#740 (Patreon)

Chaos (1)

In a safehouse about 5 kilometers from the royal palace, something unusual occurred unseen within.  

The empty air trembled and mist rose, and soon, three figures emerged from the mist.  

One was chubby, another was large and robust, and the last one was small.  

These distinctive figures were Edith Rock, the army major general Philip Roar, and Prince Albert of the kingdom.  

All of them belonged to the upper echelons of the kingdom, albeit to varying degrees.  

Prince Albert of the Allied Kingdoms was unquestionably a high-ranking figure, as was Major General Philip. He held the position of major general in the kingdom, head of the prestigious military mage Roar family, honorary grandmaster of the Mage Tower, principal of the Royal Mage Academy, and director of the Royal Magical Research Department, among other illustrious titles.  

In comparison, Edith's background was somewhat mundane.  

The only things he could boast were the money he earned from gambling and the noble wife he bought with that money. Still, he was allowed into the royal palace, which placed him among the upper class.  

Nevertheless, these individuals had inappropriately used a space-transportation magic item to flee the royal palace.  

It was not a metaphor; it was quite literal. The reason was—  

“-Now speak. What exactly is my brother—the Crown Prince of this nation—preparing to do with Puppet?”  

Prince Albert, having barely escaped with the help of Edith and Philip, gasped for air as he asked.  

Major General Philip intervened.  

“Your Highness, perhaps it would be best to calm down first?”  

His gentle demeanor contrasted with his lion-like appearance. However, Albert refused.  

“Sir Philip, I truly appreciate your help, but I need to know the truth.”  

Although Philip felt compelled to back down, a mix of childish impulsiveness and a sense of duty and mission was evident.  

The reason Philip had tried to rescue the prince was precisely because of these traits, making it impossible to ignore his resolve.  

“Oh... Are you sure, Your Highness?”  

The grotesquely chubby Edith approached a wooden box on one side and said.  

He picked up a crowbar and opened the sealed wooden box, gathering various weapons like axes, guns, and grenades.  

Thanks to his ample body, the weapons were concealed without a noticeable bulge.  

“What do you mean? Didn't you say you would explain?”  

“No, I thought you'd ask that gentleman instead.”  

Edith pointed to the muscular Philip.  

“Maybe it would be better to ask him. He'll explain more kindly than I would. Don't get me wrong, it’s just too bothersome for me.”  

His tone was arrogantly casual for speaking to a prince.  

Philip intervened again.  

“Edith... I do enjoy your haughty tone, but this man is a prince.”  

“That's why I'm saying it. It's better if he explains than me.”  

Unable to argue with that logic, Philip pondered for a moment.  

“Enough!”  

Albert spoke authoritatively, trying hard to maintain his dignity, especially now that his known world was crumbling.  

After a brief silence, Albert spoke again.  

“Sir Edith.”  

“You don't need to address me as 'sir,' Your Highness. I only bought a noble wife with money; I'm not really a noble myself. Besides, I don't even know what makes a noble different from me.”  

“Then, just Edith... Anyway, you will explain it to me.”  

“Oh really, how so?”  

“Because you're disrespectful.”  

“Huh...?”  

“That means you'll speak most honestly.”  

Edith's eyes widened slightly.  

“Do I need to apologize now? I thought you were just a child pretending to be an adult, but you are indeed an adult. Your Highness is right. Disrespect and irreverence are indeed the best means to see the truth. Love and admiration are the opposite... Alright. Alright.”  

Annoyed, Edith turned on an old radio, approached Albert, and as a quiet radio music played in the background, he said,  

“As you wish, I'll explain. But on one condition, Your Highness.”  

"······What is it?"  

"May I speak more comfortably? It's nauseating to use honorifics to someone younger than my own child. Plus, I've wanted to speak informally to royalty."  

"Ha······."  

"Are you serious about what you just said?"  

Philip, who had been quietly listening, gave Edith a look that said he thought he was crazy, and Albert asked in astonishment,  

"Yes, I'm serious. When else would a fat nouveau riche get to speak informally to royalty? I've risked my life here, I should get some compensation. If you don't like it, too bad."  

Though it was a situation that should have made him angry, perhaps due to the circumstances, Albert wasn't angry.  

"Have it your way."  

"Kids are easy! Well then, let's get to the explanation. Time is money. Little prince... Your damn brother is holding hands with Puppet to bring about the apocalypse."  

"The what now? No······. Never mind. Did you say 'apocalypse'?"  

Albert looked puzzled as he turned to Major General Philip, who nodded.  

Edith also nodded.  

"Yes, the apocalypse. That annoying rumor that's been quietly circulating. What's the problem?"  

"Why······? Why would my brother······?"  

Albert truly didn't understand.  

