Chapter 301: Chapter 301 : Responsibility (2)

Meanwhile, inside the royal palace, Alex stepped out of the throne room and stretched his arms above his head.

“Wow… that took almost all of my energy,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders.

He didn’t get far before a group blocked his path in the corridor.

Serena, Alicia, Alden, Charlotte, Evelyn, Draven, Ava, Seraphina, Rein, and Jack Klassen stood waiting for him.

Seeing them all lined up like that, a bright grin spread across Alex’s face. “Good, you’re all here,” he said loudly. “Now you can start praising me. I was fantastic out there, wasn’t I?”

Every single one of them let out a tired sigh.

Serena burst out laughing first. “’Favorite person of Edward,’ huh? I’m sure my brother would’ve fainted if he heard you say that.”

Alex’s smile twitched.

Alden crossed his arms. “This guy has all the makings of a corrupted politician. Did we really do the right thing putting the crown on his head?”

Alicia nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah… now even I’m having second thoughts.”

Evelyn tapped her chin. “Maybe I should learn from his scamming techniques.”

Everyone turned to stare at her.

She blinked innocently. “What? That was a compliment.”

The whole hallway exploded into laughter.

Draven snorted. “Well, he is a scheming bastard—”

Alex’s elbow slammed into his side. “Watch your mouth, or I’ll have you beheaded,” Alex said casually.

In perfect timing, a group of palace soldiers stepped forward and surrounded Draven.

Draven’s eyes widened. “I-I was joking! Forgive me, Your Majesty!” he said, bowing so fast his beard almost hit the floor.

Alex gestured for the soldiers to fall back. They nodded and retreated.

Draven exhaled in relief, only to see Alex smiling devilishly at him.

Clapping his hands once, Alex said, “Alright. Fun time is over. Time to get to work.”

Everyone’s expressions turned serious.

Serena led the group down the corridor to a quiet meeting room. Inside, several other key figures who managed the empire’s affairs were already present—among them the prime minister, the finance minister, and other high-ranking officials.

Alex walked straight to the head of the long table and sat down in the main seat as if he had always been meant to be there.

The others took their places around him.

Alex scanned the room once, then frowned. “Where’s Ethan? Did he not come?”

Evelyn answered, “He’s at the borders with my father. These days, Ethan is weirdly obsessed with surpassing you.”

Clicking his tongue, Alex shifted his gaze—not to Evelyn, but to Seraphina. “Your boyfriend is as useless as you are, Seraphina.”

Seraphina’s face flushed bright red. “H-He’s not useless! And I’m not—”

Ignoring her fluster, Alex leaned back. “Alright. As the king, I want to know exactly what is happening inside my nation.”

The finance minister stood up, hands shaking slightly as he held his documents. “Your Majesty… the international trade routes have all but collapsed.

Most countries have stopped sending goods. The economy is—” he swallowed “—collapsing. Major businesses are shutting down or relocating to other nations.

People are losing their jobs. Crime rates are rising further. Our food supplies are decreasing day by day.”

He hesitated. “If this continues, the soldiers at the borders will starve before the enemy kills them.”

The room fell into heavy silence.

Everyone understood what he meant. The situation was beyond dire.

Alex leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Alright. That’s bad. Very bad.”

Silence stretched.

Finally, the finance minister asked quietly, “Your Highness… what should we do?”

Alex didn’t answer immediately. He closed his eyes, mind racing.

After a minute or two, he opened them again. “Have all international trades stopped? Not a single one still ongoing?”

The finance minister shook his head. “There is one company still keeping this nation afloat, sir.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “And that is…?”

“Genesis Biotech,” the minister replied.

A slow, devilish smile spread across Alex’s face. “So the antidote for Abyssal Corruption is being traded to other countries.”

Evelyn stood up, eyes shining. “That antidote you made is a miracle. It’s in highest demand all over the world right now.”

“Perfect,” Alex said. “Then I’ve found our solution.”

He rested his chin on his hand. “Stop its supply.”

The room went dead silent.

Several officials looked like they’d just been stabbed. The antidote trade was the only thing keeping their economy breathing.

Alex raised a hand before they could panic. “By ’stop’ I mean temporarily. I’m assuming the new invaders are also spreading corruption, right?”

One of the war generals stepped forward and bowed. “You are absolutely right, Your Majesty. Our enemy uses corruption as a weapon.”

“Good,” Alex said. “Listen to my orders.”

He turned to Evelyn. “Evelyn, I’m giving you this responsibility. In exchange for the antidote, demand other goods from those nations. Food. Supplies. Resources. The antidote is too valuable—they’ll pay any price to keep getting it. Make them sign contracts to restart full trade with us.”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “Why are you trusting me with something this important?”

Alex smirked. “Because the person who once managed to scam me—even if it was only once—can definitely pull this off.”

Evelyn’s mouth twitched. “That was one time.”

She straightened. “Rest assured, it’ll be done.”

“Good,” Alex said. “Prioritize food imports. As much as you can get. We’re desperate for it.”

Evelyn nodded firmly. “Understood.”

“Next—crime,” Alex said.

One of the soldiers stood. “Your Highness, due to the lack of soldiers in the capital—most having been sent to the borders—crime is increasing rapidly.”

Alex turned to Alicia. “Alice, I want you to talk to the Academy headmaster. Send the third years to patrol the cities. Have them apprehend as many criminals as they can. And if it becomes a life-or-death situation… don’t hesitate to kill.”

Alicia smiled slightly. “Understood. The third years are about to graduate anyway. It’ll be good real combat experience for them.”

