Chapter 4: Volume 1 - CH 3

Guests from the Royal Capital

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by SoundDestiny

“Mmm…. morning already……?”

Two months after the Catastro Orc attack, Raidorl woke up in his mansion in the frontier city.

Frowning at the sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the curtains, Raidorl turns over in bed.

Raidorl Zain, second prince of the Kingdom of Zain. As the lord of the development city of Raid, his life is anything but luxurious.

The mansion in which Raidorl lives is too modest for a lord, being only slightly larger than a typical house in a frontier city.

When Zafis came uninvited and with a bottle of liquor in his hand, it is difficult to find a place to put his master, who is sleeping soundly after a heavy drink.

“It’s morning already, is it? Sleepy master.”

“Uootoo!”

Suddenly, a woman’s voice echoed in the room,Raidorl involuntarily raised his voice.

He looks from side to side, looking for the owner of the voice, but no one is in the room except for him.

“Don’t tell me……”

Then, suddenly aware of the weight he felt on his body, he rolled up the duvet.

There, as expected. The figure of a dark-haired girl was there, closely adhering to the upper-body naked Raidorl.

“Ah, good morning. Master.”

“Good morning …..— what are you doing?”

“I wanted to do a little morning service for you and….. fuggyaa!”

“Get out.”

Raidorl kicked the girl off the bed with the duvet.

The girl rolled on the floor and struggled to drown under the duvet that was covering her body, but she eventually bounced off the duvet and emerged.

“Mooou! What are you doing all of a sudden!”

A girl in a maid’s outfit with glossy black hair flowing down her back emerged from the duvet.

The girl’s name was Neimilia. She is the only servant working in the mansion where Raidorl resides.

Pale-skinned and with a young face, Neimilia had the appearance of an elaborate doll at first glance. Her black hair, like crow’s feathers, and her golden eyes, shining like a full moon, are striking and attract the eyes of men.

Her attractive look would have captivated many a man if she’d just sat back and kept quiet,…… but her employer, Raidorl, knew in his bones that it was only her appearance.

“What the hell are you …… doing?”

“Well I was going to do [‘Nani’]……That’s all I’ve got to do now, is to make suck off master’s with my mouth. ……”

(ナニ if you katakana it and Noun, means penis)

“I knew it, you don’t have to say it, shut up!”

As you can see, when she opens her mouth, all the innuendos come out without a care in the world.

The vulgarities that emanate from the mouth of a girl as pretty as a flower have always annoyed Raidorl.

AD

Even so, in a pioneer city full of adventurers and ruffians, maids like her who do the household chores are extremely rare.

Due to a certain situation she was facing, Raidorl was unable to kick her out and continued to employ her.

Incidentally, Neimilia is the only person living in this house, which is supposed to be a lord’s mansion, apart from him. Therefore, Neimilia is recognised as Raidorl’s mistress by the people of the pioneer city, which is also a headache for him.

(go,go Neimilia)

“Ugh, enough of this…… I’m gonna change, and you are going to get the hell out of here.”

“Of course, and I can help you. I’ll take you by the hand, from good morning to good night. …..Mefufu.”

“Just get out!”

Raidorl frowned and chased the girl in the maid’s uniform out of the room.

A quick glance at the clock shows that the time is already ten o’clock. It was a little late to call it a morning.

Although Raidorl was a lord, financial and military affairs were left to the commercial and adventurers’ guilds, which had been operating since before Raidorl became lord of the town.

Raidorl’s job is to follow up on their decisions. And the only thing he does is to stand on arrows and masks in negotiations with the outside nobility and leading merchants.

As a result, his life was irregular and no one could fault him for sleeping until close to noon.

“Fuah…..so sleepy…… How shall I spend my day?” 

Raidorl ponders as he changes his underwear.

There was no particular lordly task, and he had no business to meet anyone. 

‘Should I go and thin out the demons in the frontier?’

All of the frontier demons were an important source of funding for the frontier cities, as they were all rare materials. The more demons Raydor hunted, the more money would be available for the operation of the frontier city.

“Mefufu,Meifufu…… master’s fresh clothes. …… This is going to be a lot of work”

“….. so what are you doing?”

While Raidorl was getting dressed thinking about his plans for the day, his eyes met a gaze staring at him from behind the door. It was the erotic maid, as it should be, without daring to explain.

Glaring back at the cat-like eyes staring at him through the door, Raidorl presses his forehead to stave off a headache.

“Aaa, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, I’m just so…… amazed by master’s tasty muscles.”

“All right. I know what I’m going to do today. I’ll go to the hardware store today and buy a padlock. From today onwards you’re not allowed in my room.”

“Eeeeeh! No, no, no,! I’ve have business to be here!　I didn’t come here just to peek!”

Neimilia argued in a panicked manner.

Half-liddedly looking into her teary golden eyes, Raidorl gives a single click of his tongue.

“Then get on with your business. If it’s not a big deal, I won’t agree to it.”

“Muuu……Master is a sadist……! We have a visitor at the door now!　It seems they have come from the Royal Capital to inquire about master.”

