kscans

Chapter 40 - Interlude: The Council

Harg Kingdom, the Royal Castle.

The Throne Room.

Seated on the throne was King Elyunpos IV, dressed in a magnificent robe and cape, a crown upon his head. Standing proudly beside him was Prince Alphonse, clad in garments only royalty were permitted to wear.

Before the two of them, a soldier knelt on one knee, his head bowed.

The King spoke.

"Your report on the Kraken subjugation is received. You have done well. You may be dismissed."

The soldier who had delivered the report bowed once more and exited the throne room.

Once he confirmed they were alone, the prince spoke.

"As expected of Beautiful Sword, Father. They are the pride of our kingdom. This has proven their strength surpasses even that of Rodel the Flash."

To these words of praise, the King replied, "Indeed. They have performed a service far more splendid than that Rodel ever did. Let the kingdom welcome them with a grand celebration. Perhaps it will be enough to wipe that smirk off the good-for-nothing's face."

The King spoke with a cunning smile, and the prince agreed. It was clear from their exchange that neither held a favorable impression of Rodel the Flash, and Rodel in particular.

In fact, when Rodel had returned after failing to defeat the Kraken, he had said, "The only reason I lost to the Kraken was because the ship was too fragile. If I'd had a better ship, I wouldn't have lost. The weapons for fighting the Kraken were too weak as well."

"To defeat that monster, I will go in search of the ultimate weapon. In the meantime, the kingdom should devote all its resources to building a new ship. And don't you dare leave it to the navy alone. They're a bunch of incompetents."

He had spouted these outrageous remarks and left the capital without a single word of apology for his failure.

Normally, such words to a king would be unthinkable; he could have been arrested for treason. However, A-rank adventurers were beings recognized by the state.

No matter how arrogant their attitude, they could not be arrested. Unless they committed an undeniable crime, they were forgiven everything. Moreover, the Kraken was a massive monster that even a group of B-rank adventurers couldn't defeat. Only an A-rank could subjugate it.

Even if he insulted the navy with humiliating remarks, they couldn't bring themselves to eliminate the one person who could defeat the monster. In fact, when the navy heard Rodel's insults, they did not get angry; they simply closed their eyes and remained silent. No matter how much hatred they felt in their hearts, they had no choice but to endure it.

Afterward, the kingdom began work on a ship that could withstand the Kraken, but the work was merely for show. The reasons were that they had no intention of following Rodel's orders, and everyone knew he wouldn't return to the capital while the Kraken was still at large. Why? Because the weapon Rodel currently possessed was the finest in the kingdom, a sword he cherished.

Anything stronger would have to be a legendary weapon of old.

And such weapons existed only in forbidden ruins.

The kingdom's history spoke of ruins built by a race beyond human comprehension, containing arms and armor of such quality that even the combined efforts of today's master craftsmen could not replicate them. However, the monsters dwelling there were as strong as the Kraken, and their numbers were comparable to an entire division. The reason the kingdom did not investigate the ruins was to avoid provoking the monsters within. Their stance was, Let sleeping dogs lie.

Therefore, Rodel would not be returning, and even if a ship were completed with all haste, it would be meaningless. Furthermore, not a single person in the navy considered trying to defeat the beast without that man. That was the reality.

Amidst this lethargy, the only hope people clung to was that the Kraken would simply leave. In such a situation, the news of the Kraken's successful subjugation was a godsend, not yet announced to the public or even the navy. The King himself planned to make a grand announcement to the people of the kingdom shortly. However, before that, there was something he needed to discuss with the prince alone. It was about the two companions of Beautiful Sword—and the fact that one of them was the one who had actually defeated the Kraken.

The prince spoke.

"The report said the two men with them have never been seen before. Could they be adventurers from the city of Alum? That is where they are currently based, I believe."

To the prince's question, the King replied, "That would be the natural assumption. There was a Monster Uproar in that city recently, and an Orc King appeared. I hear Beautiful Sword successfully subjugated it, but it seems another party also rose in rank there."

"Whether it's them or someone else, in any case, I want a detailed explanation from Rosen von Alum. Send a messenger bird with instructions. With his daughter studying and working here, that man won't be thinking any foolish thoughts."

The King spoke with a serious expression.

In this kingdom, not just the lord of Alum, but the heirs of all city lords worked at the royal castle to study governance. However, the reality was that they were hostages.

To prevent any foolish plots, they were made to stay in the capital under the pretext of education. But as heirs, they would eventually have to return to their cities. As an insurance policy, the King offered to pay half the cost of noble weddings in exchange for them being held in the capital, with the families living there.

In reality, the families of the lords, excluding the lords themselves, reside in the capital. This alone was a sufficient deterrent, but the King was a cautious man, a conservative who wished for a peaceful world to last forever. Of course, the lords were aware of this.

They had no complaints about the King's rule; he was not a tyrant, so they held no resentment or hatred toward him. And three times a year, they visited the capital to see their families and enjoy their time together.

