The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 666: Deepening Confusion

The turmoil in the Empire was an unwelcome development for one of the three great powers of the continent, the Sokal Empire.

However,

"Pull back the military at Sokal’s border for now. This is not the time to provoke the Adrasia Empire," instructed Mikhail Ala Sokal, the current Emperor of the Sokal Empire.

His son Grigory Ala Sokal disagreed.

"Please wait, Your Majesty. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to intervene in the Empire?"

Grigory, Mikhail’s second son, was over fifty years old. A senior prince with no claim to the throne, yet he had held key positions within the Sokal Empire and one who had recently been in charge of diplomatic relations with the Adrasia Empire. The next Emperor had already been determined.

"This is why I couldn't leave you the throne," Mikhail sighed while turning his gaze to the young man beside him.

This young man was Efim Ala Sokal, the heir apparent of the Sokal Empire and the sole heir of Mikhail’s deceased eldest son.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The fate of the Allied Forces that went to subdue the demons is still unknown. If we take advantage of the Empire’s chaos, our own Empire could be seen as an enemy by the continent."

Indeed, the Perlan Kingdom that had been attacked despite harboring demons suffered significant losses, including the capture of its capital. It was overly confident to assume that the Sokal Empire could withstand similar pressure.

"Exactly. We should leave the Empire's troubles alone. By staying out of it, we can emerge as the nation least affected by the war and take the lead in the post-war landscape."

Jumping into the fray now offered no guarantee of breaching the Empire's eastern defenses, which remained intact. Inaction was in the best interest of the Sokal Empire.

"However! I have been collaborating with Prince Erik and have been sheltering Prince Wilhelm! I promised to support Wilhelm when he rises up!"

"Real or fake, that promise was made by you personally, not by our kingdom," the Emperor said as he dismissed his claims with a wave, overriding Grigory's objection.

Grigory bit his lip in frustration and quietly stepped back. Watching him, Mikhail sighed again.

"It seems that we may have gotten ourselves into a tricky situation."

"It won’t be a problem if the current Prince Wilhelm is genuine, but if he’s an impostor, it will indeed be troublesome for us."

"Exactly. It’s one thing if it's merely Prince Erik's strategy, but if demons are involved, it could compromise our Empire’s standing. We might need to act sooner rather than later."

"But…"

Efim hesitated, unsure how to continue. The Royal Mage Corps, which was akin to the Empire’s guard knights and the King’s hands, had just been extensively used for a large-scale teleportation, draining much of the capital’s magical resources and leaving the Empire’s combat readiness severely depleted.

"Preparation means removing the disruptive element, Grigory. But there currently isn’t enough strength in the capital to do so right now."

"Efim, prepare to flee the capital just in case."

"I understand. And what about you, Your Majesty?"

"I am not foolish enough to be killed. If I remain in the castle, anyone who seizes the throne would be a usurper. No one would rally to them. Seek refuge with the nobles of our western territories as they are fiercely loyal to us. Plus, backed by the Adrasia Empire, we won’t be easily cornered."

"Will the princess general act?"

"If she were prone to take rash actions, I would have dismissed her long ago but she will definitely not act. Besides, that Empire has no time to concern itself with other nations."

With that, Mikhail motioned for Efim to come forward. There was no time to wait; actions needed to be swift. Efim knelt before Mikhail, who then passed on a royal heirloom crown.

"I entrust this to you, Efim."

"Leave it to me, Your Majesty."

"If it becomes too much… turn to Adrasia. They know, having always been in conflict with those demons, who can be trusted as allies."

Efim nodded at Mikhail’s words, then used a secret passage to leave—a passage that was unknown even to Grigory, his second son.

After watching him go, Mikhail remained seated on the throne for a while before speaking again, this time to answer to a voice that called him out.

"Where is Efim, Your Majesty?"

"I let him escape, of course."

"Did you not flee yourself… That is truly like you, father."

Grigory arrived, this time flanked by numerous soldiers beside him. The castle seemed to be under their control, which was not a difficult feat given the current weakened defenses.

"Do you believe that the current Prince Wilhelm is genuine?"

"Either way. I gain control of the Empire, and he takes the Adrasia Empire. That’s all that matters for now."

"That’s why I couldn’t leave you the throne. Sitting on this throne means contending with Adraer. You lack the spirit and the qualities needed to do so."

"I may be lacking in spirit and qualities, but the fact remains: I now sit on the throne."

With that, Grigory commanded the soldiers to take Mikhail away, then seated himself on the coveted throne.

"Send word to Prince Wilhelm of the Empire. Tell him all is proceeding as planned. Once the confusion settles we, the Sokal Empire, will issue a statement. We welcome Prince Wilhelm as the new Crown Prince of Adrasia," Grigory declared with a smirk.

Everything was going according to plan. Grigory had secured the support of the next power holder in the Sokal Empire and Wilhelm would advance with the backing of Sokal’s power holders. Both stood to gain from this conflict.

They would use each other, but that was just politics.

"Years of fostering ties with Prince Erik as the Foreign Minister are paying off. His base is in our kingdom so they cannot afford to simply cut us off."

Thus, as Grigory settled deeper into the throne, the real Crown Prince Efim was rallying the nobles to form a rebel army, to go against Grigory’s declaration that the Allied Forces had vanished with the demons while proclaiming a commitment to restore order to the continent and support Prince Wilhelm’s return to the Empire.

This plunged the Sokal Empire into a state of civil war, adding yet another layer of complexity to the continental situation.

TL's Notes:

This chapter is a masterpiece for several reasons, Erik, who was working alongside Grigory who was the foreign minister of Sokal, knows his personality well and thus influenced him with the presence of Wilhelm to take the power of Sokal for himself, with the knowledge it would cause a civil war within against the real crown prince and finally impacting Sokal to where they can't stand against Adrasia when Wilhelm takes full control of the throne and charges against Sokal while they are infighting... Literally taking out the biggest contender who was a major rival to Adrasia off the board in one fell swoop.

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