173. Crown Prince (2)

“Are you going to hand over all Mithril to me?”

The blonde prince tilted his head slightly.

His eyes sparkled blue as if he was trying to understand my intentions.

“This amount is enough to make all the weapons of an army. “Why do you have to hand it over to me?”

As expected, it doesn’t go down easily.

As if responding to this, I answered in a serious voice.

“I know. “This metal can be used as military supplies.”

Like a patriot.

“If people with evil intentions are going to make military weapons using this mithril, wouldn’t it be much safer for the royal family, who are the fathers of the nation, to have it?”

The crown prince chuckled after hearing what I said.

“It means that you want to avoid responsibility if an incident occurs due to an item you gave away.”

Leon looked down at the mithril he received as a sample.

See yourself reflected in a smooth cross section.

“I will only deliver it to Lord Burke if you give me a reasonable price.”

“What do you have in return for calling yourself a deal with the Berk merchants?”

I raised my head.

“I was supposed to get paid for my trouble.”

And, he answered with a kind smile.

“After making armor and weapons from mithril, we decided to receive by-products of the steel armor to be disposed of.”

With the simplest face in the world.

“We receive obsolete military supplies in return.”

Disposing of existing steel armor is also a task.

However, they say that they will naturally dispose of it at the top of the bucket and take care of the leftovers.

The crown prince nodded his head as if he was satisfied with the fact that he knew the fraction.

“Good, Baron. “That’s reasonable.”

The crown prince stretched out his hand from within the beautiful platinum-colored cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

And then, he said it as if he would show me mercy.

“All the mithril on Berk is purchased by our Imperial Knights.”

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

The imperial knights began moving to take over the carriage.

No one refuted the crown prince’s words.

No, I couldn’t do it.

Even though the emperor has had his back, he is still the unrivaled second-in-command of the empire.

But.

“I guess that won’t work?”

There was only one opponent who could oppose him.

――――――.

The sound of shoes trampling on the stone floor of the castle gate.

The crown prince’s personal guard and I both turned our heads at the sharp sound that was getting closer.

And then, we faced each other.

A person who inherits the blood of the conqueror like the crown prince.

“Because I was the one who applied the mithril first.”

Lydia stood proudly in front of the crown prince.

When she appears, the crown prince asks with a silent expression.

“What do you mean, Lydia? “Baron Bale, isn’t this the end of this story?”

“Well, that is…” .”

I glanced up at Lydia with her awkward eye smile.

Then, the 3rd princess of the empire waves a previously prepared mithril sample and speaks.

“It’s the highest quality mithril from Bakal. “Who wouldn’t notice this?”

The crown prince narrowed his eyes at her calm tone.

“So, you want to compete with me?”

His blue eyes seemed to look at the younger days of the current emperor.

Like those days when you smashed everything that stood in your way.

“….”

I looked up at Lydia.

If you read the paper, you would definitely have to hand over the mithril to the crown prince.

Lydia rolled her red eyes and secretly met her eyes.

Then she winked and winked.

‘No way….’

“Oh my, are you threatening me with your eyes?”

Her youngest brother clasped his hands together.

And then, she looked at the crown prince with a depressed expression.

“That’s right, I can’t stop you alone. But….”

The more the princess spoke, the more the corners of her mouth rose.

“What would happen if I reported that you, who grew in power by treating my father, who was in a coma, like a corpse, have a monopoly on mithril, which is used as military supplies?”

Her gloomy eyes soon became as wild as a goblin.

Lydia also inherited the emperor’s mean ambition.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lydia. “I am simply strengthening the soldiers’ equipment to conquer the southern city-states.”

The crown prince put a noble cause first.

Then, the little devil immediately dug into the weak point.

“Ha, what an excuse for the southerners who have already been destroyed thanks to Leah. Even so, most ministers would think it was an overinvestment, right?”

After hearing the princess’s sarcasm, the crown prince was silent for a moment.

Afterwards, she raised the corners of her mouth and responded with her saintly smile.

“So?”

“Uh, yeah… ?”

Lydia was momentarily taken aback by Leon’s calm question.

“So, what should I do? “How are you going to stop me from overinvesting in getting the job done perfectly?”

The crown prince thought about why his 3rd princess was trying to save her Mithril by stopping him like this.

After that, she smiled and looked at her younger brother, as if she was convinced.

“Now I understand, you are not interested in mithril in the first place.”

He held out his palm to his 5-year-younger brother.

“What you want is silence.”

Only then did the crown prince’s aides relax their expressions.

As he said, she thought the 3rd princess was asking Leon for pocket money.

“Tell me, how much you want. I often gave you pocket money in the past. Isn’t that right, Lydia?”

His eyes look at Lydia like her child.

Her aides also smiled and nodded.

But.

“No, I’m serious?”

Their laughter soon stopped.

“I really want mithril.”

Lydia was alone with her arms crossed, for she faced him earnestly.

