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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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As Raymond turned his head towards the direction of the voice, he saw the Third Prince, Aloken, standing there.
Behind him were what appeared to be his direct Royal Guards, all exuding a powerful aura of mana.
They must be the Tower Knights and mages.
‘A genius mage, the Third Prince. This is my first time seeing him in person.’
Raymond almost chuckled at the absurdity of it. Of course, it was his first time seeing a character from a novel.
The Third Prince, Aloken, looked quite ordinary, contrary to the description in the novel that likened him to a viper. In fact, he seemed rather kind-hearted. If they had met without knowing his background, one might easily find him likable.
“I was just thinking about today’s events, brother.”
“Yeah, it’s unfortunate.”
Aloken took a step closer and raised his hand. His subordinates stepped back.
“Could you give us a moment alone?”
His tone was commanding, as if addressing someone beneath him.
Raymond frowned but raised his hand to signal Alex and the royal knights to step back. There was no benefit in arguing with the Third Prince here.
Moreover, he was curious about what Aloken was thinking.
If they talked, he might catch a glimpse of what was going on in that cunning mind of his.
“You’ve been quite stubborn lately; what’s brought on this sudden change of heart?”
Aloken spoke bluntly.
‘Is it really necessary to answer that?’
Raymond simply smiled slyly. Perhaps displeased by this, Aloken frowned and continued.
“Have you developed an interest in the throne?”
That was a direct question. There seemed to be a faint hint of malice in his voice.
Depending on Raymond’s answer, it felt like Aloken’s subordinates behind him might draw their swords and rush forward. Of course, that was unlikely.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you want to live long, it would be wise to let go of any interest in the throne.”
“Are you threatening me right now?”
Raymond’s voice turned cold. Even Aloken, who had reached the level of a high-ranking mage, seemed momentarily tense.
“You’ve changed quite a bit.”
His once rogue younger brother had transformed.
“But I have only one thing to say: forget about the throne.”
After the sudden death of the Third Empress Violet, who had been favored by the Emperor, the Emperor’s attention shifted to the Fifth Prince.
Had Raymond not secluded himself for five years, he could have become a strong competitor.
That’s why Aloken hoped Raymond wouldn’t take an interest in the throne.
If he participated in the succession battle, things would get troublesome for Aloken.
“The throne, huh…”
“Don’t get any delusions. I don’t see you as a competitor. I just don’t want things to get complicated.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As soon as Raymond responded, Aloken turned around and rejoined his subordinates. Raymond’s gaze remained fixed on their retreating figures.
“Thanks to you, brother, I’ve developed a bit of interest in the throne.”
His voice was barely above a whisper—quiet enough that no one else could hear—but it was a firm resolution nonetheless.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A few days passed after the morning banquet, the first in five years.
During this time, Raymond had quietly stayed out of trouble to shed his reputation as a rogue. However, this unintentionally led to strange rumors circulating about him.
‘The Fifth Prince isn’t acting like a rogue anymore. He must be insane.’
The few attendants at the Fifth Prince’s residence weren’t the source of these rumors. They were whispers circulating among maids that Alex had stumbled upon and quietly shared with Raymond.
“This is just between us, Your Highness,” Alex said as he lowered his head slowly after spilling the beans.
Perhaps because Raymond had shown him kindness over these past few days, Alex had started displaying a somewhat favorable attitude towards him lately.
“Alright, I’ll keep it secret.”
After Alex left, Raymond sat by the window and organized his thoughts.
The Third Prince Aloken had bared his fangs at him.
Even if he claimed not to care about the throne, it was clear he wouldn’t believe it. The same went for Crown Prince 1 and 2.
‘I need to start moving seriously.’
He didn’t want to be ignored anymore. Since things had come this far, he intended to take action. The throne? If they wanted competition, he’d give it to them.
‘But if I’m going to enter this competition for the throne, I need support.’
He couldn’t just jump in unarmed.
‘The First Prince has military leaders and knights behind him. The Second Prince has assassins at his side. The Third Prince has support from the Mage Tower.’
All three princes had talent. However, Raymond lacked both support and strength himself.
