Published at 22nd of January 2020 4:41 pm

Volume 4, Chapter 2: The Same Beauty

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

It was a horribly empty place.

All that was there were mountains, agricultural fields, and private homes.

It was a town in the Runa Empire - Ryner and Ferris had completely ignored the sign prohibiting entry to Ridget Village and were just now arriving. The sun had already slid beyond the horizon, and it was getting dark.

Ryner looked up at the sky, tired as always. “Aww, see? I told you. I told you we should’ve gone to the church instead. The sun’s already gone down, and this is a failing, empty village. Entry’s prohibited so any inns will be closed. What part of this town’s supposed to be cursed by a demon, anyway? It’s just a poor village.”

“Mm. Maybe it’s poor because it was cursed by a demon,” Ferris said, her words dripping with her own displeasure.

Ryner took another look around the village. It didn’t look like they had any local specialties or anything. Agriculture seemed to be their only source of income. There wasn’t a single conspicuous thing about it. “No, I don’t think their lack of prosperity has anything to do with a demon’s curse…”

Just then, a village exited one of the houses.

“Ah,” Ryner said. “Hey, Miss, I’ve got something I’d like to ask you. Does this village have any inns…”

The woman stared fixedly at Ryner. “Hh, hiihh…!?”

With that, she ran back into her home.

“What the hell?” Ryner said, surprised. “Why’d she run away?”

“Hm. She had the right reaction,” Ferris said in her usual detached tone. “Anyone would run after seeing your perverted face in the night.”

“No, I’d seriously be shocked if she ran because of my face…”

“Hm. I don’t think I’m wrong, though.”

“That’d be depressing,” Ryner said.

This time they caught sight of a man walking through the village.

Ryner took care to take a kinder tone than before. “U-um, could you…”

“Hiih!?” The man screeched. He ran away…

“There you have it,” Ferris said. “This is proof that you’ve reached the level where people understand that you’re a master pervert with just one look at your face. Do you want me to praise you?”

Her absolute monotone was the most tiring part. Ryner was at his limit. “What kind of a face would even do that… anyway, what do you think about their reactions? They’re definitely weird, right? Even when I tried to reach out with that nice boy appeal they still run… Why? Is something going on here?”

“Isn’t it because of the demon’s curse?” Ferris asked easily.

“I’m thinking! Even if we try asking them about that, no one will answer. I wonder what’s up…”

Another villager appeared.

“…We won’t make any progress asking normally,” Ryner said. “The same thing will just happen again…”

“Alright. I’ll try talking this time,” Ferris said. “I’ll show you just how different a beauty like me and a master pervert like you are.”

Ryner shrugged. “Go ahead. Do your worst.”

“Mm. I’m doing it,” Ferris said and walked towards the villager. “Hey, you there. Stop for a moment.”

Rather than trying to be approachable, she clearly sounded like a stranger…

The villager reacted pretty obviously. “H—”

But Ferris disappeared before the villager could scream. She moved so fast it was like she’d just been a hallucination. She reappeared in the direction the villager made to run, and spoke without an ounce of friendliness as always. “There’s something I want to ask—”

“Hhiiihh!” The villager screamed and turned to run in another direction. But Ferris just moved to that side. No matter which way he turned, Ferris was already there cutting off his escape.

“Wh-what’s going on!?” The villager yelled, full of fear and about to cry.

Ferris nodded. “Yes, be afraid. The demon’s curse is a fearful thing.”

Ryner watched them and thought deep inside: No, he’s more scared of you than the demon right about now… He slowly approached the villager who was standing frozen in fear now. “Well, anyway, it looks like you’re gonna hear us out, sooo… there’s something I wanna ask. What’s the demon’s curse? Why can’t anyone enter this village?”

The villager paled. “I-I can’t answer that,” he said, his voice shaking.

There was obviously something weird going on. Ryner and Ferris exchanged a glance.

“Why can’t you answer?” Ryner asked. “Will something bad happen if you tell us?”

“It’s th-the mountain… The mountain demon… It’s haunting us so… s, so every day…”

He wasn’t quite getting to the point. “The mountain demon is haunting you? What do you mean?”

“Y-you’re wrong!! I, I never said anything about the mountains! I didn’t say anything!! I’ll b-be killed… I’ll… hiiiihhh!!”

The villager ran away. Ferris didn’t stop him this time. He probably wouldn’t tell them anything else. He clearly wasn’t acting rationally anymore.

Ryner crossed his arms. “What do you think?”

Ferris looked around. “Hm. They’re terribly scared of something. Have you noticed? The villagers are all watching us from their windows.”

