102 – The Second Prince Of Pure Love
I came out after getting beaten up in prison. The generous Second Prince didn’t beat me up that badly. It seemed more like he was telling me to restrain myself rather than beating me up out of spite.
The air was different when I came out of prison. No matter how much this was a prison that was decorated to be livable, the lively streets were dozens of times better.
Second Prince Irid walked through Crown Hall familiarly. It was strange to see him with his blonde hair hidden by magic and his outfit looking like he was a passing mercenary.
His face was so handsome that he stood out like a protagonist in a fantasy novel even when he dressed like this. At least it would draw less attention than his blonde hair fluttering in the wind.
“So, how was the academy?”
“Ah, it was good.”
I answered reflexively because he asked out of the blue, but this was my honest opinion.
Life at the academy was good. It was a bit lonely without the rooftop parties, but that was solved too… It was also fun to bicker with Pinkbales, and I even opened a session, although it was a bit of a mess in the middle.
And the fact that I was teaching children gave me a greater sense of accomplishment than I thought.
I’m not a professor or a dungeon maker. I didn’t just throw them into the labyrinth and tell them to ‘survive on your own’.
I ran a personalized analysis on each and every one of them. To find out how much they had grown, what areas they were lacking in, and what talents they needed to develop. And I made it into a status window that was easy to see .
Name: The kid with a dot on his face that looks like a pebble
Strength: C Agility: B Magic: C … (omitted)
Like this.
It was exciting because it made me feel like I was playing a nurturing game. I had to make sure that kid would at least be a silver-ranked mercenary when he went out into society, and I even set a goal for myself.
Since I was working at the academy, I was on a long-term business trip from Crown Hall.
However, I couldn’t take a break from teaching because of my personal circumstances. So I prepared a mini-game for them to study on their own while I was away.
Using simulation and combat AI… the Tower of Trials!
There were 10 floors from the 1st to the 10th, and there was a boss mob on each floor.
They could go solo or form a team. The number of times they could try per day was unlimited as long as they had the time. I had made a prior announcement that I would grant a wish to any student who cleared the 10th floor by the time I returned to the academy.
I also added that they could use the wish to get an A+ in this class even if they didn’t attend in the future.
This was a project that I had pushed forward because there were some interesting archetypes that came out of the AI that endlessly fought. Like the sword-wielding sword-wielder, or the chain-sickle Jenny.
Wouldn’t it be good for them to gain a lot of combat experience? It would definitely be a valuable experience to fight against boss mobs with strange weapons and not lose their lives.
“I’ll give you an apple. No… would you like to eat it too?”
“I’ll eat it if you give it to me.”
“Then two. This one and this one.”
The Second Prince ordered apples from the fruit-selling lady at the stall. He was a veteran at avoiding bad apples and buying two good ones.
Swish.
He threw one to me, and I caught it with both hands. The Second Prince munched on the apple. It sounded okay… I glanced at the shiny surface of the apple. Something was strange.
I scratched the surface with my fingernail, and something thin came off. It looked like some kind of polish. I gave the Second Prince some advice.
“Isn’t this something you put on to make it look delicious? It looks like beeswax or slime.”
“…You should have told me that before I ate it!”
“Be careful when you eat it. You’re a precious person.”
The Second Prince tried to spit out the apple in his mouth, but he must have thought that he couldn’t dirty the hygiene and cleanliness of the street with his own hand, so he just swallowed it.
“Aren’t you going to spit it out?”
“It’s okay for a prince to eat something strange. I have more than ten exclusive priests.”
I guess he meant that it was okay because he would be healed if he got seriously ill. But those priests wouldn’t be used so recklessly.
The Second Prince made a disgusted expression, but he didn’t seem like he was going to order the fruit shop lady to be hung.
He didn’t use to be this friendly towards commoners, so he had changed a lot.
“…Ugh.”
The Second Prince rinsed his mouth with a water bottle and spat it out in the dark alleyway. I guess it was still disgusting. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and asked me.
“According to the report I received… you led two students to the allegory.”
“Yes, well… there was an accident. It won’t happen again.”
“…? What did you do?”
Oh, wasn’t he talking about punishing me?
I almost shattered the students’ minds when I tried to beat something out of their heads! I changed the subject because I thought I would get scolded if I said that.
“How have you been, Your Highness?”
“Your health is good?”
“If you’re going to change the subject, at least do it sincerely.”
He probably doesn’t plan on digging into the details even if he beats me up. The second prince looked up at the sky and let out a sigh that was befitting of a working adult. It was a sigh that was thick with fatigue.
