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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 29: The Beloved Ally
At the edge of the empire’s western frontier lies the city of『Schunifel』.
When the rebellion broke out in Dreihart, an uprising also flared here.
Unlike Dreihart, Schunifel was not a city with many slaves.
But the people were effectively overworked and exploited like slaves by their lord.
The true villain behind this was the『Usury』—the practice of lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
The lord of Schunifel outwardly obeyed the empire’s laws.
But he skillfully pressured the commoners with tolls, tariffs, water taxes, and other fees, ultimately forcing them to borrow money from the usurers he backed.
The usurers, with the lord’s protection, extorted the people with an insane annual interest rate of 240%.
Even when the commoners tried to sue the usurers, the lord’s influence quashed the cases, leaving the commoners either vanished or enslaved.
Then, around the same time as the Dreihart rebellion, the chief usurer was assassinated.
Evidence was scattered throughout the territory proving his collusion with the lord to oppress the people—and the people’s rage erupted.
They united under Norland, a heroic outlaw known as Schunifel’s Robin Hood, and launched a rebellion, killing the lords and nobles and seizing control of the territory.
With the support of Bloodkin mages, they prepared defenses far sturdier than Dreihart’s.
They had farms and underground water sources inside, so suppressing them would not be easy.
The problem was, this was a region where lords who supported the Crown Prince gathered.
The Crown Prince could not stand by as a rebellion arose in his supporters’ lands and defeated the suppression forces.
So, he personally led the『Golden Knights』to crush the rebellion.
The outcome was overwhelming.
Though the Schunifel rebels were several times larger than Dreihart’s, led by the experienced strategist and former thief Norland, supported by Bloodkin mages, they couldn’t hold out even a day against the Crown Prince and his Golden Knights.
The forest of Schunifel burned, littered with countless rebel corpses.
Norland, bloodied and missing an arm, knelt before the Crown Prince, begging for his life.
“P-Please! Spare me! I surrender!”
The battle had lasted half a day.
The forest was aflame, the ground soaked with blood, yet the Crown Prince remained untainted, shining golden.
He pointed his golden sword at Norland and asked—
“Are you the leader of the rebels?”
“Y-Yes, I am!”
The Crown Prince looked at Norland—not with anger, but with pity and sorrow.
“I investigated as I came here. I understand why you rebelled. There will be no more suffering from usury in Schunifel.”
“T-Thank you!!!”
Norland felt hope in the Crown Prince’s merciful words—the hope of survival, the hope for a better tomorrow.
“But rebellion is rebellion. You broke imperial law and killed a noble, the lowest rank but one with the right to succeed the throne.”
Though feeling pity and sorrow, the Crown Prince—standing as both heir and keeper of the law—raised his sword.
He pronounced judgment on Norland.
“I, Kyros Sword Novarens, First Crown Prince of the Empire, hereby sentence you to death.”
“P-Please spare me!! I was wrong! Please!!”
With one arm, Norland begged for his life.
There was no hero, no rebel leader—just a human desperate to live.
The Crown Prince swung his sword as an executioner.
“May you be born blessed in your next life.”
Swish!
The golden sword cut swiftly across Norland’s neck.
Norland died without even sensing it.
That was the last mercy the Crown Prince could grant him.
＊ ＊ ＊
After personally quelling the rebellion in a single day, the Crown Prince swiftly issued follow-up orders and promptly returned to the capital.
Waiting by the carriage was his aide—a handsome young man with chestnut-brown hair named Duran. As the Crown Prince approached, Duran bowed deeply in greeting.
“You've endured much, Your Highness.”
“It's nothing compared to the suffering of our people.”
With that, the Crown Prince boarded the carriage, which immediately departed for the capital.
Inside, he began sorting through the mountain of delayed paperwork when a particular report caught his eye.
“The rebellion in Dreihart, in the east—it's been suppressed?”
“Yes, Your Highness. The Cron family handled it single-handedly.”
Dreihart had erupted in revolt around the same time as Schunifel.
To nurture the Raion family’s influence, the Prince had negotiated with the Princess to grant control over Dreihart to whichever house successfully restored order.
However, to his surprise, it wasn't the Raion family (his faction) or the Silla family (the Princess’s faction) who handled it—but a third party entirely—House Cron.