Ryner looked around too, eyes settling on the windows of the village’s sparse houses. Each one had eyes watching them with dead eyes, tired to their limits…

Ryner shrugged. “Looks like asking them to let us stay the night is pointless…”

Ferris nodded. “This is why I hate travelling with a pervert like you. I can’t even stay the night somewhere respectable…”

“You can drop that now, you know… Wait…”

Ryner’s voice trailed off.

There was a kid running for them like it was a life-or-death situation. She was about six or seven years old, and five adult men were running on after her…

“You brat… dont’ run…”

“You… what’re you thinkin’...!”

It didn’t really look like the men were just playing tag with her…

“Huh? What the hell are they⁠—”⁠⁠

Ryner couldn’t finish his sentence. Not while something so unbeleivable happened in front of him.

One of the men hit the girl with all his might, knocking her down hard enough that she bounced back up…

“What are they doing!?” Ryner said. “They aren’t going easy on her at all!”

Ferris nodded. “Mm. Seems so. It looks like that girl is going to be killed by those little girl loving men, just like you are. Hm… how convenient.”

“Huh? Convenient? What do you… oh,” Ryner said, hitting his fist to his open palm in understanding. “Yeah, this sure is convenient.”

“Mhm.”

They met each other’s eyes, then ran out to the girl. Though she’d been knocked over by that attack from earlier, she rose herself off the ground and continued to run frantically.

Ryner and Ferris were fast. A man made to knock the girl back down, but Ryner appear behind him to hold his arms back, looking at the men with his usual sleepy eyes. “Hey, Uncle. You’ll never be cool if you go around smacking kids.”

“You asshole… ah!? Don’t try and butt in, outsider!” He said and shook Ryner’s arms off to hit the girl again.

“See,” Ryner said, tired, “You gotta tell me your reasoning here. Why are you chasing that kid…”

Ryner’s voice trailed off as he got a good look at the girl. His eyes narrowed. Her arms, legs, and face were all covered in bruises…

She had chestnut brown hair and a cute face, but she was so thin she was withering away. She was obviously a cute kid, but she was covered in injuries…

“…Why would you hit a little kid like this?” Ryner asked.

“You have nothing to do with this!” The man said. “Keep gettin’ in the way and I’ll beat you too! It’s this kid’s fault that I don’t know what kind of eyes… guah!?”

Ryner twisted the man’s arms. “Oops, did that hurt? My bad. Anyway, I don’t know what you mean about not knowing about eyes, but,” Ryner said, his voice dropping lower, “I think the bruises on that kid’s face hurt a lot more than your arm hurts now. I’ll ask you one more time, so answer me. Why would you hit her like that? By the way, if it’s a shitty reason, I’m gonna break your arm next…”

The man turned to glare at Ryner. “Shut up! You don’t know anything!! Hey, what’re you guys doing? Shut this outsider up!” He ordered to the other men.

“……”

But nobody answered.

“What’s the problem? Beat him so bad he can’t forget it!”

“……”

“H-hey… Hey!”

Ryner turned him around, still pinning his arms. “Ah, those friends of yours are the guys sleeping over here, right?”

There they were, lying in piles on the ground… And Ferris had set up her favorite tea set on them for a break.

“……”

Ryner looked at her with half-lidded eyes. “Hey, what’re you doing?”

“Mm? Do you want some too? It’s quite sad, but unfortunately we’re out of dango right now…”

“…No, that’s not what I meant,” Ryner mumbled. He looked back to the man in his grasp. “Um, well… that’s how it is. Your friends have been made into a table for tea thanks to her and won’t come to save you… So go ahead and answer me. Why are you attacking a kid like this? What’s going on in this town? It’s super weird… and what’s with the demon’s curse stuff?”

The man suddenly shivered. “N-no! I, I can’t… I’ll be killed…”

Ryner grimaced. “Oh, that again. What’re you so scared of?”

“I, I can’t say. If I do… I’ll be killed…. uuh.”

Ryner jabbed the man’s neck with his hand to quiet him. He lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground with his friends.

Ryner turned back to Ferris. “So that’s the situation. These guys won’t tell us a thing.”

“That’s fine,” Ferris said. “It’s going exactly as planned.”

“Right,” Ryner said. “So…”

He looked to the girl, still collapsed on the ground. She was looking up at him with a blank expression. It turned scared when Ryner met her eyes. “Um, umm… thank you for saving me.”

“Mm,” Ferris said from behind her. “It isn’t as though we saved you for free. If you’re thankful, pay up.”

What a thing to say…

Ryner shrugged. “She’s gonna think we’re con artists if you say it like that…”

“Um… I am thankful, and I do want to pay you,” the girl said. “But my family is poor and I don’t have any money…”

Ryner shook his head, flustered. “Ah, no, not like that. We aren’t asking for money… See, we just came to this country, and we’re kinda in a pinch. We don’t have anywhere to stay the night. Think we could stay at your place? The sky’s already dark and I just keep getting sleepier and sleepier…”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Then… then you guys aren’t from Runa?”

