Chapter 113: Fallen Hero ①

“I deeply apologize for the recent turmoil.”

Lucius had been summoned to the royal castle. In front of him was the current king. Seated on a lower tier was Lady Adelaide, glaring at Lucius with intense displeasure.

The king was the first to speak.

“I permit conflicts among nobles, but I do not tolerate unrest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Captain Mark of the royal guard stood behind the king, his expression stern.

It wasn’t just Mark. Even some nobles not aligned with Lady Adelaide had high expectations for Lucius.

However, after quarreling with Viscount Girard, the tower’s caretaker, he resorted to brute force to subdue him. Such actions tarnished all the honor he had built up. Naturally, due to Lady Adelaide’s manipulation of information, none of Girard’s provocations had come to light.

The official account was that Lucius had forcibly taken a Kyrgyz girl sentenced to execution for treason from the castle using force.

“Now, what should be done? I understand Lucius’s reasoning, but…”

Although the king had already discussed matters with Lucius, he couldn’t make a hasty decision. He intended to take a few comments from his vassals before issuing a decree.

“Your Majesty.”

The first to speak was an unexpected figure—Lady Adelaide, the leader of the four great western nobles.

“I must inform you that my brother was placed under a powerful curse on the day he was attacked by Lucius.”

A murmur ran through the vassals and knights. For the western people, curses were both a detestable and familiar terror.

“A curse?” 

The king questioned suspiciously.

“Yes. He has not regained consciousness since being cursed. I believe Lucius is involved.”

—A curse? What is she talking about? Lucius had indeed fought with Viscount Girard and forcibly taken him to the fourth level, but he had not witnessed any curses.

“I have not seen any sign of Viscount Girard being cursed.” 

Lady Adelaide’s composed face contorted.

“Who gave you permission to speak?”

“This is the throne room, Adel.”

It was the king himself who rebuked Lady Adelaide’s attempt to silence Lucius. No one but the king could interrupt.

“Your Majesty, everyone present at the scene was also cursed. It is only natural to suspect Lucius, who was involved in the dispute that day.” 

“But, Adel, the House of Orleans has proven that Lucius does not possess any curse techniques. If he had attempted assassination, it would not have been a direct confrontation. The curse issue must involve someone else.” 

Lady Adelaide smiled.

“Understood. If it is not Lucius, then there must be another who cursed Viscount Girard. May I handle this matter?”

—That was a quick withdrawal. What’s her agenda?

Lucius and the vassals, including the king, sensed something off in Adelaide’s smile. She had easily retracted her accusation against Lucius.

“Of course. As the ruler of West Windsor, it is your duty to manage the capital, Bradford.”

“Understood.”

The king surveyed his vassals from left to right, confirming no further comments.

“Then, let us proceed. Lucius, do you have anything to say?”

The king prompted Lucius to speak. Lucius picked up the three magic swords laid on his left.

“I return these magic swords.”

These were all magic swords the king had bestowed upon Lucius.

The king first looked at the swords, then met Lucius’s gaze as if to confirm, “Are you sure?”

Lucius, maintaining his expression, nodded.

“Understood. The magic swords will be confiscated.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

An attendant immediately brought in a table covered with a cloth. The table was placed before Lucius, at the foot of the stairs leading to the king’s seat on the upper tier.

Lucius first placed the two magic swords of the captain and vice-captain on the table, handles to the left.

The last one was the Holy Sword of Light, his cherished sword since he was three years old.

Lucius’s hand trembled slightly as he looked at his beloved sword. Both the scabbard and hilt had numerous small scratches, each with a memory attached.

It was a painful decision, but his life was at stake.

Lucius placed the treasured sword on the table.

“Your Majesty, I have one request.”

He spoke while bowing.

“Speak.”

“Please stop the persecution of the Kyrgyz people. They are one of the pillars supporting this nation’s rituals.”

“The Kyrgyz, you say… They are residents of the royal capital. Adel, what is their situation?” 

The king asked.

“There is no persecution. I have heard from my brother that they are diligently fulfilling their roles in the tower, actively aiding in obtaining the gun monsters.” 

Adelaide responded smoothly.

The king seldom hears about the activities of his people across the nation.

Even in the western capital, it was a city under the West Windsor family, not directly governed by the royal family. Given the country’s system, where four families produce the king, the royal family does not have directly governed territories.

And the king sits on the throne, setting the overall direction for the country, while the lords and liege lords manage the ground.

As a result, the lords’ powers often grow too strong, a clear weakness of the monarchy. This becomes particularly evident during prolonged periods of peace, where requests for the king’s assistance diminish.

It was ironic that the place that produced the king was where his influence was weakest.

