Chapter 234 - Chapter 233: The Two Crown Princes
A loud laugh rang out, drowning out the confused voices of the ministers and the royal guards.
"Ku ku ku ku...! I see, you are coming at me like this! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
And so, appearing from the entrance reserved for the royal family, was the Crown Prince, Cranzard.
The Crown Prince walked with an unhurried stride straight up to Mika, then turned to face the King.
"What exactly are you doing? Your Majesty."
The Crown Prince asked the King while wearing a fearless smile.
The King made a face as if he had chewed and swallowed a bitter fruit, turning his gaze away.
"Cranzard. This has nothing to do with you. Step back."
"No, I will not step back."
Although the Crown Prince was ordered to withdraw by the King, he flatly refused.
Hearing this, the Prime Minister stepped in.
"Your Highness. This has nothing to do with you. Please, step back."
"Why does it have nothing to do with you? If we are to award honors to the hero who turned a losing battle into a winning one, surely there is no problem with me being here? Or is there some other purpose?"
At the Crown Prince's question, the Prime Minister found himself at a loss for words.
It seemed the Crown Prince had no relation to the nation's policy of treating [Divine Wrath] as a taboo.
The King clearly showed his displeasure on his face, glaring at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince withdrew his fearless smile and met the King's gaze with a serious expression.
"Enough, Cranzard. This is something you need not know. Go."
"I decline."
But the Crown Prince refused the King's order once again.
Hearing this, the Prime Minister panicked.
One of the ministers who had been watching this exchange raised his voice.
"Your Highness! Even if you are the Crown Prince, such an attitude toward His Majesty the King! It cannot be tolerated!"
The Prime Minister tried to intervene, calling out to the Crown Prince.
"Please withdraw from here, Your Highness. I will come to explain to you later."
Even so, the Crown Prince ignored the Prime Minister and did not move his gaze from the King.
"I will take charge of this person. Is that fine?"
"Don't talk nonsense! I am telling you this has nothing to do with you! Just go!"
"No, I will not step back. Until you permit me to take this person with me."
The King and the Crown Prince glared at each other.
Perhaps no one had thought the Crown Prince would oppose the King this far, as the murmur grew even louder.
The conflict between the King and the Crown Prince.
Just this one thing might not immediately lead to anything, but if it worsens, the worst case scenario is the country splitting apart.
Some people must have had that thought cross their minds.
Among the ministers, some began to turn pale.
"Now, Your Highness. Please withdraw from here."
"Please, Your Highness. Here, I beg you..."
And so, the pale-faced ministers began desperately to admonish the Crown Prince.
But the Crown Prince only looked straight at the King, paying no heed to the words of the ministers.
The Prime Minister also looked at the Crown Prince with a serious expression.
"Your Highness Cranzard. Please consider the impact of your actions. You are not just a mere subject. At this important time when we are at war with Gronoir, such a thing---."
"It is precisely at this important time that I worry about a nation heading toward ruin. I cannot withdraw."
The moment the Crown Prince used the word "ruin," the Audience Chamber fell silent in an instant.
While staring at the King as if glaring, the Crown Prince continued speaking.
"I have heard that there was once a Crown Prince who worried about the nation's future and opposed the King. That Crown Prince refused the offer of ennoblement and protected a Margrave who demanded the ennoblement of his own retainers. He said they could not cause a civil war in a kingdom wounded by a long war lasting fifty years."
The Crown Prince's voice echoed through the Audience Chamber.
That was a story from forty years ago.
The Margrave Leventein had built a protective wall for the sake of the kingdom's peace.
It was a story of him rejecting the reward from the King for that achievement.
The Margrave Leventein's request at that time was, to anyone who heard it, an unreasonable content.
It was a completely illogical, utterly misplaced, and ridiculous request.
Naturally, the King flew into a rage.
It is said that many nobles demanded the Margrave retract his request.
But the Margrave did not bend.
If things continued like this, the country would split.
A civil war would break out.
As tension spread throughout the nation, there was one person who protected the Margrave.
The current King, Kernils Ektramze.
Kernils, who was the Crown Prince at the time, protected the Margrave even at the risk of being deposed.
We must not cause a civil war.
For sixteen years after the war, two generations of father and son had shed blood and served the kingdom.
We must not isolate such a loyal subject.
Kernils persistently persuaded the powerful nobles, persuaded the King, and somehow managed to get acceptance for the Margrave Leventein's ennoblement and the ennoblement of his retainers.