I digress, but because of this insurance policy, Lord Rosen would not defy the King's orders. He would surely come to the capital to explain, the King was confident.

The prince said, "Indeed. By the way, Father, changing the subject... what shall we do about my sister?"

At the prince's somber words, the King's face grew even darker.

"Hmph. Olivia. I can't imagine what she'll do when she hears this, but it's certain she'll leave the castle without permission."

As the King grimaced, the prince added, "If she were incompetent, we could just ignore her. But honestly, she's so capable it's a problem. She's more qualified to be ruler than I am, but she has absolutely no intention of taking the throne. I honestly don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

The prince said with slumped shoulders, his expression downcast.

Let me add that the prince is not incompetent. He possesses both political and military acumen, so there would be no problem if he took the throne. However, Princess Olivia is a being who surpasses him. Her policies are more efficient and less costly than those proposed by the prince.

In fact, during a conference on taxation, when the prince proposed a tax reform plan, Olivia said, "Rather than reform, we need to apprehend those who are evading taxes. I have here documents on the nobles and merchant guild leaders and executives who are in arrears. With evidence, of course."

"We can arrest these individuals and confiscate all their assets. The amount will be five times the unpaid taxes. If we allocate that money to the currently stalled projects, we can complete them, and trade and the lives of the people will improve."

"There will be no need to reduce or revise taxes. And after the projects are finished, the remaining funds can be stored in the national treasury as operating funds for the country. By my calculations, we can expect to have two years' worth of operating funds left over."

Everyone agreed with her proposal.

The knight commanders and executives loyal to the kingdom were fired up by the righteous cause of punishing those who engaged in wicked acts. In fact, the King also supported this solution.

Not only would it enrich the national treasury, but it would also eliminate those who were enriching themselves.

As a result, the nobles, guild masters, and executives were all arrested at once. The nobles were stripped of their rank and their property confiscated. The guild masters and executives had only the amount of their unpaid taxes collected. The guilds were not dismantled; instead, trustworthy workers who had cooperated with the princess became the new masters, and they regained their credibility.

The princess, who had achieved such a great accomplishment, gave all the credit to her brother, the prince.

Her reason was, "Since I was born into the royal family, I will make proposals as befitting my station. But that is all. My brother will be the next king. I will become a minstrel, as was my childhood dream. You two have no objections, right?"

To the princess who said this, the prince and the King could say nothing.

The King wanted the prince to be his successor. He was popular and talented. But the princess possessed a talent that surpassed his. She was more than qualified to be queen. However, the King wished for a male to take the throne if possible. The princess, sensing this, had publicly announced her accomplishments as the prince's. It was a fabrication, a strategic move by the princess.

Moreover, the King himself had been made to publicly acknowledge the prince's achievements. The method she used to make him do so was unspeakable. Though it was against his will, if he revealed the deception, the royal family's credibility would plummet. Therefore, the two of them could not strongly oppose the princess's wishes.

The two of them were troubled about what to do next.

Meanwhile, in a space where blue flames flickered.

There, the Seven Demon Lords were gathered.

The topic was the otherworlder who had defeated the Kraken. Daios the Sea General was reporting.

"As a result of verifying the otherworlder's strength, it has been determined that he can fight on equal terms with a high-ranking monster."

At this report, Redorza looked troubled.

"So he possesses considerable strength. I'm beginning to wonder if we should let him be."

To this question, Rumby replied, "Ehhh, it's fine, isn't it? No need to be so serious. It's more fun this way if we just leave him alone."

To this optimistic remark, Harynair said, "That's right. I can agree with that. If it means I won't be bored from now on, I'd rather just watch and enjoy myself."

Harynair agreed with Rumby. Seeing the two of them, Lates said, "In that case, may I make the next move? I'd like to know if the otherworlder has any resistance to poison."

To Lates's cunning words, Sidoor said, "No. I will go next."

At these words, everyone turned their gaze to Sidoor.

That the Minotaur would volunteer himself—what had gotten into him, everyone thought.

Lates said, "This is unexpected. I thought you had lost interest in the mortal world."

Lates said with a surprised expression. It was impossible to tell how a fly's face could look surprised, so one could only judge by his voice.

Receiving the gazes of everyone, Sidoor said, "Indeed, the current world is too weak. But it has been two years since he arrived, has it not? To have grown so strong in that period... It is only natural for a warrior to take an interest."

To the smiling Sidoor, Bamhal said, "Wait. It is too soon for us to act. Sidoor, I understand your feelings, but please be patient for a little while. We have received reports of interesting movements in the royal capital. It will not be too late to decide after seeing that play out, will it?"

To these words, Sidoor replied, "My apologies. I was indeed too hasty. Then, I will reconsider after witnessing this interesting event."

With those final words, Bamhal said, "Then, this council is adjourned. Harynair, behave yourself."

To Bamhal's stern gaze, Harynair replied, "Whatever could you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about~~."

Harynair said with an innocent face.

The others had known from the beginning that Harynair had been going to the royal capital. Bamhal sighed and brought the meeting to a close, half-forcefully.