt the remaining sea serpents. So now’s actually the perfect chance.”
“Tch, Prince Claude still doesn’t realize his situation. How foolish…”
Phiren clicked his tongue mockingly. Jess nodded in agreement.
“That idiocy won’t vanish overnight. If needed, send not one but two. With overwhelming firepower, burn down the Lunenbreth mansion and the surrounding forest to ash…”
“Regent Highness! Sir Davi of the White Knight Order requests an audience!”
Just then, a guard shouted from outside the office. Jess grumbled, his mood soured.
“Davi? Why’s that guy suddenly…? Let him in!”
“His Highness grants entry!”
The thick office door opened soon after, and a slender young knight entered, saluting crisply.
“Sir Davi of the White Knight Order pays respects to the Regent Highness.”
“Long time no see, Knight Master. I got the report you’d visit this morning… Why is someone from the White Knight Order in the palace right now?”
The White Knight Order was one of the Empire’s main knight orders, currently dispatched to the north, facing off against the异種族連合.
Davi closed his eyes tightly before opening them, speaking calmly.
“I took leave to urgently request something.”
“What request?”
“Do you remember the petition I personally submitted to you, Highness, two years ago—just before the White Knight Order was dispatched north?”
“…Verit, was it?”
“Yes, Highness.”
Verit was a region located northeast of Emperor’s Road, the imperial capital.
About a hundred years ago, it became a sort of exile camp where the remnants of the Lois Kingdom—the last kingdom the Empire destroyed—and various refugees were gathered.
Imperial law prohibits discrimination based on birthplace. But Verit was a special exception where discrimination was permitted.
“Verit has been governed by rotating temporary lords for the past century. But exploiting the residents’ lowly origins, the lords’ exploitation and tyranny reached extremes.”
“Yes. You petitioned to improve that.”
Jess belatedly recalled Davi’s petition and furrowed his brow.
But Verit’s very purpose was the exploitation of its residents.
They were descendants of those who resisted the Empire to the end. Through thorough surveillance and exploitation, the Empire sought to drain their strength and uproot any seeds of rebellion.
Thanks to that, no incidents occurred in Verit over the past century.
But in the process, the resident population halved, and most farmland rapidly turned to wasteland.
Yet the Verit residents couldn’t leave the land.
Normal imperial citizens had the right to travel anywhere in the Empire.
But Verit residents were excluded, and lords mobilized troops without hesitation to stop fleeing refugees from leaving the fief.