Moto Ansatsusha, Tensei Shite Kizoku no Reijou ni Narimashita - Ch. 26 - A Choice for the Weak

[Scipo0419]

Good on him for recoginizing his half siblings are just victims too. I'd love for there to be an outcome where he accepts them as his siblings and they all stand up against their shitty parents.

 

[outinthegardener]

Five minutes of talk, and she convinced him to kill his stepmother? jk, I'm sure it will be more subtle. Exile them to the country estate, perhaps.

The systemic problems are pretty big. The king is too busy to notice all the scurrying among his nobles. They even openly dare to plot against the crown prince. That means the king has a weak position. The king's son and his mistress are unqualified goofs. If Shagard wants to turn this place around, he needs to seize power from the King, purge his father/step-mother/all their cronies, and have a crop of loyal retainers ready to take their places. That's a complicated coup for a sad-boi.

Just feels like he'll need years of preparation beyond a good pep talk.

 

[Nolonar]

Did you miss that they're trying to usurp him and take the throne for themselves?

The problem is that they're acting as if they've already succeeded when they haven't.

Here's a simple thought experiment. Assume you're trying to usurp the throne from the crown prince:

1. What advantages do you expect from abusing the crown prince?
   1. What consequences do you expect if the king (grandfather) learned of the abuse?
   2. Do the expected advantages outweigh those risks?
2. If you succeed, what benefits do you expect from having abused the crown prince as opposed to not having abused him?
   1. If you fail, what consequences do you expect after you abused the prince all these years?
   2. Regardless of success or failure, what would the consequences be if you had chosen NOT to abuse him instead?

Perhaps you'd like to show us the "genius" in their strategy, because I can't see it.

 

[shadowhunter100]

Five minutes of talk, and she convinced him to kill his stepmother? jk, I'm sure it will be more subtle. Exile them to the country estate, perhaps.

The systemic problems are pretty big. The king is too busy to notice all the scurrying among his nobles. They even openly dare to plot against the crown prince. That means the king has a weak position. The king's son and his mistress are unqualified goofs. If Shagard wants to turn this place around, he needs to seize power from the King, purge his father/step-mother/all their cronies, and have a crop of loyal retainers ready to take their places. That's a complicated coup for a sad-boi.

Just feels like he'll need years of preparation beyond a good pep talk.

This is the manga version, many details are usually cut-out for the sake of squeezing the plot between the pages. Suffice to say Serena was... more forceful in the LN. Shagard was pulled along and underwent quite a good number of beating by Serena's loyal hound. Serena pulls Shagard along and out of his shell because she saw her last life in him - a weak pitiful creature who did not realize their own potential that was only realized by having a master* guide them.
*Interpret that as a reader will in a shojo manga


Suffice to say in terms of potential and talent as evaluated by Serena, she considers Shagard to be at least on par with Evans but lacking the experience and practice. Make note of that jewel Shagard is holding now, it is a hint of what will come at the end of this arc.

 

[Elki]

That's a lot of character development in not a lot of pages but it's quite interesting. I wouldn't be mad if he was a love interest, I certainly find him more interesting than the prince now.

 

[shadowhunter100]

The problem is that they're acting as if they've already succeeded when they haven't.

Here's a simple thought experiment. Assume you're trying to usurp the throne from the crown prince:

1. What advantages do you expect from abusing the crown prince?
   1. What consequences do you expect if the king (grandfather) learned of the abuse?
   2. Do the expected advantages outweigh those risks?
2. If you succeed, what benefits do you expect from having abused the crown prince as opposed to not having abused him?
   1. If you fail, what consequences do you expect after you abused the prince all these years?
   2. Regardless of success or failure, what would the consequences be if you had chosen NOT to abuse him instead?

Perhaps you'd like to show us the "genius" in their strategy, because I can't see it.

Wow, have you ever been in a spot where you were put down literally and figuratively because you can't identify your own strengths and a way out of a situation as a child?
Take a 4-8 year old out of their comfort zone without familiar support and watch how they struggle with "growing up". I can assure you many will not be "normal" (attachment issues, trusting others, sociopath tendencies, etc.).

I'll refrain from piling on using IRL experience and observations, but to answer the questions from the LN/Source material


1. Psychologically, Shagard is WEAK; he never understood why he was abandoned from his parents while his grandfather was out on business.
1a. His grandfather knows to some extent, but refrains from directly expelling his own son (Shagard's father) from the palace as he is technically royalty (however incompetent). Anime/Manga logic at work, Shagard's Grandfather also had expectations that Shagard will "grow" out of his challenging youth and provided him with a guarantee while he is out. The jewel Shagard holds is protecting him as it designates him the heir to the throne.
1b. Yes, if the crown prince dies without a clear suspect, the bastard children are in line for the throne. But read between the lines and you'll find out it's really just their parents imposing their selfish desires on their children. The children never had any idea beyond pleasing their parents.
2. Psychology of long-term bullying; anxieties never leaves a person and Shagard undergoes a rapid "keeping-it-real" transformation under Serena and Tigur to beat it him out of him.
2a. Shagard's half-siblings never recognized this potential because of their garbage parents/garbage dad of Shagard. Edit: This "learning exchange" arc was also a pretext to have either royalty potentially murdered. Serena wasn't wrong about "cleaning up other countries' messes". Yes, dumb anime logic at work, in reality this is basically a hostage situation to assure a country won't be attacking another.
2b. Idiots don't consider the consequences of their actions - only the potential rewards in front of them. This is a recurring theme of this manga and LN.