“You know that unless the father dies, there is no principle of eldest son succession, right? From then on, I am no longer your youngest brother. “The enemy.”

The princess’s red eyes sparkle.

She stood up as an equal monarch to her eldest son, who had hitherto ignored her.

“The enemy is now trying to purchase military weapons right in front of me. Who would stand still?”

Lydia lightly turned her head.

Then, she pointed to the top of Berk standing next to me.

“The full authority to sell mithril belongs to Lord Burke, not Bale. So, if you want to buy it, you will have to compete fairly with me to acquire it.”

I stared at the proud Lydia.

There was not even the slightest tremor in her body.

But, I could see it.

The reason why she was alone with her arms crossed.

“….”

Her fingers shaking in her arms.

The princess was somehow hiding her nervous feelings.

Thanks to you, I realized it.

She knows that the princess is now taking her gamble and that she is provoking Leon.

‘I plan to increase the price of Mithril as much as possible through acquisition competition… !’

It’s not enough to just hand it over, you’re also taking on debt.

It was indeed a trick worthy of the third princess.

“Lord Burke, Lord Bourke, forward.”

The crown prince abandoned his brother’s kind eyes.

Then, she coldly looked down at Connell’s target, Danju, coming forward.

“What do you think? “Who do you plan to hand over Mithril to in this situation?”

Burk looked up into the prince’s eyes and swallowed deeply.

A sharp gaze that pierces the heart.

Her chest felt tingling every time she swallowed deeply.

“I….”

Burke turned his head toward me.

And then, he looked into my serious eyes.

“hehehe…. I will follow the orders of Lord Bale, who arranged this matter. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”

He promoted me as the key person in this transaction.

Then, the crown prince’s eyes naturally turned to me.

“In the end, the authority has returned to you. “You have to answer.”

I swallowed deeply.

“Your Majesty, God is just a baron. “They come from commoners and don’t even have any roots.”

And he sighed with a very embarrassed expression.

“How can I dare to pick and choose among noble people?”

“Don’t feel burdened, but answer honestly what you mean.”

The crown prince spoke calmly, with his back turned.

Then, I lowered my head and raised the corners of my mouth.

“I am originally a businessman. So, I will act like my humble origins.”

Leon listened to me and didn’t respond for a moment.

Then, he quickly nodded.

“As a businessman, you are choosing to give more money.”

The crown prince looked at me pitifully.

Then, he slowly approached me and patted my shoulder.

“I know your situation well. “If you choose someone here, you will incur the wrath of other members of the royal family.”

Leon covered my ears with his palms.

And then, I whispered naturally.

“Please come back here tonight. “It will ease your anxiety.”

“Yes… ?”

When I asked, the crown prince smiled leisurely.

As if he had placed all things under his feet.

“When you meet, you will know who to choose.”

Leon left those words and returned to his camp.

Afterwards, he spoke leisurely.

“Okay, I will accept the takeover competition, but for now, let’s store the mithril in Lydia’s warehouse.”

The crown prince raised his finger.

And, with his skillful skills, he declared to everyone.

“Instead, the competition period ends tonight. “For the upcoming southern expedition, I need time to smelt the mithril I received.”

Lydia nodded her head, satisfied with her suggestion.

“I agree. “It’s better to finish it quickly before my father finds out.”

The crown prince and princess.

That’s how the confrontation between the two ended.

“Then, try hard to pull it together. “Lydia.”

Leaving those words behind, Leon slowly turned his head.

Afterwards, he returned to the camp with a cloud-like group of brilliant whites following him.

“Don’t overextend yourself and end up wasting refining costs.”

Lydia looked straight at her brother walking away from her.

Then, after his appearance completely disappeared, she looked around carefully and….

“Ha….”

Only then did he stumble and fall into my arms.

“Your Highness, are you okay…?” ?”

“It’s hard to pretend to be strong anymore…” .”

The princess now buried her nose in my chest so naturally.

Then, she looked up like a cow and asked.

“How did you understand my intentions, Bale?”

“Yes, she seemed like a very obnoxious little sister.”

The 3rd princess laughed at my honest words.

Her breath tickled my shirt.

“Don’t take it as a compliment.”

“So, how long do you plan to compete for acquisition?”

The princess glanced at Berk, who was standing side by side.

“Well, if I pull in all the goods I have, I think 2 million gold would be the limit.”

2 Million gold.

This is the price of four buildings in the center of the capital’s downtown area.

“Leon will probably bet on this as well. “You probably have a rough idea of my assets.”

Lydia coolly acknowledged the difference between her and his wealth.

“But even if you do that, you’re selling it for 1.5 Times more than the market price, so it’s a good deal. Isn’t that right, owner of the top?”

“Ahahahaha… That’s right….”

Burke was still taken aback by the unexpected situation.

Of course, it’s good to make a lot of money, but I didn’t know that it would upset the crown prince’s feelings.

