Chapter 94
Hastings, having returned, first t Yuwon and soon went to settle the matters he should have handled long ago.
Hastings set out to find the administrative officer who dealt with the major and minor affairs of the Imperial Palace.
"Oh? Viscount Bartlett…? You finally ca back!"
The administrator whom Hastings used to see when coming and going as a librarian welcod Hastings.
"Ah… due to personal circumstances, I had to vacate my post suddenly. I truly caused trouble."
"Eh, well… for soone of your level to leave just a letter and disappear, you must’ve had your reasons. I’ve taken care of everything after you, so don’t worry. Anyway, welco back. Are you reinstating your position?"
At the administrator’s question, Hastings gave an embarrassed smile.
"Ah, no. In fact, I ca today to tell you exactly that. I plan to officially resign from the librarian post."
"Hm… is that so. I see. Well, since the handover was mostly completed while you were gone, it should be fine as is. You’ve worked hard all this ti."
"Worked hard? Not at all… I lived comfortably thanks to the Imperial Family."
"Haha, right. You and I—everyone who lives off this place is like that. Anyway, what do you plan to do now?"
"I will be serving His Highness the Fifth Prince from now on."
"Wow… so that’s how things turned out? Co to think of it, His Highness the Fifth Prince practically lived in the library… Looks like your hardships are over now. Congratulations on your advancent."
"Haha…."
The administrator’s remark that Hastings’ hardships were over felt amusing to him, who knew nothing.
Hastings simply gave a faint smile.
Having officially relinquished his librarian post, Hastings moved his residence to the Fifth Prince’s Palace.
But a familiar face was already present in the annex of the Prince’s Palace.
“…‘Hm? Viscount Bartlett?"
It was the Third Prince Bernid, who had been in the Third Prince’s Palace and had co briefly to see Terrien.
Hearing that Terrien was in training, Bernid had been about to leave for the mont when he coincidentally ran into Hastings.
“…‘It has been a while, Your Highness the Third Prince. Have you been well?"
"Ah, yes. It truly has been a while. To think I would see you like this. I glimpsed you in the South before and now I see you again. I’m glad you returned alive and well."
Hastings’ reply to Bernid’s polite greeting was peculiar.
"I am unsure if those words should be spoken from Your Highness’ mouth."
Because of the past entanglents surrounding Marcellus, Hastings seed unable to view Bernid favorably.
Bernid, understanding this, smiled as though to show goodwill and extended the hand of reconciliation first.
"Let’s not be like that. We’re now in the sa boat."
But Bernid’s effort was in vain.
"Even a rat that hides in the ship and gnaws at the wood is technically a companion if it’s aboard, I suppose."
This was not sothing Bernid could easily overlook.
He revealed his displeasure with a frown.
“…‘What? What did you just say?"
"I just ca from eting His Highness Yurion. Seeing how Your Highness seems to be on close terms with him recently, I asked, and he explained roughly what had happened while I was gone."
"And? Was his explanation lacking? Yurion wouldn’t spout nonsense, and he should’ve said all that was needed."
Bernid’s expectation was indeed correct.
Yuwon, who knew about Hastings and Bernid’s complicated past, had even offered praise he would never say in front of Bernid to preserve Bernid’s dignity.
"Of course he did.
He even spoke well of you. He said Your Highness was no longer the Third Prince I used to know. But even so, I still cannot fully trust Your Highness."
"Why? Does it bother you that while you were gone, I stayed closely by Yurion’s side? Do you feel like a rolling stone is pushing out the embedded one?"
"No. It isn’t jealousy, but concern. Let ask a question as well. Earlier, Your Highness said that we are now in the sa boat."
"I did. But it seems you don’t like that."
With a chilling gaze, Hastings continued.
"If water were to enter that boat, what would you do?"
He was asking Bernid: If the Fifth Prince’s faction faced danger, would you remain on the boat and seek a way for all to survive?
"That is a distasteful question, Viscount Bartlett. Do you take for your friend?"
"Friend, you say? No. The one I consider a friend is Mr. Terrien. Your Highness the Third Prince is certainly not my friend."
Bernid would never have ntioned ‘friend’ with that intent, and Hastings surely understood that.
Hastings’ blatant mockery made Bernid, who felt he had endured enough, unable to tolerate it any further.
"Don’t act so insolent. Like it or not, I have been in the sa boat as Yurion for a long ti already. There will be nothing like what you fear."
"We shall see. Since His Highness Yurion seems to trust Your Highness, I will not escalate matters here. But keep this in mind. I do not go soft like so people. Whoever stands in the way of His Highness the Fifth Prince will not be tolerated."
"Did you just say like “so people”? Why does it sound as though that “soone” refers to ?"
"If it sounded that way, then you understood my aning correctly."
"What?"
"The battle in the Ute Mountain Range. Why did you stop there?"
“…‘How do you know that?"
"Because I was there too."
"Then how do you know what happened?"
"I do not believe Your Highness needs to know that. Please answer my question. Why did you stop there?"
"If one can avoid a battle, avoiding it is right. And you should know what result was produced by those who survived that place, shouldn’t you?"
Those words were right, but also wrong.
Hastings imdiately countered.
"To win without fighting—those are wise words. They are correct. And it is true that the Crown Prince’s knights who survived that spot are now playing a crucial role in destabilizing the Crown Prince’s faction. But my real question is this: Those forces sent by the Crown Prince that day. Wouldn’t it have been better to kill them all there?"
"In a situation where you cannot be certain the visible enemies are all there are, you would risk a battle? If I or Terrien were to die or be gravely injured, would such a pyrrhic victory an anything?"
"That would not have happened.
