Chapter 106
＊ Holy King's Palace ＊
After hearing the report in full, the Holy King folded his arms and looked up at the ceiling.
This was an audience chamber in the Holy King's Palace, but it was not the kind of stiff, formal place one might expect; a round table had been set up like one would find in a reception room. The more formal audience chamber was in the First Holy District. Only people from the Holy Kingdom could enter the Holy King's Palace.
The only people in the audience chamber besides the Holy King were Holy Prince Kurvshrat and Margrave Mule. The Margrave was still wearing a gray bear pelt.
"So you're saying... what? We helped drive off the mediator who appeared at the Talent Jewel Award Ceremony, prevented a situation that might have resulted in a massive loss of life, and on top of that—we tried to capture and kill the man who supposedly slew that giant snake, of all things, just because he had black hair and black eyes! Then we got beaten and sat there twiddling our thumbs while watching him leave the Holy Capital!?"
"That is correct."
The Gray Bear answered without the slightest sign of agitation at the Holy King's angry roar.
"What the hell was Ebenyu thinking, doing something like that!? And the Holy King's Knights, too! Even if it was a communications mix-up, did they go around claiming they had slain it themselves!?"
"In their haste to claim credit, and unwilling to let the Adventurers' Guild take all of it, they went ahead and made a self-serving claim even though they knew it was false... They sound less like knights and more like nobles. Saying things like, 'It was a misunderstanding,' 'We did not submit a false report,' and 'It was all for the sake of the country'—they are exactly the same."
"Margrave! I don't need your sarcasm!"
"It is not sarcasm. It is a fact."
"Then shut your damn mouth instead of spewing that worthless fact! It serves no purpose!"
"W-wait... Father, please calm down."
When Kurvshrat stepped between them, the Holy King seemed to calm somewhat and took a drink from his cup of water.
"Damn... so this means I shouldn't have been hounding Duke Riviere..."
"Hmm... And how are things among the ducal houses?"
"...Not good. Duke Ebenyu has taken Duke Riviere's side rather strongly. Apparently, he does not like the evidence Count Syries brought forward."
"Count Syries's 'Magic Eye of Judgment' is difficult to use effectively, then?"
"That's right. And that bodyguard... Reiji, was it? The fact that he was with Count Syries has only complicated matters further. But it is only a matter of time. We are simply looking for a way to settle things."
"A way to settle things?"
"Yes... Duke Ebenyu knows perfectly well that he cannot keep protecting Duke Riviere, who is all but proven guilty. But if we leave things as they are, Count Syries will rise to prominence, and Duke Ebenyu will even be saddled with the bad rumor that he 'tried to kill a hero.' He wants to keep yapping while he still can, to undermine Count Syries's legitimacy."
"..."
The Margrave could not help thinking that it was not a "bad rumor" at all, but a "fact." In noble society, however, a "fact" was not necessarily the "truth."
"And to top it all off, Duke Luciel was dragged into the fray, with people saying, 'If Augustin, the Sword Saint of the Luciel ducal family, had been there, the damage this time would have been far smaller.'"
"Well, Duke Ebenyu and Duke Luciel have never gotten along, after all. ...Now then, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."
"Indeed... You are returning to your territory already? Margrave Mule, you have my thanks for your unwavering loyalty."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I shall never forget your admonition."
"...You jest, Your Majesty."
The Margrave flashed a ferocious grin, then rose and left the room.
"Your Majesty, what did the Margrave mean by 'admonition'...?"
When Kurvshrat asked him, the Holy King said,
"...You need a friend, too. A friend you can trust and entrust with everything."
It sounded as though he were telling himself the same thing.
Many problems lay ahead for the Holy King. In particular, deciding how to explain what had happened at the Talent Jewel Award Ceremony to the nobles was a difficult matter—although, in the end, he had steeled himself to tell them everything exactly as it was.
But explaining that meant admitting the Holy King's "sin": that he had refused to sacrifice Kurvshrat's life. He would also have to consider how to face the Rozier family now that Rui was dead—the family had said it was "something their child had done on his own," but they surely had not accepted that in their hearts.
All this would be entangled with the dissolution of the Riviere family, one of the Six Great Ducal Houses, making utter chaos unavoidable.
"Kurvshrat, what do you think of your elder brother and sister?"
"My elder brother and elder sister? They are both splendid. I am sure my brother will become the next Holy King and usher in a magnificent reign—ah! I-I do not mean that Father—or, er, Your Majesty—is doing a bad job!"
"I know."
The Holy King narrowed his eyes and stroked Kurvshrat's head.
His feelings as a father had clouded his judgment. They had caused confusion.
Even so—even now—he still could not abandon his role as a father.
"...Now, I still have work to do as Holy King. I must go."
"Yes. Please return safely, Your Majesty."
The Holy King rose and strode out of the audience chamber with his shoulders squared—Kurvshrat bowed as he saw him off.
"..."
After some time, when Kurvshrat raised his head, his expression had clouded over.
He, too, understood. He had been saved, while Rui—the boy who might have become his friend—had died.
He had known nothing about the circumstances, and before he knew it, events had reached that point. The thought that he might have been the one who died made him shudder; at the same time, he was tormented by guilt over surviving.
If dying was the duty of the Holy King's family, then he should have fulfilled that duty.
"...I wonder how Eva-jō is doing..."
At that moment, Kurvshrat remembered that beautiful girl. She was the daughter of Count Syries, his father's right-hand man, and the "hero" who had prevented a great disaster had served as her bodyguard.
She had looked terribly unwell at the ceremony, though...
"..."
Kurvshrat shook his head. He knew he was drawn to her, but he was not in a position to act on those feelings.
(In truth, I should have been the one to die.)
Then...
"I must devote the rest of my life to my country..."
The incident had cast such a dark shadow over the Holy King's Palace that it forced a twelve-year-old boy to adopt such a painful resolve.