“From Royal Capital……?”

“Yes, from Royal Capital. They certainly said so.”

“Mmm…..”

Raidorl’s brows furrowed and his expression contorted as if he had eaten a poisonous herb.

Since his banishment to the frontier, he has been absent from the royal capital affairs. No matter how many letters of explanation he sent out, no matter how much he asked for help from those he had befriended, he never received a reply.

Raidorl finally decided he had no intention of getting involved again, but why would they come to visit him after all this time?

“…..Okay, I’ll meet them. Keep them waiting in the parlour.”

“Okay, Master. Oh, should I contact Zafis-sama?”

“…..Yes. That would be better.”

It is hard to imagine what business a emissary from Royal Capital would have, but there is no doubt that it would be a troublesome matter. Zafis, who is supposed to be Raidorl’s guardian, would probably be able to smooth things out when the time comes.

‘Are they trying to force me to do something nasty? Or is it, after all this time, that brother wants a reconciliation? Either way, I’m sure it’s going to be a depressing matter.’

Feeling a smouldering fire deep inside, Raidorl held his chest as if scratching it.

Was it the fire of hatred towards those who betrayed him, or was it the fire of a fighting spirit that sensed the signs of battle that awaited him in the future?

“Mm-hmm, the master is motivated. And down there, too, you’ve become so energetic…..”

“Just get on with it!”

Raidorl shouted at the maid, who was drooling at the entrance to the room, and covered his skin with his jacket.

〇　　　　　　　　〇　　　　　　　　　〇

Having changed into his formal clothes to meet a guest from the royal capital, Raidorl headed for the parlour with Neimilia in tow.

Although it was called a parlour, it was a small house that was rarely visited by guests. The living room had been hastily tidied up and made up as a parlour.

As soon as Raidorl opened the door, the guests who had already entered the room bowed their heads and gave him dusty greetings

“It has been a long time. His Majesty’s brother, Raidorl Zain.”

“You’re….”

Raidorl froze in his stance as he stepped into the room and his eyes widened to the limit.

He had thought of several familiar faces when he heard that the guest was from Royal Capital, but what he found there was someone he had not expected.

Inside the room, a woman in a clean-looking light blue dress stood without sitting on a chair.

Her long purplish hair cascading down her back. She had long, slender arms and legs, and a sculpted, beautiful face with a well-defined nose. Her calm and gentle expression still retains traces from her childhood.

Even if Raidorl wanted to forget, he could never forget, her name is Mertina Marcell. The only daughter of Lockwood Marcell, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Zain, she was his childhood friend.

“….. I didn’t expect you to come. How could a daughter of the Prime Minister come all the way to the countryside?”

Reuniting with the woman who would have been his wife if he had not been chosen by the Holy Sword, and who had so easily abandoned him when he was banished to the frontier, Raidorl’s voice naturally turned grim.

He exhales heavily to calm his rising emotions, while desperately holding back his right hand from reaching for the sword he has placed at his waist, just in case.

“…..I’m glad to see you’re breathing well, My childhood friend.”

“Can’t you call me ‘Tina’ like you used to, Your Highness?”

“…..What on earth brings you all the way from the royal capital to this remote region?”

Ignoring his childhood friend’s words, he sat down on the sofa, and Raidorl scooted over with his chin and invited Meltina to sit down as well.

“Your Highness…..”

Mertina lets out a short sigh and sits down on the sofa opposite.

Behind her are two knights who appear to be her bodyguards. Both knights are dressed in high-end white armour and have ornate swords at their waists.

In contrast, behind Raidorl, there is only one maid. Not even one of the guards is besides him. It is difficult to tell which of them is royalty.

“…………?”

Mertina’s gaze turns to Neimilia, who is standing behind Raidorl, and her eyes narrow slightly. Perhaps she is suspicious that a mere servant is present at a conversation between a royal and a duchess.

However, Raidorl also does not encourage his maid to leave the room. No matter how offended Mertina is, it is something that Raidorl did not feel like a pain or an itch.

‘I’ve changed …… and so has this woman’

Raidorl looks at Mertina sitting on the sofa and murmurs to himself.

After five years on the frontier, Raidorl, once a mere child, has grown into a first-class swordsman.

However, it seems that he was not the only one who grew up. Mertina, too, has changed so much over the past five years that she is no longer the same.

Her face, which had originally been that of a lovely, gentle pretty girl, has completely transformed into that of a grown-up adult woman. Her high nose, full lips and large almond-shaped eyes were surprisingly attractive.

Her body from the neck down has also changed to that of an adult woman, especially the two fruits on her chest, which are so rich that they are raw and spiteful.

‘Aaa, damn it!　How the hell did you turn out to be such a good woman!’

Raidorl chewed on his back teeth and swore heartily.

The woman who once abandoned him has grown into a ridiculously attractive woman. That was frustrating to me. The fact that he had aroused even the slightest lust for a woman he should have hated with all his heart even seemed like an indelible stain on his life.

“…..We’ve both changed.”

“Yes, five years is a surprisingly long time.”