“I’ve been busy rooting out the dark wizards. These clever cockroaches are endless. I thought I had burned them all to death, but as soon as I take my eyes off them for a moment, they multiply again.”
“I saw them on my way here.”
“Yes, that part…. I’ll say you did well. It was a situation that required a proper shake-up. The relationships were so intricately intertwined that it would have been impossible to conduct a meaningful investigation with just me and my Moving forces… Especially Redburn.”
The second prince, Irid, crossed his arms and pressed his temples. It seemed like the three letters of Redburn were giving him a headache.
“W, what did those red-loving guys do?”
Isn’t Irid the closest person to the throne of this vast empire? Of course, the public is still under the impression that the first princess, Elaine, will be the one to take the throne… But I know that her appearance is just a mask.
I also know of Irid’s competence. He has a mature skillset for his age. How can a prince who has both power and ability be troubled like this?
The second prince threw a bright red apple that had taken a bite out of it into a trash can on the side of the road. Thud, roll.
“They cover their tails too well. Let me ask you this, aren’t you on my side for the time being? If I… order you to sacrifice yourself for the sake of our forces, will you listen?”
“I must follow the prince’s orders.”
“And then, when you turn around?”
“Shouldn’t I prepare to turn around and betray you?”
Irid flicked his finger.
“That’s exactly it.”
“Aha… Do the lackeys under Redburn die obediently? Without giving up information or being persuaded?”
“Yes. No means worked. There wasn’t a single one who was successfully persuaded, and even when I tried to extract information using violent methods… The magic implanted in their heads cleanly wiped the information away.”
Absolute loyalty… It probably isn’t that.
The Viscount of Something, a lackey of Duke Redburn, was driven by desire and was with the dark wizards who were watching him.
If he had been someone who was full of loyalty to Duke Redburn, he would have increased his political standing while he had the time to control women with the hypnosis app.
“So, based on the circumstances, I think Duke Redburn is in cahoots with the dark wizards… But there’s not a single piece of evidence. It’s an unassailable weakness. However.”
“However, we happened to do one thing.”
“Yes, the crazy wizard. And… You don’t need to beat around the bush with me anymore. You must have come to Crown Hall after wiping out the dark wizards at the academy and sniffing out their information.”
“…?”
“You would have already had enough merit just from the academy incident⋯⋯ If you’re trying to build up even more merit than that, then that means. You have a much bigger goal. Tell me honestly. Is there something you want from me?”
This punk is starting to get suspicious again.
No, no. This time, the second prince made a normal judgment. Wouldn’t it be strange if someone who had just rounded up dark wizards at the academy happened to come to Crown Hall and just so happened to catch a dark wizard again?
Of course, at the academy, it’s true that I just happened to catch them while I was chasing after a cow. At Crown Hall, I did run in with my eyes peeled for the traitor of the Purple Magic Tower, but the beginning was a coincidence… Or something like that. At least, it wasn’t my intention.
So, Irid’s thinking is that ‘this punk is gathering dragon balls so that he can ask me for a huge favor.’
Just a moment… Let me buy some time. I turned on my meaningful filter.
“Um… Do you really want to know? Wouldn’t it be better to leave the box unopened and let it age a bit longer?”
“I don’t want to be dragged around by my collar. If you don’t reveal your intentions, I won’t count it as a merit. Before I ascend to the throne and shut my mouth, accept it when you can accept It. Crazy wizard.”
It was cut off abruptly.
Wait a minute, what are you doing? I want to receive it once you give it to me. What can I do if I ask the prince for a favor?
Money? Grants? No, of course it would be nice to receive grants. It would be nice⋯⋯ But isn’t that something I can earn through other means? It’s too obvious to use the wish granted by the prince on money.
How about asking him to hold a free promotional event for my magic tower? No, it didn’t seem like my magic tower would grow significantly just because the prince promoted it. Even if I did, wouldn’t the nobles who wanted to get in the prince’s good graces just send their sons and daughters to take a peek?
Or, people? Should I ask for people? Should I ask him to gather 100 beautiful men and women of the empire and let me scan their bodies just once? No, that’s a bit of a stretch, it’s something that a dark wizard would do and I’d be suspected.
Hmm…
“Then, about three times of immunity… That is. Will you forgive me if I commit an act of impudence?”
“If it’s to that extent. You’re asking for something weaker than I thought.””In that sense, have you still not forgotten about Centra? I should be worried about your love life, but to secure the future, you should probably find another woman.”
“If you don’t watch your mouth, I’ll rip your t… Ah.”
The second prince looked like he had been hit in the back of the head.
—- —-
This crazy wizard isn’t weak for nothing!
