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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

“Isn’t it crossing the line since I’m being lenient?”

All the nations on the West Continent were changing at a dizzying pace.

That meant that the internal affairs of the countries were also bound to change rapidly.

A massive war had already begun, and policies were shifting from old to new with surprising ease.

In the midst of this crisis, those dissatisfied with the current system began to emerge one by one.

“Why is everything so expensive!”

“Indeed.”

According to the Emperor’s policies, merchants who had been profiting by aligning with the established powers were beginning to lay down their arms.

The Empire was in a crisis, and they were attempting to seize opportunities amid the chaos?

Kariel was not the one to tolerate that, but before he could act, the Inspection Department had already mobilized.

But this time was different.

The Noble Assembly, representing the interests of the nobles, was the first to take action.

“Come on… just let it slide this once!”

“I wish I could, but… this time it’s difficult.”

A noble from the assembly sighed as a merchant who had previously received leniency found himself ensnared.

“I’ll double it! Please…”

“No matter what you offer, this time it’s not going to happen.”

The Noble Assembly was getting busy.

Kariel had personally given them tasks.

It was impossible to refuse as those tasks were primarily aimed at restraining the Revolutionary Forces.

The nobles, aware that this was their last chance, could no longer turn a blind eye to crime as they once did. Instead, they were now cutting ties with criminal organizations and merchants that offered bribes.

At the same time, they rolled up their sleeves to stop the Revolutionary Forces from advancing.

The nobles began to change themselves to halt the Revolutionary Forces, which were continuously trying to expand their territory.

In response, merchants who had been cozying up to the nobles were growing desperate.

“Tsk tsk! They should’ve gotten on the Magic Tower’s good side earlier.”

“Such a shame.”

Some merchants clicked their tongues while watching their fellow traders being dragged off by the Inspection Department.

Almost everyone in the Empire knew that Kariel was merely looking for an opportunity to crush the nobles since he became Emperor.

That’s why only those merchants who believed there was no future for the nobles had switched sides to survive.

And the Minister of Finance, who came to report on all this chaos, was trembling before Kariel.

“How amusing.”

Kariel chuckled as he read the report from the Minister of Finance.

They were playing games with the prices of raw materials supplied to the Magic Tower, which used that as justification to manipulate the prices of magical tools.

In the Empire where war was in full swing, the demand for magical tools and weapons was bound to be high, and the Magic Tower was raising prices even further, citing shortages.

Confidence surged from the belief that they couldn’t be touched at this moment.

“What about the Academy?”

“It seems they’ll need more time.”

“What about the secret plan?”

“That one’s still…”

The Minister of Finance reported, sweating profusely.

Kariel’s expression froze as he read the report.

Seeing the Minister trembling in fear of losing his head at any moment, Kariel sighed.

“Couldn’t you win over even one of the Magic Towers in the Empire?”

“Yes.”

It was a Magic Tower that had colluded over a long time.

Whether it was the Central Magic Tower or small-to-medium-sized towers, there was no one mad enough to stop playing games with magical tools.

There were no insane mages willing to cut away at their own flesh.

“That’s unfortunate.”

If they could have managed to sway even a few of the smaller Magic Towers, things could have been dealt with easily…

Much to their credit, these renowned mages tightly clutched the privileges they held with all their might.

“The Western Magic Tower is a sight to behold.”

“They say the prices of raw materials and the wages of mages have gone up due to the war. Besides, they’re completely booked for production for a whole year already…”

“Using that as an excuse to raise prices more… these crazy fools have crossed the line.”

The Magic Towers were brazenly testing the limits, knowing they wouldn’t be touched during the wartime.

“It’s as if they think they’re the masters of the Empire.”

At Kariel’s words, the Minister of Finance gulped in cold sweat.

Bragging that they cannot supply weapons in the middle of war means they have the confidence that no one can touch them.

Since all the Magic Towers were colluding, if Kariel were to take action against the Western Magic Tower, it would incite an uprising from all the towers.

In truth, he wanted to wipe them all out, but doing so would halt everything currently in progress.

“Ugh… it’s frustrating. What have the nobles been doing all this time…”

Kariel said, scrunching his face.

The Welch family, boasting the most powerful mages in the Empire as a single house, was currently busy due to the war.

Other magic families were also having their main magical forces dispatched to the war under Kariel’s command.

Above all, in terms of magical engineering, the magic families couldn’t compare to the towers.

The Welch Duke family had some organization, but if the Magic Towers united and pressed, even the illustrious Duke house would struggle to withstand their influence.

That’s why Kariel was enduring his frustration.

“Don’t these fools think about their future?”

Kariel tilted his head in confusion, unable to understand. It was obvious that should this continue, they would end up harming themselves, yet their audacity perplexed him.

“It seems the war is unlikely to end any time soon. And this…”

The Minister of Finance pulled out several letters from his pocket and handed them over to Kariel.

“What’s this…?”

“These are letters from a few local magic families that are close to me.”

Kariel frowned at the Minister of Finance’s words and, after reading the letters, crumpled them up.

Not only were the Magic Towers gathering merchants, but it seemed they were starting to win over the magic families too.

They appeared to be maneuvering to become the core of a new power through magic.

