Chapter 2: Prince of Prisons

Prince of Prisons

The Kingdom of Styria was a small country on the Ligurian Peninsula, which juts out from the south of the continent.

There are three kingdoms on the peninsula.

At the northern entrance to the peninsula is the Kingdom of Revra. The Kingdom of Revra is known for its military and righteousness, and has fought off invasions from the Empire to the north.

To the south, facing the ocean, is the Republic of Parthenos. A revolution thirty years ago overthrew the monarchy, and the country is now governed by a parliament of representatives of the people and a regent.

The kingdom of Styria is located in the middle of the peninsula between the two countries. It is the oldest of the three countries, and is a monarchy where culture and art nurtured by its long history flourish. Although its power is small, it has formed an alliance with the two countries of Revra and Parthenos, and plays the role of a bridge as the keystone of the “Triple Alliance”.

With a history of 500 years, the Kingdom of Styria is one of the oldest countries on the continent, but its long history is about to come to an end.

In the middle of a wedding ceremony to welcome a princess from the allied kingdom of Revra, King Styria was suddenly murdered by Revra’s spies.

Revra took advantage of the chaos and the crown prince as a hostage, and seized control of the royal castle.

With the life of the crown prince as a shield, the Styrian soldiers were unable to resist and surrendered, leaving the Kingdom of Styria under the rule of Revra.

The betrayal of the kingdom of Revra, known for its loyalty and humanity, was not expected by anyone present.

The fate of the Kingdom of Styria was in the balance.

Every moment, they were walking towards the one word “destruction”.

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“The floor is hard. The smell is terrible. ……”

In the dark, cold dungeon, Castor Styria lets out a small moan.

Castor is dressed in the same way as at the wedding. He is dressed in a white dinner jacket.

However, the clothes he had ordered for the occasion were covered in dust and dirt from his long captivity, and he looked shabby.

“I’ve decided …… that when I’m king, I’ll improve the treatment of prisoners. Prisoners have rights too. I don’t think they should be treated like this, no matter how guilty they are.”

He mumbles to himself as if he is escaping reality and sighs deeply.

A month has already passed since Castor was imprisoned in the dungeons of the royal castle of Styria.

He had no idea whether it was day or night, and he was beginning to lose all sense of time.

In his mind’s eye, he recalls the events at his wedding. His father had been murdered in front of his eyes and the man who was to become her brother-in-law had caught him in a chokehold. The humiliation of having his castle taken from him and being held in a prison cell in his own castle.

When he thinks back to the time when he was plunged from the height of happiness to the depths of despair, he can’t help but weep with hatred.

“Revra…….. why are you doing this ……!”

The Kingdom of Revra was a long-time ally.

The two countries have been allies and comrades-in-arms in the fight against the Leohart Empire to the north.

Their friendship had not changed since they added the new Parthenos Republic to their alliance twenty years ago, and they were supposed to be on good terms.

However, this trust was suddenly betrayed.

The king’s murder was the worst thing that could have happened.

The deceased King Styria had no children except Castor.

The queen also died of illness a few years ago, and if Castor dies, the direct line of the royal family will cease to exist.

“I can’t die for the sake of the survival of the royal family. But …… What can I do now?　How can I escape from this place?”

Castor stares at the bars of his prison and asks himself why he is here, but the answer is still elusive.

Since his capture, he has only been visited by the Revra soldiers, who bring him his meals.

Whenever he accuses them of betrayal, or asks them why, they just leave him with his meal without opening their mouth.

There is no end to the anger and the questions, but Castor has no means of resolving them.

“Hmm?”

Castor’s ears are troubled, but then he hears the sound of footsteps. The footsteps echoed from the darkness behind the bars.

The sound of regular footsteps gradually grew louder and louder, until out of the darkness emerged the figure of a woman holding a lamp.

“Dear Castor……”

“Look who it is, …… you, Rhea.”

It is the face of a familiar girl that appears behind the bars.

It was Castor’s childhood friend and fiancée, Rhea Revra, who appeared with a contorted expression of tears.

“Dear Castor,…… Oh, how you look …… wretched!”

When Rhea saw the battered figure of Castor, she clung to the bars and wept.

“I’m sorry …… I’m sorry …… I’m sorry …… I’m sorry …… I’m sorry Castor, I don’t know how to apologize… …I’m sorry ……!”

Rhea covered her face with her hands and broke down in tears.

The lamp she was holding in her left hand fell to the floor and fell to her side, but she was so devastated that she didn’t even care.

“Rhea…… you……”

Castor breathes a sigh of relief as his fiancée repeats her apologies like a broken toy.

The sudden betrayal from the kingdom of Revra, the mastermind of which must be Zardis, the king of Revra.

Castor had a sneaking suspicion that his fiancee, Rhea, also knew about the betrayal,……, but apparently that was a groundless fear of Castor’s.

Rhea knew nothing of the king’s murder, and was probably genuinely interested in becoming Castor’s wife. The tears flowing from her fingers proved it.

He wanted to blame Revra for their betrayal, but he could not be so ruthless as to question Rhea, who was crying like a waterfall.

The death of his father was painful and hateful, but …… he had just as much love for Rhea.

“You don’t have to cry anymore, Rhea. Tell me about ……. Zardis, why did your brother do such a foolish thing?

“Uuu……. I don’t know. My brother did not tell me anything. He didn’t tell me what happened that day, or  why your father was killed ……”

After all, Rhea seems to know nothing about it.

