Part One, Section Two: “Crisis Over My Homeland”
Chapter Twenty-five (Mia’s POV)
“I see… Then shall we kill him? I mean, kill His Highness.”
“Ki-Kill…”
When I told Himari that leaving Prince Julius in charge would lead the country to ruin with the king bedridden, she immediately proposed assassinating the prince without hesitation.
This girl is Sis’s guard, right? She’s kind of scary…
It seemed like she had been in the vicinity for the past few days, guarding me under my sister’s orders, but I hadn’t noticed her at all. Indeed, she did seem skilled in things like assassination…
“I would recommend poisoning. For instance, with a blow dart like this, if you manage to hit a blood vessel accurately, the target would quickly feel euphoric and go peacefully to the realm of the dead…”
“H-Hold on a moment! For now, all we need to do is render His Highness powerless… Your suggestion is far too extreme…”
I stopped Himari as she emotionlessly started explaining an assassination tool. Assassination, as she stated, could indeed be a quick way to incapacitate the prince. Since time was of the essence, if sacrificing him alone would save many lives, it might also be an option to consider.
But that man was of royal blood… Naturally, if an assassination were to occur, the king would surely allocate time to search for the culprit. Himari said she could handle it skillfully, but in the unlikely event that it was discovered to be the work of Parnacota, that could lead to an immediate war…
So the best course is still getting His Majesty on our side to denounce him… and force his abdication, right…?
“If you think so, Miss Mia, let’s refrain from assassination. When contacting Lady Philia about the situation, I should inquire about the prescription method for His Majesty. We can even coerce a pharmacist to create the medicine if necessary and ensure that he consumes it.”
“Yes, that’s what I intend to do. I’ve come to understand that many of His Highness Julius’s followers lack real ability and merely succeed by flattery. His disdain for Sis was partly influenced by those individuals.”
First and foremost, we need to secure the formula for the king’s medicine. Since Himari assured me that she could obtain it from Philia, that’s a relief for now.
And Prince Julius’s followers… manipulating them together might expose his misdeeds. It appeared that he was involved in various shady activities in secret. This was a realization I had come to through careful observation.
“Then, we must also ally with His Highness Fernando’s faction—that is, the faction of the first prince…”
“The first prince of Girtonia…? I heard he has a frail body and he rarely appears in public…”
“That’s right. But that’s half the reason he avoids people.”
Despite being the crown prince and next successor, Prince Fernando was essentially under house arrest.
A faction rose up claiming that his innate weak constitution made him unsuitable to be the next king, propping up the second prince, Julius, instead. They were known as the second prince’s faction.
Colluding with Prince Julius, they confined the first prince to a chamber in the castle under the pretext of protecting him.
Well, that was an expected outcome. It’s only natural to believe that having a healthy prince as the king would bring about stability for the nation.
Prince Fernando likely thought the same. He accepted it and refused to leave the chamber even when the king, angered by this scheme, acted to lift the confinement.
That was why Prince Julius was able to gain so much power when the king fell ill.
“So, who are the ‘first prince’s faction’?”
“They are literally those who believe the first prince is the rightful next king. The second prince faction is stronger, keeping them sidelined, but…”
“So your interests align with theirs in that the second prince should be removed from power?”
“Yes. As a saint, I’ll unite the first prince faction and make them denounce His Highness Julius. Then, together we’ll protect the country…”
Just enabling the king to take action wasn’t enough. To bring Prince Julius to judgment, we needed a considerable number of supporters. That was why I intended to utilize the first prince. If we raise our voice against Prince Julius in the name of the first prince, even the king would have to listen.
“I’ve got the general idea of the plan. However, there seem to be a few challenges ahead to make it happen.”
“You seem to catch on quickly, which is quite helpful. Yes, you’re right. The main issue is that His Highness Fernando is seemingly disinterested or even apathetic when it comes to politics and factional disputes.”
Prince Fernando was a seasoned recluse who didn’t respond to the king’s attempts to get him to engage with the outside world. Bringing him into the limelight would indeed be a considerable challenge.
“Well, when there’s no other option, I’ll employ any means necessary. After all, part of a saint’s duty is to heal people’s hearts. I’ll find a way to break down the walls in His Highness Fernando’s heart as well.”
I began to take action to restore the king’s health and gain the support of the first prince faction.
However, the situation took a complicated turn with Prince Julius demanding the return of my sister. The kingdom of Girtonia seemed to be on the verge of getting entangled in further turmoil.
Moreover, damage from demons was increasing due to the Demon Realm’s approach… Chaos was accelerating further…
the first prince Fernando Girtonia is an idot. I realer have a sick king then a idoit that gets people killed
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