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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

38. The Slowly Awakening Revolution!

After the Grand Council Meeting concluded, Kariel’s Orders were immediately set into motion.

Contrary to the expectations of taking several days, the Military Base was ready to deploy right away as if it had been pre-prepared.

At the same time, supplies destined for Iron and the Principality were swiftly arranged.

But the most rapid movement was the announcement of selecting new bureaucrats.

Notices were posted that every department would be hiring.

However, this time it wasn’t just picking Nobles. Nor was it limited to graduates from the Academy.

“Are they going to test on their own?”

“Hmm… Should I give it a shot?”

“They’re only going to hire the Nobles anyway.”

A man shook his head dismissively, speaking to the commoners who were intrigued by the announcement.

Nearby, another man shoved a newspaper into his face.

“Look at this.”

“What is… this?”

“It states that His Majesty argued for giving commoners a chance, and it passed.”

“Is that… really true?”

The man looked at the morning edition of the newspaper with disbelief.

“Looks like this time they won’t just hire Nobles. Don’t you know how hard His Majesty has worked to give us a chance?”

It was common knowledge among the Empire Citizens that the current Emperor had wanted opportunities for commoners since his Crown Prince days.

And just yesterday, the public announcement of his victory over the Nobles in the Grand Council was what the man held in his hands.

“This time for real…”

“Go take the test right away. We must meet His Majesty’s expectations!”

At the words of the middle-aged man, the youth nodded and hurried off toward the central department.

As soon as morning broke, those with a little education flocked to the central department. News reaching the provinces would mean even more would come.

Of course, only a tiny fraction of the applicants would be truly capable.

But this itself was the first step toward change. The moment commoners realized they could achieve something, their desire to learn would surge.

“Your Majesty, here… is the report on the applicants.”

The Chancellor personally handed over the report when he visited the Emperor’s Office, and Kariel examined it calmly.

“More than I expected?”

“Yes, it is fortunate, but…”

“Most will likely be filtered out. Still, not bad.”

The Chancellor forced a smile at Kariel’s words.

“In just a few years, plenty of worthwhile candidates will emerge.”

Those who had given up due to lack of money.

Those who had despaired because of their status.

Those who had failed to ascend due to their connections.

All of them would finally get their chance. The Chancellor nodded slightly, aware of that.

What the Nobles were so desperately trying to prevent.

The fact that commoners harboring hope could merge their desires for education with ambitions of climbing higher would threaten to push the Nobles aside.

“The system centered around the Nobility will collapse someday.”

Winston, with a sardonic smile, spoke to Kariel, as if providing comfort.

As long as the country of Iron was embroiled in civil war, the social hierarchy of Nobility would eventually vanish.

A nation forged by those who could not ascend despite their abilities due to the class system.

That was Iron.

The Empire had long been under the influence of these people, and thus emerged the Revolutionary Forces.

“If we can’t resist it, we might as well use it, right?”

“…You’re right, Your Majesty.”

Winston nodded in agreement, a wry smile on his face.

After all, the Nobles’ desires were nothing but unattainable wishes.

In that case, they had to survive.

“Don’t bother trying to pick too many; just choose those who barely meet the cutoff.”

“Are you thinking of extracting all the inadequate ones from the East?”

With Kariel’s nod, Winston sighed.

There were plenty of applicants.

But very few would actually prove useful. Nobles who graduated from the Academy weren’t useful, let alone poorly educated commoners.

That meant it was practically a signal to recruit a large number from the Revolutionary Forces in the East.

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken precautions to ensure the situation you’re worried about won’t occur.”

Shasta Decher, a noblewoman.

An appointment made to prevent the Revolutionary Forces from making careless moves.

Though it appeared to represent the Aristocratic Faction, it was effectively a countermeasure against the Revolutionary Forces.

Kariel was well aware of the dangers posed by the Revolutionary Forces.

Thus, he intended to use the Nobles to keep them in check.

What the Revolutionary Forces sought was radical change. A resolute figure like Decher was necessary to thwart that. Even if she gained a wicked reputation, she should be unyielding, and Decher caught Kariel’s attention.

“Proceed with the next plan.”

“……Yes.”

At Kariel’s command, the Chancellor lowered his head and withdrew. Although they had secured a large number of commoners with the Nobles’ consensus, Kariel had no intention of halting there.

As long as the pretext of war existed, there would be opportunities to enlist more commoners.

In the past, during an era when the class system was much more potent, the only path for commoners to become Nobles remained.

He aimed to resurrect that.

Coincidentally, the civil war and the war with the Union of Small Nations had caused significant casualties, resulting in a depletion of troops, leading to numerous under-manned units.

For those units, Kariel issued another announcement.

“Enlist for the Empire! Complete five years, and all sins will be forgiven.”

An eye-catching notice.

This notice, penned directly by Kariel and copied to be distributed everywhere, was particularly popular among the criminals.

Having previously swept away the capital’s Criminal Organization, these former criminals found themselves in a situation of unemployment after serving their sentences.

Even having paid their dues, they struggled to find jobs due to their past criminal records.

Thus, for these struggling individuals, this was a glimmer of hope.

“Earn a medal by achieving feats at the front lines, and be elevated to a barony.”

