Ok so I decided to just publish all parts from the title cause this book is 200+ chapters and wattpad has limit it to 200 chapters.

So warning this chapter is long 9000 words. Have fun.

█████████████

The Crown Prince Visits the Northeast (1)

█████████████

All of the major troops in the North were tied to the Winter Mountains for two years due to the dimensional crack. A lot of things had changed in the Empire in those two years.

The empire began to tremble in fear once news of the dimensional crack had reached the Center. Of course, the Central Government announced that they had sent huge supplies as support to the Northeast. This was so the Northeast could buy them as much time as possible. The Center wanted to use them as a scapegoat so they could have enough time to prepare for the incoming monster wave.

The Imperial Family saw this as an opportunity and took advantage of the dimensional crack to rip off huge amounts of wealth from the noble families. Of course, the nobles were people who could only gain money and never lose it so they collected all kinds of taxes from the people to give to the Imperial Family under the guise of sending continuous supply to the Northeast.

But while they were in the midst of taking advantage of each other, news about the sealing of the dimensional crack began to spread in the capital. With the risk of the dimensional crack gone, the people began to wake up one by one.

“The Imperial Family should explain themselves!”

“Where did all our money go!”

“The nobles should explain themselves!”

The people gathered together in groups and screamed for justice.

They tried to disperse them at first however this idea did not last long. So, they had no choice but to fix it immediately. They couldn’t dare to use the army to stop these people from gathering. After all, once they use force, the people from all over the Empire would use this as a sign to start a revolt.

The thought of killing the leader to kill off the people’s desire to revolt passed through their heads but they immediately realized that doing so would result in the Imperial economy stagnating. If that happened, then they would suffer from a huge loss.

In the end, all they could do was hem and haw as they continued to hold meetings without truly doing anything.

Then, the newspapers began to publish articles about the Northeast, the dimensional crack and the embezzlement of supplies as if they did not care about anything anymore.

[ Where are all of the support supplies that were supposed to be sent to the Northeast? ]

[ Are the taxes that the noble families collect from us justified? ]

[ It’s unfair for the nobles too. They have been removed from the Center for the sole purpose of protecting themselves from the dimensional crack! ]

[ Empire, are you really alright with this? ]

As these articles began to pop out day after day, a huge amount of support supplies started getting sent to the Northeast. They used the excuse of their lack of logistics system as the reason for the delay and sent off twice the amount of the promised supplies that they did not give before.

And it was not only the Northeast that benefited from this.

The Northern Army took this chance to resolve their chronic problem, the shortage of troops. They selected several support troops from different regions of the Empire. After all, the risk from the Northeast’s dimensional crack as well as the dark elves, which they had officially reported, were still yet to be resolved. These problems continued to terrorize them.

Because of the articles published about the Northeast, scholars from all over the continent, who were interested in the dimensional cracks, began to flock to the Northeast. Even the wizards, geologists, mana researchers, dimension researchers, historical scholars and intellectuals from various fields all over the continent also rushed over to the Northeast to study the dimensional crack. When the Northern Wizard Tower bragged about their great achievement in the Wizard Towers’ meeting, the representatives of the other Wizard Towers returned to their own Wizard Towers with twisted looks on their faces.

The Center believed that no one would dare come to the North and the Northeast which had become the most dangerous area in the Empire. However, contrary to what they had expected, the people flocked to the North to study the dimensional crack. After all they were fully aware that they would be safe since the Northern Army had blocked and sealed the dimensional crack perfectly well.

At the time when all of the people were busy flocking to the Northeast, the Northeast Commander threw a bomb that no one expected in a press conference.

“We have received little to no support from the Central Government.”

The words of Northeast Commander Crimson Halo, who had served as the head of the Central Regional Army, operational staff and even as the Northern Commander before, were already very surprising. But the bomb that they received was much bigger when he showed solid evidence of his claims.

The Central Government would have ignored their words in the past, but this was a time when all of the attention was focused on the Northeast. They could no longer cover it up and turn a blind eye to the Northeast’s plight.

They desperately tried to control any information about the Northeast and stop the news from reaching the people’s ears and piquing their interests. They wanted to stop the information and only leak a few that they could take advantage of to put pressure on the Northern and Northeastern Armies. However, this feat was something that they could not achieve easily anymore.

They did not know what happened but the sleeping lion stretched its claws in support of the Northeast and asked that they reveal the information.

There were rumors that one of the Northeastern soldiers was from the Lion Family and the family had accepted the request for help from their descendant. However, those things remained as rumors.

Anyway, once the Leonhardts asked for an explanation of this matter, the Center could not cover it up anymore.

Since attention was focused on all sorts of things related to the Northeast, trying to cut off the loose tail would not work at all.

“We’ll have to give them a piece of our flesh.”

“Ha… Do you think that’s easy? What if it comes all the way to us?”

“Goddamnit! I told you to stop gobbling up money recklessly!”

“Why do it at this time… I’m going nuts!”

The nobles were divided into factions screaming that it was the fault of the other and vice versa. However, all of them just raised their voices while they trained their eyes on the Imperial Family.

