That night.
Since the sun had already gone down and it was too late to march, Kaon stayed one more night in the Grakal Territory and handed command over to the cavalry commander, Sir Hanson.
Another member of the imperial family might have thrown a fit and demanded that the Grakal Territory be given to him as his personal domain, but Kaon did not say a single word about it.
The Grakal Territory was destined to become hell anyway.
He had heard that the Second Prince was coming as commander-in-chief, which meant this place had the potential(?) to become one enormous fuck-you aimed straight at him.
The best course was to disappear as quickly as possible.
Before leaving, Kaon held a small party in the banquet hall of the lord's castle.
The official reason was to reward the lords who had worked hard to pacify the rebel territory, but Kaon had another motive.
‘The situation has changed.’
Until now, he had focused on winning the favor of the small and mid-sized lords while avoiding deeper ties because he had no need to share profits with them.
If he had obtained the mana-stone-rich Bior Territory as planned, trading with a Magic Tower would have been enough.
But now that he was going to rule the Lampas Territory, things were different.
He needed merchants who could handle the region's specialty goods.
And rather than relying on ordinary merchant companies, partnering with lords who possessed a certain level of influence would not only reduce transportation costs considerably but also allow him to exert direct influence over the Empire's south-central region.
Before getting down to business, Kaon praised the lords and created a warm atmosphere.
“The reason we can raise our cups together today is because of your loyalty. I will report your merits to His Majesty the Emperor, and rewards will follow in due course.”
“We can only place ourselves in Your Highness's mercy.”
They did not say it aloud, but the lords were grinning from ear to ear.
In truth, they had done almost nothing.
After Kaon defeated the main rebel force, they panicked and hurriedly dispatched their territorial armies.
After that, there had barely been anything that could be called a real battle.
They had practically arrived after the meal was already cooked and merely placed their spoons on the table.
Naturally, they were grateful that Kaon intended to report their supposed contributions and even secure rewards for them.
‘Even if I say nothing to the emperor, they will submit their own reports and praise themselves somehow. That is exactly why I need to build goodwill like this.’
This was politics.
Whatever the process had been, the fact remained that things became easier once the lords gathered, so it was only proper that some credit be given to them.
Kaon slowly brought up the real subject.
“I hear there are three feudal lords who control most of the commerce in the Empire's south-central region. Can anyone tell me who they are?”
“You must mean the three lords who possess ports along the Euphrans River.”
At Sir Hanson's words, three lords stepped forward and gave military salutes.
They were Viscount Maren, Count Gaplan, and Baron Lumen.
Every one of them was fat and radiated greed, their oily faces hardly pleasant to look at.
But Kaon had come from the modern world.
He had spent years flattering bosses at work.
Naturally handling people beneath him was nothing.
“So the Empire's three wealthiest men were all here.”
“We merely operate a few small merchant companies, Your Highness.”
“If my elder brother makes a full recovery, I intend never to leave my northern territory again. As you all know, the Empire's north produces many rare pelts. I will need to run a merchant company myself if I am to make a living, but my connections with nationwide distribution networks are poor. I would like to join hands with you. What do you think?”
“Th-That is an excellent judgment, Your Highness!”
The three lords' eyes lit up.
Pelts from the Empire's north were naturally expensive.
People avoided the region so much that it was practically regarded as forbidden land, and criminals had to be forcibly conscripted just to keep it manned.
If they could trade in its pelts and specialty products, the profits would be enormous.
“With your cooperation, I feel as though I have gained an army of ten thousand. A toast to my elder brother's recovery!”
“To His Highness the Crown Prince's recovery!”
Kaon gained two things from that gathering.
First, he spread the fact that the Third Prince was not the Crown Prince's enemy and instead genuinely hoped he would recover from his illness.
Second, he secured connections in the merchant world.
‘Pelts and potions are important. But there is something in the north that can make even more money than either of those.’
The more he thought about it, the more reassured he felt.
He expected many difficulties once he went north and had to command soldiers with criminal backgrounds in that freezing region, but the profits that would follow were beyond imagination.
He could make plans like this only because he knew the novel's contents in detail.
***
The drinking party that had lasted until midnight finally came to an end.
The Third Prince had to leave for the capital early the next morning.
However, the influential lords of the south-central region who had now formed direct ties with him did not lower their guard.
They gathered together in private.
These were the men who monopolized the Euphrans River in the Empire's south-central region and earned tremendous profits from it.
The reason Baron Lumen could stand among them was that his financial power supported a considerable military force.
Count Gaplan, effectively the leader of their alliance, began analyzing the Third Prince's intentions.
“The Third Prince suddenly taking an interest in commerce. What do you make of it?”
“He needs money for the coming struggle against the Second Prince.”
Viscount Maren spoke with a grave expression.
Baron Lumen, whose political voice was weaker despite his military power, quietly watched the situation.
Count Gaplan's gaze deepened.
“If there is money to be made, there is no reason we cannot make use of the Third Prince as well. But if the Second Prince wins later, will our connection to him not become a liability?”
“Well, that……”
Viscount Maren's response faltered.
They had accepted the offer because the Third Prince had made it openly before everyone, leaving them little room to refuse.
But they feared the consequences afterward.
Count Gaplan looked toward Baron Lumen.
“You speak. Are you not well versed in schemes?”
“We simply gather information related to the Third Prince and pass it to the Second Prince.”
“What?”
“If some miracle occurs and the Third Prince wins, then we simply continue maintaining our friendship with him as we already have.”
