After concluding my meeting with Sedrun and returning to the family estate.
I had no choice but to sit in my room and quietly sink into thought.
Hessen. Sedrun. The people the future emperor had placed at my side.
There were others besides them, and they, too, shared a common trait.
All of them had proven their abilities, but belonged to no faction.
Their personalities were peculiar. Or they were excessively fixated on something.
Or else they had one problem or another that made people reluctant to approach them.
In one way or another, they were cases the existing factions did not welcome.
They were not people anyone would go out of their way to persuade or bring under the same sphere of influence.
His Highness. Our elder brother Ishmael had recommended such people to me.
The fact that he had personally told me to meet them gave me an immediate feeling.
‘Why did he make that choice? It’s important to understand his intention first.’
Was it simply that they were decent people, so I should meet them once?
If that was truly all there was to it, then he should have recommended others as well.
But after I investigated through various channels, that was not the case.
Every one of them was unaffiliated. People in ambiguous positions.
Thinking that way, I naturally moved on to the next possibility.
Namely, that he was telling me to create a new faction.
It might sound strange, but when considered carefully, it was entirely possible.
As I am now, joining some other faction would be extremely awkward.
It is true that we all support Ishmael, but our situations are quite different.
First of all, I had maintained neutrality until now, only to jump in at the last moment.
No matter where you go, those who join late are rarely warmly welcomed.
On top of that, I attacked Ishmael’s forces. His in-laws, no less.
This was something my elder brother had secretly requested, but there was no way they would know that.
Since I have kept silent as well, in their eyes, it must have looked like an attack.
They could accept me as an ally, but keeping me in the same faction would feel uncomfortable.
Lastly, to be honest, I do not particularly want to place myself under someone else either.
Starting with my father, and including myself, we are founding contributors. A fairly respectable house.
We lack nothing, so I have no desire to enter now as the youngest member.
If they perceive me as a burdensome latecomer, things will become tiresome.
‘If it’s the Ishmael I know, he’s a man shrewd enough to create yet another faction just to keep even the various factions supporting him in check.’
That is why I clearly remember him having me attack his own in-laws.
If I think of this matter as an extension of that, it is not hard to understand.
Since they are supporters who have backed him, openly pressuring them would be difficult.
Even if he ascends to the throne, treating them carelessly would be awkward.
What he needs then is another faction created for the purpose of keeping them in check.
It is not a faction that has grown together with Ishmael from long ago.
It is a kind of personal guard faction made through his subtle support.
From the beginning, this faction would not be based on blood ties, regional ties, or anything of the sort.
It could be controlled in any way, and pressured as much as necessary.
Since they have nothing commonly binding them together, their solidarity would not be impressive either.
They would become a group gathered solely around one thing: loyalty to the emperor.
“Truly, what a terrifying man.”
As I thought that, yet another possibility came to mind.
Perhaps this was my elder brother’s own kind warning to me.
He was telling me that he had everything planned, so I should be careful not to get swept up in it.
Once he reached the pinnacle of power, he would begin cleaning up the existing factions as well.
Because once he reached the place he had aimed for, the entire power structure would have to be reorganized.
The ones who made him emperor? He would be grateful, but only up to that point. Power is not something to be shared.
They ought to know how to wait until the emperor acknowledges them and bestows rewards.
Those who bring up the past and demand their share will disappear in the end.
What survives there will be only ability. Only loyalty. Nothing else.
Those who prioritize what they want and desire will inevitably be pushed aside.
That was why he had proposed this strange faction to me and whispered in my ear.
That the time was not far off, so his younger brother should be careful not to be swept away.
That if I still acted like a fool after he had done this much for me, there would be nothing he could do then.
That he wished to remain with his younger brother for a long time, so I should think carefully.
“Whew.”
I will have to keep my wits about me so I don’t get swept away. One slip, and I’m gone.
He is already keeping even those who raised him to this point in check.
And if he judges them even slightly dangerous, he will remove them immediately.
This is power. This is the reality of the political stage where power plays.
For a moment, it felt as though my breath had been cut off, yet my heart pounded fiercely.
Because in the end, I too was taking step after step toward that power.
It feels like walking on thin ice, but for the sake of the future, it is a path I must take.
If so, the best way is to proceed safely. Without leaving trouble behind.
*
For nearly a month, the National Tax Service carried out intense enforcement.
Each time, Bergel’s mouth went dry.
His elder brother had no interest in the throne, nor in power.
Even now, whenever the subject of the Crown Prince-Brother came up, he closed his mouth and fell silent.
So Bergel believed the next turn would inevitably come to him.
What had been the reason for the uprising that day? It was because a younger brother had passed over his elder brothers.
Even though, when there was no eldest son to inherit, there was a proper order to be followed.
The justification they had put forward was that since this had been ignored, they had no choice but to act.
And now, he could make full use of that very justification himself.
It would be quite difficult, but he considered it a fight worth attempting.
