Kristof, who was organizing documents in his office, let out a sigh as he reached a stopping point.
He had finally finished the minimum necessary processing for the day.
After that, he planned to take a short break and then take care of other minor errands.
As the next king, there was still much to learn, so he couldn’t get much free time.
However, Kristof and his retainers knew that it was not good to overwork themselves, so they always incorporated appropriate breaks.
It would be a complete loss if Kristof himself collapsed now.
The brief moments of rest he could take were very calming for Kristof.
He picked up the drink the maid had prepared and took a sip.
The drink was a specialty of Smit Country called Ktool.
However, unfortunately, it had a peculiar flavor and was not well-received by neighboring countries.
Kristof had been accustomed to the drink since childhood, so he drank it as his most comforting beverage.
While Kristof was enjoying this brief respite, the room’s door was knocked upon with a hurried sound.
Kristof, imagining an emergency, distorted his expression for a moment, but then quickly hid it and replied, “You can come in.”
The person who entered was a soldier from the Knight Order responsible for guarding the castle town.
Although Kristof was recognized as the next king, he did not yet have the authority to deal with matters concerning the Knight Order.
If it were something serious, he should have been sent to the King, so he tilted his head, wondering why he had been brought to him.
“What is it?”
“There’s been a disturbance at the Crown Branch.”
Kristof’s expression immediately turned solemn at those words.
While the Knight Order was naturally under the King’s jurisdiction, Kristof was in charge of matters concerning Crown and Razekamamiya Kingdom.
Naturally, reports about the branch were supposed to be sent to Kristof immediately.
“What’s the situation?”
“Well…”
The knight reporting looked uneasy.
“What is it? Report quickly, or I won’t be able to do anything about it.”
“…Count Remeshov is at the branch demanding to use the Teleport Gate.”
At the knight’s words, Kristof’s expression changed drastically.
Although the words themselves were calm, he instantly understood the situation.
And, of course, the reason why this knight had come to Kristof.
“Tell them I’ll be there immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Kristof made his decision instantly, the knight who had reported left the room immediately.
Without even seeing him off, Kristof immediately issued instructions to his waiting retainers.
“I will be going into town immediately. Prepare the bare minimum of guards. Also, select one civil official to report to my father, the King. Inform me as soon as preparations are complete… Now, get started immediately.”
As the Crown Prince, Kristof was not in a position to casually visit the castle town.
However, he could not leave the current situation to someone else.
If a problem arose here, the relationship that Razekamamiya had built so far could suddenly turn cold.
That was something he absolutely had to avoid.
“…Honestly, why doesn’t anyone understand?”
With this quiet murmur, Kristof let out a deep sigh.
***
Count Remeshov was a mid-tier noble in Smit Country.
Even among the mid-tier nobles, he was positioned near the top, practically holding the status of an upper-tier noble.
Considering that only a very limited number of people were called upper-tier nobles in Smit Country, his position was quite strong.
Normally, there would be almost no one who could refuse Count Remeshov.
However, Remeshov was currently in a situation that was almost impossible.
Having a moment of free time, he had wanted to try out the Teleport Gate at the Crown Branch, which he had been curious about for some time.
Crown Prince Kristof had issued a notice stating that only a select few were permitted to use the Teleport Gate.
However, Count Remeshov held considerable standing within the country.
He had thought that, being of his status, he would surely be able to use the Teleport Gate without any issue.
That was why he had intended to use the Teleport Gate to visit the rumored Amamiya Tower, but he was blocked by the branch staff.
Since Count Remeshov had expected to use it with ease, he had pushed his status, something he wouldn’t normally do, and tried to force the issue.
However, the branch staff dispatched from the tower were unyielding.
No matter what Remeshov said, they repeatedly refused to let him use the Teleport Gate, refusing to budge from their stance.
It was a delicate situation, whether it was good for the Crown or for Smit Country, but fortunately, a staff member who recognized Remeshov’s status had him moved from the public area to a meeting room before he could even properly identify himself.
Moreover, the existence of a Teleport Gate at the branch itself was not publicized, so it would have been very problematic if their argument had been witnessed by others.
Hearing of these events from the knight on his way to the branch, Kristof offered a silent prayer of gratitude to the gods.
Kristof was guided to the branch and immediately taken to the room where Count Remeshov was.
It would have been fine if he had given up and gone home, but unfortunately, Count Remeshov was apparently still persistent.
Upon seeing Kristof enter the room, Remeshov’s expression changed in a flustered manner, and he stood up.
“Prince Kristof! Why are you here?”
Kristof glared at Count Remeshov, who said this.
“I heard you were abusing your power, which is unlike you.”
“That’s not true…!”
“You say it’s not true? I’m sure I issued a clear directive. That the Teleport Gate here cannot be used unless there’s a special reason. Or did you misunderstand and think you were special?”
Remeshov, who had been flaunting his status as a Count moments before, fell silent.
With Kristof’s arrival, the fervor of their previous exchange seemed to have subsided.
Seeing this, Kristof let out a sigh.
“Besides, I told you that the existence of a Teleport Gate here should not be known. What were you planning to do if the common people found out about this place and caused a commotion?”
At Kristof’s reprimanding words, Remeshov cowered.
His expression had also turned slightly pale.
He had likely regained his composure and understood what he had done.
“…I am truly sorry.”
As a strained apology, Kristof calmed the anger he had felt until then.
“Still, this is unlike you. Why did you do something like this?”
In response to Kristof’s question, the chastened Remeshov began to explain remorsefully.
“I completely lost my temper. I have no excuse.”
“No, that’s fine… No. Perhaps not. You will face disciplinary action later, but I find it unbelievable that you would cause such a disturbance?”
After all, Remeshov was a noble who had gained trust solely through his own efforts, having started as a lower-ranking mid-tier noble.
He was not the type to commit such a careless act.
“…It started out of curiosity. When that wasn’t going through, I just…”
“But I issued a directive that the Teleport Gate usually cannot be used, didn’t I?”
Remeshov blinked at Kristof’s words as if hearing them for the first time.
“It cannot be used? What I heard was that ordinary people cannot use it.”
In Remeshov’s understanding, nobles, especially those of a certain high rank, could use it.
Hearing his statement, Kristof instinctively put his head in his hands.
He felt like he finally understood the cause of this commotion.
Kristof thought that he needed to return to the castle immediately and thoroughly investigate how his own directive had been communicated.
Remeshov, who appeared like a foolish noble, is actually a capable person.
I intentionally made him cause this incident this time.
As hinted at the very end, the directive is the cause.
How Kristof will deal with it… that story will be told next time.
