Chapter 1: Volume 1 - CH 1.1

Expulsion from Royal Capital

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by SoundDestiny

A single carriage drives along an unleveled, unstable road.

It rattles and shakes intermittently as the wheels roll, and occasionally the body of the carriage bounces as it rides over large stones.

The carriage, pulled by two horses, has iron plates on its surface and the windows are fitted with iron bars. The massive structure was probably intended to keep the people inside from escaping, rather than to guard against outside attacks.

“You’re treating me like a sinner…”

Inside the armoured carriage. The boy – Raidorl Zain – sighed darkly.

Raidorl is alone in the spacious carriage, and there is not a single escort or attendant by the boy’s side, who is supposed to be a prince.

His clothes were well-dressed, as befits royalty, but there were metal handcuffs on both of his hands. The surface of the shackles was engraved with hieroglyphic patterns and emitted a faint bluish-white light.

Knowing that they were called 『shackles of sealing』 that sealed the magic of the wearer, Raidorl’s lips twisted in bitterness.

“Ni–san……why did you do this…..!”

The one person who caused Raidorl to be taken away like a guilty man. It was the face of his own brother, with whom he shared blood.

Why is he being treated like a prisoner of war, when he should have been living a life of pure wind and full of joy? The trigger for this was the coming-of-age ceremony that took place on Raidorl’s thirteenth birthday.

In the Kingdom of Zain, a person is recognised as an adult at the age of 13, and royalty or nobility are granted rights such as succession to the family.

In the case of Prince Raidorl, coming of age gives him the right to succeed to the throne, but neither Raidorl nor the people around him thought he would become king. This is because his elder brother Prince Granard was already involved in political affairs as acting king, and his position as the next king was secure.

No one, not even the most ambitious aristocrat, was willing to risk Granard’s antipathy to carry out Raidorl’s campaign.

Raidorl had no complaints about his inability to become king, and he was well aware that he was a man who should not aspire to the position of king.

But then – in what can only be described as a mischievous twist of fate – Raidorl was struck by an event.

When the male of the Zain royal family come of age, they are required to undergo a special ceremony called the 『Rite of Succession』.

The main event of the ceremony is that they clasp the holy sword 『Dáinsleif』, the national treasure of the Zain Kingdom, and pledge to serve for the development of the royal family and the kingdom.

『Dáinsleif』 was the sword worn by the founder of the Kingdom of Zain, the first king. The first king used the sword to unite the neighbouring countries and establish the Kingdom of Zain.

When the first king became too old to fight, he built a room called the『Room of the Holy Sword』 in the back of the palace and stuck the sword into a pedestal set up there.

And – he declared to his subjects and the people at the time as follows.

“『When the dark clouds of doom descend on this country, there will be a chosen one who will draw this holy sword again!　He is my successor, the King of Salvation who will bring peace to the kingdom!』”

In the 200 years since then, no one has drawn the Holy Sword to succeed the first king.

Nowadays, the holding of the sword at the coming-of-age ceremony is not for the purpose of drawing it out, but has become a ceremonial event to show the first king his will and aspirations as royalty.

Therefore, Raidorl was not particularly nervous about the ceremony. All he had to do was kneel before the sword, say his name and recite the standard oath.

Although Raidorl was a second prince, when he came of age, he would be entrusted with the affairs of state as an adult. He would attend ceremonies and events on behalf of the king. He may even travel abroad as an ambassador. More than the ceremonies themselves, Raidorl felt the weight of the royal duties that awaited him in the future.

With his brother Granard and other family members looking, his chest heaves with nervousness and excitement at the prospect of joining the ranks of the adults, and he clutches his national treasure, the Holy Sword.

“Eh…..?”

But then the unexpected happened. Raidorl unexpectedly opens his mouth and makes a dumb sound.

He looks down and there is a sword in his hand. There was no way he could have mistaken it for the holy sword Dáinsleif, the national treasure of the Zain Kingdom.

The jet-black sword, which looks as if it has been painted with black ink, has been pulled out from its pedestal at his feet, revealing its entire appearance. The blade and sheath that had been drawn out emitted an aura of what could only be described as a miasma, surrounding the sword body as if to intimidate its surroundings.

