kscans

Chapter 29 - Being King is Very Hard

◆ The King ◆

"The daughter of the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea?!"

Hearing the full account of the conflict over the Fenesia territory, which had embroiled the entire nation, I nearly fell from my throne. This was the Audience Chamber, the most sacred place in the kingdom. Many noble knights were gathered here now, and only the pride of a king, the need to not show such an unseemly display before them, barely kept me in my seat.

"…Is this true?"

Believing I must have misheard, I sought confirmation from the lords of Carolmana and Lexalun.

This was a secret I could tell no one, but I had been the one pulling the strings behind this war. When I heard that the two houses of Carolmana and Lexalun had begun to fight over the ruined Fenesia territory, I had an idea.

The Fenesia territory, destroyed for reasons unknown, though Undead were involved. The fate of the ruling family was also unclear, but the reports from my spies led me to conclude that they had likely perished along with the town.

That created a problem regarding Fenesia’s future. Normally, it would become a crown land. Increasing the lands under royal control would enhance the authority of the royal family, and I could also grant the territory when a new ducal house was established.

But to do so with the cause of its destruction still unknown could lead to suspicions that the royal family was responsible. Someone would undoubtedly spread such rumors to sow discord within the kingdom.

That was when Carolmana and Lexalun conveniently started fighting over the territory, and I decided to use them. I would entice the ducal houses and high nobles to join the fray, and after the matter was resolved, I would punish the victor for involving the nation in such a turmoil. Then, under the pretext of preventing further conflict over Fenesia, I would make it a crown land.

Of course, the high nobles would understand my true intentions, but they could be placated by granting them interests in the rebuilt Fenesia. Noble society operates on such unspoken negotiations.

But for a Vampire to appear here of all places, and a direct descendant of that Vampire noble, Voylard Chromshell, one of the six progenitors of all Vampires in the world—the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea—was beyond unexpected.

A relative of the great Vampire who had destroyed countless nations. The very thought made me sick to my stomach. I looked at the two lords, hoping against hope that it was a mistake. Please, let it be a mistake.

"It is true, Your Majesty."

"That girl claimed to be the daughter of the accursed Great Duke of the Cursed Sea and displayed the corpse of Lord Calmwell of the Kingdom War-Force Knights before us."

"—! …I see."

I had wished it was a lie. Not just the fact that she was the Great Duke’s daughter, but the fact that Calmwell had been defeated. It meant nothing less than our nation’s greatest military force had been utterly helpless against her.

"Lord Calmwell…"

"To think he was a member of the War-Force Knights…"

A stir of unease spread among the assembled nobles. Damn it. My intention to make an example of the two houses to display the royal family’s authority has backfired. My stomach… my stomach hurts!

"The Great Duke of the Cursed Sea… a fearsome opponent, but our saving grace was that he never left his own territory…"

Exactly. That is why I, and the royal family for generations, have continued to train the War-Force Knights to one day slay the Great Duke. To think they would be so utterly powerless against even his daughter! If the War-Force Knights cannot win, it will affect the morale of the nobles, and more importantly, the authority of the crown. I must do something!

"Ah, if only the revered Sword Saint were here."

"—!"

At the worst possible moment, someone uttered the worst possible words.

"Indeed. The Sword Saint could stand against the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea. Even a newly appeared Vampire would be no match for him."

Caron, the Sword Saint. The name of our kingdom’s strongest knight. Any battle he joined would surely lead the nation to victory; he had even triumphed against fearsome dragons. And he was a master of such skill that he had crossed swords with the terrifying Great Duke of the Cursed Sea numerous times and returned alive.

But he was too strong. His fame, known both at home and abroad, was so great that it sometimes influenced the power struggles among the nobles.

He was especially unstoppable when he wielded his beloved magic sword. He was so formidable that it was believed he could single-handedly take on the entire knight order stationed in the capital. No, he probably could. After all, this was a man who could fight the Great Duke and survive. A monster in human form who could survive against a monster that had destroyed nations.

That was why I could not trust him. He could not be tamed with power or money. Who could trust a monster with no weaknesses?

And so, I deemed him a threat and framed him as a traitor. To think that something like this would happen right after I had ensnared him! Who could have predicted it!

