Chapter 244

The great city of Karol, in the south of the Kingdom of Linelt.

It had grown as a trade city, being a gateway to the Empire. Not far from there was a small village called Perem.

A place of beautiful natural landscapes where the royal family owned a villa.
That was the meeting place.

“……”

“……”

“Hehehe….”

But three hours had already passed since the agreed time, and the first prince still hadn’t appeared. Gerlan Linelt burst out laughing like a madman.

“Whoever it is, if the goal was to infuriate me, they’ve succeeded brilliantly!”

Whether it was truly the first prince or someone impersonating him, Gerlan felt the urge to tear them to pieces the moment he had them in front of him.

“Calm yourself, Your Highness. You must remain composed.”

“Yes, yes… of course.”

Despite his words, Gerlan Linelt was nervous.

Though he tried to appear calm, the escape of the first prince wasn’t something that could be taken lightly.

What if he revealed what had been done?

Nine out of ten might say it was the rambling of a madman—but what if there was evidence?

The problem wasn’t just the first prince, but the mysterious people who had taken him.

Those who had discovered the location of a mansion guarded in utmost secrecy.

Those who had managed to break through the defenses so carefully prepared to imprison him.

Just thinking about what their next move might be made his head spin.

“Count Pirandello, why in the hell am I only now learning that my brother has escaped?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. The guards assigned to the mansion and to the first prince were annihilated, which is why we found out too late.”

“If we had just known a little sooner…!”

Even though it wouldn’t have changed anything—since he had already been kidnapped—the human heart couldn’t help but think that way.

“Wouldn’t it be better to return for now?”

“…Find the Mercenary King. And also the worm who left that letter on my desk. I swear I’ll tear them apart with my own hands.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

In the end, having gained nothing, they had no choice but to return to the royal palace.

And what awaited the second prince Gerlan, frustrated after the fruitless search, was:

[How have you been, little brother?]

[I didn’t think you’d come after ignoring my letters for so long. I couldn’t go, I’m sorry. But this time it’s for real. I’ll give you the exact time and place….]

“Damn son of a bitch!”

It was another letter, blatantly placed on his desk.

***

A few days earlier.

“So he really fell for it.”

At night, Fernan and Hyde watched from the mountainside overlooking the kingdom as the second prince secretly left the capital.

“I told you. The suggestion and hypnosis from those types are never perfect.”

Otherwise, the entire continent would’ve fallen to the demons a thousand years ago. Fernan knew that well—he’d experienced it more than once.

Though it wasn’t just a guess.

“Even after having his storerooms looted, Patrick Pirandello didn’t flee.”

He was trying to find the culprit by all means, but nothing more.

Not a single extra move.

“If it were me, I’d have run right away.”

The six storerooms he had secretly designed had been emptied.

And he didn’t even know how.

He didn’t know how they had found out that his treasures were stored there.

If someone could watch you like they held you in the palm of their hand, and you still stayed still, there were only two options.

You were a fool—or you had nothing left to lose.

And Fernan didn’t believe that Patrick Pirandello, who had spent years planning Linelt’s downfall, was a fool.

So it had to be the second option.

By the light of the moon, Fernan opened the newspaper from the previous day.

【The regent’s speech for the good of the realm!】

【Some oppose the special tax. Is personal benefit really more important than the kingdom’s crisis?】

“So he plans to cover the lost magic stones and elixirs with those taxes.”

He intended to destroy the Kingdom of Linelt using the money of its own people.

“He would’ve made a great merchant.”

After all, business isn’t done with your own money, but with others’.

“Are you praising a corrupt?”

“What’s good is good.”

If he weren’t a corrupt, he’d be a top recruit for any merchant guild.

“Well, Hyde, we have two options.”

Fernan raised two fingers.

“Take out the corrupt before they summon the demon, or take them out afterward—along with the demon.”

And Fernan’s choice was obvious.

“Let’s kill the demon.”

The second option.

Will there be civilian casualties? Of course. Even if they prepared, if the summoning took place in the capital, it would be inevitable.

But it was still the best option.

Patrick Pirandello wasn’t just any corrupt.

He was a strategist who had planned Linelt’s downfall for years, and also a contractor suspected to descend from the Colomo family.

“If it weren’t for the prophecy book, no one would’ve known until it was too late. But our task isn’t just to defeat the corrupt.”

They had to return the first prince to his rightful position.

And that wouldn’t be easy.

“To restore the first prince’s ruined reputation, we need an even bigger impact. Something stronger than just saying ‘he was a victim of the corrupt!’”

Seeing a summoned demon with their own eyes would be much more convincing.

“If it was a demon that appeared, then the first prince couldn’t have done anything but fall—people will think that.”

And not just that. Once the demon appeared, Aint would have to act.

Even with the Mercenary King and the chancellor, the difference with or without Aint was immense.

And that would be the moment for Aint to shine again.

They couldn’t waste it.

