The Prince Wants To Retire

11. The strongest knight I met again

At the main gate of the capital, banners welcoming the grand dukes were unfurled and pollen fell.

And the imperial palace music troupe played calm music and welcomed the Grand Duke’s carriage and the Grand Duke’s knights.

It was a protocol that seemed a bit excessive, but the key was the crown prince.

The appearance of the imperial prince waiting at the gate was the best ceremony to welcome the grand duke’s entry into the capital.

pop! pop!

After the firecrackers exploded and the small welcoming ceremony for the Grand Duke and the others was over, the Grand Duke and Sogaju got off the carriage and walked toward Kariel.

“I see you, the Little Sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Crown Prince.”

“Welcome to the capital of Ducal.”

When Kariel spoke with a bright smile, Ducal cleared his throat as if he couldn’t adapt.

It was the same with the other Grand Duke’s knights.

They also had ears, so they knew that Kariel had worked hard to restore the grand duke’s family, but they didn’t know that they would welcome them to this degree.

“Thank you for being so welcoming.”

“no. Compared to how the imperial family has disappointed the grand dukes, this much is not enough.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes widened at Kariel’s words.

“Your Highness, I wonder who will listen.”

“It’s okay. It is true that the imperial family has let you down.”

“Kuhm!”

The Grand Duke coughed and noticed, but the person involved, Kariel, was confident.

It wasn’t to preserve the position of crown prince, so there was nothing to hold back.

“See you, Your Majesty. It is called Glen Brittany di Benelux.”

“Nice to meet you. Cariel.”

At Kariel’s words, Glenn’s eyes widened slightly and he lowered his back.

“Please speak comfortably.”

“You can’t do that to the next grand duke.”

While saying that, Kariel looked at Sogaju, who would become the next grand duke.

Seeing the great sword that single-handedly supported the collapsed empire in her previous life, Kariel had a new feeling.

“Can I ride in the carriage for a moment?”

“ah! Of course it comes.”

The Archduke hurried to the carriage and opened the door, and Kariel got on naturally and looked at the Archduke and the Little Prince sitting opposite.

The rich man, who had already anticipated it, but did not know what he was going to say, waited for Kariel to speak with a nervous expression on his face.

“As you might have expected to some extent, there is something you want in return for the lottery of the Grand Duke.”

At Kariel’s words, Archduke Gao let out a sigh.

“Do you want to support Your Majesty?”

At the Archduke’s question, Kariel’s eyes widened.

“no.”

“Do you not want to support Your Majesty?”

The Grand Duke tilted his head.

At the time when the imperial faction was smashed, I thought he wanted the Grand Duke to fill the void.

In fact, from the point of view of the Grand Duke, the reason why he thought so was because he was not on Cariel’s side by destroying the imperial faction and destroying the aristocratic and neutral factions as well.

Therefore, one might think that they were trying to create power by restoring the Grand Duke family.

He pushes Belpurs and draws the Grand Duchess and the Western Marquess to his side, making the West a supportive force for the Crown Prince.

It was a pretty plausible idea.

“You misunderstood.”

At the Archduke’s words, Kariel turned his head and shook his head.

“… … Are you really not?”

“no.”

To the Archduke who asked again, Kariel answered firmly.

‘Who do you want to become?’

The Prince’s expression wrinkled, and the Archduke and Glenn were nervous.

Then Kariel hurriedly straightened his expression.

‘Oh! You have to make a good impression.’

Cariel took a deep breath and calmed his anger.

“Huh, the Prince seems to have misunderstood a lot. I will soon abdicate the position of Crown Prince, so there is no need for power, right?”

“Um, are you really going to retire?”

At the Archduke’s question, Kariel clenched his fists and said.

“exactly. I would like to retire as soon as possible.”

As soon as the word of retirement was announced and a strong will was felt, the Archduke involuntarily nodded his head.

And Glenn, who was watching it from the side, smiled slightly saying it was fun.

Glenn, who had a grim expression on his face from the moment he got off the carriage, was interested in the unexpected appearance of the Crown Prince.

“Then what do you want, Your Majesty?”

“There are two things. One is public and the other is my personal request.”

Saying so, Kariel leaned towards the Archduke.

Then the Archduke also leaned over and narrowed the distance so that even small words could be heard.

“As the Archduke knows, the main reason for bringing the Archduke into the capital is to contain Belpurs.”

“… … Yes.”

“But it doesn’t end with just checking.”

As Kariel said that, he spoke firmly, explaining the relationship between Belphus and the warlock and the possibility that he had a secret agreement with a foreign country.

“In case of an emergency, we must tie Belpurs to the west.”

“I’m sorry, but this is not possible with the current Grand Duke.”

At the Archduke’s words, Kariel grinned.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that the Archduke is provided with a level of support at the marginal level.”

In the meantime, it was hard to believe that the Grand Duchess, who had been subjected to the imperial family and the nobility in the center, would provide support at the level of the frontier.

It was thought that the center of the palace had become much cleaner as the Crown Prince was active, but as long as the emperor, who was a female army, was alive and well, it was believed that the amount of support for the Grand Duchess would be very small.

“The center has changed. At least until this crisis is over, you won’t be able to steal money from the Grand Duke’s in the middle.”

The Archduke still looked unbelievable at Kariel’s words, but he did not persuade him any further.

This is because he thought that it would be difficult to get rid of the long-standing distrust unless he lived in the capital and experienced a changed atmosphere.