Raidorl mumbled in a terse tone, careful not to let his frustration go unnoticed. Mertina also responds in an emotionless voice.

The two childhood friends looked at each other silently for a while, and then Meltina spoke first.

“I am truly sorry for my unexpected visit.”

“Well, ……I haven’t heard from you in five years, it’s quite a sudden visit.”

“My father will make a formal apology for that at a later date. Your Royal Highness.”

“….. I was wondering earlier, what did say before calling my name. Since when did I become the King’s Brother?”

Raidorl asks, dimly sensing the answer. Mertina’s eyes were downcast for a moment, then she quickly looked up and answered.

“The other day,The First King……His Highness Raidorl’s father passed away.”

“……….I see.”

“His Majesty Granard is now on the throne as the new King. With this, His Highness Prince Raidorl has been made into a royal brother instead of a prince.”

“……….”

At the half-expected answer, Raidorl casts down his eyes.

His father, the king, was still a young man in his fifties, but he was seriously ill at the time of Raidorl’s exile. In which, he had survived for five years.

The queen, who gave birth to two princes, died when Raidorl was very young. This left his only blood relative was his older brother, who had banished him to the frontier.

Raidorl closes his eyes for a few seconds and prays for the repose of his father’s soul, whom he never saw again after he was banished to the frontier.

The young prince’s banishment was decided by his older brother, who was acting king, and his entourage. His father was not involved in it and there is no enmity or feud between Raidorl and his father.

Although Raidorl didn’t shed any tears in front of Mertina, he felt as if he’d stuffed stones into his gut.

“….. Well, thank you for your report. But you didn’t come all the way here to tell me about my father’s death, did you? Now get on with it.”

After a short silent prayer, Raidorl asks again what she wants.

Raidorl’s father has passed away and his older brother has ascended the throne as the new king. That must be a major national event, but it is unlikely that the people of Royal Capital, who have not heard from him for five years, will bother to come and tell him. The main issue must be something else.

“Then …… I give His Royal Highness the King and Brothe to Raidorl Zain, this is an imperial command from His Majesty the new King Granard.”

“………..”

“That my brother Raidorl Zain will cease to be lord of the frontier city immediately and return to the royal capital…….”

“What..?”

Raidorl squints and asks back in a slightly irritated tone.

Mertina stares back at him without flinching in the face of his sword-swallowing gaze. Her glassy, emotionless eyes make Raidorl’s gaze even steeper.

“What are you trying to do?　I hope you’re willing to explain what’s going on.”

In a chilling voice, Raidorl asked.

The person in front of Mertina is not the kind and gentle childhood friend she once had. It is a man who has been fighting demons in a frontier city for many years.His killing intent was sharp that it stung her skin.

In fact, Mertina’s bodyguards, who are supposed to be accustomed to killing atmosphere, are shivering and pulling their faces, but nevertheless they are on high alert, ready to move at any moment to fulfil their duty of guarding her.

“Of course. I would very much like His Highness to hear it.”

However, there is no fear on Mertina’s face, even though she is  facing the killing intent head-on. She looks back at Raidorl with a resolute expression on her face while smiling.

‘Heh …… She’s still the same woman, ain’t she? I don’t think I ever understood her at all.’

Mertina, whose expression did not change, reaffirmed Raidorl’s assessment of her.

It was the same five years ago, but she is still a formidable woman. Looking back, Mertina is the girl who once sent Raidorl off to exile without changing a single expression. Even five years ago, it was impossible to read her mind. Now that she has grown up, it would be even more difficult.

Raidorl took a deep breath, suppressed his simmering emotions and urged the conversation to continue with his eyes. Mertina nodded and opened her mouth.

“At the moment, our country is facing a great crisis…… Your Highness, have you heard about the Arslanian Empire in the East?”

“How could I not know? They are the central continental hegemon, the world’s greatest power.”

“Yes,and that empire has declared war on the Kingdom of Zain. War has already been waged in the eastern border region for two months.”

“Haa!?”

Raidorl unexpectedly makes a bare voice. This is because what came out of Mertina’s mouth was unexpected information.

The Arslanian Empire, which occupies most of the central part of the continent, is a large country that boasts more than ten times the size and power of the Kingdom of Zain.

The Empire has set the unification of the continent by force as a guiding principle for its state, and had several conflicts with the Kingdom of Zain in the past.

However, because the Arslanian Empire is a large country with enemies on all sides, it could not send enough troops to destroy the Zain Kingdom, and most battles would have ended in skirmishes.

“It’s probably just the usual showing off their military might this time anyway. Isn’t it overblown to call something of that magnitude a national crisis?”

“Unfortunately, it seems that this time they seriously intend to destroy our country, since …… they seem to have a 『Holy Sword: Excalibur Holder』 as an enemy.””

“Holy Sword: Excalibur Holder……!?”

The unheard word made Raidorl surprised. The Holy Sword – the thing that turned the young prince’s life fundamentally upside down.