Their gazes meant that the Imperial Family should take responsibility since they were the ones that ate the most. Naturally, the Imperial Family drew a line saying that they could not do so. The nobles also tried to avoid responsibility which added more confusion to the Center.

Unfortunately for them, stupidly clear evidence of the nobles who played tricks on the supplies that were supposed to be sent to the Northeast began to emerge one by one. There were so many dirty things that they had done that just a little investigation resulted in a lot of information about their corruption.

This was one of the main reasons why they tried to control the information somehow.

However, despite putting on a control on the information, once the scholars began to praise the entire Northern region for their excellent work in sealing the dimensional crack, the interest of the people were piqued once again. Eventually information about the Northeast spread like wildfire all throughout the Empire.

Who said that newspapers were money ghosts?

Just as their nickname suggested, the newspaper companies smelled money from the information about the Northeast. So, they secretly gathered information about the Northeast and spread it in the capital, despite the capital imposing an Imperial Control on the information.

As a result, various problems like supplies and military support for the Northeast began to burst out one after the other.

The Center now had no choice but to extensively promote the Northeast’s success in stopping the dimensional crack. And for them to be able to properly break and hide the news about the Central nobles chain of corruption, it was necessary for them to promote the heroes who contributed a lot of meritorious deeds and push them to the forefront. They wrapped them up as heroes who saved the Empire. At the same time, they tried to soothe the anger of the masses by promising a huge amount of support from the Center to the Northeast while apologizing for not being able to do so before.

However, these alone were not enough to soothe the public anger and their sympathy for the Northeast. The Imperial Family and the nobles all agreed that there should at least be a respectable person who needed to come forward.

And the person that they chose was none other than the Crown Prince.

“Ha… Do I have to go to the Northeast just because of petty bugs like that?”

“However, Your Highness… If Your Highness does not go then His Majesty will be in trouble.”

The Crown Prince looked out of the window in annoyance when he heard the eunuch’s words.

The angry masses were pushing the soldiers away as he passed by on his carriage decorated with gold and gems while on his way to the warp gate.

However, instead of lifting their clubs and spears, the soldiers just used their shields to receive the anger of the people. After all, any excessive response would bring about the worst public opinion.

“Tch! These pests are always a problem wherever you go!”

The Crown Prince, who was hidden behind a red curtain, frowned deeply as he lamented his situation.

Why should I, someone from the noblest lineage of this Empire, apologize to the barbarians of the Northeast?

These were the thoughts that swirled in the Crown Prince’s head. However, there was no mistake in his outward appearance because he was someone who was well-versed in politics and social skills ever since he was young.

These were the thoughts that swirled in the Crown Prince’s head. However, there was no mistake in his outward appearance because he was someone who was well-versed in politics and social skills ever since he was young.

Upon arriving at the warp gate, the Crown Prince descended from his carriage and looked at the people as if he was truly guilty.

“All of this is our fault. I apologize on behalf of the Imperial Family.”

When the Crown Prince bowed and apologized, the people, who had been acting violently, became quiet.

“We have neglected the North because of the various diplomatic issues that we have been dealing with but I know that these excuses won’t appease the Northerners’ anger. Even if I have to kneel down and apologize, I will make sure to quell the anger of the Northerners. So please give me a chance, dear people of the Capital.”

One of the people among the masses shed tears when they heard the Crown Prince’s words.

“I believe in Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

“The soldiers and citizens of the North will also believe your sincerity!”

“Please take care of yourself and return safely!”

“Your Highness is the hope of our Empire!”

The Crown Prince smiled after hearing the people’s support before turning around and approaching the warp gate.

“Morons.”

The Crown Prince glanced at the people cheering for him before hurriedly heading towards the warp gate. He felt like just being with these disgusting pests for a bit longer would make his skin crawl and rot.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The Crown Prince hurriedly received the chauffeur’s offered handkerchief to wipe himself clean while standing on top of the warp gate’s magic circle.

“Hoo… Am I going to go somewhere more disgusting now?”

“The trip this time will strengthen His Majesty’s faith in Your Highness.”

“Tch! Fine. I’ll put up with it for a few days and make sure to drop at least half of those arrogant bastards.”

“Yes. We have to take this opportunity to completely pressure the 4th Prince.”

The chauffeur hurriedly added to the Crown Prince’s words to give him strength and determination. The Crown Prince smiled as if he was satisfied with his words.

“It wouldn’t be bad to get the support of the dumb Northerners in the long run. After all, the Imperial Family is originally the group that reforms stupid and dumb things…”

The Crown Prince closed his eyes. The chauffeur hurriedly winked at the wizards. The wizards hurriedly got the hint and praised him as if he was unconditionally correct and he would always be great.

Whiiiiiiiiir!

The mana in the warp gate rotated violently as flickering lights wrapped around the Crown Prince’s body.

When the Crown Prince opened his eyes, he could see the Northern Command with numerous weapons tightly arranged together.

“I have seen Your Highness, the Crown Prince. I’m Jayden Wicks, the person in charge of Northern Command.”

“Ooooh! Nice to meet you. Although I’m not good enough, I’m Alexar, the Crown Prince. It’s an honor to meet the hero who blocked the dimensional crack.”

Jayden Wicks just smiled at the Crown Prince’s fuss as he guided him inside.