It was a strategy to bulk up before Kariel could strike so that he’d think twice before addressing them.

“…I haven’t contacted the Inspection Department yet for the report to the Emperor.”

“Leave it.”

The Minister of Finance looked perplexed at Kariel’s furious command.

“Not right now.”

The more angry he got, the more he needed to keep his cool.

Now was not the time to strike at the Magic Towers.

With nothing resolved, striking at the Towers now would be akin to poking a hornet’s nest.

‘Is it a war of time?’

Kariel thought inwardly as he calmly sorted through his complicated thoughts.

If the Magic Towers swayed the magic families, the nobles would be next.

Little by little, they would gather themselves to become unwieldy before making their peace with Kariel by stepping back.

Then, Kariel would be unable to carelessly strike back and would have no choice but to accept their peace offerings.

‘Before that, I’ll crush them!’

With that thought, Kariel commanded the Minister of Finance.

“From now on, investigate the financial flows of the Magic Towers in secret, in coordination with the Intelligence and Inspection Departments.”

“When should we be ready?”

“The moment the secret plan is complete. The Inspection Department will launch a full-scale assault from the forefront.”

Worried, the Minister of Finance spoke up.

“If that happens, a considerable amount of the projects the Empire is undertaking will come to a halt. It would be better to act after the Academy has stabilized…”

Kariel shook his head at the Minister of Finance’s words.

“Too late.”

Firmly shaking his head, Kariel pushed the existing schedule forward.

If he tried to play it safe, the powers clustered around the Magic Towers would grow too large.

He needed to strike before their size inflated even further.

“Apply pressure to them, making it hard for them to toy with the magical tools. We’ll obstruct them as much as possible.”

“…Yes.”

The Minister of Finance nodded, albeit uncertainly, and exited.

Left alone in his office, Kariel clenched his fist and slammed it down on the desk.

“Ugh… damn rats…”

It hadn’t been long since he’d cleared out one rat feasting on the Empire when another appeared, trying to raid his treasury.

If the demons were ranked number one for causing him hardship in his previous life, the Magic Towers had been the continuous tormentors, not the nobles.

This was due to their battles when he was bedridden.

With the fall of the nobles and the collapse of the old Magic Towers, the small-to-medium towers that had barely survived took their place.

In a situation where he had no foundation, Kariel had managed to uphold the Empire through the power of magical engineering, and the authority of the mages had grown, allowing them to seize power from the nobles continuously.

During that process, Kariel had fought fiercely multiple times.

The war with mages that had turned tedious in his previous life was about to unfold again in this life.

-What are you going to do? Seems like it’s the Towers this time….. At this rate, I might not be able to train at all.

As Surth appeared out of nowhere and clicked his tongue, Kariel sighed.

One problem solved, and another arose.

He’d wanted to postpone the Tower issue, but they were increasingly stepping out of line.

“First, I’ll just patch things up and then go into closed training.”

-You think it will be alright?

At Surth’s question, Kariel gritted his teeth.

“No.”

Answering coldly, Kariel trembled his fist as he spoke.

“But what can I do? For now… I need to deal with it minimally and endure.”

-If you keep that up, they might dare to infringe upon your authority.

“They’re not that foolish. If they truly show such movements… then I’ll sweep them away at the cost of any sacrifices.”

Kariel said this with a cold expression.

With the fall of the nobles anticipated, the authority of the Towers was growing rapidly.

Up until now, the flow was similar to his previous life.

However, what had changed was the presence of the Empire’s military strength, along with the Masters, and the fact that he held immense imperial power.

To challenge his authority? The moment they did, Kariel was determined to crush the Towers at whatever cost.

“The beginning will be when the secret plan is finalized. Of course, the actual cleansing will happen when the Central Army returns.”

With that, Kariel gazed at the map.

‘I only need one. If one can be sorted out…’

As Kariel held the pen firmly, he pondered.

The invasion of Roman in the East and Iron’s civil war in the West.

Additionally, the undercurrents of war occurring with the Southern Kingdoms.

These three situations appeared intertwined but oddly were independent in nature.

First, the civil war in Iron, while seeming evenly matched, could tip over in an instant when real battles begin.

The Southern Kingdoms were gradually losing their cherished information networks and market territories to the Empire. If a certain amount of restraining power could be established within both kingdoms, there would be no need to be overbearing as things are now.

Lastly, even Roman, if they could manage to support adjacent nations through pirates, wouldn’t be able to maintain such a large army as they currently do.

If just one of the three were resolved, the Empire would have room to breathe.

And if that power were used to eradicate the Towers, then even the mightiest Towers would have no choice but to submit.

‘This might be their last chance.’

Whether to wipe out the Towers entirely or give them the opportunity for reform would be determined during Kariel’s absence.

Eagerly anticipating the day he could shatter the Towers, Kariel began to work in preparation for the time he would take his leave for training.

And finally, the day promised to Surth approached.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. Inform me immediately if anything happens.”

“I will do so.”

In a gesture of reassurance, the Attendant Hall responded, urging Kariel to enter the training grounds. Reluctantly nodding, Kariel finally delved into the practice he had been delaying.

 

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