Episode 265: Why are you hostile to the empire?
Logan’s smile disappeared at that unexpected question.
‘…Was there anything noticeable?’
Logan, who momentarily looked back on his previous actions, realized his mistake after becoming aware of the dark eyes watching his reaction.
“Hmm. You are saying scary things. I was confused and wondered if I was really hostile to the empire, so I looked back on my memory for a moment. Can I know why you said those words?”
An answer that clearly reveals your perplexed feelings but is not awkward.
He seemed to have behaved well, but the black eyes looking at him did not waver at all.
“Recently, I heard some amazing news. It was that a magicite mine was discovered in a corner of the Kingdom of McLane, or rather the former domain of McLane. A significant amount of it had already been sold. Oh, except for our empire.”
“Ah…”
In the end, the existence of the mine was at stake.
However, since it was something he was determined to find out someday, Logan answered calmly even though he clicked his tongue.
“Ahaha. Since it is a valuable resource, we tried to maintain maximum security considering the position of the territory and the country. But are you saying that you are hostile to the empire because of that? I think that is too much.”
Take a tummy tuck.
So what are you going to do?
If only I had known about McLane’s name back in the days when it was limited to one territory.
Now that all systems are in a solid state, there will be no room for any empire to interfere through means other than war.
However, despite Logan’s confident attitude, the prince continued speaking calmly.
“Isn’t changing the military system and continuously training troops to prepare for war? If you are not hostile to the empire, are you planning to conquer the small kingdoms in the east?”
Logan’s face hardened at those words.
“It’s just part of my policy as king to make the country rich and strong. Is the empire trying to interfere in our kingdom’s internal affairs right now?”
The prince’s words crossed the line.
If it weren’t for his status as the prince of the empire, he wouldn’t have anything to say even if he gave him Chidogon.
Logan tried to use that as an excuse to take control of the conversation, but the prince smiled darkly and said something absurd.
“Well, it is difficult for us to believe the words of His Majesty, who planted Sejak in the imperial family.”
“What? What kind of nonsense are you talking about…!”
Even if I wanted to plant it, I couldn’t.
It was truly an unfair statement.
However, at the prince’s nod, the moment Jerome put down the sack he had been holding the entire time, Logan couldn’t help but be taken aback.
The thing that rolled out of the gaping bag was clearly the head of someone he knew.
“Cleo!?”
The prince continued speaking calmly, staring into Logan’s shaking eyes.
“It turns out that he is an official from the former Kingdom of Grandia. This is a royal official. How do you explain this?”
“Ha…”
It was so absurd that I was speechless for a moment.
‘A guy like this who couldn’t even find a trace? Wasn’t he the empire’s henchman?’
I felt embarrassed, but my thoughts soon wandered elsewhere.
What if Cleo is the 2nd Prince’s subordinate as originally expected?
What is the prince aiming for by killing his subordinate?
When I thought about that, the sight of the prince and Jerome looking at me closely felt a little unnatural.
What are you thinking?
Logan, with a cold complexion, glared into the prince’s dark eyes.
“Hmm, you recognize me too.”
“…Cleo Lieberman. The kingdom’s most wanted criminal.”
“Well, it’s a common practice to treat him as a wanted criminal and then write him in Kanji…”
“He’s a treacherous traitor who brought ruin to Grandia, the predecessor of the kingdom. This is a fact that can be found out just by looking at it a little, right? Prince Baros, there will be no further disrespect. “I won’t tolerate it.”
As Logan gritted his teeth and unleashed a bloody force, Jerome hurriedly stood in front of the prince.
“Your Majesty, please calm down. We were just trying to resolve a serious question that could become a problem between countries.”
Was I expecting a different reaction?
The moment he thought that the prince’s eyes looked somewhat regretful, the prince smiled again and shook his head, putting his hand on Jerome’s shoulder who was blocking his path.
Then, he took a step forward.
“He is a traitor who brought about the ruin of the country… Oh, I think I heard that there was definitely such a person. I guess I was in a hurry and didn’t check properly. Please forgive my rudeness.”
A curved waist that is unusually flexible for an imperial prince.
How can we believe that they were not properly checked?
But it was impossible to hit him right away.
Logan gritted his teeth and spit out the words.
“To throw a person’s head in front of the king’s face and start an argument makes me confused as to whether the prince was an envoy to celebrate the national marriage or to declare war. If someone other than you had been the envoy, even if you were a subject of the empire, your head would have been taken away.”
Even though he knew that his words were full of murder, the second prince smiled softly.
“I can completely understand. It was such an important issue that I came in person, right? I apologize once again for my rudeness.”
“It’s okay. Please go back.”
The guest of honor did not even say good-bye to see them at the wedding or to have a good time, but despite the cold treatment, the 2nd prince and his companions simply bowed their heads and retreated.
And Logan stared at the spot where they disappeared for a long time.
‘I have noticed that I am hostile to the Empire. And then he threw Cleo’s head, which he suspected had something to do with the Empire, and watched my reaction…’
Even as I tapped the armrest to gather my thoughts, I couldn’t quite figure out how he came to that thought.
But one conclusion could be drawn.
‘I guess the reason I mentioned a spy who didn’t exist and looked at his reaction was to find out what I knew. Then there is only one conclusion. Their invasion plan remains the same even in this life.’
At least not yet.
