The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

When I dismissed it as not a big deal, Protector of the Nation Adgale blushed and fidgeted.

But this old man, I thought he wasn’t an ordinary old man, but he turned out to be the Protector of the Nation famous as a transcendent.

As expected of Jade, even while staying still, all sorts of incidents and accidents swirled around him, befitting a protagonist.

I just came to fish, but to think I’d catch Protector of the Nation Adgale himself.

The Protector of the Nation was one of only three dukes in this country.

Of course, even though he was a duke, his territory was smaller than a decent-sized count’s territory.

“Ahem, young man. Impersonating royalty is a serious crime.”

At Adgale’s words, I grinned.

It was natural for him not to recognize me as a prince.

I hadn’t even made my debut in high society, let alone being half-secluded by the queen.

Rather, it would be faster to count the people who knew me in the palace.

“Isn’t the self-proclaimed Protector of the Nation also impersonating royalty?”

The reason he was a duke was because he was ‘royalty’ who had established countless military merits.

In other words, he was a non-hereditary duke given to royalty with high honor, not a real power holder.

In the end, he was my relative.

According to the family tree, he was the grandson of my great-grandfather, who bequeathed me the war emergency fund, so he would be my second great-uncle.

As if he hadn’t expected my answer, Adgale slapped his knee and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Is that how it works? That’s right, what can’t be done with just words? I got hit hard!”

Of course, even if he was a duke only in name, his power couldn’t be said to be weak.

From a young age, he had devoted himself to the military and created an independent support base in the Western Command.

His in-laws, a viscount family, were also a major power in the business world as a huge wealth.

With power, money, and blood coming together, they could become a great noble family in the future.

Of course, they might not.

There were four more members of the royal family who became dukes in history, but only two ducal families have survived to this day.

Even then, one of them will later be engulfed in the calamity of family extinction.

“So, self-proclaimed second great-uncle, what brings you here?”

If he was the Protector of the Nation, he should be in his territory in the southwest of the kingdom, so why was he here?

At my question, Adgale answered as if it was nothing.

“I received an urgent rescue request a few days ago at dawn, so I came. I was sleeping well, but suddenly I was told that a dragon had invaded this city, so you can’t imagine how surprised I was.”

Dragon? Ah, what I did.

I asked nonchalantly, pretending not to know.

“I heard that was an illusion by demon worshippers, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right. If I had stopped by a city on the way here, I could have received the message, but I came in such a hurry that I didn’t know anything.”

Indeed, it was strange that the Protector of the Nation, who rarely left his territory or the vicinity of the western front, came all the way to the eastern edge.

I didn’t know the butterfly effect would occur like this.

Adgale, who answered, smiled slyly and said,

“But you know what, self-proclaimed second great-grand-nephew? Can’t we really drink that alcohol together? You could say we’re accomplices, aren’t we?”

Adgale slyly made me an impersonator of royalty.

Although he was a knight renowned as a transcendent, in the end, he was also a seasoned politician as royalty.

Of course, compared to the weasels swarming in the royal court, he would be at a cute level.

“Oho, the self-proclaimed second great-uncle, famous for being fair and square, is even resorting to threats. This is surprising.”

“Ahem, threats? Isn’t there a more euphemistic expression?”

“For example?”

“Affection between relatives?”

Adgale and I laughed at the same time.

“Ahahaha! Affection, the self-proclaimed second great-uncle has a great sense of humor.”

“Ahahaha! Right? I’m glad my self-proclaimed second great-nephew appreciates it.”

While laughing, Adgale still couldn’t take his eyes off my alcohol, pretending not to.

I pondered how to make use of the Protector of the Nation, whose reputation was well-known as a transcendent.

After a brief calculation, I smiled brightly.

“Since it’s come to this, I have no choice. It’s okay to drink together.”

At my permission, Adgale’s expression brightened.

“Are you sure it’s okay, self-proclaimed second great-grand-nephew? I shouldn’t be the one to say this after continuously hinting at it, but Tears of Heaven is an alcohol that even the emperor of the empire can barely drink once a year.”

Saying things you don’t even mean.

“Hmm, since the self-proclaimed second great-uncle says so, let’s pretend it never happened…”

“Ah! No! No matter how precious the alcohol is, how can it be more precious than our relationship? Right? Our self-proclaimed second great-grand-nephew?”

Seeing him flustered, I giggled playfully.

“Well, that might be true.”

Honestly, if I weighed the relationship with the Protector of the Nation and Tears of Heaven, of course Tears of Heaven was more precious.

Flattering that old man was something I could do by playing with my tongue a few times, but this alcohol was a famous liquor among famous liquors that I didn’t know when I could get it again, so how could I compare them?

However, the Protector of the Nation’s labor force seemed to balance the scale somewhat.

No, maybe the alcohol is still more precious.

It’s a dilemma.

“But you know, as the self-proclaimed second great-uncle also mentioned, this alcohol is not just precious, right?”

I shook off my dilemma and decided to make use of the Protector of the Nation as originally calculated.

Sob, sob, my precious alcohol, but I have no choice.

“That’s true.”

“So, in exchange for the alcohol, I’d like the self-proclaimed second great-uncle to help me with a few things within the possible scope.”

At my request, Adgale stroked his chin as if he found it quite interesting.

“You’re going to make use of me? Not just once, but several times?”

“They’re not big matters. The self-proclaimed second great-uncle will also find them somewhat enjoyable, and there will be benefits too. You can listen to my request and reject it if you really don’t like it. It’s just that rumors will spread in the world about how the great knight, the Protector of the Nation, took advantage of little kids.”

At my blatant threat, Adgale slightly narrowed his brows.

“But even if such rumors spread, it wouldn’t matter to the self-proclaimed second great-uncle, right?”

