chapter_0079

79 – Meeting with the Prince

79 – Meeting with the Prince

The capital of the Novarens Empire.

The city of gold, the city of the Emperor.

The Imperial Capital, Novaresia.

In the end, I came here.

I had seen it many times in the game in my previous life, but this was my first time coming as Calix.

I was amazed by the dazzling golden city that I saw with my own eyes.

How much money would it take to make a city this magnificent?

“It’s a really splendid city.”

“Is this your first time in the capital, Lord?”

Lana said in response to my words.

Since it was my first time as Calix, I nodded.

“Yes, I’ve never left the territory, so this is my first time in the capital.”

“Indeed, then I will take responsibility for guiding you through the capital.”

“Guiding?”

“Yes, I attend the Academy and know all the famous attractions and tourist spots in the capital. In other words, as your maid, I can provide a perfect capital date, no, capital tour.”

Lana spoke as if she were on a trip to the capital.

I was on edge because of the hearing, but a tour… Thanks to Lana, I felt the tension easing.

“Okay, please do so after everything is over, Lana.”

“Yes, please look forward to it, Lord.”

While Lana and I were talking, Azel next to us was… just being quiet.

Azel is quiet at this timing?

He should be saying he wants to go too, or recommending the Golden Knights Order cafeteria as a delicious restaurant, shouldn’t he?

Lana also sensed something was wrong and looked at Azel, saying.

“……”

“Azel, are you alright? You’re quiet today.”

“I! I’m fine.”

Azel finally reacted to Lana’s words.

Azel looked around with a nostalgic expression and said.

“I’m just, a little nostalgic.”

Azel was officially still affiliated with the Golden Knights Order, but he no longer reported to the Golden Knights.

I told him not to worry about it, but Azel said that just as I had chosen him, he had to make a choice, and he made that choice.

But even so, it seemed that Azel still had a longing for the Golden Knights Order, where he had been.

As we headed to our lodging in the capital, a group of knights were waiting for me in front of the mansion.

“Lord! Those are!!”

“Ah…”

They had the golden eagle insignia.

Then there was only one possibility for their identity.

The ‘Golden Knights Order’, the Imperial Knights directly under the Emperor.

“Judging by your noble appearance, you seem to be Lord Calix Crone of Cron. Is that correct?”

“That’s right. I am Calix Crone. You appear to be from the Golden Knights Order, what brings you here?”

The knights of the Golden Knights Order dismounted and paid their respects to me.

The black-haired knight, who appeared to be the captain, said to me.

“Our master is waiting for you, Lord.”

“I see… I understand.”

In this situation, there was only one person they could refer to as their master.

The legitimate heir to the Empire and the best knight of the Imperial Family,

The First Imperial Prince, 『Kylos Sword Novarens』.

* * *

After unpacking at the lodging, I followed them.

Azel, Lana, and the other escort knights followed, but the atmosphere was very cold.

Azel probably knew them, but they seemed to be treating Azel as a traitor and pretending not to know him.

And they led me to a villa a little away from the city.

“You can go this way.”

“Okay, I understand.”

I took a deep breath.

I had always prepared for this day to come, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

I entered the villa with the feeling of entering a lion’s den.

The inside of the villa was surprisingly simple, and I was led to the VIP room by a maid.

And when the door opened, he was there.

A black cloak embroidered with a golden eagle, neatly trimmed golden hair, and beneath it,

Sharply shining black eyes, the First Imperial Prince, 『Kylos Sword Novarens』.

“I greet His Highness the Prince.”

“I finally get to meet you, Lord Calix Crone.”

I had seen the Prince many times in the game.

I had even played it myself.

So I thought I was used to it, but I wasn’t.

The Prince’s presence in front of me was no joke, and I clenched my butt and struggled to resist the force.

“I wanted to meet you before it came to this.”

“You honor me, Your Highness.”

The Prince spoke in a dignified but not overbearing voice.

He guided me to sit on the chair opposite him and said kindly.

“There’s no need to be difficult. Aren’t we family?”

“Fa… Family?”

