The whole of Nelpha Imperia was in chaos.
It couldn’t be helped. The Roland Empire, which had conquered the Kingdom of Estabul, became a powerful neighboring country, and the new Roland Empire’s king was going to visit their country.
Anyway, even though it looks like it was aimed at deepening diplomatic ties between the two countries…
But right now, nobody believed this.
The emperor of Nelpha, the nobles and even the people all believed that Roland, which had became a powerful country was starting a war to invade them, and were all tense.
Also, the one visiting was the young king who used to belong to the army and immediately disposed of the king to complete the conquest and got Roland in his hand, Sion Astal.
Young, and very ambitious.
“There will be a huge war happening soon. Can Nelpha win against Roland like this?”
That’s the common understanding right now. Also, the east side of Nelpha Imperia is the Remrus Empire, an ally of Roland…
All the travelling merchants in every country were saying,
“It’s better not to go near these two countries for the time being,”
And things like that,
On the streets, soldiers were assigned to all sorts of places that were possible, and the army was lined up.
The soldiers that were recruited from its conquered states were summoned to the capital Elarun.
Sion proceeded forth under such a state.
The number of soldiers he brought from Roland totaled about 2,000.
Compared to the 40,000 Nelpha soldiers that were assembled in Elarun, this definitely wasn’t a lot.
This was proof that Sion didn’t wish for war, and also a show.
However…
The horse slowly proceeded, and Froaude rode on the horse and moved forward.
“This is bad. Moving through such a large army…they must be rather wary.”
On hearing this, Froaude’s expression didn’t change at all.
“This is the view all the countries have on the Roland Empire. Roland, that which conquered the Kingdom of Estabul, already doubled its national and military power immediately, and had two powerful magic systems. The total number of soldiers that could be gathered is around 200,000. This is what Nelpha fears.”
“Fm.”
Sion nodded, and showed himself a self-mocking smile.
“In fact, it’s already a troublesome headcase for us to notify Estabul which has completely different traditions from us. We have no military reserves to start a war, and if we’re not careful, the old Estabul nobles will immediately gather their army and attack…if that’s the case, we have no time to care about Nelpha…in this sense, even if we have to take some risk, we have to visit Nelpha to hold them off…am I correct? Froaude?”
“What you say is correct. Also, if this visit is successful, we can also bring about a very strong impression of Roland’s new king to all the countries. If successful, we can even get rid of the mice devouring our country from within.”
Sion showed a reluctant look,
“So for the sake of a show, the king has to lead 2,000 soldiers through 40,000 of them.”
“Is there a problem?”
Froaude just gave a matter-of-fact look, as Sion merely chuckled,
“No problems.”
And simply answered as well.
It might be a hassle for the 2,000 soldiers accompanying him…
However, no matter the outcome, Sion’s group entered the city in Nelpha.
The palace he was brought into was rather simple, but the impression it gave was like a painting of robust fortitude. On the sides of the path leading straight to the throne where the emperor was, there were sturdy soldiers, officials and nobles.
All of them were looking tense as they stared at Sion’s group…
The few soldiers Sion brought along and Froaude were all walking carefreely,
At this moment, a voice came from somewhere,
“THE KING OF ROLAND, SION ASTAL-SAMA HAS ARRIVED!!”
At the throne slightly far away in front of him, an old man stood up.
Sion stopped and looked at him.
This was the king of this country, Nelpha’s emperor. He should be more than 60 years old now, perhaps? The wrinkles that were engraved on his face showed the experience and presence of this man all the more. However, the expression shown in his eyes was gentle, kind…
He could be said to be someone completely opposite from Sion.
The Sion who was like a shining glimmer of hope leading his young country…
The people, who were most likely the old nobles which had rather high standing in this country, who were on standby beside the emperor of Nelpha, all seemed wary as they stared at Sion’s group.
Sion took the stares and merely smiled.
It’s obvious that he would take this attitude.
If he took a wrong move, there would be war immediately…
That’s what the rumors said. It’s no wonder they would be wary.
After clearing his thoughts, Sion continued to move forward, and finally arrived in front of the emperor of Nelpha…he looked at the surroundings…and cautiously lowered his head before saying,
“Nice to meet you for the first time, emperor of Nelpha. We’re really grateful that you would accept our sudden visit. I’m the king of Roland, Sion Astal.”
As he faced this greeting, the old man…the emperor of Nelpha panicked slightly.
“It, it’s really rude on my part. I’m the emperor of Nelpha, Gread Nelphi. I’ve vaguely heard rumors about you, Astal-sama. You started imposing good governance and are beloved by your people.”
“You really like to joke there. It’s still too much for me. I’m just a younger junior here, and there are still many things I can’t do…the visit this time is to hear your views as a wise king, Nelphi-sama, who has reigned over Nelpha Imperia for a long time. I know this action of mine may be too rash.”
“Really, you really can talk, Astal-sama.”
“No, this is the fact. Anyone can understand this by looking at the people of Nelpha Imperia.”
Sion looked back and looked at the soldiers and nobles who were nervously swallowing their saliva as they watched Sion talk to the emperor…smiled and said,
“Everyone really looks up to you. You…no, you and everyone…managed to turn this land that had been going through long term disasters and wasted land back to a great country again perfectly. This definitely isn’t something that can be done randomly. If possible, I hope that our Roland Empire will forever have a lasting friendly relationship with Nelpha Imperia.”
Sion was saying this with a sincere tone throughout this.
And these words really came from deep within his heart.
Ever since this Gread Nelphi took the throne, Nelpha isolated itself from war and focused wholeheartedly towards prosperity of the country.
How much effort was need to be able to revive to such an extent?
Such hard work can’t be fathomed.
Unlike the old Roland that was full of pride and greed, this is a country worthy of respect.
That’s what Sion thought.
This thought seemed to reach everyone as the surrounding nobles expressions all eased up…
“Your Highness, carrying on such a bland conversation while serving the King of Roland is a little…it’s rare for us to prepare a banquet.”
Nelphi nodded.
“Fm. Yes. What do you think, Astal-sam? Let’s continue our talk of the problems in our countries over drinks…how about this? Or are you already somewhat tired from the long distance travel?”