Because I was there.
I was waiting, intending to join the mont the battle truly began, but what was this? It ended so anticlimactically."
"Your answer tells why I made that choice. I didn’t even know whether you were there or not. As I said earlier, I rely reduced the risk."
Bernid’s decision that day had indeed been reasonable.
At this point, Hastings had nothing more to say.
He took a step back.
“…‘I see. Understood. It was a convincing explanation. Next ti, when I fight alongside you, I hope you will not hesitate."
"Yes, I shall et your expectations. Otherwise, it seems my head may be taken not by the enemy but by soone I thought an ally."
"Then, please excuse for today. I expect we will see each other often."
A statent aning he would keep watching.
Although he now accepted what had occurred at the Ute Mountain Range, his distrust of Bernid was still too great to believe him on that alone.
Hastings offered his farewell as he pleased and walked away without waiting for an answer.
In truth, Bernid was the one who should have been leaving while Hastings stayed, but matters had reversed.
Step, step—
As Hastings’ figure grew distant, Bernid called out a question.
“…‘What did you do to those n back then?"
Hastings did not stop walking, nor did he look back.
He simply replied.
"I killed them when I saw the chance. As many as my power allowed."
In Hastings’ quiet words lingered the dizzying stench of blood.
A hallucination known as phantom sll.
There was no way the sll of blood existed now, yet Bernid slled it.
‘What… what kind of blood scent cos from a living person…! Just what happened…!’
The Crown Prince’s secret forces that had been present that day lost more than twenty of the sixty they deployed.
That achievent had been created by Hastings and Gillian, the two of them alone.
And this was achieved within rely ten minutes—before the enemy leadership realized an assassin was among them and reorganized their forces.
Truly a terrifying capability.
“…Just what happened while you were gone?”
“….”
Hastings did not answer.
He rely lingered for a mont in the mories of the Great Jungle that the question had stirred.
Soon, with a faint smile, he left an answer.
“…I rely learned the strength to protect His Highness the Fifth Prince."
***
The Crown Prince’s faction’s downfall and the Emperor’s silence continued for several days.
Because of this, the Fifth Prince’s faction grew stronger by the day, and in such a situation Yuwon simply remained in his place, doing nothing.
He went back and forth daily between the library and the Fifth Prince’s Palace, drank tea with the returned Hastings, and taught Terrien swordsmanship.
Those were all of Yuwon’s actions for the recent four days.
A scene reminiscent of several months ago.
The only difference now was that Hastings was no longer waiting for Yuwon at the library—Yuwon went to the library together with Hastings.
Yuwon, having caught the tailwind, halted his movents and entrusted himself quietly to the flow—just as the Crown Prince once did when he held the advantage.
And on the morning of the fifth day of this repeating routine—
"Your Highness, is it truly all right for you to remain still like this?"
Hastings, who had said nothing throughout these repetitive days, eventually could not hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Why? You seem worried?"
"Yes… with things as they are, it seems the direction of the next imperial throne has practically been decided, yet His Majesty the Emperor remains silent, and it is strange that the other princes are also doing nothing… Above all, Your Highness has seized the advantage, yet you rely sit here drinking tea with … For soone lacking like myself, it’s difficult to understand."
Understanding Hastings’ question, Yuwon smiled softly and nodded.
"Yes, that is understandable. But consider this."
"How do you an, Your Highness?"
"If a ship catches the tailwind and is advancing in the right direction, do you think one must still row?"
"Rowing wouldn’t be completely aningless, but… no, it could even beco a hindrance. I see Your Highness’ point. However, isn’t the current situation sowhat different?"
"Do you think so? I find it the sa."
"Hmm… if Your Highness thinks so, then…."
"Viscount. What do you think is the difference between a sparrow and an eagle?"
Not understanding the sudden question, Hastings showed confusion.
"A sparrow and an eagle?"
"Yes, a sparrow and an eagle. A sparrow must never stop flapping its wings to fly. The mont it stops, it begins to fall.
But a raptor that rides the wind is different. Take ease, Hastings. We may have begun as sparrows, but we are no longer sparrows."
"Ah…."
At Yuwon’s explanation, Hastings finally let out an impressed sound.
Yuwon’s words did not end there.
"To put it another way, the Fifth Prince’s faction is… well, it feels strange to say Fifth Prince’s faction with my own mouth. In any case, we have taken the high ground and caught the current, and we are prepared to swoop down on our prey at any ti."
"I see."
Of course, even as he said this, Yuwon had no intention of simply waiting idly.
He had already long requested an audience with the Emperor.
The problem was that no proper reply had co from the Emperor.
‘I didn’t expect the Emperor to stall for this long… Seems it’s ti to settle things with him.’
All indicators were now pointing to Yuwon as the next monarch.
Preparations were complete; there was no need to hesitate.
Previously, Yuwon had threatened the Emperor that if he did not relinquish the throne, he would kill all of his brothers.
But now, without such extre ans, Yuwon could stand before the Emperor and confidently demand the throne.
‘If there is no answer today as well… I will have to make a move.’
Waiting was never difficult for Yuwon, but waiting indefinitely without promise was not his way.
Even this much patience was shown as courtesy to the Emperor.
And as if sensing Yuwon’s intentions, soone ca to find him at the library a few minutes later.
Step, step—
‘…Hm. Here he cos.’
It was the eunuch who personally attended the Emperor—his ssenger.
"Your Highness, His Majesty the Emperor has accepted your request for an audience. His Majesty wishes to see you at once. Are you available now?"
“…Let us go. I have been waiting for those words."
Yuwon rose from his seat.
Only the confrontation with the Emperor remained.
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