Ferris nodded. “Mm. We’re travellers going from country to country. If you let us stay the night, I’ll consider your debt settl⁠—”

“P-please save him!” The girl interrupted. She clung to Ryner’s leg. “It looks like they’re going to kill m, my childhood friend… S-so please! Save him!”

“What’s all this suddenly…?” Ryner said. “Does this have to do with the demon’s curse?”

The girl shook her head again and again. “No! Arua isn’t… Arua isn’t a demon! He’s not a demon but the Runan military took him to the mountains anyway! If we’re not fast, he’ll definitely… he’ll definitely be killed…!”

The girl fell to the ground crying.

“Ah, w, wait wait wait wait,” Ryner said, troubled. “What’s happening? It sounds like your childhood friend - Arua, right? - was taken by the military? Because he’s a demon or something?”

“I told you, Arua isn’t a demon!” She screamed, tears falling from her eyes.

Ryner pressed a hand to his forehead. “Umm… so Arua isn’t a demon but the military is calling him one and took him away… right?”

“Right.”

Ryner breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally be on the same page. “Why are they calling this Arua guy a demon then? I’d be really happy if you could start from the beginning and give me a few more details to work with.”

“Uh, um⁠—”

“Wait,” Ferris said. “Let’s go somewhere else first. Talking here will irritate her wounds.”

“Oh, right. Wow, this is the first time I’ve ever heard you worry about someone else, Ferris. Even you have good points, huh?”

Ferris nodded as if to say ‘obviously.’ “Mm. We’d be in trouble if she died in the middle of our conversation.”

“…If only you hadn’t opened your big mouth again… Anyway… is it okay if we go to your house?” Ryner asked the girl.

“Um, you guys are looking for somewhere to stay the night, aren’t you? I know a good place! I’ll show you!” She said and ran off.

“Augh, hey! You don’t have to run! Ugh, what a pain…”

“Hm.”

And so Ryner and Ferris ran on after her… leaving the men collapsed on the ground.

She led them to a lone wooden house. It was by no means large, and it was by no means clean.

“Uwah… What the hell?” Ryner mumbled as he looked around. The house was in real bad shape. The table was turned over, the drawers had fallen to the floor, and the tableware was broken and scattered across the floor… It was like a storm had swept through the inside.

The girl looked around, a bit sad. “I just cleaned it two days ago, too…”

“Two days ago? Wait, you don’t live here?”

“…No. This is where Arua lived before they took him away. I thought he’d be sad if he came home to a mess so I cleaned it, but the townspeople just broke in again… Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up real quick so w-wait here, okay! I mean, you won’t be able to sleep like this…”

She began to clean as she spoke…

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine for a night,” Ryner said. He turned the table and chairs back to their correct position and sat. “More importantly, can you tell us what’s going on? Like about how this house keeps getting broken into… and how you were being chased by adults… and how the townspeople have been reacting… What in the world is going on here?”

He studied the girl’s face for a moment before continuing.

“And you haven’t told us your name yet either. By the way, my name’s Ryner and this expressionless chick is Ferris.”

“Umm, err, my name is Kuku. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ryner and Ferris,” she said politely and bowed quickly.

“Yep, nice to meet you.”

“Mm. Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s talk.”

“Yes,” Kuku said. She stared up at the ceiling in thought for a moment before starting. “Me and Arua have always been close. We’re next door neighbors. My mom and dad are friends with his mom and dad too… we’ve all always gotten along. I spent every single day playing lots and lots with Arua. We always got along with everyone else in the village too… It was a nice and peaceful town…”

She reminisced a bit as she spoke. Her face when she talked about Arua was both happy and sad. In any case, it seemed like this town had been a good and peaceful place… but the same couldn’t be said of it now. Right now it was dark and malicious and made her good memories sound like nothing but a lie. It had gone mad.

And Ryner…

“……”

He knew this town’s atmosphere. The people had become suspicious, scared, and angry, like they were living in the midst of despair…

“What changed?” Ryner asked.

Kuku’s face clouded over. “Everything changed that day. Our taxes were suddenly raised… things were already tough, but this made it so we really couldn’t afford it. But we couldn’t just go against the nobility… so everyone worked really hard so we could pay it. We were all worked to the bone… I didn’t eat. My mom and dad didn’t eat either. They just worked and worked until the middle of the night, day after day… They really did their best. They didn’t slack off at all. But we were the first ones to fall short of paying… so the territory lord came here to manage us.”

Kuku’s expression slowly filled with fear as she spoke. Her voice shook when she continued.

