The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

8. The Crown Prince’s Imperial Guard? (2)

They had all sorts of strange items, but all of them were familiar to Kariel.

‘Looks similar to what I saw in a medical drama back on Earth.’

Kariel, observing the items in Brion’s possession, shifted his gaze to the others.

They were oddballs, but perhaps because they were in front of the Crown Prince, they seemed to flinch under his stare.

‘Cute.’

With a chuckle at their reactions, Kariel spoke up.

“Do you all know why you are here?”

“Yes!”

Everyone immediately responded to Kariel’s question.

“Then it should be easy to explain. I want you to create a Mana Cultivation Method that suits my body. That is my commission.”

As Kariel finished speaking, everyone looked at him with serious expressions.

“You’re probably curious about the reward?”

At his question, the three oddballs nodded their heads slightly.

“Rather than money, it’s about what you want. I will grant you that within the limits of what I can do.”

At Kariel’s words, the eyes of the three began to sparkle.

“Since we’re on the topic, go ahead and state what you desire.”

Hesitating, the oddballs gradually voiced their desires.

Arshuna wanted a fire-element spellbook, Iris sought techniques for martial arts and swordsmanship, and Brion desired a medical tome.

“Well, that’s fine… I’ll also take care of your salaries.”

As Kariel declared this, he tossed several bags of gold coins forward, causing their mouths to stretch into smiles.

‘With this, I could buy a Behemoth’s heart…’

‘That’s enough to purchase a large monster!’

‘For a while, I won’t have to worry about money!’

All of them mumbled while staring at the gold coins.

Watching them, Kariel clapped his hands.

“So with the reward settled… let’s get to work right away.”

At Kariel’s words, the oddballs, distracted by the gold, quickly snapped back to attention.

Thanks to the money, they were now examining Kariel’s body with serious faces.

‘Indeed, money is the best.’

Thinking that, Kariel spoke to the oddballs.

“You can touch me.”

Since he needed to understand his own body to create something proper, he permitted it, but Talion seemed anxious, pacing around Kariel with a worried expression.

“Just stay still. Are they going to eat me?”

“Not that…”

Though Talion spoke with a worried look, Kariel waved him off dismissively, causing the oddballs to approach him more eagerly.

“Oh! You’re exuding a significant amount of fire energy.”

Arshuna examined Kariel’s flame energy with great interest, subtly infusing her own mana to confirm.

On the other hand, Iris managed to determine what training Kariel had undergone just by examining his body.

“You’ve only mastered the basics of Mana Cultivation Method.”

“You know well.”

“Surprisingly so. It seems mismatched, yet…”

Iris tilted her head, as the method that should not suit Kariel’s sickly body was, in fact, proving helpful.

This intrigued Iris, who showed a fascinating expression as if seeing something for the first time.

Meanwhile, Brion frowned, revealing his disinterest.

“Is a sick human body boring?”

“Ahem! It’s not that…”

As if he had been caught in his thoughts, Brion cleared his throat and began to inspect Kariel’s body slowly.

“I heard you’ve been quite ill; it’s certainly not in good condition.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, it seems your flame energy is the issue, teetering on the edge. You appear to be compensating with exercise, but the limits are clear. You will likely hit your limits within a few years.”

Seeing Brion assess his condition so swiftly, Kariel nodded.

“That’s why I called you here. I want you to modify this to suit my body.”

Saying that, Kariel tossed a book onto the table.

It was a copy detailing the Ancient Werewolf’s Body Technique.

As soon as she saw the title, Iris’s eyes sparkled, and she eagerly began flipping through the pages.

Brion appeared equally intrigued, diving into the book alongside Iris.

The illustrations of the Ancient Werewolf’s physique and detailed descriptions of their use of strength naturally piqued Brion’s interest.

Meanwhile, Arshuna wore a sulky expression.

Her interest was solely in flames, and she had no care for body techniques or mana cultivation methods.

Amongst those who use Mana Refinement Method, some extremely reject Mana Cultivation Method.

Those were the Mages.

As refiners and processors, Mages viewed mana cultivation methods as mere barbarism.

“Arshuna.”

“… Yes, Your Highness?”

“Study this then.”

Kariel said that and casually tossed her a book.

It contained information related to the Imperial family’s bloodline abilities and flame energy.

“T-This is…!”

“You can’t take it outside.”

“O-Of course!”

Arshuna nodded, looking as if this was obvious, at Kariel’s statement.

“Since everyone seems satisfied, let the research begin immediately.”

At Kariel’s words, they quickly lowered their heads and answered.

Since these were materials hard to find anywhere else, they were all captivated by them.

“Go outside and start your research with Toto. The necessary items have been prepared in the palace, so you can commute here. Meals will be provided, so just let me know if you need anything.”

As Kariel spoke, Arshuna cautiously raised her hand.

“Um, can I stay here then?”

“Then I will too…”

Since they had been wandering around, they likely did not have proper lodgings.

Seeing Brion cough lightly, it was evident that all three were most likely sleeping in some inn.

“Fine, let it be so.”

As Kariel gave his consent and gestured, the three promptly bowed and exited the room.

“Now I really need to prepare to leave.”

With the oddballs having come, Kariel smiled.

Once they modified the body technique to suit him, he intended to leave this wretched imperial palace behind.

“A YOLO life is right around the corner.”

Kariel mumbled to himself, a broad smile plastered on his face.

No one would lament the sickly Crown Prince stepping down, and if he worked hard for the Empire until the end, he believed he would pass into retirement without any hassles.

*

After retiring, Kariel had planned to leave the palace immediately and live a quiet life on some island, falling asleep in high spirits.