Sion travlled and showed an innocent smile nobody could look away from.
“I’m grateful to accept your kind intentions.”
Several people ran out of the palace. The talks are successful, Roland and Nelpha won’t have any war going on between them—then, who are they going to pass the message to?
Looking at things, it seemed that the visit to Nelpha is successful…
The burden in Sion’s heart was finally lifted.
The banquet’s somewhat satisfying.
There were many amongst the nobles surrounding Nelpha’s emperor, and the most important thing was that Nelpha’s emperor himself could talk with me carefreely.
Everyone’s proud that the country had finally managed to complete its recovery.
Not for the sake of their desires, but working for the people, for the country…
Sion smiled as he exchanged toasts of drinks with the emperor and the nobles…
Sitting beside him, Froaude whispered,
“What do you feel? I don’t suppose the nobles here…aren’t working together with those corrupted nobles in Roland…”
Froaude gave that piercing dark, cold and sharp expression of his as he continued to maintain a diplomatic expression and nodded,
“I feel the same as well. The people here shouldn’t have any relationship with power and plotting. They probably won’t think of working with the nobles of Roland to kill the king of Roland.”
“I feel the same too. That means there’s someone else working with our nobles…”
Froaude nodded against,
“Ehh, and it should be a powerful noble in this country. If that’s not the case, it’s impossible to set this trap.”
At this moment, Nelphi, who was fairly drunk, raised the glass of wine with the flushed face and toasted Sion,
“How about another one, King of Roland?”
“Okay, thanks for serving.”
Sion smiled as he answered back.
Nelphi gave a satisfied smile,
“Um! You have to drink! When I was young, no matter how painful things were, I would feel motivated once I started drinking with my buddies. Isn’t that right, everyone!”
As he said that, the old men surrounding Nelpha’s emperor, who drank as much as him all nodded their heads together.
“Well said, Your Highness!”
And then, they started talking about things in the past.
Sion listened happily as he continued to talk with Froaude.
“I say, Froaude, don’t you have any idea of who’s our enemy here?”
Froaude shook his head.
“I’m really sorry. I let my subordinates gather information, but right now, it’s still…however, currently, the greatest possibilities are Count Protone and the king’s only son—Starnel Nelphi.”
“Oh…the reasons?”
“As for Count Protone, the Count’s land is close to Roland’s border, so he has the highest possibility of working together with the nobles in Roland. Also, there were many bad rumors about him, including how he charges large amounts of taxes. The emperor himself has paid much attention to this, and his weak loyalty to Nelpha is also suspect…”
Sion frowned,
“I see. Such people do have some authority unexpectedly.”
“What you say is right. The Count himself seem to wield some unexpectedly definite power with the neighboring nobles.”
“…And then, what about the latter?”
“It’s easier on Starnel Nelphi’s side. He has ambition, but also has bad character, doing evil deeds as the son of the emperor and creating lots of trouble. Also…”
At this moment.
The door to the hall was crudely opened.
Walking right in front was a brown-haired man in his late thirties, light-skinned and thin. The man stared at Sion with a condescending expression.
“Heh~ So you’re the new king of Roland. You’re still young and yet you can become king. Looks like Roland is nothing much.”
He mocked.
Immediately, the entire scene seemed to descend into the freezer.
The old men who were drinking so heartily immediately became pale,
“Wha, what are you saying, Your Highness the Prince. If you say such a thing…”
But before he could finish, the man called the prince interrupted him,
“Ahh? You old geezer, who do you think you’re talking to? I’m the prince of this country! Do you think I’ll accept the views of you, a 3rd rate noble? Watch out before I kill you.”
“…”
This alone allowed Sion to see through this man completely…
Right now, nothing could be seen from this man at all…
Right now, Nelpha’s situation was such that they really wanted to avoid war, how they wanted to be a powerful country like Estabul, and yet not want to become the next target of Roland…
However, this man here didn’t think about this and said such arrogant words to the other king…if this man became king, anyone could tell what sort of attitude he would treat the country, the people with…
However, Sion continued to retain his smile,
“Oh, so this is the prince-sama. I’m the king of Roland, Sion Astal. Please guide me along.”
“Shut up. You’re just the king of a small country. Don’t talk to me…”
But this time, the prince’s words were interrupted.
Nelpha’s emperor walked over to the prince and mercilessly grabbed the prince’s hair to force him to lower his head…
The prince flailed his arms hard to struggle,
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!??”
“SHUT UP! YOU OBNOXIOUS SON! GET OUT FROM THIS ROOM!!”
The prince looked at Nelpha’s emperor vengefully.
“Tch, let’s go.”
And the prince led his men out from this room.
Nelphi saw that he left and bowed his head deeply to Sion,
“I’m really sorry, but this is a shame to our family. You just said that I’m a wise king who rebuilt this country, Astal-sama, but in fact, as I was too focused on reviving the country, I neglected my son’s education…I really apologize deeply for my son’s rudeness…”
Sion grabbed Nelphi’s hand and lifted his head,
“No, please don’t mind. I’m still young, a king without power, and this is a fact. It can’t be helped that the prince-sama himself said so.”
“It, it’s great that you can understand…”
“Of course.”
Nelphi looked at the smiling Sion, and was moved as he nodded,
“The new king of Roland’s really amazing. If possible, I wish I had a son like you… I’ll notify all countries who have links to Nelpha as well. With that, the other countries will recognize you as a true king.”
This time, it was Sion’s turn to lower his head,
“Thank you very much.”
And the banquet restarted again.
Inside the wide and slightly glamorous room, Sion was talking to Froaude.
“That prince…what’s the name again?”
“Starnel Nelphi, Your Majesty.”
“Fm. Starnel…huh?”
Sion muttered to himself and pondered for a short while before diverting his eyes to the side. There as a window that was built just like the window in Sion’s room in Roland, one that could see the capital of Nelpha.
The capital of Nelpha had a different arrangement from the web-shaped streets of Roland, extending out like a circle was drawn.
He looked up at the sky, and the darkness couldn’t cover the white light as the day started to brighten up.
