A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

163 – Incompetent but Competent, Competent but Crazy (3)

How will the Habsburg Crown Prince act if Vice-Chancellor Bathory is informed of the assassination attack?

Honestly, I was curious.

How sincere they are in appeasing the heir of the Gibraltar family.

Previously, the kingdom and the empire were not as close as they are now, so the graduation day was the first time I came to the kingdom.

This time, I have been coming here often for several years, including the County of Sirene, but I still thought it would be very difficult for the crown prince of the empire to come and go to my house.

However, it seems like he is being a little too sincere.

“Do you know what this is? It’s a newly built magical automatic ship for you.”

Currently, I am on a magic ship with the Habsburg Crown Prince.

“I made something new for you.”

“Ha, haha…”

“Why? Is it burdensome?”

“Just looking at the exterior, I can feel that they are considerate of me in that it doesn’t feel burdensome at all.”

The magic automatic ship looks quite old on the outside.

In other words, it could be said to be ‘antique’, and the unique maroon color of the furniture that you would see in an old castle is impressive.

But what is the reality?

“The pulsation of the magic engine that I feel under my feet doesn’t seem to be at a normal level. How high does the speed go?”

“If you run on a railroad, you can easily reach up to 200 km/h.”

“200km per hour. On the outside, it’s just an old sailing ship, but on the inside, you’ve created a monster, right?”

“That way, when the incompetent king sees it again, he won’t become covetous and try to take it away.”

The Habsburg prince grinned and lightly brushed his hand against the railing.

“Later, when the incompetent king disappears, you can take off the packaging material or something. Ah, I don’t know when that will happen, but when that time comes, wouldn’t it be quicker to make a new one?”

“Maybe so.”

“…It looks like you’re angrier than I thought?”

“I tried to dream of Her Highness Astasia, but because the assassins attacked, I couldn’t see Her Highness Astasia in my dream.”

Haha!”

At my words, the Habsburg Crown Prince tapped the railing with his hand and laughed.

“Was that what you were most angry about?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you angry that they tried to kill me out of petty jealousy?”

“That’s the kind of person he is. A person who kills the cook by frying him in oil because the food is not tasty.”

“…Has that ever happened?”

“That’s right, it’s human. It’s a metaphor. It’s a metaphor after all.”

I’m just saying this in passing, but the Crown Prince of Habsburg never misses a single word that makes people bleed.

“Would you really do something crazy like frying someone in oil and killing them?”

“I think it may have come and gone.”

“If they had carried out a cover-up, it would have been possible. But unfortunately, the idea that they were fried in oil and killed is just my delusion.”

“Delusion?”

“Actually, I just cut off his hand. I didn’t kill him.”

“…Ah. You mean that incident back then. You’re talking about something that was covered up through a cover-up operation.”

The Habsburg Crown Prince saved his food as if it was a waste.

“I also don’t think there actually was such a history.”

“Even if something like that happened, it can’t be called history.”

“Why? The story of a tyrant incompetent king. Isn’t this a good anecdote to decorate a page of history books? The incompetent king complained about the food and fried the cook who made the food to death.”

“This is a frame in which Nostrum is trying to tarnish its own face or slander the incompetent king.”

“Aren’t you and I doing the slander first?”

The Habsburg Crown Prince came out playfully and pointed at himself.

“They openly refer to the king of a country as an ‘incompetent king.'”

“Are you going to press charges?”

“I’m making jokes like this because I know you won’t do it.”

“I didn’t think you were someone who liked jokes.”

“You tell jokes while looking at people. Don’t you know exactly whether what I’m saying is a joke or not?”

That’s right.

Between jokes and sincerity, he is able to accurately determine what is being said, as if he is trying to reveal my inner thoughts.

With the thought that if I make a mistake once, I will die.

“Hehe. It looks like our Gray Gibraltar is very angry. That’s right. It’s hard to have a foolish king on top, isn’t it?”

“It’s much more convenient to deal with an incompetent person coming once or twice a year and being mean to them, rather than being run by an overly competent person 365 days a year.”

“What?”

“The former has no personal life, but the latter can at least spend the rest of their time freely.”

Even if you die if you make a mistake, going on the defense is a shortcut to death in the end.

“I try to live comfortably without working.”

“Assets are diminishing, and if you don’t work, it’s money that will eventually run out.”

“So, before you retire, you need to create a corner for unearned income.”

Until now, it was the moment when the imperial prince suddenly appeared and tried to appease me by criticizing the incompetent king.

“Have you ever heard of ‘Gyeongryong’?”

From now on, it is a business briefing session as it is a long-awaited opportunity.

“It’s a light dragon… I’ve heard of horse racing.”

“I have also heard about horse racing through the newspaper.”

“You’re going to do it with a dragon, that is, a drake, not a horse?”

“Among the various competitions, there is only one competition in speed.”

“That’s not the only thing, right?”

“Yes. Let’s do some gambling with light dragons.”

As I wiggled my fingers, the Prince of Habsburg twitched the corner of his mouth as if he was somewhat disappointed.

“You’re going to open a gambling house just to make some money?”

“All adults talk about pennies, but what about pennies? Playing Gyeongryong itself has meaning.”

“Why?”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

The way it was said at the business briefing session could be said to be a piece of cake.

“Do you know? A Kyungryong that has been overused too much will suddenly fall to the ground, and the rider on it will not be able to make an emergency escape and die.”

As this is a business briefing session for a single Habsburg, all you have to do is subtly present the content that will most offend him.

