The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More - Chapter 4

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

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◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈

Chapter 4: Cleaning Time (2)

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"How can administration be excellent while corruption is at its worst?"

If the Empire's ability to track the flow of money was excellent, yet corruption was at its worst...

That meant corruption itself was being recognized as part of that flow.

In other words, taxes were being diverted through legal channels away from the national interest.

"Just how many straws are siphoning off the treasury for it to end up like this?"

The Velos Empire was structured with all power concentrated in imperial authority, with no noble faction to speak of.

Yet corruption was happening in a place like that?

'Are they all getting along and splitting the loot under the imperial faction?'

As long as they had no ambition to become emperor themselves, the imperial faction had to be the safest shelter in the world.

Right beneath the lamp.

Under the pretense of strengthening imperial authority, they had been diverting taxes.

And it was not the work of just one person. They had built the entire system that way.

The reason the treasury was still average was probably because the Empire had not yet lost its power.

A vast land where rare resources were constantly discovered.

An overwhelming population and the broad pool of talent that came with it.

A trade network that dominated the seas, a powerful military, the most advanced culture...

Despite corruption being at its worst, those various factors had kept the Empire standing firm.

Even with the Second Imperial Prince dancing on top of it all while smashing its pillars with a sledgehammer.

'This Empire's setting is seriously ridiculous.'

When I had only read the novel, I thought the Empire would quickly return to normal once the Second Imperial Prince was driven out and the Emperor was found.

Now that I had looked inside, the problems were so severe that I did not even know where to begin.

At least I was not stuck in some low-ranking position.

With the Emperor missing for unknown reasons, the person effectively ruling the country was me, the Crown Prince.

If I stepped forward, I could probably resolve the problems quickly.

'There are a lot of problems, but I can't put off dealing with the corruption.'

Normally, I would have studied history to clearly identify the enemy.

I would have searched through the Crown Prince's memories for more information.

But for now, I needed to uproot the things rotting the Empire in real time.

To do that, the first thing I needed was to figure out how the money was leaving.

I already had a rough idea.

'They must have latched their straws onto that bastard, the Second Imperial Prince.'

Honestly, was there an easier way?

When he said he would send various resources to the Macelin Kingdom, transporting them would naturally cost money.

If they tampered with those expenses even a little, the costs would inflate in an instant. There was no easier way to line their pockets.

What I needed most right now was...

"...The investment list I asked the Foreign Affairs Officer for earlier."

Originally, I had planned to review it alone and figure out what foolish things the Second Imperial Prince had done.

But if it was nearly certain that others had gotten their hands into it as well...

"This isn't something I should look at alone."

I spoke to the knight waiting outside my room.

"A State Council Meeting will be held tomorrow morning. Inform everyone that no one is to be absent, and that anyone who fails to attend will be severely punished."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Let's see the faces of the bastards who took bribes.

++++++

Dayrent, the knight guarding the Crown Prince's chambers.

The moment he received the Crown Prince's order, he moved at once.

It was an extremely late hour to deliver word to the nobles.

But knights did not question orders.

To carry out his duty as thoroughly and efficiently as possible, he headed not for the nobles' residences, but for the Imperial Guard Knights' quarters.

"Who goes there?"

The moment he approached the Imperial Guard Knights' quarters, a sharp, weighty voice struck his ears.

A keen arrowhead threatened his life without even glinting in the moonlight, as though one more step would put a hole through his head.

"Dayrent, assigned to guard His Highness the Crown Prince's chambers today."

"Chamber guards usually work in pairs. You should be at your post. Why have you come here, abandoning your duty?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered that the nobles be informed of a State Council Meeting tomorrow, or rather, this morning."

"Then deliver the message yourself. Why did you come here?"

Their exchange was so strict and cold that they hardly seemed to belong to the same order.

The tension seemed impossible to break.

"His Highness also ordered that anyone absent be informed they will be severely punished."

At Dayrent's answer...

"...Are you saying the day may come when His Highness the Crown Prince severely punishes someone?"

"Yes."

"I commend your judgment. You came to the right place."

"Thank you."

The tension shattered in an instant.

Swish.

The sentry lowered the bow and took a bell from inside their uniform.

Ting.

The moment Mana was poured into the bell and it was lightly tapped with a finger...

A sound ordinary people could not hear swept through the Imperial Guard Knights' quarters.

A whistle that only trained people could hear.

At the sound, all the knights appeared behind the sentry, fully armed, in the blink of an eye.

"What is it? Why ring the Sun Bell at dawn? Everyone was asleep."

"There must be a reason to ring the Sun Bell, but what is it?"

"Ah, I was sleeping so well... I was rolling around with an incredibly beautiful woman in my dream."

"Vix, an incredibly beautiful woman is too much of a luxury for that face of yours, like it was ground against a grater. Even in a dream, it's more than you deserve."

"You bastard!"

Snicker, snicker.

The Sun Bell had summoned the knights, but calls like this were actually common.