“Lots of soldiers came… My family was the only one that couldn’t pay taxes but they brought so, so many soldiers… First they killed my dad while everyone watched… it only took a second. They made the top half of his body disappear with magic… And there was so much blood. My head went blank when I saw…”

She was crying. The tears poured down her cheeks.

Her story was a common one. It was common, but it was impossible to stay calm hearing it.

In the old Roland, before Sion took the throne… stories like hers sprouted up everywhere. They bullied the people for pleasure and killed them on whims…

The nobility probably picked Arua as their next whim. They said he was a demon so they were going to kill him.

If the nobles said he was a demon, then he was a demon. The nobility’s word was law. Anyone who didn’t follow their laws were killed. No… it’d be better if they just killed them. But they always hurt them first. Raped them first. Then killed them.

Apparently that was the kind of country this was. It was a country that had allied itself with the old Roland after all…

It was a rotten country with a rotten noble class…

They said they borrowed god’s power to use magic in this country.

They borrowed god’s power.

And that power was what killed this girl’s dad.

They borrowed power from god and used it to steal the lives of people.

What a wonderful god, right?

“…Makes me wanna barf,” Ryner whispered to himself, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

The mad nobility governed their mad country.

Kuku continued, tears still pouring from her eyes. “But even then it didn’t stop. They took me… and my mom screamed and cried. But the territory lord just laughed. He looked at my dad’s body, at my mom screaming and crying, and laughed… I didn’t understand what was so funny. He laughed and laughed and said he’d show her me dying too… and then magic started up in front of me…”

He could see the end of the story.

But the girl recalled what had happened, her tone getting calmer. “But right then… something mysterious happened. Arua… Arua used magic… even though he never said he could use magic before, and for some reason, he didn’t seem like himself then… Everyone else seemed to think so too. Because they looked at Arua and they all got really scared. His eyes had a weird pattern in them…”

Ryner’s fists hit the table with a slam. He’d done it unintentionally.

What did she just say?

A weird pattern rose up in his eyes…

Kuku stared at him. “Uu, um, did I do something wrong…?”

“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not it…”

“Don’t worry about it, Kuku,” Ferris said from his side. “Sometimes he just does weird things. You can keep talking.”

“R-right,” Ryner said, flustered. “That’s right. I’ve just been so tired lately that my arms have been twitching like crazy… they hit the table all on their own. Sorry for interrupting you. You can keep going.” He felt his face twitch as he spoke.

It couldn’t be…

To think they’d be having a conversation like this here…

Ryner nodded to Kuku to encourage her, and she nodded back.

“Umm… that was the end of my story,” Kuku said. “Since then, the territory lord was terrified of Arua and went home… But Arua saved me. He saved me but my mom said I couldn’t talk to him anymore. The villagers also say that Arua killed lots of people, and they call him a demon, and say he’s cruel… That was a while ago. The territory lord came again and brought even more soldiers than last time and took Arua. They said they were going to do demon experiments in the mountains. The military said they’d get promoted if they did demon experiments and laughed. And then our taxes got higher again… The people of the village are in bad shape now.”

She looked sad as she spoke.

“At first some people tried to escape. They were killed so the territory lord could keep his experiments on Arua a secret. So now the villagers can’t leave. But that’s not all. We’re killed if we tell visitors to the village about it, too. Lots and lots of people were killed and the taxes keep going up… Everyone’s gone mad. They all say it’s me and Arua’s fault…”

Ryner’s eyes narrowed. “So that’s why they were hitting you?”

“…Yeah. But I’m okay. I mean, I’d be dead if Arua hadn’t saved me. But Arua’s parents… they said it’s my fault because he saved me…”

Ryner looked around the room. In any case, it looked like Arua’s parents had been taken away.

He knew the exams that boy with the strange pattern in his eyes would be faced with. He’d suddenly used magic that he shouldn’t have been able to use, changing his life forever…

Ryner recalled the countless tests he’d endured in the old Roland. “About how long ago was Arua taken away?” He asked.

“Huh? Um… eight days ago.”

“And how long ago were his parents taken away?”

“That was five days ago.”

Ryner grimaced. They were late. They were horribly late. Even if they went now…

Ferris stood. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Ryner looked at her. “But…”

Ferris stared back. “We don’t have the time to sit and chat. Am I wrong?”

“Oh… ah, yeah. Yeah. We’ve gotta hurry.”

“Then let’s go. We must protect this boy. Wait here, Kuku. We’ll kidnap Arua somehow.”

Kuku looked like she couldn’t believe it. “Y-you’re really going to save him? Even though you’ll be going against a noble?”

“The nobles of Runa hold no power over us,” Ferris said easily.

“But, but, the Runan military will be after you…”

“That’s fine. If push comes to shove, I’ll use this stupid looking man as bait.”

