Chapter 58
The 1st Prince of the Turuk Kingdom, Arnold Arthure,
He let out a deep sigh as he walked through the royal capital.
It was hard to believe this was the capital of a nation, given its poverty-stricken appearance.
Even the noble mansions scattered here and there resembled the homes of commoners compared to those in the Empire.
“What am I supposed to do about this…”
Unfortunate as it was for the people involved,
This scene was a common sight outside the Empire during this era.
In the past, during the Empire’s era of continental conquest,
Any country that resisted instead of surrendering was erased from history.
And those who bowed their heads and survived were reduced to states like the Turuk Kingdom.
Every month, as if offering tribute, they sent special products and money to the Empire.
To prevent rebellion among its vassal states, the Empire continuously monitored their military growth.
Moreover, the Empire controlled the tributes to ensure the royal families of these states didn’t amass excessive wealth.
As a result, the citizens of the vassal states endured high taxes to prepare the tributes.
Most cities, like the Turuk Kingdom’s capital, fell into destitution.
Life in the vassal states became unbearable, and most people fled to the Empire.
With their populations dwindling, these vassal states struggled merely to maintain the semblance of a country.
In reality, there was little hope for the future for any nation outside the Empire.
Most royals succumbed to this reality, indulging in drugs or pleasures and abandoning everything.
The king of the Turuk Kingdom was no different.
At least he was obsessed with “Maple Leaf Story.”
If lying back and playing a game was the worst of it, that was a relief.
Instead, Arnold was left to single-handedly manage the affairs of the Turuk Kingdom.
Unfortunately, Arnold was a prince who loved his country.
But, of course, he had no power to change reality.
“Sigh…”
Arnold let out another sigh as he returned to the royal palace.
As usual, the king was reclining in a chair, immersed in “Maple Leaf Story.”
“Your Majesty.”
Naturally, the king didn’t respond.
“Your Majesty…!”
Suppressing his rising frustration, Arnold called out a few more times.
Still, there was no reaction.
“……”
Arnold clenched his lips tightly and lowered his head.
His tightly clenched fists trembled.
“Enough is enough!”
Like a balloon bursting with too much air, Arnold shouted and forcibly ended the game session.
The king awoke from his trance, looking dazed.
“Oh, Arnold. What’s the matter…”
“Why are you playing ‘Maple Leaf Story’ again?!”
“Uh, what?”
“Do you realize what you’ve done, and yet you’re still logging in? What if someone finds out? What are you thinking?!”
The king sat up, looking bewildered.
Arnold was known to be strict, but this was the first time he had displayed such anger.
“And what were you thinking, cheating and scamming people in the game?! A ruler of a nation, behaving like this! Would you have continued like this if it hadn’t been exposed?!”
Everyone in the palace knew the king’s in-game nickname was God of Electricity vv.
During the Zatum Expedition, the king couldn’t participate due to obvious issues,
And everyone agreed to use a body double for the expedition.
But no one knew that afterward, the king changed his nickname and went on to scam others.
This was only discovered when the body double, Count Horio, was executed for angering the Emperor.
The scam incident came to light, and the Turuk royal family became aware.
“Our kingdom is constantly robbed. Can’t I mess around in a game a little?”
The king reached for the “Maple Leaf Story” artifact that Arnold had taken.
Arnold threw the maple leaf-shaped artifact onto the floor.
The artifact cracked slightly as it hit the hard ground.
“Stop it already! If they find out, the Imperial Army might invade us!”
“How would they know?! Count Horio is dead; how would they trace it to me?!”
“Do you feel no remorse for what happened to Count Horio?!”
“Of course, I feel bad.”
The king muttered as he got down on the floor to pick up the artifact.
Then he pulled his blanket over himself and logged back into the game.
“……”
Arnold stared at him with a look of disillusionment.
No words came out of his gaping mouth.
It felt like his throat was blocked.
Perhaps, in some twisted way, it was a relief.
The Empire couldn’t find him, just as the king claimed.
Even the Empire had its limits in identifying users’ real-world information.
Time passed.
After a major update to Maple Leaf Story,
People with peculiar attire began appearing in the Turuk Kingdom and other border regions.
Each of them bore a red cross ornament and engaged in acts like distributing food or providing medical care.
“…Who are those people?”
“They’re said to be a group formed by the Illusion Magic Tower and a wealthy benefactor. They travel around helping the impoverished.”
“Why would they do that…”
It was incomprehensible by common sense.
Except for churches, no one engaged in relief work.
And even churches offered nothing more than a few pieces of bread.
Healing with divine power was reserved only for their followers.
