The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 214 Demon Kron (12) - The Unlucky One (Part 1) The Fifth Prince of the Eizern Empire, Nikolaus. The young man also called 'Nicky' as a nickname thought of himself as unlucky. The greatest cause of his misfortune was none other than his mother, Fourth Consort Beatrix. "Nikolaus. You must always be careful with your conduct. The reason the current imperial family is at peace is because the succession structure is stable. Since the next emperor is already decided, they don't interfere much with whatever the imperial family members do. However, keep in mind that the moment you become intoxicated by that laxity and cross the line, bloodshed could erupt in an instant." The words Fourth Consort spoke to Nikolaus were usually similar. Don't associate with bad crowds. Don't show competitiveness toward the Crown Prince. You must not do things that damage your dignity as a member of the imperial family. An endless repetition of "don't do it," "don't," and "stop" in a feast of restrictions. Nikolaus felt suffocated. In his view, his mother was far too fearful. Most of all, the recognition that Fourth Consort had as a major premise - "You cannot beat the Crown Prince no matter what you do" - was extremely unpleasant to him. 'If that guy is so great, just how great is he that everyone is making such a fuss?' A genius of swordsmanship and magic? As the Emperor's first child, he received all kinds of support, so it would be strange if there were no results. To begin with, being called a prodigy was just a childhood story, and since reaching 5th rank, hasn't there been no news of his realm advancing? If his realm had advanced further, he would 'naturally' have been proudly talking about it, so the continued silence must mean his growth has stagnated. Nikolaus himself had reached 5th rank in swordsmanship despite receiving inferior support compared to the Crown Prince, so surpassing the Crown Prince would be possible before long. No, perhaps he had already surpassed him. Trivial skills like dancing, music, and historical knowledge weren't even worth discussing, and even the administrative abilities that officials praised highly, Nikolaus didn't regard as particularly impressive. No, he even secretly thought it was pathetic. Why should a monarch worry about things like the costs incurred when conducting large-scale construction? The Empire's wealth is endless anyway. Why should a monarch have to bring up alternatives when abolishing certain systems? If the Emperor discovered and eliminated a problematic system, shouldn't the follow-up naturally be handled by the subjects? Why should a monarch have to consider subordinates' feelings every time he speaks? If they heard unpleasant words from the one they serve, they should naturally reflect on their own inadequacies - isn't harboring dissatisfaction itself already a sign of treason? A monarch is one who draws the big picture, not someone who shows off detailed practical abilities. And the big picture that Nikolaus wanted to draw was already decided. Continental hegemony. Breaking the awkward balance of the Five Great Powers and making only the Empire reign supreme over this continent. His 'close friends' also agreed with this. "Your Highness Nikolaus is right! The Empire should move more aggressively!" "The Empire's military power is enormous, while the surrounding nations are weak. If we sweep away those insignificant things in the south that barely deserve to be called countries and reclaim all that land, how much would the Empire's territory expand?" "My father said we should be wary of those eastern republics and such, but as his son, I was too embarrassed to even speak. They can't produce proper knights or mages, so they handle toys like gunpowder at best, and they're just people who changed names to things like 'citizen army,' aren't they? They're nothing more than rats that would hide in holes once the Empire pushes in..." "The current upper echelons are too old and weak! Only when young blood like us leads the country will it finally move in the right direction." Thinking logically, if they were people with proper brains and character, there would be no reason to hover around the Fifth Prince while leaving the perfectly fine Crown Prince alone. Nikolaus's friends were all those who had been pushed out in family or academy internal ability competitions, or those who might have ability but were evaluated as excessive troublemakers. "You must not be deceived by their words, Your Highness. The Empire is strong precisely because it keeps its sword sheathed and doesn't swing it carelessly!" "The Empire hasn't even perfectly digested what it already has. If we forcibly expand territory beyond what we have now, administrative efficiency will just decline without proper management." "The reason those guys are inciting Your Highness is simple! They just lack confidence in rising high within the Empire through their own abilities, so they want to build war achievements and coast through life! Does it make sense for the nation to suffer losses just to fill the bellies of a few moths?" The acquaintances his mother had assigned to stay close with Nikolaus advised him that he absolutely must not associate with such crowds, but the more they did so, the more Nikolaus distanced himself from those giving advice and enthusiastically pursued making personal friends. Because they, like Fourth Consort, continued to say only things Nikolaus didn't want to hear, while his friends continued to tell him only sweet stories. Listening to his friends' flattery, Nikolaus came to think that he was the one suited to be this country's emperor. His friends, listening to Nikolaus's passionate speeches, came to consider themselves the true patriots of this country. They used each other's stories as evidence, and based on that evidence, they solidified their own claims. Rather than overcoming outside criticism with logic and reason, it was much more convenient to simply consider all those who opposed them as foolish and ignorant