“Your Highness, it might be a bit lacking but I would still like to guide you to a room for some rest. Please take a short break before you depart for the Northeast.”

“Ho… Thank you for your hospitality. I thought I would be cursed as soon as I arrived here.”

“How dare we to Your Highness… The Northern Army is always filled with Loyalty to the Imperial Family.”

The Crown Prince admired Jayden Wicks’ words and praised the bravery of the Northern Army. However, both the Crown Prince and Jayden Wicks knew that they were talking nonsense.

The Crown Prince was well aware of the Northern Army’s hatred for the Imperial Family. He was the one who knew this best. And Jayden Wicks, through reliable sources, knew that the Crown Prince was a sly fox who showed a different appearance on the outside.

While the two were having an exhausting conversation that they did not even mean, they began to talk about the Northeast.

“I heard that it was not the two commanders nor the Leonhardt Family Head who made the most contribution?”

“That’s right.”

Jaiden Wicks nodded as he answered the Crown Prince’s question. Seeing Jayden Wicks react like that, the Crown Prince’s eyes glistened with interest.

“I heard that this friend is not much older than me… Can I take this opportunity to meet with him?”

█████████████

✎ᝰ┆Notes

[Money Ghost] 돈 귀신 – Literally money ghost. Someone who’s entirely obsessed with money. Money grubbers.

█████████████

The Crown Prince Visits the Northeast (2)

█████████████

Jayden Wicks looked embarrassed when the Crown.

“It will be quite hard to see that friend right now.”

“Hmm… I heard that he’s a Ghost. Is it because of that?”

He knew that it was a hidden special force in the Northeast. Rumor has it that each member of the unit was an elite at the 5th Stage and that they only took on dangerous missions. This was a fact that the Imperial Family and the Central Region had understood to some extent. However, they did not know how many members or who the members were.

They were only able to clearly grasp this through the dimensional crack incident.

There were only a dozen members at the 5th Stage with the sole exception of Iron. However their destructive power was strong enough that any general division or army would not be able to control them.

“Yes. That’s right. I heard that he’s on a mission in a dangerous area.”

The Crown Prince looked in interest when he heard Jayden Wicks’ words.

“That friend, isn’t he still 15 years old?”

“That’s right.”

Jayden Wicks replied dully to the Crown Prince. He had no choice but to do so even if it was disrespectful since he felt that the Crown Prince wanted to take Iron away to the Center with that shining eyes of his. His already bad impression of the Crown Prince worsened even further when he realized that he was trying to take their most talented people that could become one of the key figures in the North.

‘This noble bastard is right next to us but he does not have any manners.’

This thought ran through Jayden Wicks’ head before he replied properly to the Crown Prince as they waited for the warp gate to be connected to the Northeast.

“It’s quite tidy.”

The Crown Prince spoke while watching the North’s warp gate.

The warp gate was just a huge mana stone inlaid in a device. Below it was a huge magic circle with several devices and instruments that protected both the stone and the circle.

Compared to the old and antique buildings in the capital, this place had cool and unique buildings so they turned it around and made it into the Northern Command. However, Jayden Wicks just roughly accepted his words as if he did not care what the Crown Prince had said.

‘Nitwit!’

The Crown Prince smirked at Jayden Wick’s foolishness as he climbed on top of the warp gate.

“The Northeast… I’m quite excited.”

“In fact, I have only visited the Northeast via the warp gate a few times.”

“Oh! Is that so? Well… The Northeast is usually closed, right?”

Jayden Wicks smiled bitterly at the words of the Crown Prince.

The Northeast wouldn’t leave the warp gate open unless there was an emergency. They would only be operated for a number of complex reasons. It was usually closed to keep the dangerous atmosphere and the secrets of the Northeast from getting out. It would only be opened in case of a mana fog or other dangerous circumstances. Even then, it was only operated at a small scale, so that the people in the rear could retreat. Not even the Command would use it.

However, recently, the Northeast began to change.

‘I’ll have to check how much the Northeast has changed…’

The Crown Prince thought this to himself as the huge mana stone emitted a light that covered his entire body.

Whiiiiiiiiir!

Jayden Wicks climbed up on the magic circle as the mana circulated violently and produced a lot of flickering lights. Only the Crown Prince needed to go in but he thought that it would be too much of a spending for him to use alone.

The two disappeared in a flash of light and appeared at a small warp gate in the Northeast.

“I have seen Your Highness, the Crown Prince. I’m Crimson Halo, the person in charge of the Northeast.”

“Nice to meet you. Although I’m not good enough, I’m Alexar, the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince greeted Crimson politely as they shook hands.

“We’re a bit lacking, but would you like to have a meal inside?”

“Haha! Even though you’re in the most dangerous area in the Empire, the architecture of this place is still superb.”

Each building has cannons and large calibre guns mounted and ready to be used to keep the monsters in check if they ever tried to flock to this area. It was as if all of the structures in this place were designed to be able to fight at a moment’s notice.

“You will be more surprised with the Command.”

“Haha! There’s something more impressive than this?”

The Crown Prince looked surprised when he heard Jayden Wicks’ comment.

