The name of the imperial capital was given by Emperor Scharnos himself, after his own name.
According to the Players, the name also meant "the city of Scharnos".
"Your highness! We are almost at the capital, Scharnof."
The expression of Count Perez, who was sitting next to him, was bright with anticipation.
He was glad that this tedious march was finally over.
'It took longer than I expected, probably because of the large number of people.'
Eurius also had a lot of things to do in the capital, so he felt somewhat impatient, but he was also happy.
"His Imperial Highness has arrived. Open the gates!"
As soon as the order was given, the city was filled with enthusiastic crowds who welcomed him.
He had passed through several large cities on his way to the capital, so he was used to it and did not feel much excitement, but the parade in the capital was still special for Eurius.
Especially when he passed through the square in the center of the city, his expression became very complicated.
'That's where I was beheaded.'
He still could not forget the chilling feeling of the blade cutting through his neck.
He put aside his complex feelings and smiled outwardly as he passed through the city and finally entered the imperial palace.
"I greet Your Imperial Highness!"
As soon as he got off the carriage, the bureaucrats of the imperial faction came out and greeted him.
"You have all worked hard while I was away."
After finishing his meeting with his subordinates, one person cautiously spoke to Eurius.
"It would be nice to have a banquet or something, but His Majesty ordered you to come to the war room as soon as you enter the palace…"
"His Majesty? I'll go right away."
Eurius guessed his intention.
He probably wanted to ask him about his opinion before the official war meeting tomorrow.
So Eurius quickly dressed up and headed to the war room.
"His Majesty, Your Imperial Highness has arrived."
"Let him in!"
The emperor greeted Eurius with a smile.
"I have heard about your achievements in the north through the report. But there are a few things I want to hear from you directly, so I called you separately."
It was natural that he was curious about Eurius's unbelievable achievements in the north.
No matter how detailed the report was, it could not be as detailed as hearing it from his own mouth.
"It was just luck, not my pure skill."
"Isn't there a saying that luck is also a skill? Haha."
He explained to the emperor in detail, embellishing some parts and omitting some secrets that were hard to reveal yet, such as his skills or his duel with Nuada.
Of course, the emperor was very satisfied with his expression.
'He is indeed the only one who can succeed me.'
He confirmed his thoughts and brought up the main topic to Eurius.
"Your achievements are unparalleled in the history of the empire, regardless of your age."
"…!"
"I want to give you the position of crown prince if you want it. What do you think?"
'His Majesty wants to make me crown prince at this opportunity?'
The emperor's tone was different from last time when he casually suggested it.
He seemed to have made up his mind by looking at his firm tone.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but that seems difficult."
"…!"
The emperor looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
Then he asked in a serious tone.
"Do you really not want to accept the position of crown prince yet?"
"That is correct."
'Why is he suddenly like this?'
The emperor was a bit flustered because his expectation was wrong. But he had prepared for this situation too.
"Is it because of Grand Duke Wilhelm or his followers?"
"I can't say it's unrelated."
"I read this report. The war broke out as soon as you went up north, and there were also some strange groups in between…"
At this point, the emperor's expression changed momentarily, as if he regained his youthful spirit.
"If Grand Duke has a rebellious heart, I will not spare him. You must have guessed that too."
Eurius was also slightly surprised inside.
The emperor who used to despise him in his previous life was willing to start a civil war to make him crown prince at this point?
'But that's too dangerous.'
He knew well from his experience as an emperor that a war with Grand Duke would not be easy. And he thought that now was not the time for that.
'If His Majesty is thinking of such a thing, I have to show him some of my intentions.'
Eurius made a serious expression and began to speak in a solemn voice.
"Actually, I have something to ask you about that."
"What is it?"
"That is…"
Eurius finally revealed his plan to the emperor slowly.
It would be a long story.
Whisper… whisper…
The next day, the war meeting started with all the attention in the room focused on Eurius.
"He has achieved a great feat, that's true, but will he be able to ascend to the crown prince position this time?"
"He might wait for His Majesty's permission, since Grand Duke Wilhelm still has a strong influence. Who knows what will happen in the future?"
"Let's start today's war meeting. As you know, today's topic is the reward for Your Imperial Highness Eurius's achievements."
With the loud shout of the nobleman who was in charge of the meeting, the war meeting finally began.
"First, I will report on His Imperial Highness's achievements again."
As Eurius's achievements were listed one by one, the nobles of the imperial faction had proud expressions and the nobles of the Grand Dukes faction became increasingly uncomfortable.
'How could this happen? A few years ago, I never dreamed of such a situation.'
'Maybe His Imperial Grace Duke will somehow stop it?'
The hope of Grand Duke's faction was, of course, Grand Duke Wilhelm himself.
He was sitting in the front row of the meeting, with a completely expressionless face unlike the other nobles.
But he was also quite anxious inside.
'My fate will depend on today's choice!'
If the emperor finally made Eurius crown prince, he would unleash all his preparations and start a civil war.
In case of emergency, he even considered independence.
