Undercurrents of the Succession Struggle

“Prince Guilliman?”

Hearing this name, Leon felt a sudden jolt in his heart. He exchanged a look with Doncic beside him, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

In the Heron Empire, the title of Prince Guilliman almost always referred to one person:

The current heir apparent of the Heron Empire, known as the Shining Prince, Guilliman Cassius!

Though this young heir apparent was only in his thirties, he had already achieved brilliant accomplishments in the empire.

Not only had he personally led a warband north to the Crystal Mountains to suppress a rebellion, but he had also entered the Department of Policy Implementation, presiding over the implementation of several policies that benefited both the nation and its people, earning him deep respect and trust among the citizens of Heron.

Not long ago, in his capacity as heir apparent, he had even personally gone to the front lines in the northeastern part of the empire to lead the campaign!

It could be said that within the Heron Empire, Prince Guilliman's reputation for wisdom and virtue was second only to the Sage King himself, making him extremely renowned!

Yet at this moment, this maid whom Aaron had brought from the imperial capital was actually using a communication stone to contact Prince Guilliman, who was far away on the front lines of the war between Heron and Nightmare?

Leon was shocked, but that did not stop him, Alicia, and Doncic from continuing to watch the drama unfold.

Hiding to the side, the three of them listened as Aaron's maid reported Aaron's movements in Eldenborg to Prince Guilliman in meticulous detail.

This included, but was not limited to, what Aaron ate today, what he said, when he took people to the lake to fish, and what kind of fishing gear he used.

It was safe to say that every single move Aaron made was being completely exposed by this maid.

Only after the maid finished her report did a calm, steady voice come from the other side of the communication stone:

“Well done. Keep observing and report back at all times.”

“Yes, Prince Guilliman!”

Hearing Guilliman's words, the maid was instantly encouraged, a look of excitement appearing on her face.

After putting away the communication stone, the maid suspiciously scanned her surroundings once more.

However, as a mere maid with no transcendent power, she naturally could not detect the hidden trio with her bare eyes.

Even so, she pulled a newspaper from her inner garments and activated it through a special method, causing a wave of detection magic to ripple out from the paper.

Seeing this, Doncic quickly channeled his arcane power to construct a barrier that blocked the detection magic for Leon and Alicia.

The detection ripple swept past without discovering the three of them. Seeing this, the maid nodded and breathed a sigh of relief before retracing her steps back to Rose Cathedral.

Only after the maid had walked far away did Leon and the other two reveal themselves.

Leon remarked, “Prince Guilliman certainly has some impressive methods, actually planting a maid right next to Prince Aaron to monitor his every move at all times.”

Beside him, Doncic was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

Accidentally stumbling upon the struggle between the imperial heir apparent and the second prince made his blood run cold.

Hearing Leon's words now, the Imperial Shadow Agent did not dare to say a single word.

After all, he was not the second son of the Prime Minister like Leon. If he dared to mock the heir apparent or the second prince in the slightest, he would probably be assassinated the very next day just for stepping with his right foot first!

“Let's go back.”

Leon shook his head and led Doncic and Alicia back toward Rose Cathedral.

The good news was that this maid was not transmitting intelligence to an enemy.

The bad news was that the person she was transmitting intelligence to was the imperial heir apparent.

Frankly, Leon had absolutely no desire to get involved in the internal struggles of the Heron royal family.

By the time the Sage King's life ran out and Prince Guilliman ascended the throne, Leon might have already cracked open the God of Sacred Light's massive orb to see what was inside.

By then, he wouldn't have to worry about choosing a side.

Nor would he need to worry about whether his close association with Aaron would draw Guilliman's rejection and animosity.

In ten or twenty years, given his own rate of growth, Guilliman would be scrambling to win him over instead.

No wonder Aaron went to the extent of risking diarrhea just to slip laxatives to Guilliman. Anyone would be furious to find out their elder brother, the heir apparent, had planted an informant right beside them... Leon thought to himself.

...

Under the cover of night, the three of them returned to Rose Cathedral.

