novelraw Chapter 1 : Chapter 1
Chapter 1 : Chapter 1
The Royal Palace of Yeramerian.
Every corner was lavishly decorated with jewels of every imaginable color.
And in the largest office within that palace, Prince Noel sat upon a dazzling golden chair.
With a face that looked like he had just chewed on something foul.
“Your Highness, I have brought the materials you requested.”
Prince Noel quietly accepted the stack of documents handed to him by the servant.
Then he slowly brushed back his golden hair and calmly began to read through the contents.
However, the moment he finished reading the documents, Prince Noel’s calm composure ended.
BANG!
Prince Noel threw the papers he had been holding aside and began slamming the desk.
He pounded the desk with his fists like a madman.
Seeing this, the servant lowered his head and pretended not to notice.
“Ha.”
But Prince Noel did not allow the servant to pretend he did not see him.
“This country really does need to be completely overturned.”
The servant looked at Prince Noel, who was grinding his teeth tightly, and thought to himself.
So the rumors were true. Our prince has truly gone insane.
***
A dragon rising from a stream!
A dirt-spoon life turned around!
That was the slogan people used to describe me—and the one I intended to keep pushing forward with.
“Ah… I am so nervous.”
“Please do not worry. Not even half the votes have been counted yet, and you are already overwhelmingly ahead.”
Throughout my entire life, I had only one dream.
President.
And there had been no obstacles on the path toward that dream.
My final memory was of watching the vote count broadcast as the leading candidate for the mayor of Seoul.
“Haha. I do not think I have ever been this nervous in my life.”
“Hahaha. Neither have I.”
My heart felt as if it might explode, but I forced a calm smile while keeping the broadcasting cameras in mind.
Stay calm.
At this point, it would not be an exaggeration to say the election was already decided.
Despite being born poor, I had graduated early my entire life.
I completed military service, became a judge in my twenties, and naturally entered politics.
I had no family, so there were no family-related risks.
I did not attend meaningless drinking gatherings or indulge in hobbies.
Yes. If not me, then who else could possibly become the mayor of Seoul?
— It seems the time for arguing over which party to support has passed.
— I agree. People are more excited about the emergence of a capable and honest mayor.
Experts. Ordinary citizens.
Everyone wanted me.
And I also wished to become the youngest president and change the world.
As proof, even before the vote counting had finished, the words I had hoped to see appeared on television screens across every broadcasting station.
— Seoul Mayor, Park Gyeongan, Election Confirmed!
“Waaaah!”
“Congratulations, Mayor!”
“Mayor Park Gyeongan!”
Now it truly begins!
My dream of becoming president was just around the corner!
With that certainty, everyone around me and I jumped to our feet, clapping and cheering.
Thump!
But at that moment—At the very moment I had been desperately waiting for, my heart, which felt like it was about to burst, suddenly seemed to crumple.
“Ugh…!”
No way.
Surely not?
I had not exactly been keeping up with my health checkups since I had been so busy working, but dying young like this?
Even while writhing in pain, the absurdity of the situation made me incredulous.
“Mayor!”
“Mayor!”
“Call an ambulance—!”
That was it.
That was the end of my memory as Park Gyeongan.
End of recollection.
“…Your Highness?”
When I regained my senses, I had become Prince Noel.
Prince Noel, whom everyone around me called “Your Highness.”
“This contract… you only need to stamp your seal on it as usual.”
At first, I was happy.
I had become a prince living in a palace decorated with gold and jewels?
That meant I could enjoy power far longer than any president ever could.
“Ah.”
Understanding the situation was not difficult.
So this was the so-called “regression-possession-reincarnation” trend in Korean content these days.
I did not know exactly where I had been reincarnated, but I figured I would just live comfortably while enjoying the crumbs of royal politics.
Or so I thought.
“You are telling me I have been stamping my seal on contracts like this?”
But my life had never been that smooth.
“Yes. Is something troubling you, Your Highness?”
“Troubling?”
I gave a hollow laugh to the servant who asked the question cautiously.