'There is no country that would hate it if the empire splits itself.'
Isn't there a saying that other people's misfortune is my happiness?
If the empire was in chaos, its power would decline and it would be harder to control other kingdoms.
Grand Duke Wilhelm did not underestimate the emperor, but he had absolute confidence that he could survive even in the worst case scenario by breaking away from the empire.
'I'd rather be a snake's head than a dragon's tail. Your Majesty!'
He had prepared for decades and waited for an opportunity.
If he could just make the second prince the emperor, he would be able to wield the unrivaled power of the empire on the continent.
If not, he thought it would be better to take this chance and declare independence.
"That concludes the report on His Imperial Highness Eurius's achievements."
While he was thinking, the report ended and the emperor's voice followed.
"Eurius, the first prince! Your achievements in the north are very great, to say the least. So…"
At that moment, all eyes in the room were focused on the emperor and Eurius.
The emperor was about to say those words.
"You are still young, but you have proven your abilities enough, so I don't think that matters. Do you want the position of crown prince?"
Grand Duke Wilhelm bit his lip.
He thought Eurius would not refuse.
'He has made up his mind.'
The emperor had decided to get rid of him at this opportunity. Duke Wilhelm hardened his face. But before he could think of the next move, Eurius's voice rang in his ears.
"I apologize, Your Majesty, but I don't think it's right for me to ascend to the position of crown prince yet."
"…?"
Everyone in the room made a dumbfounded expression.
'What is he talking about?'
There is a limit to refusing a gift.
The position of crown prince was not a dog's name.
At that moment, the emperor and Eurius exchanged an invisible glance.
The emperor pretended to be surprised and opened his mouth again.
"Hmm… Why do you refuse?"
"Leonhart has not even become an adult yet. And I think it is unfair to decide the crown prince based on one achievement."
'That's not a wrong argument, but what is his intention?'
Everyone was wondering when the emperor continued with a sigh.
"I understand your concern for your brother, but I have thought about this carefully and made this decision. Do you really reject it?"
"I'm sorry."
"Tsk…"
The emperor clicked his tongue and sighed.
The imperial faction's subordinates also looked regretful.
On the other hand, Grand Duke Wilhelm looked at Eurius with a cold expression.
'What is his scheme?'
Those reasons were nothing but excuses.
What could he possibly want as a reward for rejecting the crown prince position?
As if to answer that question, the emperor spoke again with a tongue click.
"If that's what you think, I'll postpone the crown prince appointment for later. But you still have to receive a proper reward for your achievements. Is there anything else you want?"
There was Eurius's trap.
"There is one thing I want, Your Majesty."
A reward that he wanted instead of the crown prince position! What could it be? The attention in the room was once again focused on Eurius.
"Please grant me the authority to create a knight order."
"…!"
The room fell silent for a moment.
This condition was as difficult as the appointment as the Crown Prince.
Grand Duke realized Eurius's intention.
'He gives up the legitimacy based on succession rights and asks for power instead?'
The biggest authority of the crown prince was to act as a proxy for national affairs based on legitimacy.
He could lead the national affairs in the absence of the emperor, as well as create his own faction.
Eurius took out only the right to create his own faction and asked for it.
The emperor seemed to hesitate for a moment and then turned his gaze to Duke Wilhelm.
"Hmm… Grand Duke Wilhelm, what do you think as Leonhart's guardian?"
Grand Duke seemed to think for a moment too.
'I have already lost half of my shadow. As long as I prevent him from becoming the crown prince, my goal is achieved. I don't want to take more risks here.'
"I think His Imperial Highness Eurius deserves that right for his achievements in this war."
"I think so too. If you don't object, I'll accept this request."
At that moment, an unspoken agreement was reached between Eurius, the emperor, and Grand Duke Wilhelm.
But Grand Duke was grinding his teeth inside.
'Do you want me to give up the whole empire?'
He had also suffered quite a lot from knight forces in this war.
Starting a civil war was not an easy decision.
But he had achieved his goal of preventing Eurius from becoming crown prince.
He interpreted this as a challenge from Eurius to try to suppress or eliminate him with his own faction.
More importantly, it was who made this challenge.
'The emperor is someone who would fight me head-on, not someone who would think like this.'
Duke Wilhelm realized that this idea came from Eurius's head.
'Do you want to have a real power struggle with me?'
It seemed like a very reckless decision at a glance.
Eurius was still a child in his eyes, even if he had gained some support in the north.
'But it's a different story if he has the emperor's favor.'
Grand Duke felt Eurius's intention to pressure him gradually with his personal faction.
'If His Imperial Highness Eurius challenges me, I'll accept it. But you'll regret it!'
At that moment, Grand Duke recognized Eurius as his rival for the first time.
He had made him suffer in the north, and he had proposed such a deal.
He was not an immature twenty-year-old brat anymore.
Eurius also felt Duke Wilhelm's gaze piercing him and smiled.
'This is the first war for you, but the second war for me! I won't let you win this time.'