Chapter 76 - <14>
Several dozen minutes later, the throne room was overflowing with injured soldiers from the army. It wasn't that it had become an aid station; it was just that everyone who came to report the situation to the king was wounded, creating a bizarre scene.
After hearing reports from various places, it seemed all the monsters in the courtyard had been dealt with, and any that had infiltrated other areas had also been defeated.
The soldiers who had gone to the Royal Guard barracks, the source of the incident, had not yet returned. But looking out from the balcony, he could see several people coming and going from the barracks, and it was bustling, so there probably wasn't a problem.
Ritz stood by Edward's side with an air of innocence. Everyone looked at this unfamiliar young man with suspicion.
But Altman, who had finally caught up, gave the king the deepest bow, then was the first to run to Ritz.
"Are you all right, Ritz-kun… I mean, Minister Alster."
"It's fine, just Ritz is okay."
It felt embarrassing to be called 'Minister' in this state.
"Then, Ritz-kun, you had a broken rib, but…?"
As expected of Altman, he was sharp. He asked another difficult question with a suspicious look on his face. But a joke like, 'It's healed now,' didn't seem like it would go over well.
"Ah, about that…"
He glanced at Edward beside him, whose eyes were cold. 'You brought this on yourself, so take the scolding,' his eyes said.
"This is hard to say, Altman… you took charge of the bottle of narcotics at the headquarters, right?"
"I did."
Ritz sighed at his puzzled face. It took courage to confess this situation to a drug investigation expert.
"That stuff… well… I kind of pilfered two pills…"
"That stuff? …Don't tell me you took it?"
Altman's eyes widened. Looking at his face, a mix of accusation and concern, there was absolutely no way to talk his way out of it.
"…Sorry."
He tried apologizing first, but Altman was left speechless. He was probably shocked and disgusted that someone on the side of cracking down on narcotics had used them.
"It was an emergency. I knew I wouldn't get addicted from one time, and I was able to save the king, so… you know?"
But Altman's shock was apparently not just for the reason Ritz thought.
"So… you moved around again after that?"
"…? Yeah, there was no pain, so…"
This time, Altman glared at Ritz with unconcealed anger.
"What were you thinking! Did you consider what would happen when the drug wore off?!"
At his furious outburst, not just Ritz but Edward also turned to look at Altman. He had thought it would probably hurt when the drug wore off, but he had never imagined being scolded with such vehemence.
"Altman, could you explain?"
With Ritz silent, Edward prompted Altman.
"Your Majesty, the Minister is a great fool."
"…I am aware of that."
Edward replied, half laughing. Ritz remained silent with a disgruntled face. Yeah, yeah, I'm a great fool. But Altman was completely serious.
"Did you think the state of your injury wouldn't progress while the drug was in effect? What's more, you rode a horse and even fought… The absence of pain is a terrifying thing. What your ribs and lungs must be like now… this humble servant cannot even imagine."
He couldn't find any words to say. So that was the reason his breathing had gotten a little difficult…
"So, Altman. If the drug were to wear off in this situation, what would happen to this fool?"
"He would most certainly lose consciousness. If a doctor sees him immediately, or if there is someone who can use reliable healing magic, his life might be saved, but I cannot even imagine the amount of blood loss."
Ritz sighed silently. All the doctors were out, and Anna was at home. There might be someone in the castle who could use healing magic, but with so many injured people, he couldn't just summon them.
"This is bad, isn't it… A life-or-death situation after the enemy's been dealt with…"
As he muttered, Edward looked at Ritz as if he'd suddenly remembered something.
"There is someone, Ritz. Someone who can use healing magic."
"No, they're probably busy right now, right?"
When Ritz mentioned what he had just been thinking, Edward shook his head.
"No, Anna should be here."
"What!"
Come to think of it, he had remembered on his way back. Knowing those two, they might have gotten caught up in this situation.
"Are they safe?"
Edward gasped as Ritz pressed him for an answer. He had finally realized the precariousness of the situation.
"Come to think of it, I haven't checked…"
"They didn't get caught up in it, did they? If Anna's here, Franz must be too. Who else is here? Patty?"
Edward, who had been listening silently to the rapid-fire questions, sighed.
"…The one with them is Greig."
