The Prince Wants to Retire

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Crown Prince’s Desire to Retire

17. Bloodshed at the Volcano

As the volcano showed clear signs of erupting, all the troops in the Northwest began to mobilize.

Most of the troops forming the defense line gathered around the Master.

And behind them was Kariel.

“Your Highness, must you really go?”

At Talion’s words, everyone looked at Kariel with worried expressions.

It was understandable, given the doubt: ‘Can the frail Kariel really withstand it in the forest?’

On the surface, it seemed reasonable.

Even with training in Body Technique, remarkably, his muscles hardly developed.

So, he appeared slender, but in truth, he had a surprisingly solid muscle frame.

At least, that’s how Kariel saw it.

To prove that, he didn’t ride in a wagon but mounted a horse.

After all, it would be impractical to pull a wagon into the forest.

“Your Highness, please come back once it’s all over.”

Even the commander of the Imperial Palace Knights, Achelio, said that, causing Kariel to let out a small sigh.

“Surth.”

At Kariel’s call, a fireball appeared visibly to everyone.

Seeing it, Achelio asked with an intrigued expression, “Is that the same one from before?”

“Indeed.”

“Are you perhaps going to use it during this volcanic eruption?”

“I suspect that will be the case. I think it would be best if I went to confirm myself.”

Achelio briefly fell silent, deep in thought at Kariel’s words.

Talion, beside him, whined about how Kariel should never go directly to the volcano, but Kariel’s gaze was only focused on Achelio.

“Sigh, since Your Highness is so determined, how can I stop you? I will accompany you to the volcano.”

“Thank you.”

As Achelio nodded, Talion squeezed his eyes shut.

“Your Highness….”

“I also don’t want to go.”

When Kariel said that, Talion wanted to ask, ‘Then why not just not go?’ but he couldn’t.

Kariel’s eyes looking at him were more serious than ever.

Initially, he thought Kariel was moving directly for the sake of using the Palace Knights and himself, but it was apparent that he held a secret Talion didn’t know.

‘Could it be related to his sudden recovery?’

Talion furrowed his brow as he pondered.

Retirement and recovery might not be due to nothing less than a contract with someone. Perhaps he might have made a pact with a demon, Talion worried.

But there was nothing more he could do.

If Kariel, who was smarter than anyone he knew, was risking himself to take action, there had to be a reason.

As his attendant, all he could do was follow.

“Your Highness!”

Before the assembled troops at the city gate, a crow rushed forward and delivered a letter to Kariel, who was mounted on his horse.

“Is this from the Imperial Palace?”

“No, it’s from the North.”

“The North?”

At the crow’s words, Kariel’s surprised eyes quickly found the black letter.

「The Northern Army will join Your Highness’s expedition.

– Count Versio del Shikirao-」

The brief message seemed rude but carried an urgent tone that couldn’t be blamed.

“……The Northern Army is coming?”

Upon hearing Kariel’s mumble, Achelio rushed over and asked, “Is the Count coming?”

“Indeed.”

Kariel tilted his head, seemingly puzzled by Achelio’s words.

“Can we postpone the deployment for a moment?”

“Do as Your Highness wishes.”

At Achelio’s words, the legion commander and other officers nearby bowed their heads in agreement.

Then Kariel hastily instructed the communications officer to contact the central command.

The Count of the North is joining us here?

He knew well enough this wasn’t merely about dealing with the Dark Mages.

The Count of the North had previously single-handedly thwarted the cunning Holy Nation led by the Pope.

If he was coming to lead reinforcements, something significant must be happening in the North.

“I am the Crown Prince.”

– Gah! Y-Your Highness!

At Kariel’s declaration, noise crackled through the communication line, and someone hurriedly rushed toward him. It was the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

– Your Highness, I was already drafting a letter…

“You should have used magical communication first!”

– The matter is grave. Thus, I was…

The Minister attempted to excuse himself by saying that it was being written due to the risk of interception, but it only served to increase Kariel’s anger.

“Why is it the Minister of Foreign Affairs handling this? What are the Military or Intelligence departments doing?”

– Well… it’s a matter concerning the Holy Nation.

“The Holy Nation?”

– Yes, they claimed the situation in the Northwest concerns the entirety of the continent, and they are willing to accept the Empire’s request for support. However, their numbers are alarming.

Kariel’s expression hardened at the Minister’s words.

“Is the Holy Nation’s Master among the forces involved?”

– …Yes.

Upon Kariel’s inquiry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs answered in a heavy tone.

“To attack the Empire… Then that’s even stranger. Shouldn’t the Minister of Military be handling this?”

– That’s rather ambiguous.

“Ambiguous?”

At Kariel’s question, the Minister cleared his throat and began to explain calmly.

Initially, the Count of the North contacted the central command, saying they would accept the Holy Nation’s request for assistance.

Of course, upon hearing that, the Count of the North immediately put all forces on combat alert, suspecting something was off.

But the next part was even stranger.

Shortly after the initial supporting troops departed, a large-scale second wave of forces began to move.

– They communicated officially even during the mobilization of the second wave.

“Second wave, huh….”

As he listened to the Minister’s detailed account, Kariel’s concerns deepened.

“It might be either the fox trying to exploit the Empire’s weaknesses or the Holy Nation experiencing some kind of turmoil…”

Based on his previous life’s countless experiences, it was feasible that the cunning old fox from the Holy Nation had schemes in play, but objectively, it seemed more likely that they had encountered some trouble.

