WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈
Chapter 24: The Great Cleanup (4)
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The Pope of the Romper Church had no blood descendants, officially or otherwise.
How could someone devoted to God create descendants through the reproductive act of sex?
And yet, the Pope clearly had a son.
That meant he had not been conceived through intercourse.
He was a child born from the heart.
Valerian was the Pope’s only child, born from the heart.
From a young age, he had shown extraordinary promise and an incredible talent for Divine Power.
By now, he had even earned the title of Saint.
But what good was being called a Saint?
“What in the world did you do for a letter like this to arrive?!”
He was always causing trouble like this.
If the trouble he had caused so far was the sort the Pope could barely overlook by squeezing his eyes shut, this was on an entirely different level.
The Empire had sent a letter that made it painfully obvious how furious they were?
And not through normal channels, but by messenger bird?
This was not something that could simply be brushed aside.
But then...
“Father, it’s all right. Just trust me. I can handle it.”
The Pope nearly burst from frustration the moment he heard his son’s calm reply.
The Empire had a gentle image now, but only a few generations ago, it had been a truly terrifying place.
You dared to act up? Then die.
You rebelled because you did not want to die? Still die.
Fine, leave for another country. But you can go alone. You cannot take anything else. You refuse? Die.
As though they were trying to weed out anyone with rebellious tendencies in advance, they killed every person who was not fiercely loyal to the Empire.
Show even the slightest hint of defiance, and you were executed immediately.
After that bloody purge, generations passed.
That was how the Empire came to have its current gentle image.
“How are you going to handle it... Wait, handle it? Are you saying you know what’s happening in the Empire right now?”
“Of course. How could I not know?”
“You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
“I intended to handle it myself.”
Crunch, thud!
“Urk! Why are you kicking me all of a sudden...?”
The Pope was old.
He had reached the age where he needed two hours of stretching before his body would properly loosen up.
Even so, forgetting his body’s screams, he immediately kicked his son.
“You crazy bastard! You couldn’t handle it yourself, so a letter from the Empire arrived in my chambers! How can you be so carefree?!”
“It’s truly fine. It seems the North Grand Duke failed in his rebellion, but no harm will come to our side.”
“The Empire demands the truth. They even demand compensation, yet you say no harm will come to us?”
“We only need to comply with that part... Just that part. There won’t be anything else. They won’t find anything. They must be angry because of the rebellion, so we only need to dispatch a few clergy members.”
“Hah. You make it sound easy.”
“It is. And this is part of my plan as well.”
“Your plan?”
Whether it was a plan or some bullshit.
The Pope gave Valerian a look that said he would not grant permission without a proper explanation, and the Saint continued with a shrug.
“Because of the rebellion in the North, there’s now a major shortage of troops there. We’re under suspicion, so to clear that suspicion, we’ll have to send troops to the North.”
“That’s right. It’s the Empire’s demand... and the problem is that we don’t know what they’ll do if we refuse.”
“Then we should comply. While doing so, we can finally spread the faith openly within the Empire.”
“Spread the faith?”
“Yes. The North is an environment where survival is difficult to begin with. If those we dispatch display Divine Power in such a place, how easy will it be to spread the faith?”
“....”
The Pope held his tongue.
To be honest, ignoring the Empire’s letter was one option.
Or he could feign ignorance, ask what they were talking about, and become enraged that they were being suspected.
But...
‘The Empire has obtained solid evidence. That’s why we have no choice but to comply.’
The situation itself was unfavorable to the Holy Kingdom.
It was obvious his son had been involved.
And as a clergyman, he could not simply ignore it.
Yet spreading the faith amid all this?
‘It’s not a bad idea.’
Still, it was risky.
The Empire had not said anything in particular about religious activity.
But was it right to spread the faith when they were dispatching people as an apology?
Then again, spreading the faith was one of the Romper Church’s doctrines, so it was not unnatural.
There was nothing particularly forced about it.
“...For now, do as you wish. We’re sending people either way.”
“Father, you must trust me completely.”
The moment the Pope granted permission, Valerian smiled slowly.
‘So the North Grand Duke is dead after all?’
One rival had disappeared.
But showing that outwardly would be amateurish.
‘Today, I can speak with Mirne about how sad I am to have lost a friend.’
