Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 114: Fallen Hero②
After seeing off Lucius and Mark of the Royal Guard, the King spoke.
“I have heard the word ‘ship’ several times. However, its true nature has been kept strictly secret, and I have been unable to grasp what it really is.”
As the king spoke, the door to the audience chamber opened. The guards who opened the door remained staring straight ahead, like lifeless statues.
Entering the room were Dion, who had just parted ways with Lucius, and his escort. The king and Lady Adelaide both turned their gazes to Dion.
“Dion, we are discussing confidential matters. Come back later.”
Lady Adelaide interjected.
“Brother-in-law, Dion is involved in the matter of the ‘ship.’ He should stay.”
By addressing him as “brother-in-law” instead of “Your Majesty,” she emphasized that this was a conversation within the West Windsor family.
The king looked from Adelaide to Dion and then back. Despite having dismissed the commander of the Royal Guard, Mark, Adelaide insisted on Dion’s presence.
The king was no fool. His heart quickened, realizing that the moment had finally arrived. Yet he showed no trace of this, continuing the conversation.
“Very well. What is this ‘ship’?”
“Brother-in-law, what is it that this country needs?”
Instead of answering, Adelaide posed a different question. The king, trying to gauge her intent, responded.
“People. People are what make a nation.”
“I disagree. With the Empire on the move, an era of chaos is inevitable. In such times, the presence of ordinary people will be of no use.”
“You misunderstand. The nation does not exist for the people. The people exist for the nation.”
“Is that really so—”
“Adelaide, enough of this subtle probing. Speak plainly. Someone is plotting rebellion. I suspect this faction is what you call the ‘ship.’ Am I wrong?”
“Not far from the mark. And who do you think it is?”
Adelaide smiled coldly. The king glanced at his sister-in-law and at Dion, who was walking across the red carpet of the audience chamber.
“You and my nephew, Dion.”
Adelaide’s smile remained unchanged.
“This incident has clarified everything. With Lucius’ fall, if the votes in the north and east are split, Dion, with the strongest base, could become king. Why? Why are you so obsessed with power? Aren’t you already sufficiently noble? In the west, you are almost my equal.”
The king had dismissed all his retainers and the Royal Guard to question them about this. He had no concrete evidence, but the circumstances pointed in this direction. He felt nearly certain.
Adelaide’s face twisted into a smile.
“I really don’t understand. Knowing so much, why did you still dismiss everyone? Do you hate scandal in the West Windsor family so much?”
“Really? Do you really not understand?”
Irritation flickered in the king’s eyes.
“No, I have no idea.”
“It is for you and Dion. Despite political opposition, you are family. I know you have been frequently meeting with Lord Soushi and gaining excessive privileges, and that you maintain the military strength of the west and south. But you have not yet committed outright treason.”
Despite extreme examples like the Kyrgyz people, the kingdom had thrived despite some corruption. A nation cannot be too pure or too corrupt, as laws and administration created by fallible humans are also imperfect. Balancing these is the art of kingship.
“It is not too late. I beg you.”
Adelaide and Dion paused for a moment.
Then they burst into loud laughter, clutching their stomachs.
“You have grown old, brother-in-law. To be so bound by such trivial ties as blood. And… we have already come to terms with the Empire.”
The king closed his eyes in frustration.
“So it’s true. The north and east…”
As the king sighed, the guards sprang into action. At the king’s feet lay the Holy Sword of Light and two magic swords left by Lucius. A guard, clearly not in his right mind, picked up the Holy Sword of Light with bloodshot eyes.
And he plunged the sword into the king’s chest.
“Ugh…!”
The king grasped the blade, blood flowing down.
“Brother-in-law. Do you not understand yet that this is not the time to worry about the north and east? Now is the time for judgment and decision.”
Adelaide and Dion, still smiling, held in their hands a red gem. It had a textured surface that glowed faintly, clearly an artifact of Imperial magic.
Despite the pain from using the magic tools, their faces remained unchanged. Adelaide’s artifact appeared to create a soundproof barrier even within a magic barrier, likely to ensure no sound escaped. Dion’s artifact was probably to enhance his charm magic despite the anti-magic field, but that no longer mattered.
“The nation… is not an object… It is… the people…”
With each word the king spoke, more blood poured out. Yet he did not stop speaking.
“That is precisely why those with exceptional skills must steer the ship. You cling too much to the idea of the nation. The current system of four provinces is outdated. In the coming age of chaos, what is needed is wisdom and boldness to navigate it.”
The guard, now insane, released the Holy Sword and picked up the remaining two swords, stabbing them into the king’s abdomen.
“You are an obstacle, brother-in-law. You and that fool Lucius need to disappear, for my son Dion.”
The king fell from the throne, blood trailing down the steps.
Lady Adelaide and Dion looked down triumphantly at the King, who had fallen to the floor.
“Don’t… underestimate me… I’ve already… taken measures…”
The King’s final expression was a smile.
As he glared at the two, the light faded from the King’s eyes. For a wise king who had brought peace and prosperity to the kingdom during his long reign, it was an unworthy death.
“Heh, desperate words. Dion.”
Dion nodded and commanded the dazed guard.
“Take your own life.”
The guard, under the spell of charm magic, withdrew the two swords from the king’s abdomen and placed one blade against his own neck. Blood sprayed, painting the white floor and walls red. The two soldiers guarding the visitors’ door followed suit.
As the guards breathed their last, Lady Adelaide and Dion exchanged glances.
Ad
Putting away their magic devices, Lady Adelaide called out.