At this point, there was only one thing he needed to do to survive:
‘Steal the protagonist’s opportunities.’
At least until volume three, he knew roughly what paths the protagonist would take and what opportunities he would gain along the way.
Having accidentally seen some notes from the author before, he also knew a bit about opportunities lying dormant within the Philios Empire.
“Where should I start…?”
He decided on his next steps. It was hard to contain his excitement; a smile naturally spread across his face.
He wondered what expression Aloken would wear when he finally stood at the top.
“Should I start with Imperial Treasury Room 7?”
That room contains ‘The Spear of Sacrifice,’ lost magic from southern mages.
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“You wish to access the treasury?”
Emperor Ronald asked with curiosity in his voice. A spark lit up in his aged and sickly eyes.
Raymond slowly lifted his head.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I would like unrestricted access to Treasury Room 7.”
“Treasury Room 7…”
The royal rooms were filled with treasures and valuable books. However, Room 7 contained items that were notably lesser in quality compared to others.
While it did have many rare historical texts that mages and scholars frequented, Ronald thought it wasn’t something that would interest royalty much.
“Can you tell me why?”
“I want to forget my past as a rogue and start anew.”
Ronald nodded with satisfaction; this answer was enough to move him emotionally.
“Chamberlain.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. How may I serve you?”
“Issue an access permit for Imperial Treasury Room 7 to the Fifth Prince.”
The chamberlain bowed respectfully before stepping back. Raymond also carefully rose from his seat.
Now that business was concluded, it was time for him to receive his access permit and head toward Imperial Treasury Room 7.
“Are you leaving already?”
There was a hint of regret in Ronald’s voice. But he couldn’t hold onto Raymond any longer.
Besides maintaining face as Emperor, there were suddenly many political and diplomatic matters that needed handling after an attack on the palace.
“Show your face now and then.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With those words finished, Raymond left the audience chamber.
‘The Emperor has aged more than I expected.’
And he had grown weaker too; each time they met made that clearer to Raymond.
“There isn’t much time left.”
“Yes?”
The words slipped out before he realized it. Alex cautiously approached him as if thinking he was giving orders again.
“It’s nothing.”
Raymond shook his head. The strong Emperor from his memories had visibly weakened over these five years—a bad omen indeed.
Before being reincarnated into this life as Raymond Philios, he thought he didn’t get along well with the Emperor back then.
But without the Emperor’s protection? Even being part of royal blood capable of using ancient weapons wouldn’t have led him anywhere good.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince.”
Suddenly, the chamberlain approached him again and handed over an access permit with great respect in his demeanor.
Although polite in mannerism, for just a brief moment Raymond caught a glimmer of disdain in the chamberlain’s eyes.
‘I still have a long way to go before being recognized.’
Raymond forced out a bitter smile; given how strong his past reputation as a rogue was, expecting positive feelings from people felt impossible right now.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, you must not cause any trouble in the royal archives.”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about, chamberlain.”
‘This doesn’t suit a scoundrel like me……’
A short sigh escaped him, lingering in the air. When he finished organizing his thoughts, he realized the chamberlain had disappeared somewhere.
“This guy, that guy… Everyone looks down on me.”
His reputation as a rogue still lingered, which was unavoidable, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth.
‘I’ll show them I’ve changed.’
With the access permit in hand, he strode confidently towards Imperial Treasury Room 7.
“Your Highness the Fifth Prince, Room 7 is…”
“I know.”
“What?”
“I know where it is.”
He had never been there himself. It was briefly mentioned in the novel. But he knew. Why?
‘Because I saw the setting in the book.’
The description of Imperial Treasury Room 7 was impressive and had stuck with him.
It was the seventh room managed by the Philios Empire’s royal family. Unlike other rooms that housed magical tools or spellbooks, it only contained historical texts.
Thus, there were few visitors. However, there was a setting that Emperor Hansen had hidden the Spear of Sacrifice there long ago.
“Hehe.”
Originally, it was an opportunity meant for the protagonist. The thought of stealing it brought out a wicked smile.
Seeing this, Alex, the chamberlain, flinched as memories of trauma resurfaced.