It wouldn’t be irrelevant. It was a matter related to his own reputation.

“Ahem, it’s not that it doesn’t matter… But the request won’t be something that goes against morality, right?”

“Of course. How dare I make a rude request to none other than the Protector of the Nation, even if self-proclaimed? It’s just an extension of cherishing our relationship.”

In other words, let’s continue to be good trading partners for each other.

Just then, the fixed fishing rod bent and the fishing line became taut.

“Oh my, it’s heavy.”

It seemed I wouldn’t be able to lift it at once with my slender arms.

I loosened the reel and pulled it, slowly reeling it in while draining the fish’s strength.

The fish I caught was a sea bream the size of my forearm.

It’s quite a rare fish, but would it be delicious to make spicy fish stew with this? Since it’s big, should I slice half of it as sashimi?

I took out a cutting board and a kitchen knife from the ingredient storage.

Adgale admired the magic sword ‘Dalanta’s No. 5 Kitchen Knife’.

“Wow, it’s the first time I’ve coveted a kitchen knife.”

Dalanta’s kitchen knife set was indeed a rare magic sword.

Even Dalanta himself didn’t use the knives much after making them, saying his skill in handling kitchen knives was lacking because they were too excellent.

Considering that I used all sorts of magic on the kitchen knife when cooking last time, it seemed he didn’t care about it now.

“No matter how much you beg, I absolutely won’t give you this.”

At my firm words, Adgale snorted.

“Hmph! I have the Clearwater Sword, so why would I beg for that measly kitchen knife?”

The Clearwater Sword was the Protector of the Nation’s cherished sword, comparable to Precia’s Seven Star Sword and Demiway’s Demon Sword.

Dalanta’s kitchen knife was inevitably inferior due to its short length.

“Then that’s a relief. Alright, as soon as the cooking is done, let’s open the bottle.”

At my words, Adgale swallowed his saliva. Jade, who was diligently filleting the fish, pondered something and asked.

“This might be a rude question, but is that Protector of the Nation a famous person? Judging from Yuan’s words, he seems to be an impersonator.”

At the innocent question, Adgale’s expression distorted mercilessly, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha! Our self-proclaimed second great-uncle needs to put in some effort!”

“Hey, young man. Do you really not know me?”

When Adgale asked with an unbelievable face, Jade nodded.

This naive boy was from the empire and was taken in by Yekatrice when he was six years old.

Since then, he had spent his entire life in the Bastille Mountains, so it was natural for him not to know the Protector of the Nation.

“Ahahahahaha!”

“Stop laughing, you!”

It was such a delightful day that it would be appropriate to designate it as the day of the Protector of the Nation’s humiliation and commemorate it every year.

****

I drank the last cup and smacked my lips in regret.

As expected of an alcohol that even the emperor couldn’t easily drink, it was very delicious.

How should I describe this taste? It was refreshingly sweet and slightly bitter, cool yet warm, a subtle feeling.

“If we caught this much, we can eat fish until we’re sick of it for a while.”

Behind me, the tank was filled with various fish.

Jade had already put aside fishing and was smacking his lips while eating the meuniere I made and pouring a new bottle of wine.

This guy had completely become a drinker.

“It’s my first time having seafish, and the saltiness is tastier than freshwater fish.”

Adgale, who was fishing next to me, seemed upset that he caught fewer fish than me.

He climbed on top of the surging rocks and swung his fishing rod with his pants soaked, trying to beat me.

“Hmm, should I tell that old man that I caught half of them with the help of the spirit of water?”

“Wouldn’t it be fine? He seems to be detecting the location of the fish with mana waves too.”

It was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

“Ah, should I pour you a drink?”

“No, it’s okay.”

When I refused the alcohol, Jade asked if I was feeling unwell somewhere.

He’s a rather rude fellow.

I was savoring the last lingering taste of Tears of Heaven when a small paper bird tore through the sky and flew towards me.

The paper bird that landed on my hand unfolded itself and turned into a small note.

As Jade showed interest, I burned the note with magic and said,

“It says the Slavan Circus will arrive in Ziliville tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

It was a letter sent by Abasael.

I thought it would take longer since Abasael wasn’t coming alone, but it would be a short vacation.

“Is that so? That’s something to look forward to.”

Jade’s eyes sparkled at the thought of meeting the great mage Abasael, whom he had only heard about in stories.

I slowly got up from my seat and shouted to Adgale.

“Self-proclaimed second great-uncle! Let’s stop now and go do the things you promised me!”

At my call, Adgale frowned.

“I think I can beat my self-proclaimed second great-grand-nephew if I catch a few more. Can’t I do it a bit longer?”

It’s said that no one who wields a sword lacks a competitive spirit, but it seemed true that he hated losing tenaciously, befitting someone who had reached the realm of transcendents.

“You’ve already caught a lot. What are you going to do by catching more fish? It’s a waste to catch what you won’t even eat. Or what? Are you, the Protector of the Nation, planning to sell them on the streets?”

“Ahem! Didn’t you also catch a lot?”

“I’m going to eat them all. That’s why I even prepared them, didn’t I?”

Even at my words, the old man couldn’t let go of his fishing rod, as if he had lingering attachments.

“If you’re going to stay there, I’ll leave you behind. If you don’t want to meet the dwarf…”

“What did you say?! Dwarf? There’s a dwarf in this city? You should have said that from the beginning!”

Adgale quickly cleaned up and took the tank filled with fish.

“Let’s go! What can I help with?”

Seeing him suddenly looking full of enthusiasm, I grinned.

“I hope you stay that enthusiastic until the end.”

The dwarf we were going to meet from now on was no easy fellow.

Well, the Protector of the Nation wouldn’t die.

He couldn’t possibly die when he’s a transcendent, right?