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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“The important thing is that a guy who was a rogue just a few months ago is now stealing all my support base and even being considered as a candidate for the crown prince.”
The leading candidates for the crown prince were the first and Second Princes.
The Third Prince, Aloken, had the support of the Yellow Tower and the Red Tower, but his power was insufficient compared to the two above, so he wasn’t considered a candidate for the crown prince.
Now, with the Red Tower, the largest of his support bases, showing interest in the Fifth Prince, it was natural for Aloken to feel a sense of crisis.
“In the imperial capital, you can’t harm the Red Tower Master or the Fifth Prince.”
Aloken didn’t deny the assassin’s presumption, which was frightening in itself.
Until just now, he had been boldly planning to attack the Fifth Prince within the imperial capital.
“If it’s Brother Deneb, it might not be impossible, right?”
His tone was provocative.
The assassin didn’t bother to respond.
As he said, if it were the Second Prince, Deneb, it wouldn’t be impossible to scheme within the imperial capital, but the risks were too high.
‘It’s impossible for you, Third Prince.’
The assassin swallowed his words. The Second Prince still saw value in using the Third Prince.
Therefore, it was necessary to maintain an amicable relationship.
“Well, there’s no need to scheme within the imperial capital…”
The murderous intent in his voice was enough to freeze the atmosphere in the reception room.
Does this fool even understand what it means to assassinate a ‘royal’ in the Philios Empire?
The assassin slightly bowed his head to hide his cold gaze and spoke.
“There have been many assassination attempts recently. It’s hard to imagine the Fifth Prince leaving the imperial capital.”
“He will leave the imperial capital soon.”
There was a strong conviction in his voice.
The assassin remained silent, as he hadn’t heard anything yet.
He didn’t think it was mere bravado. There were still those standing behind the Third Prince, and he must have heard something from them.
“You know about the collaboration between my brother and me, right?”
He must be referring to the banquet hall attack. At the Third Prince’s mention, the assassin frowned slightly while keeping his head bowed.
Even though this was the Third Prince’s palace, it wasn’t wise to speak openly about being involved in a direct attack on the Emperor.
Contrary to the assassin’s concerns, Aloken opened his mouth to continue speaking with a proud expression.
“Because of that incident, part of the Northern Central Army has been deployed to the northern border region of the Philios Empire. As you know, the Haifel Empire borders the northwest, and the Free Isiria Kingdom of the Tri-Nation Alliance borders the northeast. With the Northern Central Army advancing near the border, tensions are bound to rise.”
The Monster Forest served as a buffer zone on the border with the Haifel Empire, and the Black Mountains served as a buffer on the border with the Free Isiria Kingdom.
If not for the Monster Forest or the Black Mountains, a large-scale local war might have erupted long ago.
“Even with the buffer zones, small-scale skirmishes are intensifying.”
“They’ll send a royal to the border.”
At the assassin’s words, the Third Prince, Aloken, grinned and nodded. The fanatical loyalty of the military to the royals in the Philios Empire was famous across the continent.
This was due to the existence of the ‘Colossal Soldiers’ that had been passed down since the ancient wars.
The royals of the Philios Empire could control powerful Colossal Soldiers, which is why they were called the bloodline of the gods since ancient times.
Naturally, the previous Emperors used this to enhance the military’s loyalty through mental education.
The mental education continued for two thousand years during the ancient era, and even though that era had ended, the military’s loyalty remained.
“Yes, if a royal is sent to the border during such uncertain times, not only the Central Army but also the local forces will fight the enemies like fanatics. Even though His Majesty the Emperor cherishes Raymond, if my brother Deneb and I align our forces, sending him to the border won’t be difficult.”
Aloken’s voice brimmed with confidence.
Despite the Fifth Prince, Raymond, inflicting a critical wound on the Shadow Emperor, Aloken believed that as long as Raymond left the imperial capital, he could be assassinated. His demeanor was that of a madman blinded by envy and jealousy.
‘The Fifth Prince, Raymond, might not be as easy as you think.’
The Third Prince, who had been striving for the throne for ten years, was caught up by the Fifth Prince in just a few months.
Although there was still a difference in the number of nobles following them, the loss of the Red Tower was critical.
