The Prince Wants to Retire

---

Chapter 4: The Crown Prince’s Ambition

“I want to retire!”

Ka-ri-el shouted, his eyes ablaze with determination as he faced the Inspection Department members. He had just got smacked down by them, but he wasn’t going to take it lying down.

“Hey, do you think I’m a pushover?”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

“Is the Deputy Minister of Finance my superior? Or is the Chancellor above the Crown Prince?”

With that, Ka-ri-el grabbed one bureaucrat and started grilling him, while everyone else nervously avoided eye contact, trying to dodge the impending fallout.

After utterly wrecking the mental state of the poor bureaucrat in his grasp, Ka-ri-el scanned the room with eagle-like precision for anyone next to roast.

“I’ll give you ten minutes. Bring all the materials the Inspection Department requested.”

Just like that! After giving them the same time frame as before, Ka-ri-el stormed out of the Ministry of Finance.

Soon after, carts arrived, and an avalanche of documents was transferred to the Inspection Department.

Upon returning with an absurd volume of documents, Ka-ri-el was greeted by Podolski, the chief of the Inspection Department.

“Your Majesty! Chief Inspector Podolski is here to see you.”

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Ka-ri-el.”

Maintaining a semblance of decorum towards the high-ranking bureaucrat, Ka-ri-el tilted his head and asked, “So, what brings you here?”

“I hurried here as soon as I heard you came to the Inspection Department.”

“Hmm, is that so? Come inside.”

Ka-ri-el said as he led Podolski into the inner sanctum.

Arriving at the conference room assigned to the special team, Ka-ri-el opened the door and stepped in.

“I’ve brought the materials as promised. Let’s dig into it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The inspection team replied in unison, bustling to get to work.

“It’s hard to talk here…”

“Shall we discuss it in my room?”

With a keen sense, the head of the Inspection Department chimed in, and Ka-ri-el thanked him as they headed to the top floor of the building.

A little later, a warm tea set was brought in for Ka-ri-el and Chief Inspector Podolski. As the secretary exited, the serious conversation began.

“What’s the reason you sought me out?”

At Ka-ri-el’s question, Podolski swallowed hard.

Even returned Ka-ri-el wouldn’t be outmatched in political clout, but Podolski was no slouch either. Testing the waters against someone like him was a gamble.

Given that Ka-ri-el was still young and the extent of his capabilities were unknown to Podolski, any info shared could potentially be a disadvantage.

Thus, Ka-ri-el adopted a rather haughty expression and directly asked, “What do you have in mind?”

In response to Podolski’s inquiry, Ka-ri-el rested his chin on his hand, frowning slightly.

“What do you mean?”

Feigning ignorance at his question, Podolski sighed before asking more bluntly.

“To what extent are you planning to take this?”

“To what extent, you say…”

Ka-ri-el shot a cold glare at Podolski. But Podolski, not one to be intimidated, met Ka-ri-el’s gaze head-on.

“As you know, Your Majesty values balance.”

“Balance, huh… So you think my actions will disrupt this balance?”

In response to Ka-ri-el’s inquiry, Podolski chose silence instead of an answer.

“Quite the neutral stance you’ve got there.”

Ka-ri-el scoffed, watching Podolski’s expression twist slightly in irritation.

“Do you believe the Empire holds balance right now?”

“It’s uneasy, but I believe it’s stable to a degree.”

With the tremendous power of the Aristocratic Faction and the Emperor Faction backing them, the Neutral Faction was what upheld the Empire in between.

Thanks to this balance, the Empire continued to stand strong.

Though the power of the Empire might be gradually waning, the main reason it wasn’t crumbling right now was this very balance.

Podolski vowed to uphold this balance as long as he had strength.

‘The moment the balance collapses, the Empire is done for.’

That was Podolski’s grim view of the Empire.

Ka-ri-el silently rested his chin in thought, watching Podolski.

‘A man led astray by misguided beliefs.’

That’s how Ka-ri-el perceived Podolski—someone who lived to maintain a distorted balance wrought by the Emperor to provide himself an excuse for his own weaknesses.

