I was led to an empty balcony by the second prince.
โHey, hey, two guys on a castle balcony? Thatโs the worst. Thereโs no charm in that. Normally, this is where youโd talk about love with a princess.โ
โIs that so?โ
โYeah. Then the princess gets kidnapped by the Demon Lordโs servant, and the hero, her husband, sets off on a journey to defeat the Demon Lordโฆ something like that.โ
And then, the wizard friend betrays them. You can keep apologizing to me in the afterlife!
โOh? Is this a new story for a game? It sounds fresh and interesting. If it comes out, Iโll definitely buy it.โ
Now then.
The second prince, after such a preamble, looked at me with the unsteady gaze of someone severely sleep-deprived.
โLetโs talk openly, Exus.โ
โOpenly? Iโm not sure what you mean, but Iโve been speaking honestly this whole time.โ
โI envy that. Iโve never said a single true thing since I was born.โ
โWhat do you mean?โ
โโฆI hate this country.โ
Oh? Huh?
โโฆI see. Interesting. Good start. Go on, tell me more.โ
A prince, who should love his country and devote himself to it, saying, โI hate this countryโ?
This is interesting. Iโd love to hear more.
โAs you might guess, this country is at its limit. Iโve been so mentally exhausted that I havenโt slept in days.โ
โOh? And why do you think the countryโs at its limit?โ
โLike you said, despite being in the midst of war and chaos, the royals and nobles are all engrossed in a farcical war game. Theyโre ignorant, uneducated, and refuse to change the status quo. Worse still, the people celebrate outdated customs. Itโs the result of everyoneโs laziness.โ
โOh dear, the prince thinks everythingโs trash. Thatโs not good, is it?โ
โDonโt mock me. You feel the same way, donโt you? You know it. The burden on the people due to heavy taxes, the negligence of the nobility. The political instability, the expanding war, the decrease in labor due to the deaths of young conscriptsโฆ The list goes on.โ
Indeed, thatโs true.
Despite these circumstances, neither the nobles nor the people are trying to change anythingโฆ
Theyโre content to push the problems onto the next generation, as long as things are fine in their timeโฆ
In short, well, itโs trash.
โIf they keep living lavishly and swinging their wands on the battlefield without a care, just as theyโve done before, while the church tells them to live frugallyโฆ That wonโt work anymore. Soon, that era will end.โ
โTrue. So, what are you trying to say?โ
โI donโt care what happens to the countryโฆ But, I just want to be happy.โ
Hmm.
โI donโt care if my father or my brothers die. I donโt care if the country disappears. But, I alone want to surviveโฆโ
โAre you begging for your life?โ
โNo? I donโt care about that anymore. I just want to be free.โ
Free?
โโฆIโve done some research about your homeland. It seems it was a terribly impoverished place.โ
โSo what?โ
โPeople canโt choose where theyโre born. If you had been in my position, you might have used your superior intelligence and power to destroy this country, rebuild it, and become a king ruling over the worldโฆโ
Hmm, thatโs a possibility.
If I had started as royalty, I might have done things like assassinate my useless brothers, poison the king, and usher in the rise of a boy king. Thatโs a classic!
โI didnโt want to be born in this era, this country, or this position. What I truly wanted was to become a scholar. I was fascinated by birds. I wanted to spend my time observing them, keeping a parrot from a tropical country, and writing in my journalโฆโ
Ah, I see.
Itโs like a history geek born into a family of warlords!
โSo, you want to be free and become a scholar. I get that. But what are you really trying to say?โ
โI want to make a deal with you, Exus. No, itโs not even a deal; itโs a piece of trash.โ
Heh, this is getting good.
โSpit it out.โ
โFirst, letโs talk about your benefit. If you accept my proposal, Iโll use all my current power to support you in every possible way.โ
โThat sounds good. Whatโs the proposal?โ
โโฆWould you keep me?โ
โโฆHuh?โ
Excuse me?
