The Prince Wants to Retire

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Crown Prince’s Wish to Retire

12. Kariel’s Retirement Takes Shape (2)

Kariel, ensnared by the Emperor and the nobles, briefly blanked out, denying the current situation.

But the outcome wouldn’t change.

“Is everyone in agreement that the Crown Prince should temporarily fill the Chancellor’s vacancy?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

At the Emperor’s question, most of the nobles readily agreed.

Kariel’s expression began to crumple.

‘I can’t let my life be ruined like this!’

Thinking that frantically, he opened his mouth in desperation.

“Your Majesty!”

“What is it?”

Though he called out urgently to the Emperor, his words wouldn’t come out.

He was so dazed he couldn’t even think of what to say.

But the Emperor waited patiently, his expression tolerant, for Kariel to regain his composure.

Seeing the Emperor displaying the ease of a victor, Kariel ground his teeth internally but calmed down and spoke steadily.

“I don’t think it’s wise to make a decision so hastily. Perhaps you should consider it further?”

“Is that really necessary? Given what has been done, the Crown Prince’s abilities should be sufficient.”

At the Emperor’s words, Kariel took a step back.

Having already fallen into a trap, persuasion was out of the question, so he had to buy some time.

“I need to prepare myself mentally as well.”

The Emperor smiled broadly at Kariel’s words.

Nodding, he said, “Hmm, indeed. It can be quite disorienting.”

As if understanding, the Emperor approached Kariel.

“Still, since both I and the nobility are in favor, let’s consider it decided that the Crown Prince will take on the Chancellor’s position temporarily.”

“A wise decision, Your Majesty!”

As the Emperor patted Kariel on the shoulder, all the nobles lowered their heads and voiced their agreement.

In the end, what was ‘temporary’ approval for Kariel to fill the vacant Chancellor position meant he was effectively becoming the Chancellor as the Crown Prince.

Since it was decided in the Grand Council Meeting, if a formal decree was issued later, Kariel would become the Chancellor.

‘I’ve bought some time.’

Postponing his rise to the Chancellor position by receiving the decree later, Kariel quickly began to plot his next move.

‘There’s no answer here. For now, let’s head to the palace.’

Since he had meticulously dug a trap, arguing here would only be disadvantageous for him.

Thus, Kariel bowed his head and kept silent, quietly exiting the Grand Hall after the meeting adjourned.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“Let’s go to the palace.”

Kariel spoke with a serious expression, and Talion hurriedly followed.

*

Once back in the palace, Kariel roughly threw down the abdication letter he had been holding tightly.

“Your Highness.”

Seeing the worried expression on Talion’s face, Kariel restrained his fury.

Though he had managed fire energy through Body Technique to a certain extent, he wasn’t perfect yet.

He needed to be cautious until muscle and flesh attached themselves to the framework built by his Body Technique.

“My retirement plan is about to fall apart.”

At Kariel’s words, Talion cleared his throat.

While he inwardly felt delighted, he couldn’t show it in front of the furious Kariel.

However, Kariel had already sensed Talion’s true feelings and clicked his tongue.

‘I have no allies at all.’

Kariel grumbled as he adapted his retirement plans.

Given that the Emperor had been holed up in the Imperial Palace since the Emperor’s faction had fallen, the chance of the Emperor easily agreeing to Kariel’s retirement was slim.

Just as Kariel anticipated, the current situation was quite satisfactory for the Emperor.

With one of the two princes likely to become the new Crown Prince, the number of protests from the aristocratic faction significantly decreased.

Moreover, most significant affairs had been handled by the Crown Prince until now, allowing the Emperor to feel at ease.

In the past, there might have been unease if the Crown Prince seemed to be vying for the throne, but now it was different.

The Emperor had confirmed Kariel’s desire to retire.

Thus, the Emperor hoped for the current situation to last just a little longer.

The nobles felt the same.

Even if they were to fight, they wanted to do so after the Empire stabilized, while the neutral faction wanted to avoid any division in the Empire at this time, which is why they postponed Kariel’s abdication, placing him in the now vacant Chancellor position for the sake of national stability.