Ritz turned pale. The two of them had incredibly bad timing. And if that reckless Greig was added to the mix, what would happen?
Could he only pray that they were safe?
Just then, a commotion arose at the entrance to the throne room. Several men stood there. In the midst of this disaster, their uninjured state and tidy attire were, on the contrary, out of place in the current throne room.
Everyone seemed to know who the men were, as no one stopped them. But Ritz didn't know who they were.
"Duke Walter…"
Altman muttered quietly.
"That's him?"
With three men who looked like nobles behind him, Walter advanced before the king. Ritz had known Walter nearly forty years ago, but his appearance had changed considerably since then. This didn't seem to be just due to age. Ritz warned Edward in a low voice.
"Be careful. It's highly likely that Marquis Walter is the mastermind."
"…I see."
Edward's brow furrowed. He was probably regretting it. Just like with Stewart, he had been betrayed by someone to whom he had shown mercy.
"Your Majesty. It has been a long time."
Kneeling before Edward, Walter bowed his head respectfully.
"…It has been a while, Marquis Walter. What business brings you here at a time like this?"
To Edward's cold voice, Marquis Walter raised his face with a smile.
"Your Majesty. I have come today to bid you farewell. This body is afflicted with illness, and I will not be able to hold on to life until spring."
His voice was calm. Like the still surface of a tranquil lake, without any hesitation, just quiet.
"I see…"
"I have come here to ask Your Majesty to grant me one last selfish wish."
Unlike the polite Walter, Edward's voice was consistently cold.
"Speak."
"Yes. Your Majesty, would you not grant the throne to one who carries the blood of Lord Richard?"
Every person in the throne room froze at those words. It was an blatant statement of rebellion against the king.
Edward had two older brothers, Stewart and Richard. Unlike Stewart, Richard, who had died on the battlefield, had several mistresses and children.
But they were supposed to be living peacefully as commoners, no longer holding titles of nobility.
"Unfortunately, it seems we have failed to take the life of His Highness Crown Prince Gerald…"
Saying this, Walter glanced at Ritz. This man knew everything. Kenny's investigation had been correct after all.
"I refuse."
"I imagine so. I knew you would say that."
Walter looked straight at Edward, then his eyes shifted to Ritz beside him.
"It is a strange thing… It has been many decades, and yet Your Majesty's right-hand man is with you, just as he was back then. It is as if time has stood still. It feels as if Lord Richard is admonishing me, telling me not to forget that battle."
What Walter's eyes reflected was probably the image of himself and Edward, who had stood against him to defeat Richard.
He remembered Walter from the past, the man he had fought. A man who had been saved by Prince Richard, who revered him and was more loyal than anyone. That man was now before him, so old that not even a shadow of his former self remained.
Come to think of it, someone had once said that his blind faith in Richard was similar to Ritz's trust in Edward.
As he stared at his aged enemy, Walter slowly averted his gaze from Ritz, even with a faint smile on his lips.
"Then, Your Majesty, farewell…"
As Walter said this, he took out a small bottle from his winter clothing and drank its contents in one gulp. The three men following him did the same.
"No! Everyone, get back!"
Edward stood up from the throne and shouted.
"They're turning into monsters!"
At Edward's words, the soldiers who had crowded into the throne room all stepped back at once. Altman and Ritz drew their swords and stood ready, shielding Edward's back.
"Something no one desires…"
Walter shouted as if wringing out the words and looked up to the heavens.
"But it is my unfulfilled dream!"
And yet, writhing in the pain that pierced his entire body, he uttered his final words with an ecstatic expression.
"His Highness Prince Richard! Now is the time I shall repay my debt to you!"
Simultaneously with his shout, the muscles all over his body began to writhe, and his transformation into a monster began. The sight of him becoming a writhing mass of flesh, like slithering snakes, was grotesque no matter how many times one saw it. And on top of that, since it was the raw liquid, the transformation was intense.
"Damn, four of them…"
Ritz took a step forward.
"Ritz-kun, you'll die!"
Altman shouted next to him. But Ritz's resolve did not waver. He had decided to stick with Edward to the end. He couldn't just throw everything away now, at the very end.
"I might not die, right?"
"It's reckless!"
"…I'll do what I can."