I was wrong. I shouldn’t have focused on the seemingly weak wish, but worried about what this kid would do with this weakness.
From Noble mtl dot com
No, even so.
Is it right to talk about the issue of succession directly to an imperial prince? It’s a politically very important keyword, and depending on who he marries, it’s a big bomb that could change the balance of power?
And this kid knows exactly what I did to try to save Centra!
“No, that… I won’t be able to meet her anyway. No matter how long I live, Centra will be born when you’re a grandfather? I can’t live as a lonely old man until then…? “
“…”
“Oh, and if you’re thinking of getting married after a 100-year age gap, that’s a bit, well, that’s… right?”
“This dog──.”
I held back.
Isn’t this an assassination attempt to kill me by scratching my insides? The second prince, Irid, thought seriously.
Still, it’s not just talk.
He’s out of his mind, but he’s a dimensional wizard. He’s one of only two people who know about the traces of the Elixir of Ruin and the Crown Hall 100 years later. So the words of such a wizard are rude enough to make my head spin, but I believe they have meaning.
He’s not alone. As Irid expected, he had formed or belonged to some kind of force.
The possibility that he was just a competent individual was completely ruled out after the incident at the academy and the Crown Hall. Information was a factor that was very difficult for an individual to provide.
Could he have caught and captured the black wizards who infiltrated the academy and the black wizards hiding in the Crown Hall all by himself?
Earlier, I had put it as ‘trying to build up public service’, but in fact, I had asked ‘what are your forces planning?’ And the answer that came back was ‘secret’.
His forces.
A force with unknown purpose and depth, centered around the crazy wizard and the tower master of the Purple Tower. Outwardly, they seem to be under the command of the second prince, but in fact, their paths just overlap.
However, it was certain that they wanted the prosperity and survival of the empire.
Because they made the second prince, Irid, who had been caught up in doubt, realize. Because they solved the conflict with the first princess, Elaine. They had already shown it. That’s why I could trust them.
The cooperation will continue a little longer. Irid asked firmly.
“Are you worried about the empire?”
“More than that, I’m worried about you. Isn’t it a waste… for someone who has everything to end up with nothing after chasing after a woman in a fantasy?”
“If you’re worried about me, watch your words, crazy wizard. It makes me sick.”
“What… when and who won’t stab you in the back. This problem.”
The wizard crossed his arms and spoke jokingly, as if to a friend. Look, what kind of guy can point this out to an imperial prince? They sincerely want the empire to survive.
That’s why this crazy wizard is the kind of guy who won’t mince words even if he becomes emperor. If you think about it that way, you could say that he’s also a loyal subject.
He said.
“If you want to give Centra a wonderful empire, wouldn’t it be better to think about getting married? Succession issues tend to shake the country. Maybe it might be better for both of you to forget about her.”
“…”
It was true.
If we can never meet again, it might be better for each other to forget.
The fact that he’s being so careful, maybe⋯⋯ the crazy wizard and his forces have glimpsed the future once again. As the wizard said, the empire might be shaken by problems related to his descendants in the distant future.
It was a prophecy that had been thrust before my eyes once again.
However, I was no longer afraid of the prophecy that was close to a curse. I had already overcome the prophecy of the Elixir of Ruin. Can’t I do it twice?
“Say the opposite.”
“Yes?”
“If I make an empire that is strong and prosperous enough not to be shaken by a mere succession issue. Is it okay to live my whole life with her in my heart?”
“…??”
I can just do it. Even if I die, I can create an empire of peace that won’t collapse for 100 years.
Then Centra will be happy in the future, and I⋯⋯ will be happy too because I won’t lose this heart.”So, please keep your rude advice to yourself, crazy wizard. I’ll handle it myself.”
“…Why do you have such a crush on someone who doesn’t exist? Evil!”
In the end, I couldn’t help but raise my hand. I slapped the back of the crazy wizard who didn’t know people’s hearts with my palm. The wizard twisted his body with a scream.
The second prince laughed in relief for the first time in a while. He felt refreshed.
—- —-
“Your Highness, the Second Prince, a notice of protest has been sent regarding the fact that the Purple Magic Tower Lord entered Crown Hall without permission, but shall we reply that it is groundless?”
“Your Highness! The Capital Knights apologize and warn that they will respond quickly if there is any further violent incident!!”
“…”
Giggle.
The Second Prince Irid’s neck creaked as he turned to the crazy wizard.
The crazy wizard glanced at him for a moment and ran away.
Irid picked up the chair next to him and chased after the crazy wizard.
That day, the crazy wizard saved his life thanks to the scarecrow. And there was one left.