In fact, the Crown Prince could only see a bunch of weapons mounted on crude buildings but he still tried to act surprised as he climbed onto the drake.

However, under the escort of the two commanders, the Crown Prince was surprised to see the area while sitting on top of the drake.

There were large amounts of cannons, large calibre firearms and artillery but there were even huge magic circles that were ready to fire off magic any time as well as magic bombs that were as huge as most of the buildings arranged all over the place. But the most impressive was the gigantic fortress cannon that was installed in the middle of Command.

“Ho… I did hear about it but… this is really incredible.”

Crimson and Jayden Wicks smiled when they saw that the Crown Prince was truly surprised this time.

“It’s going to be colder soon so we’ll bring you inside right away.”

The officers, who had heard that the Crown Prince would be coming, lined up and saluted the Crown Prince to give their respect while Crimson brought him to the Commander’s office. The soldiers, who were notorious for their strength, stood as they lowered their weapons in respect to the Crown Prince.

When the Crown Prince saw them, he stopped for a moment. Even His Highness the Crown Prince, someone who felt like he was the greatest in the world, began to be greedy for these people who were remarkably disciplined and well-organized.

‘They have quite a good strength here. It might be alright to use them a few times before throwing them away.’

The Crown Prince entered the commander’s office under the hospitality of the Northeastern officers while raising the value of the Northeast in his head.

“Although Your Highness came here personally, I feel a bit apologetic that these are the only things that I can offer. There’s still much left to be desired.”

Crimson spoke as he looked at the old furniture in his office. The Crown Prince’s brows twitched for a moment.

“No, not at all. Antiquity has its own charm.”

An awkward smile grazed the sly Crown Prince’s face.

‘You sly old geezer!’

The Crown Prince’s expression stiffened when Crimson openly spoke about the Center’s lack of support for his troops.

Jayden Wicks stifled a laugh when Crimson immediately spoke of the Center’s misdeeds as soon as they arrived at the commander’s office.

“Ah. Come to think of it, I can see various merchants here in command. It’s completely unlike what I have heard.”

“They have recently increased in numbers thanks to the scholars that flocked here to study the dimensional crack.”

When the Crown Prince questioned him like this, Crimson just answered him as if this was nothing.

However, the Crown Prince’s expression couldn’t help but harden when he saw the various merchants flocking to this place. Originally, only the county merchants would come to this place to buy monster corpses at a low price. Since this place was extremely dangerous only the courageous of the merchants would visit this place. But recently, the Northeast began to change.

Even the newspapers began to collectively ask for information from them as they disseminated it in the capital. It was as if they were trying to say that the Northeast had truly changed.

[ What about the Northeast of the present? ]

[ The scholars that flocked to the Northeast for the dimensional crack. Amazed by the unique Northeastern view! ]

[ Are the Northeaster Soldiers really that strong? ]

Articles like these kept on popping up every day. Considering that the Center had imposed a control on the information that flowed to them, articles popping out like these meant that there was an influx of information that they couldn’t stop despite their control.

It was like the Northeast, who kept a tightly closed lid on their information, suddenly revolted against the throne, who tried to isolate them for their centralization plans, by opening their doors wide.

And as scholars went in the Northeast in droves, small numbers of merchants also began to venture in the Northeast. Since many scholars gathered together, research institutes were created. And the merchants, who could smell the money, visited the Northeast to sell them some supplies.

If it was the Northeast from before, they would have rejected this. But this was not the case for the current Northeast.

Rather than throwing them away, they were even twisting the merchants in their fingers gently. They even created a merchant road that connected to the North making the Northeast’s rear stable and safe. Their movements were clearly telling the people that they were willing to accept them to their side.

And thanks to the recent arrival of support supplies, they have enough surplus of military supplies and weapons to keep everyone safe.

The Northeastern Army, who was notorious for their strength, used this situation as they actively introduced the modern weapon tactics that was proposed by their young officer and used it to kill the monsters in their rear to continue to stabilize them.

The Center, who was watching them closely, only recently found out that the area in the Northeast’s rear that they were intensely stabilizing was near the Badein River Valley. They also found out that the North was starting to develop the area near Cauns River while expanding to the West and developing Leins RIver.

They realized that the entire North was moving as if they were developing a waterway.

[ What will happen if the North completes the Merchant’s Road through their waterway? ]

There was an article written by a scholar that discussed the what-ifs of the situation.

The North was a land that was not suitable for farming. In addition, it was a land that was not easily accessible to the merchants because of the monsters. However, their topography was much better compared to the center in terms of resources.

What if the North deviates and separates from the Center’s grip by completing the trade route, the Merchant’s Road, despite people claiming that it’s nonsense and would never work?

The North would never forget what the Center had done to them. The Central Government was also aware of this fact. So, they wanted to pressure them with this issue slowly once the heat subsided. However, the situation changed for the worse when the Lion Family started to intervene.

Although they considered the North as an uncivilized region, it was still a place where the Lion Family, a family that the Center could not hastily touch, resided in. This was because they were also precious swordmasters that represented the Empire along with the South’s Godly Sword Family. However, since they were well-known for being madmen, one wrong touch might trigger their craziness and some families might be destroyed as an example for them.