 

[Nolonar]

Wow, have you ever been in a spot where you were put down literally and figuratively because you can't identify your own strengths and a way out of a situation as a child?

Have you? Because if you had, you'd know how unhinged and dangerous we can be. Most of us don't have the power to really be dangerous, but Shagard is a crown prince. He absolutely has the power to have Anita and her descendants tortured and executed should her son fail to usurp the throne.

That possibility alone should've made her reconsider how to treat Shagard. Which is exactly why Slingerman said: "Treading upon the legal heir to the kingdom is a great way to end up tortured to death the moment he takes the throne."

The fact that they're trying to usurp the throne does not make this statement any less true. And their abuse does not make them any more likely to succeed.

 

[joeymcclane]

Talk no jutsu ! In just a few sentences, years of depressed thoughts disappeared like that !

When a hot girl who is also a badass secret Assassin does it, it just works!!!

 

[Phantomo]

dude is very mature about it

 

[UdenEmpati]

Wow, have you ever been in a spot where you were put down literally and figuratively because you can't identify your own strengths and a way out of a situation as a child?
Take a 4-8 year old out of their comfort zone without familiar support and watch how they struggle with "growing up". I can assure you many will not be "normal" (attachment issues, trusting others, sociopath tendencies, etc.).

I'll refrain from piling on using IRL experience and observations, but to answer the questions from the LN/Source material


1. Psychologically, Shagard is WEAK; he never understood why he was abandoned from his parents while his grandfather was out on business.
1a. His grandfather knows to some extent, but refrains from directly expelling his own son (Shagard's father) from the palace as he is technically royalty (however incompetent). Anime/Manga logic at work, Shagard's Grandfather also had expectations that Shagard will "grow" out of his challenging youth and provided him with a guarantee while he is out. The jewel Shagard holds is protecting him as it designates him the heir to the throne.
1b. Yes, if the crown prince dies without a clear suspect, the bastard children are in line for the throne. But read between the lines and you'll find out it's really just their parents imposing their selfish desires on their children. The children never had any idea beyond pleasing their parents.
2. Psychology of long-term bullying; anxieties never leaves a person and Shagard undergoes a rapid "keeping-it-real" transformation under Serena and Tigur to beat it him out of him.
2a. Shagard's half-siblings never recognized this potential because of their garbage parents/garbage dad of Shagard. Edit: This "learning exchange" arc was also a pretext to have either royalty potentially murdered. Serena wasn't wrong about "cleaning up other countries' messes". Yes, dumb anime logic at work, in reality this is basically a hostage situation to assure a country won't be attacking another.
2b. Idiots don't consider the consequences of their actions - only the potential rewards in front of them. This is a recurring theme of this manga and LN.

I admit, I may just not be following the conversation closely enough, but it feels like you missed the core point of the other person, being that "the abusing of the crown prince by his half siblings is a dumb move, considering they haven't yet successfully taken his place as the guaranteed heir to the throne".

Nothing in what you said actually addresses that, as far as I can tell.

 

[Bibliothecarius]

Thanks for the chapter!!!

 

[shadowhunter100]

I admit, I may just not be following the conversation closely enough, but it feels like you missed the core point of the other person, being that "the abusing of the crown prince by his half siblings is a dumb move, considering they haven't yet successfully taken his place as the guaranteed heir to the throne".

Nothing in what you said actually addresses that, as far as I can tell.

... I cited the source material in the spoilers, and it is literally right there in the 2nd answer: Idiots don't consider consequences.

Darwin award memes are real and not everyone is capable of following etiquette and reading the social cues.

" Idiots don't consider consequences" is the recurring theme throughout this manga and light novel. And Serena has already and literally stated the position of the siblings starting in chapter 21 and 22. Chapter 23 is literally the siblings being setup to fail by their parents - literal teenagers who do not see the world beyond what they're told. In case you missed it, a murder plot was already hinted at in chapter 21, which was why the idiots continued their actions.

I'm starting to doubt you and Nolonar are actually reading at all.

 

[UdenEmpati]

... I cited the source material in the spoilers, and it is literally right there in the 2nd answer: Idiots don't consider consequences.

Darwin award memes are real and not everyone is capable of following etiquette and reading the social cues.