“Leon’s assets are probably three times that of mine. “He probably holds at least 5 million gold in gold coins.”

“Then, 2 million would be a pretty big blow.”

Lydia nodded her head.

“The Crown Prince will use the pretext of pacifying the southern country to gather all his military power. To do that, you have to spend money no matter how expensive it is, right?”

The princess clenched her fists.

And then, she looked regretful.

“If I had more money, I would have squandered the remaining 3 million gold, but it’s just a shame….”

I looked down at the little devil who had lost his appetite.

Then, a good idea suddenly occurred to me and my eyes sparkled.

“Your Highness, the takeover competition lasted until tonight, right?”

“Yes, that’s right…” ? “You went to great lengths to prevent me from getting money from other places.”

Lydia answered, fiddling with her Tina’s coat that covered her own shoulders.

Then, I said, grinning like a treacherous person.

“What if you could make a lot of money in one day?”

“Yes… ?”

The princess tilted her head at my words.

Her pigtails were also cutely tilted to one side.

“We are not alone, are we?”

I took out two pieces of paper.

And then I handed it to Lydia.

“Please tell this to both of you. “Isn’t there a tripartite meeting just for today?”

「――――――」

That night.

All Mithril was stored in the eastern part of the capital, in Lydia’s territory.

However, I did not accompany him and remained where the crown prince said.

For meeting him.

“….”

The empty square at night was very eerie.

It seemed like the crown prince’s black knights would appear in the darkness and threaten me like they did then.

“Whoa…” .”

I took out a luxurious ‘glass bottle’ that I had prepared in advance.

And then, after swallowing it with your mouth.

――――!!

I threw it carelessly into the trash can in the square.

How much time has passed since then?

“Baron Vale.”

Luckily, they weren’t the ones who came to see me.

There was just one middle-aged man wearing an ordinary suit.

“Yes, it is me.”

The crown prince was a more meticulous person than expected.

To reassure me, he called only one middle-aged man and headed to his hideout together.

A friendly hotel close to the square.

「No. 204.」

“Let’s go inside, Your Majesty is waiting.”

‘The crown prince of the empire finally called me to the hotel… ?’

I calmly opened the door.

And, the moment you enter the quiet room.

“… !!”

I paused as the two sharp blades were aimed at my neck.

“Bring it.”

Black Knights.

People sporting darker and more sinister black auras than the two who chased me before were waiting in front of the door.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

They grabbed both of my arms.

Then, he was dragged by force and made to sit on the chair opposite the emperor.

“You came out smoothly, Baron.”

“How could I refuse His Majesty the Crown Prince’s orders…? .”

He swallowed deeply and said.

However, the crown prince still stared at me with a blank expression.

“Isn’t there another plan?”

“Well, it can’t be…” . Majesty….”

The eldest son of the conquering king snapped his fingers.

Then, a wizard brought a crystal ball as if he had prepared it.

“Baron, do you know that?”

The Crown Prince asked, looking at his reflection in his crystal ball.

“I have lived as Your Majesty’s eldest son, and many people have come to visit me.”

He rubbed the smooth crystal ball with his fingers.

Then, a magical blue light appeared on the cross section….

“They usually came to me for one of two reasons.”

Confession magic.

In other words, the magic of detecting lies has begun.

“One is like a leech who sticks to me and seeks success.”

The emperor glared at me, his blue eyes flashing.

“These two are the ones trying to approach me and stab me.”

Blue light radiates from the crystal ball.

The crown prince asked with that flash of light.

“Which of the two are you?”

I stared blankly at the crystal ball.

I felt the magic of confession envelop my whole body.

It is definitely a level that is easy to defend with a Grand Auror.

However, that would arouse suspicion.

“Well, I…” .”

I have no choice but to respond to the magic.

“I’m sorry…” . Majesty….”

I closed my eyes tightly.

And then, she gave her answer with a deep sigh.

“I am just a leech who approached Your Majesty in hopes of success.”

「….」

The crystal ball reacted to my answer.

I soon began to judge whether it was false or not.

「….」

In most cases, confession magic can determine truth and lies within 10 seconds.

However, for some reason, the crystal ball pondered for a long time.

“….”

When I saw that, my mouth naturally started to water.

It felt like the potion in my body was boiling in my stomach.

What if the power of the medicine given by Count Timan is weaker than the crystal ball?

So, if he finds out I’m here to stick a dagger in his back.

What should I do then?

A lot of these thoughts were swirling around in my head.

「….」

The crown prince, who has a good sense of humor, also began to furrow his eyebrows as the judgment took longer than usual.

That moment.

「Truth.」

The crystal ball answered in a clear voice.

“….”

Hearing the belated answer, the crown prince remained expressionless for a moment.

‘Could it be that they noticed the anti-magic elixir…? ?’

He got up from his seat.

Soon….

―――――――.

He took out the imperial treasured sword from his waist.

A sharp and bloody long sword.