In addition to their growing problems, they also recalled that the Lion Family, who had now made connections with the North, was geographically close to the Western Army. 

“If the West and the North join hands together, we’ll be in trouble. The current power that we have in the Center may not be maintained.”

“In addition to that, the Northeast is also developing their eastern region.”

“Your Highness, please personally check what kind of connection the Northeast and the East have.”

Many eunuchs and ministers have asked the Crown Prince to do this countless times.

I’m already going since you want me to go but why are you making me do something like this?

The Crown Prince cursed them in his head but he only said that he knew what to do while acting gently towards them.

Back then, he only felt annoyed. However, when he personally came to the Northeastern Command, he had no choice but to become serious.

‘The atmosphere is unusual.’

This is not the Northeast that has absolute dependence on the Center.

This meant that this powerful military force was no longer in the hands of the Center.

Cold sweat dripped on the Crown Prince’s back as his expression hardened.

‘No matter what happens, I need to get at least one personal spy…’

Suddenly, he remembered the 15-year-old officer that he had mentioned to Jayden Wicks earlier.

‘Since he’s still young, I think I can coax him just a few more times… If I can just take him to the Imperial Palace and get him to change his mind…’

This thought ran through the Crown Prince’s head as an evil smile grazed his face. He thought ‘This guy will do!’ while asking Crimson to meet with him.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Did you mean to ask me? Your Highness?”

“Yes. I heard about the hero who had made the most contribution in stopping the dimensional crack… I want to meet that friend.”

“Ah… I apologize, he’s on a mission.”

The Crown Prince nodded as if he knew that this would happen when Crimson spoke to him apologetically.

Jayden Wicks had told this to him earlier, but when Crimson also spoke as if he wouldn’t show the boy to him, he couldn’t help but feel anxious. Perhaps that was the reason why he became more curious.

Who the hell is that person to make these two commanders this stingy?

“I’ll wait.”

“….Yes?”

Crimson turned to look at Jayden Wicks when he couldn’t understand what the Crown Prince was saying. Then, he saw that Jayden’s eyes were also widened in surprise.

Seeing their surprise, the Crown Prince smiled brightly.

“I didn’t mean to make a clumsy apology when I came to the Northeast. I would like to travel around the Northeast while apologizing on behalf of the Center. I would also like to discuss with the commander about the further developments of the Northeast.”

“To that point…”

“I wasn’t aware of the situation since I was busy handling diplomatic issues with the other countries. Since I already know of it, I should help you. I know how disappointed the Northeast is. After all, you are blocking the frontline of the Empire but you have received insufficient support. I will help you.”

Crimson’s expression hardened when he realized what the Crown Prince was trying to do. It seemed like he really wanted to stay here and wait to have a meeting with the said hero.

“But, how long will it take for me to meet with that friend?”

The expressions of both commanders hardened when they heard the Crown Prince’s question.

█████████████

The Crown Prince Visits the Northeast (3)

█████████████

The Crown Prince stayed put in Command as if he was telling them that he would remain stuck in the Northeast until he personally saw Iron. Crimson was flustered when the Crown Prince, who was originally only going to take a quick look and leave, suddenly decided to stay in the Northeast.

Just like any other descendant of the Imperial Family, the Crown Prince was also a person who hated uncleanliness and treated ordinary humans as pests due to their lower pedigree. However, the Crown Prince still remained in the Northeast. And he did not just stay. He was fully aware that he would be treated as a thief who wanted to steal a good talent if he stayed for the sole purpose of seeing Iron. So, he apologized to everyone he met while walking around Command.

The Northeastern officers were embarrassed to see the Crown Prince apologize to them on behalf of the Imperial Family and the Central Government.

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to get more support for the Northeast.”

The Crown Prince held the officer’s hands with both of his hands and stared at the other embarrassed officers. And it wasn’t just this, he even told them that he would go around the entire Northeast to apologize.

“I don’t think that they’ll be able to feel my sincerity if I just go around Command and apologize like this.”

“Do you really need to do that? Just by looking at what you have done so far, it’s clear to see that the soldiers are already fully convinced.”

Crimson tried to dissuade the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince just shook his head.

“Anyway, I have to see what the Northeast is really like in order for me to convince the Center to give support. You know?”

Crimson was left with no other words to dissuade the Crown Prince. In the end, he was forced to take the Crown Prince to travel around the Northeastern Units.

At first, they thought that the Crown Prince would just roughly say his apologies and leave but he suddenly declared that he would go on a tour and visit all of the units in the Northeast to apologize in earnest. He even began the tour as he rode on a drake the next day.

Starting with the Command, the Crown Prince bowed his head and apologized as he traveled all over the place. He visited the newly built academy, the training center and all of the military units. As a result, the Crown Prince’s actions in the Northeast were dubbed as the ‘Path of Apology’. These rumors crossed the Northeast down to the North and eventually spread to the Center.

There was another rumor that circulated while the Crown Prince was busy staying in the Northeast. It was said that the Crown Prince wanted to personally meet with the Winter Mountains’ Hero.

“Is he going to take away the Winter Mountains’ Hero?”

“There’s no way the Commander will let him be. He’s someone who will eventually become a key figure in the Northeastern Army, you know?”