“W…..why?　Why did they give me the Holy Sword……?”

Raidorl’s eyes are black and white in confusion.

Although Raidorl held the sacred sword as a ritual, he had no intention of pulling it out. However, as soon as he grasped the hilt of the sword, it rose from its pedestal as if it had a will of its own.

The jet-black holy sword pulsed in Raidorl’s hand, as if blessing its new owner who had appeared after a long time.

“Ridiculous! Why is it that Rai can pull out the Holy Sword?”

“Bro, brother……”

Raidorl is not the only one surprised by the sudden turn of events. His brother Prince Granard exclaims in shock at the unexpected turn of events.

He looks back at his brother behind him with an expression of confusion, and then freezes.

The familiar face of his brother is distorted into an almost ghoulish expression. Surprise, anger, envy, jealousy, despair, madness – his brother’s face is filled with emotions that Raidorl has never seen before, and his bloodshot eyes are glaring at him.

The holy sword Dáinsleif was a sword that only the first king could use. Pulling it out is proof that he is the successor of the first king.

This means that the Holy Sword has recognised his younger brother, Raidorl, as the champion, rather than Granard, the first prince, who is currently running the government on behalf of the sick king.

Unable to accept this fact, Granard thrusts his claws into his face and scratches his skin violently, as if he had gone mad.

“It can’t be……why is it that the sword that could not be pulled out by me but can be pulled out by Rai!　I have supported the country all my life, why……is this happening to me!”

“Yo–Your Highness Granard….”

Vassals who were watching the succession ceremony around them look alternately at Raidorl and Granard with puzzled expressions, not knowing what to do with the First Prince, who is shouting like a madman.

They are at a loss to know how to react correctly, whether to rejoice or lament that Raidorl has been chosen as the owner of the Dáinsleif.

Furthermore, the self-harm, Granard must be stopped. One of the vassals present – the Prime Minister, Lockwood Marcell, steps forward and places his hands on both shoulders of his king.

“Your Highness Granard, please calm down.”

“Ro, Lockwood……but…..”

“There is a lot of publicity here. We’ll think about how to deal with it again in the future, but for the moment, ……”

“Ummm… mmm… …… yes.”

Shaking off his self-harm at the Prime Minister’s persuasion, Granard stopped scratching his face and took a series of deep breaths. Then, with the face of a calm and sober politician, he tells everyone present.

“This concludes the succession ceremony!　Furthermore, I forbid you to say anything else about what you have seen here!　Look, these are my orders as acting king. Anyone who disobeys shall be severely punished!”

“Ha, yes, sir!”

“And ……Rai.”

“Nah, what is it? Bro………… hi!”

Having pulled out the Holy Sword, which he did not expect to pull out. Seeing his trusted brother’s change, he looked up in shock. He looked at Granard’s face with clinging eyes and screamed in terror at the fiery passion that floated.

“….. you go back to your room and rest! I will not allow you to leave your room without permission! Never!”

“I-I understand…!”

“…..We’ll take care of the Holy Sword here. Leave it there!”

“Yes……”

Raidorl hands the holy sword he has just pulled out to his brother, while looking into Granard’s expression with a frightened gaze.

“Gghh ……!”

“Br-brother?”

As soon as Granard held the Dáinsleif in his hand, the holy sword became as heavy as a megalith. It was so heavy that it seemed like a joke that Raidorl had just lifted it lightly with one hand. It was unlikely to be wielded as a weapon.

“Is this what it means to be chosen as the Holy Sword ……! Why do you refuse me, what am I missing…..!”

“Bro-……”

“Go quickly! Get out of my sight now!”

“Hic…..!”

The brother’s sword was filled with unprecedented anger, and Raidorl, teary-eyed, was led out of the room by a chamberlain.

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Granard looked at his back disgustedly and dropped the holy sword to the floor, unable to bear the weight of it.

〇　　　　　　　　　〇　　　　　　　　　〇

A few days after the succession ceremony. Raidorl was banished from the royal capital and sent to a frontier city. The decision was made at the sole discretion of the acting king, Granard, rather than the sickbed king.