It was a natural question for him. Edith's words implied that his brother Edward and the kingdom's leaders, including Puppet, were planning to bring about the apocalypse, which was beyond common sense.  

After all, they already enjoyed more than anyone else in this world.  

Wealth, power, honor······.  

Why would such people, who have everything to lose, conspire with Puppet to bring about the end of the world?  

However, the answer was surprisingly simple.  

"Little prince. Human greed knows no bounds."  

Albert looked at Edith as if he were looking at another creature.  

However, Edith didn't care and just smiled. That smile seemed to mock an innocent child.  

"I don't care whether the little prince becomes king or not, but remember this. Human greed is endless. Even if you think you have enough, it's never enough. Why? Because you always want more than others!"  

Edith emphasized his point. There was a conviction in his words.  

"This isn't a joke. Humans are overflowing with people who freak out just because they want more than others. Believe it, it's right in front of you. And even having more than others is a problem. Then, you want it forever. I do, too."  

"So—"  

"—Right, little prince. Your brother and the proud leaders of the Allied Kingdom are all trembling with this pig-like greed. It's a cliché and uninspired reason."  

It was incomprehensible by Albert's standards. Therefore, Albert tried to believe it.  

If he had to believe that the one who had been by his side his whole life was a mere corpse doll, then an unbelievable reason might actually make more sense.  

"Wait······. I don't understand everything, but there's one thing I really don't get." 

"That's normal."  

"How can causing an apocalypse result in such a reward? It doesn't make sense. Apocalypse······. That's the end, isn't it?"  

"It depends on how you view the apocalypse."  

"A perspective?"  

Philip interjected.  

"Some see the apocalypse as a culmination of accumulated sins."  

Just as Albert was about to ask whose sins, Edith added,  

"Specifically, human sins."  

"Human······ sins?"  

"Yes, human sins. It's about wiping humans out because they're so screwed up. By the Almighty Father in heaven."  

The moment Albert heard the words "The Almighty Father in heaven," he remembered a moment when sanctity had vanished and almost staggered. Could it be······?  

Philip quickly supported Albert, who was about to fall, and Edith laughed out loud at such a sight.  

"Hahaha! You see, living long does show you something new. I never thought I'd see a prince collapse up close like this!!"  

"Why aren't you siding with them instead of helping me?"  

Albert suddenly asked the laughing Edith.  

"Huh? Suddenly?"  

"It's not sudden······. Wouldn't siding with them be more beneficial in many ways? I understand Major General Philip because he's a loyal and faithful man to the royal family. But you're not, are you?"  

Albert expressed his suspicion. It was a legitimate suspicion.  

Even though the Roar family had devoted generations to the kingdom and the royal family, Edith was entirely different. His personality also didn't match such behavior.  

"You're not wrong. I lack loyalty and faithfulness. But I do have a good sense."  

"Sense?"  

"Yes, sense. Do you think I could have survived the rough and tumble world of gambling without it? I have this baseless feeling that the little prince's brother is going to ruin everything."  

"Is there any basis for that?"  

"First off, the information came from my in-laws."  

Edith, who had bought a young daughter from a noble family with money, said,  

"Even if they hate me, they like my money. And when I became cash-rich by selling my shares in Prometheus at triple the price, they came to me with a big deal. Those beggars."  

"······."  

"The problem is that these beggars have no sense for business. It'd be better to do the opposite of whatever they suggest."  

Edith pulled a bottle of pills from his pocket.  

The bottle contained pills so dark red they appeared black.  

Edith swallowed one of the pills.  

"Hoo······. Besides, I want to help the little prince. It's kind of fun to think that a prince from the royal family is surviving thanks to me."  

A completely twisted and sinister reason.  

However, perhaps because of that, Albert could believe Edith's words.  

"Wait."  

"Huh?"  

"Isn't there another reason?"  

"Huh? What?"  

"You said there's a sad story."  

"Ah······. You have a good memory. You believed just a word I said?"  

Edith deflected skillfully.  

But it didn't work on Albert. He had clearly heard it, and it wasn't just a trivial feeling. It was because of some idiot woman that he had been saved.  

Just as he was about to guess who it could be, the air shimmered as if mist were rising, and two figures popped out.  

One was a robust man with slicked-back hair, and the other was a lovely lady with pink hair.  

They appeared disheveled, as if they had been on the run, and Philip immediately reacted upon seeing them.  

"As expected. Terence. I was counting on you!"  

"I'd rather not do it a second time. It was barely successful."  

It seemed that Terence, a member of the Roar family, had left to bring this woman.  

Who could she be?  

Albert looked at the woman with curiosity, and just then, their eyes met.  

"Prince?"  

Although she did not know his face, she recognized Albert immediately. She seemed to have a keen eye.  

Just as Albert was about to greet her, she gasped in astonishment again. She was looking at Edith.  