The Holy Sword is a sacred tool said to have been given to man by God in mythical times, and according to tradition, there were twelve of them on earth. One of them was the Dáinsleif, which was owned by the Kingdom of Zain and for which Raidorl was chosen as its owner.

While Raidorl’s eyes widened in surprise, Mertina continued her explanation in a calm tone.

“The Arslanian Empire owns three Holy Swords. And as of now, we have received information that the holders of all three have appeared.”

“All three?! That’s……”

A holy sword is not something that anyone can use. Only those selected by divine will or by fate are allowed to possess it. It was not unusual for the holder to be absent for more than a hundred years, just as the first king of the Kingdom of Zain was the last to use the Dáinsleif.

Now,there are three in one era. Including Raydor, it means that four have appeared.

‘I’m starting to read the story……. Shit! How far you can go with your selfishness……!’

Raidorl covers his face with his right hand, his shoulders shaking with rage.

The rest of Mertina’s words were predictable. It is so selfish that it can only be seen as a mockery of Raidorl.

“Your Royal Highness Raidorl Zain. Please return to the Royal Capital, take the Dáinsleif in your hand and defeat the Empire’s Holy Sword to save your kingdom.”

In response to the expected words, Raidorl slams his fist fist down on the table with all his might. The simple wooden table broke in half.

“Don’t be silly! Stop making false assumptions about people!”

It was an angry cry released from the depths of his soul.

The reason Raidorl was banished to the frontier was that he had been chosen as the holder of the holy sword Dáinsleif. And yet, the person who banished him is now asking him to return because he needs the power of the Holy Sword. This self-serving argument was not something he could suppress his emotions.

“What do you think you’re doing with people’s lives?! You think I’m your convenient toy?!’

“Your Highness! Please calm down!”

Mertina’s guards rush to stop Raidorl, who is reaching for the hilt of his sword.

However, a fist strike, fired with blinding speed at the knight who came forward to hold Raidorl, pierced his throat.

“Guguet!!?”

“Stay there!…or you will be cut to death!”

“Hic……!”

Two knights escorting Mertina, one of whom was struck in the throat and fell on his back. The other was struck with a bare, violent killing intent and stood frozen, cowering.

The escorting knights are well trained and are not weak. Even so, the current Raidorl, who has gained so much real combat experience in the frontier, can slaughter them with his bare hands.

Even more so if it is Mertina, the daughter of a noblewoman. He should be able to grab her by her thin neck with one hand and snatch her life as if he was strangling a chicken.

After confirming that the two guards had fallen silent, Raidorl glared at Mertina, who was still sitting in her chair.

“Mertina …… Answer with all your heart. Are you asking me to fight?　Are you asking me to risk my life to fight for you people who drove me out of Royal Capital?”

“Your Highness……please calm your heart. This is for your own good as well.”

“Hou …..explain it to me.While, I can still contain myself.”

As she received the most post-gratuitous words, Mertina’s eyes looked back at her angry childhood friend without blinking. Raidorl’s head cools slightly as his lips tighten in determination.

“His Majesty the King has said that he will fulfil any wish if his young brother Raidorl Zain will stand on the battlefield as the Holy Sword Holder. Not only would he regain his royal status, but he would also be able to acquire a more favourable territory that is not in such a remote area.”

“Ha, that will no longer work!”

Five years ago, this would have been a proposal that would have been tempting, but unfortunately it has no appeal to the current Raidorl.

He had already made a new home in a frontier city and had no desire to return to the royal capital. And it would be unthinkable for him to be transferred to another territory. 

“If that’s all you have to say, I wish you’d go home. You’ve grown very high and mighty, insulting someone’s territory!”

“I didn’t mean to insult you,…..Your Highness, are you sure you can’t come back to the Royal Capital?”

“If you want me to spare your life, you’d better get out of here while I still have reason!”

“Well, …… then I have no choice.”

Mertina’s eyes go down and she sighs as if she has given up.

Raidorl sniffs and tries to open the door to ask her to leave, but his eyes peel back when he sees what looks like a jewel that Mertina has taken out of somewhere.

“You…!”

“I do not wish to do this, but I must take Your Highness …… into custody.”

“…..!”

Mertina is clutching a red jewel. It was a magic item that could trap any magic in advance and activate it at different times.

The red pearl shatters into pieces in Mertina’s hand and chains shoot out from inside the jewel like a snake poking a burrow, wrapping around Raidorl’s body and tying him up.

“Master!!!”

Neimilia let out a high-pitched scream and rushed to Raidorl, who was tied up and on his knees. With the maid supporting him on her shoulders, Raidorl looks up at Mertina hatefully.

You are reading story Excalibur Chronicle of Raidorl (LN) at novel35.com

“You ……! This was your plan all along, Mertina!”

The black chains tighten around Raidorl as if a snake were crushing its prey. Biting his back teeth against the binding magic that binds his limbs, Raidorl asks in a tone of fury.

“’I wouldn’t want to do this if I could. That’s not a lie, though”

When she was questioned, Mertina tilted her thin head with an annoyed expression on her face.