The palace was filled with gold and jewels?
Surprisingly, that did not mean the national treasury was overflowing.
“I am thinking about whether I should fire you for asking me to stamp my seal on a contract like this.”
“…Pardon?”
“What is so surprising? I should be the one shocked after seeing a contract suggesting we sell diamonds to another country for pennies.”
Yeramerian was a doomed nation.
A country on the brink of collapse despite having enormous capital.
In modern terms, it would be called a resource curse.
That was only one of the many problems I had identified within a single day.
And this servant had the audacity to bring me such a contract for approval.
“B-But, Your Highness, after His Majesty the Emperor collapsed, you have been stamping your seal on this contract…”
I raised one hand to signal the servant to stop talking.
I roughly understood the situation.
Yeramerian was experiencing every single example I had seen while studying African nations in the past.
“Hey.”
Exporting resources—including jewels—to rapidly make money.
The government becoming corrupt.
Money being poured into showy welfare policies to deceive the masses.
Money lost due to civil wars and foreign invasions.
The currency collapsing.
Selling resources cheaply because there was no money.
And even the current ruler collapsing from stress.
“…Yes?”
So I was supposed to simply watch all of this unfold just because I had reincarnated here?
That was impossible.
I had heard that neighboring countries were eyeing this nation because of its poorly managed resources.
And in the medieval era, if a kingdom like this was conquered, the royal family—especially the princes—would at best become slaves.
At worst, they would be executed.
“Leave while I am still being polite.”
The document the servant had brought was a trade contract.
More precisely, an unfair trade contract.
It was essentially demanding a diamond for every single brick.
“Excuse me? But you must stamp your seal—”
“I will absolutely not stamp it. So leave.”
I did not even know how many bricks Yeramerian currently needed.
There was no way I would approve a contract like this.
This was not a child’s game being played with the national treasury.
“Instead of wasting time reading garbage like this, I would rather read another line of documents related to the treasury.”
There was a lot I wanted to say, but I held it back.
What was the point of arguing with a servant who brought such contracts?
“But then Baron Horn will be in trouble! Baron Horn has been maintaining relations with Mernia through this trade!”
While I had been patiently enduring, the servant suddenly shouted at me.
Wow.
They teach rank here but not proper etiquette?
“Baron Horn will be in trouble?”
And why was this idiot raising his voice like he had done something right?
“Hey. Was I not the prince here?”
I immediately stood up from the chair in the office.
The servant flinched and stepped back.
A man who trembled this much had dared to challenge the prince of a kingdom?
“You shouted at the prince because a baron might be inconvenienced?”
“N-No, that is not it.”
As I approached him, the servant panicked and ran toward the door.
“What do you mean it is not?! Are my ears just decorations?!”
At my shout, everyone in the office squeezed their eyes shut in shock.
Ah. This Prince Noel.
The king was in a coma, and he was acting as the regent of the nation.
With this height and build, how had he lived such a pushover life?
“You will be dealt with later. For now, bring the man called Horn here.”
“…Pardon?”
“What? Do you want me to raise my voice again?”
“N-No!”
Only then did the servant who had been nagging about the contract rush out of the office.
Complete silence fell over the room.
Everyone looked at me as if they were seeing a stranger.
“You there.”
“Yes?!”
I immediately issued an order to the man who looked like a butler.
“Gather every contract Yeramerian has made with Mernia through Baron Horn and place them on my desk immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Watching him run out immediately made me feel a little better.
Yes. This was how it should be.
Yesterday everyone dragged their feet whenever I spoke, and it was infuriating.
“You there, on the far left.”
“Yes!”
“Find out how many bricks Yeramerian currently possesses and whether there are any plans for their use. If there is a usage plan document or something similar, bring it.”
At my words, the servant looked around in confusion.
Then someone nearby timidly raised a hand.
“I-I will retrieve that! It is part of my duties!”
Ah.
So this nation actually had a somewhat detailed division of labor?
Fine.
“Good. You bring it.”
“Yes!”
