After defeating all the enemies in the hall, I carried King Dorsen and escaped the castle.
We were now moving through the forest. King Dorsen was bleeding from his side, but I hoped he wouldn’t die from such a wound. The folks in Hundred could naturally heal from such injuries. Besides, I couldn’t use healing magic, and I had no idea where in the nearly rebel-occupied Berce I could take him to get his wounds treated. We had to return to Faloon and have Ruida heal him.
“…Stop.”
King Dorsen said weakly. I checked our surroundings to ensure there were no enemies and then stopped. I gently laid him down on the ground.
“I’m done for.”
His face was pale.
“Either way, being saved by the king of another country means I’m already dead as a king. You came to claim Dorsen, didn’t you?”
I shook my head. I really just came for the food, but it wasn’t the time to say that.
“Huh, you’re a strange man.”
With weak movements, King Dorsen pulled a ring with a large gemstone from his finger.
“Take this. It’s the proof of the King of Dorsen.”
The blue gemstone glowed with magic power. It was probably a magic stone, and with this size and purity, it must be quite valuable.
“It’s a gift for Camilla’s childbirth. If it’s her child, they have the right to succeed Dorsen. My children are likely dead, and I won’t give it to Alan.”
Alan? I think that was the name of Camilla’s brother.
“…Take care of Camilla. She was once a cute little sister.”
King Dorsen’s pupils dilated, staring into the void.
──It seems he’s completely dead. Even Ruida’s healing wouldn’t make it in time. I felt something indescribable. I didn’t like or dislike him, but it was the first time I saw someone who wasn’t an enemy die right in front of me.
I struck the ground with Earthbreak, creating a large dent, placed King Dorsen’s body in it, and covered it with the surrounding soil.
This should be fine. King Dorsen would probably prefer to rest in his homeland’s soil rather than be buried in Faloon. When humans die, it’s the end. It might be a simple grave for a king, but making it grand wouldn’t change anything. If I had been assassinated as a prince, a decent grave would’ve been prepared for me too, but it wouldn’t have meant anything.
I left the place and returned to Faloon.
When I returned to the castle late at night, everyone was somehow still awake.
“Your Majesty! Where have you been until this hour?”
Gamaras, with a pale face, approached me.
“It’s serious! There’s been a coup in Dorsen!”
I know. I saw it firsthand today.
“Prince Alan has allied with Lord Randolph, the second seat of the Five Heavenly Kings, and with the backing of Iris, his mother’s country, has launched a coup!”
So, Alan was the one who led the rebellion. No wonder King Dorsen didn’t want to give him the ring.
“Many nobles, who lost confidence in King Dorsen after Faloon’s defeat, sided with Prince Alan!”
Huh? Is this coup my fault? I felt a bit uneasy.
“Lord Siegmund, the head of the Five Heavenly Kings, couldn’t send reinforcements as he was fighting the Vulcan army, which seemed to have supported this rebellion too. It appears the royal capital fell by this afternoon, but King Dorsen’s whereabouts are unknown.”
I just buried him, so I couldn’t say that.
“We cannot overlook this situation.”
In the presence of all the retainers, Camilla declared firmly.
“Even though I married into Faloon, I once swore allegiance to King Dorsen. Such barbarity cannot be forgiven.”
Despite her words, Camilla didn’t seem angry. If anything, she looked pleased.
“I and the Palace Knights will head to Dorsen to rescue my brother. Your Majesty, do I have your permission?”
No, you don’t. He’s already dead. But I couldn’t dismiss her wish to save her brother. So, I decided to give her the keepsake ring.
I took the ring King Dorsen had given me from my pocket and handed it to Camilla.
“Your Majesty! This is the ring signifying the King of Dorsen! Where did you get it!?”
“…Sorry. I was too late.”
I really just went for the food, but I kept that to myself.
Since we now knew his fate, please give up on going to Dorsen.
“No way!? So, you went to Dorsen while you were away!? The ‘movement in the center’ was about Dorsen!?”
Chrom was shocked. It was slightly different, but I nodded anyway.
“No way…”
“As expected of His Majesty.”
“To foresee this much, truly…”
The retainers were murmuring. Camilla was staring at me with wide eyes.
Now I really couldn’t tell the truth.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Camilla’s lips twisted. It was a smile that reminded me of a carnivorous beast.