However... when they arrived, another figure was already standing in front of the cathedral doors, waiting for them.

Aleph-One stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. “Young Master Leon, Prince Aaron requests your presence,” he said.

Seeing Aleph-One, Doncic was instantly startled and quickly greeted him, “T-Teacher!”

Aleph-One gave him a cool glance but said nothing.

Leon patted Doncic on the shoulder, then led Alicia inside, following Aleph-One into the cathedral.

Within Leon's perception force field, the maid had already returned to the cathedral and gone back to sleep.

It seemed she had not noticed Aleph-One, and Aleph-One had not stopped her either.

Does Aaron already know that Guilliman planted an informant beside him? Leon wondered.

Following Aleph-One to the cathedral's main hall, they saw Aaron already sitting inside, tinkering with the large fish he had caught today.

“Yo, Leon, see this fish I caught? I didn't use a single bit of transcendent power—it was pure fishing technique! I managed to catch a fish as long as my entire arm!”

Aaron lifted the fish by its mouth, showing Leon the fruits of his day's labor.

Leon smiled slightly and flattered him, “It's huge! As expected of you, Prince Aaron...”

The two of them went back and forth, chatting about fishing for a full twenty minutes, only stopping when Alicia beside them began to look a bit drowsy.

Aaron put down the large fish, paused for a moment, and said, “Leon, don't you have anything you want to ask me?”

Leon muttered in his heart, but with a smile on his face, he replied, “No, Prince Aaron.”

“Even if you don't ask, I'm going to tell you anyway.” But Aaron did not give him a chance to decline, speaking directly:

“You followed Hailee, didn't you? Yes, the maid who just snuck outside to use the communication stone to contact my elder brother.”

“Hailee is an informant my elder brother planted by my side. His goal is to monitor my every move, preventing me, the second prince, from posing any threat to his position as heir apparent...”

After listening, Leon summarized Aaron's words in his head—

Having returned from fishing, Aaron was having a late-night melancholy episode. Realizing Leon had followed Hailee and overheard her, he decided to pour his heart out to Leon, who now knew the truth. He complained that his elder brother, the heir apparent, might seem wise and virtuous on the surface, but was actually extremely jealous in private, always remaining wary of him, the second prince, and so on...

In short, he was fiercely venting to Leon about his elder brother.

However, to Leon, while Aaron complained, he didn't seem to have the slightest intention of rebelling to seize the throne.

In fact, to put the mind of Guilliman—who was far away fighting the Nightmare on the Heron border—at ease, Aaron had even actively taken on the mission to the Dwarven Kingdom to leave the imperial capital.

Listening to him, it sounded almost like a pair of tragic partners in misfortune reminiscing about the past...

Since Leon was practically Aaron's only friend—or rather, because of Leon's status as the Prime Minister's second son and a Divine Art genius—Aaron dared to pour his heart out to him.

Having finished venting, Aaron felt greatly relieved and in high spirits. He waved his hand, left the main hall, and went back to sleep.

“Is... he... done... talking?”

Seeing Aaron leave, Alicia asked sleepily, her speaking speed half a beat slower than usual.

“He's done.” Leon picked Alicia up and carried her back to her room to sleep.

After tucking Alicia in, Leon walked back to his own room, reflecting on Aaron's words.

“Members of the imperial royal family seem to live far less comfortably than I do...” Leon sighed, then put Aaron's words entirely out of his mind.

He had absolutely no desire to get involved in royal struggles. Following the maid and hearing her conversation with Guilliman had been purely accidental.

As for whether Aaron's seemingly melancholy complaints hid some grand scheme or the surging undercurrents of the succession struggle... Leon did not care to know.

Schemes at the level of the Sage King might be worth worrying about.

But the plans laid by Aaron and Guilliman... Leon decided to simply leave them to time.

Once enough time passed and he reached the Legend rank...

Whether it was the succession struggle or factions trying to win him over, none of it would matter.

Only transcendent strength was the ultimate deciding factor in everything.