“People who enjoy speed and competition may slip off the saddle and fall to their death while drinking, climbing a dragon, or being under the influence of drugs.”

“Are you trying to assassinate the incompetent king?”

“That is not an assassination, it is a suicide.”

“…”

The gambling funds earned through Kyungryong are tangible benefits.

It is an indirect benefit to capture the traitorous Quislings who will gather at that location, collect trash that will interfere with the future continent, and later cause them to suffer from urinary tract disease.

This is the part where prayer must work, but wouldn’t it be a misfortune for the nation if someone were to suddenly climb on top of a flying dragon without any safety equipment and then fall to the ground and die?

“Do you know what? Let’s say Nostrum’s ancestors and heroic spirits send a hero to help Nostrum’s national crisis.”

“Uhm…”

“But if someone were to drink drugs and drink alcohol and die while speeding on a flying dragon, would you want to send a hero for that person?”

“That’s right… I guess so. But wouldn’t they cherish it as a bloodline or descendant or something like that?”

“If you’re going to invest, you might think it would be better to invest in the next king. Well, a suitable ordeal that that king can overcome may come in the form of a disaster.”

“Uhm…”

Your thoughts will become complicated.

“Well, it’s not that I can’t age the cheese because I’m afraid of mold, but for me-“

“Cheese is delicious just eaten as is.”

This is what is scary about the Habsburg Crown Prince.

“Personally, I don’t like fermented food or anything like that. I tend to like eating it well-cooked when it’s fresh.”

In reality, a person who is good at eating rotten cheese and forming a repo by responding appropriately to what the other person says.

“How about you?”

“Me too. It’s best to eat food when it’s fresh. But…”

A person who puts meaning into every word.

“If you eat it before it grows properly, you may get sick, so wouldn’t it be better to let it grow a little longer and eat it when it’s most delicious?”

“Uhm…”

“Well, there may be differences of opinion on this, but at least you won’t suddenly crack open an egg and fry the egg white like someone else does.”

“That’s right.”

There may be some differences of opinion, but as long as the conversation ends with a reminder of the common purpose, there is no major problem.

“Officially, I cannot move directly for you.”

I guess I’m slowly deciding that time is running out.

The Habsburg Crown Prince brings up the main topic to conclude the story.

“You might have expected the ups and downs of loving an imperial woman, but you would never have thought that an assassination attempt of this magnitude would actually occur. Even if you had, it would have been like, ‘They’re really doing this.'”

“That is correct, His Highness Habsburg.”

“So, there’s nothing special I can do other than sending magic engineering devices to the imperial student dormitories. It’s at the level of crime prevention devices, or allocating more budget to install such things.”

“In an informal way?”

“If you wish.”

The Habsburg Crown Prince played with his beard and lightly flicked his tongue across his lips.

“There are two ways. One is to replace all the international students and protect the princess.”

“…”

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“Yes. I don’t like it.”

“Did you have any affection during that time?”

“It’s more than just affection, I don’t need a bodyguard who keeps checking on me every 10 minutes when I should be alone with Astasia.”

The crown prince-

No.

‘He’s a scary person.’

Habsburg secretly passed on information to me.

He said that you would have noticed, and with that expectation, he ‘leaked’ a piece of information to me.

How to do it.

It would be good to pretend to know, but just ignoring it and moving on is also an option.

“I think the second method would be better.”

“Second? “What do you think?”

“How to restrict the actions of Saint Geonostrum so that he cannot send or send assassins.”

“…100 points. 100 points.”

The Habsburgs clapped their hands and smiled broadly.

“Do you know what is good about that method?”

“The method has already been decided, and didn’t you come here in person to notify me in advance before implementing the method?”

“200 points. That’s right. I came here to tell you. I thought it was a good opportunity.”

“It’s a good opportunity…”

An opportunity is an opportunity.

“Well, the mere fact that His Highness the Habsburgs has come to Gray Gibraltar in person will already put political pressure on the incompetent king. “Once can be said to be a coincidence, but twice is not a coincidence.”

“…”

There is no particular score.

It seems like he’s a little disappointed because it’s probably not the reaction he wanted.

“I am planning to go to Gibraltar during vacation with Astasia and other students from the canyon exploration club.”

“Hmm.”

“As it is not officially a semester, it is a time when Astasia can spend comfortably.”

“…Hmm?”

“If something suddenly happens in the empire and Astasia’s vacation is disrupted, the summer vacation plans I have made will all be disrupted.”

“You, no way.”

Habsburg’s pupils widen.

“So, if you need to officially call Astasia to the imperial palace, would you please postpone it until during the semester? Because if she is called to the empire during the semester, she can be processed as official status.”

“…I think the professors at the kingdom’s academy would think it’s right and write off absences?”

“As the matter is a private matter, you can’t arbitrarily treat absences. Well, if there is someone who causes controversy and sets up a cultural tour of the empire, that can’t be helped.”

Grandpa.

The Habsburgs are appetizing.

Like a woman just before receiving a confession, she pretends not to be like that, looking at me with eyes full of anticipation and waiting for my words.

“Ha.”

For a moment, I sighed sincerely.

“I salute you, Your Majesty Habsburg.”

“…!”

What can I do?

It was the Habsburgs who first called Astasia ‘princess.’

“…I see.”

Habsberg smiled slightly and waved his hand.

“I’ll see you at the imperial palace when the second semester starts.”

“Are you planning on inviting me?”

“Astasia has to come to the imperial palace, so how can you not come to her?”

I guess.

It looks like history will change.

The ascension to the emperor took place after the graduation ceremony.