“Hey, I’m not bait!” Ryner yelled reflexively.

“Mm. You’ll be fine if you’re fired up. Let’s go.”

“Huh? Wait…”

“Let’s go,” Ferris said and left the room.

“Hah? Hey, do you even know which mountain we’re headed for?” Ryner asked and followed her out.

Ferris pointed to a mountain to the north. “I saw a fire from there earlier, so isn’t it that one?”

Ryner looked up at the mountain. There were countless, dazzling fires easily visible in the dark of night. “Yeah, no mistake. That’s gotta be it.”

“That’s right,” Kuku said. “That’s where Arua is…”

“Still, those fires are up a lot higher than expected. Climbing a mountain in the middle of the night is such a pain,” Ryner said as he walked towards it.

“Mm. Walking up a mountain at night with a pervert is suicidal.”

“Who’re you callin’ a pervert?”

“You, of course,” Ferris said. They steadily approached the mountain as they spoke.

Kuu spoke from behind. “Uh, um, I…”

Ryner turned back to face her. “Ah, it’s okay. The two of us can save him, Kuku, so… oh, I know. How about you clean this house up while we’re gone? You said you’d hate for Arua to come back to a dirty house, right?”

Kuku nodded. “You’re right! Then I’m gonna clean! You guys do your best too!”

“We will,” Ryner said. He waved and continued on towards the mountain.

But his expression then…

“……”

---

Roland Castle, deep into the night.

Sion was in bed for the first time in thirty hours and finally drifting off to sleep when someone approached his door in a hurry.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, this is important!”

Sion weakly opened his eyes and looked to the door. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” He asked, tired and on the edge of sleep. He had a headache from being woken.

“Please wake up, Your Majesty! We are in a crisis situation!”

It sounded like Eslina. She was yelling, her tone full of urgency…

Sion finally forced his eyes open all the way. Eslina was working on Calne’s orders to keep Sion from overworking himself. After she came back from dinner with Calne today, she came to see that Sion hadn’t slept again and got mad, then calmed down and finally got Sion into bed.

Eslina knew most of all that he hadn’t slept, so for her to come waking him…

Sion picked himself up off his bed and threw on a shirt. “Wait, I’m coming. What happened?”

“Well…”

Then he heard Calne. “Claugh! I’m telling you, this is bad! You need a doctor! A doctor comes first!”

“Shut it, you. I gotta see Sion first. And these wounds are nothin’...”

“They aren’t nothing! I would pass out from wounds like that!”

“Well you’re not me!”

“This is basic common sense!” Calne said. “Ugh, geez! Eslina, Noa, please tell him…”

The door opened without even a knock. Claugh stood in the frame, blood dripping from his arm and chest… and Noa, her hair dirtied with blood, stood behind him.

Sion narrowed his eyes. “Calne, Eslina. Bring a doctor here. Claugh won’t listen if you just tell him to go, so we’ll have him treated here.”

“Yes, sir,” they both replied in unison, then ran out to find a doctor.

Sion looked back at Claugh when they were gone. “You did well protecting Lady Ehn. I thank you as king, Claugh.”

Claugh glared at Sion with sharp eyes. “You know that Noa was attacked? Don’t tell me you knew this was gonna happen…”

Sion shook his head. “Lady Ehn is bloodied, and you came all the way to my room this angry… You wouldn’t come to me if you’d just gotten in a fight, now would you?”

“Ahn? There’s no fucking way I’d come for that.”

“So that means Lady Ehn must have been attacked… am I wrong?”

“As expected, Your Majesty is quite keen,” Noa said. “Sorry to impose.”

Sion shook his head, grimacing just a bit. “Not sure I want to be called keen from you… I’ve lost face. If only I’d been able to predict this… I truly am sorry. It is due to my own carelessness,” Sion said. Then he looked to Claugh. “I’m sorry to you, too. It’s my bad. You’ve saved me.”

“Aah?” Claugh said, angry. “You were predicting? The hell’s that mean. So you already knew assassins would come?”

Noa answered before Sion could. “They are the only ones who have tried to kill me thus far, Major General Klom.”

Claugh turned to face her. “Them? By them you mean… the nobility?”

Noa nodded earnestly. “If I were killed, the relationship between Roland and Estabul would sour again, after all.”

“Right now, the people of Estabul have a high degree of trust in Lady Ehn,” Sion said. “Even Roland’s people believe in you. Souring the relationship between our countries is easy. Another Estabulian rebellion would break out if you died, and the exhaustion and discontentment of our two countries would turn on me, since I was the one who was to protect you. It is a method typical of our opponents. They think not of what benefits our country. They simply do whatever is necessary to make us fall to raise their own power.”

