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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

33. The Death of the Emperor (2)

With the Emperor’s death, black flags began to hang across the Empire.

At the same time, the gates of the capital and the Imperial Palace swung open.

It was a clear sign that no one would be turned away who came to pay their respects.

And the wars being waged by the Empire came to a halt as well.

The advancing forces ceased their march, and the war with the Union of Small Nations was temporarily put on hold.

Following the orders of the new Emperor, Kariel, the Empire made a complete stop and spent ten days solely in mourning for the Emperor’s death.

As a result, the Southern Kingdoms, which had been displaying hostile movements, also halted their military actions.

Since the Empire had first backed down, all nations on the West Continent began to stop fighting and started to assemble envoy groups.

Thanks to Kariel’s decision, those who had been enemies not long ago gathered in the capital to honor the Emperor’s death.

The Empire sent letters requesting all to pay their respects to the Emperor, so for the sake of appearances, they had no choice but to send envoy groups.

Eventually, due to the Emperor’s funeral, the West Continent briefly embraced peace.

“Your Majesty, the punitive forces have arrived.”

Two days after the Emperor passed away, key figures from various regions began to arrive one by one.

Duke Welch and Duke Devir, along with the Counts of the Border, reached the capital.

Simultaneously, main envoys from the Southern Kingdoms and the Holy Nation also showed up.

Just like during the Continental Conference, the envoys from the major powers of the West Continent arrived, marking the official beginning of the Emperor’s funeral.

“It seems it will begin soon.”

“Go on.”

Upon the old attendant’s words, Kariel nodded slightly and rose from his seat.

The attendant who had served the late Emperor was now at Kariel’s side, and at the same time, Kariel’s office was also moved to the Emperor’s Palace.

Nonetheless, seeing Kariel act as if it were his own home, the attendant quietly remarked, “I’m glad you’re adapting faster than expected.”

Kariel’s eyes widened at the attendant’s words, then he smirked.

Since it was a palace he had used countless times in his previous life, it felt completely normal, but to the attendant, he seemed to adjust quickly.

“Your Majesty.”

“Where are the envoys from foreign nations?”

Kariel asked quietly to Talion, who had hurried over.

“They are at the lodging near the square.”

“Did the Union of Small Nations come as well?”

“They arrived this morning.”

“What about the rebel forces?”

“It seems they won’t be coming.”

Nodding lightly at Talion’s report, Kariel understood.

Though the envoys had come ostensibly to attend the Emperor’s funeral, the real reason was something else entirely.

They had come to determine whether to redefine their relationship with the Empire or to end it altogether.

The guests had congregated under the guise of the funeral for the new Emperor, Kariel, to engage in their final negotiations.

Kariel wished to offer them one last opportunity, just as he would have for the nobility.

“Is the only solid alliance with the Principality?”

Kariel wore a bitter expression as he spoke, causing Talion and the attendant who followed him to bow their heads in silence.

Once the funeral to honor the Emperor’s death concluded, the Empire would officially plunge into chaos.

Originally, they had intended to suppress the rebel forces and conquer the small nations to reestablish order on the West Continent, but the situation was not favorable.

“Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty!”

The two brothers who had gone off to war approached Kariel.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We should have ended it quickly…”

Seeing his younger siblings blame themselves for not finishing sooner, Kariel shook his head.

There simply wasn’t enough time to completely suppress the rebel forces.

“I received the reports. You couldn’t help it since His Majesty passed away sooner than expected, so stop blaming yourselves.”

Sighing, he spoke.

Because neither the rebel forces nor the Union of Small Nations had been properly concluded, the situation had become tangled.

This made the time after the funeral crucial.

“After the funeral, you two will return to the battlefield immediately.”

Upon Kariel’s words, his brothers nodded solemnly.

“Iron is acting suspiciously.”

“Is it serious?”

At Seriel’s question, Kariel nodded slightly.

“There may be a large-scale rebellion happening there. Rotheon is aiding the rebel forces.”

“Then…”

“We need to support the Pro-Empire Faction.”

Seriel’s expression hardened at Kariel’s words. He understood the implication of this statement.

“Is it going to be a proxy war?”

“It will start that way. But it will escalate soon enough.”

The Southern Kingdoms wouldn’t simply watch the Empire resurrect wholly. Since they were already paying immense compensation, they believed their next target was themselves, especially as the Empire had already consumed all the small nations.

Thus, during this chaotic time, they were planning to bring Iron into their fold and exert pressure.

The Holy Nation was also beginning to show movements as they slowly grasped their weapons.

“They’ve already formed a secret treaty with the Holy Nation and the Southern Kingdoms. So really, only Iron remains at this point.”

Whoever captured Iron would dictate the future course.

If Iron were to ally with the Holy Nation and the Southern Kingdoms, the Empire would find itself in a tough battle. Conversely, if Iron were consumed by the Empire, the West Continent would effectively become the Empire’s dominion.

“Is it impossible for this to stop?”

At Rufiel’s question, Kariel smirked.

“If the Union of Small Nations becomes a vassal of the Empire, and the Southern Kingdoms cease their actions against Iron, it might be possible. But can that actually happen?”

At Kariel’s question, the expressions of the two princes darkened.

“We’ve already crossed a river that can’t be turned back. What we’ll discuss now is merely sharing our thoughts with one another.”

Saying this, Kariel placed a hand on his brothers’ shoulders.

“So we need to wrap this up as quickly as possible.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

After emphasizing this once more to his brothers, Kariel nodded slightly and headed towards the place where the Emperor’s coffin lay.

Passing through the palace gates, he arrived at the square where, after a day’s proceedings, he moved through four gates from the north gate toward the tomb where the past emperors rested.