Wait, what?
โOh, no, please donโt misunderstand. Itโs not that kind of twisted thing. I donโt have that kind of taste.โ
โI mean, Iโd sleep with a pretty boy, but I donโt think youโd cut it.โ
โI-I seeโฆ Exus, you will likely clash with the country or even destroy the royal family someday, right?โ
โMaybe.โ
Well, even if I donโt do it, it seems like this country will fall apart in this generationโฆ But Iโll probably be the one to pull the trigger.
Iโm a prime candidate for causing the countryโs collapse!
Thatโs amusing.
โWhen that time comes, I want you to spare me. I want you to send me to yourโฆ no, maybe itโs your brotherโs now? Anyway, I want to be tucked away in a rural estate, where I donโt have to work but can live comfortably.โ
โโฆHuh?โ
โOf course, I wouldnโt demand a maid or anything. Just a small allowance and regular meals would suffice. If I may be so bold, Iโd also like to have books delivered periodicallyโฆ And Iโd like to keep a parrotโฆโ
โHahaha! Hahahaha!โ
This guy is hilarious!
โSo, what, youโre telling me that you want to throw away all your responsibilities, โretire early,โ and live a quiet life in the countryside?!โ
โโEarly retirementโโฆ! What a wonderful phrase. Itโs ideal. Iโll adopt it as my new motto.โ
I see, I see.
โAhโฆ This is fantastic! Fine, even if I slaughter the entire royal family and destroy the country, Iโll let you live! You can do whatever you want, be a scholar, or whatever, in my brotherโs territory!โ
โIโm gratefulโฆโ
Heโs saying โIโm gratefulโ with that handsome face of his, but this kid is only about fifteen years old, and his dream for the future is to retire early and live a slow life in the countryside.
Thatโs hilariousโฆ
โSo, what would you have done if I had refused?โ
โI would have killed myself right here and framed you for royal murder, bringing my pathetic life to a close.โ
I seeโฆ
Just like a modern man.
Vaguely wanting to die, but not enough to commit suicide. However, if things get too bad, suicide seems like the better optionโฆ
Interesting, I feel a strange connection to him.
โBut if you die, you wonโt be happy, right?โ
โHmm, not quite. The way I see it, my current state is a โdebt.โ If I die, that โdebtโ becomes โzero.โ So, in the end, itโs a โprofit.'โ
โI get it. So, if you can get to a place where your happiness is โprofit,โ you can endure this โdebtโ for nowโฆโ
โIf the hope of โprofitโ fades, Iโll spread โdebtโ to everyone around me and disappear into โnothingness.โ Iโll check out early.โ
โHahaha! I like it! Thatโs logical!โ
I activate my Generate Magic.
โHere you go.โ
โโฆWhatโs this?โ
โItโs a sleeping pill. Take one before bed, without chewing. It should help with your insomnia.โ
โThanks, Exus. Though, Iโm a little scared to owe you somethingโฆโ
โDonโt worry about it. Iโm kind to my โfriends.โ Iโll do anything for โfriends,โ without expecting anything in return.โ
โโฆUnderstood. As a โfriend,โ Iโll support your endeavors.โ
The second prince, Gilbert, and I shook hands firmly.
รรรรรรรรรรรรรรร
Second Prince Gilbert
The wise prince who supported the great sorcerer Exus, and the last king of Biltria.
Gilbert recognized Exusโs talents, and while appeasing his father, the king, and his older brothers, he served as a mediator, propelling Exus to greater heights. He was both a king and a sage with the talent of a royal advisor.
In both public and private life, he maintained a strong relationship with the demon Exus. In his later years, he lived in the Raven Territory as an ornithologist, dedicating his time to studying birds.
The principles he declared, โReign, but do not ruleโ and โLeave practical politics to the parliament,โ continue to be a cornerstone of the constitutional monarchy of Biltrand today.