They would sometimes ring the Sun Bell for no reason, simply to make sure everyone remained ready and disciplined.

Though they had gathered, everyone was relaxed.

Then the knight holding the bow spoke calmly.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has issued an order. He plans to hold a State Council Meeting tomorrow morning, so inform every noble required to attend..."

Up to that point, everyone practically had "So what?" written on their foreheads.

They had summoned every sleeping Imperial Guard Knight at dawn just to call in some nobles? Why?

Just as those doubts were about to surface...

"...and inform them that anyone absent will be severely punished."

The moment those words followed, the chatter about dreams cut off.

As abruptly as the life of a condemned prisoner at the gallows.

Then the knight holding the bow continued as though it were only natural.

"For the first time in his life, His Highness the Crown Prince has warned of severe punishment. Anyone who takes this lightly is taking the Velos Empire lightly, and that is treason."

"Treason!"

"Inform the Grand General! The Crown Prince who has smiled until now has finally drawn his sword! It is time to teach searing pain to those who believed the sun's light would always be warm!"

From the Grand General to the Imperial Guard Knights, none of them took part in administration, politics, or diplomacy.

The only thing they cared about was protecting the Empire.

That was why they had remained still even when those rotting the Empire ran rampant.

Supplies worsened by the day, and weapon quality declined.

Paydays were irregularly pushed back, and paperwork was not handled on time.

They endured it all.

They had received no order.

The Crown Prince was that kind of person.

Someone who disliked giving orders.

Someone who gave no orders at all and smiled kindly.

The Imperial Guard Knights liked their lord, but part of them also felt regret.

If only the Crown Prince drew out even a little of the strength hidden behind that smile, those devouring the Empire would not dare utter a word.

'Finally... finally...!'

Of course, the Crown Prince had not ordered punishments right away.

He had only ordered them to warn absentees of severe punishment.

Still...

"His Highness the Crown Prince has finally drawn his sword."

The Imperial Guard Knights knew.

This was only the beginning.

From now on, they needed to sharpen their blades.

This was the first step.

That was why they could not handle it carelessly.

"I will show those arrogant nobles that the Empire's sword has not rusted."

At that untimely hour before dawn...

"W-What time do you think it is? How can you come to my chambers at a time like this?!"

"It is His Highness the Crown Prince's order. Is that the attitude you should have when receiving an order?"

Crash!

"W-What are you doing?!"

"An Imperial Guard Knight is trying to enter this residence under His Highness the Crown Prince's order, but you tried to stop them. I merely punished you for it. Do you think I was wrong?"

"Eek!"

The Empire's sword was moving.

Of course, the Crown Prince had no idea that the Imperial Guard Knights were moving like this.

"...I can't sleep well without a smartphone."

+++++

"What on earth was that at dawn?"

"If it is His Highness the Crown Prince's will, does it matter what it is? What matters is that His Highness permitted it."

"I'm saying it was sudden. It's never happened before, so of course I was startled."

"His Highness the Crown Prince has changed suddenly, ever since the day before yesterday..."

"Huh, but isn't this almost the first time everyone has gathered for a State Council Meeting like this?"

"He has never given such an order before."

"What could he be gathering us all to discuss?"

The Round Table Conference Room was noisy.

The nobles voiced their dissatisfaction over two things: knights suddenly barging in at dawn, and being forced to attend first thing in the morning.

On top of that, even after the time they had been summoned for had passed...

The Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow of him.

"We were ordered to come, yet the person who called us is..."

"He wakes people at dawn, then does this. Honestly."

As the nobles' dissatisfaction gradually grew...

Boom!

The doors of the Round Table Conference Room flew open.

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

Knights began entering the Round Table Conference Room one by one.

"W-What? What's going on?!"

"Why are knights entering the Round Table Conference Room armed?"

"How can they set foot in the imperial palace armed like that?!"

The nobles, all shocked by something they had never experienced before, tried to stop the knights with words.

But the knights did not even glance at them as they entered the Round Table Conference Room.

Clack, clack, clack.

As if those places had been assigned to them from the beginning, they stood behind the nobles seated in the Round Table Conference Room.

"T-This is an obvious threat!"

"What is the meaning of this?! Who planned this?! His Highness the Crown Prince would never...!"

As the nobles continued to protest...

"Silence. His Highness the Crown Prince is arriving."

The Grand General, bringing up the rear after the knights entered, stepped forward. The Grand General's presence crushed the atmosphere in an instant.

Once the room had fallen silent, the Grand General moved one step aside.

Into the empty space...

Swish.

The Crown Prince stepped forward and slowly walked toward the seat of honor in the Round Table Conference Room.

The Grand General followed behind him.

The Crown Prince, who always wore a smile, now had a face frighteningly cold.

Before the nobles, who found every part of the situation unfamiliar, could grasp what was happening...

Thud.

The Crown Prince scattered the documents regarding investment in the Macelin Kingdom that he had reviewed that morning across the table.

"Thank you all for coming so early in the morning."

He took his seat.

"Then let us begin the State Council Meeting."