Eventually, the groans faded, and the monster turned its protruding eyes towards King Edward.
Here it comes!
Ritz readied his greatsword.
He could see the monster lock onto its target and flash a distorted grin. Its speed was unimaginable. He had to at least stop its legs…
The next moment, as Ritz was thinking this and glaring at the monster, the monster leaped high and kicked Ritz's body away. Altman was sent flying in the same way.
"Damn it! Is Ed his only target?!"
He tried to get up and rush to Edward's side. It was only a few meters to Edward. But the next moment, he realized something was wrong with him.
He couldn't… muster any strength.
And then it finally hit him. The monster's kick just now had landed squarely on him. The effect of the narcotic had numbed the pain, so he hadn't noticed.
The soldiers who were in the throne room were confronting the monster as it headed towards the king. Altman had also gotten up and was swinging his sword again.
But their blades couldn't cut the monster, and red blood splattered. At this rate, Edward's life was in danger.
And yet, here he was. He couldn't even get close, let alone stand up.
There was no pain at all, yet his legs were trembling and wouldn't listen to him. His whole body felt heavy, as if paralyzed, and he couldn't move.
He managed to stand up through sheer willpower, but he couldn't hold it, and Ritz collapsed to his knees. Suddenly, his breathing became difficult.
Come to think of it, he remembered his ribs were broken. It must have pierced his lung. His breathing became ragged, and unable to hold it back, he vomited up the liquid that welled up inside him.
It was a large amount of blood. The blood dripping from his mouth stained his hand, which was on the floor.
"Damn it… at a time like this…"
Even his voice came out weakly. Was it hopeless? Could he not even save Edward… his best friend…?
The monster was gradually closing in on Edward. The soldiers were no match for it. Something… couldn't something be done?
"Ed…!"
He felt like he was going crazy with desperation. But the situation suddenly changed.
"You monster, I will never permit you to approach my husband, the one and only king of this country, in that filthy form."
It was a dignified woman's voice. A slender long dress, a silver tiara, rich flaxen hair… There was no mistaking that figure.
"…Patty…"
To Edward's and Ritz's mutterings, Patricia smiled serenely.
"Who do you think I am? Years may have passed, but I am the daughter of the great general, Gerald Morgan. Did you think I was such a coward as to cower in fear of a mere monster and hide in the palace? Edy, Ritz."
At the sudden appearance of the woman, the monster let out a particularly high-pitched roar. Its instincts must have sensed the danger of this woman, as it tried to head towards her. But Patricia showed no sign of panic.
"I heard about this thing's weakness from Greig and Anna. My strategy is flawless."
Patricia raised a staff that shone with the same silver as her tiara.
"O free spirits of the wind, who soar through the heavens, answer my call and grant me your power."
As if in response to her voice, the many windows lining both sides shattered all at once, and a fierce wind blew in.
That fierce wind, as if it were Patricia's loyal servant, swirled around her.
Patricia was a wind spirit user.
"Seal the wicked, [Wind Vortex]!"
The wind, now under Queen Patricia's control, carrying countless shards of glass, surrounded all four monsters at once. Gripped by an unknown terror, the monsters panicked and screamed.
This technique was something Patty had created by modifying a defensive skill called Wind Shield. It prevented attacks from within from passing through to the outside of the vortex. The monsters trapped inside, in their confusion, began to fight amongst themselves.
Their ugliness and cruelty were almost too much to watch. Once they took that form, they no longer retained any human reason. It was hard to believe they had once been human.
"How pathetic. This is what you get for trying to lay a hand on my Edy."
Patricia muttered, her arms crossed as she looked down on the monsters. Edward, who heard her, gave a wry smile. Some things about her hadn't changed since she was young.
Confirming that the monsters were sealed, Patricia ordered the person behind her.
"Hurry, I can't hold it for long."
From behind Patricia, Anna emerged. With a pale face, Anna placed the water basin she was holding on the floor and shouted.
"Please, Water Dragon!"
The water in the basin shone brightly, and from it, a giant dragon appeared. It was Anna's specialty, the Water Dragon.
"Water Dragon, please…"
Anna hesitated for a moment, and as if searching for something, as if seeking help, she looked around. From Anna's expression, Ritz understood what she was about to do.
She was going to end the lives of those monsters with the Water Dragon.
