I didn’t miss the moment the emperor’s eyes flickered for a moment.
“Are you there?”
It’s something I hid so secretly that I didn’t even know about it, but it’s strange that someone the size of an emperor never had an accident. The Emperor neither affirmed nor denied.
I explained how the princes I met as guardian spirits reacted to the guardian spirit. The emperor let out a long sigh.
“Are you saying that among your grandsons there are no good ones?”
It’s not like I didn’t look for it either. The conclusion is unremarkable. There were some who could be used, but it was questionable whether they would be able to work properly even if they inherited the throne.
“If you want to pass the throne to the crown prince, he asks if you will remove all the princes.”
In a way, it sounded like a crime of high treason, but I had nothing to hold back. That’s not what I said. The guardian spirit did it. If the crown prince succeeds to the throne, will the current princes stay still? If you don’t get rid of it or do something similar, you’re sure to try to pretend to be regent.
The emperor shook his head. They don’t want to kill their own children. It’s good to love your children, but the emperor went too far. And that is the result now.
“So, where is the hidden prince?”
“I don’t know”
“Only I know. Guardian Spirit will come to see you, so I won’t have to go looking for you myself.”
“That’s not it, I really don’t know. I never received a report to protect the child and the child’s mother. The best way to keep a secret is not to know.”
That’s right. I didn’t even know. Neglect is neglect, but thanks to that, the candidate for the next emperor is still alive.
“Then who should I ask?”
The emperor did not speak, but wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I saw it and burned it right in front of the Emperor.
It doesn’t matter much now whether the bastard is Wangjae or not. It might be better than the princes if you just take the serfs who were farming outside.
Immediately, he moved his alter ego and went to the person who said he knew the bastard’s whereabouts. He was one of the servants who served in the imperial family a long time ago. I remember seeing your face. It was when the ether was alive.
He was startled when I suddenly appeared in front of him, who was alone at home, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he regained his composure.
“Fourth Finger”
It was a code written down by the emperor along with his whereabouts.
“William, 19 years old, Akasha estate, mercenary belonging to Sword Mountain”
The servant spit out only important information without talking. By the way, I heard that it was dark under the lamp, and he was living in our estate. I remember hearing your name and age.
He was a talented person who had been requested by Zizac’s mercenary corps because his talent was quite good. However, instead of belonging to the Akasha domain, he became a mercenary.
I immediately went back to the manor and called Wither to call William of the Mercenaries. It was a talent I had seen before, so there was no need for verification. However, the question was whether he had the will to become the fourth prince.
“By the way, Wither, how long did the original emperor live?”
“Well, I guess I’ve lived about 17 more years from now.”
“Who inherited the throne?”
“The second prince, not the crown prince, became emperor.”
History has also changed. Originally, I thought that even if history changes, the main stem does not change, but when the emperor of the continent’s strongest country changes, the main stem can also change.
William, who happened to be in the territory without receiving a job, came to me after receiving my call. Blood can’t be fooled, but when I think of him as the emperor’s son, there are quite a few similarities. This is the talent I was trying to recruit. The size of his talent was incomparable to those of the princes.
“Meet the lord.”
“Welcome to William”
What words should I take out? First of all, it seems right to let people know their identity.
“It was none other than your birth that called you.”
“I know.”
“Do you know who your father is?”
“Yes, my mother told me before she passed away.”
Why did the servant who was managing William’s news only talk about William? It seems that William’s mother is already dead.
“Then the story will be fast. Do you have any intention of becoming the fourth prince?”
“Is that possible?”
“It’s possible. It’s already been approved by His Majesty the Emperor.”
William was lost in deep thought. Of course, it was not an easy decision. It is up to you to decide the direction of your life.
“And I will challenge the throne.”
“it is impossible.”
“No, because I will make it that way.”
“If you intend to use me as a puppet, stop.”
Instead of speaking, I moved my pen with my alter ego and wrote in front of William.
-I am a guardian spirit. I’m with you.
“You know that I can talk to the Guardian Spirit, right?”
“Even if the Guardian Spirit helps me, I won’t do anything that I can’t move on my own will.”
From noble mtl dot com.
William was quite a pulpit. It wasn’t like the guy who ran away when he saw the pen move. So I liked it more.
“I have no intention of forcing you to do it if you do not want to do it, and I do not intend to make you a puppet. Do you think His Majesty the Ether Emperor was the guardian spirit’s puppet?”
“It is not. He was a great emperor.”
“Yes, you can too.”
William thought again. But the answer didn’t seem to come easily.
“Go back and think about it for a few days.”
“All right.”
William returned to his firm expression. But perhaps, if I hadn’t misunderstood William, I’d agree. And inherited the blood of the emperor. Originally, blood cannot be deceived.
I moved my vassals to the ecliptic in earnest and started preparing for the next one. Even if I declare my support for William, the weight does not tip that easily.
The aristocrats seemed to be able to do something, but now the problem was the emperor faction, which was attached to the princes.
My mansion in the Imperial City has undergone extensive construction. Right now, it’s too frugal for my liking. In the future, many nobles would come, but there was a little problem as it is now.