"······Edith?"  

She was so shocked to see Edith that it could be described as turmoil.  

Edith looked at the woman with disdain and said,  

"That idiot woman······. To think she'd crawl all the way here and bother me."  

***

Edith's sharp words were filled with contempt, disgust, and hatred.  

It was easy to tell that their relationship was not ordinary.  

Snap-!  

Just as some kind of tension was about to form between them, Philip clapped his hands and took control.  

"Alright! Now that everyone's here, let's evacuate."  

"Yes."  

"Agreed."  

Terence and Edith each responded to Philip's initiative.  

The woman, still in shock from seeing Edith, said nothing.  

Albert was similar, though he did speak.  

"What does that mean, Sir Philip?"  

"Exactly as it sounds. We're escaping the capital."  

"The capital?!!" Albert asked in surprise.  

He had managed to escape the palace in a rush, but he hadn't imagined leaving the capital entirely. After all, which member of the royal family flees the capital?  

"Oh, the world. Forget what I said earlier. After all, you're still a child. Then, what did you think you were doing coming here?"  

Terence and the woman were shocked by Edith's informal tone toward the prince, but Philip managed to calm them down.  

"I thought... I thought I had prepared something. That Sir Philip had."  

Albert's voice shrank. He felt so pitiful after speaking, but he couldn't change his mind.  

"Sir Philip, I am a prince. Although I am not the heir to the throne, I cannot flee knowing that a disaster is striking the capital! Her Majesty the Queen is also here. Isn't there a way?"  

Albert insisted, suggesting that perhaps the wizards from the Roar family, known for producing military mages, could be mobilized.  

Philip shook his head apologetically.  

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. That would be difficult. I can't even trust my own family entirely."  

"What······?"  

"Do you think Puppet's influence has spared our family? Right now, Terence is about the only one I can count on."  

Ah······. Albert was speechless at Philip's too logical response.  

Philip persuaded him, "For now, leaving the capital is the best course of action. The capital is not just occupied by a bribed army but also Puppet's disciples, Pinkmen, and others. It has essentially become an enemy stronghold. The reason I saved you, Your Highness, is to preserve the royal lineage after Puppet's conspiracy."  

Philip explained why he specifically rescued Albert. The heart of the kingdom was already in Puppet's grasp. Thus, he saved Albert not to save the current dynasty but to ensure a future for it.  

"Shouldn't we leave quickly? They've probably been looking for us since earlier," Edith urged, and Philip also tried to persuade Albert.  

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you need to become stronger now."  

"Or what about making the situation known? Through the radio?"  

"You mean the prince should reveal what the Crown Prince is up to with his cronies?"  

"Isn't it better than just sitting and watching?!!" Albert retorted, almost without realizing, to Edith's mocking tone.  

Philip calmed the excited prince.  

"The chances of success are too slim. Occupying a radio station is not as easy as it sounds, and while the enemy is numerous and strong, we are the only ones on your side, Your Highness. The method with the highest chance of success right now is for you to evacuate. That way, at least the royal family can be preserved."  

"But even if we evacuate, where would we go?!" Albert cried out under pressure.  

Philip answered calmly, "To Landa."  

"Landa?"  

"Yes, I have a trustworthy friend there."  

The phrase 'trustworthy friend' brought to Albert's mind a man who had once saved him when he was targeted by Piper—a man who had insisted on helping him because he was just a boy, and someone who had bleached his hair white, making himself look cooler, and had made him laugh.  

"Sorry, but, Master, I have something to tell you."  

"If it's not urgent, it can wait."  

"It is urgent."  

Terence, who had been preparing a space-transit item connected to outside the capital, urgently called Philip. Feeling that something was not right, Philip approached Terence, and soon his expression grew serious as well.  

"What’s making you so anxious?"  

"······The space-transit item is dead."  

"What?"  

"Specifically, the one connected to outside the capital. It’s completely non-functional. I've never seen this happen before."  

As expected, the problem didn't end there.  

Crackle-!  

While listening to the radio to stay informed of the outside world, the regular broadcast briefly stopped with static interference, then an emergency broadcast began to play.  

Albert had feared that news might break about the prince being kidnapped, but even more shocking news came through.  

It was something that even Edith, the notorious gambler, and Philip, the army major general, couldn’t keep a straight face for.  

It was about Crown Prince Edward the 10th conspiring with Puppet to conduct some ritual.  

"[The story currently unfolding is true. Crown Prince Edward is now planning to offer the entire capital as a sacrifice in a bid for eternal life, wealth, and glory, in league with a sorcerer. We repeat, all the following details are true······.]"  

The silence that followed was so profound it felt deliberate. Moments later, only a low curse, belonging to no one in particular, could be heard.  

"Shit······."