The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

The next day, King Albatro finally decided to bridge the relationship between Albatro and Rondine.

I’m glad that I have to think things over but as a country, this decision was too slow.

I understand that they have a long history of conflict with Rondine but everything will be gone once their country is in ruin.

“I will leave it in your capable hand. Prince Leonard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, please leave it to me.”

“B, but, are you really going to use the sea route…..?”

The King looks at the sea with a fearful expression.

We are currently at the harbor. Upon receiving their request, I immediately ordered the ship to make preparations.

The people of the Principality of Albatro all thought that I would be using the land route and acted like they were scared out of their minds. Even now, they are looking at me like they still couldn’t believe it.

“It will be faster by sea. The capital of Rondine is also a port city so I should arrive there within two days. I don’t want to waste unnecessary time on this matter after all.”

“But….Leviathan is still lurking in there.”

“I have the magic cannons your country lent me. And above all, if I don’t provoke it, Leviathan shouldn’t come to attack my ship either. Considering this from its perspective, the thing that it would be most cautious about should be the resealing. In other words, Leviathan is probably focusing its attention here. Please be careful.”

“U,umu….I’m sorry for everything. Please, we are in your care.”

“Although my abilities are limited, please do leave it to me.”

Saying so, I was about to part way with the King but someone called out to me.

“Pr, Prince Leonard! Please wait a minute!”

“If it isn’t Prince Julio. Is your body already alright now?”

The person that appeared along with his escort was Julio.

It would be better for him to stay still in his condition.

Still, Julio walked up to me and deeply bowed his head.

“I wanted to say thank you before you leave. I am deeply grateful to you for saving many of my people.”

He didn’t say it because I saved his and his sister’s life, he expressed his gratitude because I saved the survivors.

That idealist way of thinking was really similar to Leo.

Julio is also a gentle person huh.

“I only saved the people who were looking for help in front of me. I did not do anything worthy of your praise.”

“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that you saved us. I will never forget this debt of gratitude.”

“…..you are exaggerating. But, it doesn’t feel bad at all. Very well, I will look forward to collecting that debt someday.”

Saying so, I smile like Leo would and turn my back to him.

Still, Julio stopped me again.

“Prince Leonard! I…..I want to become someone like you! What should I do to become such a wonderful prince like yourself!?”

The answer to that question is quite difficult.

I think of Leo as a great guy but I never thought of him as a wonderful person.

Leo has both strengths and weaknesses.

Can’t be helped then. Let’s answer him honestly.

“Prince Julio. Leonard Lakes Adler isn’t someone as great as you think. Some people may think of me as gentle but there are also people who think that I am naive as well. Some people think that I am courageous but there are people who think that I am reckless at the same time. I myself think that my idealistic thinking is a flaw for a position that needs to make realistic judgments like an emperor or a prince. You may idolize me as a hero but I am not someone as heroic as you think.”

“B, But……!”

“Yes, I know. If you insist that you are fine with all that then let me give you some advice. I never hesitate to do what I thought was right. This is something I take pride in. You can have your retainers compensate you for your other weaknesses but making a decision is the loneliness of the king. That’s why if it is something I think is right, I will never hesitate. The time I rescued the survivors was the same. I thought that I have to help them so I did. Whatever the result maybe, if I think it is right I will immediately make that decision. If you want to be proud of yourself as a prince then never second thought what you considered to be right.”

“Y, Yes! Those words! I will carve it into my heart!”

Julio lowers his head.

Those were my frank impressions of Leo.

Honestly, Leo is not suitable to become an emperor. Our eldest brother, the crown prince was also a gentle person but he was also someone who doesn’t let that affect his judgment. However, Leo is too naive in that regard. His judgment will definitely be affected by his feelings.

However, Leo never hesitates. Being too naive or too idealistic can be compensated by his retainers. What’s needed for an emperor is an ability to make a judgment call.

He doesn’t have to be perfect.

What’s important is to be strong. He doesn’t need to come up with plots to undermine others. If he can simply make decisions with the benefit of the Empire as his top priority he would be a good emperor.