Claugh was irritated just listening to him. “So that’s the only reason they’re trying to kill Noa?”

Sion bowed to the two of them. “But this time is my bad. This was something I expected to happen. But I misjudged them. I didn’t think it’d be this soon… I’m sorry.”

“I don’t care about that,” Claugh said. “No one’s blaming you, Sion. You do more than enough good, and you’re always thinking of how to help everyone. The nobles are the ones who are in the wrong, not you. Noa was safe this time, but what’ll we do now? You can’t be planning on staying quiet about this…”

“I think that His Majesty making an enemy out of the nobility now would cause problems,” Noa said.

“What’re you saying, Noa? If we do that…”

“It doesn’t matter what happens to me,” Noa said. “I will be fine. The stability of our two countries is what’s really important. Now is the time for us to gather power. It is best to not fall to the temptation those vulgar people who care not for their country offer us. It is best to avoid making an issue about protecting my life.”

Noa then smiled gently at Claugh, who she was persistently opposing, and continued. “And… when push comes to shove, Major General Klom will protect me. One feels wonderfully reassured being protected by Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom, you know? Or are you not confidant that you can protect me from burglars?”

“Ah, no, uu…”

Claugh scrunched up his face, then turned to Sion, dejected. “Ugh, you say something too, Sion.”

Sion shrugged and faced Noa. “I am grateful for your thoughtfulness. I am unfortunately unable to conclude this matter quickly. I will strive to do the very best for you so that you need not despair, but… Well, it’s already late tonight, so why don’t you stay in the castle? I will have a bath prepared for you as well. Please relax there.”

Noa bowed politely. “I am grateful for you kindness.”

Sion looked to Claugh. “You should retire for the night too. I’ll have a room prepared next to hers for you so you can protect her… but first, get those wounds treated.”

Claugh grimaced. “I’m tellin’ you, these ‘wounds’ are hardly—”

“Claugh!”

“Ugh, shut up. Whatever, I’ll get ‘em treated. Ugh… you don’t gotta get all mad at me…”

“I’m not mad. I just want you to understand this too. We will be in the biggest trouble if she dies out of every person in this country.”

“…Even I know that—”

“And we’ll be in trouble if you forget how important you are to this country too,” Sion said. “It’d take me so much longer to accomplish my ambitions without you. And that’s not all… If you died…”

Sion stopped for a moment and smiled. It was a little sunny… and overflowing with confidence in himself. It was a smile that could catch anyone’s eye and charm them. He gazed at Claugh.

“If you died, I’d definitely cry, okay? You’d make me cry.”

Claugh was caught off guard. “Nngh…”

“Sion, sir! I’ve brought a doctor!” Calne said. “It’s the middle of the night so nobody was awake… I had to wake him up, so you better let him treat you, Claugh!!”

Sion waved Claugh away, his face saying it all - go on!

Claugh turned on his heel, disgruntled. “Guess there’s nothin’ I can do about it if you’re the kind of selfish guy who gets too lonely to sleep alone. I’ll go get ‘em treated.”

Sion smiled too. “Don’t be stupid. I’m just tired from you guys waking me up. Hurry up and go.”

For some reason Noa watched them horribly happily… and then they all left his room. Sion returned to his bed and sat at its edge. His head hurt as he thought about what he’d just heard.

Assassinating Noa…

The nobility was behind this, too. Just like when they killed Fiole to teach Sion a lesson… this time they were after Noa. But this danger was incomparable to that of Fiole’s incident. One wrong step would cause another rebellion. Even so, the nobility wanted Noa dead. They didn’t care what they looked like anymore.

“…Shit,” Sion mumbled. Claugh had saved her this time. But if he was ever unable to save her…

If they didn’t act soon, everything would be for nothing. Their country had to have a unified front to face threats of invasion from abroad…

Claugh had saved her this time. But what about next time?

They couldn’t keep walking this tightrope. It was putting the people in danger of being swept away. They had to do something…

Those methods…

Sion raised his head. He smiled in self-deprecation. “You always, always have some pretty amazing timing…”

A dark shadow appeared.

Froaude.

“There is no greater happiness to me than fulfilling Your Majesty’s expectations,” Froaude said and bowed.

“No need for the platitudes… I understand what you’re thinking.”

A faint smile rose to Froaude’s face. “Everything is beginning, Your Majesty. The other side acts even without you making a move. What will be Your Majesty’s decision today?”

“…What do you think the situation calls for?”

“Exactly as I told you previously. We pander to the nobility. They are currently aiming for Lady Noa Ehn, our lifeline so to speak… even so, you will not complain nor question them. Instead you show them that you wish to accommodate them and unite the two factions of our country. Then once they have grown complacent from lining their pockets without any work of their own and let down their guards, hunting them will be simple.”