“Nevertheless, I am the daughter of the Prime Minister, Lockwood Marcell. I am obliged to get my hands dirty for the sake of this country and give up everything if necessary. I would be grateful if Your Highness would understand this…….”

“The daughter of the Prime Minister…….Oh, yes, you are. That’s why you abandoned me five years ago too…….!”

“That happened, hasn’t it? It’s a long time ago. Anyway, it’s all for the future of the Kingdom of Zain. His Royal King and the younger brother Raidorl will continue to accompany us.”

Mertina raises her right hand and the knight escort steps forward. One of the knights has been knocked comatose by Raidorl, but another knight remains.

No matter how strong Raidorl is, having survived in the harsh frontier, there is no way he can win with his limbs bound.

“You force me to go to the royal capital, do you think I’m going to fight for you?”

“In the worst case scenario, we will  force you to fight for us, even if we have to use servitude magic.”

“Slave magics, how far you……will go!”

Enslavement magic is a type of magic that forces the use of others by placing fetters on their souls.

It is normally only used against some people, such as sinners and prisoners of war, and should not be used against people who have committed no crime……, much less royalty.

“I ask this as a former childhood friend and as a former fiancée. Please be calm and quiet.”

Mertina’s words sounded sincere if Raidorl only listened to the tone of her voice.

But there was no way Raidorl would follow them. This is the second time that his childhood friend has betrayed him.

“You can’t convince me that you’re my fiancée now!　I’m sorry, but I’m not going to give in to you people ever again!”

“Then what are you going to do about it? How do you resist while tied up?　Or would you like your servants to help you?”

Mertina’s tone is dismissive, as if she were dealing with a child who doesn’t listen.

“Ha, there’s a way! Don’t underestimate my maid, okay?”

“Ha?”

Mertina looked at him with a puzzled look on her face and blinked her eyes

Raidorl smirked at her stunned childhood friend and ordered the maid who was standing close to him.

“Neimilia, don’t be shy. Give the rude guest some senses in them!”

“Yes, master!　My guests, I will not tolerate any wolverine attacks on my master!”

Neimilia stands in front of the knight as he tries to take Raidorl away.

Neimilia held out her arms to form a protective wall around Raidorl, glaring straight at the knight, who was more than a head taller than she was.

The knight frowns suspiciously at Neimilia, who is not even an escort, but a clear non-combatant.

“You’re a very pretty escort. The first time I saw you, I’m impressed with you. Musume-san.”

“I will not retreat! I will protect my master!”

“Ha, as a knight I wouldn’t want my unarmed woman to get hurt. ……”

The knight exhaled languidly and reached for Neimilia’s shoulder, where she stood. The woman’s thin body could easily be pushed aside by a knight who makes his living fighting.

But then something unexpected happened, both for the knight and for Mertina.

“I will not allow Master to be touched. That’s what he ordered!”

“Wha……!”

The next moment, a torrent of magical power erupted from Neimilia’s body like a storm. At the same time, the jet-black hair flowing down her back flailed like a living creature, and her eyes shone golden like the full moon in the night sky.

It was like a mythical goddess, majestic and terrifying, and so beautiful that it sent shivers down my spine.

“Only Neimilia can bind and whip Master! You, a fat titted woman, I don’t remember giving you permission!”

“Aaagh!”

Neimilia holds up her hand along with her innuendo words. Instantly, the magic that gushed out with a violent force physically splashed the knight and slammed him into the wall of the mansion.

The simple wall could not even catch the man’s body, and it was easily broken through, and the knight rolled around on the ground outside.

Neimilia puffed out her chest in pride at the sight of the knight, who had fallen down and stopped moving.

“Hmph,…… this level of bondage play with the master is disgusting!　At least know some fashion about bondage!”

“Just no, what are you even talking about ……”

Neimilia points a finger at Mertina. Raidorl gave the dependable but erotic maid a bitter look.

Meanwhile, Mertina was witnessing such a dumb exchange, she stiffened by Neimilia’s golden eyes.

“Golden eyes like the moon shining in the night sky…. No way, how could the 『Witches Of Doom』 be in a place like this!”

Her face, which had always maintained a calm demeanour, twisted into shock at the sight of Neimilia, who had revealed her true nature.

The 『Six Witches Of Doom』 were regarded as divine enemies in the teachings of the Church.

A great earthquake struck the empire a hundred years ago. An epidemic that spread across the eastern part of the continent 200 years ago. The 『Great Calamity』 that destroyed many countries and wiped out many civilisations 300 years ago. Witches are believed to be behind various other historical disasters, and 『Six Witches Of Doom』 are the subject of horror in children’s bedtime stories.

“’Master, are you safe?　You haven’t been hurt yet, have you?”

Neimilia, who has incapacitated the knight, touches the chains binding Raidorl and mumbles an incantations. Then, like wet paper in water, the black chains shattered into a thousand pieces, dissolved into the air like a haze and disappeared.

“…Aaa, no problem. Thanks for the help.”

“Mefufufu, as a maid I did what was natural. Master can leave the care to me, top to bottom, perfectly!”

