Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: The Crown Prince's Resolve
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The emperor recorded in history books as the one who led the final revival of the empire's mid-era, Lida Eijin, makes his full debut in the annals during the year 1425 of the Tersia Calendar—that is, during the "Great Migration of the Beastkin."
The foresight he displayed as the empire's young crown prince at that time is praised as a great feat in historical texts, but to the people of that era, it was nothing short of madness.
Just like now, with Minister of War Yorhan pacing endlessly in front of the soldiers, grumbling away.
"I can't believe it... How could you trust and meet alone with a black-hearted bastard like that? You're still too green—even if you're inexperienced, this is way too much!"
"That same green crown prince apparently had all the palace scholars scrambling in the royal lectures starting from the year he turned fourteen. Is that true?"
"Quiet down, Bow Star. Theory and practice are different things... Ah, how can it be this frustrating."
This guy's always such a geezer... Leoren shrugged his shoulders and glanced up at the sun parrot perched on his bow.
"Hmm, are you Rain Ludwig's pet bird?"
"Pet, pet, pet."
"Amazing. A pet sun parrot, no less. Does that guy resemble Sir Lin or something? Every time I meet him, Serwebon weeps sadly."
"Authentic, authentic, authentic."
"Authentic?"
Leoren had no way of knowing, but this was a reunion among hero party comrades after two hundred years.
Pipi flapped its wings repeatedly to express its joy, and Serwebon resonated loudly, scattering the light of the world tree in all directions.
In that mystical glow, the withered weeds around them regained vitality, rising up to bloom flowers.
"......"
Meanwhile, a cool wind blew through the center between the two camps, tousling Crown Prince Lida's beautiful golden hair.
Having heard all the tales from north of the barrier, from the ancient snowfields, Lida's eyes narrowed.
The young lord Shar'kas, and the true dragon that died to reseal it...
"And there were machinations from the shadows until the beastkin became enemies of humanity?"
"Yes, all of it was orchestrated by someone. As I mentioned, even the supreme commander had a 5-star ice spirit attached to him."
"Honestly, it's still hard to believe. But dismissing it as a simple lie feels ambiguous too. Do you have witnesses to prove your actions?"
"Kiran Wolf Blado, an executive at the barrier, will testify."
"That's impossible. He would've already been executed by now."
"Yes?"
The crown prince's words were so shocking that I stupidly asked him to repeat himself, unable to process it.
Executed?
Kiran was executed?
The image of that kind-hearted man smiling warmly as we promised to meet again lingered fresh in my memory...
"It was about a month ago. A letter came from Duke Duren in the north, seeking permission from our Lida imperial family and the Blado Marquess house."
"You granted it... the execution?"
"Without Chancellor Madelia's mediation, you'd have met the same fate. Communication with rebels isn't allowed to begin with."
Kiran is dead... An unpleasant sweat beaded down my spine, and my head throbbed.
No, snap out of it.
Pull yourself together, Lin.
Here, the only way to make Kiran's death not in vain is to get the beastkin into imperial territory.
"I can't serve as a witness, but this Akirea here has the blood of a great true dragon flowing through her. She's a direct avatar of Alakish, the guardian of Harbadonia."
"What?"
"She was trained to tuck away her tail in humanoid form, so it's not out now... but feel her body temperature, and you'll know I'm not lying."
Lida cautiously reached out to touch Aki's head, then flinched back in surprise.
It was hot like fire...
A human with that body temperature would only have it when dying of a fever.
"This cute little thing... is a true dragon, an eternal lifeform?"
"Yes. As Lord Alakish's lifespan neared its end, he created an avatar to carry on his mission—that's Aki."
"......!"
"He was a tragic figure. Lived his whole life in solitude, never even seeing his daughter's face before passing. Bringing this child to the Papal Court could serve as proof."
As I gave a bitter smile, Madelia, who had been silently watching, stepped in.
