Chapter 205 - Shirone. Part One
Aisha's Perspective:
"I can handle this alone, Lord Rudeus."
"It's not that I don't trust you, but for this kind of journey, two people is best."
"Fine......."
"This is my token. If you get there and find that even the token can't resolve the issue, I authorize you and Ghislaine to use force. If it truly can't be done, return and inform me."
"Yes!"
The token, a special medal given by Queen Ariel of the Asura Kingdom. Supposedly five were made.
Lord Rudeus and his four wives each received one.
Personally bestowed by Lady Ariel herself, announced to the entire world.
[This special medal represents the will of all the people of the Asura Kingdom! At any time, under any circumstances, the Asura Kingdom and its people unconditionally support Lord Rudeus.]
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The task Lord Rudeus entrusted to me: resolve some problems occurring in the Shirone Kingdom.
Since it's a task Lord Rudeus gave me, accepting it and seeing it through is not optional.
He also assigned me a teammate, Ghislaine, said to be a Sword King. Her strength should be above mine.
Though I still think I could manage alone.......
At this very moment, Ghislaine and I have just stepped out of the Magic Circle.
I exhaled slowly.
"Haah...... No matter how many times I experience it, the Teleportation Magic Circle never stops feeling incredible."
"Is that so? I don't feel much."
"Has Ghislaine used Teleportation Magic Circles many times?"
"Not many. A few times, when helping Rudeus with tasks."
"It's Lord Rudeus. You need to change how you address him."
"........I'm not used to calling him that."
"But we are Lord Rudeus's subordinates now. The respectful address is necessary."
"Rudeus wouldn't like me calling him that."
"What I mean is, in front of outsiders, we use the title."
".......I'll try."
Honestly.......
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By the time we arrived at Latakia, the royal capital of the Shirone Kingdom, the sun was already setting.
The scenery along the way was nowhere near the level of Asura or the Ranoa Kingdom.......
Even so, the people here seemed to be living decently.
There were quite a few adventurers around too, drawn here for the labyrinth.
But, how to put it.
Something felt off about the atmosphere....... The war, probably.
"Aisha, what do we do next?"
"Go directly to this country's king, end the war, and make sure the prince named Zanoba doesn't die."
".......Never heard that name."
"I don't know him either. But Lord Rudeus said so, so we follow through."
Walking toward the royal castle,
I saw a statue.
Carved in the likeness of Lord Rudeus.......
It didn't really look like him, though.......
Still, someone had taken care of it quite faithfully.
I used water magic to wash the statue clean, then kept moving.
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We entered the royal castle straight through the main gate.
The guards spotted us and moved to drive us off.
"We were sent by Lord Rudeus."
The moment those words left my mouth, they froze.
They exchanged glances, then spoke carefully.
"Honored guests....... I'll go inform our commanding officer and give you an answer right away. We're only guards, after all......."
"Mm. Go ahead."
The guard hurried off at a jog.
Ghislaine and I waited a few minutes.
Then a woman who was clearly a knight walked out.
Short orange hair, sharp eyes, light armor, a one-handed sword at her hip.......
She looked us over and spoke.
"You were sent by Lord Rudeus?"
"Mm."
I nodded and handed her Lord Rudeus's token.
She took it, stared at it for a long moment, her eyes going wide, then returned it.
"It's genuine....... My name is Ginger. What business do you have in the royal castle?"
"To see this country's king."
"Why?"
"To resolve this country's problems."
"........Why?"
"Because it is Lord Rudeus's directive."
"......."
She said nothing more and led us to a waiting room.
About 20 minutes later, we received permission for an audience and were taken to the audience chamber.
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Shirone Kingdom Royal Castle
Audience Chamber
About 20 people were present. All knights.
5 of them stood out immediately from the rest.
At the center,
seated alone on the throne, was Pax Shirone.
Short in stature. An air about him that leaned toward arrogance.
Sitting close beside him was a beautiful young girl.
She looked no older than fifteen, dressed in a white gown, with slightly frizzy light-blue hair.
Her eyes were empty, but she wore a smile.
The crown on her head told me she was the queen consort. The name I recalled was....... Benedict.
Pax had his hand stretched behind her, seemingly groping her from behind.
I shifted my gaze in the other direction and let it settle on a man.
Mid-forties, roughly.
A powerfully built frame, a sword at his waist, light armor overall.
Just looking at him, you would never call him dangerous. No threatening aura. No edge.
If I passed him on the road, I'd walk right by without a second glance.
But his face.
Sunken cheekbones, gaunt and gloomy.
His right eye hidden behind a patch. His left eye hollow and lifeless. His cheeks caved in like a corpse.
One phrase summed it up:
[A man with a skull for a face.]
This was almost certainly [Death God] Randolph Marianne.
Lord Rudeus had described him to me. His exact words:
[Just keep an eye on him. He won't be your enemy.]
