The Crown Prince (2)
The intelligence unit directly under the Imperial Court and Bisted.
They were undeniably the mortal enemies of Louis's family.
After all, they had lived together as a family for a whole 12 years; forgiving those three was unthinkable.
However, killing them was also out of the question, as their skills were at officer level, so Louis chose to keep them alive.
Anyway, they had already beco puppets who could not rebel against him.
"You said it before, didn't you? The real power of this empire isn't His Majesty the Emperor, but His Highness the Crown Prince."
The command room of Paruzan Fortress.
There, with Kelian and the other high-ranking officers of the fortress assembled, the three sat as if being interrogated.
"Can you explain that in more detail here?"
"As we said before... aside from that, we don't know anything else."
They truly knew nothing.
Louis, who was the object of their terror, questioned them, and all he got was that answer—making it certain.
"Then what about this?"
Kelian placed on the table in front of them a piece of paper he had seized from Aiden.
The three, after carefully examining it, shook their heads.
"We don't know about this either."
Considering they had once been with the Imperial Court, there was a lot they seed not to know.
Perhaps they thought extra explanations were unnecessary for a unit that only carried out assigned objectives.
"But if this was sothing Commander Aiden had, then it must be closely related to His Highness the Crown Prince."
It was at that mont that one of those who claid not to know anything, Alpher, finally spoke up in earnest.
"As far as we know, commander Aiden's primary mission was to send what had been produced from the fortress to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Yes. I think this paper was probably ant to be sent as an important item to His Highness originally."
But now, Paruzan Fortress had seized it. If what they said was true, they might have already incurred the Crown Prince's wrath.
"I am a little curious about what Headmaster Ferus said, though."
He had comnted, after seeing it, that it looked quite similar to a design for a torture spell he himself had created.
"For a thing related to spells... I believe Headmaster Ferus was the first to create that spell, wasn't he?"
"It can't be said to be truly the first."
When Louis voiced his doubts, Klein added what he had in his head.
"The headmaster didn't create this completely on his own. He borrowed the power of so artifact and refined it—that's closer to the truth."
"Then, does that an the original of the spell is that artifact?"
"I don't know exactly which artifact, though."
And Headmaster Ferus had ntioned that this looked like a blueprint.
The artifact that was the origin of the spell; the paper that looked like a design for that spell; and the fact that the spell originally ca from so artifact.
Louis pieced these things together and ca up with a hypothesis.
Perhaps this paper was the blueprint for creating that artifact.
The torture spell was the only thing that could truly calm the power of the Chaos Dragon.
Louis, who was clinging to that hope, couldn't help but be concerned.
"If this really is an item ant for His Highness the Crown Prince, then he will not let you go unpunished."
"Not just you, either—this whole fortress might end up being sacrificed."
If they themselves spoke so, Louis could guess what kind of person the Crown Prince was.
He had never seen him in person, but it was obvious he was no good person.
'He never even appeared as an NPC in the ga.'
Furthermore, the destruction of Seifert domain may not have been solely Bisted's doing; the Crown Prince could be involved as well.
"It stands to reason. I've been out of the Crown Prince's favor for a long ti, after all."
When Kelian said this, the three suddenly rembered sothing they had forgotten.
"Co to think of it... you committed the cri of treason, digging into the affairs of the Imperial Court."
"The Crown Prince has many enemies—like us."
Klein remarked, implying he was in the sa boat.
"There were people before who dug into the Crown Prince's background and got caught. The Crown Prince, who considered them a thorn in his side, either executed them or exiled them to remote places."
"We are the exiled ones."
Kelian and Klein.
The two had attempted to catch the Crown Prince's tail and, as punishnt, were assigned to a place where no ordinary human could set foot.
That was how they beca officers of the 7th Legion.
"What made you two investigate the Crown Prince?"
When Louis asked, they both reminisced briefly before opening their mouths.
"Louis, do you believe in the existence of demons?"
"Demons?"
He had no choice but to believe. He had seen them in person during an outing.
Besides, demons appeared in-ga as monsters.
"It might sound sudden, but the Crown Prince is related to demons."
It was outright absurd, but Louis didn't dismiss it outright.
"Louis, are you familiar with the record or achievents of Orbel, the Crown Prince?"
"I've heard plenty when I was still a noble."
As the son of the Emperor, he had a high status as a mage.
At fifteen, he single-handedly defeated a band of thieves who invaded a village, and during his ti at the academy, he maintained first place in his class until graduation.
At the Imperial Magic Tower, he t excellent ntors and developed his magic.