Family all of a sudden?

What is this? Did Calix have such a setting?

I was surprised by his words, imagining a scene from a morning drama where Calix was an illegitimate child of the Imperial Family.

“I heard that you are engaged to Lily, so you are my brother-in-law, so aren’t we practically family?”

“Ah…”

I was a little relieved by his surprisingly common-sense words.

I mean, such a morning drama-like thing would not easily happen.

The Prince looked wistfully at the peaceful garden outside the villa.

This place was probably one of the Imperial Family’s secret villas, and it seemed to hold memories of the Prince and Lily’s childhood.

“Lily is a lonely child, she has been hurt by invisible discrimination since she was young because of her skin… Even I couldn’t easily heal that wound.”

The pain that Lily experienced seemed to be more than what I had heard.

The Prince’s eyes showed regret and regret, but he smiled lightly and said.

“But since she met you, Lily has become noticeably more confident in her skin, as Lily’s family, not as the Prince, I thank you.”

And he suddenly bowed his head to me.

I was embarrassed by the Prince’s sudden action.

“P-Please raise your head! Your Highness!”

Even if there was no one watching, bowing his head here, the Prince was really… a politician.

He softens the atmosphere with family stories and buys people’s hearts with humility by bowing his head.

It was really amazing even knowing it.

Then he will slowly get to the point now.

“The reason I met you today is to make you an offer.”

As expected… As I thought, or rather, as my retainers predicted, the Prince made me an offer.

“Lord Cron, I like your policies.”

The Prince seemed to genuinely think well of me.

Perhaps, considering the Prince’s tendencies as I know them from the game, that favor was somewhat genuine.

“The current system of the Empire seems to have reached its limit, if left as it is, the Empire will either collapse on its own or a civil war will break out due to a massive popular uprising.”

The Prince seemed to be well aware of the Empire’s situation.

He continued.

“To prevent that, it is necessary to take care of the people’s lives and weaken the authority of the lords, as you have done… But now is not the time while my uncle is alive.”

The Prince’s words were correct in some ways and as expected in others.

Let’s not solve it now, but solve it all at once when a bigger problem is solved later.

“Calix Crone, will you join me? I believe that with you, I can reform the Empire.”

If I joined the Prince, the hearing would end easily.

The target of the hearing was not me, but the Prince.

Since the Prince had announced that he was on the side of the people, the Grand Duke of the North would not need to overdo it, so I would be able to pass without any problems.

This was also the best offer from the Prince’s point of view.

He was betting on me and the people, risking the departure of a great lord.

But…

“Thank you for your words, Your Highness. But I’m fine.”

The Prince seemed genuinely surprised by my words.

Perhaps if it was me as the Prince had investigated, I would have fallen for it by now.

“…Is it because of Lily?”

“No. It’s because of my will.”

The Prince seemed surprised once again by my words.

Thinking that it was my turn this time, I continued.

“Your Highness, I also support your actions. But there are things that cannot be done because of that.”

The Prince was not a bad person.

But he was only choosing the option that could save the most people from his point of view.

And my family and my people could be included in those who could not be saved.

“Until now, I have lived to survive.”

At first, I tried to live as a ‘loved and incompetent lord’.

Then I tried to live as a ‘loved ally’.

I tried to live an ordinary and peaceful life somehow, but now it was time to make a choice.

“But I realized that I can no longer protect them if I do that. So now… I’m going to try to live differently.”

Yes, I will accept it.

As a lord living in this turbulent world, in order to protect my precious people, I will become a player in the Emperor’s game.

The Prince, who understood the meaning of my words, looked complicated.

“It won’t be an easy path. Is that okay?”

“Still, it’s better than ending up doing nothing.”

The Prince closed his eyes for a moment as if he was sorry at my words.

And then he got up from his seat and offered me a handshake.

“Okay, I’ll support you, Lord Calix Crone.”

It was a handshake he was offering to a rival equal to himself.

The hearing was approaching.

Author’s words (Author’s afterword)

Thank you for watching today as well.

( • ᴗ – ) ✧