“When you say it like that, it sounds like you’re implying something…… No, nevermind it.”

After being released, Raidorl looks at the unexplained Neimilia’s many outlandish words and actions, but he honestly thank her for her help.

He lightly moves the joints of his limbs to check that there are no problems, and turns to Mertina once again.

“Now……, even if I am royalty, you tried to restrain me with a curse, and you failed to do so. You know what you’re about to get yourself into, Mertina.”

“….. I didn’t expect His Royal Highness the King’s Brother to have a legendary witch on his side. I guess I’ve lost this one.”

Mertina’s shoulders slump in resignation.

Raidorl gives his childhood friend, who has a mysterious attitude without a single excuse, a choking look.

“Let me ask you something. Was it my brother …… Granard who restrained me with a curse and ordered me to be forcibly taken to the Royal Capital?”

“No.”

Meltina closed her eyes and answered immediately without pause.

“This is my own decision. Neither His Majesty nor my father had anything to do with it. It is all my fault for being too hasty. Please judge me as Your Highness wishes.”

“I know Mertina. Deep down, that’s a lie. But….. I’ll leave it at that.”

Raidorl drew the sword at his waist and swung it sideways. A dull silver blade is moved towards Mertina’s neck.

“Fu!”

An inevitable death that looms before her. Mertina accepts it without resistance, with her eyes downcast.

“….. hmph, what a boring reaction.”

A slash is approaching Mertina’s head but just before it does, the sword stops. A single skin of Mertina’s neck is cut open and a single line of blood flows down.

Mertina’s eyes widened in surprise, as if she didn’t expect it to stop.

“Your Highness……Why did you stop it?’

“Make no mistake. This is not about childhood friendships.”

Raidorl says as he sheathed his sword.

It’s easy to kill Mertina here. It will be a great pleasure to kill Mertina, who once betrayed him and committed another outrage.

‘But I don’t like …..’

There was not the slightest hint of fear on Mertina’s face as she was about to be cut to death.

It was as if she had expected that to happen from the very beginning, and seeing her expression, Raidorl had completely lost the will to kill.

He walked up to the knight stretched out on the floor and stomped on his belly as hard as he could.

“Ugh!”

“Come on, get up.”

“you….. Your Royal Highness!”

Looking down at the knight, who finally wakes up and raises his upper body, Raidorl coldly pronounces.

“Listen. Mertina Marcell here has unleashed a curse against me, a royal, and tried to capture me by force. For that crime of impiety, I will have her bound here and now!”

‘Well, that’s ……’

The knight looks confusedly at Mertina, who is behind Raidorl.

“……….”

Mertina nods silently and makes eye contact to inform them that their ruse has failed.

“Yes, sir, I understand. So, what am I……”

“We will take custody of Mertina and you should report this to your superiors. Now, take him and get the fuck out of here.”

“……Yes, sir.”

The knight man nodded with a bitter expression as Raidorl pointed to the knight lying outside. To the knight, Raidorl sniffed, ‘humph’, and threw in some more words.

“And one more thing. I will agree to participate in the war against the Arslanian Empire. As soon as I am ready, I will be on my way to the royal capital, so be sure to let them know that as well!”

“Ha……?”

“Eh?…..?”

“Huh?”

The knight and Mertina roll their eyes together. Even Neimilia, who is supposed to be on Raidorl’s side, is puzzled.

“Kukku……!”

At the startled stares of the three, Raidorl grinned like a bad boy who had come up with a naughty prank.

〇　　　　　　　　　〇　　　　　　　　　〇

The two knights were kicked out from the frontier city after locking the bound Mertina in a room Raidorl use for a storeroom.

Fortunately, the knights did not suffer life-threatening injuries and did not require further treatment once they were given a bottle of recovery medicine.

The knights were subjected to a simple memory operation by Neimilia, which erased the memory of Raidorl having one of the 『Witches Of Doom』 as a maid.

Neimilia’s power is something that the Kingdom of Zain does not grasp and could be a trump card. There was no advantage in it being known to those on the king’s side at the moment.

“I see, so that happened before I came.”

“Yes, but I don’t think that would have happened if you, the slow-witted old man, had arrived earlier.”

After the discussion about Mertina, Raidorl spat sarcastic venom at Zafis Bartolomeo, who finally arrived at the right moment to remove the knight.

After receiving a scathing remark from his protégé, Zafis hung up his eyes and retorted.

“I can’t help it! We’re busy over here, unlike you, the decorative lord!’

With a rough hand, Zafis picked up the wooden cup in front of him and gulped down the liquid inside. Then, “Boo-hoo!” and spits half of it out on the floor.

“Bitter! What the hell is this?”

“Pardon me. It seems I used the wrong amount of tea leaves.”

Neimilia said with a smile and mopped up the rather thick tea that Zafis had sprinkled all over the place.

Zafis fearfully calls out to the maid, who sweeps the floor with a nonchalant look on her face.

“Ah …… are you mad at me by any chance?”

“Nope, I’m not angry at you for missing from master’s crisis or for calling him an ornament!