“I know. His eyes for talent might be good but the Crown Prince is too greedy.”

“I think differently. I believe we should grow our influence further in the Center. It would be better for us to build a network so we would receive better help here in the Northeast in the future.”

Aside from the truth of the rumors, they participated in a heated debate on whether a better result would happen if Iron was taken away. Their two differing opinions clashed in a heated argument.

One side said that there should be a strong power in the Center from the Northeast so they could get better support while the other side insisted that a future key figure should not be taken away.

In the middle of this, the Crown Prince sent a letter to Iron, who was in the middle of an operation.

“This bastard is selling drugs.”

The words that Iron saw when he read the Crown Prince letter went like this…

[ Nice to meet you,

I am Alexar sol de Granciel. Although I am not good enough, I am the Crown Prince.

Ahem, ahem… The reason why I sent you this letter is because I wanted to see you once. I’m curious about the hero who had prevented and stopped the dimensional crack. But in fact, it’s because I want to be closer to you. Haha!

I have never seen a hero who’s my age. So please don’t refuse my request.

―The Crown Prince who wants to be your friend ]

The Crown Prince’s letter was screaming of gentleness and amiability. It seemed like he wanted to take on the friendly route to try and get closer to him. However, Iron just snorted at him.

Iron was someone who had fully experienced what the Imperial Family was like in his previous life. So, he was fully aware of the Crown Prince’s character and how he dealt with his subordinates.

He was two-faced to the point that Iron believed that he could become the top star if he was an actor in his world. He also had a severe belief in pedigrees and bloodlines. A trashy bastard who was greedy to the extreme.

This was Iron’s evaluation of the Crown Prince based on his experiences from his past life.

In Iron’s eyes, his wit and acting were top-notch. His wit, discerning eyes and talent for acting was the biggest reason why he was appointed as the Crown Prince among all four of the princes despite not running around with more effort. In addition, he believed that he should only do politics since he was the Imperial Family’s direct lineage. The problem was that he only kept jumping around trying to discern whether he should fight or join forces with the enemy. He was the type of person who secured some skills through his studies but failed to achieve anything due to his narrow vision.

This was the Crown Prince.

Despite his younger siblings trying very hard to drive him away from his position, he still sat firmly on the Crown Prince’s seat and gobbled up the Empire a lot of times. Even if he was dragged down, he would still come back to sit firmly on that seat. In the end, he was the one who created a shortcut for the Empire’s defeat.

“You’re quite quick on the uptake.”

Iron could see that the Crown Prince had instinctively felt that embedding himself deep in the Northeast was good for him under the current circumstances.

If he was lucky, he would receive the support of the Northeasterns. If he was not, public opinion about the Crown Prince would still improve since he sacrificed himself alone and went to the Northeast.

“Am I lucky that it’s only the Crown Prince who came?”

Iron looked at the distant Black Forest.

If someone other than the Crown Prince had come, he would have been forced to neglect his mission just so he could take care of them. Especially the Fourth Prince, he was extremely troublesome.

His targeted goal was just right around the corner. In such a situation, he did not have much time to pay attention to the Imperial Family. So he thought that he was a bit lucky that it was the Crown Prince who came to this place.

“What’s that?”

Iron showed Lintel the letter in answer to his question.

“His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see me.”

“Shouldn’t you go?”

“I’m on a mission, how can I even go and babysit him?”

“No, but His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you…”

“The mission comes first.”

Iron answered Lintel before sending a reply.

He said that it was difficult to meet with His Highness since he was in the middle of an important mission. Then, he called for a drake knight and asked him to deliver it instead of him.

“Wow… Did your liver get swollen?”

“Are you telling me that he will kill me just for refusing him?”

Iron shrugged his shoulders as he replied to Lintel. Then, they focused on their mission again.

After the dimensional crack in the Winter Mountains was sealed, he was promoted to a major. Because of this, he could no longer remain as the outpost leader or even a company commander of a search team. So, he returned to Ghost.

They were now undergoing a mission directly given by Command and were currently combing through the entire Northeast. The Ghosts had two top priorities. The first one was finding the dark elves and the second one was stopping any other dimensional cracks.

After rolling around like some crazy dog for two months straight, they were finally able to find some clues. Thanks to this, he quickly forgot about the Crown Prince’s letter as he focused on the mission. After another month, they were finally able to pinpoint areas at risk for having dimensional cracks based on the clues that they had found.

And right now, the Ghosts have gathered in one of those areas.

“Hoo… It’s Owl’s territory…”

Although this was an old territory, rumors about the Black Forest still circulated countless times. During its heyday, Owl was an existence so strong that even the master level beings had to run away and circumvent from its territory here in the Black Forest. After the Black Forest was opened, the Northeastern monsters’ territories had completely changed. At the same time, the monsters from the Frost Mountain Range also started to become a problem. All of this happened after Owl left its territory in the Black Forest.

This was also the reason why they had to take over the Black Forest and prevent what the dark elves wanted to do in the Northeast.

Perhaps this would prove to be a more daunting operation than the one they did in the Winter Mountains. After all, the dark elves had blocked their plans in the middle back then but no one was coming to stop them this time.