The weak light started to cut through the dark clouds and drip down onto the land…
Seeing this, Sion said to Froaude, who had been standing beside him all this time,
“Looks like that prince-sama was thrown into the position of a divine position, that Starnel Nelphi.”
“Yes. However, that lord’s mind seems rather simple. It’s really hard to imagine him discovering any benefit while working together with the nobles of Roland. I feel that he doesn’t have such guts.”
Sion nodded.
“There’s definitely some mastermind, some noble from somewhere, like that Count Protone you were talking about.”
“About this…the truth will definitely be revealed soon. My men are outstanding.”
“You’re trying to say that you’re outstanding, right?”
Froaude’s eyes remained cold as he showed a slight smile on his face.
“I will offer everything I have for you, Your Majesty. No matter what happens, I’ll ensure your safety, even if it means I’ll have to risk my life…”
Sion looked at the grim face of Froaude who said these words. His eyes had darkness that couldn’t be seen right into the bottom, and it was really impossible to understand what he was thinking at all.
But it was clear that these words weren’t a lie.
Sion shrugged.
“How reliable. Then, please hurry up and find the mastermind behind this.”
After saying this, he got up, walked to the window and looked outside.”
“Then, I’ll slip outside for a moment. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
After saying that, he climbed up onto the ledge and was about to jump out from the window secretly.
Immediately, Froaude’s expression showed a rare change as he widened his eyes in shock.
“Don’t kid around. Do you understand the situation now…”
“Are you trying to say that it’s dangerous?”
“Of course.”
But Sion smiled,
“But you said it. I’m…not a king who’ll die here like this easily. If it’s a king you’re willing to serve, will he die on his way to greatness? Such a king might as well die, don’t you think?”
Such words were unreasonable, but with such a king, there’s such a subordinate.
Froaude’s lips curled up as he gave a bone-chilling smile,
“I understand. Leave the rest to me then.”
“Ahh, please do so.”
As he said that, Sion easily leapt up.
Early in the morning in Toale’s house.
The earliest to wake up would be Toale, who would be preparing breakfast. And then, it would be the kids waking up inside the house and making a ruckus while running around, after that, the kids running around would sneak into Ryner’s room and pinch Ryner’s nose and mouth.
And then…
“……………………………………!? U…aaa…auau…I say…”
It would be Ryner, who, after having a dream, would jump up with tremendous force.
“I’LL DIE IF YOU DO THIS!!”
“KYAAH!! THE BEAST HAS AWOKE!!!”
“WHO’S THE BEAST!!!”
“Eh—, but Iris-chan said not to approach that beast before she left. He’s a beast that when people who talk to him, they will give birth to babies.”
“THEN DON’T GET NEAR ME!!!”
“KYAA KYAA!!!”
As he watched the kids run around while shouting happily, Ryner hugged his head and sighed,
“Besides, I’ve been researching hard on the information until late at night last night…OOWOWOWOW!! HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS ARE RIDING ON ME!!?”
“KYAA—!?”
“WHAT KYA!!?”
It looks like they have quite the good relationship with each other…
The kids tortured Ryner for quite a while,
“Toale nii-chan said that it’s time to eat breakfast, Ryner nii-chan.”
“Naa…got it.”
Ryner nodded away in response, got up from the bed and stretched his back,
“Hfuu…how sleepy,”
Once the kids saw that he was awake…
“Okay! Now’s the time to wake up Ferris nee-chan!!”
Saying that, they rushed out of the room, and Ryner watched them leave,
“…Actually daring to take action on Ferris, those kids sure have guts…”
Saying that, he walked out of the room…
At that moment.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
It wasn’t the kya from before, but gyaa, the real screaming from kids. He was already used to this every morning.
Scratching his head as he just woke up from bed, Ryner walked towards the canteen.
And then—
As the door to the dining room opened.
“…Wait, haa?”
Ryner was dumbfounded by the scene right in front of him.
“Hey…why are you here…?”
The two people gathered at the dining table and fighting against the food lifted their heads,
“Yo, Ryner. Long time no see. Are you working properly?”
And the other person lifted her face…
At that moment,
“Iris-chan!?”
The kids behind Ryner pushed him aside and trampled on him while rushing to Iris. Ryner got trampled by them as he collapsed onto the floor…and then watched them run towards the yard outside the door with Iris like a hurricane…
It seemed that he had gotten used to climbing up from the ground,
“……Haa…anyway, things look rather troublesome now. I’m going upstairs to sleep, so then…”
As he said that, he was about to go back, and this time, he got hit with a stronger impact than before,
“GYAAAHHH!!?”
Ryner was sent flying,
And then, the one who appeared was that blond beauty.
It was Ferris.
For some reason, she used this momentum to step on Ryner and trample on him, looking down at him,
“Un, what’s wrong, Ryner? Why are you sleeping at such a place?”
“…I’ll definitely kill you…ouch…I was just joking, sorry…GGGGGGGGGYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!?”
For some reason, Sion looked rather satisfied as he watched this scene.
“Un, looks like you two have quite the good relationship.”
At the same time, Ryner and Ferris,
“What did you derive this conclusion from? A dangerous sex maniac like this will attack me at random occasions. I’m so scared that I’m trembling. Do you understand the heart of this weak girl?”
“Who says!! You’re the one!! Throwing such a troublesome woman over to me!! She’ll definitely kill me one day…GYYYYYYYAAAAHHHHH!!! I’LL DIE!! I’LL MOST LIKELY DIE!!”
Sion smiled wryly.
“You two really have quite the good relationship. It wasn’t like this when I was with Ferris.”
On hearing that, Ryner’s group…
Ryner’s body jumped up and steadied itself with a skilled motion before finally standing up,
“I’M GOING TO EXPLODE!! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE TODAY!! I’M GOING!!!”
And got into a pose. However, Ferris was rather relaxed on seeing him like this,
“Nn. Bring it.”
Immediately, Ryner and Ferris crossed each other…
And like usual…Ryner collapsed onto the floor,
“Uu…I’ll definitely kill you one of these days…it’s impossible against Ferris, but at least I must take Sion on…”
He muttered to himself with a weak voice…
Leaving that aside for now.
Ryner, Ferris, Sion, Iris, Toale and his siblings were all gathered at the dining table to eat.
