The Tale of the Nation That Banished the Saint - Chapter 2

Episode 2: Preparing for a Life of Ruin

Clang, clang, clang—the sound of wooden swords clashing echoes in the palace garden.

I am training with a slightly older, beautiful female knight named Ristine, the daughter of Orbos, the commander of the Royal Guard.

I am about to exile the saintess and embark on a life of downfall.

Ever since I learned that I was reincarnated as the character ‘Ares,’ the ‘hated prince’ from a novel, I have been preparing for a life of impending ruin.

Even now, I diligently practice swordsmanship.

When I requested permission from my father, the king, to train with the sword, he didn’t look too pleased. However, after persistently pleading with him, he reluctantly granted permission.

Since then, I have been training diligently every day, preparing for the future.

I have only read the synopsis of the novel that I am reincarnated into. I don’t remember it accurately.

Nevertheless, combining the vague memories of the synopsis with the knowledge I have acquired in this world, I can anticipate what will happen in the future.

The novel should start from my (the prince’s) twelfth birthday party.

I will exile my fiancee, the saintess Roselia, as a fake, leading to my downfall.

The exiled saintess Roselia will save a prince from a neighboring country, Pirenzor, who is critically injured while battling demons. As a result, she will come to live in the royal palace.

While Pirenzor thrives under the protection of the saintess, my country, Rizelagdo, will suffer from the loss of her protection. The land will become barren, crops will fail to grow, and the threat of demons will loom, leading to destruction.

This is the future that awaits me.

I don’t know why I will exile Roselia. I haven’t read the novel.

But it’s best to assume that the world will follow the plot of the novel.

With that premise, I must prepare for the impending disaster.

First and foremost is sword training.

While individual strength may seem insignificant, I have reincarnation perks granted by a god. This training will surely come in handy someday.

At the same time, I need to gather and organize information.

I know almost nothing about this world since I didn’t read the novel.

Orbos and Zenias seem to be the only reliable sources of information for now.

I need to expand my network of informants.

For now, I’ll organize the information I’ve gathered from them.

First, there are a total of sixty-eight countries in this world.

Rizelagdo, my country, became prosperous after discovering two consecutive saintesses.

The second saintess died three years ago, and the saintess’s protection was about to end when the third one appeared, reviving the protection and bringing joy to the country.

There are currently five countries with saintesses.

The saintess’s protection needs to be renewed every year, and if it’s not, its effectiveness gradually diminishes.

Monsters in this world seem to naturally spawn from the depths of mountains and forests. If left unchecked, they will prey on each other and grow stronger.

While human armies can handle medium-sized monsters, they are powerless against large ones. Large monsters are treated as natural disasters, and people have to wait for the threat to pass.

While my country is protected from monster threats by the saintess’s blessing, it faces frequent invasions from neighboring countries due to its wealth.

Therefore, the border defenses are strong.

The country shares borders with powerful nobles in the north, west, and south, each responsible for defense. The eastern territory is protected by impassable mountains, inhabited by monsters protected by the saintess.

The prominent noble Zopondot, who governs the eastern region, doesn’t need to prepare for wars with foreign countries as much as others, resulting in less financial burden. However, he seems to be a big spender and is heavily in debt, with many allegations of corruption against him.

Roselia, my fiancee, comes from his territory.

That’s a rough summary of the information.

The military should be a priority if it’s weak, this country’s army seems to be strong compared to others.

Since I can’t do much as a prince to improve the military, it’s reassuring to know that it’s already quite strong.

If the military is strong, I should focus on acquiring knowledge and expertise in agriculture.

Since I can’t do everything myself, I need to recruit talented individuals.

I need many capable aides.

The event of breaking the engagement will happen in two years, and the saintess’s protection will completely fade three years after that, meaning I have a five-year grace period before my country and I begin to decline.

I need to prepare as much as possible before then.

When I asked Zenias if I could go outside the palace and see the city, she reluctantly agreed under certain conditions.

I want to explore the city since I’ve been reincarnated into a different world.

“You must stay with these individuals at all times.”

I was introduced to three girls who are skilled escorts.

Their names are Sheena, Liza, and Lena.

Sheena is a female warrior who serves as an archer in the mercenary guild.

Liza is a waitress at a tavern and a member of the information guild.

The petite Lena belongs to the assassination guild.

Each of them is an expert in their respective fields.

Having all female escorts, with all of them being beautiful, was, of course, my request.