The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

Chapter 50 Cradle of the Sword Demon (2)

Leaving the large clearing that used to be the forest of dolls, we stopped by a nearby city, sold the horses, and used the money to buy ingredients.

Although my ‘ingredient warehouse’ and Silvia’s ‘mansion’ had quite an ample supply of food, the more survival supplies and provisions, the better, as we might wander the Bastille Mountains for days.

The Blantzbarg territory that protects the Kingdom from the Bastille Mountains receives support from the Kingdom, but that’s only for supplies to fight monsters.

Especially during this period, the Blantzbarg territory would also lack food, so they wouldn’t readily provide it just because I needed it, so we had to prepare in advance.

Leaving the city, I took out a carriage from the storage that the Boutique had provided for loading goods.

“This should be enough for the four of us to ride.”

The carriage was too big to be for two people and a bit small for four, but if Gilbert sat in the driver’s seat, we could ride comfortably.

“I’m driving?”

At Gilbert’s question, I answered with a playful laugh.

“Then should I drive?”

At my joke, Gilbert shook his head in surprise.

“No! How co-, ahem! How could I push hard work onto you, young master! …It’s just that I’ve never driven a carriage before.”

At Gilbert’s concern, Sillua raised her hand and said,

“Don’t worry! Foal No. 3 and No. 4 will handle the driving themselves! Gilbert oppa just needs to pretend!”

At Sillua’s words, I got on the carriage with a laugh.

“As she says. Precia and Sillua would stand out too much if they sat in the driver’s seat, so please bear with it.”

“Not at all. How can it be hardship when it’s something I should do?”

“I’m grateful if you think that way. Navi, block the wind coming towards Gilbert.”

Although it was full-fledged spring, the weather was still chilly.

As we head north, it would naturally become winter-like weather again.

The carriage pulled by the Foal series set off towards the Bastille Mountains, called the land of frigid cold, the hell of the present world, and the end of the world.

******

The King sat on the throne and blankly stared at the sky outside the window for a moment.

The sky covered with thick clouds looked gloomy, as if it would rain at any moment.

“A mess.”

The King muttered softly.

Even though it was a small voice, it was the King’s words, yet among those present, no one was paying attention.

“No! How can you say those words now? Count Grain!”

“Then did I say something untrue! Count Jambal!”

The cabinet meeting room, where the King and major vassals usually handled government affairs, was filled with the loud voices of high-ranking nobles.

The pro-royal faction’s Count Grain and the pro-nobility faction’s Count Jambal glared sharply at each other, confronting as if they would get into a fistfight.

“The public also saw the bruises on Prince Yuan’s body! How can you defend the queen with such clear evidence!”

“It’s just bruises! How would you know if it’s from him playing alone!”

“How do you play to get such bruises!”

The central political world of the Kingdom was in utter chaos over the queen’s downfall due to the 1st prince abuse case.

Even though the King, the head of the royal faction, and the marquis, the leader of the nobility faction and the queen’s elder brother, were staying quiet.

“His Majesty witnessed the queen assaulting Prince Yuan in the queen’s palace! Actual related testimonies are pouring out too!”

“Th-that’s just circumstantial evidence at best! His Majesty didn’t witness the actual assault, just a scene that looked like it!”

“How can there be such nonsense!”

“Besides, if he was abused, would Prince Yuan have obediently responded to the queen’s summons on his own feet? What fool in the world would go knowing they would be abused!”

Count Jambal tried to gloss over the case with obvious words.

The nobles gathered here thought the fact that the adult Yuan couldn’t take care of himself and went to be abused on his own could be sufficient evidence that the queen didn’t abuse him.

No one thought that long-term, coercive abuse could lead to mental restraint.

That was the same for Count Grain, who was attacking the queen.

“Then what do you think about Prince Yuan, who is currently missing? After being ambushed by assassins carrying an order with the queen’s seal at that!”

Yuan knew that fact, so he manipulated the scene of the incident and deliberately went missing to drive a wedge in the queen’s downfall.

At Count Grain’s outcry, Count Jambal’s momentum dwindled.

“Th-that’s! Fabrication! It’s fabricated!”

Even Count Jambal found it hard to refute the order with the queen’s seal.

“If it’s fabricated, do you have evidence? If you do, present it right now!”

It was true that it was fabricated, but the seal stamped on it was not forged, but truly the queen’s.

No matter how much it was verified with magic, that fact remained unchanged.

No matter how strong the nobility faction’s clique was to the point of threatening the royal family, they were greatly pushed back in both justification and evidence in this case.

But that didn’t mean they could just stand by and let it happen.

The King thought the sight was boring.

Such wasteful and repetitive arguments had been going on for nearly a month.

The reason this political strife dragged on was because the position of the queen was that important.

The queen’s deposition wasn’t something the King could do just because he didn’t like her.

It was a politically important agenda that required the majority of the Kingdom’s high-ranking nobles to gather and decide whether the deposition was right or wrong.

Therefore, it was inevitable that it would take a long time for high-ranking nobles from territories far from the capital to gather.

-But this is a win.

Horazon, guarding the King’s side, smiled slightly and spoke using magic power so only the King could hear.

Hearing those words, the King also nodded slightly.

The time dragging on was boring, but that time was beneficial to the royal faction.

As long as the justification and evidence were clear, they could bring in neutral nobles who didn’t belong to the royal or noble factions.

The neutral nobles didn’t want the royal power to grow stronger, but they also didn’t want the faction trying to act as the lord instead of the King to become stronger.

Therefore, the King thought this political strife would end in his victory.