As the siblings were yapping away, Toale asked,
“I heard that Sion-san is your cousin, Ryner-san…”
Ryner and Ferris glanced at each other…
Ryner answered,
“What are you saying? How can I possibly be cousins with such an evil person…”
And at the next moment, Sion kicked Ryner under the table and stamped on the foot…
“I say…uaa…that was a joke?...”
Unlike how Sion kept smiling so readily, the blunt pain caused Ryner to be unable to talk.
However, Sion continued to show the smile of a good youth as if what happened under the table didn’t happen at all,
“That’s how it is, Toale-san. Really, this guy loves to slack…if I don’t watch him, he’ll sleep all day and night…also, he’s always stalking behind girls butts…”
Ryner showed extreme displeasure to what Sion said,
“I say, Sion…you…ARGH!!?”
However, he couldn’t speak as his foot felt a tremendous sharp pain again…
Ryner had no way out,
“Ye, yeah. Un, Sion and I are cousins…really, this guy always had a bad personality right from the beginning, always throwing me into the furnace and forcing me to travel with a violent woman. Because of this guy, I suffered so much hardship…during this time, due to the violence from Sion and Ferris, I’ve been feeling that life’s full of despair…at this time, I definitely can’t make it if I don’t make it up with by sleeping…”
“Haven’t you been sleeping?”
“I’M TRYING TO SAY THAT I WANT TO SLEEP FOR THE ENTIRE DAY!”
This time, it was Ferris’ turn to speak,
“Nn. Well, someone like you who goes out every night and attacks women when the sky’s dark and the moon’s high would definitely want to sleep.”
“Why is it that I don’t have any memories of your words at all…?”
Sion added,
“Sleepwalking?”
“NO!!”
Toale happily watched their conversation from beside,
“The three of you really have quite the good relationship.”
“SINCE WHEN!!?”
The three of them all shouted out their protests in unison…
Leaving this aside for now, the three of them continued to tuck in the food Toale prepared…and Ryner said,
“Oi Sion, speaking of which, why are you here?”
Sion merely answered simply,
“Just so happened that I was on the way nearby.”
“Ah? Don’t lie to me. How is it possible for you to pass by here so randomly.”
However, he had no intention of answering Ryner’s words,
“Besides, I saw Iris-chan enter the door to this house and wanted to greet her, but Toale-san greeted me, so it was like that.”
“No…I don’t mean that…I say, you, are you intending to ignore my question completely?”
“Ahh.”
“What do you mean by that!?...Why is it that I know of such a person…”
Ferris nodded,
‘Yeah. Anyway, I’m always with a beast like you that can’t be talked through with common sense. This pitiful maiden is always being teased by you…”
“…Pitiful maiden? What kind of mouth would say such things?”
“Fm, It’s the mouth of this person who will let out a beautiful pixie-like singing from her lips every time she opens her mouth.”
Now that she mentioned it, it’s more like a demon than a pixie as she said it in such a monotone manner. On hearing that, Toale couldn’t help but comment,
“Heh? You’re good at singing, Ferris-san?”
“Um. I often hum when I’m bathing.”
Immediatley,
Ryner and Sion glanced at each other, and were completely speechless.
Ryner grumbled,
“No, no way…humming when bathing…”
Then, Sion too whispered,
“I, I say, Ryner… Ferris can actually sing…have you heard of this before?”
“How would I know? Such a scary thing…or rather, anyone who heard of it would definitely be killed now, right?”
“Ah, you’re right.”
The two gents got more into it the more they whispered to each other…
After that, both of them collapsed onto the ground as if they were friends…
Now, why was that so?
Soon after,
As they watched Iris as the kids ran around in the garden, the three of them were enjoying the red tea Toale prepared after the meal as they continued to talk with him.
Sion asked,
“But you’re actually someone who inherited the blood of royalty in this country? I heard from Ryner that you’re the grandson of Gread Nelphi-sama…”
Toale gave a bitter smile as he shook his head,
“I’m not someone amazing, Sion-san. That man…my father produced a lot of kids in all sorts of places, so we were dumped here as we got in his way. There was no one left to take care of them, and I’m the only one doing so…I do feel that my siblings can’t just rely on me. They hope to see their real father and mothers and this is something I can’t do…”
And then, with a somewhat lonely expression, he watched the kids playing around in the garden.
Sion smiled. According to Ryner’s report, Toale had quite the popularity amongst the people, and a lot of people hoped for Toale to become the next king.
This was to be expected, Sion thought. That prince couldn’t be compared to Toale at all.
If it was Toale, he would definitely become an outstanding king. He knew about the pain of the people, and they knew about kindness.
However…
His mother was the same as Sion’s, low status women—and to coin the term used by the nobles, a wretched woman. That’s why Toale would be unable to become king.
Unless he started a revolution like Sion…
Or for some reason, the prince lost his power, and there would be no way out for this…
But this might be a good decision as well.
There’s no need for this kind youth to walk down a similar path as Sion’s.
And—
Ryner finished up the red tea and yawned,
“It’s not exactly misfortune when your parents aren’t around. The kids know who loves them the most. They can become stronger and healthy this way.”
On hearing this,
Immediately, Sion widened his eyes and stared at Ryner,
In response,
“Wha, what now…?”
Ryner was somewhat intimidated by Sion’s serious expression,
“Ry, Ryner…you actually said something proper for once…what kind of earth-shattering change will happen today!?”
“I say, oi oi, what kind of person do you think I am…”
Ferris interrupted his words,
“Don’t worry, Sion. There’s still a continuation to this man’s words. ‘that’s why I’ll say that I love them, so marry your youngest sister to me, Toale’.”
On hearing that, Ferris couldn’t help but shake her head reluctantly,
“Really unbelievable. To think that you’ve become so perverted… I see that I have a need to deal with you here for the sake of this world.”
“……Ahh really!! Fine, fine, I understand!! It’s my fault, fine by you…I’m going to sleep!!”
After saying that, Ryner leaned on the back of the chair and closed his eyes.
But Toale,
“Ahaha. The three of you really look to be on rather good terms with each other…”
He said as he stood up to clear the cups of red tea,
“But Ryner-san. Thank you for encouraging me here.”