"Our house has the diary of Emit passed down as a heirloom. Normally, only successors are allowed to read it, but I'll excerpt the parts about the beastkin and submit them to the Imperial Assembly."
"......!"
"You'll achieve great feats. Something like 'unraveled the conspiracy surrounding the beastkin with keen insight.'"
"If it truly was a conspiracy."
When Lida responded with a tone that seemed to pull back a step, I hurriedly interjected.
"Entrust it to me. I'll uncover the truth and reveal it to the world. All the honor, of course, goes to Your Highness."
Lida stroked his chin thoughtfully for a long while, then finally fixed his green eyes straight on me.
"Before I conclude, one serious question. Why are you going this far to help the beastkin? Pity? Gratitude? Ambition for fame? Or is there something I don't know?"
I recalled asking a similar question to Griffion before. Why help them... Back then, emotions surged, and I ended up in tears.
"Just... I couldn't possibly leave them be."
Not anymore.
Don't rely on emotional tremors—express my heart honestly and calmly.
"The mastermind tried to use us humans to exterminate the beastkin. To give them the most miserable end... I couldn't just turn a blind eye to that."
"Is it a sense of justice? You could end up making the entire empire your enemy as a result. Didn't you think about the consequences?"
"If that happens, it'd be a headache, but I wouldn't regret it. Because I did what I believed was right. Even if time rewound, I'd do the same."
"!"
"It's presumptuous, but that's why I need Your Highness's help. Right now, there's only darkness ahead... but I'll definitely bring the truth to light. Definitely."
Crown Prince Lida stared at me blankly for a moment, then the corner of his mouth faintly curved up. At first, I thought it was a sneer.
"What I realized studying imperial studies is that an emperor must care for his subjects not with pragmatism or reason, but with emotion."
"Yes?"
"No proper reason is needed to help subjects. It's simply the right thing to do. Just like you did this time, Rain Ludwig."
It was an incomprehensible conversation.
Why say something like that? Then Lida smiled for the first time—a relaxed smile revealing his even front teeth.
"I'll trust you. That heart of gold you have. If what you say is true, those beastkin are my subjects too, after all."
What... I just stared at Lida dumbfoundedly, and the tension that had reached its peak shattered in an instant, drawing a foolish chuckle from me.
It was an incredibly rude act unbecoming before the imperial crown prince, but he didn't show any displeasure.
He just waved his hand lightly, as if to say not to worry.
"But there's one condition."
"Please speak."
"I will definitely become emperor. If your words are true, resolving this beastkin incident will greatly bolster my claim to the throne. If false, everything I've built so far will come crashing down."
"That won't happen!"
"Yes, then the issue is after I become emperor. To govern the state, I need reliable people around me."
Lida paused there. Was I supposed to guess what he meant? No matter how I thought, nothing came to mind.
"If you're asking me to recommend personnel, I'm still a student and don't know the connections well..."
"Are you dodging even though you know? I'm talking about you, Rain Ludwig."
"Yes...?"
"I don't know when, but could you become one of my emperor's four stars—the Magic Star—and help me?"
"......!"
"Mages love the term 'high risk, high return,' right? The risk I'm taking now is all to gain you."
I was speechless in an instant.
The emperor's four chief ministers receive treatment equivalent to marquises in the empire and wield near-absolute power.
Among them, the Magic Star, embodying "the emperor's wisdom," acts as prime minister, commanding legislation and judiciary at the emperor's behest, and even participating in the Imperial Assembly where the electoral princes gather.
"Your Highness, that's far too grand a position for me."
I was so flustered that I dropped to one knee.
As an orphan, I'd never even dreamed of such a seat... and it felt like something I couldn't handle.
Then, mischief sparkled in Lida Eijin's clear eyes.
"Of course it's beyond you now. We're both still young. But what about ten or twenty years from now? A mage who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the current Magic Star at sixteen?"
"......!"
"I called it a condition, but it's half a joke. Just think about it from now on. If you don't want it, no choice."
