Chapter 604: Solicitation
Volume 3, Part 5, Imperial Prince Ryun
Editor: Tseirp
“The Sixth Prince Ryun, in recognition of his loyalty and merits, is hereby bestowed the title of Imperial Prince. That is all.”
“How fortunate and grateful I am.”
The imperial rescript read aloud by the Chief Eunuch was received by Sixth Prince Ryun with solemn reverence.
“Thank you very much.”
He expressed his gratitude further.
“Your Highness, new robes and a crown for the imperial princely investiture have been prepared. Tomorrow, please be sure to wear them when you present yourself at court and receive the seal and the imperial edict.”
“Thank you for your guidance.”
At the Chief Eunuch’s instruction, Prince Ryun folded his hands over his chest, bowed, and gave his thanks.This was Prince Ryun’s royal residence.
The rescript had been delivered personally by the Chief Eunuch, the very coordinator of the eunuchs who always stand beside Emperor Tsuin.
Because this was an imperial edict concerning the bestowment of the imperial prince title, they had been informed in advance that it would arrive today.
The real event was tomorrow.
He would go up to the Taiji Hall, receive the seal and the edict from the Emperor, and be formally bestowed the title of Imperial Prince.
The mansion that served as Sixth Prince Ryun’s base had been renovated over the course of a month and reborn as a royal residence.
It was vast… easily more than ten times the area of the previous mansion, a residence capable of containing several thousand troops directly under its command.
It had not yet been officially designated as a royal residence, but once Ryun is bestowed the title of Imperial Prince tomorrow, it would become the formal Ryun Royal Residence.
Seen from above, however, the Ryun Royal Residence had a slightly irregular, distorted shape.
It half-surrounded the adjacent mansion.
That adjacent mansion was by no means small, but compared to the enormity of the Ryun Royal Residence… perhaps one-twentieth the size.
Of course, the owner of that adjacent mansion had told both Prince Ryun and Emperor Tsuin, who had granted it.
That the residence could be absorbed into the royal compound—that they would move elsewhere without objection.
But…
“Leave it as it is.”
Emperor Tsuin had said that with a laugh.
Therefore, the owner of the mansion was spending his days as before: dabbling in magic and alchemy, playing the piano, and petting a horse that lazily lay on the lawn.
Of course, that owner was Ryo, and Abel stood as his guard.
“It seems the imperial edict arrived next door a little while ago.”
“That was it, right—the one from the Emperor.”
“Yes, yes. At long last—tomorrow. Prince Ryun will be bestowed the title of Imperial Prince. He’ll be taking the first step toward becoming the next Emperor.”
Ryo said it with the delight of someone speaking about his own matter.
As Duke Rondo, Ryo had accepted Prince Ryun’s request for cooperation.
Of course, that had not been announced publicly.
After all, Ryo was a foreign duke who had gained the Emperor’s favor and was merely staying in Darwei.
He was not in a position to overtly intervene in the succession struggle.
That said, everyone in the Imperial Palace knew that Duke Rondo and Prince Ryun were on good terms.
It was also known that Duke Rondo was one of the Emperor’s favorites.
Therefore, even as a foreign duke, no one in the Darwei Imperial Palace would treat Ryo lightly…
“This is probably where the real contest between the imperial princes begins.”
Abel said that and let out a small sigh.
“Abel, you don’t seem suited for that sort of thing.”
“Yeah. I’m bad at it.”
Abel accepted Ryo’s remark without any objection.
Court intrigues, power plays, and palace backstabbing were things Abel completely did not understand… and he knew he did not understand them.
“You’re not good at it either, Ryo, are you?”
“No. I have no clue at all.”
Ryo likewise accepted Abel’s confirmation without protest.
Perhaps both of them were simply too decent by nature.
“Honestly, there’s probably nothing we can do, right?”
“Yeah… at best we can cheer him on.”
“Cheer? What exactly are you going to do?”