The kingdom of Styria and the kingdom of Revra have been allies for over a hundred years. It’s not like they’re going to betray each other without a reason.

“For Revra, Styria is an ally in the fight against the Northern Empire. If Styria falls, so does Revra. So …… has there been a change in the northern front?”

“I’ll tell you the rest, Castor.”

“……!”

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A third person’s voice echoed out of the darkness.

Castor looked up as if he had been hit and saw a man emerging from the darkness.

His age is two or three years older than Castor.

He has carefully stroked, all-back gray hair. He has a serious, rotten, nervous look on his face.

“How dare you show yourself in front of me…… Zardis!”

The King of Revra – Zardis Revra.

Rhea’s brother, the traitor who had murdered King Styria, stood there with an expressionless face like a noh mask.

“…… What a shambles you’ve become. Look at you, Castor.”

“Whose fault is it, you think? How dare you call my name……!”

Castor was furious and reached for Zardis through the bars.

He reached out with his right arm to snap his neck, but it was just out of reach of Zardis, who was standing far away.

Even if Castor can reach him, Zardis will probably take his arm and break it. At first glance, Zardis looked like a civilized, intelligent young man, but he was a martial artist, skilled in swordplay and bodywork.

“…………”

Zardis smiled scornfully at Castor as he reached through the bars and shook his head in disgust.

“Don’t put up a useless fight, Castor. Your victory has already been decided. Accept your fate in peace.”

“Bastard! A filthy traitor!　Do you think you can get away with betraying the Kingdom of Styria for nothing?”

“The howling of a loser. The king is dead, the crown prince is in prison, what can Styria do now?　The knights who guarded the palace have already been disarmed and neutralized. Thanks to you as a hostage, we were able to get them to surrender without bloodshed.”

“Zardis……!”

Castor was tempted to shout even more, but he bit down on his teeth and swallowed his outburst.

No matter how angry he was, Zardis is out of reach. He will just say what he wants to say without changing his face.

As the crown prince and the next king, Castor’s trained self-control forced him to suppress his inner anger.

And – instead of cursing – he decides to ask the question that he must ask.

“Does……Revra intends to destroy the Liguanian peninsula?　If the alliance with Styria is broken, the Empire of the North will surely move, right?”

There are three kingdoms on the Liguanian peninsula: Revra in the north, Styria in the centre, The Republic of Parthenos in the south. These have formed an alliance to confront the Leohart Empire in the north.

The Leohart Empire is overwhelmingly powerful, and only by working together can the three nations prevent an invasion.

Now that Revra has betrayed Styria, the alliance is as good as broken. Relations with the third country, the Parthenopean Republic, would not be the same as before.

The alliance between the three countries will collapse and the Linguanian peninsula will be swallowed up by the Empire.

“No problem. We’ve already made peace with the Empire.”

“What ……?”

“The Revra and the Empire are no longer enemies. We are going to help the emperor to unite the continent, and we are going to walk with him on his path. The kingdom of Styria is to be an offering to the emperor.”

“Nonsense ……!”

“It can’t be. It can’t be.”

Castor’s face twisted into a grimace as he punched the bars with his fist.

“The Empire is a long time enemy!　You …… are going to abandon your allies and turn tail to your enemies?”

The Kingdom of Revra is a country on the front line against the Empire. It is a country that values righteousness.

This country, which hates dishonesty and betrayal, never expected that it had been infiltrated by the enemy.

“…… this is completely unexpected ……!”

How long have they been in contact with the Empire?

For Castor, the Kingdom of Revra is not just an ally, but also the family home of his fiancée. This is why he was not at all cautious and did not expect any betrayal or infiltration.

“It seems that the honor of the noble kingdom of Revra has fallen to the ground. The proud wolf has turned into a despicable dog.”

“If you want to hate me, hate me all you want. No excuses will be made. I’ll take the abuse ……, but Castor. You will never understand our feelings.”

“I don’t want to understand the feelings of a traitor. ……!!”

Zardis’s eyes narrowed slightly as he snapped back.

In the depths of his emotionless eyes, he wondered if it was contempt for the loser or pity for Castor, the man who was to become his brother-in-law.

“……The Empire of Leohart can never be won. I only made a decision as a king to avoid its destruction. There is not even a hair of shame in it.”

“…………!”

“I have only come here to see Rhea for the last time. The Knights of Styria have already been subdued and you are of no value as a hostage. I will execute you tomorrow.”

“Execution?…..”

Castor murmured in a shaky voice. It was so sudden that it didn’t feel real.

But……it was predictable.

The reason why Castor has been kept alive to this day is to use him as a hostage until the knights and other forces of the kingdom of Styria are brought to heel.

“Khh.”

Zardis took one look at Castor’s stunned, speechless face and turned his back on him.

He grabbed Rhea’s hand, who was sitting down, and forced her to stand up.

“The time of the execution is noon. I will send for the wine and food later. Enjoy your last night.”

“Ahhh ……!Castor ……!”

Zardis took Rhea by the hand and led her away from the prison.

Rhea looked back at Castor again, dropping teardrops like beads as she was led away.

Once again, Castor was left alone in the prison.

“………… Shit!Shit! Shit!”

He mumbled and tapped on the bars.

The sound of heavy iron. The bass echoed through the prison and lingered in Castor’s ears forever, reminding him that his nightmarish reality was not an illusion.

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