Chapter 85 – Balkan Civil War (3)
Balkan Civil War (3)
Uddangtang!!
The Emperor’s villa. The sound of a chair flying and Prinz’s startled voice filled his office from early in the morning.
“What? Is that true?”
Prinz hurriedly got up after hearing the report from his subordinate belonging to his intelligence organization.
“Yes! Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am sure! One year ago, it is believed that the person who attacked His Highness the Third Prince’s body change was His Highness the Second Prince. There was an incident in which the family that kept the Hellfire Magic Scroll as an heirloom lost it. He didn’t report it, but when we questioned him, he confessed.”
“And the head of the family there belonged to the faction that followed Heinrich?”
“Although not the head of the family, it has been discovered that a member of the family is following His Highness Prince Lee.”
“Okay. Good job. Let’s dig into Heinrich a little more. It looks like there’s more than one plot he’s plotting.”
“I will follow your orders, Your Majesty.”
After the subordinate left the office after completing the report, Prinz sat down again and began discussing with Viscount Toys.
“How do you think we should use this? Circumstantial evidence is enough, but there is no actual evidence.”
“But in order to change the public opinion even a little bit, we need to spread this fact. Of course, Your Majesty will not like this because it will end up slandering each other…”
Normally, the crown prince would have tried to attack the situation head-on without getting involved in public opinion battles, but he knew very well that there was nothing he could do because of the situation. Moreover, Henry’s actions to harm his blood relatives ignited the Crown Prince’s anger.
“What can I do in this situation? Moreover, Heinrich tried to harm his brother Juno. I can understand that he tried to impeach me because he wanted the throne, so I cannot forgive that!”
In response to Prinz’s anger, Viscount Toys closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then opened his eyes as if something occurred to him.
“Then let’s do it like this. To the extent that they are spreading rumors, we will respond in the same way.”
“Hmm? What does that mean? Explain in detail.”
“It is said that His Highness the Second Prince’s attack on His Highness the Third Prince was something he secretly worked with Tesseito to reduce the number of masters in his country. Since His Highness the Third Prince is close to His Highness the Crown Prince, this was an attempt to reduce His Royal Highness’s power. “It was a conspiracy on your part.”
“Hmm… Will that work?”
“When the incident occurred, didn’t His Majesty fabricate it and say it was Tesseito’s handiwork? Moreover, His Highness the Third Prince is the one who became a hero of the empire through Streve’s victory. As such, it will be a topic of provocative gossip, and public opinion will find this quite credible. I will accept it.”
“Okay! Let’s proceed.”
As soon as he received permission from the Crown Prince, Viscount Toys immediately explained the plan and gave instructions to his subordinates, who quickly carried out his instructions.
Around noon that day. There were posters posted everywhere in Adria, the capital of the empire.
‘Roaring roar’
“Why are people making such a fuss? Is there some scandal involving His Highness the Crown Prince?”
When a citizen passing by on the street asked, another citizen who was looking at the poster answered.
“No, there is evidence that His Highness was in secret with the Teseiton guys? He agreed to give back part of the Zenon Plain when he became emperor and received a scroll of high-ranking magic to attack the Three Star Palace?”
“What? Is that true?”
He quickly ran over to check the poster on the wall, and his face turned red, and he burst out in anger.
“No! That’s why you insisted that His Highness, the Third Prince, who occupied Streve Fortress, be given a territory in the corner of the Monster Mountains, and stuck him in a remote area? So now, His Highness, the Third Prince, was injured while exterminating the monsters threatening the people of the empire, and has been recovering for about a year. This necessary state… Is this what a person would do?”
“That’s right! You’re trying to kill His Highness the Third Prince, who worked hard and sweat for the empire, so bad that you can’t treat him well! Moreover, they say they refused the military support they wanted to send to His Highness the Third Prince because they didn’t have the budget!”
“The empire is going really well! No matter how much you think he won’t take your side, he’s your half-brother, but he’s even communicating with the enemy country to kill his country’s master!!”
“That’s the same as that damn Tessaitor!! If we lose the productive capacity coming from the Zenon Plain, shouldn’t the people of the empire go back to the old days when they had to worry about getting three meals a day?”
The citizens vented their anger against Henry, and when someone shouted to go to the square in front of the imperial palace, they rushed to the square.
Crowds of citizens had already gathered in the square, and several poles with cloths bearing the message to dethrone Henry from the title of prince had gone up.
“Your Majesty the Emperor must dethrone Prince Lee!!”
“That’s right!! In order for the empire to proceed properly, Prince Lee must be dethroned!!”
As they were protesting in front of the imperial palace, the imperial guards and knights of the Knights Guards approached them and threatened them to step down, but they said that this was their loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor and began to sing the Balkan national anthem.
Then, they found it difficult to suppress the protesters with force and reported this to their superiors, but the size of the protesters was gradually increasing.
“It is a success. Your Royal Highness! The citizens of the capital are angry and are rallying to bring out Prince Lee.”
“You used the wind catcher very well. I heard that some people incited you to go to the front of the palace?”