Ugh, I must prevent any further discussion of him.

"Silence!"

It was the Prime Minister who silenced the murmuring Audience Chamber with a single shout.

"To suggest relying on a traitor who drew his sword against the royal family and fled with a treasured sword! What weakness!"

"B-But the Sword Saint is a master who has slain many an Upper Vampire. With that sword, he could surely deal with this new Vampire…"

"Are you suggesting we rely on a criminal?! One whose whereabouts are unknown? Or perhaps you know where the man is hiding?"

"N-No, that’s not what I…"

"I should think not. For if you did, that would make you a rebel, harboring a traitor who has defied the crown."

"H-Haha, you jest."

Oh, well done, Prime Minister. Now no one will dare to bring up that man’s name. I used the momentum to forcefully steer the conversation back on track.

"Report. You who have seen the battlefield with your own eyes, tell us the extent of the power wielded by this kin of the Vampire noble."

At this point, I needed information. I had to know as much as possible about the enemy’s strength. But as the state of the battlefield was described, the faces of the nobles gathered in the Audience Chamber grew pale.

"To be continuously attacked by poisonous snakes under the cover of night? How could one possibly defend against that?!"

What the nobles feared most was the possibility of assassination by poisonous snakes. Indeed, if a snake, hiding in the shadows and slithering close with clear murderous intent, were to become an assassin, it would be terrifying beyond measure. Its small, slender body could hide anywhere, and a single bite could be fatal. There were antidote potions and magic, but from what they heard of the battle, the enemy used countless snakes to overwhelm their healing capabilities.

"It may be just a snake, but…"

It is too dangerous. But to challenge her recklessly would be to repeat the folly of Calmwell and his men.

"…That is all for our report."

As the lords of Carolmana and Lexalun finished, small sighs of relief could be heard here and there, as if the nightmarish report had finally ended.

"Then I shall pass judgment."

Before the nobles could regain their composure, I stood up and declared in a clear voice for all to hear.

"I hereby strip both Carolmana and Lexalun of their titles!"

""What?!""

The chamber erupted in an uproar at the sudden, harsh sentence.

"P-Please wait, Your Majesty!"

"Y-Yes, we were…"

"Silence! If you fools had not been blinded by greed and caused this great turmoil that engulfed the nation, the damage would not have been so severe! If you had simply rescued the survivors and investigated the town, you might have found a clue about the Vampire and been able to challenge her in a fully prepared state. The outcome would have been different then. No matter how powerful a Vampire may be, it would not have been impossible to destroy her with a full-scale attack during the day!"

""—!!""

A daytime surprise attack is common sense that even a commoner’s child knows when fighting Vampires, or any Undead. But because these men started a civil war, they brought about the worst-case scenario of fighting a powerful Vampire at night.

"The matter of the poisonous snakes would not have been so damaging during the day either. All of this is due to your greed! Shame on you!"

"Y-Yes! Shame on you!"

"My nephew died in battle because of you!"

"That’s right! You shameless fools! Do you have any idea how much damage was done?!"

Honestly, who was the shameless one here? The nobles, conveniently forgetting that they had joined the battle out of their own greed, began to blame the two men in order to shift all responsibility onto them. Well, that was more convenient for me as well.

"The towns of Carolmana and Lexalun will be placed under the management of the royal family. They will be converted into fortresses to monitor that Vampire! Consider yourselves lucky you were not executed!"

With that, I passed judgment without allowing for any argument and maintained the authority of the crown by exiling the two men. At the same time, I immediately decided to hold a defense council with the knight order. Simultaneously, I gave a quiet order to the Prime Minister.

"Gather all the members of the War-Force Knights scattered across the lands."

"Do you intend to challenge her? But Calmwell and his men…"

"I am aware. But that was not the full strength of the War-Force Knights."

Calmwell and his men were defeated. But that was just one unit of the Kingdom War-Force Knights. There were still many knights who had been training and accumulating power on various battlefields, in dungeons, and in demonic realms. I would deploy all of them at once.

"Our only chance is now, while the enemy is off her guard."

The more time we waste, the more disadvantaged we become.

"Hurry. The very survival of our nation is at stake!"

In the worst-case scenario, I may have to consider deploying our ultimate trump card. Ah, my stomach hurts…