“The damage to the capital will be massive.”

“The more destroyed it is, the better.”

Because when it came time to rebuild—who would the people turn to, if Fernan was among those who saved them?

“And the citizens of the capital will be cared for by those they already trust and follow.”

Fernan wasn’t a saint. To him, a handful of gold was worth more than the lives of strangers in distant lands.

But he wasn’t a villain who would send people to die knowing from the start there was no salvation.

His gaze turned toward the capital’s center, toward the royal palace.

“The rest is up to the princess. If the king awakens and the demons appear, he’ll know how to act.”

A king who regained consciousness would be the pillar of his people.

“Can he really wake up?”

“In theory, yes. The holy water is very powerful.”

“I know, but what if it’s not enough?”

“That’s why I’m not going to see those guys right now.”

“You don’t mean…?”

Exactly.

The days the second prince and Patrick Pirandello would waste going to those meetings. The days they’d lose trying again.

That gave them more than a week’s worth of leeway.

Enough time for Fernan to have the princess visit the king every day starting today.

“If it doesn’t work, repeat it until it does.”

And if even then there was no effect—

“Then the summoning of the demon will be the only way for the first prince to reclaim the Kingdom of Linelt.”

Without a strong king to serve as a pillar, the appearance of a demon would become the necessary trigger.

In the end, the best thing for the people of Linelt was only one thing.

That the king awaken.

And that the king know how to lead and react.

“Let’s hope that’s the case.”

After all, even Fernan didn’t want so many people to die.

***

“Brother…!”

“Yuli!”

The siblings were reunited. With tears in their eyes, they hugged tightly.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault for being so useless…”

“No, I know. I know it wasn’t your fault.”

“And His Majesty?”

“He remains bedridden in illness.”

The reunion was brief. They both knew it wasn’t the time for sentimentality.

“I should have been by your side…”

“How could it be your fault? It was all Gerlan’s doing, allying with the corrupt and starting all this.”

Although Gerlan was also her brother, there was not a trace of fraternal affection in Yuli’s eyes.

Of course, after such treatment, it was understandable.

‘Half-siblings…’

Seeing them, Fernan recalled what he had heard about the past of Linelt’s royal family, informed by the Black Turtles.

The current king of Linelt had two legitimate wives—the first prince and first princess were children of the first queen, while the second prince was the child of the second queen.

That’s where the destinies of the three split.

A second son more capable than the firstborn. But a king who favored the eldest son.

And two queens engaged in political struggles to place their own sons on the throne.

The relationships among the siblings became worse than between strangers, and the climax came when the first queen died in a horse-riding accident.

With her gone, the second queen took over the palace as if it were hers, until the king, unable to endure her abuse any longer, deposed her.

Since then, the second prince harbored a fierce hatred toward the king who had expelled his mother, and toward his older brother, who, despite being less capable, still held the position of heir.

Thus was born a monster willing to eliminate siblings and father alike to become king.

The worst outcome for the Kingdom of Linelt, but the best for the demons.

“Let’s leave the reunion here. Every minute, every second, is crucial now.”

“Understood.”

The first prince and Princess Yuli nodded.

“Your Highness, has His Majesty shown any improvement?”

“…He suffered quite a bit, but he’s regained some color in his face. Though he still hasn’t awakened.”

“That’s already something to hope for. From now on, visit him every chance you get.”

“You’re saying I should repeat that torture every day?”

“It’s a treatment.”

“Alright.”

Fernan turned his gaze.

“For now, Your Highness, you must gather supporters. Do you think you can regroup those who supported you before?”

“I’m not sure. It’s been years since I lived in disgrace, secluded in that mountain.”

“It’s not impossible.”

Before losing his sanity, the first prince had many supporters.

Perhaps with less ability than the second prince, but he was well-liked, kind, and above all, the firstborn.

“Most who supported him were demoted or displaced. All Gerlan’s doing.”

“That was Gerlan’s doing?”

“Yes.”

Fernan dropped a thick stack of documents.

“These are the names of those who supported you before. Go through them and choose those you still trust.”

“…When did you do all this?”

“Allying with Pellenberg means walking the golden path, Your Highness.”

Of course, that “golden” had to be paid for with his own money, but in this case Fernan had already received an advance.

“Once you choose, I’ll prepare secret positions for them without the second prince noticing. The rest is up to your ability.”

“I’ll do my best. I can’t allow the kingdom to fall into the hands of the corrupt. And to be honest, I want the throne as well.”

That acknowledgment of ambition and desire for power made him even more trustworthy.

In the merchant world, they say, “Beware of anyone who claims they don’t need money—they’re the greediest of all.”

No one is free from ambition. Those who hide and deny it are often the most dangerous.

That’s why Fernan preferred those who openly showed their greed.

“Then I entrust this to you. The future of the kingdom depends on you both, Your Highnesses.”

Fernan bowed his head respectfully.