fools. "Um, Your Highness. That seems a little... wrong." Therefore, the advice that his fiancée Selena gave him one day was also just 'foolish and ignorant talk' to Nikolaus. The trigger was an incident that occurred while Nikolaus was talking to Selena about the Empire's laws. "The current policy of teaching nobles and commoners without distinction at the academy, and emphasizing only rank while ignoring status in the workplace, is wrong. If we keep blurring the distinction between commoners and nobles like this, won't those lowly people dare to take noble blood lightly without knowing their place?" Among the group that usually hung around with Nikolaus were those who envied students of commoner origin who received higher grades than themselves. Nikolaus had somehow come to regard what they whispered knowingly and unknowingly as his own thoughts, but Selena, who would normally listen quietly to his speeches, dared to begin a counterargument. The reason the Empire came to possess such strong power as it does now was greatly influenced by the policy of giving opportunities regardless of status. Those of noble birth already receive more affluent environments and subtle support than commoners simply by being nobles, and if privileges are concentrated further, various problems will arise in the long term. The tone itself was as careful as possible, considerate of the other person and seemingly gentle persuasion, but no matter what, the essence didn't change. That day, Nikolaus agreed and let it pass, saying he understood, but as time went on, his displeasure about what had happened that day only grew. Whether what Selena said was right or wrong wasn't important. The very fact that a mere fiancée dared to give him 'advice' and tried to teach him was the problem. "One of only three ducal families? An ancient prestigious house? What use is all that? The Empire's nobles are just trivial things that the imperial family can cast out anytime if they feel like it!!" He wanted to storm into Duke Valencia's house and turn everything upside down, but if Fourth Consort found out about it by any chance, she wouldn't stay still, so he had no choice but to endure it. The fact that he had to watch his mother's mood like this was an additional source of stress. "Ah, Your Highness! Your swordsmanship is like watching a masterpiece painting! If the great Hero King from the distant past were to descend to the world again, would he look like this?" "Hahaha! Your praise is excessive, Irene. I'm not yet at the level where I can split the sky with a sword like that person. However, who knows what might happen in a few more years?" "To possess even modesty...!" In that sense, interactions with Irene were like a spring breeze blowing into stifling reality. Irene didn't try to teach Nikolaus. She never raised objections to his opinions or opposed him. Her appearance was beautiful like a flower, and her skill at making men's hearts flutter was excellent. The fact that she possessed excellent skills as a mage was also good. Naturally, a flower with ability is better than one that only looks good, and wouldn't the picture be nice with mage Irene behind him holding a sword? Therefore, when great misfortune struck Irene's family, the anger that Nikolaus felt was indescribable. "She stabbed her parents in the back, sent them to prison, and usurped the family head position? How can such a venomous woman exist!! Rest assured, Irene! I'll kill that bitch right now and save you!" If he, a prince, stepped forward, he could overturn a mere count family's succession anytime. Nikolaus immediately tried to intervene in this matter, but Irene held him back and stopped him. "No, Your Highness. What happened to my parents is so sad, but I also bear responsibility for not knowing they committed such terrible crimes behind the scenes." Irene shed tears and bid farewell to Nikolaus. "Since my parents have become criminals, I am now a lowly person who can no longer be called a proper noble. Far from assisting Your Highness's great ambitions with all the family's might, I'm nothing more than a burden who will only cause trouble for Your Highness. Thank you so much for cherishing such an inadequate woman all this time...!" At that pitiful and tragic sight, Nikolaus's heart blazed. He fiercely embraced Irene and shouted. "No, no! You are the one and only woman suited for me!! I will make you my official consort, so what problem could such trivial family prestige cause!" In front of the imperial family's name anyway, there's no difference between a count family or a mere commoner. It was quite different from what Nikolaus usually claimed, but he didn't care. An emperor is one who creates standards, not one who follows them. "Official consort, that's too generous a title. There is clearly Lady Selena who is your fiancée, so how could someone like me deserve such an honor... I would be satisfied if I could serve Your Highness even as a mere concubine, no, as a servant." "No, Selena that woman was far too inadequate to become my wife anyway. I was already thinking of breaking off the engagement, so this works out perfectly!" (E/N: He is right. Selena is far too good for him. Not adequate at all. Good that he knows his place, even if only subconsciously.) "B-but, Your Highness. If you break off the engagement without proper reason, there will surely be considerable backlash. I'm really fine with it, so just as a concubine..." "Hehehe! Don't worry, Irene. This country is an empire, and I am a prince of this empire! Once I've made up my mind, ways to make it happen will surely emerge!" "I see, as expected of Your Highness. You're truly amazing... But really, being a concubine would be enough..." For some reason, Irene's eyes seemed to waver as if lost, and her lips trembled slightly, but Nikolaus paid no mind. Surely it was because she was too moved. At the thought of finally proceeding with something according to his own will, Nikolaus's heart swelled with emotion. (E/N: This novel no longer has mere cliffhangers. This is a whole mountain range at this point...)