The number of troops sent in the first wave was already notable, but the real issue was in the second wave.

It was as if they were racing to catch up with the first wave, and more importantly, most of the Holy Nation’s core forces were included in the second wave.

“Was there an Inquisition member in the second wave?”

– …That part remains unknown. The Count of the North seemed to suspect it and was investigating, but there’s no way to find out, prompting the Northern Army to mobilize.

“What about the Intelligence Department?”

– They’re currently trying to gather information through spies infiltrating the Holy Nation. However, it will likely take some time.

Kariel nodded at the Minister’s words.

Even amidst this rapidly shifting situation, their proceedings were relatively organized.

‘Indeed, it was wise to clean up once.’

Kariel thought so and then inquired about the Count of the North’s reinforcement scale.

“Do you know the scale of the Count of the North’s reinforcements?”

– According to the Minister of Military, he plans to bring all forces except for the minimal defense troops.

“Directly? And what’s the Minister of Military up to?”

– He was just in a Grand Council Meeting, Your Highness.

It seemed the Emperor intervened to hold an emergency Grand Council Meeting due to the sudden change in circumstances.

‘The Count of the North still decisively makes choices without hesitation.’

Kariel thought and nodded.

The strength of the Count of the North lay in this very trait.

Even in a situation where hesitation would be warranted, he made decisions swiftly and acted.

Though it had caused some losses in the past, he moved quickly to make decisions, striving for the best possible outcomes.

That was precisely the Count of the North.

“Sigh, there’s no time, so I’ll make this brief.”

– Yes, Your Highness.

“The ministers must have noticed as well, but the situation in the Holy Nation seems a bit strange.”

Kariel spoke while briefly organizing his thoughts.

“For now, we’ll be able to handle things up to the Holy Nation with the Northern Army, but Iron is a different story.”

– …Iron, you say?

The tone of the Minister of Foreign Affairs grew heavy at Kariel’s remarks.

It seemed he instantly understood what Kariel was implying.

If the current situation in the Holy Nation was due to the Dark Mages, then there was no reason it wouldn’t also involve Iron.

“It will be difficult for the Count of the West to handle Iron alone.”

– I will contact the Belphus Subjugation Force immediately.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs hurriedly appeared to write something down, having grasped the situation.

“And what should we do after that?”

– I will officially send a letter to the Iron Alliance, requesting support for the Northwest.

“That won’t be enough.”

– Yes? Then…

“We have to threaten them.”

Upon Kariel’s command, the Minister of Foreign Affairs gasped in shock.

Due to the nature of the Foreign Ministry, even when saying the same thing, they typically used more diplomatic language or softened their words.

But this time, a more aggressive approach was necessary.

“It’s time to deliver a decisive ultimatum.”

– Are you suggesting we use aggressive language?

“Exactly. Use the most aggressive language you can muster.”

– …I will do so.

Even with the Minister’s weak response, Kariel let out a deep sigh, for it couldn’t be helped.

“Is there ample grounds for the threat?”

– Yes. Through suspicious circumstances in the Holy Nation, I will also tie Iron to the Dark Mages.

“Good. Do you have the next plan?”

– Yes. I will also send letters to the southern and eastern principalities.

Kariel nodded in satisfaction at the Minister’s reply.

Creating a garbage country controlled by Dark Mages in the Holy Nation was of no concern.

Since it wasn’t stated through official channels, they had no grounds to complain, and more importantly, it served as a warning to the Holy Nation about the Empire’s intelligence capabilities.

“Sigh….”

“Are you done with your tasks?”

Upon Achelio’s question, Kariel sighed and explained.

“Yes. It seems true that the Northern Army is coming to the Northwest. The problem is… things have gotten a bit complicated.”

“Complicated, you say…?”

“The Holy Nation is coming.”

Achelio’s expression, along with those of the nearby commanders, turned serious at Kariel’s words.

Though it looked like they had set out to capture the Dark Mages, Kariel’s expression suggested something was amiss.

Facing them, Kariel shared his thoughts.

He lacked solid evidence, so it was all just speculation, but it sounded plausible.

With his previous life experiences mixed well with the current information, everyone’s expression turned serious.

“It seems best to wait until the Northern Army arrives.”

“……No.”

Kariel believed that the support from the Holy Nation’s army was likely a ruse.

They had yet to experience the full extent of the Dark Mages’ capabilities, but Kariel knew all too well.

Having faced cunning foes who concealed the ‘real’ threats to distract them, he was half-convinced.

‘These rascals are using tricks to buy time.’

Having reached that conclusion, Kariel addressed Achelio.

“Let’s move towards the forest front. If we receive no response, it won’t be too late to set up a front line there.”

Achelio pondered for a moment before sighing and nodding.

“Legion Commander, can we establish a front to keep the monsters at bay near the forest?”

“Yes, with this force, the impossible becomes possible.”

“Good. I’ll leave it to you.”

Kariel said and then addressed the Northwest Legion Commander.

“I’m granting you full command of all military forces from now. Guide us through to the forest beyond the monsters.”

“Understood!”

At Kariel’s command, the legion commander knelt on one knee to accept the order.

Then Kariel spoke again to him.

“Time is of the essence.”

“Yes!”

With the legion commander promptly on horseback, everyone readied for deployment.

Then the city gates opened, revealing the distant forest swarming with monsters.

Buuu!

“Monsters are approaching!”

“I will break through!”

At the soldier’s shout from atop the wall, Achelio dashed out through the city gates first.