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23 Yuno's Coming-of-Age Ceremony (4)
As soon as the sun rose, news that Yuno's private palace, where he was undergoing body change, had been attacked by magic spread throughout the entire imperial palace.
And in the First Prince's palace, where the Crown Prince resided, Prinz's furious shout erupted.
"What do you mean? Yuno's palace was attacked by magic? And you say it was likely the highest-level spell, Hellfire?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Viscount Speyer led the Royal Guard in a search, but the culprit had already committed suicide, and it appears the magic was cast using a scroll."
"What about Yuno? Hellfire would have caused a tremendous impact did anything happen to Yuno while he was in the middle of body change?"
"According to Viscount Speyer's report, the Third Prince is unharmed. While Master Aragon and Viscount Speyer were weakening the spell, the Third Prince awoke and blew away the Hellfire with an incredibly powerful aura. And to be safe, Master Aragon is now checking the prince's condition."
Hearing that Yuno was safe, the Crown Prince finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew~ That's a relief… We almost lost the empire's brightest star for nothing… Does His Majesty the Emperor know?"
"Yes, Your Highness! His Majesty was furious and ordered a thorough investigation to uncover the culprit. The entire Imperial Magic Department has been mobilized, so the mastermind should be revealed soon."
"Good… It must be. To dare infiltrate the palace and target the royal family! And with such a despicable ambush!! I will never forgive this!!"
An anger more fearsome than one would expect from the Crown Prince's frail body erupted, and that anger turned into harsh rebukes for his subordinates.
Normally gentle and rarely angry, the Crown Prince was so frightening in his rage that his subordinates bowed deeply and quickly ran out to carry out his orders.
'Heinrich… I pray you had nothing to do with this… I've long suspected you might rebel, but as your brother I've shown mercy and looked the other way. But if you tried to harm your younger brother, I will no longer consider you family.'
Prinz thought of his younger brother, whose face he'd barely seen lately, and sincerely hoped he was not behind this incident.
With the Emperor's angry command and the Crown Prince's orders combined, the entire capital of the Balkan Empire, Adria Castle, was gripped by fear. With the top two powers united, a brutally thorough investigation unfolded over several days, and every palace attendant and maid was questioned.
All nobles were confined to their homes, subject to searches by the Royal Guard and the Imperial Magic Department, and the city gates saw strict inspections of all travelers.
But even after several days, no evidence was found pointing to the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, and the Emperor's anger continued to soar.
"What? You found the attacker's family, and they're in the Kingdom of Teseito?"
The Emperor's booming voice filled the throne room, and Baron Legasota, head of intelligence, bowed his head even lower.
"Yes… Yes, Your Majesty. They left for Teseito a year ago… It's likely they've been hiding as spies all this time…"
"What has the intelligence chief been doing all this time? Are you telling me a Teseito spy roamed the palace freely for a year?"
"I have no excuse, Your Majesty!"
After briefly scolding the intelligence chief, the Emperor told him to return to his seat. As the chief's report ended, the throne room filled with the voices of various nobles.
"As expected! It's clear the Teseito bastards sent the assassin! We must declare war and punish them immediately!"
"What are you talking about? There's no evidence, none!!"
"What more evidence do you need? Evidence? The fact that those despicable Teseito bastards are still alive is proof enough!!"
"Ha! So what do you want to declare war over? No one died, only a bit of damage to the palace, and just because the culprit's family is somewhere in Teseito, you want to declare war? Are you insane?"
"What? You bastard!!"
"What? Bastard? Did you just say everything you wanted?"
As always, the throne room quickly descended into chaos. But this time, the hawkish voices seemed a bit louder than before, signaling a shift in the atmosphere.
Karl III, the Emperor, watched the nobles with a sharp gaze, as if his anger had vanished, then struck the floor with his staff.
The sharp sound of the Emperor's staff silenced the nobles, who immediately waited for his command.
"Very well! I will use this opportunity to punish Teseito! I'll make sure those who dared bare their fangs at this empire never forget what it means! Foreign Minister! Prepare a declaration of war!"
"I obey, Your Majesty."
All the nobles bowed their heads before the Emperor's stern command, but only the Crown Prince raised his head and offered counsel.
"Your Majesty!! Please wait! The true culprit has not yet been identified! The investigation is still ongoing please delay the declaration of war…"
But the Emperor ignored the advice of his usually favored Crown Prince and went into his private chamber. The Crown Prince followed him in, blocking his path.
"Your Majesty! Please listen to me!! War is too hasty a decision…"
Slap!!
The Crown Prince was stunned not because the slap from the over-eighty-year-old Emperor hurt, but because it was the first time he'd ever been struck in his life.
"Fool! As Crown Prince, can you not read the times? Yes… It's true Teseito probably didn't order the assassination. In fact, the assassin's family isn't even in Teseito. I had the intelligence chief fabricate that report."
The Emperor sighed and looked at the dazed Crown Prince, then spoke again.
"This empire has suppressed its strength for too long. The last war was with the Leon Kingdom nearly ten years ago. You saw it yourself how the young, hot-blooded nobles were practically itching for war."
"But… war brings suffering to the people…"
The Crown Prince, regaining his senses, protested weakly, but the Emperor ignored him and led him out to the balcony.
"Prinz. To rule an empire, you must look far ahead. War is just a means, not an end. It's an extension of politics. My life is nearly over. You will inherit this position. As heir, you know the easiest way to secure legitimacy, don't you?"
"…"
The Crown Prince did not answer, but the Emperor nodded and continued.
"When I was Crown Prince, I secured victory at the Battle of Zenon Plains. Sixty years later, my power is still unshakable. In this war, you will follow the same path."
"So… your display of anger over the attempt on Yuno's life was all an act? Your Majesty… No, Father, are we nothing more than pieces on the board for you?"
The Emperor smiled gently at the Crown Prince's protest.
"Well, it wasn't 100% an act… maybe a bit exaggerated. Of course, if Yuno had been hurt, I would have been angry… but he's fine, isn't he? I heard he reached the master's realm safely. So it's the Emperor's duty to calculate how to use that. Prinz."
"Still… I can't just let an attempt on my brother's life go unpunished. I will find the culprit, no matter what."
"Of course you should. But! That will be after you win the war against Teseito. Secretary! Prepare a banquet for Yuno's coming-of-age ceremony this evening. It will also celebrate the birth of a new master, so make it grand and send invitations to all the nobles in the capital."
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will obey."
After the secretary, Marquis Garcia, bowed and left, the Emperor looked at Prinz once more.
"This evening, at Yuno's coming-of-age ceremony, I will declare war on Teseito. The commander-in-chief and deputy commander of the Teseito expeditionary force will be the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, so be ready."
After the Emperor left, Prinz stared at the spot where he had disappeared, lost in thought.
'His Majesty already seems to know who was behind the attack. But his eyes are already set on Teseito… His reasoning isn't wrong, but the order of things is off. He should secure the home front before launching a campaign…'
But there was nothing Prinz could do at this point, so he headed back to his own palace.
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