That was the perfect topic of conversation.
Valerian was already excited at the thought of speaking with Mirne.
+++++
“Ah, and if those they send look like they’re going to spread the faith, punish them severely.”
“Would that be all right?”
“It’s almost certain they’ll send people, so when they announce the dispatch, send another letter at the right time.”
At the exact point when those from the Romper Holy Kingdom arrived in the North, a letter would be sent to the Holy Kingdom.
Its contents would be:
“If you came to make reparations, quietly make reparations. If you try to spread the faith, it won’t end well... Write it up appropriately and send it.”
“Yes, y-yes!”
If I gave them the rough idea, the Foreign Ministry would make it sound proper.
“Bloodshed has swept through the North and eastern region, and the imperial center also has a severe shortage of personnel. Recruit talented individuals aggressively, without restrictions based on status.”
“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince. Forgive me for saying so, but if you do that, the existing nobles may object...”
“Ha ha, won’t I look after the nobles? They’ll only be temporary appointments. Don’t worry too much.”
“Your Highness’s grace...”
“Ah, enough with the flattery. How is the Academy coming along?”
“We’re putting all our efforts into it, but...”
“Just the estimated time.”
“We estimate two years, Your Highness.”
Two years was too long.
Of course, I knew that was still an incredibly fast pace because this was the Empire.
Still, since I didn’t know why Mirne wanted to establish an Academy, it was a shame to spend two years doing nothing.
‘That doesn’t mean I can reduce the construction time right away.’
As Crown Prince, if I happened to dislike a mountain while passing by, I had the power to say:
‘That mountain is blocking the sun. Move it.’
‘Yes, Your Highness.’
But with the Empire already suffering from so many administrative vacancies, pushing them even harder would be unreasonable.
‘Come to think of it, there was someone among the Executioners who used a hammer.’
I should ask him.
With that thought in mind...
“Today’s State Council Meeting is adjourned.”
I ended the State Council Meeting, which began every morning like breakfast, and rose from my seat at once.
‘There’s way too much to do.’
It was good that I had taken care of all the urgent cleanup, but in the process, I had thrown out all the furniture in the house as well.
If I left it alone, it would only spread mold, so I had all of it discarded.
Now the house was so empty that filling it had become the problem.
“Whew.”
As soon as the State Council Meeting ended, I returned to my room and checked the reward I had received for resolving the cleanup in the North.
[ You have resolved the situation perfectly. ]
[ As a reward, you have been granted the ‘Convenient Empire Status Window.’ ]
[ You will now be able to manage the Empire more conveniently. ]
Convenient Empire Status Window.
In other words, I could view the Empire’s situation more conveniently than before.
Ding!
[ Empire Status Window ]
Displays the Empire’s current condition.
As this is the initial stage, the information available is limited.
Administration: Excellent
Treasury: Insufficient
Military Strength: Worst
Diplomacy: Worst
Corruption: Fair
*A major upheaval has occurred in the eastern region and the North.
As a result, simplified reports on the eastern region and the North will be displayed temporarily.
[ Simplified Eastern Region Report ]
Every area is rapidly trying to return to normal.
The efforts of the current East Grand Duke, Javiren Marin, are shining through.
Recovery is proceeding at an outstanding pace, so the eastern region is expected to soon regain its former strength.
[ Simplified Northern Report ]
All recently subversive forces have met their deaths.
As a result, the Northern front is in a highly unstable state.
If this is not resolved quickly, Magic Beasts will cross the Northern front.
Estella Nave, known as the North’s Wand, is currently managing the situation.
She is putting forward the best measures available and using mages effectively to barely maintain the front lines.
Support is needed as soon as possible.
“...?”
I was baffled the moment I saw the status window.
“Nothing has changed.”
What was supposed to be convenient about it?
I decided to think about that later.
Still, there had been a major change in the status window after I finished cleaning up the North.
‘Corruption has finally risen to Fair.’
It had been at its worst when I first checked it.
At least I could say I had cut out most of the rot.
‘The treasury and military strength have fallen even further, but that must be temporary too.’
From the North to the eastern region and the Academy, there were countless places that required money, so it couldn’t be helped that the treasury was running dry.