As another chance opened for commoners to become Nobles, people began flocking to the Military.

Most were those who had been scraping the bottom of society, from downtrodden adults to still young children.

The repeated wars and the eradication of Dark Mages had left many of the Empire Citizens impoverished.

Thus, beggars and vagrants had increasingly emerged; this provided a way out for them.

“Prepare all units for full deployment. And gather the young applicants separately for training.”

“Your Majesty, are you not selecting too many people?”

“We have enough resources. If needed, I’ll spend my own money.”

When Kariel mentioned using his own funds, the Minister of Military lowered his head, unable to object.

How could he argue against using the Emperor’s personal wealth for insufficient finances?

But Kariel did not stop there.

“Make copies of these and distribute them to all military bases in the Empire. They will be used in the training of all troops going forward.”

“This… this is…”

The Minister of Military was astounded seeing what Kariel had produced.

“Your Majesty! This is…”

Stacks of manuals piled up in one corner of the office.

Beginning with foundational Mana training methods to basic weapon techniques, they were completely assorted.

And that was not all.

There were also high-level manuals that would be deemed worthy by any noble family for use as weaponry.

“These have been carefully selected by me and my Imperial Guard. Each possesses different talents, so categorize them according to their skills for training.”

“Your Majesty, if this is made public…”

As the Minister of Military faltered, Kariel pulled out more manuals from his drawer.

“What is this…”

“These are made by my Imperial Guard.”

Toto’s strength training methods.

Iris’s basic martial arts.

Brion’s fundamental healing and herbalism skills, as well as survival tactics.

“And lastly, this is the Mana training method for those with fire talents.”

The Minister of Military was baffled by Kariel’s words.

The foundational Mana training method made by Arshuna, in fact, derived from Kariel’s own combat techniques.

Kariel had never anticipated that the methods devised for future royals would end up utilized this way.

However, Kariel had clearly seen the descriptions inscribed on the Translucent Window that proclaimed the Empire Citizens had been entrusted with fire talents.

If this were indeed true, Arshuna’s training methods would be immensely beneficial.

“…The Nobles may protest.”

“There are methods here that exceed those from high noble families in terms of quality. They’ll likely welcome it.”

At Kariel’s words, the Minister of Military fell silent. Indeed, lower noble families might well embrace this choice.

It would give them an opportunity to ascend to higher ranks.

Particularly fallen Nobles would be even more enthusiastic.

“Send attendants to dispatch this. Have it copied as quickly as possible and sent to the military.”

“…Understood.”

With a sigh, the Minister of Military withdrew at Kariel’s command.

Watching that, Kariel quietly muttered to himself.

“Now, the only thing left is the Magic Tower?”

To mass-produce the pinnacle of magical engineering: the Airship and the train, the Magic Tower had to be convincingly subdued.

‘If they refuse to yield…’

If they stubbornly held onto their privileged status, he was even considering a push against the Magic Tower.

It might be inconvenient at the moment, but as engineering gradually replaced magic engineering, free mages and lower-grade mages would catch up to the legacies of the Magic Tower.

“I can only hope it doesn’t come to that…”

Kariel mumbled as he began preparing to deal with the Magic Tower.

It wasn’t yet time.

To tackle the massive privilege of the Magic Tower, it was necessary first to stabilize the current system to some extent.

At least it needed to occur after the Revolutionary Forces from the East had established themselves.

Knowing that, he focused his patience on the unfolding events.

“Your Majesty, the Talos forces have officially invaded.”

Urgent reports streamed in through Talion.

“What of Duke Devir?”

“Has yet to arrive in Iron.”

“Can the Western Army and Southern Army stall for time?”

“Realistically, it’s difficult.”

Without the decisive weapon called the Master, stalling would be challenging.

Even the Southern Count, upon his own territory, found it hard to exert complete force outside his domain.

“And Rotheon?”

“Cannot move.”

“That’s somewhat fortunate.”

Rotheon, which had arrived in Iron ahead of Talos, partnered with the Anti-Empire Faction.

Thus, the Western Army also aligned with the Pro-Empire Faction.

Perhaps because of this, Rotheon found it difficult to mobilize. Their proud navy was held back by the Western Army, and their main forces could not breach the elite army in Iron, which included the Master.

Ultimately, all that remained was Talos, but with a patchy fleet from a few previous battles, even the Southern Commander found it hard to hold up against them.

“Send urgent word to Duke Devir to arrive as quickly as possible.”

“Yes!”

Talion bowed his head and vanished at Kariel’s command.

The situation was moving rapidly.

Both he and the Southern Kingdoms attacking Iron understood the reality that this war was a race against time.

A struggle to seize Iron before the Empire could reorganize and effectively dispatch military forces.

Knowing this, Kariel had even dispatched a numerous contingent of Shadows into Iron.

But the absolute deficit in troop numbers was unavoidable.

“Time is of the essence. We need time…”

Kariel murmured with a sigh.

Even though he worked tirelessly, reducing his sleep every day, the situation was tightening further.

Thus, he toiled daily with a feeling of anxiety.

“Such a bitter situation.”

At that moment, gritting his teeth as if he had returned to his previous life, the Attendant Hall finally brought some uplifting news.

“Your Majesty, people from the East have arrived.”

 

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