He had no choice but to adhere to this balance, knowing if it broke, the Empire would fall.

But just like a man who had been steeped in filth for too long would inevitably emanate a foul odor, so too did Podolski’s initial ideals become corrupted over time.

If it could only find a way back to its original state…

Ka-ri-el pondered as he tapped his fingers against the sofa, slipping into thought.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have wanted to reveal his capabilities, but facing Podolski made him change his tune.

If he could restore some sanity to this man with warped beliefs, at the very least, wouldn’t he be worth something?

Having maintained minimal morality even in his past life, Ka-ri-el felt drawn to Podolski.

‘I want to try and fix him.’

At that moment, a light sparked in Ka-ri-el’s eyes.

“What a twisted notion of balance this is…”

Ka-ri-el shot a frosty glare at Podolski.

Podolski’s expression tightened in response.

“Do you really see this as balance?”

Ka-ri-el’s blunt words came across as disdainful as if he was looking down on Podolski.

“Establishing equilibrium within the country? What if that weakens national power?”

“That is…”

“Can we truly maintain balance with foreign nations?”

As Ka-ri-el continued to dissect Podolski, he challenged him outright.

“Answer me—can you truly call this garbage balance?”

“……The Empire is the strongest in the continent.”

“And compared to the East Continent?”

Ka-ri-el sneered at Podolski’s declaration.

While it was true the Empire was the strongest in the West Continent, it wasn’t an absolute truth.

The Grand Duke Family from the Ignit Empire and the Roman Empire from the East Continent had existed in a long-standing duel.

Though both sides started decaying over time, the recent emergence of a powerful Emperor meant the Roman Empire was beginning to revive.

As for the Ignit Empire?

It was mired in a three-term reign of feeble Monarchs and was continuously on a downward spiral.

Now, even nations that once dared not look upon the Empire were starting to rise.

“Are you so caught up in factional battles that you fail to notice how fast foreign nations are growing? Or are you just turning a blind eye to it?”

Podolski felt a pang of heartache from Ka-ri-el’s words.

The long-standing factional strife had primarily benefited neighboring nations.

While knowing it was detrimental to the Empire, they utilized bribery to conduct unfair agreements and sold the Empire’s interests down the river.

Initially, it was the Emperor Faction seeking to boost their dwindling influence, but now all the nobles were involved.

“I’ll ask you once more. Is this what you call balance?”

Podolski could offer no response to Ka-ri-el’s question.

He understood the truth of it too well.

The fact that the untainted could never ascend pointed to his own failures—ignoring bribes, turning a blind eye to crime, and justifying it under the guise of maintaining balance while the Empire suffered.

Faced with Ka-ri-el’s inquiry, Podolski was left speechless.

Watching Podolski waver, Ka-ri-el couldn’t help but smile a bit.

“The Neutral Faction is the last remaining pillar of support for this Empire, isn’t it?”

Ka-ri-el glanced at Podolski.

Once, the Grand Duke Family held influence but had been abandoned by the royal family and thus left the Empire.

Now all that remained was the Neutral Faction.

“Do you hold the same view?”

Podolski, trembling, gazed at the Crown Prince.

“……Yes. Though I’ve been tarnished with muck and may smell bad, I haven’t forgotten the ideals of the Neutral Faction.”

As Podolski spoke, Ka-ri-el chuckled softly.

Seeing him saying that with pride filled Ka-ri-el’s voice with irony.

“Interesting. You might think your ideals remain pure, but they’re already tainted—what I see is that you’ve already hit your expiration date.”

At Ka-ri-el’s words, Podolski’s eyes began to twitch.

“Even if the Empire is currently engulfed by darkness, who’s to say the sun can’t rise again like the Roman Empire? From my perspective, those who only cry ‘balance’ will find no place in a resurgent Empire.”

“……You are dreaming of the sun rising…”

“Well, if dreams and future are one and the same, what do you call a prophetic dream?”