Anna had never used her spirit magic in such a way before. Even if they were monsters, they were originally human. She was afraid of taking their lives.
But in this situation, if Anna didn't do it, there was no one else who could finish off the monsters. If she hesitated and set the monsters free again, everyone here would be drowned in a sea of blood.
Eventually, Anna noticed Ritz, kneeling in a pool of blood. At his obviously perilous state, Anna's green eyes widened to their limit.
He wanted to tell her he was fine, not to worry, but he couldn't speak.
Seeing Ritz like that, Anna closed her eyes. And when she opened them next, there was resolve in them.
Anna bit her lip and looked up at the Water Dragon with a face full of determination and sorrow.
"Water Dragon, please… stop those monsters' breathing!"
The Water Dragon, while roaring, dove into the wind vortex from above. It wrapped itself around the faces of the monsters, who were unable to move inside the vortex, and sealed their mouths and noses with its water.
Stopping their breathing… As long as the monsters were living creatures, however twisted, it would be effective. As expected, the monsters, their breathing stopped by the Water Dragon, were struggling and suffering.
"I'm sorry…"
He thought he heard Anna's pained voice, small and faint.
Before the stunned soldiers, the roaring, swirling wind vortex, just as Patricia had said, did not last long and disappeared.
Next, the Water Dragon tossed the monsters aside. The monsters, powerless, had been suffocated to death by the Water Dragon. Their strangely frozen faces were twisted and blackened in agony.
There lay the unexpectedly tragic end of the men who had turned themselves into monsters to overthrow the king and destabilize the country.
If they had known it would end like this, they could have avoided wasting their lives.
He saw Anna, who had sent the Water Dragon back, cover her face. Regret, or sorrow… Ritz couldn't tell.
It's over…
The moment he thought that, a sharp pain shot through him. The pain from his entire body ran through him all at once. His vision lost its clarity and became slightly hazy.
The narcotic had worn off.
In too much pain, he had no strength in his hands and collapsed to the floor. His breathing was difficult. He tried to curl his body to endure the pain, but he choked.
As he coughed, blood flowed out endlessly, and he couldn't even breathe in…
"Ritz-kun! Get a hold of yourself!"
"Ritz!"
Mixed with Edward's and Altman's shouts, he heard Anna's voice, like a cry mixed with a scream, in his fading consciousness.
"Ritz! Don't die! Please!"
The pain was excruciating, and his breathing was labored, yet for some reason, his vision became hazy and white, and he felt a sense of comfort.
There was no fear at all; on the contrary, he was rather calm.
"Ritz, I don't want you to die!"
Anna's cry struck a chord in his chest, but now that the series of incidents caused to secure the king's succession was all settled, he had no regrets or impatience in dying.
He had stuck with Edward from the beginning to the end of his reign. He had no lingering attachment to his own future, which had nothing left to lose.
This was fine. He could be at peace now.
He realized that a part of him was thinking this.
◇ ◇ ◇
Franz awoke in a bed. He tried to get up, but his back hurt so much he couldn't move.
"You're finally awake."
Looking toward the voice, he saw a bed next to his, and there was Greig. Greig's arm was wrapped in bandages, and his leg was also fixed with bandages.
This injury, Greig's condition… So, did they really defeat that monster…?
Franz pressed his head. Was he dreaming? He had unknowingly voiced the thought.
"…A dream?"
"It's not a dream, it's reality. It's already been three days since then."
"Three days…"
"Yeah. This is my room in the palace."
Looking around, he saw that it certainly wasn't his own room, nor was it a cramped hospital. Two beds were placed in a spacious room.
"The Royal Guardsmen brought Franz here with me. They said they couldn't possibly take a friend of the royal family to a different aid station."
Franz looked around again. The other person who should have been there was gone.
"…Was Anna safe?"
To Franz, who was looking around worriedly, Greig nodded.
"She's fine. While we were out of it, she and Grandmother saved Grandfather from the monsters."
"! With the Queen?"
Franz asked Greig what had happened while he was asleep. He was well-informed, having heard information from various people who came to visit.
About the monsters, about the regular soldiers who faced them head-on, about Edward's and Ritz's battle, even about Gerald's drug syndicate annihilation operation, Greig's information was wide-ranging.