“Hurray! Hurray! Prince Ryun! Hurray-hurray Ryun-ryun, hurray-hurray Ryun-ryun, hurray~~~~ Ryun—!”
Ryo launched into a sports-day-style cheer… and Abel stood with his mouth agape, frozen.
Ten seconds later Abel recovered.
“Hey, was that supposed to be cheering?”
“Yes. How was it? Does it make you feel better?”
“Somehow… I think you should stop.”
“Is that so… what a shame.”
Abel stopped him, and Ryo yielded.
Even Ryo felt it had been a bit off.
Doing it alone didn’t really raise the energy.
His gaze landed on the ice golems that were cleaning the garden.
“If the golems joined in…”
“Hmm, I don’t know about that.”
“I think if I lead the rhythm and the golems do the dancing alone, it might work.”
“…Dance?”
“The cheer I did earlier had dances attached. If I go in with them, the sense of unity becomes odd, so I’ll keep out and lead them from the outside. I think that’s better.”
“…I don’t really get it.”
Ryo argued passionately, but Abel shook his head in incomprehension.
“Tomorrow he’ll receive the seal and edict at the Taiji Hall… I hope nothing happens.”
“Nothing will happen, right?”
“But remember the banquet before… a Phantomkin attacked during the prince and princess’s reception, didn’t they?”
“That’s why they probably inspected the Starry Veil thoroughly, right? I heard Captain Lu Yao even came all the way from the Ryun royal residence to witness the inspection.
Ryo expressed concern about something going wrong, and Abel said it would probably be fine.
Of course, both of them sincerely wished that nothing would happen.
They did?
Truly?
“The attack at the banquet—we still don’t really understand it, do we?”
“It seemed like that Maria person targeted only the Emperor and the two main characters. If she wanted to weaken Darwei, she should have used a wide-area destructive spell like at that time.”
“That’s extreme, but… maybe. It was as if the target had been predetermined.”
“Even if it was a declaration of challenge against Darwei, it felt odd.”
Both Abel and Ryo still tilted their heads at the banquet attack.
Certainly, that incident revealed the existence of the Choouchi Empire to the Darwei Imperial Palace, and it likely led to General Yun’s capture and intelligence-gathering on the Starry Veil later on…
“It would be more natural to think Prince Ryun was already the target at that stage.”
“Probably so. If that’s the case, why was Prince Ryun targeted then… rather than one of the other three imperial princes?”
“…Could one of the three imperial princes already have ties with the Choouchi Empire and given the order?”
“Possible, but…”
“Either way, it’s all still conjecture.”
Abel and Ryo sighed.
Even if the problem couldn’t be solved, leaving it unsaid felt uncomfortable.
“For now, I just want tomorrow to pass with no incident.”
“The Ryun Royal Residence’s troops will accompany movements to and from the Imperial Palace, right?”
“Captain Lu Yao, who was promoted to commander of the Imperial Prince’s Guard, will lead five hundred royal residence troops to secure the area. They plan to have them in full dress and displayed to the people of the capital, and apparently, the Palace has granted permission.”
“That’s a lot to organize.”
“Well, mobilizing five hundred soldiers within the Imperial Capital… Even for the Emperor, that would require coordination, so with a new Imperial Prince, it’s probably even tougher.”
Both Abel and Ryo, vaguely but correctly, understood that coordinating all that would be difficult.
It was likely that not only Captain Lu Yao but also Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun had been heavily involved.
“Still—outside the Palace, the golems could do the cheering dance…”
“No. Definitely don’t do that.”
This time, Abel clearly stopped Ryo’s suggestion.
The next day, inside the Forbidden City at the Taiji Hall.
“Present the seal and bestow the Imperial Prince title.”
The Chief Eunuch declared it, and Prince Ryun received the seal and the edict.
Emperor Tsuin, seated on the throne, kept smiling and nodding repeatedly.
Most of the court ministers arrayed there remained expressionless.
Most of those in the Shitaifu class already belonged to the factions of one of the other three imperial princes.