Crown Prince Cranzard brought up that matter.
The Crown Prince loudly argued how forward-thinking and wise Kernils had been when he was the Crown Prince at that time.
And he spoke of how this was now a time comparable to that, a time that would determine the nation's trend.
"If we lose this person now, who benefits! Who will shed blood!"
The Crown Prince's voice, full of dominance, echoed in front of the Audience Chamber.
"Thinking of that... I cannot withdraw. Never."
At the Crown Prince's determined gaze, the Prime Minister gasped.
He had thought the Crown Prince had just shown up for fun, but it seemed the Crown Prince had come to this place knowing everything.
This was now beyond even the Prime Minister's ability to interfere.
There was no choice but to leave the judgment to His Majesty.
Those present held their breath, waiting for the King's judgment.
In the heavy atmosphere, all eyes were fixed on the King.
In such a heavy atmosphere, the King took a deep breath.
"You came here knowing everything, didn't you, Cranzard."
"Of course. Your Majesty."
"I understand..."
And so, he shook his head weakly.
"Do as you please. But be prepared."
At the King's words, the Crown Prince bowed respectfully.
Then, he turned a smile toward Mika.
"Follow me."
Saying that, the Crown Prince headed toward the entrance reserved for the royal family.
Suddenly told to follow, Mika was confused.
Or rather, he didn't quite understand what kind of situation had developed.
As he was flustered wondering what to do, he suddenly caught the Prime Minister's eye.
And, seeing the Prime Minister gesture with his eyes to "go along," Mika, though confused, followed the Crown Prince.
The Pope and the Cardinals also quietly followed Mika.
■■■■■■
Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's quarters, only Mika was permitted to enter.
The Pope and the Cardinals were led to another room and ordered to wait there.
"Try not to make me so nervous."
Sitting at the table, the Crown Prince spoke to Mika with a sigh.
Inside the room, there was only one old knight.
It seemed there was something to discuss after clearing the room of others.
"So, you intended to fight the nation using the Church? Really..."
"Even if you say so..."
Mika had simply done as he was told to leave it to the Pope and the Cardinals.
Or rather, he didn't know what form they intended to take the conversation in.
He never thought they would confront them so boldly and directly.
(It seems they intended to worship him as an "Apostle," I knew that much...)
If the nation sent the Kingdom Army again, they might have intended to fight to the bitter end this time.
To dedicate their lives to the "Apostle" and become martyrs.
(When people's hearts were drifting apart, it would have had little effect. But now, if the Church resists with all its might, the nation would find it difficult to treat them roughly.)
And yet, isn't it too much to clash with full force head-on?
I thought they would try to entangle things a bit more, but instead, it was a full-scale banzai attack.
Rather, did they want to become martyrs?
The Crown Prince's face became a little serious, and he stared fixedly at Mika.
"How is that?"
It seemed he was curious about the light enveloping Mika's body and the wings on his back.
Mika retracted his "Absorb Wing" and whispered softly.
"It's fine now. Go home first."
When Mika said that, the light vanished instantly.
At the same time, the mana inside Mika was taken away in bulk.
This is the reward agreed upon with Fee.
That said, isn't he taking a bit too much without hesitation?
Mika silently used "Absorb."
"............I don't quite understand, but are you the "Dispeller" from the other day?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Fum... I see. What about "Apostle"?"
"Um, that is..."
The Church had already made Mika the "Apostle" and had asked him to do quite unreasonable things.
If Mika denied it here, the people of the Church who had been let down would be troubled.
They might be accused of confusing the people's minds and could even be roasted alive.
While Mika was struggling to reply, the Crown Prince nodded.
"Well, it's fine. You did repel an empire army of seventy thousand. That is undeniable, is it?"
"Yes. That is a fact."
"I understand. Knowing that is enough."
There, the Crown Prince tightened his expression.
"Maurice told me to watch how things would turn out. Honestly, it was quite different from my imagination..., well, if we look only at the result, it is within the expected range."
It seemed the Crown Prince had been watching the situation near the Audience Chamber as Maurice had instructed.
"Did you intend to help us?"
"Of course. Now, we need as many powerful people as possible."
Now that war has broken out with the Empire.
It seems the Crown Prince decided to bring Mika, who has demonstrated his track record as a weapon of mass destruction, to his side.
(Or rather, it was the Crown Prince after all.)
I thought it might be Her Majesty the Queen, but it was indeed the Crown Prince.
Well, Mika had thought the possibility of that side was higher anyway.