Nominally, he is given the lands around the frontier city as a fiefdom, and is posted there to fulfil his duties as a lord. However, some of those who knew the situation were aware that this was in effect an exile.

An order has been issued on the withdrawal of the holy sword Dáinsleif by Raidorl, and it is a secret only to those who were present at the event.

This is because if it became public knowledge that Raidorl had been chosen as the holy sword, the 13-year-old second prince would become the next king, and a power struggle between him and Granard would ensue.

Even if Raidorl did not want the throne, the admirers of the first king would not leave Raidorl alone as the successor. Cutting Raidorl down was unavoidable in order to avoid a split in the country and to prevent civil war.

Even if Granard’s personal enmity and jealousy were included in the decision……it would never be overturned. It was decided that the holy sword Dáinsleif, which had caused his banishment, would be taken away from him and that Raidorl would be driven to the frontier on his own.

Only three people came to see off Raidorl, who was being sent to the frontier.

Prime Minister Lockwood Marcell, who is responsible for internal affairs in the country. General Bazel Garst, who is also responsible for military affairs. And – the Prime Minister’s daughter, Mertina Marcell, who is also Raidorl’s childhood friend and fiancée.

“Your Highness Raidorl. Please be careful on your way.”

With his hand on his chest, Prime Minister Lockwood bowed politely.

The prime minister, who is also Mertina’s father, is about forty years old and wears the same purple hair as his daughter in an all-back bun. He wore a figure-eight moustache under his nose, giving him the appearance of an aristocrat.

“…………”

Raidorl stares silently at the Prime Minister, who bows his head, and looks down at his arms with a sombre expression on his face.

The arms of the banished prince are shackled. The shackles, which have the power to seal magic, were intended to restrict Raidorl’s movements and seal the power he had acquired by drawing the Holy Sword.

Since pulling out the Holy Sword, Raidorl’s physical body has been imbued with a mysterious power. His arm and leg strength and other physical abilities have increased many times over. Furthermore, when his emotions are aroused, the same black miasma that the Holy Sword was cloaked in gushes out from Raidorl’s body, irrespective of his intentions. Those who came into contact with the miasma fell ill and fell asleep as if they had been stricken with a disease.

By being chosen as the owner of the sacred sword, Raidorl has taken the blessings of Dáinsleif, who is also known as the『Holy Sword of the Cursed』.

After the succession ceremony, the holy sword was taken away by Granard, but the Dáinsleif still recognises Raidorl as its master, and gives its blessing to his estranged master.

The shackles of the sealing demon were necessary to prevent Raidorl from letting his uncontrollable power run amok. Nevertheless – it is unforgivable to place shackles on a person who is not normally a criminal, let alone a member of the royal family.

This time, the cruel treatment was carried out under the special orders of his elder brother Prince Granard.

Raidorl stared at his constrained and bound arms, but eventually opened his mouth to speak in a small voice.

“What happened to my brother…….? Why isn’t he here?”

Lockwood’s eyes narrow as he senses the sadness and despair in the tone of the young prince’s voice.

“His Highness Granard is too busy with political affairs to come and see you off. I have received word from him that he wishes for you to forgive him for being so cold-hearted as to be unable to attend his brother’s departure.”

“Heartless?　He has other things you need to apologise for….!”

When Raidorl says in an accusatory tone, Lockwood’s eyebrows quirk and he shakes his head.

“His Highness moved you to take care of that territory. He has no other intention.”

“…..Then what are these shackles!?　Isn’t this like being a sinner!”

“It is only a security consideration. Your Highness.”

It was not Lockwood who answered the shouted appeal, but a large man in armour standing next to him – General Bazel Garst. Two metres tall, Bazel looked down at Raydor with a face like a rock, and spelled out his words in a firm tone.

“Your Highness is now the owner of the Holy Sword and carries part of its blessing in your body. If its power were to run amok, it would cause tremendous damage to the surrounding area. The shackles are meant to prevent this, and should be regarded as a separate matter from the punishment of the guilty.”

“But ……!”

Raidorl opened his mouth to argue and eventually fell silent without saying anything.