What did Lida just say?
Offering goodwill with no strings, no gains? Willing to take a gamble? I couldn't grasp his true intent, but it was clear I'd received immense favor from the empire's number two.
Madelia, watching the scene, had a pleased smile on her lips.
'A pearl in a sack—you're not the kind of talent that can hide even if you want to... The world will find you one way or another.'
Of course, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. Madelia spoke.
"Your Highness, if I may, how do you plan to persuade His Imperial Majesty?"
"Of course. If Rain's words are true, the beastkin are all mighty warriors. They value honor highly, right?"
"Yes. Ordinary warriors have skills from low gold to high silver rank, and warrior chiefs reach the pinnacle of gold rank. As even Eldvihi, the 5th-ranked gold adventurer, said."
"If the imperial family bestows grace upon those powerful warriors? The Lida imperial house could instantly muster a thousand to two thousand elite troops in an emergency."
My stomach suddenly churned.
Seeing the beastkin treated as mercenaries didn't sit right, and reading my disappointed expression, Lida gave a wry smile.
"It's only under my father's reign. I promise. The day I inherit the house, the beastkin will be free of all restraints."
Madelia's eyes widened.
Impressive. This crown prince truly isn't just some sixteen-year-old kid like Rain Ludwig.
The various imperial houses might rebel. But for the imperial family—for the head of House Eijin—there's no more enticing proposal.
The five electoral prince houses governing regions were all expanding their militaries in competition.
Historically, Duke Duren's forces were the strongest, but if Eijin embraced the beastkin, that balance would shatter.
"Thank you, truly thank you, thank you, Your Highness!"
"It's too early for thanks. There are still quite a few practical constraints. I can't promise a rosy future alone."
Lida sighed, as if frustrated himself.
"For starters, how do we cross the strait? Where do we procure ships to transport two hundred thousand? And we can't just drag them onto imperial soil willy-nilly."
"......!"
"Even putting off persuading the Imperial Assembly, we must first convince my father and the westerners. Who knows what chaos would ensue if we just brought them in forcefully."
That's certainly true... Damn it, what now? It felt suffocating.
Our food supplies, courtesy of Kiran, were nearly depleted too (airlifting provisions for two hundred thousand across the sea would cost a fortune), and above all, I didn't want to leave the wounded and children in this abyss land any longer.
Especially since, per Eldvihi, it was crawling with lawless adventurers, thugs, and magical beasts.
Think, don't stop thinking.
What to propose here, how to resolve this—think harder, deeper, more, before it's too late, quickly...
「Kal (open).
Gurs (apart).
Oufari (water).
Diale (maelstrom).」
It was then that a pure, cool tone resounded, unlike anything in this world—something I'd never heard in either of my two lives, pure enough to make my heart tremble.
Everyone turned eastward, entranced... and soon gaped in awe.
There, the sea—the North Sea—was parting. Not in poetic metaphor or simile, but a divine miracle no earthly mage or priest could achieve.
"What...?"
"The sea is parting...?"
"What nonsense is this...?"
And like the dawn sun pushing back the night, transcendent light shone atop what was once one sea, now split in two.
That light was blindingly blue, breathtakingly beautiful, and only after a long moment did I realize it was a dragon.
Not a true dragon or flying dragon, but a divine dragon.
"Aki, look at that..."
The spectacle was so overwhelming that I forgot even to think in my excitement.
Pure white scales immaculate as virginity, snow-white wings— the legion of white dragons crossed the horizon with clear wingbeats, descending one by one onto this eternal marshland.
Before us four—our trio, no, quartet, slack-jawed—the source of the azure glow descended, scattering divine light.
Perhaps my soul instinctively moved by that holy form of god's mercy, light, and image; when I came to, a droplet of dew glistened in my left eye.
No, it wasn't mere emotion... A single certainty flashed vividly in my mind.
In the vortex of countless ties, this long, arduous yet joyful and sorrowful journey had finally reached its end.