" Idiots don't consider consequences" is the recurring theme throughout this manga and light novel. And Serena has already and literally stated the position of the siblings starting in chapter 21 and 22. Chapter 23 is literally the siblings being setup to fail by their parents - literal teenagers who do not see the world beyond what they're told. In case you missed it, a murder plot was already hinted at in chapter 21, which was why the idiots continued their actions.

I'm starting to doubt you and Nolonar are actually reading at all.

no - my mistake was engaging with the original exchange in a vacuum, rather than through the context of everything going on in the background/preceding events as it pertains to the twins' upbringing within that other kingdom. That, and allowing the knowledge that he will ultimately succeed the throne to color the interpretation of their actions in the present.
in the general sense, abusing and bullying the crown prince when the path to the throne is not secured is a dumb move. But that conclusion ignores the context of who is doing it and why and their relationships with others, and assuming the question and statement are being made independent of the story being discussed at large is something I do on occasion and need to get better about.

That and I misread your other comment while on my phone because my browser screwed up the formatting of the spoilers, so that is my fault for not double-checking after the fact to verify.

 

[Carn109]

Prince is fatherless and motherless
Bro needs to unleash his inner chad like Serena said

 

[commandodude]

If they outright kill him, that not going to work. Legally the blonde is already crown prince, and although they live on palace the twin dont have the right to become the crown.

And dont forget that they supporter is mostly just low noble.

This student exchange is the pivotal poin for their plan. If the boy married a duke daughter, and the girl maried, to the prince. Even if they dont have supporter on their kingdom. They got this kingdom as their supporter.

Make it more difficult to overthrown them if they succeed

Seconded. Assassination politics is messy, see: Medieval/Roman history.

What is more likely to work is their plot to try and make it seem like the prince is also illegitimate, making no one the legal heir. The bullying helps dovetail into that by lowering the prestige of the prince and socially distancing him.

Even if he remains the legal heir, just sowing doubt is enough to permit "bigger army diplomacy" for deciding the next king and they can say whatever they want afterwards to legitimize a coup.

 

[jrocker]

Those concubine children are definitely not suffering at all. They WANT to cause pain and become powerful. They revel in beating the prince so he should really think that they aren't the product of fate but just those types of people.

 

[Nolonar]

... I cited the source material in the spoilers, and it is literally right there in the 2nd answer: Idiots don't consider consequences.

Darwin award memes are real and not everyone is capable of following etiquette and reading the social cues.

" Idiots don't consider consequences" is the recurring theme throughout this manga and light novel. And Serena has already and literally stated the position of the siblings starting in chapter 21 and 22. Chapter 23 is literally the siblings being setup to fail by their parents - literal teenagers who do not see the world beyond what they're told. In case you missed it, a murder plot was already hinted at in chapter 21, which was why the idiots continued their actions.

I'm starting to doubt you and Nolonar are actually reading at all.

Yes, idiots don't consider consequences. I just don't see how this invalidates my claim that they're idiots, or how this is proof I'm not reading the story.

 

[SugarFree]

“square the fuck up, nerd” but it took 24 pages to say it.

 

[orangerain7734]

WN/LN readers, any mention on what happened to the prince's mother after she left? I can understand the circumstances to why she did it, but clearly she wasn't ready to bear the responsibilities that come with being a mother, let alone one of future royalty or nobility (the same as every other woman in this series, it seems, according to the pattern here) and she pretty much dropped any respect, sympathy, and privilege she had left as a mother by abandoning her son for her own 'happiness'.

I'm rather curious to see what she and the prince will do with each other once the former sees how strong and mature the latter had become to take control as future king. I can't see the two of them reconnecting, not immediately, but the mother would have quite the gall if she made the first move after leaving him like that. No matter her circumstances by that point, she would be perceived holding nothing but ulterior motives, like the stepmother/homewrecker having an affair with the father before losing his place in royalty.

 

[Weenaru]

The problem is that they're acting as if they've already succeeded when they haven't.

Here's a simple thought experiment. Assume you're trying to usurp the throne from the crown prince:

1. What advantages do you expect from abusing the crown prince?
   1. What consequences do you expect if the king (grandfather) learned of the abuse?
   2. Do the expected advantages outweigh those risks?
2. If you succeed, what benefits do you expect from having abused the crown prince as opposed to not having abused him?
   1. If you fail, what consequences do you expect after you abused the prince all these years?
   2. Regardless of success or failure, what would the consequences be if you had chosen NOT to abuse him instead?

Perhaps you'd like to show us the "genius" in their strategy, because I can't see it.

I’m saying that saying «Abusing him is a great way to die when he becomes king» is a short-sighted thing to say, because why would they worry about that? If they succeed, which they obviously plan to, there’s nothing to fear. If they fail, then they have worse things to be worried about.

Besides, how often do you see villains who aren’t the main characters be cautious and smart about things? It was almost a given that they’d be dumb as bricks the moment they showed up.