“Ha ha ha! So it was that simple!”
Once they became involved with a prince who possessed the right of succession, staying out of politics was no longer possible.
The Third Prince had approached them first, so the lords had no authority to reject him.
If they secretly passed information to the Second Prince as well, they could keep a foot in both camps.
Two benefits from one move.
***
Kaon began a rapid advance north.
He retraced the same road he had used when heading south.
He could have stopped at the territories along the route and accepted hospitality, but there was no way to know when the Grakal Territory might collapse.
If it fell before Kaon reached the imperial palace, the responsibility would be his.
But if he hurried back to the capital first and the occupied territory collapsed afterward, responsibility would fall on the Second Prince.
The knights understood that perfectly well and followed without complaint.
They covered ninety kilometers a day.
‘Now this is nothing.’
His stamina had risen dramatically.
Compared to the time when he had been tied to a horse and practically dragged along, it was tremendous progress.
On the evening when only one day remained until they reached the imperial palace, Kaon inspected the camp at a relatively relaxed pace.
The cavalrymen who had collapsed from exhaustion looked at him in considerable surprise.
‘Wasn't His Highness half-dead only a few weeks ago?’
‘Has he been training that much in the meantime?’
In truth, Kaon was tired too.
When they had been racing south against time, he had suffered severe pain and exhaustion.
Now, he merely felt the drained fatigue of someone who had worked hard for a day.
“Your Highness, I have been thinking about something during the journey.”
“Speak.”
Sir Jerome, commander of the knight order, moved beside Kaon.
It was not exactly a secret, but nothing good would come from letting the conversation spread outside.
“I understand that once you take up your post as Northern Commander, you will need merchant companies capable of distributing the region's specialty goods. But can those people truly be trusted?”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you see those faces dripping with grease? Do they look trustworthy to you? I thought I was going to die pretending to be friendly with them.”
“Th-Then……?”
“How many nobles do you think sincerely approach me? Even if I cannot trust them, I can trust their love of money. Sycophants drift with the tide like floating duckweed. If you remove every such person from politics, hardly anyone remains.”
“……!”
Sir Jerome withdrew without another word.
‘Was all that reckless behavior until now really an act?’
Kaon himself had said as much, and Jerome had witnessed him change drastically several times.
Even so, he had continued to doubt.
Now, the knight commander who had remained uncertain finally became convinced.
The Third Prince had intended to live leisurely, wasting imperial wealth without ambition, but in order to survive, he had finally revealed his true abilities.
The imperial capital, Brontia.
Six days after departing, Kaon reached a point where he could see Brontia's walls.
Even from a distance, the grandeur befitting a metropolis of one million people was already apparent.
He intended to continue straight to the imperial palace, but someone had come out to meet him.
“Your Highness! You have endured much hardship on this distant expedition.”
“Chief Chamberlain?”
“His Majesty sent me.”
Count Vagor, Chief Chamberlain.
People often assumed that a chamberlain had to come from some lowly background, but once one became the king's Chief Chamberlain, the position was naturally held by a noble.
In fact, there were more nobles who wanted the post than there were openings.
There was no place closer to power than beside the emperor himself, and once someone became Chief Chamberlain, he generally settled into the lifelong position and refused to leave.
If he possessed a territory, he would usually hand it down to his heir and move into the imperial palace, devoting the rest of his life to serving the family from the heart of power.
Count Vagor was no exception.
It had already been ten years since he handed his territory to his heir.
For all that time, he had remained beside the emperor and served as a trusted strategist and adviser.
‘Is the emperor trying to test me?’
Sending someone as important as the Chief Chamberlain to receive him could only mean that the emperor now placed considerable expectations on Kaon.
As they entered the capital, crowds greeted them in something resembling a triumphal procession.
“Waaaaaah!”
The cheers came from the people of Brontia.
Kaon clicked his tongue in amazement at the emperor's preparation.
“Do not tell me my reputation was so terrible that His Majesty prepared this as a gift to improve it.”
“That is correct. His Majesty felt guilty about sending Your Highness to such a remote region in the north.”
“A remote region? Is it not still an important strategic point? And becoming Northern Commander counts as a promotion.”
“I am relieved that Your Highness sees it that way.”
He could not give anyone grounds to criticize him.
First of all, improving public opinion of Kaon really was the emperor's gift.
That bastard author had interfered again and manipulated the emperor, so the emperor himself likely felt guilty and wanted to give Kaon something in compensation.
After all, the author's interference had been beyond his control.
The carriage carrying Kaon drew closer to the imperial palace.
At last, the Chief Chamberlain asked one final question.
This was also the real point of his visit.
“I heard that Your Highness originally had no desire for the throne. Yet now you seem intent on properly competing for it. May I ask why?”
“You call that a question?”
“Pardon?”
“My elder brother was the rightful heir, and an imperial prince who stood out too much would only become a threat. The Second Prince, whether he understood that or not, acted arrogantly and openly built his faction. But the situation has changed. If my elder brother recovers, I intend to abandon everything and never leave my territory again. The problem is what happens if misfortune befalls him. If I renounce my right of succession, I die. Everyone who followed me will be endangered, even my younger sister. I have no choice but to wield power.”
“I see…….”
The Chief Chamberlain's mind began working rapidly.
He was clearly thinking about how he should report this conversation to the emperor.
Meanwhile, Kaon's true thoughts were—
‘Damn, keeping up this dignified act is exhausting.’