“… … What’s next?”

The Archduke tried to listen to the second request, which was Kariel’s real purpose, unable to erase his distrust.

‘Am I asking you to assassinate the emperor?’

‘Are you trying to create a secret force centered on the Grand Duke?’

Not only Ducal, but also Glenn, who was listening quietly, looked at Kariel curiously.

But soon they heard something completely different from what they expected.

“To remain neutral no matter what.”

The eyes of the Grand Duchess trembled at Kariel’s words.

“Surely this is going to be hard and difficult. Nonetheless, I beg you.”

Looking at Kariel as she lowered her head and spoke, the two fathers and mothers of the Grand Duchess were silent.

A belief that has been steadfastly maintained despite being pushed out of the center by the imperial family.

It was a request from the first emperor to maintain neutrality.

The name of the first emperor, who had been kept despite several crises, was the belief and pride of the Grand Duchess.

“… … Will that be enough?”

“It will be difficult. I beg you nonetheless. Become a pillar of the empire and make sure it does not collapse.”

“that… … .”

“In fact, the Grand Duke’s family, which is like the birth of a new margrave, will continue to win and win. Then the garbage in the center will try to bury the filth.”

“Um… … .”

The two rich men swallowed their silence when they realized what Kariel was worried about.

“It must be hard work to keep the faith. Nevertheless, I beg you I hope that the beliefs you have kept for so long will not be shaken.”

To Kariel’s request, the two rich men responded with a small nod of their heads.

Some scoffed at the fact that the Grand Duke had kept his beliefs, while others cursed it for being foolish.

But the prince knew.

They bowed their heads for the sake of them who have walked the hard and difficult road, and asked them to keep their faith in the future.

Seeing this, something quickly filled the hearts of the two rich men.

I still don’t know what this is, but one thing is for sure: the prince in front of me is a person who has the same beliefs as them.

‘Don’t be deceived by trash, and keep your place firmly in the future. I’ll give you plenty of support.’

Looking at the two rich men of the grand duke’s family, Kariel silently asked for it and opened her mouth again.

“Of course, I am not asking you to do it. If you asked for it, there must be a price.”

“There is no price to pay for keeping the faith.”

Kariel shook her head at the Grand Duke’s determined words.

“It’s a personal request, and it’s natural to pay for it.”

“majesty.”

The archduke’s eyebrows furrowed at Kariel’s words.

Kariel said to them, who were worried that their long-held beliefs might degenerate into a mere trade.

“Give back what you deserve. That will be my reward.”

“… … Yes?”

Kariel smiled and said to the archduke who asked stupidly.

“The First Archduke’s Dread.”

At Kariel’s words, Glenn’s eyes began to tremble without mercy.

“I heard that the original you had was destroyed decades ago. It’s been restored to some extent, but it’s not perfect.”

An event that can be seen as the starting point of the fall of the Grand Gong family.

That is, those who attacked the mansion of the Grand Duke broke the first Archduke’s fear.

It didn’t fall because there was something that had been handed down in the meantime, but it happened at a time when even a master couldn’t produce, so the fall of the Grand Duke’s family was accelerated.

“Even though it’s a copy, the first Grand Duke’s sword remains in the imperial palace.”

“… … Really?”

“Of course it’s not perfect. A few key things are missing. But the key is that you have it.”

At Kariel’s words, the Grand Duke involuntarily nodded.

The fact that the grand duke family was maintained was possible because the core of what the first grand duke left behind was preserved.

If a copy was added to it, it was possible to perfectly revive the martial art of the first grand duke.

‘In my previous life, Glenn perfectly restored it and rose to the rank of Grand Master.’

Cariel, remembering her past life, smiled and looked at Glenn.

“If the fear of the first grand duke is added to the existence that will revive the grand duke family you have been waiting for so long, the pillars of the empire will be able to be rebuilt. Would that be enough in return?”

At Kariel’s words, Ducal knelt down and said.

“I’m closing in on Your Highness’s grace, and I’m closing in again. I will repay this grace with unchanging loyalty.”

“It’s just giving back what needs to be returned.”

Kariel said so and told Glenn.

“When the schedule is over, come to the palace of the crown prince.”

“… … I will.”

Glenn could not hide his expression and bowed his head with excitement.

“Your Majesty, you have arrived at the Imperial Palace.”

“I have to break up with you. I hope you get a lot out of the capital.”

Having said that, Kariel got off the Archduke’s carriage and changed into his own.

And with a solemn expression on his carriage, he got on the carriage and was about to return to the Crown Prince’s womb.

“majesty.”

“yes?”

“Kuhm! that… … A little laugh… … .”

Tarion’s expression hardened as he watched Cariel grinning all the way back to the Crown Prince’s womb.

“There’s nobody there anyway.”

“I do, but… … .”

“after! There’s really not much left now. I will retire when the Grand Duke is officially reinstated.”

“Are you trying to do it that fast?”

At Kariel’s words, Tarion had a surprised expression on his face.

“then. It’s right to step back quickly, even for the sake of the younger brothers. My promised job is over, but if I talk about it, I may doubt it.”

“I do, but… … .”

Tarion gave a sad expression.

He was supported by the imperial people, and recently, even among the nobles, there were more and more people who looked at Kariel favorably.

But I couldn’t get my feelings out of my mouth.

“Heh, it’s retirement.”

It was because he saw Kariel with a corner of his mouth hanging over his ear in anticipation of his retirement.