“You’ll kill them all?”

“If necessary.”

“I said this before too, but the people…”

Froaude didn’t answer his concern. “Preparations have already been completed, no matter what you may decide.”

Sion narrowed his eyes. “Wait… you aren’t the one who had Noa attacked, were you…?”

Froaude shook his head. “Unfortunately not. The nobility are the ones who instigated the attack on Lady Ehn… to create the current situation. It is quite an exciting plan, isn’t it. Lady Ehn’s life would be safe if I had sent the assassins… but I have not yet acted.”

“I see. It’s fine if you do.”

“Hah. Then that is all I had to say. We will become even busier from here on out. Please rest for the remainder of the night,” Froaude said and left the room.

Sion continued to sit on his bed for some time after he was gone.

He didn’t sleep that night.

---

Roland was in an uproar of unprecedented scale the next morning.

The king sent out an imperial edict affecting the whole nation, one wholly unexpected to Sion’s subordinates and the nobles within his faction who he pushed away… and the one he pushed farthest was the man considered to be the top of their military, Claugh Klom.

He pushed aside everyone of the pro-monarchy faction to assume his position…

Those who were happy, jealous, and hateful were suddenly reversed, and the situation confused everyone. Personnel were changed to a startling extent.

And so…

---

A great many people had assembled before the king.

Of course that included Claugh. “What the hell’re you doing, Sion! I didn’t agree to this! I could’ve made it to the top of the military by my own power, without charity from you. Even so…”

He’d raised his voice in anger…

Next up was Calne. “He’s right, Sir Sion! Why would you do this all of the sudden? It’s much too surprising. You should tell us what you’re thinking first…”

“Do you feel that this sort of behavior is prudent in the current situation?” Noa asked. “Pardon my rudeness, but there will be rumors of you becoming a tyrant at this rate. Please understand that those of us who trust you want you to rely on us. The nobility’s power is still strong within this country. If you ignore that and act like this, then… the situation will definitely become problematic. Don’t you think the best course of action is to withdraw your decision?”

Noa spoke seriously. She had calmly agreed not to announce the attempt on her life last night, but her face this morning said she wasn’t quite sure what to say.

Others present included Eslina, Froaude, Lord Newbull who had joined Sion’s cause early on, and the other nobles of the pro-monarchy faction.

Sion shrugged. “Geez, everyone, you’ll never get promoted if you complain so much,” Sion said, perfectly managing his usual mild-mannered and gentlemanly tone.

Newbull’s face stiffened. “What are you saying? Do you truly think we only follow you so that we ourselves can rise up in the world? The people who follow you… no, nobody assembled here cares anything for promotions. We only think of our country and wish for it to never fall back into its former darkness. And yet, your edict… I wonder if it might not be a betrayal. If you do that, we will once again fight… there are people who would say that. You should repeal it at once—”

“No, it is too late for that now,” Froaude said. “I am certain that a number of nobles of the anti-mobility faction would take advantage of His Majesty’s behavior to assemble people and stage a rebellion. We are unable to repeal this edict…”

That was right. The fight for rule of their country had already started…

It had come too soon. The conclusion to Estabul’s rebellion had just been a short while ago. Even if it had only been a temporary peace, couldn’t they have enjoyed it a little longer? Everyone thought so.

Did something happen to the king? Everyone’s expressions asked that.

And yet…

Sion sighed, then ran his eyes through the room leisurely. Quite a lot of people were present. They were all of Sion’s… no, they were everyone who thought of their country… everyone who really thought of it, whether it was advantageous or disadvantageous for them personally, and worked for its sake…

They should be able to win this fight.

Sion sighed again. “I get what you guys are saying. But won’t you hear me out?” Everyone’s eyes gathered on Sion. “I’m sure that there are people here who are shocked by my edict. It’s natural to be shocked. Abruptly changing every’s roles is betraying your expectations… and it appears that many of you can tell that this will revive the antagonism of the nobility from the old king’s regime…”

Sion paused briefly before continuing. “But I’d like you to hear me out before you’re dissatisfied. Do you guys know about the country called Gastark?”

Nearly everyone in the room tilted their heads. Sion continued. “Well, you know about Stohl, right? It’s the greatest, most distinguished country in Menoris. They have approximately five times the military power we do. So I want you to tell me what you think would happen if Stohl tried to attack Roland.”

“…Hm,” Lord Newbull said. “We wouldn’t be able to win. We’d be destroyed. Even so… Stohl is geographically quite far from Roland, is it not? It is unlikely that Stohl would…”

Sion nodded. “I also thought that. And you’re right. Stohl probably won’t conquer all the way to our doorstep. So there’s no need to worry.”