The banner for Maurice and those who continue the research on [Divine Wrath] was Crown Prince Cranzard Ektramze.
"So, how did you repel the Empire army? Maurice said you rained down stones."
"Yes. I created stones far larger than this and dropped them from the sky."
Saying that, Mika easily created a "Stone Bullet" right in front of him.
He placed that stone in front of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince stared intently at the stone, then looked at the old knight standing behind him.
The old knight made a troubled face and shook his head.
"............Dropped from the sky... I see. Speaking of which, there were rumors that it flew around the battlefield or something."
"Yes, actually moving on the ground is faster, but if you hit a person, they die just from that. They get blown away."
Saying it so casually as if it were nothing, the Crown Prince's face twitched.
Well, I guess you wouldn't understand the meaning.
Mika tightened his expression a little and asked the Crown Prince.
"More importantly, are you okay, Your Highness? What if His Majesty finds out..."
If it were revealed that he broke the royal command and was secretly researching [Divine Wrath], even the Crown Prince would not get off lightly.
He probably wouldn't be beheaded, but in the worst case, deposing him was possible.
But, disregarding Mika's worry, the Crown Prince remained calm.
"There should be no problem. Dedoderic will surely manage it somehow."
"Dedoderic?"
"The Prime Minister. Dedoderic knows that I was doing things secretly behind the scenes."
"Eh!?"
He found out from the Prime Minister!?
That's dangerous, isn't it...
Mika's eyes widened, but the Crown Prince slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
"Dedoderic is the one who thinks most about the King. There is no way Dedoderic would let [Divine Wrath] be discarded so easily."
The taboo of [Divine Wrath] seems to have been implemented simultaneously with the current King's accession.
However, it had been viewed as a taboo since the end of the Fifty-Year War, and many had kept their mouths shut.
It was only from the current King's accession that it was clearly concealed.
Therefore, when Dedoderic became Prime Minister, [Divine Wrath] was already considered a taboo.
But, thinking of the dangerous neighboring country of Gronoir, a powerful weapon is absolutely necessary.
When Dedoderic received the handover from the previous Prime Minister, he probably considered the revival of [Divine Wrath].
And in the process of secretly investigating [Divine Wrath], he noticed the Crown Prince who was already acting in secret.
Dedoderic, thinking that if [Divine Wrath] was being inherited under the Crown Prince, simply turned a blind eye.
"Probably, if I were to act against the King, he would have considered leaking this matter as well."
It could also be used as a powerful weapon to frame the Crown Prince.
Thinking that, he seems to have deliberately closed his eyes.
Prime Minister, scary.
"You cannot serve as the nation's Prime Minister to a dummy who can't even notice this. Nor to a coward who thinks he can get by with just pretty words."
Yes, the Crown Prince laughed.
Even knowing that the Prime Minister had noticed him, the Crown Prince continued the research.
Both the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister were trying to protect this nation with their lives.
(............I see...)
Mika closed his eyes and exhaled a breath slightly filled with heat.
Something hot welled up in Mika's chest.
This country is full of rotten people.
And that becomes more obvious the higher you go.
Waving power around, they trample on the weak without a second thought.
It seemed they didn't think of commoners as anything other than insects or something.
The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister might not be thinking about commoners at all.
Even so, at least---.
(They are not scum who only run for self-preservation.)
They are thinking about the nation, risking their own lives.
They are different from those who trample on others without considering even a hair's breadth of harm coming to themselves.
They were not just people soaking in privileges.
(What... there are actually decent people, aren't there?)
They are annoying, and there are many things we cannot get along with.
Even so, there were people desperately trying to protect this nation.
Maurice was looking at the prospect of war and cooperating with the research on [Divine Wrath].
Marquis Leventein swung his sword himself and rebuilt the collapsed front lines.
I hear that the lords of the Hailhord Region also entered the Leventein domain themselves and fought.
Baron Limpēre was working hard in the rear, sparing no sleep.
Mika slowly opened his eyes.
The Crown Prince was looking at Mika with a worried expression.
(...It was a much better country than I thought.)
Well, I wish it would become a country a bit kinder to commoners.
Also, I'm scared not knowing what they are doing in the [Divine Wrath] research facility.
(It's too bad there are no human rights...)
Should I make a Magna Carta?
I don't really know the content.
If so, maybe it's better to just enact a normal constitution.
(Make it a constitutional monarchy?)
Or create a parliament and turn Ektrem into a Republic.