“Now it’s clear we have the rightful cause. Since my brother handed you the ring, he has appointed Leon as the next King of Dorsen!”
Huh? Didn’t he say it was a childbirth gift?
“For Faloon to take Dorsen! This is a rightful battle!”
Camilla looked around at the retainers and raised her right hand.
“Oooh──!!”
The likes of Ogma roared.
Huh? Since we don’t need to go to rescue him anymore, shouldn’t we avoid the battle?
Isn’t it enough that the pretext has changed? Do we still need to fight?
I don’t really want Dorsen…
Not only the bloodthirsty ones like Ogma, but even the moderate ones like Gamaras seemed positive about this. In short, all the retainers were on board with this plan.
“…Is the Palace Knights alone going to be enough?”
The Palace Knights consist of about thirty women, primarily selected from the queen candidate selection. Under them are the Minerva the Thieves, Leia the Fire Fox Mercenaries, and the assassins brought by Shirley, making the total force over a hundred.
But even then, it’s only a hundred. That’s far too few to wage a war. No matter how weak the enemy might be, there are limits. So, could you give up on this idea?
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. In that case, I would like to borrow people from the Hundred as well.”
That’s not what I meant!
“I’ll gather volunteers on my end.”
Ogma immediately responded. He likely intended to go himself. If Ogma and his group join, there would be no issue with our military strength. Could war be unavoidable?
“Your Majesty, hypothetically speaking…”
Carmilla smiled cruelly.
“If we were to defeat my brother Alan, I would like to make my son Leon the next King of Dorsen. What do you think?”
A murmur spread among the assembled vassals. But it was a positive one. They likely thought that governance would go more smoothly if Leon, who has Dorsen blood, became king rather than me annexing and ruling directly.
It seemed that everyone gathered here wished for this outcome.
Everyone was looking at me with expectant eyes.
“Very well.”
As a child, no one had expectations for him, so I couldn’t go against their wishes.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Have you still not found the former king!?”
Alan, the new King of Dorsen, was frustrated.
His coup had succeeded. Most of the nobles had joined his side. He had the support of the Iris Kingdom and the Vulcan Kingdom. His position seemed unshakeable, but the whereabouts of his older brother, the former king, remained unknown.
Apparently, they had cornered him in the hall where Alan now stood, but the elite knights he sent in were annihilated, allowing his brother to escape.
Though Alan didn’t know how, his brother must have had powerful warriors other than Siegmund in his ranks. In fact, during the battle at the castle, a mysterious black knight had been confirmed by both allies and enemies. In recent years, his brother had been recruiting skilled adventurers, so it’s likely that these were his trump card.
However, such disregard for noble bloodlines had been a major source of discontent among many nobles. Dorsen was a country with traditions. Simply gathering strength without regard for means was not the way.
In the end, his brother wasn’t fit to be king.
Only Alan was suitable to be the King of Dorsen. Though the former king’s existence was no longer a threat, Alan desperately wanted to obtain the king’s ring as proof of his legitimacy. That was the traditional way.
Randolph entered then. Second in the rank of the Five Heavenly Kings. A man of true noble blood as the second son of a duke’s house, and the strongest knight Dorsen could boast of. Siegmund was merely an outsider.
“Alan-sama, Faloon has raised an army. The enemy commander is Carmilla-sama. Their numbers seem to be around two hundred.”
Randolph reported with a sneer. The number was laughably small. He was mocking their audacity. The term “elite few” was an understatement.
“Humph, so Carmilla’s trying to take Dorsen by deceiving the King of Faloon?”
Alan, seated on the throne, toyed with his hair. His hair was not the purple characteristic of the Dorsen royal family but the blond of the Iris royal family.
Alan believed that his hair color was the reason he couldn’t become king.
Both his brother, the former king, and Carmilla, who had raised an army, had purple hair.
“Two thousand should be enough, Randolph?”
“Yes, there will be no problems.”
They had ten times the enemy’s numbers. Among them were Randolph’s own elite troops. Their quality was impeccable, and defeat was inconceivable.
“Then go. Kill Carmilla. She’s too troublesome to capture alive.”
Carmilla was a former member of the Five Heavenly Kings. Her power was not to be underestimated.
“Understood. I will ensure the mission is accomplished.”
TLNOTE: While waiting for the next chapter , I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
Btw, volume 2 English translation is finished
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
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