But from the very next day, he found himself dragged by Toto to work out hard, yet that too felt happy.

Thanks to Brion and Toto, a more efficient workout routine was coming together, and he could feel his body improving.

“Hey! I told you not to bring those in front of me!”

“… I won’t use them on you, Your Highness.”

Brion said with pursed lips, causing Kariel to shake in disgust.

Every time he had to check his own body, those strange instruments were always making him shiver.

The real issue was that Brion alone was a headache; the others weren’t normal either.

“Uwaaah!”

Once again, Kariel was screaming under Iris’s brutal training disguised as practice.

Thanks to Iris, the training methods for body techniques evolved as well.

The problem was she enjoyed a wild training approach like a beastman, always wanting to do real combat-style training.

Every time, Kariel’s body was nearly breaking down.

“Gah… Gah… Take it easy.”

“This is how it works.”

Iris said coldly.

While Talion could have stepped in seeing Kariel half-broken, he simply turned away, holding his mouth shut.

Initially, Talion had shouted at Iris, questioning her sanity, but now he stood at a distance, silently crying as he covered his mouth.

“Your Highness, it’s time for exercise…”

“How can I exercise with this body!”

“If you loosen up now, you won’t hurt tomorrow.”

Toto, showcasing his bulging muscles, forcibly dragged Kariel along.

Iris quietly followed behind Toto.

While she valued practical training, after seeing the effects of following Toto’s workout, she had started working out with him too.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! I found a new method!”

While being dragged by Toto and working out hard, Arshuna approached them, beaming brightly.

“Is it the real deal this time?”

“Of course! This time it’s for real!”

At Arshuna’s proclamation, Kariel, along with Toto, Iris, and Talion, exchanged skeptical glances, their faces frozen.

“It’s true! Please trust me!”

“… Fine, let’s hear it.”

Considering fire, Arshuna was among the best on the continent, so he had no choice but to believe her.

In truth, her systematic research on handling fire and immediate integration into body techniques had indeed improved efficiency.

The problem was that despite pouring immense budgets into it, only about two out of ten results were usable.

Moreover, nothing drastically changed.

The effects were only slight improvements, leading Kariel and Talion to wonder, ‘Should we keep this up?’

Yet despite being in the developmental stage, there were advancements from their basic training days, so they decided to let her continue her research unhindered.

Kariel entered a private training ground alone to practice the newly developed body technique by Arshuna.

However, as soon as he began his training, he couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion. This time, he felt something was different.

“This really feels completely different?”

Kariel mumbled, focusing on the sensations in his body.

And as he did, he felt an unprecedented amount of flame energy coursing through his movements, making him train body techniques with intensity.

– Long time no see?

Surth, having reappeared after a long absence, greeted Kariel warmly.

Seeing the more refined flames and colors than before, Kariel realized Surth had made considerable recovery and smiled.

“So now I can gather even more flame energy?”

– You just got here, and that’s what you say!

“Haha! Go ahead and bring it.”

Surth looked at Kariel, seeming hurt, at his eagerness for flame energy, but immediately began absorbing it.

“Oooh!”

– Looks like you’ve been putting in some effort.

Surth remarked while watching Kariel, crossing his little arms playfully and turning his head sweetly away.

“My body is recovering, and my retirement is just around the corner. The day I finally leave this palace is drawing near.”

Muttering this, Kariel felt a congratulation from Surth and urged him to quickly search for other Behemoths.

Usually, he would have barked out in annoyance at such things, but today he nodded in agreement, smiling brightly.

And deeply satisfied, Kariel drifted off to sleep, planning when he would retire.

However, that happiness shattered the next morning when he saw the newspaper headlines.

“The True Loyal Subject of the Empire! Kariel Friedrich von Blazer!”

“The Greatest Crown Prince in History! He is the current Crown Prince!”

After making bombshell statements at the Grand Council Meeting and previously working tirelessly to apprehend corrupt nobles, Kariel gained tremendous support from the citizens.

While being supported by the Empire’s citizens was undoubtedly a good thing, it wasn’t so for the Emperor and the nobles.

“… This is dangerous.”

Kariel frowned, clicking his tongue.

Once the Emperor, dubbed the Hidden Tyrant, began to feel jealous of Kariel, trouble would brew.

Moreover, the nobles might coordinate to keep an eye on Kariel even after he retired.

The best way to circumvent this was to quickly step down while everything was still intact.

However, circumstances made that unfeasible.

If Kariel retired now, everything he was currently doing could be disrupted.

Perhaps both the Emperor’s faction and the Chancellor might find a lifeline too.

“The Chancellor and the Emperor’s faction need to be thoroughly dealt with…”

From the experience of his previous life, he knew the unnecessary residuals would definitely cause issues, so it must end now.

Especially with a cunning Chancellor, the matter was more pressing.

If the Chancellor who had been hit returned, it might be the case that even if Kariel devoted his life to this, chances would not come again.

Being young and sickly had granted him opportunities, but now as a seasoned politician, they would likely watch over him with several layers of caution even if he retired.

“I need to speed things up.”

Kariel muttered as he quickly stood up.

The lower folks could be handled just fine with the Security Brigade and Inspection Department, but high-ranking nobles weren’t that easy to capture.

If he started barking about official trials with the judicial branch and the Noble Assembly, he wouldn’t be able to drag the Inspection Department along with him.

Thus, Kariel chose to act directly.

However, this time, he was not alone with only attendants and knights.

Red-cloaked figures followed behind him.

They were the oddballs known throughout the continent, who had decided to stick with Kariel.