The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

Side Story 7: Invasion of Other Dimensions? (3)

The impact of the unpredictable Gate starting to tremble was immense.

“Your Majesty! The Gates are showing abnormal reactions in succession!”

“Oh… this is bad! The Purple Gates are emitting power! If we leave it like this, it seems they will contaminate the surrounding area!”

The moment Talion and Duke Welch’s Gray Gate began to move, the Purple Gates reacted as well.

The issue was that this was just the beginning.

Gates began to generate simultaneously at the predicted locations.

At the same time, the previously sealed Gates started to allow beings from other dimensions to come through again.

“Is the war starting now?”

Kariel muttered to himself and sighed.

It would be good if we could steadily siphon resources from other dimensions like this.

But the gods wouldn’t just sit back and let that happen.

『A World Without Gods』

A book containing Kariel’s personally envisioned goal.

A world where fate isn’t dependent on the gods, but one where everything can be explored solely by one’s own will.

That was the world Kariel dreamed of.

He rejected Quetzalcoatl’s offer for exactly this reason.

‘Humanity can overcome this.’

Not just surviving but overcoming it.

Building the power to dominate even other dimensions.

Perhaps Baldur chose to disappear peacefully because he understood Kariel’s heart.

“From now on, we switch to emergency protocols. Inform the Empire Citizens of all the facts immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At Kariel’s orders, everyone bowed their heads in response.

After all, internal affairs were left to Rufiel and military power to Seriel, so his younger siblings would handle it themselves.

He only needed to worry about the unpredictable Gates as a member of the round table.

“The color gray….”

– Are you trembling?

At Surth’s question, Kariel grimaced.

If asked if he was trembling, he could only answer yes.

There was a possibility that a truly god-like being could appear, and he would have to face it alone.

Ideally, Glen and Marquis Sicario would have faced it together, but with the risk of the Purple Gates going berserk, he had to leave those two to handle the Purple Gates.

“Lord Glen and Marquis Sicario, please handle the Purple Gates.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“No, it can’t be!”

Both Glen and Marquis Sicario immediately voiced their opposition.

And Seriel felt the same way.

“No! Older Brother cannot block the Gate alone! Absolutely not!”

With Seriel’s strong dissent, Marquis Sicario added his words.

“It’s too dangerous to block the Gray Gate alone. The Ignit army will handle the Purple Gates, so you should focus on the Gray Gates…”

“What if a colossal being from the New Continent appears…? Do you think the Ignit army can stop it?”

At Kariel’s question, Marquis Sicario fell silent.

Glen was the same.

If the three combined forces was a possibility, alone there was no guarantee he could even hold on against such a monster.

If a monster comes out of the Purple Gates, the Ignit army would never be able to stop it.

Above all, there was no guarantee that only one such being would appear from the Purple Gates. If many existences appeared together, they would have to unite the Grand Master and the army to stop them.

“However, Your Majesty.”

“I didn’t become a member of the round table just to traverse only safe battlefields.”

Cutting off Glen’s worried words, Kariel replied.

At some point, four summoned beings appeared in small forms beside him.

At the same time, the small summoned beings radiated strange power.

Although their power waves were weak, Glen and Marquis Sicario’s expressions hardened instantly.

Seeing their suddenly stiffened expressions, Seriel tilted her head in confusion.

Even Seriel, a candidate for the next Master, who was on the verge of reaching Master Level, couldn’t sense this power.

“…Your Majesty.”

“…”

As the two Grand Masters stood there with shocked expressions, Kariel smiled at them.

“I haven’t been idle all this time.”

“This is…?”

“This is the answer to the next phase that I’ve found.”

At Kariel’s words, Glen and Marquis Sicario swallowed hard, staring blankly at their Emperor.

“I still don’t believe this path is perfect. Perhaps it could be the wrong way. But…”

Kariel’s previously sluggish growth was beginning to show signs of movement again.

This was important.

Even if this was a wrong path, growth was necessary right now.

Contracting with the main remnants on the West Continent and mutated monsters, Kariel broke through the blocked path.

Kariel did not grow like the Demon King through his own strength.

Gained power from Baldur and grew gradually through contracts with summoned beings.

And recently, by making contracts with various existences, Kariel could mix a more diverse power into the anxiety that centered around him.

Strong and diverse powers melting into fire as the stagnated growth began to move once more.

‘Is this what they call faith?’

Through contracts, various existences’ powers flowed in along with their wishes.

Once he accepted a single wish, even the faintest wishes could flow in.

The wishes of humans who believed in Kariel and followed him.

Even though it was not an official contract and merely the other party’s one-sided wish and faint power, it was enough to become a formidable power as it began to accumulate.

Through this, Kariel’s power, now purer and stronger, naturally began to circulate among the Contract Holders.

Once an engine starts to turn, it doesn’t stop until the fuel is exhausted.

‘If only I had a little more time…’

But the gods were not the types to wait.

“If you’re really worried, quickly clear the Gate and come to help.”

At Kariel’s words, Glen and Marquis Sicario bit their lips.

The feeling of helplessness for not being able to prevent their Emperor from heading into the most dangerous battlefield.

But knowing this was the only choice, they silently bowed their heads.

Thus, the round table meeting ended, and an army was organized around Seriel to counter the unpredictable Gates.

“I’ll be back.”

Looking at his younger siblings and Empress, who wore worried expressions.

