Heading to the North

"The First Prince of the Scharnos Empire, Eurius von Sharnos, has returned."

With the announcement of the herald, Eurius entered the grand hall of the imperial palace.

'It's been half a year.'

The emperor was waiting for him in the hall with a delighted expression.

"Eurius, I've received all the reports about your activities at the academy!"

The emperor was truly satisfied.

He thought it would be enough if Eurius graduated with Marius' help, but his son was someone who did what he was told.

He praised him continuously and then brought up the topic of his coming-of-age ceremony.

"You must be tired from the long journey, but there's one last thing I have to tell you."

"I'm listening."

The emperor looked serious and said.

"As you know, in a week you'll turn twenty. Do you know the custom of the coming-of-age ceremony?"

'The custom of the coming-of-age ceremony.'

It was not only a celebration of becoming an adult, but also an occasion to announce what kind of activities they would do as adults.

They had to prove their abilities through their achievements afterwards.

The tradition of the empire was meritocracy above all! 

Especially in the royal family, that tradition was strictly followed.

That was why Eurius had been overshadowed by Leonhart, who had been diligently accumulating achievements with the support of the archduke.

"I was going to make you the crown prince with your merits this time."

The day before Eurius arrived at the imperial capital, there was a heated debate in the grand hall.

"His First Highness has proven himself to be a worthy heir of the emperor, who excels in both civil and military affairs! He deserves to be crowned as soon as he becomes an adult!"

"His Second Highness has also achieved remarkable results! And there's only a two-year difference between them. It's too early to talk about crowning when he still has time!"

The main arguments of both sides were like this.

Normally, Leonhart had an advantage over Eurius in terms of their activities. But this time, Eurius reversed that evaluation by showing his achievements not only as a warrior, but also as a scholar at the Savior Academy, the holy place of learning.

So the emperor's faction argued that Eurius was already the rightful eldest son and had enough qualifications to be crowned.

But the Grand Duke's faction resisted fiercely.

Their biggest reason was that there wasn't a big age difference between the two princes. Leonhardt still had two years left until his coming-of-age ceremony.

So they argued that they should wait at least two years and give both princes a chance to act as adults. That was fairer.

"Eurius! What do you think? Do you want to be crowned?"

Eurius smiled. 

His inner thoughts were like this.

'Well, I wouldn't mind if you gave it to me.'

If he became the crown prince designated by the emperor, his power would be incomparable to any other prince.

But his actual answer was different.

"There are many officials who support Leon. I think it's fair to give him a chance too."

"...!?"

Everyone in the hall looked at Eurius with astonishment. And then he made another request that would shock them even more.

"And my wish as an adult is to participate in the northern development plan after the northern construction is finished. Please send me to the north!"

People doubted their ears.

'The First Prince wants to go to that barbaric land himself?'

The north was mostly undeveloped land, even though roads had been built there in the last four years.

It would take a lot of time and effort to develop it, and there were frequent battles with the northern tribes. It was a very dangerous area.

Even ordinary knights considered being sent to the north as a demotion. But the prince wanted to go there voluntarily?

Even the emperor, who had a heart of steel, showed a moment of surprise at Eurius's request. It was unprecedented and daring.

"Hmm…"

The emperor pondered for a while and shook his head.

"Hmm, the north is a very dangerous place. You may have talent in martial arts, but you are a prince and I cannot allow you to go there!"

'As expected, he won't agree at once.'

Eurius had anticipated this. That's why he had prepared a backup plan.

"Then, would you grant me permission if I can prove that I can protect myself in the north?"

The emperor looked puzzled but answered.

"Maybe, but the north is a place where even the best knights are always exposed to danger."

Eurius winked at Count Carlos.

"Your Majesty, the new commander of the imperial guard, Count Carlos, has something to say to you."

"Count?"

This time, not only the emperor but everyone in the hall tilted their heads. Why did the taciturn man suddenly open his mouth at this moment?

"It is what I felt while training the first prince for the past year."

 The count didn't say much.

"I think the first prince's achievements are comparable to some of the imperial guards."

Eurius smiled faintly.

This was certainly true. The count was not completely his subordinate yet, but it was not difficult to ask him to tell an obvious fact.

"…"

The hall was silent for a moment.

Count Carlos closed his mouth after saying that, but neither the emperor nor the other ministers asked him anything. He was not a person who would joke.

'Did the first prince really have such talent?'

They had heard that he was good at martial arts, but he was still a prince after all.

Usually, even the knights who devoted themselves to swordsmanship for decades could not reach the level of the royal guards!

'It's time for the finale.'

Eurius winked at Marius next.

"Your Majesty, Marius also has something to tell you."

'Although it is a dangerous place, I believe that Prince Eurius will be able to endure it well.'

Marius looked reluctant but firmly spoke.

"The first prince has recently graduated from the military department of Savior Academy with excellent grades. I think he has no problem as a commander."

The emperor's closest aide Marius and the commander of the imperial guard.

Their words were heavy. The emperor did not make a decision right away, but he seemed to be swayed a lot.

"I will decide on that matter later."

'It's almost done.'

But Eurius was sure that he could go to the north.

The reason was as follows.

"The first prince has brought up a risky gamble."

"He is talented, but the north is really dangerous…"

All the ministers thought that Eurius had planned this to aim for the crown prince's position.

In fact, even if he became the crown prince now, his position would not be stable as long as his achievements were similar to Leonhardt's.

But what if he made a contribution in the north, which was one of the biggest issues facing the empire?

Then his status as the first prince would be solid enough to become the crown prince anytime.

Even the bureaucrats of the emperor's faction had complicated expressions this time.

"He has a lot of youthful vigor, but I don't know how it will turn out."

They didn't say it out loud, but it was an open secret that the emperor favored the first prince who had strong support from the bureaucrats and was competent.

Perhaps the emperor would also send Eurius to the north with this opportunity if he proved his ability enough.

Everyone's attention was focused on how Eurius's journey to the north would turn out.