Even now, though only in his twenties, he was said to have reached near 7th-circle proficiency.
"Right. The Crown Prince possesses excellent strength as a mage. I even helped teach him for a ti."
Louis's expression showed interest at this new information. Klein, regardless, continued his explanation.
"But while teaching him, I discovered a secret I should never have known. Orbel, the Crown Prince... was born with a body incapable of producing magic power."
This was unexpected, prompting Louis to ask further.
If his body was like that, it ant he could never beco a mage or a knight from birth.
"That's the first I'm hearing of it."
"Understandable. It's top-secret information."
"If he can't produce magic power, doesn't that an he's no more than an ordinary person? Then how..."
What, then, was the source of all the achievents the Crown Prince had built up?
It was a natural question, but the answer was already in front of him.
"A human at the very bottom, incapable of magic power, suddenly gained it. That has to an so kind of trick—like a contract with an absolute being."
"You an, perhaps, he's related to demons..."
He made a contract with a demon. That conclusion appeared in Louis's mind.
Kelian spoke as if to confirm it.
"Correct. That's why we decided to dig into the Crown Prince."
"It was simply unbearable—wondering how soone who couldn't have magic power got that kind of strength!"
Of course, their attempt failed, and as a result Kelian and Klein ended up here, in the 7th Legion.
"If even you two failed, is the Crown Prince that strong?"
At Louis's question, Klein shook his head.
"It's not that he's weak, but he wouldn't be enough to face the commander. The problem is the guardians at the Crown Prince's side."
"Are those guards?"
"Not just ordinary guards, but a top elite unit called 'Saber' that protects royalty. Each individual is at near the sa level as the commander."
A unit of that caliber certainly deserved to be called a direct force of the royal family.
Any nation likely had sothing similar, but Klein continued with a sour expression.
"But even though they're called the royal elite, in reality, they move solely for the Crown Prince's sake. And the Saber unit was only ford recently."
"Don't such units usually exist from long ago?"
A unit that guards the Imperial Court should have existed from the founding of the nation or the court.
Even if not called sothing grand like Saber, it would naturally form around the royalty.
"Of course, there was a direct unit before Saber—and for reference, I was part of that unit."
Klein's expression suddenly darkened, despite his previously smooth explanation.
"But then, we were defeated by the newly ford Saber. The unit I belonged to was suddenly branded as obsolete."
The old, weaker unit was swept aside and replaced with the new one.
Surprisingly, all the mbers of Saber were hand-picked by the Crown Prince himself.
"Of course, I couldn't hold a grudge over it. If a stronger unit stays by His Majesty's side, it's better for everyone. But..."
Contrary to expectations, Saber wasn't a proper unit.
Each mber was said to obsessively worship the Crown Prince, and when it advanced his interest, they would even sacrifice civilians without hesitation.
The fact that the Crown Prince personally recruited them was suspicious to begin with.
So rumored that all of them had received a trendous favor from the Crown Prince.
"That's why I gathered like-minded collaborators and dug into the Crown Prince's background."
"But everyone except the two of us died."
In conclusion, Kelian and Orbel, the Crown Prince, are mortal enemies—each desperate to kill the other.
"In that sense, the 7th Legion is quite a safe place. It's perfect for hiding from that accursed Crown Prince."
No matter how powerful the Saber unit he brought, the demon realm was clearly out of the Crown Prince's hands.
Louis frankly agreed—the demon realm was a safe zone, as long as one was strong enough to survive.
"Commander! Excuse !"
Just then, a knight entered the command room with a knock.
The knight flinched seeing Louis, but quickly explained his purpose for coming in, holding out a new bird-shaped spirit perched on his shoulder.
"There's a ssage from His Highness the Crown Prince."
Everyone inside the command room tensed up in surprise at the sudden news.
When Kelian accepted the communication spirit, a voice flowed out from within.
["It's been a while, Kelian. Have you been well?"]
The Crown Prince's voice rang out, with a tone that seed to mock them.
After ten seconds of silence, the bird spirit spoke again.
["No answer, hmm."]
"Just get to the point, Your Highness."
Louis was startled at Kelian's belated comnt. Silia and the three intelligence unit mbers reacted similarly.
["Do you know what it ans to show such an attitude in my presence?"]
"I don't see what good it would do , since you are not soone worthy of my loyalty."
He was the most powerful figure in the Empire. Even if it wasn't to his face, speaking like Kelian would get you killed a dozen tis over.
But a rebel like Kelian had no need to offer loyalty; as a demon realm officer, he couldn't be punished even if they wanted.
