11 Episode 10 Peronia War Part 1 (1/2)

Speaking of which, how is Titus ...... Hadrian's Highness doing now?

Hercule asked the kind man ...... in front of him.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

Hercule was the youngest of three brothers and had two older brothers.

He had two older brothers: Hadrian, the eldest, and Titus, the second son.

Hadrian, the eldest, and Hercule were so distant that they spoke less than a hundred words, but he was reasonably close to Titus, and this did not change after his accession to the throne.

They are half-brothers and were raised separately, so there is almost no sense of brotherhood between them, but when it comes to literature and art, they have a good rapport with each other, so they occasionally have dinner together and talk.

I'm still shutting myself in. The fact that he didn't get the crown seems to have taken a toll on him.

I'd give it to you any day.

Please don't. If you give him the crown, this country will die.

Do you want Titus?

Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

Titus rejected Hercule's offer with a big wave of his hand.

However, Titus himself was aware that he was not suited to be an emperor and, like Hercule, he did not need the crown.

Titus' hobbies are painting, sculpting, playing music, and writing poetry.

In fact, his father, Hadrian III, told him that he was too good to be an emperor because he was one of the best in the empire in those fields and would definitely be included in the cultural history of later generations.

His father, Hadrian III, had told him that he was too good to be emperor, and that if he were to be compared to any historical figure on Earth, he would be Huizong.

If Titus ascends to the throne, it is only a matter of time before the Lemurian Empire comes to a bad end for Huizong.

I don't know anything about His Highness Hadrian. He definitely hates me, right?　I didn't mean to do anything wrong, but ......

”Well, I'm sure your brother can't stand the very idea of you.

What did I do?

...... It is understandable that you are unaware of this, for you are not to blame.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one.

As you can see from his name, Hadrian, the eldest son, was named after his father, Hadrian III. (Hereafter, Hadrian III will be referred to as his father and Hadrian as his eldest son.

Probably, he would have been called Hadrian IV if he had ascended the throne.

And he was originally going to be emperor.

Hadrian III wanted his first-born son to be his successor, so he gave him his own name in hope and expectation.

He loved Hadrian so much that he gave him the same name as himself.

However, perhaps his spoiled upbringing was a bad thing, and Hadrian grew up to be a selfish and inflexible child.

He was strong in arms, and often annoyed Hadrian III by violating the children of nobles.

Even so, Hadrian III bowed to the nobles and tried to make Hadrian his successor.

He loved Hadrian so much that he thought that time would solve the problem.

But time did not solve the problem.

Fourteen years ago, Hadrian finally raped a nobleman's daughter, an incident unbecoming of a crown prince.

This caused a great uproar, and the political situation of the empire was greatly shaken.

At this point, Hadrian III finally gave up on Hadrian.

However, even though he had given up on Hadrian, his second son Titus was not very good.

What to do? ......

At that time, Hercule was born.

Thus, Hadrian III's love for Hercule turned to him at once, and Hadrian, who had expected and loved him until now, lost his love for him at once, and came to hate him.

Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations. ......

I'm not congratulating you. You're a terrible parent.

You've done a great job raising him. You've had great success in raising your children with His Majesty. You've learned from the mistakes of raising your first and second sons.

Titus laughed in amusement.

Titus laughed in amusement. The two men didn't think much of Hadrian III as a father.

Titus, who was not expected to be a father in the first place, hardly talked to Hadrian III, and Hercule, reflecting on the time of his eldest son Hadrian, avoided involvement so as not to overindulge him.

To both of them, he was more than a father, he was an emperor, nothing more and nothing less.

”So, when do we kill him?　Your Majesty.

You're being rude. I'm not going to kill you as long as you're quiet.

Hercule shrugged.

It's obvious that Hadrian hates Hercule and wants to take his crown.

But he has only thought about it, not actually acted on it or planned it.

Killing him at this stage would only harm Hercule's reputation.

It's not like he's going to stay quiet. ...... It's going to be a problem if he works with the nobles.

I'm sure the nobility's complaints have died down by now.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

To do so, we need a strong army, and to maintain that army, we need heavy taxes.

The Lemurian Empire was once a great power.

The Lemurian Empire had once been a great power.

Today, it has lost half of its territory, and even its former homeland is occupied by barbarians.

What sustains the hearts of the Lemurians is their pride that they are the people of the holy land of God, the last empire that will remain on earth until the time of the final judgment.

This was their pride.

Restoration of territory.

The words ”restoration of territory” strongly moved the hearts of the nobles.

However, most of the nobles who were moved were the Elves, who had been in the Lemurian Empire since its founding and had long lives and a strong sense of nostalgia.

The newcomers to the noble house have little interest in restoring their territory and remain dissatisfied with Hercule.

”But, Your Majesty. But your Majesty. The non-elven nobles remain dissatisfied. If they join forces with Hadrian, ......

You're not very good at politics, are you? Titus. What can they do?　Rebellion is impossible. The guilds make it easy to track the movement of goods and people. If they gather weapons, food, mercenaries, we'll know. Assassination?　That's even more impossible. There's no way any assassin could get past Carolina's defenses.

I will protect you.

I'll protect you,” thought Hercule as he looked at Karolina.

Not only Karolina, but also Hercule's surroundings were always guarded by skilled people.

It would be impossible to break through this defense, to break through Karolina, and to break through Hercule himself.

If there are less than ten assassins, the Great Spirit that Hercule has contracted with will be able to handle them.

Well, I'd rather wait for an outburst. If you attempt to assassinate me, it will be easier for me to kill you.