“Someone! Someone!”
Captain Mark of the Royal Guard was the first to arrive.
“What has happened!?”
Retainers and knights stationed outside the door poured into the audience chamber in response to her call.
Ignoring the crowd, Captain Mark rushed to the King’s side, trembling as he lifted the King in his arms. Blood flowed from his lifeless body, now pale and aged.
“Quickly, summon the healers! Hurry!”
Despite his urgent orders, it was clear the King was already dead. Mark, after glancing at the dead guard, turned to Lady Adelaide with a stern voice.
“What happened!? What in the world occurred here!?”
Mark’s overflowing magic power filled the room, freezing the chaos. The retainers were paralyzed by the intense anger in his magic.
“Look at that sword. It will reveal the culprit.”
Mark stared at the sword embedded in the King’s chest.
“The Light Sword…”
A sword the King himself had worn until about ten years ago, later bestowed upon Lucius. Mark could not mistake it.
“Could it be Lucius!?”
Ad
“Impossible! He is the hero personally trusted by His Majesty!”
“Yet, that is indeed…”
Lady Adelaide raised her hand high, looking around.
“Lucius attacked in a fit of rage when commanded to return the magic swords.”
Mark, still holding the King’s body, shook his head.
“Impossible. Many here witnessed Lucius returning the magic swords. He showed no such signs.”
“He must have restrained himself in public. Have you forgotten? He was summoned for attacking Viscount Girard.”
Everyone fell silent.
“That is true!”
“I always thought he might do something like this…”
“The rumors of his arrogance were true!”
Nobles began voicing their agreement, clearly influenced by Adelaide.
As the nobles of Adelaide’s faction continued their accusations, a wind horse with a sharp horn appeared from the dead guard’s right hand.
Even a defensive magic barrier cannot erase the existence of the gun moster itself.
“Furcas!?”
This gun monster, with its spear-like horn, took the half-dead guard and vanished into the wind, likely returning to the tower.
The King’s own ritual demanded respect, even during this turmoil. Fortunately, in the midst of this conflict, it seems they are waiting to devour the king’s corpse.
Without addressing the monster, Lady Adelaide continued her speech.
“Lucius attacked because of his attachment to the Kyrgyz he was responsible for. It was my failure to consider his hot temper when his possessions were threatened. If I hadn’t dismissed everyone, this would not have happened.”
Captain Mark clenched his teeth. He had only left the audience chamber a few minutes earlier.
“Captain Mark! Is Lucius really the culprit?”
A confused knight asked, but Mark himself wanted to know more than anyone.
When Mark left the room, the King was undoubtedly alive. The only ones present then were Lady Adelaide, Lucius, and later, Dion and the dead guard. It was unclear when Lucius left or when Dion entered.
But it was clear that someone among the four was involved in the King’s death.
“I don’t know, but likely a sound-silencing spell was used.”
No one present heard any sound.
While silencing spells are not particularly rare, neither Lady Adelaide, Dion, nor the dead guard’s familiar, Forcas, could have used one. However, among the thousand dragon knights under Lucius, there is certainly someone who can use a silencing spell. Furthermore, Lucius could forcibly use such a spell even within an anti-magic barrier.
It is also true that Lucius preferred wielding magic swords over spells. He had previously raised his hand against a noble in anger.
And now, Lucius is the only one not present.
If one ignores his humanity, it seems reasonable to suspect Lucius.
Most importantly, this is the claim of Lady Adelaide, head of one of the four great noble families.
Few had met Lucius in person, and rumors were rampant. Without a reason to deny it, the retainers quickly accepted Lady Adelaide’s assertion.
“…Is it really Lucius?”
However, Mark was not convinced.
Normally, no one except the Royal Guard is allowed to bring weapons into the audience chamber. They are thoroughly checked. This time, however, the magic sword itself was a tribute, and it was prearranged to be brought in.
A vicious blade used during an exceptionally permitted occasion. The sequence of events where Mark, as the Royal Guard Captain, left the room before Lucius, the visitor.
Additionally, noble corpses are consumed by familiars, leaving no remains. Therefore, when a noble dies due to assassination or accident, it’s often hard to distinguish if they vanished by themselves or were captured.
It is uncommon to immediately determine assassination.
But this time, it was clear. Unmistakably so.
Mark could not believe this situation was a coincidence.
“What is happening?”
His duty as the King’s guard and a knight. His desire to deny that Lucius, whom he had spoken to personally, could do such a thing.
These conflicting feelings battled within him, shaking his heart violently.
He felt something sprout in his mind. It was not a new thought but something planted long ago coming to fruition.
A voice not his own whispered in his mind, a foreign consciousness grew.
Ad
He recognized this spell.
A charm spell.
Why here, within the anti-magic barrier, he wondered as he spotted Dion.
“Could it be…”
Charm spells affect the mind and vary in effectiveness based on fear, suspicion, or emotional turmoil. Those with strong magic and advanced familiars are less susceptible, but if their mental stability is compromised, they can still be affected.
Immediately, Mark’s thoughts were overtaken by the foreign voice. It was a form of domination.
Silently, Mark stood up, his eyes filled with madness, and questioned Lady Adelaide.
“Where is Lucius…?”
“He left through that door, likely headed to the tower. Before escaping the capital, he would certainly retrieve his possession, Kyrgyz.”
Smiling broadly, Lady Adelaide watched as Mark gave precise orders.
“To all knight squads in the capital… Arrest Lucius on suspicion of regicide.”