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Chapter 56. A Secret Talk

“So, what is it you want to talk about with just me and Theodore?”

“...I want to talk about a traitor working at the heart of the nation and the possibility of an upcoming war.”

Great, here comes a troublesome story.

“I’ve heard from Theodore about the traitor. It’s vague, but we don’t know who the traitor is, only that someone is manipulating the Chancellor from behind the scenes.”

“Yes. I’ve been investigating this myself, but it’s hard to find... The enemy might not be in the capital. Or it could be... someone in a very central position.”

A very central position, like a close aide to the King? But even if a magic knight close to the King were to betray us, nothing much would change. At best, it would just make assassination easier.

“More importantly, is it true about the war?”

“War, or rather... civil war. The kingdom is on the verge of splitting in two.”

“Is it true that the Kuria Kingdom might split? Why?”

“Well, to put it simply, it’s about whether Prince Aldini or Prince Michael will succeed the throne. It’s becoming a conflict that could split the kingdom.”

A struggle for the right of succession. Normally, the first prince would inherit the throne, but the second prince’s supporters are pushing against this. And probably the current King favors the second prince. Otherwise, the second prince’s faction wouldn’t be so assertive.

Good grief... I’ve heard the current King is an opportunist, but I didn’t expect it to go as far as affecting the succession. In that case... the first princess is overlooked because she’s all brawn, and the second princess, Elissa, who shows some interest in politics, might be married off to some faction or another, perhaps to the Empire. I thought it might be the Empire’s Crown Prince scheming to split the Kuria Kingdom, but it turned out to be internal affairs. It’s too foolish to even consider.

“What about the Frisberg family... are they safe?”

“In a way, yes, but in another way, it could be dangerous.”

Of course. The Frisberg family isn’t just any ducal family; if all the princes and princesses were gone, they’d likely be chosen as the new royalty. In short, they have a lower claim to the throne than Princess Elissa but still possess it. If they make big moves, they’ll be seen as enemies by both factions. But if they stay under the radar, they can prove their neutrality... probably.

“The problem is, the traitor in the heart of the nation and the person pitting the first prince against the second prince are likely the same.”

“...Theodore is right. The struggle for the right of succession is undoubtedly being incited by someone.”

Exactly... because in my 15 years of living in this country, I’ve never heard of any bad blood between the prince brothers. So, it’s only recently that someone’s been inciting them to seek the throne.

“So, there’s a major problem.”

“Problem?”

“Think about it. If the traitor in the heart of the nation is inciting the succession struggle, what’s their goal?”

“To weaken... the country?”

“Exactly. To achieve that, they need to intensify the succession struggle and spark a civil war. But... right now, it’s just small skirmishes.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Even if there’s a succession struggle, it’s just small skirmishes or petty harassment for now. And why is that?

“To intensify the succession struggle, a decisive factor is missing.”

“A missing factor...”

“The vacant throne. The person at the heart of it all is targeting... the King’s life.”

“...What?”

That’s the only explanation. The crude incidents involving the Chancellor might be to analyze the capital’s defense during emergencies. If a major rebellion breaks out in the provinces, the magical knights will have to move.

There are probably many provincial nobles who want to kill the King. Just because they belong to the Kuria Kingdom doesn’t mean all nobles respect the royal family. Even the Kuria Kingdom has a dark history. It wouldn’t be surprising if those grudges lingered until now.

“The person who can incite the succession struggle could easily incite provincial nobles to rebel and then kill the King in broad daylight in a weakened capital. That would plunge the Kuria Kingdom into civil war.”

“Isn’t there any way to stop this!?”

To break out of this situation... it’s not impossible, but it’s tough since the enemy’s ultimate goal is unclear.

We don’t know why they want to kill the King and start a civil war. Is it hatred for the country, the royal family, personal gain, or a spy from the Western countries... too many possibilities.

“With the current situation, there’s too little we can do. We don’t even know who’s behind it all... we can’t do anything.”

“But if the King Kuria falls...”

“The situation isn’t the worst yet... but it’s on the verge of collapse.”

Even though he’s speaking calmly, Elemiya’s position is precarious. If the King falls and the royal family collapses in a civil war, the Frisberg family stands to gain the most. If Jeremiah hadn’t told me all this, I’d suspect him first. Well, he probably told me because he understands that.

Jeremiah spoke to Ash about this because he trusts him after crossing swords, but he also sees him as a harmless noble who can’t get involved in such conflicts as a new noble.

“For now, we’re dealing with someone who can easily manipulate the state. Acting rashly... could get us easily crushed. We can only prepare slowly while playing the part of students.”

“We’re not just playing students.”

Shut up.

“So, we need to gather allies... is that it?”

“Oh, I think there won’t be much problem with Theodore’s faction. I just personally don’t trust Ivy.”

How can he say such venomous things so smoothly with that handsome face? It’s fine because he’s handsome, but if an average-looking guy said it, he’d probably get beaten up.