Side Story 3-1: Don’t mess with the crown prince (1)

It was before the Northern Indomitable Alliance declared war on the south.

It was a time when the thought of war was not in the minds of the majority of the Roan Kingdom's citizens.

Crown Prince Alberu Crossman.

His attendant wet his lips with his tongue without making it visible.

The inside of his mouth was completely dry.

Peek.

The record keeper's eyes moved.

'…Shit.'

Crown Prince Alberu was leisurely walking with an extremely radiant smile on his face.

'We can't mess with him.'

This was a time when they could not mess with Crown Prince Alberu Crossman.

'But this is a big incident.'

The lowest ranking record keeper recalled what Alberu had just said to the King and a few administrators.

'The Paerun Kingdom's forces have moved to Norland and Askosan.'

It meant that the day when the alliance of the three Northern Kingdoms would invade was near.

'A real war.'

The crown prince needed a record keeper by his side as he was taking care of a lot of business in place of the king. The record keeper was especially necessary when he went into meetings.

He was one of the record keepers assigned to the Crown Prince Palace to be by Alberu's side.

'And it's not far off!'

Unlike the shocked record keeper, the crown prince had thrown another bomb in front of the chief executives just now.

'The military command of the northeast region will go to Cale Henituse of the Count's House of Henituse. He will be the northeast region Military Commander.'

It was not a question about whether it was okay to give Cale Henituse the position of northeast region Military Commander.

It was a statement.

"What are you doing?"

He heard a warm voice.

The lowest ranking record keeper urgently raised his head. The crown prince, who had stopped walking, was quietly looking at him and smiling.

Crown Prince Alberu was quite nice to the people working in the palace.

He didn't work them excessively nor did he want them by his side at all times.

Furthermore, he praised them for the smallest of things and rarely punished them. He even gave a lot of presents to the people in his palace.

The crown prince quietly commented with a radiant smile on his face.

"It's bad if your mind is in chaos."

The crown prince, at some point, had started bringing him, the lowest ranking record keeper, whenever he needed something recorded.

The record keeper heard his gentle voice.

"Open your ears, move your hands, and keep your mouth shut. You know what to do, right?"

The record keeper tilted his head.

"What are you saying, your highness? I'm not sure what you are talking about."

"Yes. This is why I try having you by my side."

The record keeper slightly lowered his head without saying anything else.

The crown prince did not look at the record keeper any longer and started walking again.

However, he soon stopped walking.

'Mm!'

The record keeper slightly frowned after noticing the reason.

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

They had arrived at the front of the Crown Prince's Palace.

Someone who was part of Crown Prince Alberu's faction was waiting for him.

'Ah, you can't mess with him today!'

Unlike the anxious record keeper, the crown prince started leisurely walking again.

"General Wetton. What brings you here?"

"Your highness."

General Wetton. The man who was wearing spotless formal attire bowed toward the crown prince.

Everything he did was completely respectful and by the book.

"I have something I must tell you, your highness."

However, he seemed to almost be glaring at the crown prince when he raised his head.

'How funny.'

The crown prince held back a laugh and nodded his head with a gentle look on his face.

"I see. Let's go to my office."

Alberu leisurely headed toward his office. General Wetton leisurely followed behind him.

'This guy is so good at putting on a mask.'

However, Alberu knew that General Wetton was feeling quite anxious right now.

"Your highness."

He raised his hand toward the attendant who was walking toward him instead of waiting in front of his office.

"I will be chatting with General Wetton so don't let anybody in."

"I understand, your highness."

Alberu slightly nodded his head at the disguised Dark Elf attendant and entered his office.

General Wetton quietly followed behind him.

Click.

The door closed.

Alberu and General Wetton were the only ones in the room.

"Your highness."

General Wetton was the first to speak.

Alberu sat down on the couch and looked up at General Wetton.

"Yes, you may speak."

"I heard something weird from Teus just now, your highness."

Teus.

He was basically Alberu's hands and feet. He was the person in charge of delivering important messages to the nobles and administrators who follow Alberu.

"Your highness, Teus stated that you were going to give the military command of the northeast region to young master Cale Henituse and give him the position of the Military Commander of the northeast region."

General Wetton could not sit still after hearing that.

"Is that the truth, your highness?"

"Mm."

Alberu rubbed his chin with his hand. He looked into General Wetton's glaring gaze and gently responded.

"Yes, it is true."

"Your highness!"

General Wetton raised his voice before lowering it after seeing how Alberu was looking up at him with a gentle expression.

"…It does not make sense, your highness."

"What doesn't?"

'All of it!'

General Wetton wanted to say that all of it did not make sense.

'He wants to give the position of Military Commander of the northeast region of all positions to that young punk?'

He could not accept it.

'Even though I am from the northeast region? He wants to give that position to Cale Henituse when I am here? To that little punk?'

"I know that you treasure young master Cale Henituse quite a bit, your highness."

He had even included Cale in the envoy to the Empire.

However, this was not right.

"Young master Cale is someone with a bright future. He has a big heart and will probably become a light to brighten the future of the kingdom. However."

General Wetton looked right at Alberu as he continued.

"He is still lacking. He is someone who has no experience when it comes to troops. Even if your highness thinks highly of him, that position should be determined by ability."