“Ugu……”

Neimilia’s expression may show a gentle smile, but a demonic anger is hidden behind it.

Zafis’s face was drawn into a shudder, and continue to he coughed.

“Thank goodness you’re all right. Be that as it may, how could you agree to return to Royal Capital?”

“That was on my mind too! Is master a masochist who goes out of his way to comply with the demands of those who drove him out of his home?”

“Who’s a masochist! I’ve got my own ideas!”

Raidorl resentfully retorts.

“Think about it, whatever the Palace’s intentions, we can’t just leave the Arslanian Empire alone, can we?　If the Empire destroys the Kingdom of Zain, they will naturally eradicate the royal people. I can’t be a part of that.”

He might be able to explain to his brother king that he was treated coldly by him and ask for a pardon, but there is no guarantee that this would be accepted by the empire.

From the perspective of the Empire, there is no merit in keeping alive the royalty of an enemy country that it has destroyed. It is far more likely that they will be disposed of in order to cut off any lingering worries.

Raidorl would be beheaded or burnt at the stake,either way it won’t end happily.

“And this is a great opportunity. In times of war, Granada will have no choice but to concede to my demand, and I can even extract aid for the town.”

Pioneer cities serve to prevent the influx of demons from the dense forests to the south of the Kingdom of Zain. Despite this, the town is run by money from the sale of demon materials and assistance from the Adventurers’ Guild, and no aid money was ever given by the royal court.

“…. Is that really all there is?　You’re not going to take revenge on your brother, are you?”

Zafis raises his eyebrows and asks.

Knowing Raidorl when he was sent to the frontier, Zafis was well aware of how devastated and hurt the young prince had been by the betrayal from those he had trusted.

He suspects that he intends to use the war as an opportunity to return to the Royal Capital and take revenge on his brother King.

“Revenge, or ……”

At the question of the man who was his sword master, Raidorl turned his faraway gaze out of the window.

He has always hated his brother Granard, who betrayed him.

He also resented his close associates, Lockwood Marcell and Bazel Garst.

He even hated the Kingdom of Zain, which has kept its peace by relegating him to the frontier and treating him coldly.

“But …… that’s not what it’s about.”

Nevertheless, Raidorl had no intention of taking revenge, by oath.

If Granard had left him alone, he was fine with a lifetime of fighting demons on the frontier.

The frontier cities were full of danger and chaos, but there was a pure truth that the strong survived, which suited Raidorl’s skin.

“I would have been fine if my brother, Granard, had stayed out of my life. But if he still wants to take it from me at this stage, I’ll have to fight. I won’t let them look down on me again.”

“….. I see. Then I ain’t got nothing to say to you.”

“I would stand beside with Master until the end of our nirvana!”

Hearing Raidorl’s determination, Zafis nodded. Neimilia also pinched the edge of her skirt and bowed her head with a smiling expression.

“This is a fight for my pride!　What is taken from me, I will take it back. I will show no mercy to those who took it from me!　The empire and my shitty older brother, I’m going to crush them both together!”

With a determination like a burning flame, Raidorl stared out of the window at the northern sky.

Far beyond the sky – in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Zain, a dead holy sword chirped with a high-pitched sound as if calling out to its master.

〇　　　　　　　　　〇　　　　　　　　　〇

Meanwhile, at the time.

The regional city of Sardelia is located straight ahead in a northern direction from the pioneer city of Raid.

A battalion sent from the royal capital is stationed in the town, which is a logistics centre in the southern part of the Kingdom of Zain.

The commander of the battalion, who rented a room in the lord’s mansion, was listening to the report of a knight who had returned from the frontier city in the drawing room, which serves as an improvised command centre.

“I see, such things happen in the frontier city …..”

After the knight’s report, the man in command of the battalion sighed deeply.

The commander sits in his chair, legs crossed, and pokes his forehead, which is wrinkled in distress, with his index finger. The returning knight hurriedly bowed to his superior, who looked as if he was enduring a headache.

“And I’m sorry!　We could not protect, Lady Mertina! This responsibility is …!”

“No, that’s all right. It’s within our expectations that she won’t come back.”

The commander uses a polite tone of voice, which is not something one would expect to address a civilian knight.

The failure to fulfil the task of escorting, the failure to bring Raidorl to this place. There was no rebuke for either of these failures, and the commander’s tone of voice was so calm that it felt unnatural.

“Ha…..?”

“You can step back now. Thank you for your hard work. Have a good rest and get rid of your fatigue.”

“Ha, ha?”

The commander chuckled and urged the two knights to leave.

The knights tilted their heads at their superior’s words. However, there was no way they could complain about the lack of punishment, so they obeyed the order and left the command centre in an orderly and mature manner.

The commander crossed his arms with a sombre look on his face as he watched the two knights leave the room and their footsteps fade away.

“I didn’t expect His Highness agreed to fight the Empire ……this is unexpected.”

“If His Royal Highness, Raidorl Zain is willing to come back on his own volition, then there is nothing wrong with that, is there? Darren-sama.”