That’s why I push Leo to become the emperor.

The other three also have the capability but they are too egoistic. They put themselves before the Empire. That’s the kind of emperor they would become.

They have to be stopped.

“Leo would say, If you put it like that then isn’t it fine if Nii-san becomes the emperor yourself, though.”

I muttered with a small voice and boarded the ship.

I am not suitable to become the emperor.

That was what my master as well as great-grandfather who was once an emperor judged.

In his words, an emperor needs the will. As long as you don’t have that even if you have all of the other qualifications you would still unsuited to be an emperor, or so it seems.

The will he meant was not something like the ambition to become the emperor. It was the willingness to do things. In other words, a person who hates troublesome things like me is not suitable to become an emperor.

I wholeheartedly agree with him.

Just a few days of pretending to be Leo already deteriorated so much of my mental health. I can’t help but want to go back to being a good for nothing again.

“Set sail! Our destination is the Principality of Rondine!”

With that in mind, I give my order.

If I can meet up with Leo things will be a little easier.

Calming down my restless mind, I set sail into the sea where the Sea Dragon is lurking in.

The day I departed from Albatro passed without any incident.

Then come the second day.

Leaving the Albatro’s water, our ship entered Rondine’s territory.

That was when it happened.

A roaring sound suddenly echoes from the bottom of the sea.

“Wha, What!?”

“The sea is roaring!?”

“Kuh! All hands to battle stations!”

Everyone onboard is getting restless.

On the other hand, I calmly came out of my room and went up to the deck.

I already erected a barrier around this ship. It’s a barrier to cut our presence from outside perception. I chose the sea route because I have this magic. But to think that we would meet it here of all places.

“EVERYONE, CALM DOWN! It is already too late. There’s nothing we can do but wait for it to pass.”

“Y, Your Highness…..”

“It is already below us.”

I can’t see it.

It is probably moving deep in the depth.

Still, if I haven’t erected the presence concealment barrier then our ship might already have been sunk.

According to the legend in Albatro, its body should be well over fifty meters long with a pair of dragon wings and four legs but I can’t confirm that legend at all.

However, I’m certain that it is directly below us.

Not just me, it seems that everyone on board is also aware of this because of their human instinct. The fact that everyone is holding their breath is proof.

They all felt the grave danger to their lives.

Dragons are predators and humans are just their prey. That rule is almost an absolute certainty in this world.

After a while, I confirmed that it had already passed us. However, I won’t tell them.

Eventually, after more than an hour passed with nobody moving a muscle, Marc says that it should be alright now and we continue heading toward Rondine.

“I thought that we were finished……..”

“Yeah, I didn’t think that we would come across it in such a place. I was careless.”

“Yes, but why was it there?”

“…..For Leviathan, all human beings must be its enemy. It has no concept of a country so it might have gone to do something in Rondine, or perhaps it was on its way back from doing that. Either way, it would be better for Rondine to see this as their problem as well.”

As if to back up my ominous words, a report came in.

“Your Highness! Rondine is currently being attacked by monsters!”

“As I thought…..”

“Your Highness, can you refrain from speaking your mind next time?”

“Isn’t it better to be able to prepare in advance?”

“It might become true exactly because you said it though.”

“I don’t have such a god-like ability you know.”

With that said, I go up to the deck and look at the capital of Rondine in the distance.

Certainly, they are being attacked by monsters of various sizes.

Meanwhile, there was a single ship that was fighting off the monsters.

It is bearing an imperial flag.

As expected, his decision was fast.

“ADVANCE AT FULL SPEED. WE ARE SUPPORTING MY BROTHER!”

“Acknowledged! ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATION! MAKE SURE YOU USE THE MAGIC CANONS WE BORROWED FROM ALBATRO AS WELL!”

Saying so, Captain gave out his instruction in high spirit.

He is probably happy that he got to use the weapon we borrowed from Albatro.

Just in case, I have Leo’s sword hanging at my waist but it’s heavy. I probably won’t be able to swing it that well.

“Now then, will I get a chance to switch back?”

While thinking about such a thing, we headed straight toward Rondine.