The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 102: The War Maniac

It seems you got the letter huh. Good work.

Said Gordon who is fearlessly sitting on his chair.

Before him is Sonia. The eyes that she stares at Gordon with have no shred of loyalty.

That was the promise after all.

Sonia said indifferently.

Gordon laughs derisively at Sonia.

What an unfriendly subordinate you are. But you did great getting that letter. As expected of the adopted child of the genius strategist huh. I would rather have your father by my side though. It was a shame that he cant move because of that old wound of his.

!? What did you say!?

Light of hatred shines from Sonias eyes.

Ten years ago. Sonia was forced to leave her village together with her mother because she was a half-elf and had to live quietly on the outskirts of the village on the border between the Perlan Kingdom and the Empire.

However, the village was devastated by the conflict between the Empires army and the Kingdoms army, making Sonia separated from her mother. She was saved by her adoptive father when she was attacked by the remnants of the Kingdoms Army that resorted to banditry and set fire to her village.

However, at that time, her adoptive father was seriously injured and his body couldnt afford him to continue his military career any longer. Still, he took Sonia in and raised her as his own daughter.

He is a great benefactor for Sonia. Both as an irreplaceable father, and her beloved teacher.

How did such a war that harms the citizens lives exist when such a man is in the army?

The reason is the man in front of her, Gordon. 

At the time, it was Gordons first skirmish so he charged into the enemy, hungry for his own military achievement. The war front pointlessly expanded and caused the fire of war to spread to the village, resulting in Sonia becoming an orphan and severely injuring her adoptive father.

Gordon was praised by many because the assault he led took down many enemies but at the same time, a lot of blood had flowed because of Gordons recklessness.

That Gordon just nonchalantly said that [It was a shame]. That was unforgivable for Sonia.

However,

From your eyes, it looks like you want to kill me huh? But dont forget. Your father and all your foster parents are under my surveillance.

I understand that.

Sonia bit down on her lips with regret and squeezed out such words.

Many of the army staff have an opposite view to Gordons. They do not wish for war.

Thats why there was no strategist at Gordons side who was proficient at fighting the political war. So Gordon set his sight on Sonias step-father who has already retired and threatened him into cooperating with him.

However, Sonias step-father is not physically strong enough to travel to the Imperial Capital so Sonia offered herself as his replacement. She wanted to repay him for bringing her up. At the same time, Gordon is a person who will resort to taking a hostage if he has to, Sonia thought of becoming a brake for Gordon who rarely listens to others opinions.

If she lets a man like him rampage as he likes, the number of people who will have to suffer the same fate as she and her father will increase.

It was painful for Sonia to serve Gordon, who could be said to be her mortal enemy, but the sense of gratitude to her father compelled her to make that choice.

No, you dont. I heard that you wanted to hand not only the knight but the letter to Leonard right? If you are my strategist then move in a way that only benefits me.

My promise to you was to become your strategist once I reached you. I was still free when I arrived at the capital. It was my freedom to do as I pleased back then.

Are you forgetting about the hostages? You have no choice but to obey me you know?

And arent you forgetting it yourself? You can not win against His Highness Eric without a strategist. You know that, so you called me here, correct?

Sonia doesnt avert her eyes away from Gordons sharp gaze.

Gordons biggest enemy is Eric and if he cant defeat Eric, there wont be any chance for him to even see the throne.

However, there are many talented people under Eric, making his faction the largest. Above all, Erics faction is better suited for a political conflict than Gordons whose support base is the military.

Thats why Gordon called in Sonia to manage the situation.

Hmph..whatever. Now, let me see your result.

Gordon urges Sonia to hand him the letter.

Sonia takes out the letter from her pocket but she doesnt hand it to Gordon immediately.

Sonia gazed at Gordon and pulled it away from him.

I can burn this if I want to.

you dont care what will happen to the hostages?

Sonia slowly shook her head sideways to Gordons words.

If she truly doesnt care about them she wouldnt bring the letter with her but even if she brought him the letter, it doesnt mean that she will let him do whatever he wants.

I simply want you to hear me out first.

Hou? Lets hear it then.

.Your Highness will not give the letter to His Highness Leonard immediately to give the South time to prepare for their rebellion, correct?

Of course.

Sonia frowned at Gordons obvious answer.

It was as she expected.

She thought that if it is Gordon then he will definitely do that.

Thats why she has to change his mind.

There are two risks attached to that. One is that His Highness Leonard might make an appeal to His Majesty. The Southern Investigation was originally his responsibility so your interception of this letter will be regarded as an obstruction to his work.

You dont have to worry about that. Right now, we are in the middle of the succession war. If he goes to cry to Father just because the letter was intercepted by his opponent then Father will never make Leonard into a crown prince. Theres no place for such a weak person on the throne after all.

If you go cry to your father every time there is a problem, what would you do once your fathers gone?

Sonia understands his reasoning. The right thing to do is definitely to report the matter to the Emperor but it would come at a huge loss for him.

Even if Leo wants to, everyone around him will stop him.

On the second point, this will be too detrimental to the Empire. Such a thing will eventually earn His Majesty the Emperors distrust in you, Your Highness. The Southern rebellion should be nipped in the bud.