On top of that, the Empire’s citizens were also supporting Kariel.

Everyone except for Kariel hoped he wouldn’t step down from the Crown Prince position.

“This is the worst.”

Kariel grumbled as he revised his retirement plans.

Going directly to present his abdication letter now would likely result in rejection, so he needed to create public opinion first.

The first thing to do was to raise the profiles of his younger brothers.

“Proceed as planned.”

“Is it really necessary to go this far…?”

Talion, who initially resisted, immediately backed down under Kariel’s glare and headed outside.

Though he got caught off guard in an unexpected trap, it wasn’t over yet.

“I’m confident in shaping public opinion.”

Kariel recalled his previous life and grinned.

Though he couldn’t change his evaluation until the end, he was good at creating alternative public sentiments.

Explaining the necessity of pursuing war.

Convincing the Empire’s citizens why the enemies were enemies.

Explaining why taxes had to be raised temporarily while guiding the politics.

Through rebellions and various events, he maintained a fragile balance while navigating the nation.

Now was the time to apply that experience.

Setting off right away the next day, Kariel’s campaign for public opinion began.

“The Second Prince hunts down the remnants of the Dark Mage!”

“The Third Prince skillfully manages the military despite his young age!”

“The Crown Prince wants to retire! Will the next Crown Prince be determined by a battle of skills between the Second and Third Princes?”

Beginning his campaign for public opinion through Talion, Kariel finally wore a satisfied expression.

“Yes, this is it. If I can shift the attention of the Empire’s citizens to my brothers and make my retirement a foregone conclusion…”

Elevating the accomplishments of the Second and Third Princes, Kariel laid the groundwork to make his resignation seem imminent.

With this, Kariel planned to have the Empire’s citizens accept his abdication as a given.

However, Talion had a feeling that Kariel’s campaign might fail.

Kariel knew that too, but he pretended not to.

Convincing himself that there was still hope, he continued to press on with his campaign for public opinion.

A few days later, something shattered such hope.

“Your Highness…”

Talion looked at Kariel with a sympathetic expression.

As Kariel faced the reality he had been avoiding, the Emperor’s decree fell.

“I hereby appoint Crown Prince Kariel Friedrich von Blazer as Temporary Chancellor.”

Once the Emperor’s decree was issued and this news spread through the Imperial capital, Kariel’s campaign for public opinion over the past few days became useless.

Even the effort of raising the profile of the Second and Third Princes lost its meaning.

In the press office of the aristocratic faction, an opinion was pushed that it would be better to delay the Crown Prince’s abdication for the sake of a more stable government.

As a result, even a small number of Empire citizens who had supported the competition between the Second and Third Princes were easily swayed.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Even in response to Talion’s question, Kariel couldn’t utter a word and bowed his head deeply.

– Hang in there.

Even Surth patted Kariel’s head with his adorably small hands.

Thus, Kariel, filled with his last hope, sent letters to his younger brothers.

He asked them to present a petition to the Emperor wishing to engage in a fair competition for the Crown Prince position.

If they agreed, Kariel would persuade the Emperor to support whichever prince they backed, but his two younger brothers were resolute.

“I feel like I’m going to die even now!”

“Do you plan to stand out alone? Let’s all die together!”

The letters from the Second and Third Princes.

Short responses, just one sentence each, but they were sufficient to crush Kariel’s hopes.

“….”

The Emperor’s decree sent directly to him.

The badge symbolizing the Chancellor.

And the letters from his brothers.

The items on his desk were pushing Kariel deeper into a pit of despair in real-time.

Having been mercilessly battered, Kariel sat dazed for a moment before abruptly standing up.

“I must go to the Emperor.”

“…Your Highness.”

As Talion tried to dissuade him, saying it was already too late, Kariel gritted his teeth and spoke.

“I have to negotiate.”

“Yes?”

“I will step down immediately once the Northwest stabilizes. I need to get a firm confirmation on that.”

His expression was such that if he didn’t get that, he might go mad, so Talion quietly had a wagon prepared.