Although he was packaging it nicely, he was basically saying that you can't give a punk like that such an important position just because you cherish him. He was saying, 'don't let your emotions determine personnel matters.'

'It's okay to say these things to the crown prince.'

The Crown Prince Alberu that General Wetton knew was someone who liked people who called him out when he did something wrong.

Anybody who participated in meetings with the crown prince would have seen even more straightforward statements causing fierce battles.

"I pray that you reconsider your decision, your highness."

"Then General."

"Yes, your highness."

General Wetton could see Alberu smiling.

Alberu seemed to have such great smiles for him quite often. That fact put some strength into Wetton's shoulders.

"Then who do you think is appropriate to hold that position instead of Cale Henituse?"

'Is he really asking me that question?'

Wetton held back the things he really wanted to say and said something else.

"Your highness. I am from the northeast region as well."

He then spoke honestly.

The crown prince liked people who were honest about their abilities and appealed to him via merit.

"Furthermore, of the Generals from the northeast region, I have the highest rank and have the most experience. In addition, am I not the person you can trust the most, your highness?"

Alberu had that gentle smile on his face as he mumbled.

"The person I can trust the most-"

"Yes, your highness. Would it not be me, who has been by your side since you were young?"

Alberu Crossman had grown up lonely without any maternal relatives.

When he started to make a move to be the crown prince… Basically nobody came under his umbrella.

Most of them lined up to serve the second prince or third prince.

"I have served you. I have remained by your side since the beginning."

There were many Generals who didn't care about politics, but also many who were heavily involved. The Generals with interest in politics had been unable to understand General Wetton's decision back then.

However, all of them approved of General Wetton's decision and were envious of him now.

The first prince, who had nothing, had ended up the strongest candidate for the throne.

"Your highness, please consider the time I have devoted to you until now."

"So, you're saying…"

Alberu stood up from his seat. He walked over to the standing General Wetton.

"I should put you, who knows the northeast region well, has experience leading soldiers, and has my trust after being by my side for a long time in that position?"

"Yes, your highness. I will do a good job!"

Wetton's voice was energetic.

On the other hand, Alberu's voice was slowly getting quieter.

"General Wetton, do you think that you are qualified to say such things?"

'Qualified? Of course I'm qualified!'

Wetton answered the crown prince's obvious question without any hesitation. In fact, he was about to get upset at the fact that the crown prince was asking such a question.

"Yes, your highness! I believe that I am the most qualified."

It was at that moment.

"Hahaha-"

The crown prince laughed out loud.

"How entertaining."

He nodded his head a few times without being able to hide his laughter.

"Very entertaining."

General Wetton almost frowned in response. However, he kept a straight face after seeing Alberu open his mouth again.

"General Wetton."

His gentle voice filled the office.

"You were one of the first Generals to support me when I decided to step into politics. No, you were the only General at the time to do so."

"That's right, your highness. I trusted my discerning eye and-"

"No."

Alberu shook his head.

"That's not it."

He spoke with a warm expression still on his face.

"Didn't you come to me after being urged to do so by the third prince's side?"

"…Excuse me?"

Alberu stood in front of General Wetton. He was still smiling.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't know anything?"

Alberu's hand headed toward General Wetton's shoulder.

Pat. Pat.

Alberu brushed General Wetton's shoulder as if there was dust on it.

"You seem to think that I wouldn't know how much dust you were carrying with you."

Alberu's gaze focused on Wetton.

Wetton could see the cold gaze covered by Alberu's smiling face.

"I know it all."

The quiet voice that was almost a whisper rang like thunder in Wetton's ear.

'He knew about it? All of it?'

Wetton got chills on his back.

'He knows that I, that I approached him after being urged to do so by the third prince's side? Since when?'

Wetton's pupils were shaking. He heard a response at that moment that made it seem as if Alberu was reading his mind.

"From the beginning."

The crown prince was smiling as if he found this extremely entertaining.

"Did you think that I stepped into politics without knowing anything from the beginning? Would the first prince, who had nothing but this façade, really do that?"

General Wetton found the crown prince's hand that was on his shoulder to be extremely heavy.

"If I have no maternal relatives, then I at least needed information. Hmm? Don't you think so?"

The crown prince was smiling.

Wetton was getting cold sweats every time he looked at that smile.

Alberu didn't care and calmly continued to speak.

"More importantly… Who are you saying doesn't look at ability?"

The voice that sounded exaggerated sounded mischievous as well.

However, what Alberu said next made Wetton flinch.

"I would have put you in that position even if you were someone on the third prince's side if you had the ability to do it well."

A bit of anger appeared on Wetton's face.

'I am not as good as young master Cale Henituse? How long had he been working as a General?! The little punk with that childish moniker of 'Young Master Silver Shield' and he had quite the difference in rank. But I am lacking in abilities? That makes no sense.'

He would prefer that the crown prince had said that he was not being considered for such an important position because he was on the third prince's side.

Wetton could not accept the crown prince's words at all.

The crown prince then said the following.

"Wyvern Knights Brigade."

'Hmm?'

General Wetton looked confused.

"Do you think that you can take on a Wyvern Knights Brigade?"

—

Translator's Comments

Our Alberu knows all.