Alex looked at Alden and Ava. “You two will support the third years and keep them alive.”

Alden and Ava nodded in unison. “Got it.”

Then Alex turned to Rein. “Rein, I know your father is at the borders, so your guild’s responsibilities fall on your shoulders now.”

Rein straightened. “Yes.”

“I’ll talk with the other guilds,” Alex said. “But I want you to lead the coordinated effort. No more dungeon breaks. That will be your domain.”

Rein nodded firmly. “Understood.”

Next, Alex’s gaze landed on Draven. “And you, Mr. Dwarven Prince.”

Draven flinched. “…Yes?”

“You’re my biggest weapon,” Alex said bluntly. “A magician.”

Draven gave a strained smile. “Why does that sound more like a threat than praise…? What do you want?”

“Hack into every major nation you can reach with your magical brain,” Alex ordered. “Give me full intel—how they’re holding out, what kind of losses they’re suffering, what they need most right now. I want every detail.”

Draven rolled his shoulders and cracked his fingers. “Just that? I thought you were going to ask for something complicated. Honestly, this is too easy.”

Alex smiled. “We’ll see.”

Then he looked at Seraphina. “And you, Sera. Your family has the biggest information network in Avaloria. I want everything on what’s happening inside the empire. What regions need what, where supplies are lacking, where unrest is brewing. Make sure everything we send gets to where it needs to go properly.”

Seraphina smiled, regaining her composure. “Consider it done.”

Finally, Alex turned to Serena. “Aunt. Keep me updated on everything happening at the borders. I’ve sent some help there.”

Serena’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, then she nodded. “Alright. I’ll report everything.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

The officials who had been watching quietly now understood—clearly—why Serena had trusted Alex enough to back him as king.

They exhaled deeply, some in relief.

The way he gave precise, targeted orders—attacking the economy, crime, dungeon breaks, intelligence, and borders all at once—was something they had never seen. Not even in Edward’s days, when the empire had rarely been truly cornered like this.

“Alright,” Alex said, clapping his hands once more. “All of you have your tasks. Do your jobs properly.”

He stood up. “This meeting is adjourned. It’s time for me to take a nap. Keep me updated.”

Everyone’s eyes twitched at the same time.

The image of a perfect, tireless king they had just built in their hearts cracked a little.

’It was the right decision… right?’ some of them thought nervously.

One by one, they exited the meeting room.

Soon, only two people remained.

Alex.

And Charlotte.

The silence between them felt heavier than anything that had happened in the room.

Alex slowly walked over to her. He glanced down at the tips of her hair, where the faint purple hue lingered.

He raised his hand and gently brushed those strands with his fingers.

“Are you disappointed in me…?” he asked quietly.

—

Meanwhile, at the southern borders…

On a barren, war-torn land, countless tents dotted the cracked earth like wounded beasts. The sky was grey, heavy with smoke and ash.

Inside the tents, rows of injured soldiers lay on makeshift beds. Groans of pain filled the air.

Some men were missing arms. Others had lost legs. Bandages soaked through with blood. The smell of medicine and iron was suffocating.

Outside, near the edges of the camp, corpses lay covered with thin cloths—those for whom help had come too late. Some soldiers sat beside them, heads bowed, tears slipping down dirt-streaked faces.

In one of the larger command tents, Reynard von Crestvale sat on a Chair, shoulders slumped. His armor was dented and cracked, his body covered in injuries and dried blood. Exhaustion clung to him like a second skin.

In front of him stood three battalion commanders, their faces equally worn.

“Sir,” one of them said hoarsely, “we’ve lost another unit. And the forward post… is gone.”

Their eyes were hollow. All of them knew the truth—they were fighting a hopeless battle with almost no chance of victory.

“If things keep going like this,” another said quietly, “we will lose everything.”

Reynard slammed a fist weakly against his knee. “You think I don’t know that?” he snapped. Then his tone softened. “But what choice do we have except to fight? Remember… we’re not fighting just for ourselves. We’re fighting for our people. Our families. Our home.”

He fell silent.

Inside, he knew the truth. If the situation didn’t change soon, their end was already written.

“Any word from the capital?” Reynard asked. “Reinforcements? Support?”

The three commanders looked at each other, then shook their heads in despair.

Reynard ground his teeth. “Those two clowns are busy fighting over who gets to sit on the throne while this nation is already on the verge of destruction. How dare they call themselves Edward’s sons…”

Suddenly, the tent flap flew open.

A soldier stumbled in, panting. “Sir! The new king has been crowned!”

Reynard narrowed his eyes. “And what difference does that make? Both are selfish and incompetent.”

The soldier quickly handed over his etherPad. “Please, sir. See this.”

A holographic image flickered to life in front of Reynard—the earlier broadcast of Alex sitting on the throne.

Reynard watched the entire thing.

When it ended, his shoulders trembled.

Then he threw his head back and started laughing. Loud, raw, disbelieving laughter shook the tent.

“Hahahahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!”

The commanders stared, unsure if he’d finally lost his mind.

A second soldier rushed in. “Commander! Reinforcements from the capital have arrived!”

Reynard wiped his eyes and smiled faintly. “Reinforcements, huh? How many?”

The soldier hesitated. “Just… one.”

Reynard’s mouth twitched. “Just one…”

Before he could say anything more, the tent flap lifted again.

Someone stepped inside.

A presence Reynard could never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

The newcomer looked at Reynard with a faint, knowing smile. “Nice to meet you again, mortal,” he said.

Reynard’s head spun as he realized exactly who had come to the front lines.

—-

A/N:

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