*

Arriving at the Emperor’s palace at top speed, Kariel immediately requested an audience.

“You must be busy; what brings you here?”

Seeing the Emperor leisurely sipping tea, Kariel simmered inside.

The man who was once using drugs to alleviate stress was now calmly enjoying tea.

Though he hadn’t completely quit, it seemed he had significantly reduced his drug use.

On the other hand, Kariel’s stress kept mounting.

“Your Majesty, I mentioned that once this matter was resolved, I would retire.”

“I am aware of that, but the situation is not favorable.”

“Yes, that’s why I was thinking of retiring right after the ‘Northwest Incident’ is over.”

As Kariel spoke as if he couldn’t do more than that, the Emperor silently leveled his gaze at Kariel.

Seeing the Emperor’s eyes glowing like fire, he clicked his tongue.

It was clear that if he didn’t permit even this, it would be as if he was throwing Kariel’s life away.

“Resolve the situation with Belphus. You might be dealing with those behind your own attack, so it would be better to handle it personally.”

After a moment of silence, Kariel bowed his head and replied, “…I will do so.”

“Also, lead the Grand Council Meeting in my stead.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Recently, I’ve been unwell, and it would be difficult for me to lead the meeting.”

As the Emperor said that, he rolled up his sleeves.

Perhaps due to the drugs that the Dark Mage prepared, dark spots appeared all over his arms.

“…When did this happen?”

“It occurred when I tried to quit taking the drugs.”

Kariel bit his lips at the Emperor’s words.

‘Has quitting drugs become a poison for him?’

Thinking this, Kariel opened his mouth.

“What do the physicians say?”

“They say it’s difficult to know everything with their knowledge. The priests say the same.”

“Should we capture the Dark Mage then?”

At Kariel’s question, the Emperor let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“It seems that a regular Dark Mage won’t cut it. Unless we capture the one who concocted this drug, complete recovery will be hard to expect.”

Kariel bit his lips at the Emperor’s words.

‘I didn’t anticipate this.’

It wasn’t just a matter of stopping the drugs.

They had set up multiple layers of devices just in case he might get caught.

‘Does the drug even help sustain his life?’

With that thought, Kariel sighed and said, “However, it would not be proper for me to preside over the Grand Council Meeting. It might lead to misunderstandings of de facto governance. It would be better to extend the meeting intervals.”

“Why should it be a problem for the Crown Prince? The Prince worries too much.”

“The nobles will protest.”

At Kariel’s words, the Emperor seemed to have anticipated that response and smiled lightly.

“I got the two dukes’ agreement. All the neutral faction agrees as well, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

Kariel squeezed his eyes shut at the Emperor’s words.

From the Grand Council Meeting until now, it had been a perfectly designed trap.

Just like a rabbit caught in a snare cannot escape, despite Kariel’s efforts to shape public opinion and involve his brothers, it was merely meaningless struggling.

“…I will preside over the meetings only when it truly is difficult for Your Majesty.”

“Then do so.”

He had tried to wriggle until the end, but it meant nothing.

If the Emperor claimed to be unwell daily, it would eventually be Kariel presiding over the Grand Council Meetings.

“I’m sure you must be tired, and I’ve been a bother to Your Majesty.”

“Haha, it’s fine. It was a pleasure after a long time.”

Internally seething at the Emperor’s amusement, Kariel stood up.

“I will take my leave now. Please focus on recovering your health and set aside the complicated matters.”

“I will do so.”

Kariel bowed respectfully to the Emperor, who smiled in response, and swiftly exited the Emperor’s palace.

“Talion.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Immediately notify all departments to gather all materials related to the Northwest.”

Kariel commanded with a fiery gaze.

Talion swiftly sent attendants to each department and quickly opened the carriage door.

“Six months. I will finish everything within that period and then retire.”

Establishing a new retirement plan, Kariel envisioned his departure after wrapping up matters in the West.

“I can do this.”

He earnestly tried to brush away his anxious feelings and reinforced his resolve.

Talion, watching his ruler from the side, could only feel pity.