Therefore, the newly titled ‘Imperial Prince’ Ryun held no particular interest for them.
However, rumors that the Emperor favored Prince Ryun had spread throughout the Palace.
If that were not the case, there would be no reason to promote Ryun as a new imperial prince when the question of which prince would be appointed Crown Prince—amid the ongoing confusion—was still unresolved.
But that created a difficult problem for the Shitaifu class.
They had joined factions backing one of the three imperial princes because those princes might become the Crown Prince and then Emperor.
But the decision of which prince to make Crown Prince belonged solely to the Emperor.
And that Emperor apparently liked the newly elevated Imperial Prince Ryun…
How much did he like him?
That was the question.
Would he favor Ryun enough to make him Crown Prince over the other three imperial princes already prominent?
Or would he set them to compete and decide later from among the four imperial princes?
If one quickly left the faction of one of the three imperial princes to join Prince Ryun… there was no guarantee it would succeed.
On the contrary, one would likely be attacked by the faction they left.
And would Prince Ryun be able to protect them from that attack? Prince Ryun’s abilities were still unknown.
In the end, the Shitaifu could not move.
Amid the army of expressionless ministers… however, there was one whose eyes bore a look of hatred.
Fourth Prince Bin.
Though he kept it somewhat out of sight, any observer paying attention could clearly see Prince Bin’s hatred.
Some may have noticed it…
Nevertheless, without incident, Sixth Prince Ryun was formally recognized as an Imperial Prince.
Prince Ryun left the Taiji Hall and joined his entourage in the square… Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun and the others who had become his retainers now that the royal residence was open.
A man called out to them there.
“Lu Yao.”
“Rowon-sensei, it’s been a while.”
Lord Rowon greeted Captain Lu Yao, who was his alchemy disciple.
“Prince Ryun, congratulations.”
“Thank you, Lord Rowon.”
Lord Rowon returned the formal greeting with his hands folded at his chest, and Ryun returned the courtesy.
“I have something to speak to my disciple about for a moment; may I borrow her? Is that all right?”
“Of course. Lu Yao, we’ll return in advance.”
Thus, the teacher and disciple were about to exchange words after a long time.
“Has it been… two years since I last spoke with you, sensei?”
“Yes, two years. You’ve grown.”
Lord Rowon answered with a smile at Lu Yao’s remark.
Nineteen-year-old Captain Lu Yao and Lord Rowon, who was over eighty, looked every bit like granddaughter and grandfather.
But Captain Lu Yao knew.
Though advanced in years, Lord Rowon’s combat ability still stood at Darwei’s pinnacle.
That was why he was one of the ‘Six Saints’, the apex of Darwei’s magicians and sorcerers.
“Now that Prince Ryun has been formally recognized as an Imperial Prince, there is something I feel I must tell you.”
“What is it?”
Lord Rowon said with a smile, and Captain Lu Yao tilted her head.
“I have become a retainer to a certain person.”
“A retainer?”
“Do you know who?”
“Since you bring it up at a time like this, it’s probably one of the imperial princes.”
“Hmm.”
“Perhaps… Prince Kouri, the Second Prince.”
“Correct.”
Lord Rowon gave a broad smile and nodded repeatedly.
The teacher was pleased to find that his disciple had grown not only in alchemy but in thought as well.
“With that in mind, why don’t you come under Prince Kouri as well?”
“I refuse.”
“That was immediate.”
Captain Lu Yao refused instantly. And Lord Rowon laughed.
“My lord is—and will remain until death—only Prince Ryun.”
Looking straight into her teacher Lord Rowon’s eyes, Captain Lu Yao stated it clearly.
“You must have known I would refuse, sensei.”
“Indeed.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Obviously. Because I do not wish to fight you.”
The air surrounding Lord Rowon changed in an instant.
Captain Lu Yao took a step back unconsciously to put distance between them.
Of course, nothing happened.
This was the Imperial Palace.