“Again? Ha! This bastard…”

Iron was extremely annoyed when he received another letter from the Crown Prince. He should have already left after crushing all his hopes but he did not know why he was still so hung up on him to send another letter again.

“He’s the type to get tired.”

Lintel looked apologetically at Iron. He was still approaching but it seemed like he already knew the reason why he was reacting like that.

“He’s tired… because of the Imperial Family.”

Billie Brandt also looked tired. He looked like he had also experienced what the Imperial Family was like.

They had reunited after the incident with the dimensional crack. And since they had lived together over the past few months, all of them had gotten closer together. Even his relationship with Billie Brandt, who was well known for being the hardest to get close to, had developed to the point that they could have conversations.

“It’s a bit different this time.”

[ His Highness the Crown Prince came to the Rangers 3rd Unit to meet with you, so meet with him temporarily. ]

Lintel couldn’t help but scratch his chin when he saw the commander giving an order personally.

“You are now forced to meet with him.”

“Hoo…”

All the Ghosts smiled bitterly when they saw Iron sighing.

“It might take a long time.”

The Ghosts gathered nearby looked at Iron strangely when they heard his words. Even the Rangers looked at Iron strangely.

“There are rumors that His Highness the Crown Prince is obsessed.”

“Obsessed? Can’t you just reject it? What more can he do if you reject him?”

Iron sighed quietly when he heard Lintel speaking as if this had nothing to do with that.

Lintel could say this because he did not know the extent of the Crown Prince’s obsession. But Iron knew that he wouldn’t be able to say this anymore if he knew that his obsession went beyond the normal level.

“I heard that the Crown Prince obsession and greed is beyond one’s imagination.”

“Where did you hear such things?”

Lintel looked at Iron incredulously. He was wondering where this guy, who was always with them, gathered rumors. However, strangely enough, the rumors that he had heard were usually correct.

“Anyway, I think I’ll be exhausted.”

“What’s the strategy without you?”

“I’ll just go and come back quickly.”

Lintel sighed and nodded his head when he heard Iron’s words.

“Don’t worry about us. Just focus on meeting with His Highness the Crown Prince and coming back safely.”

“Yes.”

They had been through many activities together. So, after Carl Gustav dropped the words ‘safe’ together with the Crown Prince, all the Ghosts turned around and went back to their position. Even Jim Rogers, the one leading the rangers, also ordered his men to focus.

Iron bid them goodbye before moving across the forest alone.

After rolling around and working like a dog under the tutelage of the Lion Family Head, Iron was able to reestablish his path. And right now, he was experiencing explosive growth in his strength. At this state, he felt like the 5th Stage was not that far away from his grasp.

“Fweeeet!”

At the sound of Iron’s whistle, a drake slowly descended on the safe zone. Since the drake knight was on the ready in case of emergency or support request, it quickly descended on the ground in just one call.

The drake flew away as soon as Iron climbed up. Just like that, Iron quickly headed to the 3rd Unit, where the Crown Prince was currently staying.

The Ranger 3rd Unit was located in the previous academy’s 3rd year academy. When he arrived there, he saw the Crown Prince waiting for him at the military camp.

“I have seen Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince smiled widely when he saw Iron getting off the drake while he approached him.

“Oooh! Are you the Winter Mountains’ Hero?”

The Crown Prince immediately grabbed Iron’s hands.

“I can’t believe you’re this young… The commander sure found someone reliable.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes shone as if he was jealous of the commander. Then, the Crown Prince stepped back and bowed his head towards Iron.

“Your Highness?”

Iron’s eyebrows twitched when he saw him bowing his head at him.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault that such a young man like you is working in a dangerous place like this.”

“Not at all.”

“I heard that you had a hard time in the Winter Mountains because of the lack of proper support in the Northeast.”

“My other comrades had a harder time than me.”

The Crown Prince’s expression hardened for a while when he heard Iron’s sharp and blunt answers. However, he immediately let go of this rigid expression.

“If your deeds have been properly reported to the Center, you would have probably received a peerage… It’s my fault that you stopped at a two-step promotion.”

“I believe I have already received too many rewards for my services.”

“Not at all. No… You deserve to have a title. Commander.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Is it alright for me to borrow the Major?”

Crimson’s expression hardened when he heard the Crown Prince’s words.

“Borrow…”

“I want Major Iron to receive what he needs to receive before sending him back here.”

As the Crown Prince said this, he turned to look at Iron with shining eyes.

“I want to give you the title of Count, but with my position, giving you the title of a Baron is my limit. But I will give you a fief of your own even though it’s small. I’ll also try and give you a higher rank. So let’s go and see His Majesty together.”

The Crown Prince spoke amiably as he tried to seduce Iron with a title of nobility. He seemed like he was trying to do this for Iron but he was just trying to strengthen his position by using Iron, who had gained the title of a hero. It was his trick to raise the capital’s evaluation of him to the roofs. Although he was doing it all for himself, his expression looked like he was pitying Iron for being treated unfairly.

These were sweet fruits that Iron would have definitely grasped with his own hands if he had only seen the Crown Prince for the first time in his life. After all, no one who was in a situation where he was being held back by the military would be satisfied with just those meager rewards.

