Chapter 249: 234

The air smelled of blood and sweat.

The turmoil in the city was of no concern to those devoted to the mastery of martial arts.

Thanks to the invited guest, Gladvain's kin were more enthusiastic about their training than usual.

「Hey there, Foreigner」

「Oh, hello」

The bearded beastkin came over and spoke to me.

「You're looking for Shuna? He's over there」

The beastkin pointed to the arena.

Looking in that direction, I saw a crowd of spectators watching Shuna and His Majesty engage in a mock battle.

Shuna was drenched in sweat while His Majesty looked relaxed. The difference in ability was obvious, but fighting a superior opponent was one of the best ways to gain strength.

Noticing me, His Majesty looked my way.

Seeing that as an opening, Shuna swung his wooden sword at him. His swing was both sharp and quick.

「Tch!」

Shuna voiced his surprise. A few soft cheers escaped the spectators.

His Majesty had caught the wooden sword easily between two fingers.

「You're keen, and you've got the guts to seize any opening that comes your way」

In contrast to His Majesty's composed demeanor, Shuna's entire body was shaking. He looked thin and slight in stature, but underneath his clothes, he had muscles of steel. But even though he was using all of his strength, the wooden sword between His Majesty's fingers refused to budge in the slightest.

「But you have a stubborn streak, I see. Keep up your diligent efforts, young man」

Unable to withstand the force Shuna was exerting on it, the wooden sword shattered. Taking advantage of that perfect opening, His Majesty brought his wooden sword down on Shuna's shoulder. The impact went straight through him and made the ground quake.

「Aughh」

Shuna dropped to one knee and coughed up blood.

Despite this, he showed no intention of stopping.

Hey, the match is already decided, you know?

「You still wish to continue?」

「I'm not done yet!」

Not even wiping away the blood, Shuna slashed at him with the broken wooden sword.

「Good」

His Majesty smiled.

Oh, this is bad.

Just as I had anticipated, Shuna was flung through the air. I never knew that a mere wooden sword could send a well-trained man flying. I had absolutely no clue what kind of technique was involved.

Shuna landed on the ground with a splat.

『Aaahh』

Went his brothers in a disappointed voice.

I was a little irked by that. I wasn't certain if His Majesty had picked up on it, but he said,

「Hmm, I see that some of you are dissatisfied with that match. To disrespect a youth of this caliber, you must be extremely skilled. I request a match with real weapons with you」

That caused a stir in the crowd.

It was one thing if a brawl had devolved into a serious fight, but a match with real weapons from the start was a fight to the death. As the kin of the god of war, they would need their god's permission to put their lives on the line in a fight.

「Oh, where's Gladvain-sama?」

Come to think of it, I don't see her.

I had mentioned in the past that I would introduce her to His Majesty. It isn’t under the best of circumstances, but I'd like to fulfill that promise.

「Well, about that……」

The beastkin had a difficult look on his face.

「She's been holed up in her room since that man came. She doesn't even show up for meals………I've not seen her like that since "that time"」

「”That time”?」

「It's that thing with Melm. The day that elven brat became her kin, the two of them had a talk about something, and then our god locked herself in her room for three days」

Ah, I can imagine why she'd do that.

What Melm had talked with Gladvain-sama about was probably the blood that flows inside him. It's the blood of Gladvain's daughter, Lumidia.

I've heard about the grudge she had in the past.

And His Majesty has Lola's blood in his veins.

I don't believe this to be a coincidence.

Could it be that Gladvain-sama doesn't want to see His Majesty, who has Lola's blood inside him? Well, sure, Lola had done a number of terrible things. She was also the cause of Lumidia's misfortunes.

It's probably not my place to say this, but Lola is still her daughter, so it should be alright for her to see the face of Lola’s descendant.

「How about it? Are there no takers? Do the warriors of this land only know how to insult people?」

The kin were overwhelmed by His Majesty's domineering pressure.

It was almost as if they were gazing upon their own god.

But well, they're also true warriors and genuine martial artists. They can't let themselves be intimidated. At this rate, they're going to bring out their weapons and fight it out.

Even if they're adventurers, and Gladvain-sama's kin to boot, there will be deaths.

Nothing would make me happier than if my prediction is totally overblown, but I'm pretty sure it's not. Everyone who has seen His Majesty charge across the battlefield like a figure of legend will likely agree with me.