Ryner closed his eyes,
“Nn~”
And answered back at him flatly with a gentle expression.
The trio returned to the room, and without Toale knowing, started to exchange information immediately.
About how Ryner’s group intended to stay inside the capital for the time being, the rumors of information in Nelpha, and the progress on the research into the relics.
And then, Sion talked about his visit to Nelpha as the king.
It seemed that a lot of heinous plots were going on, most probably aiming at Sion’s life.
Listening to Sion’s words were Ryner, who was lying on the bed and Ferris, who just had her meal and was now chewing on the dango Iris brought along.
Sion looked at the two people who didn’t seem to look interested.
“And because of this, your country’s king is being targeted. I hope that you can be my guards for the time being. How about that?”
But the moment he finished talking, Ryner looked rather irriated,
“Ehh~…why must I do such a thing? If it’s an assassination plot, there will definitely be assassins coming over, right? It’s so scary, so troublesome, so sleepy.”
It’s really hard to imagine these words coming out from the man who once eliminated the 50 powerful magic knights alone in the War against Estabul…
Sion again looked at the blond beauty—
She continued with a flat tone…
“Nn. Muu. Fumiu. Niu. Myomyo.”
Her mouth was completely filled with dango, and her words couldn’t be heard at all…
Ferris herself later realized this, and went silent before finishing the dango in her mouth with the same speed…
The room was temporarily filled with the sound of chewing, hakuhakumogumogu.
She finally finished her dango, and drank a sip of tea in a relaxed manner to clear her throat,
“Nn, so that’s how it is.”
“I SAY, WHAT ABOUT THAT!?”
Immediately, Ryner and Sion shouted out in unison.
Sion looked rather lethargic as he faced these two people. However, he wouldn’t give up as the reactions from these two were within his expectations.
So Sion snorted,
“Ryner, do you know of the ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad?”
“Naa? Why are you mentioning this all of a sudden? Of course I do. They will pursue, capture or eliminate anyone who studied Roland’s magic that were escaping towards other countries without being given official reasons to ensure that Roland’s magic won’t be revealed to other countries. It’s a dangerous squad, am I right?”
“Yup. You really know that well.”
“Sorta. I came from that special institute, and my first mission was to go there. The ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad that everyone hated was…I won’t talk about those old years. Then? What about them?”
“They’re pursuing you.”
Sion simply answered.
For a moment, Ryner didn’t understand him and remained silent for half a beat…
“Haa?”
He couldn’t help but raise his voice. Sion nodded in a satisfied manner,
“Then, I should say that it’s appropriate that they would chase after us.”
Ryner panicked,
“No no no, wa, wait a sec, Sion. Why must I be pursued by the ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad!?”
“Un? Don’t tell me you have no idea why? You used Roland’s magic, escaped from prison, kidnapped a blond beauty and destroyed the sentry gate of a border. Shouldn’t you be pursued?”
“Wait…haau…no well…let me ask again, okay? Listen up, listen properly, okay? Why, must, I, be chased, by, the, ‘Ta, boo, Break, er’, Pur, suit, Squad!? I was forced to do a job I didn’t want to do because of you—the unbelievably evil Roland King, and your command! Right? Speaking of which, I moved because of the king’s order. So why are the ‘Taboo Breakers’ after us? Isn’t this weird?”
But Sion,
“Really? But if I don’t say anything, the members of the ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad will definitely have to chase after the ‘Taboo Breakers’, you know?”
“THEN JUST SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!!”
“Ahh, I see. So I just need to say so, is it? But I often feel that it’s not suitable when you don’t listen to my orders, Ryner…how about this? I’ll let the ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad folks attack you when you’re taking a nap, washing your hands and eating…in that case, you won’t have enough free time alone…how pitiful…then, nn? What’s wrong Ryner? Why are you silent out of a sudden.”
As he saw Sion play dumb, Ryner clutched his head…
“Why, why must I know of such a devil…”
“Fm. So that means you’re willing to become my bodyguard?”
“………Ahh I get it now…fine by me.”
Sion smirked,
“As expected of my good friend.”
“Shut up!”
And then, Sion turned to face Ferris…
And Ferris stared at Sion warily.
“What is it, you devil? I’m not as easy to deal with as Ryner. If the ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad chases after us, I’ll kill them off.”
She said such a terrifying threat, but Sion,
“I got it, Ferris. I know that won’t work on you, so I won’t force you.”
“Nn. Good decision.”
Ferris nodded away in a relaxed manner, but Sion said with a frivolous tone again,
“Ahh yes. Speaking of which, the Wynnit dango shop wants to open a branch at the nobles’ residential area…near your house, Ferris…I’m a little troubled…what do you think, Ferris? Or is it that food shops and noble residences don’t match well? Maybe I should refuse them.”
Immediately, Ferris stood up,
“Let’s go, Ryner. What are you hesitating about? Hurry up and be Sion’s bodyguard.”
“I, I say, you, why did you immediately fall for his trick? And only at the level of dango at that…”
“Nn? Were you thinking of make fun of dango, you bastard?”
At that moment, the sharp sword drawing sound echoed throughout the room,
“I say, wa, wait a sec!! I take that back!! Tha, that’s right, dango’s the most important thing that matters in the country. I, I got it, so please sheath your sword.”
“Nn.”
Sion stared at this scene in front of him in a very satisfied manner.
“Oh my, I’m really blessed to be a king with many subordinates that think of me.”
In response to this statement, the two of them,
“One of these days, I’ll definitely spread rumors that the king of Roland’s a sex maniac, a beast, and that anyone who talks with him will get pregnant. I’ll kill you!”
“Nn. If the new branch isn’t open when I return, I’ll definitely make your head fly, you bastard king.”
These two lines that were said with real patriotism were said at the same time.
At night where the moon rose.
The sturdy gates stood.
The few layers of walls that were severely guarded.
There were many soldiers assigned inside the sturdy walls, and the guards were so strict that they wouldn’t let a cat pass by.
Of course, that’s to be expected as this was the emperor’s residence, and with the king of the neighboring country being hosted in this city, it would be weird if they didn’t keep guard.
In such a situation, nobody should be able to sneak around inside this city.