Lucius directly contradicted the head of this alliance.

“That’s not true. Their pride as humans is being trampled, and curses are being inflicted upon them.”

Lady Adelaide glared at Lucius, her eyes reflecting a fully hostile opponent.

“…A mere baron dares defy me?”

“The correctness of a matter isn’t determined by one’s rank.”

“Such words are the idle talk of those without power.”

The king sighed and intervened.

“Enough. Lucius, I understand. I will have this investigated.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Lucius deeply bowed to the king. Lady Adelaide raised her voice again.

“Your Majesty, I have something to discuss privately.”

“Adel. Why not here in front of everyone?”

“I will explain later.”

“…Understood.”

Even the king could not ignore the words of the leader of the four great nobles.

Reluctantly, the king raised his left hand, signaling his understanding of Adelaide’s intent.

The guards, ministers, and vassals began to exit the audience chamber one by one.

The audience chamber had three entrances: one leading to the king’s private quarters behind the throne, another on the left side for the vassals and the royal guard, and a third on the right for visitors. The right-hand entrance was a feature unique to the western regions, designed so that if an enemy attacked, the defensive spells could be cast quickly from the upper tier to the right side.

When the king raised his left hand, it was a signal for everyone to move to the left side from the throne’s perspective, meaning the vassals should stand by.

As a result, only four people remained: Lucius, the king, Lady Adelaide, and Captain Mark of the royal guard. The vast chamber felt desolate and melancholic.

“Captain of the Royal Guard, please leave as well.”

“Lady Adelaide, do you think I would leave the king alone?”

Captain Mark refused to yield. Being directly under the king’s command, he was not subordinate to Adelaide of the western region.

“Adel, does it really require such secrecy?” 

The king asked.

Lady Adelaide nodded. Rarely was there a matter that even the steadfast and trustworthy Captain Mark couldn’t hear. He wouldn’t have been entrusted with the captaincy of the royal guard if he weren’t reliable and discreet.

“Due to the nature of the issue, I seek your judgment first, Your Majesty.”

“At least state the topic.”

“…Regarding ‘the ship.'”

The king’s eyebrows raised. It seemed he had an idea of what she meant.

—The ship? What is that?

Lucius, who had been listening quietly, noticed the change in their demeanor. The king pondered for a moment, then spoke to Mark behind him.

“…Mark, please stand by.”

“Your Majesty!”

Mark protested.

In this world, magic formations existed. As a result, in the audience chamber and private rooms, the activation of such formations was restricted. Specialized mages continuously maintained a protective barrier around the king, preventing any magic attacks.

However, no barrier was foolproof.

The power invoked by a formation could always be broken by a stronger or more specialized one. Even Lucius could forcefully activate a formation if he tried hard enough.

Thus, the primitive method of having strong warriors physically protect the king was maintained for dealing with any unforeseen events.

Naturally, Mark wasn’t always glued to the king’s side, but during official duties and travel, he was customarily right behind him.

“This concerns the internal matters of the House of West Windsor. I ask this of you.” 

The king said firmly.

When the king himself declared it was a private family matter, Mark had no choice but to comply.

Normally, if it were an internal matter of the House of West Windsor, the king and Lady Adelaide would retreat to a private room. However, since the king hadn’t anticipated this level of secrecy, the situation led to them remaining in the audience chamber, which had now become as private as a personal room.

“…Understood. I will be close by. Call if you need anything.”

Captain Mark glared at Ladyd Adelaide and glanced at Lucius before heading to the door leading to the king’s private quarters

He was likely waiting just behind the door.

Now, the audience chamber, once filled with people, was down to three.

The king and Lady Adelaide, with Lucius kneeling before them.

Lucius didn’t particularly want to hear their conversation, but since he was there to receive his punishment, he couldn’t leave without the king’s permission.

“I should take my leave as well—”

Lucius bowed his head, seeking permission to exit.

“Wait, Lucius.” 

Interjected Adelaide.

—What now? Is there more?

The matter seemed resolved. It was odd that Lucius was the only one left after the other vassals and the royal guard had been dismissed.

“Yes.”

“I couldn’t say it in front of everyone earlier, but I no longer care about who cursed my brother. I just want him to recover.”

Adelaide directed her gaze at Lucius.

“I swear before His Majesty that I will let everything go. If you know who was involved, could you tell me? Even a clue to lift the curse would help.”

Then she bowed her head.

Her earlier arrogance and the rumors might have been her way of surviving in the political world.

—Her only brother…

Lady Adelaide is still human. It is natural to want to lift a curse from a family member. However, not knowing something means not knowing it.

“Lady West, I am truly sorry. I have no idea about the curse.”