Then, he released a person and contacted the nobles of the neutral camp. It was about deciding whether to stay neutral from now on or stick to me.
Even if many nobles want to remain neutral, they cannot do so because they do not have the strength. However, as Countess Akasha was holding out as the leader of the neutral faction, there were more nobles who kept neutrality than in other times. If you gather all of them, another force equal to the imperial faction and the aristocratic faction will be created.
A few days later, as expected, William returned.
“I will try.”
“Good idea.”
“Just promise me one thing. Promise me that you will never do anything that harms the people.”
“It is natural.”
After William agreed, I began to explain the current situation to William. And when the explanation was over, William’s fists trembled in anger.
“My older brothers are such people.”
“Yes, if left alone, His Majesty would have died and a civil war would have broken out.”
“Now I think I know why the Lord and the Guardian Spirit came forward.”
I think I misunderstood something, but the result is similar, so I didn’t bother to correct it. William was a more upright guy than I thought. In particular, because he grew up as a commoner, he had a deep understanding of the hardships of the common people. This can be an advantage when ascending to the throne of the emperor, but it can also be a disadvantage. An empire doesn’t run only with nobles, but it doesn’t run with just commoners.
For now, William must undergo a lot of education before announcing the fourth prince. So, he hired the best teachers in each field in the ecliptic.
“It will be difficult from now on.”
“I am prepared.”
No, it’s harder than you think, because Howard is your swordsmanship teacher. After Arshin left, he volunteered because he was bored. Anyway, he is the strongest swordsmanship teacher on the continent.
And he reported the situation so far to the emperor again. The emperor was delighted to hear that his son, whom he had not heard from before, had grown up wonderfully.
“So is there a way?”
It is talking about how to pass the throne peacefully to the bastard prince who suddenly appeared without any of his children dying.
“The Guardian Spirit will take care of it.”
It’s annoying in many ways, but I have a way to think of it. Of course, if the method does not work and the worst comes, force may be used.
The first banquet was held at my mansion in the ecliptic, where William moved to the ecliptic, began receiving education, and finished redecorating. Come to think of it, it was the first time I held a banquet in my past and present lives.
As a result, the banquet was a great success. Originally, the banquet was held only for the neutral faction, but almost all the nobles who received the invitation attended, regardless of whether they were nobles or emperors. The fame of Count Akasha and the saint became that much.
However, the problem was that there were many nobles who brought their daughters to the banquet. Looking at my age, I’m a bit past the age for marriage as an aristocrat.
Dozens of noble ladies gathered around me, screaming at every single gesture I made. Thanks to that, I didn’t even have a chance to meet the neutral aristocrats, which was my original purpose.
The flirtation of noble ladies was quite blatant. He asked me to go somewhere for a while or suggested a meeting after the banquet. Even thinking to myself, I coped quite well. In the meantime, I’ve watched several royal families and imperial families for decades, but I can’t do less than that.
After the banquet, my stock price skyrocketed without knowing how high it was. The ladies of noble families were busy talking about me whenever the two of them got together, and the heads of households also rolled up their sleeves to try to connect their daughters with me.
It seems a little out of the way I wanted, but thanks to that, it became easier to be invited to various noble families. And he received a definite answer from many aristocrats. Carefully, while the Neutralists were growing in size, an unexpected guest came.
“welcome. His Highness the Prince”
This prince came to see me in person. Apparently, the Imperial Intelligence Agency was operating, so this was the fastest way.
“Nice to meet you Countess Akasha. As rumored, he is a very handsome man.”
Unlike the time when he ran away in fear after seeing the handwriting of the guardian spirit, he was holding quite a bit of weight.
“It’s just a shameful fault.”
“So, you say you’ve been doing a lot of work lately?”
Anyway, this prince was the one who became the emperor in Wither’s previous life. I couldn’t look at it that way. Prince Lee hinted at my actions.
“It’s just the powerless people trying to survive.”
“Hasn’t life been good up until now? And who said Count Akasha had no power?”
“Compared to the true power of the Empire, it is insignificant.”
After all, we know each other as much as we know each other. The Imperial Intelligence Department would be well aware of the power of Count Akasha.
“But what do you plan to use that power for?”
“As I said, we are just coming together to live.”
Even this prince doesn’t know about William yet. I’m simply thinking of gathering forces.
“Why don’t you give that power to me instead?”
This prince has information, but no force. If you think about it that way, holding hands with me is ideal.
“I have told His Majesty several times, but I intend to remain neutral.”
This prince quickly turned into a disapproving face and glared at me. I took those eyes casually. In the end, it was this prince who turned his attention first.
“I don’t want to be enemies with you”
“Neither do I.”
“Can you promise me that?”
I could make any promise if it was just words, but why would I need to make a false promise to a guy like this?
“I can’t make promises because I don’t know how the world will change.”
“Sorry. You are making a big mistake now.”
“Maybe.”
The prince jumped up and left without hiding his displeased face. However, rumors spread differently. Rumors began to circulate that I had joined hands with this prince. It was information manipulation on the part of this prince.
This prince’s aides must have been thinking about it, but thanks to him, things became easier.