For that, I have to overthrow the royal family.
Yes, let's have a revolution.
As I was thinking such things, my eyes met the Crown Prince's.
In front of the Crown Prince, I couldn't help but think of something ominous.
"......Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all."
The Crown Prince called out to Mika, who had fallen silent.
Mika smiled brightly.
I can't say I was plotting a revolution, after all.
Anyway, the conversation with the Crown Prince came to a temporary end, and Mika decided to let the church people go home first.
He told them to visit again sometime and thanked them for their cooperation.
The content of the cooperation was far more radical than expected.
And so, tea was prepared again, and they sat down with the Crown Prince once more.
"By the way, I just thought of something..."
"Hm? What is it?"
Mika decided to ask the question that had popped into the corner of his mind.
"Do you meet the Academy Director often?"
"Maurice? Not often, but we do meet occasionally."
"Did you hear about me before?"
When Mika said that, the Crown Prince lightly nodded while holding his teacup.
"I did receive a report from Maurice about you. A terrible new student who acquired two [God's Miracles] on the first day had arrived."
So, Maurice had reported to the Crown Prince after all.
"And those new students started acquiring [God's Miracles] one after another, is that it?"
"Yes, I heard that. Perhaps the trick to acquiring them might spread."
Maurice had said that there was a risk, so he was concerned about it spreading recklessly.
However...
"It seems there was someone who stopped the gag order. Could it be..."
When Mika said that, the Crown Prince turned his gaze away with a feigned ignorance.
Mika continued to stare at the Crown Prince with a suspicious look.
(As I thought, it was the Crown Prince this guy.)
Mika had thought the source of the orders was the Kingdom Army or the Court Magic Institute, but if the Crown Prince and Maurice had a direct hotline, the possibility of orders coming from the Crown Prince here had emerged.
The Crown Prince, worried about the nation's future, would have been seeking powerful mages.
Even if it was Cleiria, the daughter of a Marquis, he was ready to use her as a piece.
(Well, they had already crossed a dangerous bridge. They probably thought they would use anything available to protect the nation.)
I wish they would choose their methods a bit more.
The opponent is a child, you know?
The Crown Prince made a face as if he felt guilty.
"............Do you think it's terrible?"
"Yes, I do."
"Hey."
Admitting it so easily, the Crown Prince raised a voice of protest.
"You knew it was terrible and gave the order, didn't you?"
"............Well, yes."
The Crown Prince frowned and drank his tea.
Mika watched such a Crown Prince and sighed.
The Crown Prince is not a heartless person.
He had asked to salvage a girl's belongings from a magic bag.
The relationship with the owner was unknown, but holding the doll that was inside, he shed tears.
He is someone who knows pain.
(Even so, if necessary, he discards emotion.)
To become a king, such strength is probably necessary.
No matter how good a government is established, there are parts that must be cut off.
Protecting everything and saving everyone is not a human deed.
That would be impossible even for a god.
(If those around him support him properly, he might not become a bad king?)
Mika also reached for his teacup and took a sip.
(Well, I have the [Poison Resistance] on this flashy bracelet, so I won't die.)
He was still thinking there was a possibility of being poisoned.
Mika smiled at the Crown Prince.
"So, regarding my treatment from now on."
That is what Mika was most curious about.
They might tell him to go to the front line tomorrow.
I decline, though.
But, disregarding Mika's worry, that did not happen.
"For now, just keep doing what you have been doing."
"Is that okay?"
"What? Do you want to go to the front line?"
"No. ............Well, I will go if necessary."
When Mika said that, the Crown Prince laughed.
But, he immediately tightened his expression.
"I am also interested in the [Divine Wrath] you use. How did you use the [Divine Wrath] that annihilated seventy thousand soldiers alone? I really want to conduct research on it."
Does he intend to make me a guinea pig?
Well, I'll just bluff him off appropriately.
"Is there a way for me to contact the Crown Prince?"
"If you tell Maurice, I will send a messenger from here."
That is a troublesome method.
With that, there is no way to contact in an emergency.
Mika silently stood up and walked to the window.
And so, he went out onto the balcony.
The Crown Prince, still seated, watched what Mika was doing while holding a cup of tea.
(Okay, facing south... the third balcony from the east end.)
If I know the location of the room, I can break in through the window if necessary.
In a real emergency, I can come from here.
"......What are you doing?"
"No, nothing at all."
To the Crown Prince who asked with a suspicious look, Mika replied with a bright smile.