However, for Iron who had been beaten once to the ground by their despicable family, his words were just like a dog’s bark.

‘Stop talking shit.’

Even though this was what Iron truly felt, he just bowed his head to the Crown Prince.

“Thank you for your offer but I refuse.”

The Crown Prince’s expression hardened when he heard Iron’s refusal.

“The mission that we are currently doing is extremely important. Although I’m not worthy enough, I still play an important role. So going with Your Highness for something like that is going to be hard.”

“Is it that important?”

“That’s how it is for me.”

The Crown Prince turned to look at the Commander when he heard this.

Crimson sighed as he quietly spoke.

“It’s related to the dimensional crack.”

“Ho…”

Since the dimensional crack had appeared in their conversation, the Crown Prince could no longer dare suggest that Iron be brought away.

“What a pity. But after your mission is over, come to the capital. I will make you a noble without fail.”

“I’ll do that, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince felt pity with Iron’s answer but he had no choice but to step down as he turned around with the commander.

A smile formed on Iron’s mouth when he saw the slightly distorted expression of the Crown Prince before he turned around completely.

‘As long as I’m here, you won’t be able to take anything away from the Northeast.’

Iron laughed deep inside.

Commander Crimson was already following his proposal. Even the North and the Leonhardts were also following his plans.

Iron had requested that the Lion Family Head help the Northeast as the condition for winning the bet. And he was faithfully carrying out his side of the bet. Meanwhile, Crimson had already started implementing the Northeast Independence Operation that he had proposed long ago.

In other words, it did not matter to them what the Crown Prince did here or what he reported to the capital. This was also the reason why Iron could freely reject the Crown Prince’s offer.

In fact, it would have been better if it ended here. But unfortunately for them, the Crown Prince had an abnormal desire to have the best catch and special talents so he had not stopped and even became more clingy.

He said that he wanted to know more about Iron before he left the 3rd Unit. So, he followed him around from a short distance. But Iron’s answer to the Crown Prince, who was sticky like a taffy, had always remained sharp and blunt.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“What a pity. You’re quite tough.”

Whenever the Crown Prince asked about something, Iron would answer him like this and give him no room for arguments. Even though he lived in the 3rd Unit for as long as three days, he was not able to breach Iron’s impregnable iron wall and eventually failed to persuade him.

When Crimson gave him a hint that he could no longer go on like this, he was forced to prepare to leave for the capital right away. But even if he was already going to depart, the Crown Prince still maintained his act as he looked at them with disappointment.

“It’s sad that I have to go back to the capital alone like this. What a pity. I have to leave a talent like you behind.”

“If I have the chance, I will definitely visit the capital and meet with Your Highness.”

“Do that. If you come, I will definitely give you a decree so you can come and visit me anytime.”

The Crown Prince left those words as if he was already the Emperor before turning around and climbing on top of the drake.

Iron mumbled to himself as he watched him fly away with the two commanders.

“He’s still good at playing around with that silver tongue of his.”

Iron couldn’t help but smile after watching the Crown Prince acting like that. The Crown Prince was acting like an amiable and generous man but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to control his anger once he was out of sight.

“Ah! Feels nice!”

Perhaps it was because he had given the Crown Prince a hit on the face after not seeing him for a long time that Iron was feeling good right now. With that feeling lingering in his head, Iron returned to his mission with a refreshed look on his face and a smile blooming on his mouth.

Since the Crown Prince was safely sent back, the Northeast would now have the time to concentrate on the Black Forest for a while. Rather than them, it would be the capital who would fall into confusion.

Unlike in his previous life when the Northeast had fallen in a crisis during this period in time, it would be the capital who would fall into a crisis this time around. Although the Crown Prince went to the Northeast to control the public’s sentiment to some extent by apologizing, the discussions and negotiations for the most important support materials were not brought up at all.

The Command had already done a lot of work in advance. In a situation where they secretly found more clues and the risk of a dimensional crack was once again emphasized, what would happen if the support supplies reduction had been spread? By that time, the masses’ complaints about the nobles would continue to grow and their desire for a revolt would reach an all time high as their taxes soared higher and higher.

In the end, what the Crown Prince did in the Northeast was just temporarily increasing his evaluation from the masses. He did not do anything substantial.

Whether they would receive opposition from the nobles or complaints from the people of the Empire, dissatisfaction for the Imperial Family and the Central Government would still be expressed one way or the other.

Iron was certain that the enormous power that the Imperial Family held in his previous life would not be maintained in this life.

“Well… I’m pretty sure they already knew that there was something suspicious in the Northeast. Did they find it successfully?”

Iron giggled to himself.

He wondered how the Crown Prince, who had only apologized and inspected the area, would be treated once he came back to the capital.

█████████████

✎ᝰ┆Notes

[Selling drugs] 약을 파네 – Literally selling drugs. It means that someone is selling fake drugs saying that it’s the real deal. Basically,  they’re telling something that they didn’t mean. Like lying with a straight face or something like that.

[Did your liver get swollen?] 너 간땡이가 부었구나? – He’s asking him if he became bold/brave. Any idiom related to the liver is talking about courage, bravery, recklessness.

To Be Continued...