Ch.2222. Scapegoat?

“…Wouldn’t it be dangerous? Why not just expose that the Hero is hiding in the imperial palace? That would shift attention there.”

“Knowing Gwon Heejin’s personality, he’s probably already left the capital. He’s probably holed up somewhere by now. I’m the one in the most danger right now.”

“True, we need to put up defenses. …But if we use that method and make one wrong move, we could actually die.”

“I’ve stocked up on elixirs.”

***

Imperial Palace, Second Prince’s quarters.

The Second Prince was staring blankly at a crudely made cup with a dejected expression.

“…The Court Minister and the Captain of the Royal Order have requested another audience. They seem quite agitated.”

“Tell them I’m sick.”

The Second Prince continued staring at the cup while answering weakly.

To the casual observer, it was just a tall cup with a wide bottom. It had no fancy decorations and was extremely impractical.

However, its true identity wasn’t an ordinary cup but a ‘Holy Grail.’

It was a sacred relic so ancient that no one dared to estimate its age—older than any nation currently existing on the continent.

It was the vessel used by the first follower of the Goddess, who would later be canonized as a saint, during the first worship service. It rightfully belonged in the Papal State, yet it was now in the Second Prince’s possession.

The reason was simple: the Second Prince had acquired it as a discount when he transferred 150 Cordanas to the Papal State.

‘Sigh. I thought it was a good decision at the time.’

Originally, the Second Prince had planned to present this Holy Grail to the Emperor. One of the Emperor’s hobbies was collecting sacred relics.

It wasn’t because he was particularly devout, but rather because he enjoyed seeing historical artifacts mentioned in history books in real life.

Offering the Holy Grail to the Emperor would have earned him favor and potentially protection when the truth about the Hero’s party was revealed. But now that purpose was moot.

“Um, Your Highness. Keeping the Holy Grail like this is too dangerous.”

“Dangerous? Who would believe the Holy Grail is in my room? It probably looks similar to any chalice used for mass in some rural church.”

“…That may be true, but still.”

If there was any consolation, it was that very few people knew the Holy Grail was in the Second Prince’s possession.

With Cordana having collapsed, both parties had agreed to conceal the fact that the Holy Grail had been traded, as the Papal State would look ridiculous if this became public.

– Your Highness. Let’s first return the Holy Grail to its rightful place. Then we can discuss compensation for the damages.

– Damages? DAMAGES!? Are you saying it’s my fault that Cordana crashed right after our over-the-counter deal was completed? It was just bad timing.

– Don’t you think the timing is too suspicious? We suspect Your Highness predicted the crash. Even His Holiness thinks…!

– Ah, I had no idea the Beast King was still alive, not even in my dreams. If you insist, why don’t you ask the holy knights following the Hero’s party, or better yet, ask the Saintess directly? The Papal State must have at least one or two mages who can operate communication crystals, right?

– We haven’t been able to contact them for weeks. You need to resolve this issue as well.

– Huh. One might think I’m a church deacon. Do it yourself.

This was a conversation he had with the Cardinal overseeing the capital’s diocese.

Thanks to exploiting the Papal State’s reluctance to reveal that they had included the Holy Grail in the purchase price, he had been able to buy some time.

But there were limits to this tactic.

“…Your Highness. The Papal State’s patience will soon reach its limit. Considering the population of the Papal State’s direct territories, 46.5 billion lyra is practically their entire national wealth.”

“I can hold out for a few more days. …The Papal State is just a toothless tiger now anyway.”

“……”

The Second Prince’s biggest concern wasn’t the Papal State.

What the Papal State didn’t know yet was that dozens of their elite holy knights had already suffered near-annihilation. For the Empire, it would be equivalent to the Royal Order being wiped out—a blow that would take 20 years to recover from.

‘Considering how much their national power has been reduced, they wouldn’t dare threaten to sever diplomatic relations.’

The Second Prince’s real concerns were the Emperor and the nobility. Especially urgent were the nobles.

Most of the Empire’s nobility had lost money on Cordana.

Of course, the losses varied greatly from person to person.

Some families had poured in all the cash they could mobilize and were about to lose everything, while others had limited their exposure to just one or two purchases that their academy-attending children had begged for. Even one or two wasn’t a small amount, though.

There were even families who had successfully realized profits. These were the ones who had enthusiastically invested in Cordana but then sold in the last month or two due to liquidity problems.

These families were quietly pleased while keeping a low profile.

“…But Your Highness. Most nobles have suffered losses. And several families are expected to go bankrupt because of those losses.”

“I’m still holding onto 1.8 billion, aren’t I?”

“That’s only because orders have completely disappeared. No one trusts the current market price.”

“……”

Those nobles would naturally harbor intense hostility toward the Second Prince and the Hero.

For now, petitions demanding “clarification of the truth” were pouring in. This was because there was still hope that the market would rebound once the truth was revealed. The authority of the imperial family also prevented them from applying pressure too hastily.

‘But that won’t last long either.’

The Hero knew how devastating that “truth” the nobles wanted really was.

The Hero had lost his pinky finger and his confidence, and the party members in hiding had also suffered various degrees of damage. If it became known that an already vulnerable party that depended on holy knights had its main member weakened as well…

“Cordana would become worthless.”