Once again, the assassin had to swallow his words.
Blinded by envy, jealousy, and a sense of crisis, it was clear that no words would reach him.
‘Besides, he is not my lord.’
The world is a cold place.
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“Ice Blast!”
As he chanted the spell name and extended his hand, the condensed mana exploded, completing the spell.
Raymond confirmed the ice explosion where his gaze landed, then picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a short sigh.
It was too meager an explosion to be called an advanced spell.
The Fifth Prince, Raymond Philios, had succeeded in reaching the level of an intermediate mage based on his overwhelming talent, the secret transmissions of the Blue Tower, and the settings he knew from the author’s setting book. However, the problem was becoming an advanced mage.
“It’s not easy, is it?”
Raymond nodded instead of answering the light question from Desia, the advanced mage who had been watching from the side, and moved his steps.
As he sat on a chair in the corner of the training ground, Alex, who had been waiting, ran over and handed him a cup of cold water.
He emptied the large cup of water in one go.
“Advanced mages are different.”
Honestly, after seeing Desia reach the level of an advanced mage from an intermediate one in just a few months, he thought it might be easy, but experiencing it firsthand proved otherwise.
It felt like a giant wall was blocking his path.
It was different from rising from a lower to an intermediate level. The specific method to advance in magic wasn’t even written in the setting book, so he was struggling repeatedly.
“Don’t think too hastily. You have a talent for magic, Your Highness.”
Desia spoke in a gentle voice, but his anxious heart wasn’t soothed.
He needed to become as strong as possible before the ‘Blood Funeral’ began.
To do that, he had to seize the ‘Blessing of Sword and Magic,’ which originally belonged to the protagonist.
To receive the ‘Blessing of Sword and Magic,’ he needed the level of an advanced mage and the ability to forge a mana sword. Given that the lineage of magic swordsmen had been severed since the ancient era, meeting these two conditions was nearly impossible.
‘Because sword and magic are opposites.’
There was a complex setting, but to put it simply, that’s how it was.
Since the ancient era, there had been movements in various magic towers to revive the overpowered character of the magic swordsman, but all had failed.
Even in the setting, it was only mentioned that the method to cultivate magic swordsmen from the ancient era had been lost, yet the protagonist accomplished it.
How did he do it?
To cut to the chase, it was through equipment. He was originally a mage, but he supplemented the condition of a mana sword with an ancient relic called the Soul Sword.
It started as a trick, but after receiving the ‘Blessing of Sword and Magic,’ the discord between the two skills completely disappeared, and the protagonist became a complete magic swordsman, as described in the novel.
‘If I have the Soul Sword, I can do it too.’
The method and location to break the seal of the ancient relic, the Soul Sword, are known to me, but the problem is that it lies dormant in the ‘Black Mountains,’ which border the Free Isiria Kingdom.
‘There’s no way they’ll send me to the border region now.’
The Emperor cherishes the Fifth Prince. Probably because of that incident.
A sigh escaped me.
Just as I was about to resume training, a member of the royal guard in uniform came running.
“Your Highness, there’s a summons from the palace.”
Suddenly?
“Do you know why I’ve been summoned?”
“They say it’s because of a court meeting. All the other princes have been summoned as well.”
It seems something is happening.
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It was the first time for the Fifth Prince, Raymond, to attend a court meeting.
Five years ago, when he wasn’t a fool, he was too young, and since then, he had shut himself in the Fifth Prince’s palace, spending his days in a drunken stupor, so he had never been summoned to a court meeting.
As soon as he left the Fifth Prince’s palace with a few attendants, the Blue Tower Master and the Red Tower Master joined him.
“Old man. I thought you’d be waiting at the palace already. What’s the occasion?”
Raymond asked playfully, and the Blue Tower Master, Lysfield, chuckled and replied.
“I came to hitch a ride on your carriage.”
It wasn’t hard to guess the reason hidden behind the casually thrown joke.
It’s customary for the carriages of nobles to bear the flags representing those on board.
The Blue Tower Master intended to use this court meeting summons as an opportunity to officially announce that the Red Tower Master was siding with Raymond.
Depending on the situation, many nobles typically attend court meetings.