Among them, what he spoke of most enthusiastically was Anna's exploits. According to his story, it seemed that after that, Anna had played a major role against the four monsters that attacked the king.
But, even though the incident was over, she hadn't once shown her face in this room.
He also heard about what happened to the barracks where they had been.
After a new recruit from the Royal Guard unit that arrived later confirmed that all the monsters were dead, several of them had carried Franz and Greig here.
Meanwhile, Battalion Commander Boyd, whose wounds had been healed by Anna, led the remaining guards out to the courtyard and fought the remaining monsters.
"The monsters… they were all soldiers from the Royal Guard."
Franz froze at Greig's quiet murmur.
"They were made to ingest a narcotic mixed into their food. They couldn't be turned back into humans, so they had to be killed…"
Then the monsters Franz had killed were once human.
"Then the ones I killed were…"
"…Yeah. They were people from the Royal Guard."
Franz fought back the nausea welling up inside him. Ritz's words came back to him.
'My sword, your flames, Anna's Water Dragon. They all have the ability to kill people. But by using them correctly, they can protect lives.'
It was true. This power of Franz's could kill people. But without this power, he couldn't have saved Greig, Anna, or Boyd.
If the monsters had managed to enter the palace, the people inside wouldn't have been saved either.
Using his power was the right thing to do.
But was this what it meant to protect lives in a life-or-death battle…? To take lives in this way…?
The pride of having protected them and the terror of having killed people mixed together in a jumble in his heart. Franz trembled at his own power.
He placed a hand on his chest and felt the [Fire Dragon] there.
This is a battle to protect…
To protect what is important, one must defeat the opponent without hesitation to survive.
A battle to live, a battle to let others live.
As Franz fell silent, Greig spun his words as if he had no intention of letting him hear.
"The platoon leader who often played with me, the guardsman who secretly taught me swordsmanship, they were among them. I didn't know anything. I just thought, if it's a monster, defeat it, if it's an enemy, just cut it down…"
Franz intentionally didn't interrupt Greig's words. He had a way of thinking similar to Franz's… he felt.
"I was wrong. I have to make my own decisions based on what's best. Taking lives or saving them, it all starts from there. That's why I have to be strong…"
"Yeah, I get it."
He had to be strong, to be able to accept the death of the opponent, and the terror of his own power. By being bewildered, by running away in fear, he could lose what was important.
"What I was proud of was the illusion of my own strength. I'm not strong at all. If I had been alone, I would have died."
Greig stared at the palm of his hand, then clenched it into a fist with force.
"I want to become strong. Like my grandfather, so I can carry the nation on my back, I want to acquire true strength."
Something inside Greig was starting to change. Franz's heart was also starting to change slightly. He felt like something might be starting from here.
When he suddenly looked up, he noticed Greig looking at him with a serious face.
"What?"
"I'm sorry for picking fights with you until now. You saved my life."
"It's not like I saved you because I wanted to."
He just didn't want this country to fall into chaos. There was no need for Greig to feel personally indebted to him. In the first place, Franz found Greig difficult.
At Franz's indifferent reply, Greig got up from the bed.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing…"
"You saved a prince, you know? Don't you want some kind of reward or something?"
"I don't need it."
"Are you selfless?"
"No. I just don't want to get personally involved with you. It's a pain."
At Franz's indifferent reply, Greig looked annoyed for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Well, whatever. It doesn't have to be now. I'll definitely repay this debt."
"I told you, I don't need it."
"Even if you don't need it, I've decided to force this debt on you."
"Don't force your debts on people."
What a strange prince. Troublesome and selfish. He had a feeling that getting involved with someone like this would lead to nothing good. Despite showing his extreme displeasure, Greig was as cool as a cucumber.
Franz let out a big sigh and sank into the bed. His body was still tired. He didn't need any gratitude, he just wanted to be allowed to sleep a little longer.
When he closed his eyes, Greig laughed with a voice like a child who had played a prank. Curious, he opened his eyes to see Greig sitting up in bed, looking at him.
"You, make sure you're free in about thirty years."
"Huh?"
He didn't know what he was talking about. When Franz asked back suspiciously, Greig laughed with the face of a mischievous boy.
"When I become king, I'll give Franz the same position as Ritz."
