I am the Monarch Chapter 141 : Veiled Strife (1)

“As expected, there are more than we thought.”
“Yes. Amongst the young nobles and warriors, half of them support Prince Manus.”
“Hmph!”

The owner of the cold laugh was Prince Reitas Pershion.
Receiving the report of the scribes he had stationed at the banquet hall, he creased his brows.

'It's already a significant number just with the ones who openly support him. If I include those who support him secretly or are hesitating between me and Manus, that number should increase further.'

His heart felt heavy.

'I thought that they said I've also done quite well until now……'

In fact, he had excellently ran the kingdom's management in place of the incompetent king.
The result wasn't bad either.
Although it was a bit lacking compared to the neighboring countries, he was confident that it could stand up as equals with them if he continued to devote his strength.

'I thought that they all approved and followed me.'

When Manus suddenly achieved the incredible deed, the foundation that he had thought to be strong began to shake from the roots.
What made it more bitter was the fact that Reitas knew the reason why.

'Manus knows how to steal other people's hearts.'

It wasn't a technique.
That was a type of a gifted talent and charisma.
Without any special acts or words, he could turn the people around him to his supporters.
Now that that kind of guy had, intentionally or not, stepped up onto the political stage, it was natural that people's attention would focus on Manus.

“And Baron Tale?”
“For now, there is no sign of him contacting Prince Manus.”
“Continue to watch him.”

It had only been two days since the banquet ended.
If Roan's goal of the visit was related to Manus, it should more or less be a time that he showed some kind of movement.

“And to Manus and his close aides, increase the surveillance perso……'

When he had spoke up to that point.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking on the conference room door rang out.

“Who is it?”

One of his close aides, Baron Baite Inges, asked in Reitas' place.

“It's Katz, sir.”

Baronet Katz Hamner was the head butler who managed the mansion that Reitas resided.
Baite turned his head and looked at Reitas.
When Reitas nodded his head, Baite answered in a loud voice.

“Come in.”

The moment he spoke those words, the conference room's door opened carefully.
From between the narrowly opened door, an old man in late middle age, Katz, extended his head in.

“A person came from the Boen Guild.”
“Boen Guild?”

Reitas, who had been staying quiet, creased his brows.
One of the close aides tilted his head.

“If it's Boen Guild, isn't it a thieves guild?”
“Yes, that is correct. It's the largest guild in the kingdom.”

Katz answered with a polite expression.
Reitas stared straight at Katz.

“For what business did he come to me?”
“He has brought an important letter. He said that the Prince had to personally check the letter's sender and the contents……”
“Hmm.”

Reitas leaked a quiet groan.
It wasn't something that could be comprehended easily.
Boen Guild was the largest thieves guild in the Kingdom.
Obviously, the guards as well as even the Kingdom's troops were chasing the bastards' backs with light in their eyes.

'There is no way that they don't know that we plan to arrest every single one of them.'

But for them to visit him despite that must mean that this was significantly important matter.
Reitas nodded after ending a short contemplation.
Seeing that sight, Katz slightly lowered his head and disappeared.
A moment later.

Kkiiig.

The conference room's doors opened cautiously and an ordinary looking young man appeared.
Stepping up in front of Reitas, he kneeled down on one knee and lowered his head.

“I greet your highness Prince Reitas Pershion.”
“You said there's an important letter?”

He went straight to the point.
Reitas didn't wished to have a long talk with likes of a lowly thief.
This was the very difference between him and Manus.
Although the person himself completely didn't understood why that became a problem.

“Yes. It is a letter delivered with the cooperation of three guilds, including us, Boen Guild.”
“Three guilds? Who is the sender?”

Reitas frowned as he asked.
Even the close aide nobles, including Baite, had curious expressions.
The young man, with his knee still kneeled and head lowered, placed his right hand inside his chest pocket.

Chang!

Immediately, the commanders around him pulled out their swords in reflex and pointed them at his throat.

“The letter is in the chest pocket.”

The young man, with a slightly nervous look, very slowly took out the hand he put inside the chest pocket.
A small and thin envelope came out between the tips of his fingers.

“Here it is, sir.”

Although his voice shook a bit at the end, he wasn't frightened.
One of the commanders snatched the letter and politely passed it to Reitas.
Reitas glanced over the outside of the envelope.
There was nothing written there.

Rip.

When he opened the mouth of the envelope and took out the letter, he could see tightly written contents.
It was a familiar handwriting.
For a long while, Reitas carefully perused the letter's content.
The more he read, a smile kept creeping up on his mouth.
That was, somehow, a sinister smile.

“Huhuhu, so is that so……”

Reitas folded the letter and placed it inside the envelope once again, and then turned towards the young man.

“You've delivered an important letter well. I shall grant a handsome compensation.”
“Thank you very much.”