Reading through the detailed report, the Crown Prince was impressed.
The initial joint operation had failed, but the Cron family quickly shifted to a siege strategy, executed the suppression alone, and even managed post-conflict stabilization.
It was a rare instance of clean, strategic execution.
"The Raion family was meant to handle this... I take full responsibility for the failure."
"No. A beast fights best in the field it knows. The fault lies with me—for placing the wrong players in the wrong game."
“Forgive me, Your Highness.”
Duran, who had been overseeing affairs in the Prince’s absence, blamed himself for the Raion family's failure to fulfill their role in the plan. But the Crown Prince waved it off.
Dreihart, while a loss, was just one small city in the grand scheme of the Empire. What truly intrigued him was the strategist behind the Cron family’s victory—be it the lord or one of their vassals. Someone with such strategic clarity wasn’t ordinary.
“House Cron... They’ve been coming up in conversation lately.”
“Yes, the people and even bards are cheering for their bold policies and decisive actions.”
Duran had been keeping tabs on House Cron ever since their confrontation with the Raion family—particularly after the Crimson Mage Sharon joined their ranks. Their sudden rise had significantly disrupted the balance of power in the south.
If Cron became an ally, it would be invaluable. But if they were to side with the Princess or another faction, it could prove dangerous. Thus, Duran had kept a close watch.
After reviewing all available intel, the Crown Prince set the papers down and mused aloud.
“My sister won't sit quietly after this…”
“Indeed. It’s said she’s already sent a ‘gift.’”
“Quick, as always. That’s so very Lily.”
The Crown Prince had long been aware of his younger sister’s political maneuvers. Her tactics—often seductive and unsavory—lacked elegance, but he admitted they got results.
Take the House of Silla in Xeras, for instance. They had been poised to support him—until Lily’s ‘gift’ swayed them firmly into the Princess’s camp.
“What shall we do, Your Highness?”
“…It wouldn’t hurt to play along with my sister’s little game, just this once. Let’s send someone of our own.”
The Crown Prince decided to respond in kind, this time joining the political chess match.
“Understood. Whom shall we send?”
After a moment’s thought, one particular knight came to mind. The Crown Prince was certain this person would carry out the task exactly as intended.
“Send that young knight. If he shares our ideals, he’ll be an asset. If not… Well, they'll figure out the consequences.”
“Understood. I’ll dispatch them immediately.”
With everything in order, the Crown Prince leaned back, organizing his thoughts.
The struggle for the imperial throne was accelerating, and the Bloodkin had begun to move openly, no longer content to remain in the shadows.
To unify a fractured empire, overwhelming strength and loyal allies were essential.
There were many heroes across the Empire. Not all were allies—but not all were enemies either.
In a time when every single ally mattered, the man known as the『Silver Dragon of Cron』and hailed by the people as the『King of Liberation』, Calyx Cron, seemed like a highly desirable force to bring to his side.
“Calyx Cron… I’d like to meet him myself.”
Hoping the young lord was indeed as righteous as the reports described, the Crown Prince sat quietly in his carriage, looking forward to the day their paths would cross.
＊ ＊ ＊
After resolving the issues in Dreihart, I finally returned to Cron after a long time.
There were still many problems to solve, but it wasn’t good for me—the lord—to leave my domain unattended for too long, and the major decisions I needed to make had all been settled.
After comfortably recovering from my fatigue in my bedroom in Cron, I sat quietly in my office with a cup of tea, reflecting calmly.
Have I… already come too far down the path to becoming incompetent?
I had intended to be a moderately loved but ineffective lord, but honestly, I think I’ve already traveled too far to settle for that.
The Cron territory was expanding day by day through land reclamation, and with Dreihart now part of it, we even had seasoned soldiers well-versed in desperate battles, like those represented by Zarha.
If my memory serves me right, according to World Archive, my title has likely been elevated from lord to Great Lord.
As I quietly pondered over tea what I should do about this, I made a decision.
The stage is now too big for me to become incompetent, and my retainers are far too capable.
So the position I must take is not that of a loved but ineffective lord.
From now on, I will become a『Beloved Ally』to all forces.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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