If they were ordinary people…
But there were 6 suspicious shadows on the roofs under the moonlight.
The black clothed men were all in black and had agile limbs as they held onto the roofs of the city.
Their target destination was—
However—
As they arrived where they were headed to, a small window suddenly opened. Inside the female officer who opened the window tentatively poked her head out of the window to look, spotted the men in black and waved them over.
Most likely, she was a planted agent tasked with bringing the black clothed men in.
The black-clothed men all ran straight toward that place.
As they faced such a scene.
“…”
Not far away, there were people standing on a roof, watching all of this.
There were two of them.
One of them was lying at the spot in a completely unmotivated manner, looking unenthusiastic as he stared at the men in black clothes,
“Haa…I say, I’m really tired…I slept at quite a late time last night, and I had to wake up early today as well…I say, can I just leave Sion’s matter to you and sleep here?”
It was a voice completely devoid of tension.
And the other person, a blond beauty spoke,
“That should be my line. It’s rare for Iris to bring me dango…and I should be watching the moon while eating dango to relieve the anger I have with the sex maniac in the day. How are you going to repay me for this wish?”
“…I say, you had been thoroughly venting your rage as how you wanted…”
Ryner wasn’t willing to go any further as he sighed loud and hard,
“And then, what are you going to do with that? It looks troublesome. Can we just leave them alone?”
“Nn. I want to do that too, but this concerns the fate of the dango shop. I have to do this.”
“…Then aren’t you worried about Sion’s life?”
Ferris twitched her eyebrows in a weird manner,
“Is there a need for that?”
“Nope.”
On hearing that, Ryner simply answered and stood up. He lazily moved his shoulders,
“But his personality is really rotten to the core. If he dies like that, he’ll definitely curse us…can’t be helped. Better get to work properly.”
“Nn. You’ll go then.”
“Ah!? I say, what do you mean by that? Aren’t you going with me?”
“I don’t want to do such a troublesome job.”
“I DON’T WANT TO EITHER!”
Ferris looked somewhat shocked,
“THE…THEN, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE DANGO SHOP?”
“HOW THE HELL WILL I KNOW ABOUT THAT!?”
Both of them got involved in some meaningless topic.
And with very loud voices to boot…
In the quiet night.
Right now, the city was raising a grand banquet to invite Sion, and all of them were gathered in the hall of the first level. Right now, they were at the roof level of the city, higher than the 5th level, so Sion and the rest would definitely be unable to hear their voices.
In other words, of course, the black-clothed men will hear them clearly…
The men all turned to look at Ryner’s group,
“Wha…since when were you there…I couldn’t detect your presence at all…”
“What are those two…”
The masked clothes showed sharp icy stares that only real killers would give, and these stares were shot at Ryner’s group.
Ryner used his usual slow expression to take the stares without worrying,
And then,
“Ferris, we were discovered because of those stupid words you said, right? Besides, these guys…look like the real deal. They seem strong.”
But Ferris was using that usual emotionless poker face as well,
“Looks that way after all, but this shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
“Heh. That’s really unexpected. You have a rather high evaluation of me.”
Ferris nodded hard,
“Every night, you will continue to run around the streets to attack women. You had experienced countless battles and yet never got caught, so even I will have a sort of respect for that…”
“I DON’T NEED THAT KIND OF RESPECT!! Haa…I was really stupid for actually having that kind of expectation of you…no, but it’s true that no matter what kind of opponents there are, in front of your unscrupulous violence without second thoughts…”
Immediately, the sound of a sharp sword being unsheathed could be heard,
“……No, well…I don’t mean it that way…everything will be fine with that graceful swordsmanship of yours.”
As Ryner was saying these words, one of the black-clothed men said,
“Can’t be helped. We don’t know where these two are from, but since they are witnesses, we have to shut them up. Go.”
The men all attacked.
A pair of dazed eyes and a pair of emotionless eyes stared at this,
“It’s troublesome…but lets go.”
“Nn.”
Both of them started to move.
Ferris started running, and Ryner weakly flailed his arms to draw the magic array only Roland would have.
On seeing this, the men in black stopped…
“You guys…are henchmen from Roland!?”
A cry was heard, and the trio standing right at the front got into position and draw their sharp daggers from their clutches…
And then, the trio standing at the back start to wave their hands in complicated ways as they draw light seals in the air.
On seeing this, Ryner,
“Heh, that magic use…that means you’re assassins from Nelpha? I thought the nobles from Roland were behind this…I won’t use this spell then.”
After that, Ryner removed the spell in his hand.
At the next moment, the three men standing in front clashed with Ferris.
The men shouted,
“You’re just a woman. What can you do to such!”
“How unfortunate you are to be facing us…”
And then, the men swung their daggers at Ferris with unbelievable movements.
As Ryner said right at the beginning, these guys were all the real deal. There’s no opening to be found amongst them as they were in a perfectly linked formation. Even though they’ll definitely not appear on the stage of history, a battalion led by stupid soldiers will definitely be unable to match up against the six of them…
However, this beauty’s expression doesn’t change…
“Such noisy assassins.”
One can say that she steadfastly drew the sword at her waist and threw it into the air.
Then, she kicks the dagger in front of her and sends it flying away, uses her fingers to catch the other daggers that came attacking from left and right side, and threw them out into the air.
“What!?”
The men were shocked. Ferris doesn’t stop as she catches her sword and swings it.
At that moment,
There’s only a sound of metal colliding, but the three daggers in the air were all hit by Ferris’ longsword, stabbing into the wrists of the three men behind who were chanting spells.
Immediately,
“GYAAHHH!!”
The ones who let out the screams were obviously the men holding their wrists as they collapsed.
Ferris saw this, put the sword back at her waist and face the three men in front of her.
“Nn? Still want to continue?”
The men’s faces turn pale as they jumped backward and left their places.
“Wha, what are you…”
Ferris simply answers,
“A beauty.”
“…”
Everyone present is speechless…
In the long silence, her face is the only thing blushing for some reason—let’s leave this aside for now.
