"That's the quickest route. Rondine's capital is another harbor town. We should make it there within two days. And I don't want to spend any more time than necessary."
"But...Leviatano is down there."
"I'm not concerned. We have the magical cannons you've graciously lent us. And more importantly, Leviatano won't attack unless we do something to provoke him. If I were him, what I'd be most wary of is being put under a magic spell again. In other words, Leviatano's attention will be focused on you. Please be careful."
"R-right... Thank you again, for all of your help."
"I'll do my best to not let you down."
Just as I finished my farewell to the grand duke, someone else called out to me.
"Prince Leonard! Wait!"
"Oh, hello, Prince Julio. Back on your feet, I see?"
It was Julio accompanied by a large escort. He should've probably still been resting in bed. Julio came up to me on his own and deeply bowed his head.
"I wanted to express my gratitude before you left. Thank you for saving so many people."
Before mentioning the fact that I'd rescued him or his sister, he thanked me for saving all the other shipwreck survivors. That mindset, that way of looking at the world, was something he had in common with Leo.
Julio must be a kind person too, I reasoned.
"I only did what anyone would do in the presence of so many people asking for help. It was nothing special."
"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that you saved them. I will be forever in your debt."
"That's...quite an exaggeration. But I do appreciate the sentiment. I'll be counting on you to someday repay the favor."
I followed my remark with a Leo-like smile and turned to go, but Julio called out to me once again.
"Prince Leonard! I...I hope I grow up to be like you someday! How can I become a perfect prince like you?!"
That was a difficult question to answer. I did think Leo was a pretty amazing guy, but I'd never really thought of him as perfect. He had his strengths along with his weaknesses. They were all what made him who he was.
Well, I thought, might as well answer honestly on this one.
"Prince Julio. Leonard Lakes Aadler isn't as perfect as you think. There are people who praise me for being kind, but there are also plenty who say I'm a pushover. There are those who say I'm brave, but also those who call me reckless and thoughtless. Personally, I see my idealistic way of thinking as a shortcoming when the position of emperor or prince demands more realistic decision-making. You look at me as if I'm a hero, but I'm not nearly as heroic as you think I am."
"But—"
"I know. I'll still give you one piece of advice. I never doubt my judgment of right and wrong. That's something I think is worth taking pride in. Loyal subjects can cover for many other shortcomings, but a ruler is on his own when it comes to good judgment. That's why, once I decide I'm right, I never waver. That was true when I rescued the survivors of the shipwreck, too. I thought I should help them, so I did. No matter what the outcome, if I know my actions are right, I perform them without hesitation. If you want to be proud of yourself as a prince, then you need to trust your own judgment of what's right."
"Okay! I will! I'll never forget what you said!"
Julio bowed his head again.
What I'd just told him had been my honest impression of Leo. In all honesty, I didn't think he was perfectly suited to be an emperor. Our eldest brother, the crown prince, had been kind but hadn't let his emotions sway him. Leo was weaker in that sense. He always got carried away by his emotions.
But despite that, he never wavered in his judgment. If he was a little too softhearted or idealistic, his subjects could easily manage. Firm judgment and decision-making were the most important qualities for an emperor.
It wasn't necessary to be perfect in all aspects. An emperor didn't need to be strong, or good at tactics and schemes. What made a good emperor was someone who took the throne for the good of the empire and who could make important decisions.
That was why I supported Leo for emperor. The other three front-runners were all capable, but they were too self-centered. They put themselves first and the empire second, and they would do the same if they became emperor. That was something I had to prevent.
"If I told all this to Leo, though, he'd probably say that I might as well be emperor then," I muttered under my breath while boarding the ship. I wasn't cut out for being emperor.
My mentor and great-grandfather, a former emperor himself, even admitted that. According to him, an emperor needed to have ambition. Without that, even if one fulfilled all the other qualities, they wouldn't make a good emperor. In this case, ambition didn't refer simply to ambition for the throne. It was ambition regarding all sorts of various matters. Basically, that meant someone who was lazy and happy with mediocrity was unsuitable.
I completely agreed with that. Just pretending to be Leo for the past few days had nearly done me in, mentally. I was desperate to go be lazy again.
"Set sail for the Grand Duchy of Rondine!"
Ignoring that laziness for the time being, I gave the command to depart. If I managed to meet up with Leo, it would be a huge relief.
I had to suppress my impatience as we headed out onto the sea dragon-infested ocean.