Great Ambition

The spies were the heroes behind the scenes. Often behind the victories won were the intelligence provided by the spies.

These people were the key to victory, so they were highly respected and cared for.

But Zephyr avoided looking into the eyes of the man in front of him.

"We didn't have to work so hard."

The man in the black cloth could no longer be called a man. The eyes that had previously gushed out of pride and self-confidence were now pitch black, like a dark night.

"Sir, can I go?"

The middle-aged naked man grabbed his clothes from the floor and looked at Zephyr in fear. Although it had previously served the homosexual nobility, it had not been used as an instrument of torture. When the prince summoned him to his presence, he thought he wanted to 'have fun' but the reality was very different.

"En."

Zephyr turned his eyes to the man and sighed deeply. He didn't actually want to do it because it was a very cruel method.

But every path to victory was permissible.

He turned around and left the room.

"Your Majesty."

As he left the room, Alan came up to him.

"You can't delay any longer. You must immediately organize the garrison and appoint new officials."

"I understand, let the captain know that I will visit the garrison. We're going to make a few adjustments and remove unqualified soldiers."

When he examined the cost reports, he realized that the garrison was spending most of the city's revenues. Although they probably hadn't been out of town for years and consisted entirely of useless garbage, they were spending a lot.

"Also, the applications you have published have been in great demand. There are ten civil servants who were previously trained in the capital but were deported here."

"I understand."

"And I managed to find the people you wanted. We are sure they are in court jail."

"How's the evidence gathering business going?"

"Everything has a time, Your Majesty. If we rush too much, we're going to have to leave a lot of scars."

Zephyr paused. He turned his head and looked at Alan's elegant face. He seemed to have been rejuvenated lately, working and serving strangely relaxing.

He sighed.

"Uncle Alan."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Alan tilted his head. Zephyr rarely called him 'uncle'. The times he said the most were before the age of eleven.

"I feel like I've reached my limit."

There was a brief silence.

"I don't understand?"

"Let's go somewhere comfortable."

Zephyr clasped his hands behind his back and walked into the bedroom with his expressionless face. His head was tilted forward as Alan followed him closely. It was impossible to predict what he was thinking.

Once Zephyr entered the room, he closed the door and let himself go to bed. He didn't need to pretend to be strong in front of Alan. He could relax here.

Before Zephyr smacked his tongue, he stood up and looked at the daylight coming through the window. As a result of several innovations, taxes levied on the people were reduced to a minimum. As a result, the flow of money needed to run the city was cut off in large quantities.

To keep the money flowing going for a while, he sold everything in his room and started using ordinary furniture.

He looked into the room. There was no trace of its glory a few days ago. Armchairs, tables, gold-embroidered bookcases and many more – even their clothes were sold and replaced with new ones.

He held the crescent necklace firmly hanging around his neck. That was the only thing his mother left behind. Until this time, whenever her head was in trouble, she had come under the protection of this necklace.

"Juna."

For the first time in years, he looked at Alan, who was called by his middle name.

"You promised not to act like a child."

"I have to break my word while you stand like this."

Alan came up to Zephyr and patted her on the head. He was very kind, as kind as a grandfather who loved his own grandson. This was not something that was done because he was afraid of his position, it was sincere.

"..."

Zephyr looked at the ceiling without saying anything.

"Your Majesty."

He turned his eyes to Alan, who was speaking.

There was a serious expression on his face.

"That's what I'm here for."

Alan showed every bit of his steel will.

"The task of a plunder is to develop the prince. Whenever you come to your limit, I will take you further. After that, let's do it like this; I will train you in the basics and make you a real aristocrat. I'll also show you how to improve the area."

The area once had its own territory, but he left his territory after deciding to stand by the prince's side. Its territory was located in the south-east of Arcania in what is now known as the Morgue District.

He managed to turn the region he bought from scratch into the kingdom's busiest business district in a short time.

"Leave the management to me, please, and let you rest and see if you survive."

Zephyr took a deep breath and let go of his eyes. Alan's words were seductive, so take comfort in it and your only concern is your life.

'But I can't do that.'

He had the opportunity to walk on the Way of the Kings. He could have had the honor of writing his name in gold letters in history.

"I want to be king."

He set his sights on Alan's.

"I want to go down in history."