With a wide smile, Ka-ri-el spoke, bringing a serious demeanor to Podolski’s expression.

His instincts told him this young Crown Prince was not simply daydreaming.

“Do you have plans to turn dreams into reality?”

“I don’t plan on spilling secrets to the filth.”

Podolski gritted his teeth at Ka-ri-el’s words.

He had sullied himself with bribes to maintain balance and never regretted it until now.

Yet at this moment, he felt the weight of that regret bearing down on him.

“Even filth can serve a purpose.”

“Sure? Let’s hope you won’t dirty anyone else in the process.”

“You may even become compost in a bigger cesspool.”

Ka-ri-el paused, giving Podolski a penetrating look.

He read something in Podolski’s gaze—the remnants of his core beliefs.

Though distorted now, they hadn’t been wholly corrupted yet.

Room for improvement was still there.

With this final confirmation, Ka-ri-el finally spoke.

“Filth can be washed away. Do you have the courage to rinse it off?”

The Crown Prince’s serious inquiry.

Intuitively realizing this moment could shift the course of his life, Podolski gathered himself.

From the depths of decay where no flower had bloomed, a bud began to rise.

As he pierced through the tainted soil, and finally, a sprout began to bloom.

“Yes, I’m ready to risk everything to wash the filth away.”

Watching Podolski’s eyes transform, Ka-ri-el couldn’t help but grin.

“I’ll say this just once, so listen closely.”

“Yes.”

Podolski straightened up at Ka-ri-el’s words.

“I’m announcing my abdication of the Crown Prince title to His Majesty.”

With that declaration, Podolski’s eyes widened and trembled.

“I want to pass the title of Crown Prince to my talented brothers. So! Here’s the dilemma. What do you think will happen if I say I’m handing over the Crown Prince title?”

“W-well…”

Podolski glanced at Ka-ri-el, panic growing in his expression.

Just picturing it would send the Empire into chaos.

Ka-ri-el then presented his next question to the bewildered Podolski.

“Now! Next question. In that situation, would the Emperor Faction’s survival be necessary?”

Podolski’s eyes widened in complete shock at Ka-ri-el’s inquiry.

“The Aristocratic Faction is strong. The Emperor is possibly trying to maintain the current balance for that very reason.”

Ka-ri-el pretended to nod in understanding.

“But the Emperor Faction has completely overstepped the line. In that situation, could they really be more useful than the Aristocratic Faction?”

“Are you planning to smash the Emperor Faction?”

At Podolski’s words, Ka-ri-el beamed.

With two Duke families at the forefront of the Aristocratic Faction, what if they split into two factions to push their respective princes?

Then the spots left by the decimated Emperor Faction would be swallowed up by the two factions, reshaping the three factions once more.

In essence, the balance the Emperor desired would be redefined into a new form.

“Before I leave, don’t you think it would at least save the Crown Prince’s face if I smashed the Emperor Faction? Regardless of who among my brothers becomes Emperor, an Empire without the Emperor Faction might just be better.”

Just getting rid of the corrupt Emperor Faction would significantly improve the state of the Empire.

“There will be chaos.”

“Still better than now. And I never said I’m only after the Emperor Faction.”

Podolski wore a puzzled expression at Ka-ri-el’s words.

Then Ka-ri-el shared his next plan.

Upon hearing it, Podolski’s expression turned enigmatic.

“……Is that even possible?”

“Well, if it doesn’t work out, what of it? Isn’t it better to try something than slowly sink into oblivion?”

As Podolski mulled over this statement, he suddenly stood up and kneeled before Ka-ri-el.

“From this moment on, I shall follow any command from Your Highness.”

“Even if that could cost you your life?”

“It doesn’t matter. I could willingly walk down a path that leads to destruction with a smile.”

Seeing Podolski’s words made Ka-ri-el smile brightly.

“Alright then. Let’s issue the first command.”

“Command me, Your Highness.”

“Let’s smash the Emperor Faction.”

At Ka-ri-el’s first command, Podolski bowed with a grin.

“Yes, Your Highness.”