The men all look like they’re ready to die,
“But since we failed, we have no place to go! At least, at least we have to get rid of both of them…”
But the men’s words stop,
They stare at Ryner, who’s looking unmotivated as he waves his hands in a complicated manner and draws a seal after another…
“Wha, what’s going on…”
The men shuddered…
“Why do you…why you…you who use Roland’s magic…can use Nelpha’s magic…”
This is really unbelievable.
The magic style for each country is different. No, it’s not an exaggeration to say that they’re two completely different kind of spells. How to activate? What form of medium? Does it require incantations? Is there a need to draw a magic array? Is there a need to draw a seal?
Anyway, these are all different right down to the fundamentals.
That’s why it’s not easy to use other countries’ magic, and why it’s dangerous for another country to know one country’s magic system…
That’s why, if magic is leaked to other countries, they would send the assassination squad called the ‘Taboo Breaker’ Pursuit Squad after them.
This explains sufficiently why using other countries’ magic is such an abnormal thing…
But Ryner looked really sleepy as he crisply used Nelpha’s magic.
This caused the men to be dumbstruck,
“How did you do tha…”
At this moment, one of the men called out as if he noticed something,
“THA, THAT GUY’S EYES…THAT GUY’S EYES ARE SHOWING PENTACLES!?”
The men immediately panicked,
“WHAT!? DON’T TELL ME THAT GUY’S THE OWNER OF THE ‘ALPHA STIGMA’ THAT BRINGS ABOUT CALAMITY!?”
The men’s faces cringed as they cried.
‘Alpha Stigma’.
This term was always spread with fear and hatred…
The crimson red pentacles appeared in Ryner’s eyes, and the men who saw them looked like they were dragged into an endless darkness. These eyes can see through any magic from the structure to the phenomenon, analyze them and take them as their own,
No, that’s not the only thing that people feared about the ‘Alpha Stigma’…
“Impossible! This monster of an ‘Alpha Stigma’ bearer…can’t possibly work for others while being sane…it’s unheard of!”
“Roland actually has such a monster!?”
“…”
In response to these words, Ryner’s eyes that are showing pentacles narrow sadly,
“You guys said such horrible things. It’s not like I wanted to be a monster myself…”
Ferris nods in agreement,
“Un, but you’re always being a beast on the bed all day…”
“Okay okay, you’re really noisy. Please keep quiet for a while.”
Ryner’s sad eyes close as he grimaces.
And then,
Ryner faces the assassins who’re wavering after seeing him use Nelpha’s magic,
“Breath of wind, lend us thy power.”
He casually chants away.
The surrounding wind gathers drastically, forming a cyclone as it attacks the men.
The men couldn't even fight back at all as they’re hit directly…
They’re all cut by the wind, and unable to fight.
The battle ended.
After that,
“Fuu.”
Ryner sighs weakly, and Ferris tilts her head,
“Um. We won easily too. But Ryner…you, why did you spare them and not kill them? If it’s you, you can simply attack their hearts, right?”
But she had no intent on waiting for Ryner’s answer…
For some reason, Ferris keeps her usual emotionless state as she seems somewhat shocked,
“Do, don’t tell me…you feel that it’s not enough for you to act on women and kids, and you’re baring your poisoned fangs at these men!?”
“I say, you don’t have any intention of listening to my reply, right?”
“Of course.”
“DON’T SAY IT SO DIRECTLY!!”
And they continue bickering for a while…
Ryner feels a lot more tired than he felt during the battle,
“Then, what do we do with these guys? We can leave them here, but it’ll be troublesome cleaning up after this. I don’t want to do that.”
“Um, we have three options to choose from.”
Ryner agrees,
“That’s right. Those three, right? First choice will be to capture them, second choice will be to kill them, and third choice will be to release them…alright, which should we choose? They can’t possibly attack Sion again…such professionals will not attempt a second time after failing once. I feel that the third option is better.”
Ferris shakes her head seriously,
“Nope, go for choice two. Call Iris here and eat dango as we watch the moon.”
“…I say, you didn’t listen to what I said, did you? Or do you not have any intent to listen?”
“Of Course…”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY OF COURSE!”
Though both of them continue to bicker, they just left the men where they were. Besides, these assassins won’t know the real names of the ones who hired them, and even after capturing them, they won’t get much information. Both of them are completely unmotivated by this,
“I feel so tired…never mind. It’s a 100 times more tiring arguing with you than dealing with those asssassins…”
“Um, of course. Someone like you who’s born a baddie will definitely be hurt interacting with me who has an angelic-like heart.”
“…The hurt part’s the only correct thing…”
On this night, both of them continue to chat away with good (?) relationships as they leave the place.
On the other hand, the banquet ended peacefully, and Sion has returned back to his own room.
The long hours of maintaining that false smile as he chatted with them made him somewhat tired,
“Fuu. Anyway, I’m still alright…”
He mutters to himself as he lies on the bed and looks up at the ceiling.
But right now, his life is certainly being targeted.
He fully felt this at the banquet. There was killing intent coming over from all over the place, stares of evil intent. Some of the nobles who stood in front of him were smiling, but all gave an ominous presence of wanting to kill Sion.
They were definitely all rookies.
If they were professionals, they would not let others know of their thoughts.
They will approach when their target is not aware, kill him, and quickly leave.
They will not make any contact other than with the target…
This is an iron room. That’s why, even if they were people who wanted to kill Sion, nobody could do so.
Perhaps they would appear in a completely different scene. However, he can’t detect their presence at all,
“…Fm, Ryner’s group was successful, huh…?”
As he thought about this, the uneasy feeling disappeared for some reason.
Suddenly, someone knocks on the door, and Sion lifts his head,
“Oh, you’re finally here.”
A grim, cold voice came from the door.”
“I’m late, Your Majesty. Investigations are complete. Please allow me to enter.”
“Un, please do.”
The moment Sion finished, the door was opened.
As Sion watches the person walk into the room…
“…”
His golden eyes narrow.
It’s Froaude.
The usual ominous looking expression now has become something even colder.
From behind his back, Frouade tosses something weird into the middle of the room,
“This is one of the masterminds this time. Count Werias. I could hear quite some interesting things from him.”
He said calmly.
But Sion didn’t say anything.
No, he couldn’t say anything. He can only see what fell in front of him.