I mean, I have to stop this, don't I?

That's impossible. I'll definitely die.

「「I was told the red-haired man who caused so much trouble yesterday is here!」」

I jumped when a voice louder than His Majesty's boomed out.

I wondered who it was, but it turned out to be King Lemuria. Because he was exuding an air of authority that was different from usual and he was fully armed, I thought he was someone else for a second.

The 30 men behind the king were also fully armed. Moreover, they smelled of blood.

「That man is a guest of my brother disciple, Shuna」

The beastkin stepped in front of King Lemuria.

The kin behind him spontaneously formed a wall that concealed His Majesty.

As expected of them, they're very astute when it comes to this sort of thing.

「I'd like to see him」

「Tell me what you want with him. Even if it’s you, King Lemuria, if you do not show proper respect to us and our guest, then―――――――」

「―――――Then?」

King Lemuria's eyes were smoldering. He gave off the feeling that he was about to reach for his sword.

What a terrible guy he is……

「Your Majesty! The king of this land requests a word with you!」

「Hmm! O warriors, I apologize」

In response to my words, His Majesty pushed his way through the wall of people and stepped forward.

「You who call yourself King, what business do you have with me?」

「Let's talk somewhere else」

When King Lemuria turned on his heel, His Majesty started to follow.

「Please wait, both of you」

The beastkin stopped them.

「If anything were to happen to our guest, it would dishonor the name of our god. There's a private room we use for mental training in the basement. No sound can escape it. If you want to discuss something, that should be an ideal place for both of you, no, all three of you」

The beastkin looked at King Lemuria, His Majesty, and finally, me.

「That's fine with me, but what say you, O King?」

「That's fine with me as well. All of you, wait for me a moment」

Wordlessly, King Lemuria's men followed his order.

I also followed His Majesty in silence.

「Then I'll show you the way」

The beastkin led us to the basement of the dormitory.

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We walked through a dimly-lit and musty passageway of stone that reminded me of the dungeon. At the far end, there was a room.

He opened its thick, heavy metal door.

There was a door knocker on the inside of the door. In the middle of the room stood a single lantern. Other than that, there was nothing but the high ceiling.

「I'll be waiting outside. Sound the knocker when you're done. The room is made in such a way that the sound of the knocker is the only thing that can be heard from the outside. You can engage in as much intrigue as you like」

With a knowing look, the beastkin closed the metal door.

It was pitch black.

I groped around for the lantern, then shook it to make the Shogaku stone inside light up.

Getting attacked by King Lemuria under the cover of darkness――――――didn't happen, but he was exuding killing intent in spades.

「I'm Lemuria Oru Almagest Razva. By order of the Fifth Pope Kerustain of Elysium, I rule this land. I understand that you're someone involved with the Myriad Kings, but who are you exactly?」

Is King Lemuria really unaware of His Majesty's true identity?

The way he presented his name seems like some sort of diplomatic gesture.

「My name is Ra Dainsleif Riog Ashtalia」

「I see, that explains why the wolf knight is with you」

Well, since my nickname has been exposed, it's an easy connection to make.

「So, what business do you have with me?」

「What is one of the four strongest Myriad Kings doing in my country?」

Why are you answering a question with a question? was what I wanted to say, but I held those words back.

It's a very reasonable question.

「I'm here to see the sights」

「King Ashtalia, let's follow the Myriad Kings' ways and keep things simple. I will join the new Vindoobunikuru army when the time comes. As proof of this――――――」

「You've left both of your sons in Dugan's care, right?」

That has been exposed too, huh?

There are more eyes and ears lurking in the shadows than I had thought, I see.

「Well, that makes things quicker」

King Lemuria was still seething with murderous energy, but he also looked somewhat composed.

「In just half a day, I've eliminated Elysium's influence from my country. I believe I’ve shown myself to be strong enough to fight alongside the Myriad Kings」

「………………That's true」

Those were not genuine words of praise.

There was an undertone in His Majesty's voice that suggested that he was leaving something unsaid.

「That isn't the end of it. When the opportunity arises, I'll seize control of the entire right continent. The Heures Forest to the west and the Beastkin Forest to the east have already allied themselves with me. I'm also in secret talks with the two magic schools, Hohens in the northwest and Jumikura in the northeast」

Domination and alliances, huh?