The commander, whose expression darkened, was approached by his second-in-command, a female knight, in a concerned tone.

The name of the commander, who is pondering in agony, is Darren Garst.

He is the son of General Bazel Garst, one of the people who once expelled Raidorl from the royal capital, and is a commander belonging to the Royal Army.

He bore no resemblance to his father, who had a face as rugged as a rock, but has a beautiful, well-groomed appearance of a stage actor. With soft golden hair and blue eyes, he looks more like a nobleman than a warrior as he sits with his legs crossed. If he were not wearing his armour, the uniform of the knighthood, it would not even be apparent to the onlooker that he was a knight.

In fact, the female second-in-command sighs as if entranced by Darren’s troubled look.

Although Darren was still young at the age of twenty-five, his position as a commander was in no way due to his family background or his father’s connections. It is because Darren’s bravery and command ability are exceptional and he is an indispensable force in the Kingdom’s army.

Currently, Daren and 1,000 soldiers under his command are stationed in this town.

The purpose of one battalion gathering in the town despite the war with the Empire is to capture and forcibly take Raidorl if he refuses to return to the Royal Capital.

“True……, I suppose I should be relieved…….”

Darren mumbles in a polite tone that does not befit his position, his brows furrowed in thought.

His second-in-command, the female knight Saara Leifet, covers her mouth with her hand in annoyance, not understanding why Darren is so distressed.

Saara  was tall for a woman and had short brown hair. Wearing women’s armour, her appearance is reminiscent of a 『beauty in men’s clothing』, and she gives others the impression of being 『good-looking』rather than 『pretty’ or beautifu』.

Her serious face is cool, but her gaze on Darren is passionate, and in her steeple-coloured eyes there is a hint of infatuation that transcends the boss-subordinate relationship.

Darren, the commander, does not notice the passionate gaze of his second-in-command, but sinks deeper into the sea of thoughts.

‘I didn’t expect His Highness to agree to join the war ……,but what was his intention in detaining Mistress Mertina, who had committed a wolf crime, and returning only the knight ……?’

King Granard, by royal order, sent an emissary to his brother Raidorl to return to the Royal Capital.

In reality, however, he did not expect Raidorl to agree to return at all.

Neither Granard, the king, nor Lockwood, his prime minister, were so flowery as to think that the exiled prince did not hold a grudge against them.

They chose Mertina as their emissary not because they thought that she, as a childhood friend, would be able to persuade him, but rather to stir up Raidorl’s anger.

First, send Meltina as an emissary, and if she can persuade Raidorl, that’s all that matters. If persuasion fails, the 『binding curse』 woven by more than a dozen court magicians will be activated to capture Raidorl. If the restraint by the curse failed, Darren is going to lead an army to besiege the frontier city and detain Raidorl according to the charge of 『murdering the vizier’s daughter』.

In other words, both persuasion and restraint by Mertina were premised on failure. It was a ploy to provoke Raidorl’s anger and have him charged with the murder of the Prime Minister’s daughter.

‘No matter how much His Majesty the King’s orders, it takes a great deal of righteousness to detain a royal who has not committed a crime. That is why Ladt Meltina was chosen as a sacrifice. …..’

Fearfully, it was Lockwood, Mertina’s father, who devised the plot.

If the binding by curse succeeds, Mertina will be punished for single-handedly casting a curse on the royal family; if it fails, she will be murdered by Raidorl and used as a banner to capture her ex-fiancee.

Lockwood’s cold-heartedness in blaming even his own daughter for the sacrifice for his country had left Darren with a chilling physical sensation.

However, when it was over, Raidorl had agreed to return to the Royal Capital, and Mertina was captured without being killed.

The result was different from the development that had been anticipated beforehand.

“Well, it seems that……Lady Mertina didn’t get killed either, so let’s be happy with the outcome for now, shall we? And I didn’t have to point my spear at His Highness Raidorl, the royal family.”

Darren shook his excellent-looking face to the side.

Although it was an unexpected turn of events, it was not a bad one, if he only looked at the final outcome.

It is unfortunate that Mertina was captured, but it is far better than being killed as planned. Depending on the Prime Minister’s negotiations, it should be possible to rescue her alive.

Although Raidorl’s intentions are worrying, Darren’s mission is only to bring the younger brother of the Holy Sword Holder to the royal capital. It is left to the King and the Prime Minister to find out his inner thoughts.

To begin with, although Darren had been ordered to capture Raidorl, he was by no means hostile or malicious towards the poor prince who had been banished to the frontier.

On the contrary, he even feels sympathy for him, who is forced to be unreasonable for the convenience of his country.

He was willing to cross swords for the king’s and the country’s sake, but he was still happy if he did not have to fight.

“…… Shall we then prepare to pick up His Royal Highness Raidorl? Before His Highness changes his mind.”

“Yes, sir. We will be ready to leave immediately!”

Saara breathed a sigh of relief at her superior, whose expression brightened, and walked out of the control room with a willowy gait.

As he watched her back, Darren held his chest with his hand to suppress the unexplainable anxiety that had sprung up in his heart.

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