kscans

Chapter 155 - Interlude: Behind the Scenes

The Retil Republic. The Throne Room.

Two figures stood in the empty royal chamber.

King Rukarl sat on the throne, and before him stood Prince Lustolfo.

Why were they alone? Because the king had a private matter to discuss.

Upon hearing the news, the prince exclaimed, "Are you serious?! You intend to abdicate the throne?!"

"Yes," the king replied calmly. "I am thinking of stepping down from this chair."

His eyes were unwavering.

His will was resolute.

"Is it because of the changes in the Empire and the Church?" the prince asked, regaining his composure. "But those changes were the result of major incidents. While our country has had its share of minor issues, we are not currently facing any major crisis."

He stated it plainly.

It was true that the incidents occurring in the Republic were not numerous. The mysterious monster attack six months ago had been confined to the forest, in the monsters’ own territory, and had caused no harm to humans.

Of course, they couldn’t just ignore it, and several subjugation parties of soldiers and adventurers had been dispatched.

The unit that found them was wiped out, but other than that, there were no further encounters.

Then, a month ago, the monsters disappeared. Since then, there had been no noteworthy incidents, and no casualties among soldiers or adventurers.

"You are correct," the king said. "I, too, wish to continue my work. But seeing the events in the Empire and the Church made me think: has the era of the young not arrived? Lustolfo, as a king, you still have your immature aspects. I had intended for you to inherit the throne once you had matured."

"But then I realized, is that truly the right way? Rather than becoming complete before becoming king, would you not gain more experience by completing yourself after becoming king? You can gain experience now, of course, but I believe there is a difference in awareness between a prince and a king."

At the king’s words, the prince replied, "Are you saying that if I were to make a mistake, as a prince, my father, the king, would take care of it? That I have that kind of indulgence?"

The king nodded at his son’s slightly angry tone.

The prince suppressed his emotions. "It is true that it is the nature of a child to want to be spoiled when their parents are around. Normally, I would be angry and say, ‘Don’t mock me.’ But upon calm reflection, I find that there is indeed a part of me that feels that way. I am deeply ashamed."

He scowled, as if irritated by his own weakness.

The king felt a sense of relief seeing his son’s reaction. To be able to understand oneself, to acknowledge one’s flaws, and to try to resolve them internally rather than blaming others…

As a king and as a father, the spiritual growth of his child was a joyous thing to behold.

"That is why I wish to pass the throne to you," the king said, pressing the matter somewhat forcefully. "So that you may recognize once more the weight and resolve of a king’s duty."

"But there is one problem," the prince said. "What of the engagement? As king, a queen is absolutely essential, is she not?"

It was a valid question. The king’s duties were not limited to running the country. Taking a wife and producing an heir for the next generation was also a necessary task.

"There is no issue on that front," the king said. "I am thinking of Lady Melisa as your wife."

At these words, the prince exclaimed, "Are you kiiidding me?! Ahem, I mean, are you serious? Lady Melisa is the daughter of the prestigious Orlando family. Her etiquette as a noble is impeccable, and her skill as a magician is outstanding. However, I hear she has quite the tomboyish personality. She supposedly sneaks away from her parents to help the soldiers with their work. I can’t imagine such a person being able to handle life in the castle."

He had been so shocked that his true voice had slipped out.

His description made it clear that she was quite the firecracker. It was hard to imagine her fulfilling the duties of a queen.

"Are you one to talk?" the king said with an exasperated look. "You meddled in the incident six months ago and nearly got yourself killed, did you not? Bradamante was complaining about what a terrible time she had back then. Well, as a result, the country began to cooperate in raising the skill level of our adventurers, so I will acknowledge that achievement."

The prince made a sour face. He had indeed gotten himself into trouble and received a stern lecture, but since it had ultimately led to an improvement in the country’s readiness, he had not been punished.

For some reason, the prince looked as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

*

At the same time.

Harg Kingdom. The Throne Room.

Four figures stood in the dimly lit hall.

King Elyunpos IV, Prince Alphonse, Princess Olivia, and Captain of the Royal Guard, Glad.

The central figures of the country were gathered. The chancellor, incidentally, was bedridden with illness.

The king explained the reason he had summoned them.

After hearing him out, Olivia erupted. "Father! What is the meaning of this?! Why am I to take the throne?!"

Her anger made it clear that the king’s topic was the royal succession, and that he had chosen his daughter, not his son, as the next monarch.

"Calm down," the king said. "I, too, had decided that Alphonse would be the next king. However…"

"Then let my brother succeed you!" Olivia interrupted, her fury preventing him from continuing. "If that was your intention from the start!"

Alphonse, who had been watching from the side, said with a weary look, "He told you to calm down. The root cause of all this is your own achievements."