Which means… a minister?
He remembered Ritz coming home from work and collapsing onto the bed in his underwear, and grimaced. He didn't want to do something so troublesome.
"No way, it's a pain."
"I've already decided."
"…Don't decide for me."
It suddenly occurred to him that Ritz might have been in a similar situation when he became a minister.
Come to think of it, what had happened to Ritz?
"What happened to Ritz?"
At Franz's abrupt question, Greig rolled over onto his side.
"After annihilating the drug syndicate, he rushed back to the castle and protected Grandfather. But he broke a rib, bled a lot, was unconscious, it was apparently a huge mess. They said there was a pool of Ritz's blood in the throne room."
Franz turned pale. In that situation, Franz would definitely be dead.
"So, Ritz is…"
Greig sighed.
"Unfortunately…"
"Don't tell me…"
As Franz's vision went dark, Greig grinned at him.
"He's alive. The doctor and Anna were by his side nursing him the whole time."
All the tension drained out of him, and Franz sank into the bed. That Greig, once he was able to move, he would get some kind of revenge, he swore in his heart.
"Ah, I was wrong…"
Greig, who muttered in a resigned voice, rolled over and turned to face Franz.
"My rival wasn't Franz, it was Ritz. I wonder if I was challenging the wrong person. But I've lost to Ritz, so I have to give up."
"…Huh?"
It seemed he was talking about Anna.
"Anna doesn't come to visit, you know, not just me but Franz too. She must like Ritz more than us."
So that was why he was sulking. What an incomprehensible guy, whether he had learned his lesson or not.
After a while of mutual silence, Greig called Franz's name as if he had made up his mind.
"Franz, I have a favor to ask."
Greig said this with a serious gaze, a stark contrast to before.
"What?"
When he answered bluntly, Greig replied without being discouraged.
"Be my friend."
"…Why?"
When he looked back at Greig, he saw his light blue eyes looking straight at him. He noticed for the first time that he had the exact same expression as Edward.
He felt that his seriousness was apparent there, and Franz sat up in bed.
"I'm a common citizen. As a member of the royal family, don't you have friends who are suitable for you?"
"If it's just about royal socializing, the people in the castle are enough. But they don't see me as me, as an individual. If I'm always affirmed as royalty no matter what, I'll become a person who can't reflect on my own mistakes again. I've learned my lesson this time."
Greig bit his lip with a pained expression. After a moment of silence, Greig looked up again.
"I want to be someone who can look at myself so I'm not looked down upon by my grandfather, my father, or Ritz anymore. I will become strong in the true sense. Stronger than anyone. For that, I need your harsh eyes, Franz, who is a commoner and doesn't treat me specially."
What a clean-cut guy. He couldn't be like this. The person who could admit their own weakness and bow their head to move forward was truly the strongest.
But in truth, Franz wanted to be like this too. To be a clean-cut person who could learn from their mistakes and ask for guidance from others.
"I understand, Greig. But I'm this kind of person too. I'm not necessarily right."
"I'm sure. You definitely don't fit in with society."
"Shut up. But since we're both lacking, we might be able to complement each other."
"Lacking, huh… that sounds pathetic."
"Still, it might be of some help."
Greig reached out his hand. Franz also reached out and slapped his palm. A clean, crisp sound echoed.
"Deal's done, then."
"I guess. But if you do something outrageous, I'll break the deal."
"That's harsh. If I do something outrageous, isn't that when it's your turn to step in, Franz?"
"…Still a pain…"
Had he been too hasty? As Franz let out a small sigh, the door was suddenly opened without a knock. As if light had shone in from there, a woman bathed in light jumped in.
"Oh, Franz, you're awake!"
Patricia, who had suddenly entered, said dramatically, rushed over to Franz, and took his hand.
"Thank you, Franz. For saving my stupid grandson. I'm sure he's learned his lesson now. Right, Greig?"
Greig protested with a pout.
"That's a cruel way to put it, Grandmother."
"Oh, dear… the more foolish the child, the cuter they are."
From behind Patricia, Gerald peeked his head out. He was covered in wounds, but he was smiling gently.
Franz let out a deep breath and sank into the bed.
Something might be starting from here… he could honestly think so.
And that made him just a little bit happy.