Adelaide still looked as though she couldn’t give up.

“…My puppet holds the dispel magic technique. If you permit, may I attempt to lift the curse?”

Both the king and Lady Adelaide looked surprised at these words. Dispel magic techniques are rare, with very few capable of performing them due to their limited use and the specific magic needed.

“Oh, please do.”

The lady looked relieved.

“Understood.”

Lucius discussed the arrangements for the dispelling briefly. Once they had reached some agreement, the king addressed Lucius.

“Lucius, you may leave now. You have done well.”

Receiving the king’s words, Lucius bowed quietly.

He walked from the front of the throne to the right exit and pushed open the door himself, as there were no attendants to open it for him.

As Lucius walked down the long hallway leading from the audience chamber, he felt a strong sense of unease.

—Why is no one here?

The hallway leading to the audience chamber should have been guarded by knights. There had been about ten knights when he arrived, but now none were in sight.

However, the two guards standing by the door were staring straight ahead, showing no signs of alarm.

—Is it the timing of the patrol shift?

Feeling uneasy, Lucius continued down the empty hallway.

Two figures approached from ahead.

It was Dion, the western royal candidate, and his escort. They had not been visible earlier, but it seemed they had been nearby.

“Prince Dion…”

“You’ve lost all your magic swords. Just as Mother predicted.”

Lucius recalled his conversation with Alfred, the deputy lord, who mentioned someone wanted the magic swords. Was it Lady Adelaide or Dion?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

“I have no regrets if lives were saved.”

“It’s too soon to say lives were saved. The only sin absolved with the magic swords is your own forced intervention. The commoners’ sins are still unaddressed.”

“…The Ministry of Justice is intervening. If Melania is executed now, it would be as if Viscount Girard admitted guilt himself. Anyway, with the formal investigation, it will soon be determined there was no treason.”

“Foolishness.”

Dion smirked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know that Viscount Girard was cursed. On that day, no one but you, Lucius, was seen entering or leaving the tower. It’s confirmed as an internal crime. A noble, a lord, was cursed. The suspect’s life is not guaranteed.”

“Surely…you don’t mean to punish the entire Kyrgyz tribe?”

Lucius recalled Adelaide’s earlier smile. She seemed to want the king to implicitly blame the Kyrgyz. If Lucius admitted to the curse, he would be the suspect; if he denied it, suspicion would fall on the Kyrgyz.

The witnesses were the vassals and the royal guard present at the time.

Whichever way it turned, they benefited. The fact that Dion, who wasn’t present, knew this was proof enough.

“They plan to kill them one by one until they hand over the one who cursed Viscount Girard.”

Anger flared in Lucius’s eyes.

What was Lady Adelaide’s earlier humility all about?

“What have they done? And who will repair the relics for the rituals and contracts if they’re gone?”

“There’s no need to repair them.”

“That will reduce the number of people who can use magic.”

“Before the Kyrgyz came to the kingdom, when there were fewer usable relics, only the noble and those loyal to the king could possess them. And now? Even commoners have them.”

“Magic enriches lives.”

“Commoners don’t need wealth. The power of magic should be reserved for the nobility, the symbol of the king’s authority.”

“Can we really compete with other powers that way?”

“Hahaha!”

Dion burst out laughing.

“What is it?”

“You speak like an ignorant country baron. Listen, it’s diplomacy, not magic, that protects a nation. Clashing powers is a foolish approach.”

The image of the War Emperor flashed through Lucius’s mind.

He couldn’t see them as the type to accept the sweet choice of diplomacy. Perhaps only when becoming a vassal state could that be considered diplomacy, though even that is questionable.

“There is a world that cannot be understood by those who merely brandish magical techniques.”

“…If we were to negotiate with the Empire, what do you intend to offer from our country?”

The answer was obvious.

Essence. The inhumane component needed to power their magical devices would be the people.

Dion narrowed his eyes.

“…Well, fine. I’ll give you a piece of advice.”

Dion, starting to walk with his escort, left a parting remark.

“The soldiers are already heading to the tower.”

“What?”

“Right now, at this very moment. You’d better hurry.”

The king’s words were just moments ago. Lucius had thought the punishment for the Kyrgyz tribe would come later, but it seemed the action was already underway.

—Their response is too quick.

It was a perfect trap to ensnare the Kyrgyz, but Lucius couldn’t understand why the head of the four great noble families would go to such lengths, even using the king as a mouthpiece.

“For what purpose?”

It felt like a trap designed solely to lure him to the tower.

Everything seemed prearranged, and Lucius couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

Still, Lucius couldn’t abandon them. He sprinted down the empty hallway.

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