Chapter 79

After the meeting had ended, Crown Prince 1 placed the crown in his embrace and went to find Crown Prince 2.

Lying in his own room, Crown Prince 2 appeared as calm and relaxed as someone who didn’t bring this country to a crisis.

The endlessly comfortable-looking Crown Prince 2 seemed like a complete idiot who failed to grasp the reality of the situation.

“Hmm? Brother. What brings you to my humble abode? The meeting must’ve gone smoothly, huh? Not that I need to know, right? You’ve surely handled everything perfectly.”

From his bed, Crown Prince 2 spoke with a leisurely voice—void of any regret or reflection. A voice detached from reality.

Upon hearing such words from his younger brother, Crown Prince 1 responded calmly.

“How’s your body holding up?”

“Body? My limbs are still throbbing. They were wrecked, so how could they be fine?”

Crown Prince 2 said this nonchalantly, but Crown Prince 1 knew the truth. Through the guard who’d been caring for him instead of a doctor, he’d learned the entire story.

Crown Prince 2’s body had recovered long ago—months before.

Out of the supposed six-month recovery period, he’d healed completely within the first month.

For the remaining five months, he’d been lounging around his room, using his injuries as an excuse to play.

Thus, Crown Prince 1 could speak coldly.

“Embark on a pilgrimage of penance.”

“Huh? Why should I?”

“Why? You dare ask why?”

Faced with his brother’s ignorance of reality, Crown Prince 1 suppressed his anger and spoke calmly.

“Because of your actions, our nation, this land, and our people are suffering under famine and disease. Therefore, you must embark on a pilgrimage of penance to reflect upon your wrongdoings. Only then can our nation be reborn.”

“Why should I do that? As the second prince of the Akard Kingdom, I can obtain anything I desire. Isn’t the problem rather that sword and that woman refusing to become mine?”

Seeing Crown Prince 2’s unyielding attitude, Crown Prince 1 forced himself to suppress his rising anger once more and spoke clearly.

“Our kingdom can no longer collect proper taxes, and food production is struggling. Purchasing supplies from neighboring areas has reached its limits. Depart on your pilgrimage of penance immediately.”

“I refuse! Even death, but not THAT!”

Overcome with rage, Crown Prince 1 slapped Crown Prince 2 across the cheek.

“You hit me?! I’ve never been struck—not even by Father!”

“Father made a grave mistake! Raising an imbecile like you! Pampered into adulthood, unable to distinguish right from wrong—you’ve become nothing but a spoiled brat!”

Enraged, Crown Prince 2 lunged at Crown Prince 1, who easily subdued him.

“Father agrees. He intends to send you away on this pilgrimage of penance until you have fully atoned for your sins and received forgiveness from the Goddess of Life. Until then, you will not be recognized as a member of the royal family!”

“What?! Lies!!”

“I hope you come to realize just how serious your transgressions truly are, foolish brother.”

And thus, Crown Prince 2 was banished and set off on his pilgrimage of penance.

—

Crown Prince 1 gathered all remaining troops and collected the survivors from the cities and villages. Their numbers stretched into the thousands.

“Are all accounted for?”

“Yes. We’ve gathered all survivors from the towns and cities. However, our stored provisions are limited, so we don’t have much time.”

“I understand. We’ll resolve this swiftly.”

Climbing atop a platform, Crown Prince 1 stood before the assembled commoners.

“I am Crown Prince Stur. It was my decision to gather everyone here to address the current crisis.”

“Oh! Prince, you’re reliable indeed. But what of the King? Why does he not handle this matter himself?”

“My father… has collapsed.”

“Huh?”

“Burdened by guilt over my foolish brother, he fell ill. That’s why I now act in his stead.”

“I see.”

The king, who cherished Crown Prince 2 dearly, must have been deeply shocked by these events.

“I apologize for the suffering our people endure because of my foolish sibling. When that fool completes his pilgrimage of penance, this land may revive—but it will likely take many years.”

“So are we all doomed to die?”

“That’s why I’ve devised a plan.”

Crown Prince 1 pulled something from his embrace.

A silver crown.

The most treasured artifact passed down to the kings of Akard—a symbol of the power to rule the world. Its value was beyond measure.

“This crown is a precious heirloom of our Akard Kingdom, symbolizing the qualification to dominate the world. Its worth cannot be quantified.”

“Why bring out such a valuable item now…?”

“I intend to use this crown as collateral to borrow land from another nation.”

“What?! How could you…?”

“In our current situation, we must use whatever resources we have. If this crown can ensure the survival of our nation, it is worth offering as collateral.”

The gathered citizens and servants fell silent.

“With the value of this crown, we should secure enough land to sustain all our people. I will travel to neighboring nations to acquire the best possible territory. Until then, please survive.”

With that, Crown Prince 1 mounted his horse and departed with a few guards.

—

The Akard Empire… cough, recorded as a kingdom, though considering its size, it was closer to an empire.

Given the diversity of its ethnic groups and comparing it to other nations of the era, its dominion spanned two to six times larger than others.

Considering the city-states that existed at the time, Akard’s control over six such states certainly earned it the title of “empire.”

Ahem, let’s return to the story.

Akard’s fall was swift—barely lasting a year.

Despite being one of the largest nations with vast lands and population, it crumbled within a year due to severe famine and plague.

Some say the Goddess of Life was behind it, though the credibility of such claims is low. Considering how much she had bestowed upon humans and other races…

One wonders what great sin caused her wrath, turning their land into a wasteland.

Eventually, she must’ve forgiven them, as the land began to recover, transforming into a great grassland.

From this barren field arose nomadic tribes not long after.

Their name?

– An excerpt from the history lessons at the Magic Academy.

—

Once a prince, the boy wandered aimlessly.

In his heart burned endless fury—against his brother who exiled him, against his father who did nothing to stop it, and against the representative of the Goddess who eluded his grasp.

Thus, filled with aimless rage, the boy wandered alone.

He faced countless dangers, moments where death seemed certain—and indeed, died multiple times.

Yet death refused him. Rest evaded him. His life dragged on painfully, as if waiting for his penance to end.

As time passed, the boy became a young man. Still, the pilgrimage continued.

No reflection stirred within him.

Thus, the Goddess of Life refused to forgive him.

How could one seek forgiveness without understanding their own faults? A fool who believed the world belonged to him—how could he ever receive absolution?

So the young man wandered.

Sometimes killed by monsters, sometimes slain by suspicious guards—he kept wandering.

During this time, he began to notice the strange fluctuations in his vitality, increasing and decreasing cyclically.

Even severed limbs would reattach themselves when drenched in his blood—a bizarre sight.

Through instinct, the young man mastered the manipulation of life-rich blood.

By drinking the blood of others, he replenished his lost vitality; by feeding his blood to others, he transformed them into beings similar to himself.

Thus, the young man continued to wander the world.

Even as the Akard Kingdom disappeared, its land turned to wastelands, and its people scattered and renamed themselves elsewhere, the last Akardin wandered on.

He would be called—the Wandering Akardin.