Ch.135135. Departure for War

Imperial Palace, Reception Room.

Crown Prince Simon sighed deeply while staring blankly at the ceiling.

He was currently receiving a special envoy from the Kingdom of Lessotona on behalf of the Emperor.

This was due to health issues affecting his father, the most revered figure on the continent.

It wasn’t a serious illness—just a muscle spasm in his side that left him groaning in pain. The symptoms had started after the Saintess was summoned, and when these spasms occurred, he could barely move for half a day. Lately, he seemed too bothered to even call for a priest, preferring to just rest thoroughly whenever the pain struck.

While it was his duty as heir to lighten his father’s burden… Simon couldn’t help feeling stifled.

This was because the special envoy who had come to meet him was spouting irritating complaints.

The Kingdom of Lessotona, a nation bordering the Great Forest. Currently, they were sweating profusely trying to accommodate the elves’ stubbornness.

“…Your Highness. Our people who depend on bartering with the elves have been suffering recently. The elves, especially the younger ones, have become quite difficult to deal with. …By my estimation, this is not unrelated to the Hero.”

“What does the Hero have to do with this?”

“They seem displeased that the Hero refused the ‘verification’ proposed by the Great Forest. Their discontent appears to have grown since the Hero eliminated two members of the Tetrad without seeking cooperation from the Great Forest.”

“……”

The elves seemed to be engaged in a power struggle with the Hero.

Of course, this was like throwing punches into thin air. No matter how much displeasure the elves showed, the Hero was unlikely to pay any attention.

‘Sigh. As if I don’t have enough exhausting matters to deal with already.’

On reflection, it wasn’t strange for the Great Forest to feel slighted.

Historically, every Hero’s party had always included one elf, typically a great warrior. This warrior didn’t just serve as a scout for the Hero’s party but also symbolized the united front between humans and elves.

The elves seemed extremely displeased that this long-standing tradition had been broken.

“They should just focus on guarding the World Tree.”

“The previous Hero, Gwon Heejin, chose a forest keeper who was ostracized by elven society, and Lord Wellesley has completely ignored elves altogether. While we understand the circumstances… the Great Forest seems to believe that humans are slighting elves.”

“Slighting them? As I understand it, the Hero simply didn’t see the need for elven assistance.”

“If you explain it that way, the elves will become even more enraged, claiming they were disrespected. Actually, ‘sulking’ might be a more accurate description than ‘enraged.'”

“……”

The Crown Prince briefly wore a troubled expression.

He couldn’t ignore the Kingdom of Lessotona’s difficulties, but neither could he advise Wellesley to add a party member just to soothe elven pride.

What could be done?

As the Crown Prince pondered, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Special Envoy. If the elves continue to be irritable, try telling them this: the Hero had intended to visit the Great Forest, but was earnestly dissuaded by a certain imperial royal, so he abandoned the idea.”

“…Does this mean the imperial family will bear the elves’ discontent instead? But, if they ask why the Hero was dissuaded, how should I explain?”

“You don’t need to provide specific explanations. Just say that one of the imperial royals dissuaded the Hero due to political interests, and they’ll make their own assumptions. They’ll satisfy their self-esteem by disparaging humans.”

Of course, this was all a lie. Why would a royal dissuade the Hero from visiting the Great Forest?

However, the Crown Prince judged that given the elves’ characteristic sense of superiority, they would likely believe it without question.

‘They’ll probably think the Hero desperately wanted the assistance of capable elves but had to give up due to royal interference. So predictable.’

This approach seemed likely to appease the elves’ discontent without burdening the Hero. It would also give the Kingdom of Lessotona an excuse.

In exchange, the elves would look down on the imperial family, but that was inconsequential. Elves already looked down on humans anyway.

“Your Highness. Are you certain this is acceptable?”

“Do as I say. If necessary, you may criticize the Empire in front of the elves.”

At these words, the Kingdom of Lessotona’s special envoy stared at the Crown Prince with a blank expression. It was natural to find it strange that someone of princely status would openly instruct him to lie.

However, the Crown Prince himself felt no shame whatsoever. His face had grown quite thick after all the chaos of the past year.

‘This level of cunning is nothing compared to the Hero anyway.’

The Crown Prince pressed his throbbing forehead with his hand and sighed again.

As much as he wanted to rest briefly, that was impossible.

The next visitor requesting an audience happened to be the Hero himself.

“Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince, who had been sitting in a slouched position, unconsciously straightened his posture.

“Ah, Hero. I heard you’re departing tomorrow.”

“Yes. We’ll be leaving at dawn.”

The Crown Prince was about to ritually wish the Hero success. Not just as a formality, but because it was all he could offer.

He couldn’t gather hundreds of thousands of people for a departure ceremony, nor could he boost morale by offering rewards. Such rewards would be meaningless to the current Hero anyway.

The best he could think of was perhaps an engagement to a royal?

But even that didn’t seem like something the Hero would welcome. He might actually be wary of becoming tied to the imperial family.