After about 30 minutes of brisk walking, they arrived at Room 7.
The entrance was guarded by two royal knights. Raymond showed them his access permit.
“Attendants cannot enter.”
“You all wait here.”
Alex and the royal knights bowed their heads and stepped back while Raymond opened the door and walked inside.
The magical lights were on, but it was still dark. However, it wasn’t so dark that he couldn’t see ahead.
Raymond moved deeper into the room.
He wasn’t sure exactly where the spellbook for the Spear of Sacrifice was located, but he had a rough idea.
[As soon as he entered Imperial Treasury Room 7, he felt an unknown intangible energy from his right. As he hurriedly moved forward, he spotted a faintly glowing device before him. He had finally found the secret chamber left behind by Hansen.]
Since he couldn’t wield magic, there was no way he could sense intangible energies. The only clue he had was that it was to the right in the room.
“Let’s give this a try.”
He spent five hours that day searching.
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As the rogue prince became more composed, amusing rumors began circulating among palace staff about his daily visits to the room filled with historical texts.
‘The Fifth Prince has changed.’
Initially dismissed as crazy, people began to think positively about him now.
Regardless of what others thought, Raymond didn’t care. He was focused solely on finding the Spear of Sacrifice in Imperial Treasury Room 7.
“Alex, let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Today too, Raymond set out from his residence with Alex to search for the spellbook of the Spear of Sacrifice in the Imperial Treasury Room 7.
A few royal knights followed them. Upon arriving at the entrance to the room, they all stepped back as if on cue.
Raymond opened the firmly closed door and walked inside. He expected today would be no different from usual.
But it wasn’t.
“You might want to come out before I call the royal knights.”
The scene before him was different from yesterday. The positions of the books he had left were changed.
It could be possible that someone else had visited in just one day; however, Raymond spoke with confidence as if he knew everything that had happened.
After all, if he lost anything here, it wouldn’t matter much anyway.
“I didn’t expect you to see through my concealment spell, Your Highness.”
An old man dressed in a brown robe emerged from the darkness.
He looked like a mage, but there were no emblems from any mage tower on his robe.
“You know I’m the Fifth Prince.”
“There’s an emblem on your cloak.”
“Is that so?”
Nodding at the old man’s words, Raymond took a few steps closer to reduce the distance between them.
The old man merely smiled without stepping back.
“Do you have your access permit?”
“I do not, Your Highness.”
The old man spread his hands open to show that they were empty.
“Are you planning to inform the court?”
“Is there really a need for that?”
“Is that so?”
“Just go about your business without worrying about me. I won’t concern myself with you either…”
He spoke with a relaxed expression. The old man grinned and vanished into the darkness.
‘I didn’t expect to meet him…’
Though he hadn’t revealed his name, Raymond felt like he knew who it was.
‘He must have been looking for the Spear of Sacrifice.’
But in the novel, he ultimately fails to find it.
‘In the end, it will be found by the protagonist.’
And then this old man becomes an ally to the protagonist.
‘His name is…’
Lysfield Dior. He was unique among mage towers for declaring neutrality and not supporting Crown Prince 3.
‘The Blue Tower Master.’
A smile spread across Raymond’s face.
‘If I find the Spear of Sacrifice, then the Blue Tower will stand behind me.’
Stealing away opportunities from the protagonist, the first step has begun to unfold.
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He had obtained information suggesting that what he sought might be in Imperial Treasury Room 7.
He tried to get an access permit but found it difficult due to recent attacks on the palace.
However, he couldn’t give up. Having reached a level close to that of a high-ranking mage made sneaking into Imperial Treasury Room 7 relatively easy due to its lax security.
But then came another problem. No matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find anything. After some time spent searching fruitlessly, he felt like giving up and took a few days off instead.
“The Fifth Prince has started visiting the archive?”
Using concealment magic seemed like it would work well for him. Being close to becoming a grand mage among high-ranking mages meant he thought he’d be hard to detect easily.
But then…
The Fifth Prince saw through his concealment magic.
This was something he hadn’t anticipated at all.