The young man once again lowered his head and then exited the conference room with a young noble.
Baite asked in a cautious voice seemingly as if he was waiting.

“What kind of letter is it, sir?”

At those words, Reitas faintly smiled and muttered in a quiet voice.

“It's a letter from an old friend.”

The smile on the tip of his mouth became even darker.

“A friend living in a very far away place.”

*****

“Although it's plain compared to the Miller Castle, this is a truly clean and well organized city.”
“Yes. And even the residents' expressions seem very good.”

The people who were quietly chatting as they walked the streets inside Althus Castle were Roan, Harrison, Brian, and Clay.
After the banquet ended few days ago, they were walking around the inside of Althus Castle, the capital of the Pershion Kingdom, and broadening their experiences.
Since they had came far, they were determined to learn at least a single thing.
Of course, they were fully answering invitations of Reitas or powerful nobles.

“Anyway, is there still no response from Prince Manus' side?”
“Yes. we've sent a letter several times, but there is no answer.”

At Roan's question, Clay quickly answered.
Currently, Roan had sent a letter several times in order to meet Manus.
Although he couldn't carelessly extend his hand due to analysing the surrounding moods, since it was the goal of the visit, it was more or less time to meet Manus.
But for some reason, there was no reaction from Manus' side.

'How troublesome.'

But even so, he couldn't thoughtlessly go visit Manus.
That was an act that went against courtesy, but most of all, it could drag in excessive attention from Reitas if he were to pointlessly raise a fuss.

'Even without that, the number of spies around us increased.'

Using the Kalian's Tears and Flamdor Mana Technique, Roan had noticed those who circled around or stayed near him.

'Do I have to find another way……'

Roan fell into deep thoughts as he walked the streets bustling with crowds.
At that moment.

“You bad Istel guys! Die!”
“We are the brave Pershion Kingdom army!”
“Waaaaa!”

Childish voices hit his ears.
At a small vacant space at the end of a street, small boys and girls were gathered playing make-believe war.
All holding shoddy sticks and pieces of planks, they divided into three groups and repeatedly touched and separated.
One of the children who looked like their leader raised a stick up high.

“My name is Manus Pershion! Take my sword!”

That very boy seemed to have taken the role of the protagonist.
When he swung his stick, the children standing in front of him all collapsed.
The surprising thing was that amongst those children, a tall and mature young man was there.

“For a fully grown man to play a make-believe war with children…… he is an interesting young man.”

Brian brightly smiled and whispered.
Harrison and Clay too nodded their heads and made amused expressions.
Meanwhile, the young man who fell playfully grasped his chest and rolled on the ground.

“Ugh!”

He even let out a pained groan.

“Waaaah! Prince Manus beat the Byron and Istel allied army!”
“Hurray! Hurray!”

The children who followed the leading child raised their hands up high and cheered.
Then, the boys and girls who had fallen also stood up instantly, came together, and cheered
The young man who rolled on the ground also shouted along with the children and cheered.

“Hahaha!”

A hearty laugh filled the empty lot.
Suddenly, the young man who had been jumping around like a mischief noticed Roan and his group standing at the entrance of the lot.
He instantly stood still, then stepped away from the children and walked towards Roan.

Tap, tap.

Even though the surrounding was definitely noisy, it felt as if he could clearly hear the sound of his steps.
Roan quietly stood still and stared at the face of the young man who approached.

Boom.

A feeling as if his heart suddenly dropped.
The tips of his eyes trembled sharply.

'This young man……'

He could feel an intense trembling from deep within his body.
That was also the same for the young man.

'This man……'

He stood in front of Roan and quietly stared into his eyes.
Roan and the young man, the two stared at each other without a word.
And as if they planned beforehand, they both formed bright smiles.
Roan could tell.

'It's this person.'

He slowly bowed at his waist.

“It is an honor to meet you.'

He spoke in a calm voice.

“Prince Manus Pershion.”

The instant he spoke those words, Harrison, Brian, and Clay, who had been behind him, hurriedly lowered their heads.

'Manus?'
'That young man is Prince Manus Pershion?'

They slightly creased their foreheads.
Clay especially had an expression that simply couldn't believe it even more than them.

'Even though my lord shouldn't know Prince Manus' face?'

It was an incomprehensible situation.
At that moment, the young man, who had been standing still, lowered his head and spoke in a soft voice.

“I am also honored to meet you, Baron Roan Tale.”

The young man, he was truly Manus Pershion.
And he too noticed Roan's identity instantly.
It wasn't because he knew the face.
He could feel and become certain the instant he saw him.
Roan and Manus once again raised their heads and stared at each other's face.

'This person……'

The two people, at the same time, thought the same thought.

'Isn't an ordinary person.'