…Until just now.

“Your Majesty!”

The King’s left arm, Sangseon, hurriedly entered the cabinet meeting room and ran to the King’s side.

As Sangseon, who valued royal etiquette, ran recklessly, many nobles’ eyes were drawn to the King and Sangseon.

“What is it?”

At the King’s question, Sangseon bowed his head and reported.

“Well… the empire has sent an envoy, and the imperial envoy wishes to come here.”

“The empire?”

At the mention of the empire, the King’s political sense rang an alarm.

Momentarily looking at the marquis, the queen’s elder brother, he confirmed the marquis’ lips slightly curling up.

The King rose from the throne before the nobles could say anything.

“Let’s stop the discussion here for today and have the public withdraw and rest.”

At the King’s declaration of closing the court, Count Jambal bowed his head and objected.

“Your Majesty, however, the imperial envoy wishes to come here, so shouldn’t we all pay our respects now…”

“Count Jambal. Do you know what kind of place this is to say such a thing? This is a place to discuss state affairs! How can you bring a foreign guest to a place discussing important national matters! What is your intention?”

As the King said, requesting to bring the imperial envoy into the cabinet meeting room while discussing important matters could be perceived as demanding interference in internal affairs.

“Ah, no! Your Majesty! What intention would I have? Please forgive me for hastily speaking out of consideration for diplomacy.”

Count Jambal bowed his head, turning pale, and the nobles flinched at the King’s fury.

No matter how much the nobility faction threatened royal power, it wasn’t to the extent of surpassing its authority.

In the first place, if it was to the extent of surpassing royal power, there wouldn’t have been a discussion about whether to depose the queen or not, even if she abused or killed the 1st prince.

“Then let’s conclude this matter right now! Since Count Jambal says we can’t delay meeting the diplomatic envoy due to this drawn-out matter, we can put it to a vote now. It’s not even a long matter! Do you have any objections now, Count?”

At the King’s question, Count Jambal trembled and bowed his head.

“N-no! That’s not what I meant…”

If it was put to a vote like this, the queen would be deposed.

If that happened, Count Jambal, who had blurted out recklessly, would be a dead man to the marquis behind him.

Then the marquis, who had been maintaining silence, rose from his seat and bowed his head.

“Your Majesty, our country is not so powerless as to bow and tremble before the empire, but there is no need to make diplomacy difficult by offending the ruthless empire’s temper. Wouldn’t it be right to close the court as Your Majesty said?”

At the marquis’ words, the King was convinced.

The imperial envoy that arrived now came to empower the marquis.

Was it the marquis’ doing, or the doing of a hidden force that joined hands with the queen?

If it was the former, it was rather not bad since the marquis would also suffer a loss by handing over his own to the empire and summoning them.

Also, even if it was the marquis’ private property, it was ultimately the Kingdom’s property. If he handed it over to the empire, it would be good since it would be justification to attack the marquis.

But if it was the latter, it wasn’t good. No, it was the worst.

That meant an unidentified force had infiltrated even the empire’s political world, so they would have to worry about not only internal troubles but also external ones.

As the marquis spoke up, the nobles of the nobility faction also rose from their seats and bowed their heads in unison.

“Please close the court according to Your Majesty’s will!”

“Please close the court according to Your Majesty’s will!”

The King realized he had to put it to a vote right away at their reaction, but it was already too late.

Even if he forced a vote like this, the nobles, led by the marquis, would clearly try to buy time somehow.

But he couldn’t leave the imperial envoy waiting for long either.

The King spoke in a resolute voice.

“Count Jambal acted rashly in trying to bring another country into a place discussing important state affairs, so he shall be confined to a residence I designate until I grant permission.”

At the King’s command, the marquis, not Count Jambal, bowed his head.

“I can only be grateful for Your Majesty’s lenient judgment.”

Count Jambal, who received the confinement order, looked around in surprise, but when the marquis stepped up, other nobles also bowed their heads and accepted the verdict.

The King and the marquis exchanged sharp glances, gauging each other’s intentions.

“With this, today’s meeting is adjourned. The public may withdraw and rest comfortably, I must meet the imperial envoy.”

As the King left the cabinet meeting room with Sangseon and Horazon, the imperial envoy was waiting in front of the meeting room.

“The imperial envoy of the Great Agoslav Empire, Marchioness Meryl de Monival Assazhad, pays respects to the wise King of the Duplion Kingdom. Have you been in good health? Your Majesty.”

Envoy Marchioness Assazhad, although not one of the Ten Swords Under Heaven, was a heroine ranked within the top ten in martial arts in the empire and the most favored vassal of the empire’s emperor.

The fact that she, the emperor’s closest aide, personally came meant that for whatever reason, the empire was paying great attention to this matter.

The King smiled, holding back his distorted expression.

“I’d like to welcome you for your visit. I apologize for not being able to prepare hospitality due to your sudden appearance.”

“Not at all. It seems we arrived earlier than the messenger informing you of our visit. I apologize for the rudeness, although unintended.”

It was clearly intentional. The King wasn’t incompetent enough not to know that.

“Hahaha, that can happen. You must be tired from the long journey, so let’s drop off your luggage at the envoy’s accommodations.”

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s consideration.”

Imperial Marchioness Assazhad politely led the envoy towards the residence prepared in the outer palace, as if she had finished her job, looking at the nobles visible behind the King.

With her appearance, the central political world was swept into a storm of political strife with an unpredictable future.

It was a massive storm that made it impossible to pay attention to anything other than the political strife.

Translators Note: it’s getting messy