I was led to an empty balcony by the second prince.
“Hey, hey, two guys on a castle balcony? That’s the worst. There’s no charm in that. Normally, this is where you’d talk about love with a princess.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Then the princess gets kidnapped by the Demon Lord’s servant, and the hero, her husband, sets off on a journey to defeat the Demon Lord… something like that.”
And then, the wizard friend betrays them. You can keep apologizing to me in the afterlife!
“Oh? Is this a new story for a game? It sounds fresh and interesting. If it comes out, I’ll definitely buy it.”
Now then.
The second prince, after such a preamble, looked at me with the unsteady gaze of someone severely sleep-deprived.
“Let’s talk openly, Exus.”
“Openly? I’m not sure what you mean, but I’ve been speaking honestly this whole time.”
“I envy that. I’ve never said a single true thing since I was born.”
“What do you mean?”
“…I hate this country.”
Oh? Huh?
“…I see. Interesting. Good start. Go on, tell me more.”
A prince, who should love his country and devote himself to it, saying, “I hate this country”?
This is interesting. I’d love to hear more.
“As you might guess, this country is at its limit. I’ve been so mentally exhausted that I haven’t slept in days.”
“Oh? And why do you think the country’s at its limit?”
“Like you said, despite being in the midst of war and chaos, the royals and nobles are all engrossed in a farcical war game. They’re ignorant, uneducated, and refuse to change the status quo. Worse still, the people celebrate outdated customs. It’s the result of everyone’s laziness.”
“Oh dear, the prince thinks everything’s trash. That’s not good, is it?”
“Don’t mock me. You feel the same way, don’t 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 conscripts… The list goes on.”
Indeed, that’s true.
Despite these circumstances, neither the nobles nor the people are trying to change anything…
They’re content to push the problems onto the next generation, as long as things are fine in their time…
In short, well, it’s trash.
“If they keep living lavishly and swinging their wands on the battlefield without a care, just as they’ve done before, while the church tells them to live frugally… That won’t work anymore. Soon, that era will end.”
“True. So, what are you trying to say?”
“I don’t care what happens to the country… But, I just want to be happy.”
Hmm.
“I don’t care if my father or my brothers die. I don’t care if the country disappears. But, I alone want to survive…”
“Are you begging for your life?”
“No? I don’t care about that anymore. I just want to be free.”
Free?
“…I’ve done some research about your homeland. It seems it was a terribly impoverished place.”
“So what?”
“People can’t choose where they’re 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 world…”
Hmm, that’s 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. That’s a classic!
“I didn’t 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 journal…”
Ah, I see.
It’s like a history geek born into a family of warlords!
“So, you want to be free and become a scholar. I get that. But what are you really trying to say?”
“I want to make a deal with you, Exus. No, it’s not even a deal; it’s a piece of trash.”
Heh, this is getting good.
“Spit it out.”
“First, let’s talk about your benefit. If you accept my proposal, I’ll use all my current power to support you in every possible way.”
“That sounds good. What’s the proposal?”
“…Would you keep me?”
“…Huh?”
Excuse me?
Wait, what?
“Oh, no, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that kind of twisted thing. I don’t have that kind of taste.”
“I mean, I’d sleep with a pretty boy, but I don’t think you’d cut it.”
“I-I see… Exus, you will likely clash with the country or even destroy the royal family someday, right?”
“Maybe.”
Well, even if I don’t do it, it seems like this country will fall apart in this generation… But I’ll probably be the one to pull the trigger.
I’m a prime candidate for causing the country’s collapse!
That’s amusing.
“When that time comes, I want you to spare me. I want you to send me to your… no, maybe it’s your brother’s now? Anyway, I want to be tucked away in a rural estate, where I don’t have to work but can live comfortably.”
“…Huh?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t demand a maid or anything. Just a small allowance and regular meals would suffice. If I may be so bold, I’d also like to have books delivered periodically… And I’d like to keep a parrot…”
“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
This guy is hilarious!
“So, what, you’re telling me that you want to throw away all your responsibilities, ‘retire early,’ and live a quiet life in the countryside?!”
“‘Early retirement’…! What a wonderful phrase. It’s ideal. I’ll adopt it as my new motto.”
I see, I see.
“Ah… This is fantastic! Fine, even if I slaughter the entire royal family and destroy the country, I’ll let you live! You can do whatever you want, be a scholar, or whatever, in my brother’s territory!”
“I’m grateful…”
He’s saying “I’m grateful” 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.
That’s hilarious…
“So, what would you have done if I had refused?”
“I would have killed myself right here and framed you for royal murder, bringing my pathetic life to a close.”
I see…
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 option…
Interesting, I feel a strange connection to him.
“But if you die, you won’t be happy, right?”
“Hmm, not quite. The way I see it, my current state is a ‘debt.’ If I die, that ‘debt’ becomes ‘zero.’ So, in the end, it’s a ‘profit.'”
“I get it. So, if you can get to a place where your happiness is ‘profit,’ you can endure this ‘debt’ for now…”
“If the hope of ‘profit’ fades, I’ll spread ‘debt’ to everyone around me and disappear into ‘nothingness.’ I’ll check out early.”
“Hahaha! I like it! That’s logical!”
I activate my Generate Magic.
“Here you go.”
“…What’s this?”
“It’s a sleeping pill. Take one before bed, without chewing. It should help with your insomnia.”
“Thanks, Exus. Though, I’m a little scared to owe you something…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m kind to my ‘friends.’ I’ll do anything for ‘friends,’ without expecting anything in return.”
“…Understood. As a ‘friend,’ I’ll support your endeavors.”
The second prince, Gilbert, and I shook hands firmly.
×××××××××××××××
Second Prince Gilbert
The wise prince who supported the great sorcerer Exus, and the last king of Biltria.
Gilbert recognized Exus’s 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, “Reign, but do not rule” and “Leave practical politics to the parliament,” continue to be a cornerstone of the constitutional monarchy of Biltrand today.