They would all see the flags of the Red Tower and the Blue Tower flying on the Fifth Prince’s carriage.
“The carriage will be cramped, but get in.”
Though he grumbled as if complaining, the Blue Tower Master saw a faint smile spread across the Fifth Prince’s lips.
“What are you waiting for? Get in quickly; I don’t want to be late!”
The Fifth Prince, who had already boarded the carriage, urged them.
The Blue Tower Master boarded with a bright smile, and the Red Tower Master followed with a tense face.
“Form the escort formation.”
Gestain, along with four elite guards on horseback, formed an escort formation around the carriage.
Once the formation was properly established, Gestain signaled for departure, and the carriage began to move toward the palace.
“The security is tight.”
Alex, sitting in the coachman’s seat, remarked. The inspection at the palace gate was strict, and the sight of royal knights and the imperial army patrolling with a fierce aura made the atmosphere unnecessarily heavy.
Gestain, riding beside the carriage, glanced around and spoke with a calm expression.
“His Majesty the Emperor was attacked recently. I think even this level of security reinforcement is insufficient.”
It was an answer befitting a high-ranking knight. Alex let out a short sigh, trying not to show it.
Their conversation ended, but another one was about to begin inside the carriage.
In the continued silence, the Fifth Prince, Raymond, was the first to speak.
“Do you know why I’ve been summoned to the court meeting this time?”
Since being attacked at the banquet, he had been resting and then focusing on training, so he hadn’t heard what was happening at the palace.
Having read up to the third volume of “Empire of the Dead” and memorized the author’s setting book, he had a rough idea of the domestic and international situation, but he wanted detailed information from the Red Tower Master or the Blue Tower Master.
“It’s likely because of the Haifel Empire and the Free Isiria Kingdom. It’s been confirmed that they’ve deployed additional troops to the border.”
The one who answered was the Red Tower Master, Berenus Kyle.
“Has the Northern Central Army moved toward the border?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“There will be friction at the border.”
Even though the Monster Forest and the Black Mountains served as buffer zones, it wouldn’t be difficult for the excellent rangers of the Haifel Empire and the seasoned mercenaries of the Free Isiria Kingdom to sneak across.
It would be challenging with large numbers, but possible with small groups.
“Small and large skirmishes are already occurring at the border with the Haifel Empire.”
This time, it was the Blue Tower Master, Lysfield, who answered.
“I heard my brothers have been summoned as well.”
“Yes, all three of them, except for the fourth princess, have been summoned to the court meeting.”
From the Blue Tower Master’s words, Raymond could guess the Emperor’s intentions.
It was clear that he intended to send a royal to boost the morale of the troops stationed at the border.
He had been pondering how to leave the imperial capital, and it seemed things might resolve more easily than expected.
‘If that’s the case, I must go to the border with the Free Isiria Kingdom. Absolutely…!’
The ‘Soul Sword’ lies dormant in the Black Mountains, bordering the Free Isiria Kingdom.
“We’ve arrived.”
A member of the elite guard announced their arrival from outside the carriage.
As he opened the door and stepped out, the royal knight who had come to greet him raised his right arm over his chest, showing respect to the royal family.
Thanks to the rumors of him saving the Emperor at the banquet, the royal knight’s gaze toward the Fifth Prince was favorable.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, I will guide you to the meeting hall. The Royal Guards are only allowed to accompany you to the entrance of the meeting hall.”
He nodded slowly, and the royal knight led the way.
Raymond followed, observing his surroundings.
He saw the carriages of nobles gathered in front of the towering building. Some nobles near the carriages noticed the flags of the Blue Tower and the Red Tower next to the Fifth Prince’s flag.
“Is it true that the Blue Tower stands behind His Highness the Fifth Prince?”
“There’s the Red Tower’s flag too.”
“What on earth has happened in the past few months?”
The nobles murmured. There were positive voices, but also quite a few negative ones.
However, Raymond ignored their conversation and continued walking.
Gestain, who had been about to release some killing intent, also followed silently when he saw his lord was unbothered.
“This is as far as I can guide you.”
Upon reaching the door of the meeting hall, the royal knight bowed and stepped back.
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