The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Desires Retirement

37. Preparing for the Future

With the festival announcing the birth of a new Emperor over, the West Continent had officially begun preparations for war.

Iron was already in a state of tight anxiety over the impending conflict.

In such circumstances, Rotheon and Talos finally took action.

They launched a surprise invasion of Iron, charging forth like a raging tide, but soon found themselves stumped.

“Is that the Western Army?”

The cavalry commander of Rotheon asked as he led the charge, while his lieutenant shook his head beside him.

“No, that is….”

“Central Army.”

The main force of the Western Army was naval.

The rest consisted of merely lightly armored soldiers.

If they had established a heavy infantry line with the Knight Order, it would have been the only one.

The Empire’s Central Army was already stationed within Iron.

“The Envoy Group… was deceived.”

News of the Emperor negotiating with Rotheon was coming in quickly, right before the invasion of Iron—yet it was all a lie.

The cunning Emperor had outsmarted both Rotheon and Talos.

“…Do we move?”

“No, we should retreat. We can’t take on the Empire’s Central Army alone….”

The cavalry of Rotheon was confident in its destructive power, but they had no certainty in breaching the perfectly formed ranks of the Empire’s Central Army.

Even if they somehow managed to penetrate, they would incur massive losses….

Joining the main force and fighting alongside them was far more prudent.

“The speed conflict is over. You’d better relay what you’ve seen to the main forces.”

“Yes.”

At the commander’s order, a soldier quickly turned and rode off.

“The prologue to the Grand War…”

The realization that war was imminent made the cavalry commander’s fists sweat profusely.

Such tension was sweeping through the entire Iron region.

The Talos troops charging in from the east were confronting the Southern Army, while the rebel forces of Iron were being contained by the Empire’s Western Army.

In that moment of brief respite, the Pro-Empire government of Iron began mobilizing troops for reinforcements.

Meanwhile, to the north, the Northern Army led by Marquis Sicario found themselves in a standoff with the main forces of the Holy Nation.

With the threat of war lurking just a slip away, the capital of the Empire was having its fair share of busyness.

*

Immediately after the festival ended, all bureaucrats returned to their posts and commenced work.

Like they were saying, “The break is over,” bureaucrats were toiling day and night.

The crux of the issue, however, was still the manpower problem.

Despite assembling those deemed capable during the festival, there was a glaring shortage.

The bureaucrats discarded by Kariel since his days as Crown Prince numbered in the hundreds, leaving a significant gap.

Yet they couldn’t just recruit nobles.

“…We’re short on manpower.”

The Chancellor, looking haggard, reported to Kariel, who sighed in response.

“But you’ve recruited nobles, haven’t you? They were the ones you let go in the first place.”

“…I apologize.”

Still, having graduated from the Academy, they thought capable individuals would emerge. However, the reality was that most of those who gained admission were either bought their diplomas or came from a life of debauchery.

Truly talented individuals were already working as substitutes or clerks in local territories.

“If we could call up some from the local areas…”

“What about the locals? Do you think that’s reasonable?”

While the central government was in a state of downfall, there were issues still pressing in the local areas.

The Southern region was buried in work due to the aftermath of suppressing the rebel forces, and the North was constantly requesting assistance due to the looming threat from the Holy Nation.

The West was on the verge of war.

The East was relatively calm, but there, the Revolutionary Forces had solidified their grip.

“Then perhaps it would be wise to summon those in their graduating class from the Academy.”

“How many of those will actually be capable?”

Kariel had lost faith in the Academy.

He knew it was possible to buy a diploma. But he hadn’t anticipated that over 30% of the nobles had done so.

Those who wouldn’t have graduated otherwise bought diplomas to boost their credentials.

Utilizing that to gain entry into suitable positions, they gathered experience, and then joined central offices. This was the common pathway for those from prestigious families who couldn’t become heads of families.

“The Academy won’t matter unless you’re selecting commoners from the students. But even that might not catch your eye.”

Even the Academy’s teachers were largely comprised of individuals who got in through connections, leading to subpar teaching quality.

Under former circumstances, Kariel would have exterminated them and revamped the Academy by now.

But why was he letting it fester?

“You must understand. There’s but one answer.”

As he spoke, he pointed his pen at Salem Port.

Manpower might have been lacking, yet the bureaucrats and officials clamored daily for more manpower.

Knowing that, the Chancellor was sent as a representative, yet it only turned into a loop.

“Either convince the nobles or wait for work to lessen. Once a decision is made, report back.”

Kariel, appearing bothered, dismissed the Chancellor. With a sigh, the Chancellor bowed his head and withdrew.

Reconfirming that there was no room for negotiation with Kariel, the Chancellor hurried off to meet the officials.

Originally, Kariel would have leisurely navigated the nobles while slowly bringing the Revolutionary Forces into the fold, but now he could not afford such luxury.

Having learned the truth from the God, the Empire needed to develop faster.

Seeing Miriel suffer in his previous life, Kariel grit his teeth.

The Grand Master Glen nurtured the Master, resurrecting the shattered economy and building military strength comparable to the current level.

Even so, the Empire crumbled.

Thus, in this life, they had to become at least several times stronger to stand a chance.

“…Time is short.”

Kariel muttered, pulling several books from the shelf.

As he did, a mechanism clicked to reveal something.

The Black Wall was covered densely with his plans for the future.

Vast plans.

In the midst of them, a line of incredible characters was written.

