The Mad Prince.
King of the Sham Cats' country’s Point of View
A report came from my spies—apparently, the missing first prince of Shiverihas has been found. It may boost their morale somewhat, but only slightly. The day when our country fully controls Shiverihas is near.
A populace exhausted from continuous wars and poor harvests, and an arrogant, incompetent heir. Once the succession takes place, that country will crumble from within. If we attack then, we can invade Shiverihas with minimal effort.
There’s no way they would make the first prince—who was raised as a commoner—their heir. No, they couldn’t even if they wanted to.
"Thank you for your report."
Would the future have changed had I arranged an assassination at this point? At the very least, I should have investigated this so-called insignificant first prince more thoroughly.
A letter arrived from the first prince. Its contents stated a desire to engage in discussions with our nation.
I replied that I would consider talking only if they surrendered, but they refused to surrender. Instead, another letter came, insisting on dialogue. I assumed this first prince must be another naive, peace-loving fool of a dog beastman.
But I was completely wrong. I had entirely misjudged my opponent, and I would soon come to realize it.
“The border has been breached!!”
A messenger arrived. The border was devastated, with both the walls and fortress destroyed.
"… Did they deploy some new kind of weapon?"
Even as I asked, I knew the answer—no. That country doesn’t have the resources for such things.
“No… um… the fortress was annihilated by a dragon, a massive and beautiful creature resembling both a bird and a lion that we have never seen before, and a monstrous man.”
“So, they unleashed beasts to attack…?”
There exist methods to control monsters, but I have never heard of a way to tame a high-ranking monster such as a dragon. Lesser beasts, perhaps, but not dragons.
“We don’t have full details. However, aside from the monsters, we have confirmed the presence of two large beastmen, one woman, and two human children.”
“... Are the woman or children controlling the monsters?”
“No, the woman is a magic swordsman, and the children are mages—both reportedly terrifyingly strong. The one controlling them is said to be… the first prince of Shiverihas.”
“Damn it! Mobilize the army immediately!!”
There were only a handful of them, but with dragons in their ranks, we had no choice but to gather numbers. There were no creatures as powerful as dragons in this land, and our country specialized in strategy and cunning. In terms of brute strength, we were inferior to the black dogs of Shiverihas.
Our military tactics revolved around assassination and stealth, leaving us without a clear countermeasure against dragons. If it were just one, we could set traps and use the terrain to our advantage—but against multiple dragons, that was impossible.
As a last resort, we turned to the Adventurers’ Guild, offering payment for information and a request to slay the dragons. However, the guild refused, citing their policy of non-involvement in national conflicts. The information they provided was useless—just the obvious fact that dragons were strong.
And so, the first prince’s group went on to defeat ten thousand of our soldiers and continued their relentless march, pillaging towns and villages as they advanced. Reports indicated that they were gradually, but surely, approaching the royal capital.
I braced myself for the city to be engulfed in flames. But I had underestimated them.
The capital descended into chaos and screams. Amid the confusion, he arrived.
Wearing a gentle smile.
A young man who looked utterly ordinary—kind, peaceful, and far removed from schemes and warfare.
That made him all the more terrifying.
This man was insane.
With a serene smile, he paraded about, surrounded by reanimated corpses—decayed, rotting bodies dressed in military uniforms and wielding the weapons we had supplied. They were our own soldiers, the very ones he had killed.
Mouths hung slack, drooling. Torn, battered bodies. Clouded, lifeless eyes.
The horde of moving corpses threw the city and castle into chaos. Even the castle guards hesitated, unable to bring themselves to harm their former comrades.
With a pleasant smile, the mad prince strolled into the throne room, as if taking a leisurely walk. As if everything was completely normal.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Pochi. Let’s have a talk.”
That kind smile was the most horrifying thing of all.
I understood then—this country was finished. It would be destroyed by this calm and gentle madman.
I must have looked utterly pathetic, trembling in fear. But as a king, I had my pride. At the very least, I had to escape. Even if it meant abandoning my people—I couldn’t care less!
I glared at the smiling madman.
What do you think about this chapter?