“Then what can you bring?”
“Uh… um… I can bring documents related to the treasury you mentioned earlier.”
“Bring at least ten years’ worth.”
“Yes!”
Looking around the now empty office, I let out a long sigh.
I had been wondering where to begin fixing things, and now the starting point had practically rolled into my lap.
“A contract that reeks of corruption.”
As soon as my anger cooled slightly, I recalled the contract I had read earlier.
There were countless strange aspects, but the most suspicious part was the name of the country mentioned in it.
Mernia.
“Mernia…”
“I have heard that name somewhere before.”
Knock knock knock.
While I was trying to recall where I had heard it, a knock echoed through the office.
“I have brought Baron Horn.”
The man I had been waiting for had arrived.
“Enter.”
The door opened the moment I gave permission.
Baron Horn walked calmly and confidently toward me.
The servant who had been scolded earlier stood awkwardly far behind him.
“I heard that Your Highness summoned me.”
“Yes. I did.”
I looked him over carefully.
Something felt off.
The political instincts I had developed throughout my career were warning me.
This man was suspicious.
“Your Highness! I have brought the documents!”
“I-I have brought them as well!”
“I also brought the materials!”
While I was examining Baron Horn, the servants I had sent out rushed back into the office carrying piles of documents.
Good.
Perfect timing.
“Baron Horn.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Stand there quietly and wait.”
My words visibly unsettled the servants.
They were not used to someone summoning a noble only to read documents instead of immediately speaking.
But this was not the time for refined manners.
“I have other appointments afterward, so I do not have much time. May I ask why you summoned me?”
“I am a busy man as well. If I say wait, then wait.”
“Th-That…”
“Quietly. Wait.”
Only after I glared at him firmly did Baron Horn fall silent.
Taking advantage of the silence, I quickly skimmed through the documents.
Between the crudely handwritten information, I marked only the parts I needed.
“Hm.”
All of the documents were a mess, but the contracts Baron Horn had made with Mernia over the past three years were the most ridiculous of all.
For three years, bricks and diamonds had been traded at nearly a one-to-one ratio.
“Why has Yeramerian been exchanging diamonds for bricks?”
“Because we are constructing walls in areas frequently invaded by external forces.”
Walls.
Perhaps a special military barrier?
“To mark the borders?”
“Yes.”
No?
Then there was absolutely no reason to pour diamonds into bricks like this.
“Can our country not produce bricks? You only need clay.”
“As I have explained before, producing bricks requires advanced techniques and skilled craftsmen.”
“Then sell the diamonds and buy bricks. Why are you benefiting another country as a diplomat?”
Something smelled rotten.
“This contract is simply a form of purchasing bricks with diamonds, is it not?”
Baron Horn spoke confidently, as if he were some wise scholar.
If I had never made bricks during my military service, I might have believed him.
But numbers written in documents were far more convincing than words.
“Ah. So Mernia suddenly became extremely good at making bricks exactly three years ago—right when my father collapsed?”
At my words, Baron Horn stopped talking.
Naturally.
The contracts had been fairly normal until three years ago, and then suddenly they became brick-exchange contracts.
“And the national asset list does not contain those precious bricks?”
“They are all being used for a special barrier to block goblins.”
“That is a lie. The resource list includes bricks.”
“Yes. They are considered such valuable resources that we trade them for diamonds—”
“That is also a lie. They are not listed.”
Baron Horn’s expression darkened.
What was this brat trying to do?
That was clearly the look on his face.
And honestly, I wanted to say the same thing to him.
“I checked how inconsistent your explanations about these ‘precious bricks’ would become.”
“…What?”
“What do you mean ‘what’?”
A truth I did not want to face kept circling through my mind.
Yeramerian.
No matter how I looked at it, this nation was doomed.
The king who should be fixing this country was in a coma.
And if the nation collapsed?
The safety of a prince like me?
Naturally, it would not be guaranteed.
“Ha… my life really is set to hard mode.”
Alright.
First, I should deal with the corrupt official standing right in front of me.