“Take Control of the West Continent”

Realistically, achieving unification was difficult.

Then the Empire had at least to seize control of the West Continent.

“Not yet… No.”

It was too early to uncover the truths he knew. He couldn’t reveal them until the situation in Iron was resolved and signs from the East Continent appeared.

“For the future… I must become a demon. To do that, I should at least prepare minimally beforehand.”

Muttering to himself, Kariel sighed softly.

He wanted to be a good Emperor as well.

But circumstances were pushing him to become a “tyrant.”

“In my previous life, I was a kind monarch, in this life, a tyrant?”

With a bitter smile, Kariel sighed again and activated the mechanism, closing the bookshelf.

Then he immediately called for the attendants.

“Given the current state, can we mobilize the Secret Guardians?”

“Yes.”

Bowing deeply, the attendant received a light nod from Kariel.

“I have a secret to relay.”

“A secret… you say?”

“Indeed. It’s the secret of the pact.”

The mention of a pact made the attendant’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Gather all the members of the Secret Guardians; they have the right to hear it.”

“Yes.”

With a serious expression, the attendant quietly withdrew at Kariel’s command.

*

That evening, the veiled members of the Secret Guardians revealed themselves fully.

“First, I commend you all for faithfully preserving secrets for so long.”

As Kariel spoke, he gave a slight bow.

At that, all the members of the Secret Guardians bent at the waist.

With the true Emperor acknowledging them after a long wait, some even felt tears well up.

“Having protected secrets for so long, I trust that you will keep this ‘secret’ until the time comes.”

At Kariel’s words, all members of the Secret Guardians bowed their heads.

“What I wish to convey to you is a ‘secret’ and a ‘request.’”

“A request, you say?”

“Yes, it’s a request related to the secret.”

Responding to the attendant’s query, Kariel turned to the Secret Guardians.

There stood a diverse group of individuals within the Secret Guardians.

At the forefront were an elderly librarian, an attendant, and the caretaker of the Tombs of Past Emperors.

Despite their age, all had exceptional skills.

In contrast, the members standing behind were not solely exceptional individuals. In fact, the majority were ordinary people.

Kariel nodded slightly at the Secret Guardians, made up of both talent and commoners in their ranks for their assigned roles.

“Let me first speak about the contents of the pact.”

As Kariel began speaking, he explained the long-standing pact.

The three elderly men at the front appeared to already be aware, listening calmly to Kariel’s explanation.

“Now, what remains is a single request.”

“Could it be… the opening of Hell?”

At the librarian’s question, Kariel nodded slightly.

“Realistically, it would be hard for us to close the Hell Gate. However, there’s still hope.”

With those words, Kariel lifted his spirits.

Then a symbol vividly appeared on his forehead.

“Seek the Gatekeeper of Hell. According to the pact, with the power of this symbol, we might be able to subdue that gatekeeper… The only way for us to survive lies solely in this.”

At Kariel’s words, the Secret Guardians immediately knelt.

“Everything is as Your Majesty commands.”

From the elderly men to the young ones, as they all bowed their heads, Kariel nodded slightly and spoke softly.

“From now on, the entirety of the Secret Guardians’ strength is to find the one known as ‘Garum,’ who has slept in ancient times.”

“Yes!”

With that order, Kariel called forth the Imperial Guard.

After sending his shadows away, the only ones left nearest to protect Kariel were the Imperial Guards.

Though there were many murmurs about those once deemed oddballs undertaking such a noble task, it didn’t matter.

“You must all be curious about the reason I’ve gathered you like this, right?”

With Kariel’s summons, all the Imperial Guards wore curious expressions.

“Before that, write down on this paper what you all desire.”

“What we desire… you say?”

“Yes, you’re about to become very busy. So I should at least start by granting you a wish.”

At Kariel’s words, the expressions of the guards turned serious.

Toto asked.

“…Is it a dangerous task?”

“Very much.”

Seeing Kariel openly admit to the danger, Toto fell into thoughtful silence.

The other Imperial Guards nodded slightly, beginning to jot down requests they had meant to ask Kariel someday.

“Attendant.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Bring in Talion.”

Summoning the most trusted individual, Talion, who had once been the leader of the Imperial Guard.

“You were once in the Imperial Guard, so you qualify.”

Kariel handed Talion a pen and paper, prompting him to write down his wish. Talion stared at the items for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“My wish has already been fulfilled.”

At Talion’s response, Kariel gazed at him for a moment before smiling back.

“Write something down. It might come in handy later.”

“Well then… a week-long vacation…”

“…Alright.”

Nodding in agreement to Talion’s request, Kariel carefully folded the wish list and placed it in a drawer.

“Relay to the entire Imperial Guard: from now on, secretly cultivate those who will move.”

“Why do so when we already have shadows…”

“Because they need to carry out a completely different mission.”

Kariel divulged the truth of what he had informed the Secret Guardians to Talion as well.

Upon hearing it, Talion’s expression turned serious.

“The individuals trained by the Imperial Guard will all become a group solely pursuing Dark Mages.”

“…Understood.”

“Get ready to take over the Intelligence Department as well.”

“I will do so.”

As Talion bowed and exited the office, Kariel sighed as he looked up at the sky.

Thus, at least the minimal preparations were complete.

Now all that remained was to conclude the situation in Iron and advance the Empire.

With that in mind, Kariel clenched his fist tightly.

And the very next day, Kariel drew his sword once more.