Kariel forced a smile, seeing those waiting in front of the Emperor’s Palace as if they knew all the facts.

Feeling an instinct that this time it was genuinely dangerous, everyone stopped what they were doing and followed Kariel.

As he left the Imperial Palace heading to the capital’s air force base, all the ministers followed behind him.

Seeing this, the Empire Citizens understood too…

『Movement detected in the unpredictable Gates!』

Having already informed the public via the State Newspaper about what was happening, the Empire Citizens were aware of where Kariel was headed.

Everyone watched with worried expressions as Kariel boarded the hovercraft bound for the airport.

From the Imperial Palace to the Air Force, the long line of Empire Citizens silently prayed for Kariel’s safe return while making a plea to protect him.

And the same went for Glen and Marquis Sicario who followed behind.

“Your Majesty, I think I should be the one to go to the Gray Gate…”

Glen looked at Kariel with a worried expression.

The Gray Gate was anticipated to be the most difficult one.

Logically, it made sense for Glen, known as humanity’s strongest, to take this route.

Everyone seemed to hope so, nodding in agreement, but Kariel firmly shook his head.

“Please… return safely…”

At Aila’s words, everyone bowed their heads as Kariel boarded the Emperor’s exclusive airship.

Empire Citizens, who were watching their supreme authority depart for the most dangerous battlefield, merely bowed their heads solemnly.

The First Special Task Force organized around Seriel and the Minister of Military began to move to block the Gray Gate.

Simultaneously, two other special forces led by Glen and Marquis Sicario also moved towards their respective goals.

“Alright! Let’s move.”

As soon as Kariel left, Rufiel took her ministers with her, indicating they could not afford to delay.

“From now on, the Minister of Military and I will focus on controlling the Gates across the West Continent.”

“Yes.”

Seriel also moved to control the Gates of the West Continent, taking all military personnel with her.

While gathering information from various regions, this was when it happened.

Talion, who commanded the Intelligence Department and had collected all the Empire’s information, stood there with a firm expression, completely zoned out.

“Director of Intelligence?”

“…Look at this.”

Seriel tilted her head as she read the report Talion handed to her.

A report marked with a map.

There, the suddenly appeared Gates were marked.

The intriguing part was that only the ‘West Continent’ displayed strange phenomena centered around the Giant Mountain Range.

“…Is this a mistake?”

“I suspected so, so I checked the Giant’s Fortress as well.”

At Talion’s response, Seriel’s expression hardened.

It seemed as if the Gates were shaking only around the West Continent, almost exclusively targeting Ignit.

The Gates opening around the West Continent seemed intent on preventing the Ignit forces from concentrating on the Gray Gate.

Such suspicions became clearer as they gathered information from foreign nations.

“…It feels as if all the Gates are focusing on the West Continent.”

At Seriel’s words, everyone there nodded in agreement.

Even the Gates that were originally created centered around high-level beings like Quetzalcoatl seemed to have fallen asleep, now all focusing on the West Continent.

“We must move the army now to assist His Majesty!”

Upon the Minister of Military’s words, the others readily sprang to their feet in affirmation.

“It’s already… too late.”

Seriel sighed as she spoke.

He too wanted to rush to assist his brother right now, but it was already too late.

Due to their speedy movement to block the Gray Gate, the Gray Shield had already reached their destination.

*

– It feels like I’m being called?

Mysterious waves emerging from the Gray Gate.

Having disembarked from the airship and standing before the realm of the Gray Gate, Kariel frowned.

As if waiting solely for him to arrive, the fierce waves emanating from the Gate made him quietly draw upon his strength.

“Your Majesty!”

At that very moment, as Kariel resisted the force, the Gray power began to push the others accompanying him back.

As if declaring that only Kariel alone was worthy.

In that moment, Duke Devir attempted to channel his power to press in somehow.

Worried for Kariel, Seriel had brought Duke Devir, rated the strongest after the Grand Master.

However, unable to cross the barrier, Duke Devir could not penetrate the Gray power.

“It seems they only want me here.”

Noticing that even the summoned beings were being summoned back, Kariel frowned.

“Help elsewhere; this is something I need to resolve alone.”

His voice rang clear, even from afar.

But all forces of the Gray Shield shook their heads in disagreement.

“It is my command. While I hold back this place, clear all Gates across the West Continent.”

Despite the Emperor’s undeniable command, they still hesitated until the very end.

But they also knew.

With the Gray power blocking them, there was no way to aid Kariel here.

Eventually, they bowed their heads to uphold the Emperor’s command, which may well be a final order.

Seeing everyone—including Duke Devir—tearfully obeying his command, Kariel smiled and looked at the gigantic Gray Gate.

“I wonder what existence is calling me so violently.”

Muttering that, as he stepped toward the Gate, Kariel’s consciousness was suddenly sucked into another place.

“This is…”

Finally regaining his senses, Kariel looked around.

Somewhere familiar.

Upon arriving in a space made of pure white light, Kariel furrowed his brow.

“Baldur?”

– It can’t be.

Seeing the ‘god’ appearing in the form of a child, like Baldur, Kariel asked with a grim expression.

“Then who are you?”

– I am the God of Earth.

The moment he heard the child’s answer, Kariel’s eyes widened in surprise.

– I’ve come to uphold the pact you made with your ‘former god.’ To be precise… I’ve come to give you the reward for losing your bet because of you.