He lacked this ambition before, but his brothers would always stand in the way. Even if he did nothing, trouble would find him. Every moment he was alive was a potential threat to others. Eliminating this potential threat was the safest decision for the future.

Alan did not speak.

He was the one who best saw the difference between the prince of weeks ago and the prince of today. The prince, who has been afraid to do something for years, who cannot find in himself the motivation and strength necessary to act, has completely changed; he had become a ruthless, determined, and cunning prince.

He wanted to help her. He wanted to be a stepping stone to his ascension to the throne.

He wasn't the only one who thought so.

His late master, who had predicted that this might happen years earlier, had made preparations. Now these preparations must have borne fruit.

It was time to pick the fruit.

"Juna, why do you want to be king? To go down in history?"

Motivation, or purpose, was what made him step onto the path he was walking, contrary to general awareness. It was so important that even power wasn't as important as it.

If he wanted to help, he had to know what he wanted.

And the prince closed his eyes and dropped the bomb.

"I want to rule the continent."

---

"I want to rule the continent? Sigh…"

After Zephyr fell asleep from exhaustion, Alan left the room and assigned one of the servants to arrange a horse. Then he would go to his room and arrange everything necessary. This included the seal, which consisted of a harmonious dance of black and purple colors.

"Do I have to make a covenant with the devil for the sake of putting him on the throne?"

He thought for a moment. The people he would meet were those who had been labeled 'the devil' by others of the word. When he went to meet these people, there was no guarantee that he would return.

"So at least I should be able to do that. If I can get their support, the prince will have a chance to catch up with the others."

Behind the other princes were very powerful people. They were even powerful compared to the 'demons' he would meet.

But at the moment they had no choice. If they didn't want to capsize in the turbulent sea, they had to build the ship properly.

"There are so many things to do, but without our shield we wouldn't have the opportunity to do them. In a maximum of three and at least two months, sabotages will begin. And when that time comes, we have to be ready for all of them."

There was a knock on the door.

She was a servant who came.

"Master Alan, we have prepared what you want."

"Tell the prince that I have things to do. I'll come back in a week at the latest and bring a few presents with me."

---

Without saying anything, Zephyr looked at the platforms swirling on it. They were like stars orbiting a star, they had a certain orbit and speed. They were neither slow nor fast.

There was one of them, who was the closest of them all. This was the platform of the senior who had spoken to him before.

"Have I proven my worth?"

He roared towards the platform. If he really thought wrong, it meant he would die soon. If he did not get an answer here, he thought of fleeing the country and moving to another kingdom.

The platform shook. Trururum! Then he stopped where he was and slowly began to descend. When it reached the same height as the Zephyr, the carvings shone slightly and the golden dragons became animated. They danced around the platform, proclaimed judgment to the heavens, and united before Zephyr.

You have the necessary competence to become king: courage, a compassionate heart, great ambition, strong communication, a mind that resembles a fox and a lion. The king must be like a lion to scare off wolves and a fox to see traps. You meet these requirements, but they are not enough for you to become king.

Zephyr was happy to receive praise.

He knew that the person guiding him here was a great leader who had led a country at the time. He had researched technocracy. It was a form of government in which decisions were not made by the king or politicians, but by senior managers and skilled technicians who were experts in their fields.

The board of directors consisted of only knowledgeable scientists and engineers.

The Technocracy of Elegance was a small state that had conquered the Sacred Islands east of Aurora at the time. However, in terms of technology and management, it was far ahead of its time. Since the continent was so chaotic at that time, it was possible to enter that period; It was called the Age of Warring States.

Although the Technocracy of Elegance was highly developed, the great power that covered the continent confronted the Auroran Empire, and after intense resistance, the entire state was put to the sword by the empire. There was no stone on the stone, no head on the shoulder.

"If that's where he really thinks, so are you..."

He thought of the great technician he had seen in the history books. The weapons he built allowed the Aurora Empire to repel it for decades. But he could not be saved when he was poisoned by his wife.

Even these days, everyone saw them as enemies. After all, all kingdoms were descendants of nobles who had sworn an oath to the emperor at the time.

That great figure who is among the greatest enemies of the church.

"You must be the Great Old Alaca."

The platform sparkled slightly.

It was as if he was saying 'yes'.