What I want is war. I will give the South time and have them start a rebellion for me. The bigger the conflict, the bigger my military achievement will be.

As a result, the Empire will be weakened and we will be open for invasions from other countries.

Then I will have more opportunity to act. The larger the war, the more my power will grow. If someone is going to invade us then it will be the Kingdom, I can just lightly kick them off the Empires territory and maybe I can take the chance to lead the army to crush Eric as well.

Saying so, Gordon smiled at his ideal future.

Sonia felt disgusted by his smile. His smile was one that belonged to someone who never thought about how many lives will be lost in his plan.

Still, Sonia continues talking to him.

That kind of future will not come to pass. There is no doubt that His Highness Eric will try to get in your way. What you wish for shouldnt be a war but the throne. War is simply a means to the throne. You mustnt confuse the means with the result you hope for. If Your Highness wants to become an emperor, you must look for more options other than the war.

then what should I do?

Firstly, you must immediately talk to His Highness Leonard and give him the letter. At that time, you must make him promise to not interfere with Your Highnesss plan. If the letter reaches His Majestys hand, Her Highness Zandra will lose her support base in the South. Without her main supporters, those who are supporting Her Highness Zandra will disperse to join the other factions. We can take them in and close the gap in personnel between yours and His Highness Erics faction. Moreover, with the earlier promise, even if His Highness Leonard wanted to interfere, he will not be able to. This is the closest path Your Highness can take to the throne.

And what if Leonard breaks his promise?

We can start spreading the words that His Highness Leonard betrayed you even though you helped him secure the letter. His Highness Leonards strength is his sincerity. If we can attach a negative image to him, he will lose the momentum he built up so far. That move will be available to us if we hand the letter to him immediately.

If you are aiming for the throne, it is a foolish idea to keep the letter to yourselves and give the South time to prepare.

It is one thing if Gordon only wants to start a war but he is, in fact, a prince who is fighting for the throne. His final goal should be the seat of the emperor.

Sonia doesnt want to support Gordon to become the emperor but she must do it because he is holding her parents as hostages.

Eventually, Gordon will relax his surveillance and she will be able to slip away from him.

Until then, she must keep Gordon from rampaging as he likes by making his faction bigger. When the faction grows bigger to the extent that Gordon cant take control of it by himself anymore, if she disappears at that point, Gordon will eventually self-destruct.

The seat of the emperor can be obtained by Eric or Leo. That was what Sonia is thinking.

.that way, can I become an emperor?

Yes, if you do what I say.

.Alright. I will give the letter to Leonard immediately. Keep using that skill of yours for my sake in the future as well.

Will you promise that you will adopt my plan?

Yeah, I promise. I wont betray a good strategist like you.

Saying so, Gordon holds out his hand.

Sonia timidly placed the letter in it.

Gordon snorts as he opens the letter and begins to read its content.

I managed to persuade him.

Relieved with that thought, Sonia let out a sigh.

That was why she missed it, the distortion on Gordons face.

What are you trying to do!?

A week has passed.

Over the past week, Gordon showed no sign of getting into contact with Leos faction. He didnt even try to meet Sonia during that time.

Sonia was finally able to meet Gordon but she was fed-up on how oblivious he is.

I have explained it to you already right! If Your Highness is aiming for the throne, you must hand that letter to His Highness Leonard immediately!

Yeah, I was listening. But your proposal was rejected.

Said Gordon as he easily broke his promise.

With an expression of disbelief on her face, Sonia stares at Gordon.

The fact that he will break his promise is understandable. He is a man who resorted to taking hostages after all. Breaking a promise or two is nothing to him. 

However, what Sonia told him wasnt a lie. If Gordon wanted the throne, his best bet would be to follow her plan and by not adopting it would mean that his end goal was not the throne.

Do you not want the throne!?

I do. But I dont want to obtain it without any war. I want to grow the Southern rebellion bud bigger and lead the army to defeat them. Then I will take control of the central army and drive out Eric. this is the kind of development I like.

Likethe Empire might get invaded by other countries you know!? Do you not understand how dangerous that is!?

I understand it well. The troop at the border should be able to hold them back for a while. In the meantime, I will become the crown prince and launch a counterattack. Theres no need to fear other countries. The Empire is a strong country and under me, it will be reborn into a Hegemony.

Saying so, Gordon lightly swings his hand.

Then, Sonia was grabbed by two guards.

What are you!? Without me, you cant beat His Highness Eric you know!?

I dont feel like winning against him in a political conflict. I will crush him with my army. I have to thank you for setting up the perfect stage for that. I will call you again when I have business with you. Until then stay quietly in your room. And dont try anything strange. The hostages lives are still in my hand.

With such a threat from Gordon, Sonia was taken out of the room.

As she was being forced out of the room by the two guards, Sonia stared at Gordon in disbelief.

It was as if he was a monster.

Participating in the succession war while wishing to start an actual war.

Sonia misread him. Gordon certainly wanted the throne but what he wanted more is war. He is a genuine War Maniac.

For Gordon, War is not a means but an end. The throne is only there to facilitate that.

Sonia who finally realized that was dragged away, still in disbelief.