["Then I'll speak as you wish."]
Despite hearing sothing unforgivable from a subject, the Crown Prince laughed.
["I want you to return the treasure taken from Aiden."]
"Is it sothing important?"
["Not just important. It is dangerous."]
The weighty words made Kelian's brow twitch.
["That item is cursed by a demon. If an ordinary person touches it, they will not last thirty days before dying."]
"Is that really tru... cough!"
Kelian suddenly coughed up blood mid-sentence. A mysterious magic array had appeared on his palm.
"This is..."
["I did warn you it was cursed. Who told you to touch my things so carelessly?"]
"Ha ha ha... then what about Aiden, who's been carrying it around?"
Despite the pain, Kelian managed a wry laugh and asked.
["Aiden is my personal vassal, unlike you. Anyone else will inevitably be cursed."]
"..."
["Only I can lift the curse. What will you do?"]
...
...
...
After the communication with the Crown Prince ended, Louis and Silia left the command room and walked down the corridor.
"Do you think what the Crown Prince said was true?"
Having listened to the exchange, Louis contemplated carefully.
The Crown Prince's order was to subdue the horde of monsters that would appear a few days later at ruins near the demon realm.
To that end, he had ordered the assembly of all commander troops from the 7th Legion's fortresses.
It looked like a re dispatch, but that was just the surface—there must be another true purpose.
"Even if it's true, the location worries . If it's that ruin... it's a site for sacrificing living beings as 'offerings'."
"Offerings?"
"In the past, it was a place of live sacrifices—hardly anyone knows that."
Just like making a contract with a demon, sothing is created at the cost of lives.
The fact that such a horrifying ritual is possible is known only to the highest authorities.
"Will the Crown Prince co in person?"
"I doubt it. He said a noble closely tied to the 7th Legion would co instead."
To be precise, he would send a noble closely connected to himself. One na popped into Louis's mind.
'Alber Bisted.'
Silia, anwhile, looked at him with a worried expression and asked,
"But... are you sure it's okay to keep handling that thing?"
Louis replied, putting the paper he held into his pocket.
"It's fine for ."
Only for Louis, that is.
****
"Then preparations are all complete."
A knight, clad in resplendent plate armor, spoke to the Empire's Crown Prince.
Crown Prince Orbel.
He withdrew the dark magic power radiating from his body and asked the knight,
"Have the other 7th Legion fortresses been notified?"
"Yes. Paruzan was the final one Your Highness contacted just now."
He had issued the sa orders to the other fortresses as he had to Paruzan.
Elite soldiers from each legion would now gather at the designated site.
"The Great Devil, who recognized my unwavering loyalty, has granted a gift. In exchange, I must make a 'sacrifice'. Cough!"
The Crown Prince abruptly began coughing, looking pale, which made the knight anxiously ask,
"Are you all right?"
"The Great Devil wants his price. So I can't act directly as I expected."
"What kind of gift have you received, that he is already insisting like this...?"
"It's just that precious. It's only a problem that Kelian got his hands on it..."
After a mont's troubled look, the Crown Prince suddenly smiled.
"But it doesn't matter. Kelian will die in thirty days anyway. Soone like Aiden can easily fill his place as another puppet."
Through the communication, he had said he'd spare them if they followed orders, but it was all a lie.
So of the Paruzan officers, including Kelian, already knew his secret identity.
"We need to prepare the 'sacrifice' quickly on our side, then."
"Yes, be quick. Kelian's death and reclaiming the gift co after that."
A proper price was required for the gift. For that, he'd just now given the Paruzan commander his orders: dispatch the main forces of Paruzan to the designated location.
"But I'm sure it will be resolved smoothly with the Bisted head's involvent. If you feel uneasy, why not send to the scene myself?"
With confidence, the knight volunteered for any task. But the Crown Prince sensed another reason behind the knight's eagerness.
"Do you want to go that much?"
"... Yes. Last ti the Bisted head subjugated Seifert domain, sothing unusual happened."
The rcenaries disguised as bandits achieved their goal, but then suddenly disappeared.
The head of those rcenaries was, in fact, the knight's younger brother.
"I heard the ones captured at the domain that ti are now 7th Legion soldiers."
"Are you planning to question those soldiers and find your brother?"
"Yes."
The knight's earnest plea made the Crown Prince ponder for a mont.
But he approved, thinking that the Alber family head should have a strong escort.
"Very well."
"Thank you most sincerely!"
The royal guard unit, 'Saber'. Garce, one of its mbers, bowed to the Crown Prince in gratitude.
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