“…Isn’t that person the Empire’s notorious rogue prince?”
Arnold, who was gazing down at the city from the royal palace, was startled.
Among the people from the relief organization was the 3rd prince of the Empire.
“…What?”
The shocked Arnold and the chamberlain immediately descended to the base of the royal palace.
“Y-Your Highness, it’s an honour to meet you.”
Arnold slightly bowed his waist and greeted Rikal.
Rikal, who had been distributing drinking water to the people, merely shifted his gaze toward him.
“Nice to meet you, Prince Arnold. No need to stand on ceremony. That’s not why I’m here.”
“H-how did you come to be here…?”
“As you can see, I’m engaged in relief activities.”
Why on earth was he doing such a thing?
Rikal moved the water bottles with practiced ease.
It wasn’t something he had done just once or twice before.
There had been recent rumors that the Empire’s rogue prince had changed.
Compared to the man Arnold knew, he was completely different.
“Y-you’re truly remarkable.”
“The Turuk Kingdom does seem to suffer from a lack of water, as it’s located in a desert region. I’ll make sure the Red Cross organization continues to provide some support in the future.”
“Are you referring to the Red Cross organization?”
“Yes. It was established by the Magic Tower of Illusions and is also receiving some support from the Imperial Family. Seeing this situation firsthand, I couldn’t just stand idly by.”
“O-oh…”
The peripheral vassal states were in this dire state because of whom, exactly?
Oppressing and exploiting the borderlands while conducting relief activities at the same time—it was almost laughably contradictory.
Arnold was at a loss for words at Rikal’s dual behaviour, which was practically double-faced.
“T-truly admirable.”
But no matter what insane behaviour Rikal exhibited, this was the only kind of response Arnold could give.
“His Majesty the Emperor…”
“His Majesty is unaware. In fact, he’s been preoccupied with other matters recently and has had little involvement in governance.”
“Ah… I see.”
The Emperor’s current tendencies seemed to align with that description.
Feeling relieved that Rikal’s visit wasn’t related to the fraudulent incidents, Arnold sighed inwardly.
“I’d like to assist as well.”
***
“All the nations, except for the Empire, are practically in this condition.”
The number of impoverished nations was far greater than I had imagined.
Countries withering in the shadow of the Empire.
Through relief activities, I became acutely aware of their grim reality.
Recently, I had been personally participating in these activities once or twice a month.
“I was originally from the Turuk Kingdom, too. Still, back in my day…”
“I didn’t ask. Just focus on your work.”
Ignoring Hetz’s muttering, I moved to a different spot.
Despite everything, Hetz had provided more support than anyone else after founding the organization.
Rikal was with the Turuk Kingdom’s royalty.
Support from the Imperial Family was also extended through Rikal, though he claimed it was all for image-making.
“Nice to meet you.”
I approached Rikal and the royals, offering my greetings.
This time, I was particularly keeping an eye on Rikal’s actions.
I had no choice. Recently, the Emperor had been fiercely focused on the “Maple Leaf Story” fraud case, and the culprit turned out to be the king of this kingdom.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Arnold Arthure, the first prince.”
Whether or not the perpetrator was discovered had nothing to do with me.
However, I had been paying attention to the developments in the “Maple Leaf Story” fraud case out of personal interest.
If it were revealed that the king was the culprit, this kingdom would likely disappear into the annals of history.
The first prince seemed unaware or unconcerned about his father’s actions, nervously glancing at Rikal for his reaction.
“Is this really a noble’s mansion?”
While wandering around the royal capital, Rikal remarked upon seeing a shabby mansion.
It had only one or two servants, and compared to the Empire’s nobles, it was utterly pathetic.
“This is what happens in the borderlands because the Empire monopolizes everything. Thinking about the money you’ve squandered, it’s just…”
Rikal still seemed unaware of the Empire’s atrocities.
Since it was established during the previous generation, it might have been an area of indifference for him.
To the people of the Turuk Kingdom, Rikal’s actions likely felt like giving with one hand while taking with the other.
We passed by several noble houses that day.
As we walked past a relatively intact mansion,
“Prince! Your Highness!”
A noblewoman ran out, rushing toward the prince.
“H-hold it! Quickly, take the lady…”
The prince, unusually flustered, urgently called for his knights.
At the prince’s command, the knights escorted the woman away.
“My husband was suddenly dragged to the Empire and killed! It’s definitely related to that incident… mmph, mmph…”
The prince ran to cover her mouth, but it was already too late.
Rikal’s expression had already changed after hearing her words.
“Stop for a moment.”
The prince’s face turned pale as a sheet.
—
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