As for military strength, the North Grand Duke, a Grandmaster, had died, along with all the Swordmaster knights beneath him.
In a way, it was only natural that it would weaken.
‘The possibility of destruction is 80%, and I also obtained a clue about the Covenant...’
While checking off what I had gained one by one, I took out the sword I had acquired after splitting the North Grand Duke in half not long ago.
“Maybe because it’s a sword from the future, but it definitely looks far stronger than those of the present day.”
It also felt like it had been made specifically for the North Grand Duke.
Just holding it made cold energy pour out.
‘Hm?’
Yet as I held it, I sensed something I had not felt before.
How should I describe it? It was the same sensation as when I had detected an unmanned drone before.
“A Spirit? Was this a weapon with a Spirit dwelling inside it?”
Rrrr.
The sword trembled slightly the moment I mentioned a Spirit.
I decided that later, I would melt the sword down and extract only the Spirit.
‘There’s so much to do, but it feels like there isn’t enough time.’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, as if it had been waiting...
[ The Convenient Empire Status Window moves to resolve your concerns! ]
An unexpected message appeared before my eyes.
Whoosh!
Then it displayed a chart like a Tech Tree.
No, not something like a Tech Tree. It was simply a real Tech Tree.
The kind that always appeared in games like Civilization.
There were countless categories on it.
What immediately caught my attention were the sections on rare resources and technological capability.
It was like there were things here that could not normally be found in a romance fantasy world.
“Magic Engineering? Gears? Ha, what else is there besides swords and magic?”
Was something like a mecha dragon possible? But why did that even need to be possible?
I had many questions, but worldbuilding was whatever the author decided it was.
There was no need to examine it too closely.
‘But it gives me only the Tech Tree, not points I can use to unlock anything?’
Would I receive those separately as rewards too?
Still, it was better than nothing, so I stopped thinking about it.
“Arveda.”
“Yes! Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
I immediately called for Arveda.
Calling it that was funny, actually.
All I had to do was say Arveda’s name into the air, and she appeared immediately.
‘Summoning would be more accurate.’
Anyway.
I asked Arveda about several things I had recently noticed regarding the Executioners.
“When the North Grand Duke learned of the Executioners’ existence, he treated them like a rumor from the Empire... When did the Empire last use the Executioners directly?”
The first thing I had wondered about was the Executioners’ purpose.
Why had the North Grand Duke looked as though he were seeing them for the first time?
He had even treated them as though they were no more than a rumor.
“Would you like to hear the most recent instance?”
But then...
“...You still can’t get honorifics right, can you? Never mind. Yes, that’s what I want to know.”
“Since the Great Prophet, no one has ever given the Executioners an order.”
“What?”
I was shocked by her answer.
So nobody had ever used them?
Even though they possessed five living nuclear weapons?
Of course, I understood the desire to avoid using them whenever possible.
Simply possessing nuclear weapons gave immense power.
But the Executioners were not consumable items.
Yet none of the emperors throughout history had used the Executioners?
‘Why? What’s the reason?’
They bound Executioners they would not even use through the Covenant?
“Then did the Great Prophet ever use the Executioners?”
“Yes, but it happened before I was born, so I do not know the details.”
“....”
So the Great Prophet used them just once, liked using them, bound them through the Covenant, then left future generations to foot the bill?
‘How am I supposed to interpret this?’
There were two possibilities for now.
1. The Great Prophet truly liked the Executioners, so a long-term contract was made.
2. The Great Prophet bound the Executioners through the Covenant to prepare for the future.
Looking at it that way, the second option had to be right.
But what that future was remained painfully vague.
‘The future... Could it simply be the Empire’s destruction?’
Or would something else happen once the Executioners crossed into Macelin?
The easiest possibilities to consider were a dark mage and a Demon King.
They were perfect villains for a fantasy setting.
Then the quickest method would be to contact Mirne directly.
‘The Empire may be rotten, but it’s still an Empire. It would be best to use this power.’
The internal cleanup was complete, and everything was gradually being put in order.
“The Romper Church claimed there was only one god, didn’t it?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then...”
After thinking for a moment, I quickly reached a conclusion.
“The Empire should hold a grand banquet.”
Should I stir things up properly?
Footnotes:
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