The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 665: To the Empire

"Your eldest brother is currently alive and it's all anyone can talk about," Jack said while shrugging his shoulders.

They were currently at an inn in a city that was under the control of the coalition forces. Although the main forces of the coalition are currently trapped within the barrier, the units that had been on standby at the rear remained, allowing daily life in the cities to continue without major chaos. While there was undoubtedly some anxiety, sudden deteriorations in public safety were unlikely.

Into this situation came the shocking news that the First Prince Wilhelm of the Empire was alive.

"Prince Wilhelm is dead. That's an undeniable fact," I stated, sitting on the bed in my guise as Arnold.

I had been resting for several days and was feeling better, though far from perfect. I was now able to move around somewhat, but I hadn't been able to react immediately to the news of Wilhelm's return to the Empire—it was too significant.

"But they say he's with the Second Prince, resolving the chaos in the regions. Isn't that just like the former Crown Prince?" Jack pressed.

"If he were really settling the chaos, it wouldn't be expanding. Brother Wilhelm would never do such a thing."

"So, who's the Crown Prince alongside the Second Prince?"

"Which means the Second Prince might be impersonated by a demon… or he's simply being deceived by him..."

"Erik isn't stupid enough to be deceived, nor is he foolish enough to do nothing and be replaced."

"You seem to hold him in high regard. But if you're right, then the Second Prince is knowingly associating with a fake First Prince. What's going on?"

I quietly stared at the ceiling while reflecting on Jack's words.

He was right; Erik's actions raised many questions. However, some parts of the situation were clear to me.

"When the Crown Prince was alive, there was no conflict for succeeding the throne. Many of my royal siblings had reached adulthood, but none challenged the Crown Prince for the throne. No conflicts arose because no one objected; as such, the First Prince was smoothly appointed as the Crown Prince. The reason was that no other royals had a chance of winning. All the Empire's influential figures supported the First Prince. Personally, I also felt that the Crown Prince was quite capable so no fool would dare oppose him unless they thought themselves better."

Of course, there might be conflicts of interest, but opposing someone so powerful is simply fighting a losing battle.

Under the Crown Prince's regime, those who couldn't reap the benefits didn't try to promote a rival candidate. No one saw a chance of winning.

The only potential rival, Erik, was one of the Crown Prince's closest confidants.

In that situation, a succession conflict was unthinkable.

Thus...

"If such a Crown Prince returned, the succession conflict would end. 'Let's unite under the Crown Prince, like old times.' That kind of momentum will now be created. Even if Leo returned victorious from fighting demons, it would be the same."

"That’s a bit simplistic, isn’t it? The people and the nobility aren't fools. Would they just accept him back like nothing happened?"

"Normally, it would be hard to accept. But currently, the Empire has no clue about the whereabouts of the Emperor or the heir apparent. Everyone knows that they went to fight the demons and haven’t returned since—this implies a certain outcome. In such chaos, suddenly a savior appears—the former Crown Prince. As such, the groundwork for acceptance had been laid."

It had been laid.

After choosing those words, I paused to think.

"No, perhaps 'crafted' is more appropriate."

"Everything was planned?"

"Yes. Demons were discovered within the kingdom and the coalition forces invaded them, soon a decisive battle occurred in the capital... And after a fierce fight, the surviving coalition forces vanished and the Empire was plunged into chaos, only for the Crown Prince to return and restore order... It all seems very calculated to me."

It's a precarious script.

If the demons had defeated the coalition forces, it would collapse; if the coalition forces had easily defeated the demons, it would also collapse.

It had to be a close fight. That’s what the script likely assumed.

Someone who understands humans well must have made these calculations.

Considering humans highly, they judged that the demons would not win.

And because they hold humans in high regard, they decided to seal them away.

They must have known that the sealed forces would eventually escape. That's why they aimed to seize power in the Empire.

Before my father and Leo return...

And soon neutralize them both.

"It's complicated, isn't it? An empire without an emperor, a continent without its main forces. If any demons are remaining, they could just seize power by force."

"Probably because even humanity at its weakest is still tough to defeat, forcing them to resort to scheming. Such opponents are troublesome as they don’t expose their vulnerabilities."

"Don't underestimate the opponent."

"Act cautiously and don’t give them an opportunity."

"It's simple but difficult to execute thoroughly."

"So, what will you do?"

"There's still much I don't understand but the enemy's goal is clear: to take over the Empire. I thought I'd be facing Erik after the fight with the demons, but even if it’s now my eldest brother, my course of action will still not change. I intend to make Leo emperor and I'll act towards that end. If anyone gets in the way, I'll just remove them."

"Are we heading to the Empire then?"

"That's the plan. That’s why I'm 'waiting.'"

"Waiting? For whom?"

"For my body double to arrive."

As I spoke, someone appeared in the room.

"When I heard the coalition forces had vanished, I was chilled to the bone."

"I'm sorry to have worried you. Leo and probably father are safe but I'm concerned about Father's condition though..."

It was Henrik.

The meeting place had been set in advance in case the assassination of Arnold succeeded. However, this wasn’t it.

"Hold on, how did you find this place...?"

Jack, as an SS-ranked adventurer, had many connections and had arranged this inn using only individuals that he trusted. No information should have leaked.

Yet, Henrik appeared here.

"It’s because Arnold was shining a special light into the sky that only a special magical device could detect. So I just followed it."

Henrik explained while showing a telescope-like magical device.

Then...

"The situation is confusing. Everyone is unsure of what to do."

"No problem. I was surprised by their move to resurrect the ‘dead’ Crown Prince... But let's show them that the Empire isn’t so easily taken over."

With that, I got up from the bed.

I had rested enough.

The opponent had changed.

This was a fight for the throne.

So, the stage must be the Empire.

"We return—to the Empire."

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