“Pardon me, Your Majesty,” Lord Newbull said quietly. “But I do not quite understand what you are trying to say… Stohl will not attack us so we need not worry. I understand that. So what do they have to do with your edict?”

“They’re related,” Sion said. “Stohl won’t come here. But according to the information I received this morning… two thirds of Stohl’s land has already been occupied by the country called Gastark that I mentioned a moment ago.”

The atmosphere in the hall changed in an instant. “What!?”

But Sion didn’t stop. “That isn’t all. Gastark was just a small country in the north that none of you even knew the name of until recently. But they’ve begun to amass enough power to come here. It isn’t just Stohl - any small country can conquer others and become powerful without us having the slightest idea it exists. In any case, they’re still pretty far…”

“B-but they really are a faraway country,” Newbull said as if trying to calm himself down. “Luna, Nelpha, and countless other countries stand between us. And there are still four other large countries that Stohl may or may not be able to win against. It is very unlikely… that they would come here…”

Sion shook his head. “It’s certainly true that Gastark may never make it here. But other countries have started looking to increase their territory, militaries, and power via invasion in order to oppose Gastark. Am I wrong?”

“W-well…”

“I have proof of people from other countries operating in secret within Imperial Nelpha,” Sion said. “And… in our allied Runa Empire, too…”

“……”

Nobody had anything else to say anymore. They didn’t even open their mouths.

The world was changing. They could all feel it. A huge war unlike what they’d seen before would break out… and it wouldn’t be on the simple level of the long conflict between Roland and Estabul.

Would they destroy or would they be destroyed?

Sion waited until everyone present understood their circumstances before continuing. “We don’t have the time to continue the ugly fight within our country. Froaude has proposed a solution to the matter: we lay a trap, round everyone of the opposing faction up, and purge them.”

With that, all of the eyes in the room fixed on Froaude…

Claugh glared at him. “Purge everyone, children and adults alike? Then you’re the exact fucking same as the shitty king from before—”

“No, Claugh,” Sion interrupted. “Froaude’s suggestion isn’t wrong. I acknowledge that methods like that exist too. However. I am king of this country. I am king of every living being in this country. Even the people who want to kill me are people of Roland. I think they’re people that I should protect. I want to save as many of them as possible. I want to unite this country without killing anyone.

“That’s why I’m using these coercive methods. It’s to seize full control of Roland once and for all. If the nobility offered their surrender to me, I would take it. But if they opposed me to the bitter end, I would purge them. We’re at risk of another war and we’re out of time. I have to do whatever will save the largest number of people.

“I want you all to help me. I want all of you who want what’s best for our country to help me. I couldn’t do this without you guys. So won’t you help me save this country?”

That was everything.

No matter how much help he had, it wasn’t enough. They just didn’t have the time. Even if he was able to borrow some more with their help… everything would end…

Claugh placed a hand to his chest and bowed. “Everything is as you desire, my king.”

Newbull and the nobles followed… everyone bowed to him.

““Everything is as you desire, my king.””

Sion narrowed his eyes.

Their fight started now. Not just the fight within Roland - it was their first step towards the fight over the world…

---

Their morale rose gradually. Everyone was submerged in fascination with their king.

“As expected… my king,” Froaude whispered. “You perfectly understand how a king should behave. Wanting to save as many people as possible… is it. Yes, that is certainly how a king should behave…”

He smiled faintly.

Yes.

Even if, for example, he should use methods that would cause even more deaths than Froaude’s own suggestion to set a trap and purge the nobility…

The king progressed to a kingly military rule.

He would continue to advance along that path no matter how high the corpses piled…

The king progressed to a kingly military rule.

That was exactly why Froaude followed him. A perfect king’s heart hurt as he continued on his destined path to steal the lives of many…

His Majesty would realize that in the end, wouldn’t he?

No, he would become aware of it vaguely, without ever truly realizing it.

That was what qualified him to be king, was it not…?

He should lighten His Majesty’s worries, even if only a little… That was his duty.

The greatest result with the smallest number of sacrifices…

He was fine with doing all the dirty, bloody work himself…

Froaude made his way to the entrance to the hall, then looked back. There was something capable of shining there. He gazed into the radiance.

He placed his hand to his chest softly and bowed. “Everything is as you desire, my king,” he whispered, then disappeared from the hall.

---

The darkness moved.

Froaude had to sow the seeds of two plans.

First was the influential nobility. He would direct assassins to those who had not clearly stated whether they were pro-monarchy or anti-monarchy. They were capable of lending their power to the anti-monarchy faction, so it was alright to kill them.

Even if, for argument’s sake, they were simply neutral on the pro-monarchy faction, they weren’t doing anything. They would only encroach on the king’s power if they lived.

The nobility could be divided into two classes: those who should be killed and those who it was alright to let live.

And the second plan was…

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