In the end, all he could do was offer verbal encouragement. It was unfortunate for the Hero, but reality offered no alternatives.

‘I’m tired, but how much more exhausted must he be?’

The Crown Prince looked at Erick with sympathetic eyes, but the Hero himself paid no mind and spoke.

“I’ll be away from the capital for several weeks. It might be even longer. Especially once we enter the Demonic Land, even attempting magical communication will be difficult… Even if it were possible, I don’t plan to respond.”

No advice would be forthcoming?

For a moment, everything seemed to go dark, but the Crown Prince managed to maintain his composure with difficulty. Showing disappointment in this situation would be inhuman.

‘To be honest, our dependence on the Hero has been excessive until now.’

The one fortunate thing was that the Hero handed over a small booklet.

“I’ve written down a few scenarios that might occur. …Of course, it would be best if you never need to use this information.”

The Crown Prince accepted the booklet the Hero offered with a bewildered feeling.

Who would have thought he’d make such preparations, squeezing time from his pre-departure schedule? While the Hero’s diligence was well-known, this was truly unexpected.

Without exaggeration, it was genuinely moving. Even though he knew perfectly well the Hero hadn’t wielded his pen out of patriotic fervor.

“…Hero. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“No thanks are necessary.”

The Hero turned to leave with appropriate courtesy, indicating he would spend time in the palace before departing before dawn.

The Crown Prince remained lost in strange emotions for a while before checking the memo the Hero had left. He wanted to familiarize himself with the content in advance.

As he slowly read through the lines, the Crown Prince’s expression grew increasingly rigid.

This was because every item was horrifying.

‘Could such things… really happen?’

Of course, the Hero had said it was “prepared just in case,” but that provided little comfort. The Hero’s intuition had always been uncannily accurate. It felt almost like reading an ominous prophecy.

Why was there already a sense of emptiness when the Hero hadn’t even left yet? The Crown Prince could only squeeze his eyes shut.

***

The next morning at dawn. I led my party members on our expedition.

Party members who had responded to my summons from their respective fields.

A professor who had rushed over after hastily finishing grading final exams, an elderly priest who had been performing charitable work (paid) with holy power at my territory’s residential construction site, and a rural baron who had been raising white rabbits with the help of my territory’s residents.

Except for Saint Rowan replacing Saintess Rowan, the composition remained the same as the Hero’s pursuit team.

The difference was that we were going after the Demon Lord, not Gwon Heejin. While the Demon Lord might have overwhelming combat power, Gwon Heejin had caused far greater harm to humanity, so there was no need to compare them.

‘Actually, the biggest difference lies elsewhere.’

It was my mindset.

During the pursuit team days, I thought if we just killed Gwon Heejin, the end would be vaguely in sight.

Of course, I had anticipated some aftermath even then, but perhaps I was naive enough not to completely abandon the belief that recovery would be possible.

I truly hadn’t expected that three counties would close their doors and hundreds of nobles would be sent to labor camps or penal battalions. Nor had I expected commoners to become infected with get-rich-quick mentality.

How did things end up like this…

“Hero?”

“It’s nothing, let’s go.”

The pre-dawn capital was the very embodiment of stillness. The only people on the streets were patrolling guards and laborers moving the bodies of lower-class citizens who had died during the night to burial grounds outside the capital.

Perhaps thanks to this quietness, the party members following me were maintaining casual conversations while affecting nonchalance.

“I suppose the lottery has at least created a studious atmosphere at the Academy, hasn’t it?”

“Fortunately, yes. …But some students are channeling their enthusiasm in strange directions. There are friends who formed a club to predict winning numbers. I hear a theory about selecting ‘fixed numbers’ and consistently playing the same numbers is gaining traction, though I don’t really understand it.”

“…I see.”

It sounded like the Academy was functioning reasonably well.

Amidst this, the Saintess added, “People studying patterns will probably emerge around the 7th or 8th drawing.” No one objected to her words. Some even laughed as if finding it amusing.

Yes. It was fine to ease tension with jokes right now.

However, the Saintess’s subsequent words couldn’t be taken as a joke.

“Oh, the church was unusually full last Sunday. Many people come to pray at the Goddess statue even on regular days. …When I asked the district bishop, he said this hasn’t happened since the collapse of Cordana.”

It wasn’t that faith in the Goddess had suddenly been restored.

I could guess why people were making time to visit churches without having to hear it. They were probably trying to increase their lottery winning chances by seeking the Goddess’s power.

I hadn’t expected “prayer” to enter the equation so quickly—it was happening faster than anticipated. I couldn’t understand why people were only quick about such things.

What would happen in the Empire during my absence?

…That too was unknowable, but at least it wasn’t something to worry about right now.

Shortly after passing through the city gates, the elderly priest and the Saintess naturally cast holy magic.

Enveloped in brilliant radiance, I immediately spurred my horse to increase speed.

It was time to set aside concerns about the Empire.