The thing introduced as Count Westria had lost its arms and limbs. No, that’s not it. The body itself was thoroughly wrecked…these wounds all looked like he'd been devoured by something…
It was truly a mystifying scene.
What exactly did Froaude do to Westria…?
He couldn’t help but wonder.
However, Sion closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and lifts his face.
“Tell me the conclusion of the report.”
Frouade seems to be rather happy after hearing that as his lips curl up.
“As expected, it’s really great to have you as king.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Of course, I just feel it’s really great to be your servant, a master who doesn't say anything even after seeing such a thing. Even though you have a bright light surrounding you…you also have a vast darkness within you. That is why I will serve you with all I have.”
On hearing that, Sion can’t help but grimace.
However, he doesn’t say anything else as he simply nods at Froaude’s answer.
Froaude sees this, and continues to explain calmly.
“According to what this man said…the mastermind this time was definitely the prince and the nobles who surround him. The reason seems to because the current king doesn’t favor the prince who was born, but a certain son of the prince. The prince was rather unhappy about this, so he wanted to assassinate the current king to make himself the king of this country…that’s what he thought."
However, to achieve this aim, he needs powerful backing. You have your own power, Astal-sama, and managed to attain your current standing after rising through the ranks of the army. However, this shameless prince and his nobles wanted to use the power of the nobles of Roland. But speaking of which, there’s the question of whether our nobles here are worth trusting.
He gives a faint smile as he says that. Sion nods,
“Yeah, this is a common thing.”
“Yes.”
“And then, have you found out the names of the Roland nobles working with the insiders?”
“As for this…it seems that the nobles of Roland were only providing monetary assistance, and weren’t willing to reveal their names.”
Sion grins,
“Haha, looks like our nobles here are more apt at doing a mastermind’s job.”
“…One of these days, we will have to deal with this.”
Froaude said. Deal with, as in exterminate.
Sion sighs and sinks into deep thought.
No…I’ve already used my own hands and the hands of my subordinates…to kill lots of people. There’s no reason to hesitate now.
But Sion continues to stare at his own hands, and sighs.
He feels that his own hands are all bloodstained.
He gives a self-mocking smile as he thinks about how he doesn’t have the right to touch his mother with these hands of his…
Now’s not the time to think about this. He focuses his attention on the current topic at hand.
No matter what, I know who the enemies in Nelpha are.
What should I do next…
I’m not in my own country, but another country. I can’t settle this by getting rid of the prince.
And—
Froaude speaks up,
“From my point of view, you should approach the prince of Nelpha, Your Majesty. Take the place of the Roland nobles and ask to assist the prince of Nelpha.”
“Hoh. And then help that foolish son assassin the current king?”
‘Yes. With such a foolish person becoming king, this country will easily collapse.”
Frouade simply answered.
For that moment, Sion pauses as if he were in deep thought, and then shrugs his shoulders,
“You really want me to gain control of the Menoris Continent…but I really don’t want to do that, you know? I don’t want to start unnecessary wars.”
“That is alright. I hope for the real king. This isn’t your wish, but the wish of the world. Even if you…reject everything…I feel that you will wish for such a thing one day…”
“I won’t wish for this.”
“I’ll wait for you to reach that moment then.”
Froaude simply answered calmly.
Sion is speechless in response to this, and then chuckles,
“My subordinates are all really scary guys.”
“…Can I view this as praise and accept it?”
“Haha. What do you think? But right now, I have to teach those guys from Roland a lesson. If the foolish prince takes over and ruins Nelpha, we’ll be pulled down. In such a situation, we have to let Nelpha owe us a favor. I’ll talk to the king and let him decide on the punishment on the prince.”
Sion’s words cause Froaude to become quiet…
“I’ll obey your orders.”
He said, and lowered his head.
That night, Nelpha Imperia suddenly sank into chaos.
Sion explained everything about this to the Emperor of Nelpha.
One wrong step would have caused a war with Roland…
And to avoid this, the nobles who thought about the country, with the Emperor of Nelpha leading, ran throughout the country.
First, it was the capture of the mastermind this time, the prince of Nelpha Imperia, Stearead Nelphi.
And then, the nobles who assisted were all captured one by one…
This was a battle against time.
A single delay will cause the anti-king nobles to escape.
They had to deal with all these in one night…
But luckily, most of the nobles were all gathered inside the city as part of the party in the name of welcoming the king of Roland, and pretty much all the masterminds were caught.
Right now, most of the nobles, with the Emperor of Nelpha leading, were bowing towards Sion.
“Such a situation really brought trouble to you…to think that you could have such a magnanimous heart even with such a development and chose not to start a war against our country…”
Sion looks rather sheepish,
“No, it’s the same for us as well. The Roland nobles are heavily involved in this as well. Please don’t apologize, your Highness of Nelpha. I won’t have any standing now, would I? Please don’t mind.”
“…I can’t express my gratitude enough…I feel proud that my neighbor, the kingdom of Roland has a king like you, Astal-sama.”
Sion smiles,
“That should be what I should say. There aren’t many kings who can bow down to other kings for the sake of their countries. As long as Nelpha’s king Gread Nelphi-sama is around, I won’t have to worry about my country’s Northern border.”
The people of Nelpha are really impressed and rendered speechless by Sion’s attitude.
Anyway, this is all over…it should be.
But—in the darkness of the night, Froaude was standing there.
His surroundings were scarlet red, as if they’re all dyed in blood.
Blood, blood and blood.
Seeing this, he chuckles,
“So these are the remnants of the nobles who planned this? I finally dealt with them…”
Froaude muttered to himself as he looked around at the men, women, everything within his range all stopped breathing…
He takes a breath, looks up at the sky and checks the position of the moon. The night will continue for a while. Looking at this, he sees the corpses surrounding him, all without life.
“Such a nice night. Sweet dreams, everyone…”
Saying that, he walked into the darkness,
“Alright, there’s one left…I suppose. I can’t let anyone who can get in Astal-sama’s way to live. I’ll use this chance to eliminate all who get in the way of His Majesty…I must do so before daylight…”
After saying that, he left without presence.
The moon in the sky is starting to tilt…
Dawn will not break for the time being.
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