Moreover, the very center of it: the Forbidden City.
Drawing a sword would be a capital offense.
Causing a disturbance would be a capital offense.
“Good reaction.”
Lord Rowon, again attired in a gentle atmosphere, said.
“Please don’t test me, Sensei.”
There was neither a smile nor calm on Captain Lu Yao’s face.
She had leapt back reflexively… but if it had turned into a fight, she would have been cut down at once.
She was fully aware of how great the difference in strength still was.
“Given twenty years, you will surpass my current self.”
“…”
“I wish you not to die until then.”
“I don’t want to die either.”
“I’ll ask you again: Will you leave Prince Ryun’s service and go under Prince Kouri?”
“I will answer again: I refuse.”
Lord Rowon, now without a smile, asked in earnest.
Captain Lu Yao again refused instantly.
“The gap is overwhelming, you know? Under him are four of the Six Saints.”
“…Even so, I devote everything to Prince Ryun. I cannot change masters.”
Despite being struck by the magnitude of the claim— Captain Lu Yao reaffirmed her resolve.
That statement was shocking indeed.
‘Four of the Six Saints’ under Prince Kouri?
(The Six Saints… It’s obvious, even looking at Sensei, they are not exactly human. Saying one could wipe out an army alone is not an exaggeration. Four of them? I think there are currently three Six Saints who are special-rank adventurers… three of those and my sensei? That would be overwhelming as a force.)
Captain Lu Yao thought through the implications.
“Prince Kouri is generous. He said that if you wish to serve him later, that’s fine. He said he would gladly have you and Lin Shun under his banner at any time.”
Lord Rowon smiled as he said it.
“I, and Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun, will not leave Prince Ryun. You know that.”
“He will be crushed eventually, won’t he?”
“Crushed? What do you mean by crushed? Does Prince Kouri intend to start a civil war?”
“He need not wage war… Prince Ryun has been the target of attempts on his life before, hasn’t he? Come to think of it, I was the one who saved him then.”
Lord Rowon said with a laugh.
A month earlier, while returning from the Palace in this capital, Prince Ryun’s party had been attacked by second-rank adventurers.
The person who had pulled the strings behind that was Fourth Prince Bin.
Yet the one who had given orders to the perpetrators, Lin Sui, had been stripped of his post and expelled from the capital… while Prince Bin, unsurprisingly, faced no punishment.
“Such a blunder will not happen again.”
“Well, it might have been a blunder…”
Lord Rowon continued with a serious expression.
“If we get serious, we could crush the whole royal residence.”
“…”
Captain Lu Yao was struck speechless.
It was obvious without further thought—it was a fact.
Lord Rowon alone could likely do it.
He had that much power.
“Darwei’s greatest magicians have gathered. Lu Yao, no matter how hard you try, you cannot match them.”
“…That may be true. I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Captain Lu Yao answered with a frustrated look.
But her gaze met Lord Rowon’s squarely.
“However, it is not only me.”
“Hmm?”
“If you were under Prince Kouri, you would know. You know who is aiding Prince Ryun.”
“I have heard. Duke Rondo, correct?”
Lord Rowon kept smiling.
But the light in his eyes did not share it.
No—looking closely, it was a smile of ecstatic delight.
“A water-attribute magician who also dabbles in alchemy.”
“Yes.”
“How intriguing. But since you mention him… is he stronger even compared to me?”
“Sensei, you are unquestionably inhuman. Likely the other Six Saints are similar.”
Captain Lu Yao paused for a moment.
And a scene flashed through her mind.
The time a woman visited the water-attribute magician.
Suddenly, there appeared a beautiful woman with horns and a thin, black tail.
She was not a being humans should come in contact with.
Yet she conversed familiarly with that water-attribute magician.
Moreover, their manner implied they had fought each other, and were seemingly evenly matched…
“Duke Rondo… is a being humans should never cross.”
“…What did you say?”
“Sensei… please remain human.”
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