Olivia turned to Alphonse. "My achievements? I gave most of them to you, didn’t I?! And I declared to the nobles that the negotiations with the Empire, my greatest achievement, were all under your direction!"

Indeed, the negotiations with the Empire had been proceeding smoothly.

The export of ore and supplies in exchange for technology—Olivia had handled all of it, but had claimed it was all under Alphonse’s direction. Once things were on track, she had entrusted everything to him.

With that, the arrangements for him to become the next king should have been solidified. Olivia should have been free to focus on her activities as a wandering minstrel.

"Did you really think so?" Alphonse asked. "That the nobles would believe your words were the truth? Everyone realizes that all of those things were the result of your ideas and your work. I wasn’t just sitting idly by either. I arranged for the exports and the construction of facilities for the technical specialists. I did my fair share of work, but it pales in comparison to yours. In fact, they started bringing up your past achievements, and the calls for ‘Princess Olivia is the one truly fit to be king’ grew louder."

He looked utterly exhausted.

"My past achievements?" Olivia asked. "As I said before, I gave them to you. Why are they still saying that?"

To this question, Alphonse said, "I’ll have Glad explain. Glad, if you would."

Glad bowed. "Yes. Recently, the nobles have been deeply moved by your actions, Your Highness. Your visit to the Empire a year ago… to a country that was still in the midst of reconstruction and unstable from the recent enthronement of a new emperor, for a member of the royal family to go there themselves—your resolve and courage moved not only the nobles, but the common people as well. In fact, poets in every town and village are still spreading songs of your courageous actions."

Hearing the report, Olivia said, "What is this? If I were the one singing, that would be one thing. But for songs about me to be spreading is frankly unpleasant. Can you not put a stop to it immediately?"

Glad slowly shook his head.

Olivia sighed softly. She understood that it had spread too far to be stopped.

"For the reasons above, Olivia," the king said, "the calls for you to be the next monarch are growing louder, both inside and outside the capital. What do you think will happen if we ignore them? You should know without me having to tell you."

Olivia’s face soured.

She could not ignore the voice of the people. If she did, dissatisfaction would surely spread. In the worst-case scenario, the nobles might revolt.

Cracks were already beginning to form due to the king’s own timidity.

"Please give me some time to think," Olivia said, and left the room.

Glad followed her out of the hall.

Now alone, the two men felt a sense of relief, despite the unexpected turn of events.

Because this meant Olivia would no longer be leaving the capital. Her activities as a wandering minstrel were something they could not possibly condone. But her personality and drive were extraordinary.

She would not be convinced without a very, very good reason.

The two of them looked up at the night sky, thinking of the future.

*

Earth. A room in a certain building.

There was nothing in the room but a desk and two chairs. A single bare bulb hung from the ceiling, and there were no windows.

It was a room fit to be called an interrogation room. Two people were seated in the chairs.

One was Sasaki, the foreign spy who had attacked Shinsuke. The other was Kuroda, the manager of the underground auction.

Of course, two men in black suits stood behind Sasaki, watching him.

In the oppressive silence, Sasaki spoke. "There is no point in imprisoning me here. If you are going to kill me, please do it quickly."

His face was one of resignation.

The failure of a spy means only death. No rescue would come from his home country; they would deny any and all involvement.

That was the code of those who served in the shadows of government agencies.

"No, no," Kuroda said with a smile. "Killing you would accomplish nothing, and there would be nothing to gain. On the other hand, your country will not be making contact. It is natural for you to think you have no value. However, we believe you do have value. What do you say? Will you cooperate with me?"

Sasaki looked up. "Cooperate? Cooperate in what? What use is there for a man with nothing?"

To the utterly resigned Sasaki, Kuroda said, "Our investigation shows that you have been active as a spy not only in Japan, but in various other countries as well. I would like you to put those skills to use for our organization. Of course, I promise you will be compensated accordingly."

Sasaki was suspicious.

He thought of himself as reasonably competent, but to fail once meant he could never work again. Not in the underworld, and not in the public world.

They should have known that. Just because he had worked in various countries?

To the suspicious Sasaki, Kuroda said, "It is natural for you to be suspicious. I, too, would never give a second chance to someone who has failed. However, it depends on the time and circumstances. This time, it is because the person you made contact with was him."

Sasaki thought for a moment. "In other words, you want me to find out what other countries know, and how far their investigations have gone. Your subordinates cannot penetrate deep enough, but someone with old connections would be more convenient? Is that it?"

Kuroda nodded silently.

Internally, Sasaki was a whirlwind of half irritation and half understanding.

He was irritated that he himself was not being valued. He understood that this offer had only come because of his connections.

Moreover, he could not return to his home country. Even if he could, he would not be able to live the life he had before.

He had no choice. Sasaki nodded silently.

His parents were already dead, and he was single. He had nothing to lose.