I hope those two are synonymous in the alternate world. If not, this king's ambition will spark a war that will engulf the entire right continent.

「Alright, I understand now」

His Majesty seemed to have picked up on something.

「As expected of the Myriad King of Myriad Kings」

King Lemuria complimented His Majesty. But the look on his face wasn't one of praise.

「O ruler of the right continent, you want me to show you my strength and the might of the Myriad Kings, am I right?」

「That's right, King Ashtalia. And it just so happens that the perfect test of your strength is approaching our shores」

I see.

He's a political animal through and through. He's the epitome of a ruler.

There's one thing that I've become sure of.

King Lemuria and the Myriad Kings will never get along.

Even if he were to join the new Vindoobunikuru army, he would end up betraying them or plotting to seize control from within, causing the whole thing to collapse and die.

This guy is a poisonous bait that should never be taken in.

「Kwahahahaha!」

His Majesty's hearty laughter filled the room.

「Very well. The First Hero who's on his way here shall be defeated with nothing but my strength and the might of the Myriad Kings. This shall be the demonstration of the new Vindoobunikuru army's strength. You have no objections, I assume?」

「Yes, that's fine by me. I wish you good health during your stay. I'll leave an envoy with you, so if there's anything that you need――――――」

「No need. A "politician" like you can just hang up the ornament you have at your hip and watch from the sidelines」

King Lemuria's face hardened when his sword was called an ornament.

The irony of it must hurt.

「I, I'm looking forward to seeing what you’ve got in two days!」

Hiding his crimson face in the darkness, King Lemuria sounded the door knocker.

The metal door swung open and faint light streamed in. The politician walked out.

I gestured to the beastkin to close the door once more.

Once it was shut, darkness reigned again.

「Your Majesty」

It was a hope fainter than the light, but King Lemuria has refused to provide any help.

As per my original plan, we'll face the First Hero with just us―――――――

「Souya, can you leave me to deal with the First Hero alone?」

「Huh?」

No no no, even if you can take on thousands alone, Your Majesty, the opponent is who he is. He's a hero on the same level as Khius, and he has an unknown army to match. Taking him on all by yourself……

「It's reckless」

「I'm well aware of that. But he must be defeated. Even if it costs me my life」

「Please don't say such things. That would be a great blow to the new Vindoobunikuru army」

「Don't worry. Ashtalia is more than just me. So long as the blood lives on, that's all that matters」

「………………」

Damn, what do I say to that?

「If I lose, King Lemuria will blame all of the deaths that happened yesterday on the Myriad Kings. If I win, he will claim part of the glory for himself. That's the kind of man he is. He's smart, but I don't like him」

「Yeah」

It doesn't matter to him how things turn out.

In a sense, King Lemuria has already gotten what he wanted.

「Souya, I intend to die」

「………………You must be joking」

From "even if it costs me my life" to "I intend to die"……I can't laugh at this.

「Ever since my daughter passed, I've always been looking for a place to die. That is, until you, Zamonglass, and Regure admonished me for it. But when I heard his name and realized that I had an opportunity to fight him, I could no longer contain myself. The flames of vengeance burst forth in full force. The enemy is the First Hero, one of the greatest heroes of Elysium. There's no better place for me to die than this. It seems that this is the kind of man I am. A battle junkie typical of the Myriad Kings. Souya, I give you my final order as your king. Do not get in the way of my fight」

「………………」

There must be something I can say.

There must be some way to dissuade him.

But it's no use.

If Lanseal bore me a daughter and she was gruesomely murdered………………I would kill and kill until I had killed every last one of them. That revenge would be mine and mine alone. There would be no way I would let anyone else take that away from me.

That's what I would do in his shoes.

And that's why I can't think of anything to say to stop him.

「Souya, my last vassal. Live a healthy life. Have many children. And be sure not to live as foolishly as I did」

His Majesty rapped the knocker and exited the room.

I stared at the light amid the darkness for some time.

I racked my brains, but even then, no words came to mind.

Yeah…His Majesty always had a death wish just like Souya. He had also intended on dying against Dugan’s army back then. And now, he can do so exacting revenge on Elysium, who had taken his daughter from him in inhumane fashion, so of course he’s going to jump at the chance…

Damn, what a depressing way to end the chapter. The final chapter of the arc is coming up though, so stay tuned!

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