“You shouldn’t keep imitating the Hero’s expressions. And Your Highness, you can’t hide this forever.”

“I know. I know everything!”

The Second Prince closed his eyes tightly, feeling surrounded by enemies on all sides. How did things end up like this?

‘…I thought the Beast King would need at least a few months to recover. What was with him suddenly appearing and killing those knights?’

‘Come to think of it, aren’t I a victim too? I couldn’t sell 70 of them. Although I did make much more than my initial investment…’

‘Honestly, at this point, even Father won’t be a reliable support.’

He wanted to consult with the Hero, but the Hero had slipped out of the capital under cover of darkness the same day news of the Beast King’s survival broke.

– A crash is coming soon, and if it’s revealed that you hid me in the palace, even your safety won’t be guaranteed, Your Highness.

It was true. So he had helped with the Hero’s escape and concealment, hoping to buy time. The Hero had gratefully given him 5 billion as a token of appreciation.

“So I have to solve this on my own, is that it?”

The Second Prince sighed, feeling despair rising within him.

Should he make donations?

Helping a few families on the brink of bankruptcy might calm public opinion. But doing so would be tantamount to revealing that the Second Prince was complicit in the false reports. And honestly, he didn’t want to spend the money.

‘I need to redirect the nobles’ discontent somewhere else…’

He already had someone in mind for that.

Former Royal Order member Erick.

Besides the Hero, who had steadily realized profits through nominee trading, Erick was the one who had profited the most.

There were already quite a few nobles who had it in for Erick. Especially those who had bought the 108 Cordanas that Erick had released into the market.

With the right pretext, he could easily make Erick a scapegoat.

The problem was that there was “still” no such pretext. Despite having servants diligently investigate, nothing useful had turned up.

Erick had purchased a lot of real estate before the market crashed, but that in itself was legal and couldn’t be considered wrongdoing. He had even established a relief center under the guise of a swordsmanship school.

‘Of course, if there’s no crime, we can fabricate one…’

But right now, even the Second Prince himself wasn’t free to move around, making it difficult to take aggressive action. And Erick was staying quietly at home.

“Sigh. This is maddening.”

He had no idea how to pressure Erick into disgorging his money. If he couldn’t resolve this in a few days, the Second Prince himself might be cornered first.

To make matters worse, Erick was reportedly already putting up defenses.

“…Your Highness, it seems Erick sent large-scale relief supplies to the Lancarth Margraviate yesterday. He collaborated with the Claudine Merchant Guild.”

“What’s that about? Is he trying to win public favor?”

“That’s not it. …This was very difficult information to obtain, but it seems Erick is aiming for the viscount title in the Margraviate. Recently, he invited former officials to his home for advice on receiving a title.”

“Huh? A title?”

From the circumstances, it appeared that Erick was trying to buy a title with money.

As it happened, the viscount position in the Lancarth Margraviate was vacant because the previous viscount had died in battle against lizardmen without leaving an heir.

There was no separate territory, just an estate manager acting as a vice-count.

It wasn’t a position suitable for a young former knight, no matter how excellent his swordsmanship, but these were special circumstances.

“Have you ever seen such a despicable bastard? Throwing relief supplies at a devastated territory and demanding a viscount title in return? How could a knight do that?”

“…He probably offered money as a condition too. Of course, imperial approval is needed for the title, but His Majesty wouldn’t refuse. How could he reject a margrave who has suffered tremendous damage wanting to take on an Expert-class knight as his vassal?”

“This is insane.”

The Hero Gwon Heejin had clearly called Erick a “stupid guy,” but it was baffling how cunning he was being.

If Erick really escaped to the Lancarth Margraviate and stayed there for a few years, there would be virtually no way to catch him.

As the Second Prince was pulling his hair in despair, having lost his last hope, the servant quietly observed him before suddenly speaking.

“Yes, it will be difficult to touch him. But Your Highness? There’s one variable. Please consider that the territory in question is the Lancarth Margraviate.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Didn’t several knights die or get injured there recently? That damage was due to the Hero’s false report. And there’s one person who’s particularly enraged about that.”

At the servant’s words, the Second Prince blinked before his expression brightened.

Yes, Erick had indeed been clever.

It was true that by moving to the devastated Lancarth Margraviate, he could protect his life and property, making it difficult for others to touch him. As an Expert-class knight, he could make a living hunting monsters.

However, there was exactly one person who would “absolutely” not tolerate this.

And that person happened to be the Empire’s strongest knight.

“Just the fact that a former member is trying to obtain a title using relief supplies as leverage would infuriate that man. …What more if the territory is the Lancarth Margraviate, which was protected by the lives of knights?”

“He would lose his mind, that man.”

“Let’s use him to neutralize Erick, then pile on other charges when the time is right.”

The Second Prince looked lovingly at his servant, thinking he had found an opportunity. He made a mental note to appoint him as Court Minister or Chief Chamberlain if he ever ascended to the throne.

With the right approach, he might be able to alleviate one of his two burdens—the Papal State and the nobility. Even dealing with just the Papal State would be challenging, but it was better than fighting a war on two fronts.

The Second Prince immediately summoned Lufus Waynelight, the Captain of the Royal Order.

Since Waynelight himself had requested an audience in an agitated state, they were able to meet quickly.