The tips of their mouths slowly went up.
Roan and Manus.
The meeting of the two heroes who would shake the continent was formed suddenly like so.
Along with an intense echo.

*****

“Kallum, at least for this time, let us combine our strengths.”
“Yes, older brother Tommy. Since we have lost the lead to elder brother Simon this time as well.”

Within a brilliant reception room.
In the middle, Tommy and Kallum sat facing each other and were exchanging a secret conversation.

“Damn it, to think he would find the news of Pershion Kingdom's war so much earlier than us.”

Tommy spat out a swear with a look mixed with irritation.
After Roan had left to Pershion Kingdom, the news of the Pershion Kingdom, the Byron Kingdom, and the Istel Kingdom's war reached the capital, Miller.
The appearance of a prominent hero called Manus Pershion fiercely heated up the Rinse Kingdom.
Obviously, talks of forming a friendly relationship with the Pershiono Kingdom came out of numerous ministers' mouths.
Kallum had thought of it as a chance.
Using Reitas, who was a close friend with him, he planned to raise a big achievement.
But at that moment, Simon stepped up to the front.
On that spot and with a confident and proud attitude, he revealed the truth that he had already sent Roan to the Pershion Kingdom.

“Huu, that sly man.”

Kallum exhaled a short sigh.

“Thanks to that, only we've been marked as incompetent ones again.”

Tommy's face twisted even further.
But he soon looked at Kallum and formed a peculiar smile.

“But this time, things should go well thanks to you.”
“I never expected that I should receive Reitas' help in this way.”

Kallum quietly muttered and then leaned his chin on his folded hands.
Realizing that he was a step behind Simon, he quickly allied with Tommy.
It was because the gap in the throne succession competition would widen too much if they lost even the achievement this time.
Using the thieves guild under Tommy's influence, Kallum sent a secret letter to Reitas.

“I have also meticulously wrote the information on Harrison, Brian, and Clay who are said to have went with him.”
“Right. We shouldn't make light of those guys. Especially that guy called Clay.”
“Yes. Since even Reitas wouldn't have thought that a druid could possibly have appeared again.”

The fact that Clay was a druid was widely known around the capital, Miller.
That was because he had personally revealed himself as a druid when he rounded up the Janis information agency in one move.

“The leak in the information on our side too, it must all be that guy's work.”
“And because of that, didn't we now put up a mana barrier like this?”

The two people looked at each other and made acrid smiles.
Around the meeting room, small mana stones shined light.
Tommy and Kallum then grabbed cups of wine.

“Then, should we await the good news?”

Kallum nodded at Tommy's words.
If the work this time goes well, Simon's spirit would fall flat.

“It should be quite a sad news for older brother Simon.”

Kallum cheerfully smiled and moved his cup.

Chang.

The cups touched each other and a clear sound rang out.
Even while tipping their cups, Tommy and Kallum didn't take their eyes off of each other.
The two were thinking similar thoughts.

After brother Simon, it's your turn next.'
'After elder brother Simon, older brother is next.'

*****

From their first meeting, Roan and Manus felt a strong attraction towards each other.
Although the two wanted to immediately move to another place and talk, Manus suddenly received a summon from the palace and could only promise of another day.

“I'll definitely make sure to invite you.”

After talking with him, they found out that, unexpectedly, Manus wasn't able to check the invitations Roan had sent until now.
It was because there was almost no time in which he spent inside his mansion after returning to the capital, Althus Castle.
Watching Manus leaving towards the palace, Roan made a faint smile.

“He is a much better person than I thought.”

Harrison, who was near him, nodded at those words.

“Yes. I had never expected that he, even with the status of a prince, would be playing along with commoner children.”
“And furthermore, with the children of the soldiers who died in the war this time……”

Brian formed a peculiar look as he added on.
Manus was completely different person than the royalty he knew of.

'The nameless soldiers who could only die due to his order. For them, Manus lowered his head.'

Roan breathed in deeply.
The heart that trembled and ached calmed down.
Manus searched and visited the people who lost their fathers, husbands, older and younger brothers, and so on from the war and lowered his head.
He absolutely didn't care whether they were royalties, nobles, commoners, or slaves.
To him, they were all one family.

'If Manus lives and blossoms his abilities……'

The Pershion Kingdom would join the ranks of the strongest nations in the continent's northeast.

“Anyway……”

Roan, who had been thinking of various thoughts, turned his head and looked at Clay.

“A sudden summon to the palace, isn't it strange?”

Furthermore, he could feel the surrounding personnel that were spying on them jolt intensely.
Clay stepped tightly close to Roan and nodded his head.

“Yes. This does not feel very good, sir. Most of all……”

With a quiet voice, he added on.
His face was somewhat serious.

“The birds have all died.”

< Veiled Strife (1) > End.

Translator : CSV

Proofreader: Kajin

Chapter end