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The Water Magician

Chapter 652: 0608 Kyoonkai: Part Two 🎶

Published: July 4, 2025

CHAPTER TEXT:

"The twelfth prince..."

"There are quite a few princes, aren't there?"

Upon hearing that the first performance was by the twelfth prince, Ryo was surprised, and Abel admired the number of princes.

"In our kingdom, we have so few royals, don't we?"

"Yeah, that's true. Compared to this Darwei, we have significantly fewer even within the Central Nations."

"What does that mean for national security?"

"Essentially, it means that since royals are likely to have their lives targeted, having fewer of them raises the risk of their extinction, which would be a major issue."

"Yeah, that's true."

Ryo nodded vigorously.

If there are no figures to whom one should pledge loyalty, the very foundation of the kingdom would be shaken.

Just the fact that "there are many royals" can be considered a solid defense.

Just look at the Edo Shogunate.

One of the reasons the shogunate lasted for over 260 years is undoubtedly the numerous descendants of the Tokugawa family... especially the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Ieyasu had eleven sons and five daughters...

Even after the seventh shogun, Tokugawa Ietsugu, passed away at the tender age of six in 1716, the shogunate was maintained by welcoming shoguns from the Three Houses established by Ieyasu’s sons.

For another 150 years.

The eighth shogun, known for his role in period dramas, was Yoshimune from the Kishu Tokugawa family, one of the Three Houses.

All of this was thanks to the founding father, Tokugawa Ieyasu, having so many children...

"Abel, the Naitorei Kingdom needs to increase its royals!"

"I agree with that, but... I remember being told something similar by Count Heinlein before."

"Oh! As expected of your excellency the chancellor."

Ryo held Count Heinlein in very high regard.

"However, increasing the number of royals isn’t as easy as it sounds..."

"Indeed. In that case, we should start researching unconventional methods."

"Unconventional methods? What does that mean?"

Ryo, with a grave expression, placed his hand on his chin and nodded repeatedly as he spoke.

Abel regarded him with a rather dubious look.

That was understandable given their past experiences.

"I'll create clones of Abel and keep them in stock!"

"What do you mean by clones?"

The terminology used by the mad scientist Ryo seemed complex to Abel.

"Genetically identical to you... we'll create people who look just like you, and if you were to die, they would take your place. They would look exactly like you, so no one would be confused and would follow along."

"...Is that even possible? No, first of all, what is that?"

"It's not possible yet, so we need to conduct research. I think there might be fields derived from alchemy that could cover that. We should look into it when we return to the Central Nations."

"You said it's a person just like me?"

"Yes, yes. A person identical to you at the genetic level... genes are at the core of you... and everything from there would be exactly the same."

"That sounds... dangerous, so I'll pass."

"Opposition to the king's tyranny!"

Thus, the mad research that strayed from the path of humanity was banned in the kingdom.

"From here on, I'll have to go underground to continue my research..."

Ryo's muttering, reminiscent of a defeated villain doctor, reached Abel’s ears, but he shook his head and ignored it...

"Abel, did you notice?"

"Ah, that the fifth prince is indeed absent."

"That's not it."

"What do you mean by 'that's not it'..."

Abel frowned at Ryo’s denial.

The sixth prince, Lyun, had become a prince, effectively skipping over the fifth prince... How does the fifth prince feel about that? Or is he absent?

That had been a point of contention between the two.

As far as they could see, there were ten princes.

The once first prince, the previous crown prince, was already gone.

And there were princes up to the twelfth prince.

That means one person is missing... it would be reasonable to conclude that the fifth prince is not present.

That's what Abel said, but Ryo's observation was not about that.

"The dishes on the table have changed to dessert-like... snacks."