Whatever words he had to say to these two men were meaningless. They are close associates of the king and support his brother Prince Granard as the next king. There was no way that the two men, who had decided on his treatment, would listen to what Raidorl had to say.

“…… Your Highness. You have done nothing wrong. However, this is necessary for the governance of the State. I beg you not to hold grudges.”

“Be that as it may. When His Highness Granard ascends the throne and his reign is stable, we may recall you to the capital in due course. Until then, good health to you.”

Lockwood, somewhat sympathetically, offers words of comfort to Raidorl, who chews his back teeth and slumps down. Bazel took over and gave him a pep talk in his clumsy warrior way.

“…………”

Raidorl kept his mouth shut and bit his lip in frustration.

Lockwood and Bazel may have a point. However, for a boy who is being forced to leave his birthplace for reasons he does not agree with, such selfishness of adults cannot possibly be a comfort.

Instead, he turns his attention to the last person present.

“Tina….”

Clinging and crying, Raidorl calls out to his childhood friend.

As the daughter of the Prime Minister, if she petitions  to reconsider the treatment of Raidorl, or sending him to the frontier. Even if that was not the case, she, who is closer to him than anyone else of his age, might be willing to follow him as he is chased out of Royal Capital.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Raidorl made his plea, but what he received from Mertina was a heartless reply.

“Yes, Raidorl-sama. Please have a safe journey.”

“Eee……?”

“I am told that the southern frontier is warmer than the Royal Capital. Raidorl-sama doesn’t like the cold, so this move is just right for you. Next time we meet, I’m sure you’ll have some interesting souvenir stories to tell me.”

“What, wait a minute…… Tina?”

There is not a shred of sadness on the face of the childhood friend who was to be his fiancée. She is about to send Raidorl on his way with a clear, calm and serene smile.

Raidorl is unable to hide his confusion at his childhood friend’s lack of reluctance to say goodbye, and involuntarily looks up at her father Lockwood.

“Your Highness. Mertina has been educated as the daughter of the Prime Minister and as a noblewoman. From an early age, she has been taught to choose the peace of the state over love.”

“What does that mean ……?”

“You are no longer her fiancée. You are already a person of the past.”

“Person of….past?”

The apologetic words from Lockwood make Raidorl’s mind go blank.

Raidorl has been with Mertina for as long as he can remember and they have spent the same amount of time together. All of these memories are irreplaceable and are as valuable as jewels.

However, it was one sided. Mertina did not think anything of himself, but only stayed with Raidorl out of a sense of duty as the Prime Minister’s daughter and as a noblewoman.

“Your Highness?　What’s wrong, are you in a bad mood?”

“Suuuu………!”

Mertina peers curiously into Raidorl’s face.

The gentle-looking face takes on the form of a terrifying monster. Raidorl backs away with a look of horror on his face, and runs away into the prison-like carriage.

If he is sent to the frontier, he will spend his days in fear of demons and barbarian tribes. Even so, he felt much more frightened by those who were capable of abandoning their family and friends with impunity than by the demons.

The royal palace, which should have been his home, has somehow become a haven for monsters. This fact was unacceptable to the young Raidorl.

“Have a safe trip, Your Highness.”

Mertina’s voice is heard through the carriage door. Raidorl curls his body inside the carriage and holds his head with his shackled arms, rejecting his childhood friend’s words.

Lockwood and Bazel bow deeply and the carriage drives off.

Raidorl is taken away, his face contorted in grief, his shoulders shaking as he rattles.

Thus, the second prince of the Kingdom of Zain, Raidorl Zain, was sent to a frontier city and disappeared from the royal capital.

It would be five years later that Raidorl would reappear on the stage of history.

During those five years, his father, the king, passed away in his sleep from illness, and the first prince, Granad, succeeded him as the new king.

Thanks to Granard, who had been running the government since before the king was removed from office, the Kingdom of Zain has continued to reign peacefully and without any apparent turmoil.

But – even in such a peaceful kingdom – a wave of warfare was quietly approaching, like a snake crawling.

Separated from its master, the holy sword Dáinsleif remains enshrined deep within the royal palace, listening to the footsteps of the approaching war, waiting for its master and their time of reunion.

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