“Your Highness. I apologize, but there are a few things we must confirm.”
“Do you have any letters exchanged with those involved in this case?”
“Until the investigation is complete, I believe you should remain quiet for the time being.”
But the chunk of flesh the Enforcement Bureau had bitten into was far too large.
The moment the scent of blood spread, hunting dogs rushed in from every direction.
There was no way to withstand attacks that tore indiscriminately from all sides.
Even originally, Bergel’s forces had not been that large compared to Ishmael’s.
Once they came under attack, they split, fractured, and collapsed in an instant.
This cannot continue. At this rate, I will truly be completely ousted.
Without being able to do anything, I will have to hand everything over to my younger brother.
When his thoughts reached that point, Bergel arrived at a single conclusion.
‘Not long ago, in a situation just like this, we broke through in the end.’
The power struggle had effectively ended when the Eighth Prince was appointed Crown Prince.
But by seizing a momentary opening, they had been able to achieve victory.
That method had been none other than rising with blades and spears to eliminate the core forces in one stroke.
Back then, the targets had been the Eighth Prince and the Chancellor, but this time was different.
“We strike Ishmael. If we secure him, there will be nothing difficult about it.”
It seemed like a foolish decision, but there were several plausible reasons behind it.
First, Ishmael’s residence, the target, was not very far from here.
The location had been chosen so that the brothers could visit each other often.
And from some time ago, Ishmael had drastically reduced the number of his private soldiers.
Though the Chancellor had tried to aid the Crown Prince through the wrong method,
he had said that it was now right to reorganize the existing private military forces.
He was already weakening the noble houses in preparation for the future.
The reason he had reduced his own private soldiers was so he could say he was leading by example.
If they aimed for this timing, perhaps it truly might be possible.
At first, all of Bergel’s supporters opposed it.
But once they heard the reasons, they began to think, Is it worth trying?
They themselves were in a situation where they did not know when they might be dragged away.
If there was a way to survive, trying anything was the right thing to do.
In the end, they decided to take a gamble with everything on the line.
The justification they put forward for the uprising was that Ishmael had deceived his elder brothers in the past.
In truth, the removal of the Eighth Prince and the Chancellor had been entirely Ishmael’s scheme.
His elder brothers had been deceived by lies and moved, only realizing the truth too late.
Bergel had risen to correct the wrongdoing of this wicked younger brother!
“…So. My elder brother is coming to capture me?”
“That is correct, Your Highness. You must make a decisive choice at once.”
Unfortunately for Bergel, Ishmael’s eyes and ears were already everywhere.
They had been watching and waiting, monitoring every single move of Bergel’s faction.
At present, the one person Ishmael had to overcome in order to become Crown Prince-Brother was Bergel.
No matter how mighty Ishmael’s power was, at present, he was merely the youngest brother.
Since they had risen under the justification that a younger brother had passed over his elders, he could not strike first.
There was only one way. His elder brother had to strike his younger brother first, creating a picture of retaliation.
“It seems that in my elder brother’s eyes, I appear to be an insolent younger brother. If I have committed a grave wrong, I must accept it. Is accepting an elder brother’s stern admonishment not the natural response of a younger brother?”
“No! Right now, Your Highness’s eyes and ears have been blocked by the wicked instigation of the nobles around him. It is only right that you save His Highness, who is surrounded by evil men!”
Where to direct the focus. Even that had already been fully prepared.
Whether Bergel had strongly insisted on it or not was no longer important.
He had been led astray. He had moved because he was under pressure.
And Ishmael had no choice but to rise in order to save such an elder brother.
“That is what those around me say. What do you think, younger brother?”
By “coincidence,” Ethan, the head of the Enforcement Bureau, had come to see Ishmael regarding the earlier issue with his in-laws.
Wesley and Team One under his command had already arrived there as well.
“It may be deeply unpleasant for you to attack your elder brother, but you must do it. Only then can His Highness avoid being judged as someone who fell to the whispers of evil men.”
“What a sorrowful thing this is. A younger brother must subdue his elder brother. If I followed my heart, I would go to my elder brother at once and tell him this is a misunderstanding.”
Ishmael still maintained the stance that he was reluctant.
Bergel and his subordinates were drawing closer and closer.
Only after hearing that news did he finally set out, but he still hesitated.
He even shed tears, saying he would have no face to show his other elder brothers.
“Younger brother. If I am to escort my elder brother safely, I believe I will need the strength of the Enforcement Bureau as well. Will you help me?”
“In addition to the existing investigation, we now have reason to look into where they found the money to arm private soldiers in a time like this, and where the source of those funds lies. Therefore, the Enforcement Bureau will stand with Your Highness.”
Good heavens. Evidence of suspicious fund flows has been discovered?
We are only going because of tax matters.
We are not intervening for any political reason.
At Ethan’s answer, Ishmael wore an expression of great satisfaction.
And in a single day, the battle between elder brother and younger brother came to an end.