Viscount Toys was shocked for a moment by the crown prince’s comment, but immediately puffed out his chest proudly.
“I will forgive my sins after this situation is over. But now I have to take advantage of it…”
“No, I’m praising you for doing a good job. How many times have you raised your criticisms about my mistress, but how can I have the shame to punish you for continuously rejecting them? I know very well that now is not the time for me to choose between means and methods.”
“Thank you, Your Highness”
“Hire more wind catchers and investigate Heinrich more thoroughly! What is there to worry about when protecting my family?”
The crown prince found out that the corpses of girls were sometimes found floating out of the palace and found the parents of the children and found out that they had sold the children to someone or that some of the children were kidnapped children from the slums.
And they used it to spread rumors about Heinrich’s pervert sexual desire by making it a topic of gossip, which became another basis for criticizing the Prince Lee’s side, and the protests intensified even more.
In that way, the crown prince’s counterattack seemed to be quite successful.
However, Prince Lee’s side also used hired windbreakers to start a counter-protest, criticizing the ‘Crown Prince’s castle that enjoys being forcibly assaulted by beasts of unknown gender while dressed in women’s clothing’, and as time went by, not only in the Adriatic but also in the Balkan Empire. As it spread throughout the region, the Balkan Empire was divided into two pieces, with nobles and commoners alike beginning to fight.
Meanwhile, the emperor’s room is located deep inside the imperial palace.
The lips of Karl III, who fell unconscious at the shocking truth about the crown prince, began to twitch little by little.
“Umm… Um…”
“Your Majesty! Are you out of your mind? Secretary!! Secretary!!”
Count Liechtenauer, the commander of the Knights of the Guard who was guarding Karl III, raised the emperor and offered water to his mouth. The emperor drank the water and gradually came to his senses.
“Ugh… Is that you, Liechtenauer?”
“Yes! Your Majesty! God is here!”
“So… How many days has it been since I collapsed? What’s the situation now?”
“Almost two months have passed. Your Majesty… I’m so glad you’re awake now!”
Liechtenauer then explained to the emperor the political strife between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince that was currently taking place in the empire.
“These ugly guys!! They’re so stupid!! Whoa… Whoa…”
As the emperor vented his anger at his two sons, he felt his backside throbbing again and took a deep breath to calm himself.
“So… What is Yuno doing in this situation? If it were his personality, he would have already jumped out and helped the crown prince, right?”
“Actually… The Third Prince says…”
Liechtenauer explained the disappearance of the Third Prince. Although it was reported that he was still alive in the elf realm, the emperor sighed at the fact that he had been unable to move for a year.
“Please tell the secretary to bring paper and pen. Liechtenauer?”
“Huh? If it’s paper…?”
“I will write a will. Actually, I knew that Heinrich hated Juno and wanted to kill her, and I also knew that Prinz was hiding someone he loved. Of course, I didn’t know that it was a bitch with a dick…”
“Your Majesty…”
“I think the emperor should be the Yuno family. Of course, Heinrich will make a fuss about her… But I will have to quell that guy on the condition that she gives her territory on the trade route with Leon… If she refuses that too, I guess I’ll have to give up my neck”
“Then what do you plan to do, Your Highness the Crown Prince? Wouldn’t Your Highness also oppose the Third Prince’s ascension to the throne?”
The emperor shook his head at Liechtenauer’s words.
“No… That guy would probably give up the throne to Yuno. He’s been a softie to Yuno since he was young. Also, if he was prime minister or head of the Ministry of Interior during Yuno’s reign, he would have the ability to fully perform his role. I have it…”
The emperor quenched his thirst with water brought by Liechtenauer and then spoke.
“So, after my death, you will be completely loyal to Yuno… Please, Liechtenauer. He is capable enough as a master, but doesn’t he careless about everyone?”
“Can His Highness, the Third Prince, lead the empire well? Of course, he has the ability, but…”
The emperor, who guessed what Liechtenauer was worried about, smiled heartily.
“Clark… He may look like that on the outside, but he is a very thoughtful guy. Judging by the way he takes care of his wife, he is loyal, and as an emperor, he is a guy who can hold the center of the empire. His administrative skills are lacking. “I don’t have to worry too much as my subjects can assist me.”
“If that’s what Your Majesty thinks, I will just follow Your Majesty’s will.”
“Okay… For that to happen, I’ll have to live at least another year. And I’ll have to sort this situation out… Just in case, I’ll write a will, so call the secretary. And then you go out and get Prinz and Heinrich. Come”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will follow your orders.”
Liechtenauer went outside and called his secretary, the Marquis García, and as ordered by the emperor, he headed to the villa to pick up Prinz and Henry.
The two men asked what was going on, but Count Liechtenauer did not say anything and only said that the emperor had found him.
Hearing that the Emperor had visited him, the Crown Prince and Prince Lee obediently followed him to the Emperor’s room, but when they arrived in front of the Emperor’s palace, the Marquis García broke down in tears and informed them of the Emperor’s death, and Count Liechtenauer’s knees buckled. .