I felt once again that the disaster I had been most wary of since returning was just around the corner.
Logan felt somewhat cold and caressed the back of his neck.
‘If you are wary of me, variables may arise in the future depending on my movements. okay. Then…’
Logan quietly gathered his thoughts and immediately called the escort driver.
“Victor.”
“Yes! Your Majesty.”
“Strengthen surveillance of the imperial delegation. Not only the escorts but also the servants. Tell that to Damian.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Oh, and…”
Logan hesitated for a moment before continuing with a firm look in his eyes.
“If there is anyone in the delegation who leaves the designated area, kill them regardless of whether they are knights or servants. Especially those who have entered the castle.”
“yes!?”
Viktor, who rarely showed much reaction, was shocked, but Logan calmly added.
“There is no need to worry about what happens later. It was the prince who committed the rudeness in the first place, so as long as he is alive, the empire will not be able to hold us responsible.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
If you don’t know what the opponent is going to do, you can block their movement altogether.
Fortunately, the other party gave me the excuse, so there is no problem.
‘Prince Baros. No matter what you want, it won’t work out the way you want.’
Logan, who was left alone, smiled cruelly.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Prince, who came out of the office and followed the guidance of his attendant, asked Jerome as soon as he entered the lodgings provided to him.
“How is it?”
Jerome shook his head quietly.
His characteristic absolute vision could not simply be used in combat.
As its main function is to understand everything about the opponent in sight, it is also very useful in understanding the opponent’s true intentions.
In Jerome’s eyes, Logan’s reaction to being surprised at Cleo’s head and his subsequent actions did not seem to be embellished at all.
Baros sighed slightly and nodded.
“As expected, they said they didn’t plant a spy, so how would they know…”
“Are you saying that the head wasn’t really a spy? So…?”
“Ah. You don’t need to know any more.”
Jerome, whose question was ignored, had a stern expression for a moment, but the prince seemed not to have seen that, and continued speaking in a harsh voice.
“Execute the rest of your plan. You will find out when the time comes.”
Seeing the second prince gesticulating, Jerome bowed his head and took a step back.
From now on, other knights will be in charge of protecting the prince.
There was something else he had to do.
Not long after Jerome returned to the mission, something happened that caused an uproar in the royal palace once again.
– I will help with weddings in the empire to promote friendship between the two countries.
– It is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor for the ‘Star of Grandia’, or rather, the ‘Sun of McLane’.
The imperial envoy presented a semi-coercive proposal wrapped in wrapping paper as a gift from the emperor.
It was a bit absurd, but Logan had no way of refusing, and from then on, about 2,000 of the empire’s merchants who had stayed outside began entering the palace carrying all kinds of materials.
Among them, only a very small number of people noticed that about 30 people showed completely different movements from the others upon entering the palace.
* * * After declaring the national marriage, it took a month just to prepare for the event and to gather congratulatory envoys from other countries.
And after it was announced that the national wedding would begin with the sun rising on the first day of the new year, the palace was bustling with finishing work.
“Be careful out there!”
“Move gently!”
“okay!”
The workers who were busy moving throughout the palace could not help but be amazed at the scale of the building as they continued their work.
To be precise, it was because the size of the wedding suddenly increased due to the workers who were a gift from the emperor.
“This wedding is going to be a really grand feast.”
“I think it’s more extravagant than the coronation ceremony?”
“It’s all because of those people. The Empire…”
Where the workers’ eyes were directed, there was a man who was said to be the second prince of the Empire, giving various instructions to his servants with a smiling face.
It was an appearance that did not suit his status at all, but the sight had been going on for fifteen days already, and now even the workers could not help but wonder if he would do the same.
“Is the royal family really different? It is a world away from our royal families of the past…” “
This person. Is it the same as it was then and now? There is our majesty whom the emperor openly praised as the sun of McLane.”
“As far as praise… it’s just congratulations.”
“What? Do you see this human flunkeyism?”
“It’s better than soup. What can I do with just a compliment?”
“What man!?”
Of course, it was clear that it was an unfamiliar sight, so there were some minor conflicts, but most people just continued working, imagining how grand the wedding would be.
“Still, commoners like us can’t see the wedding, right? Nobles…”
“Once again, what? We still have a festival. We can have a cool drink after work and have plenty of money, so what’s the point of complaining?”
“…That’s right.”
“So, let’s finish this quickly and have a drink today, okay?”
“Oh~kay!”
While the noisy and lively atmosphere continued, an unfamiliar voice was suddenly heard.
“Come on! Everyone get out of the way! We’ll show you what true art is!”
About 100 dwarves with stocky but sturdy bodies appeared.
“Dwarves!?”
“Dwarves from Taren!”
“Then is that Lord Hamar over there?”
King Logan’s absolute power. With the appearance of Hamar, known as the helper, the dwarves throughout the kingdom were able to be freed from the life of slavery. The uproar grew even louder when the rumor that the dwarves appeared… Of
course, in reality, the dwarves were purchased from McLane and sent to Taren. But anyway, the result was the same, so those who knew the truth just kept silent and laughed.
“Come on! Oh, my master. No, let’s do our best for His Majesty!”
“Yes!”
Under Hamar’s command, the dwarves jumped into the work in earnest and began to burn out their work spirit.
After the noisy atmosphere continued for a while, the new year was already here. The first day of National Marriage Day has arrived.