As the Emperor’s coffin was moved, Kariel and the key officials moved in tandem.

The official ceremony concluded when the coffin was finally buried, followed by three days of lighting candles for the Emperor at night, marking the end of all funeral ceremonies.

“Let’s go.”

At Kariel’s command, the coffin containing the Emperor’s body was lifted and slowly moved toward the square.

As the front coffin moved, so did the procession, with everyone raising black flags and bowing their heads.

Countless people lined up on both sides to make way for the procession.

Eventually, the coffin settled at the prepared spot in the square.

Then, the envoys from each nation were the first to arrive, placing flowers on the Emperor’s coffin, and many others followed suit, honoring his death.

As everyone paid their respects to the Emperor, the envoys who placed flowers first sought out Kariel.

“I greet Your Majesty!”

“Is it Rotheon?”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Are you from Talos?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Seeing the envoys from the Southern Kingdoms, Kariel led everyone into a quiet building.

“First, my condolences for the passing of His Majesty the Emperor.”

As the envoy spoke, Kariel lightly nodded and accepted the greeting.

“What brings you here?”

“We ask that you cease the hostilities.”

As the Talos envoy bowed and made the request, Kariel turned his gaze toward the Rotheon envoy.

“You’re aware of the mischief that the Union of Small Nations has been up to, right?”

“Yes, that’s why we wish to mediate.”

The Rotheon envoy spoke while looking longingly at the envoys from the small nations who were watching from a distance.

Kariel then looked back at the Talos envoy.

“Did you come for this matter as well?”

“Yes, we did.”

“What if we stop? Do you plan to compensate for the small nations, or perhaps cede territory?”

In response to Kariel’s question, both envoys quietly revealed what the Union of Small Nations had prepared: some land, a nominal compensation, and a pledge to remain a neutral nation.

The pledge contained a guarantee that they would not take sides between the Southern Kingdoms and the Empire.

Simultaneously, the Southern Kingdoms showed a document agreeing to lower taxes on essential goods imported by the Empire.

“For the peace of the continent, we hope the Empire will take a step back.”

The implication was clear: they wanted the Empire to withdraw given that they had offered this much. Kariel smiled wryly.

The documents looked impressive at a glance.

But upon closer inspection, it was basically a demand for the Empire to stop.

“A measly piece of land and paltry compensation… plus lowering the taxes on essential goods?”

Kariel laughed in disbelief.

The Union of Small Nations was bound to fall apart soon, and with that, all the land and resources would belong to the Empire.

Furthermore, with the Empire already having consumed the East’s Aysarman, there was no need to route essential goods through the Southern Kingdoms.

“I decline. If you want to halt the war, you’ll need to offer more.”

“It is impossible to offer anything further. If you desire more…”

“Desire more? Are you seeking war with the Empire?”

Kariel spoke coldly while looking at the Rotheon envoy, revealing his resolve.

As if on cue, the symbol on his forehead became visible.

Both envoys gulped at the sight.

With the Imperial symbol showing again, there was no chance the Empire would falter.

Everything would move according to Kariel’s will.

This meant that the appearance Kariel was presenting now was indicative of the future direction the Empire would take.

“Are you trying to turn Rotheon into an enemy?”

“You speak as if we’ve committed a crime. It was you who started the mischief with the Union of Small Nations. More importantly… if you truly wanted to stop the war, you should have left Iron untouched.”

Kariel grinned as if he knew everything.

“It’s clear you all are aware that you won’t find common ground. You came to confirm each other’s positions, didn’t you?”

“…”

“…”

“I know that you have formed a secret pact with the Holy Nation.”

Kariel slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang.

“Tell your king that the next war zone for the Empire will be Iron, so let’s see who stands strong.”

With that, Kariel stood up.

“I appreciate you coming all this way for His Majesty. I’ll grant you a reprieve from pressure for a fortnight after the funeral.”

With those words, he exited the building and returned to the Imperial Palace.

“In the end, it leads to this.”

“Huh… a war with the Empire… It won’t be easy.”

They had painfully felt just how powerful a united Empire was for hundreds of years.

That’s why all the nations on the West Continent had poured immense resources into ensuring the Empire would fracture.

Even the nobles of the Empire knew this yet remained blinded by the money in front of them, contributing to their own division.

Now, the Emperor who would unite the Empire had declared war against the Southern Kingdoms.

“I need to hurry and report this.”

“Right.”

The two envoys from closely-knit countries rose from their seats to deliver the report to their respective kings.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, the Rotheon envoy glanced at the envoys from the small nations.

“They’re finished now.”

“If we want to avoid ending up like them, we need to act swiftly.”

The Talos envoy sighed at the Rotheon envoy’s words.

The Rotheon envoy nodded slightly.

The Emperor’s funeral was essentially the last moment of peace before the war on the West Continent began.

The moment the funeral concluded, the Southern Kingdoms and the Holy Nation would move with urgency, and the Empire would begin to shift its great force toward the West.

“Talion.”

“You called for me?”

“Secretly gather the ministers.”

“Yes.”

Issuing commands to Talion, Kariel looked up at the sky with a soft sigh.

The situation was becoming urgent.

“My retirement may be out of reach…”

Kariel muttered, letting out another sigh.

Had he taken just one step back, he might have enjoyed a comfortable life as Emperor. But his pride left inside didn’t allow that.

Why should he back down when he hadn’t done anything wrong?

“Good. Let’s pay them back with interest for the wrongs of my past life.”

Kariel tried to reassure himself, even as his clenched fist trembled. This decision had pushed his retirement further away than ever.

 

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