While I was sizing him up,
Pax pressed his fingers to his temple.
"You. Sent by Lord Rudeus?"
"Yes. My name is Aisha. This is Ghislaine."
"For what purpose?"
"To resolve the current troubles of the Shirone Kingdom."
"Even as Lord Rudeus's subordinates, isn't that a bit too blunt?"
He looked me over after saying that. Then glanced at Ghislaine beside me.
Not a disgusting look. Just the measuring gaze of a king.
"Entering like this, I half-expected some assassin had come to kill me......."
The moment Pax said it, every personal guard in the room tensed, every one except the Dragon King Kingdom knights.
I shook my head.
"The Shirone Kingdom has only just started to improve. Lord Rudeus is worried that this fledgling nation could be crippled by outside enemies and never recover. That is not something he wants to see."
Come to think of it, I had intelligence on Pax.
He was once held as a hostage in the Dragon King Kingdom. Suffered humiliation there.......
Through his own efforts, he returned to the Shirone Kingdom, used the Dragon King Kingdom's power to kill every member of the royal family, and seized the blood-soaked throne.
The Dragon King Kingdom's power standing in this room, that was [Death God] Randolph and those 4 knights.
After a moment of silence,
Pax spoke.
"I once fell into depravity because of some childish state of mind. But that experience changed me."
As he said it, he moved his hand from Benedict's backside and rested it on her head instead.
"After returning from the Dragon King Kingdom, I grew a great deal. I heard of Lord Rudeus's deeds, one after another.
I studied his actions. Studied how he treated his people. Studied his iron fist.
Every corrupt minister my father had appointed — I dismissed them and had them executed. Replaced them all.
I cut taxes on the commoners and started squeezing the nobility instead, just as Lord Rudeus did.
Everything in the Shirone Kingdom is improving....... The people are beginning to like me. More and more are willing to follow."
His hand, which had been stroking the girl's head, stopped.
"Do you know what brought about all these changes, Miss Aisha?"
"Why don't you tell me."
"I...... have always considered Lord Rudeus my senior disciple, you see. Because I, too, once received Roxy's teachings."
"......."
"Mm. There was a time when I was jealous of Lord Rudeus because of Teacher Roxy. But, ah......."
He trailed off, something like amusement surfacing in his expression.
"I quickly understood why Teacher Roxy was always, somewhere beneath it, slightly dissatisfied with me. She never showed it, but I sensed it all the same. Can you guess why?"
"I don't know."
"Lord Rudeus was her first student. I was her second. Do you know what that means?"
"........The gap between them?"
"Yes. The gap....... But Roxy was always genuinely good to me. When I failed, she encouraged me. When I succeeded, she praised me. So I really did come to like her during that time, even though in the end she left for Lord Rudeus's sake. And I fell into depravity for a while because of it. Even though she was such a wonderful teacher......."
Mm. I can't say I don't understand.
Lord Rudeus's exploits, his growth from childhood onward — are all documented.
They are genuinely extraordinary.......
"Back then, no one would acknowledge me....... But the very first person I ever liked was, during that whole time, writing letters to Lord Rudeus without stop. Her heart already belonged to someone else. There was nothing to be done. I'm simply not as accomplished as Lord Rudeus......."
Reminiscing, Pax closed his hand into a fist.
He stood abruptly from his throne and walked toward me.
Then, without a glance at the Dragon King Kingdom knights and whatever they might think of it, he lowered his head to me.
"But...... you are right, Miss Aisha. Perhaps I do need help. Since the moment I took the throne, I have put everything into improving the lives of my people. The Shirone Kingdom's military strength....... may not be enough to hold back what is coming. I need Lord Rudeus's power! Whatever the price afterward — right now, I need it!"
I looked over at the Dragon King Kingdom knights. Their expressions were all wrong.
The Shirone Kingdom was their vassal state. And while Lord Rudeus belonged to no nation's faction, openly seeking help from a power outside the Dragon King Kingdom like this, it would grate on them.
But that wasn't my concern.
Even if the Dragon King Kingdom was displeased, what were they going to do about it? Make trouble for Lord Rudeus?
My job was to complete the mission. I nodded.
"Lord Rudeus sent me precisely to assist you."
"Gratitude!"
"One more thing. Your elder brother, Prince Zanoba — where is he?"
"Elder brother requested to go garrison Karon Fortress himself. If possible, I would like you to go there, Miss Aisha. Take Ginger with you. She is his personal guard, but elder brother firmly insisted she remain by my side."
"Understood......."
Hm.......?
Wait....... Hadn't he killed every member of the royal family?
Then why was Zanoba still alive?
I'd better ask directly.
"Prince Pax."
"Another question?"
"Why did you not move against Prince Zanoba?"
Pax didn't flinch at the question.
He only smiled.
"Elder brother, ah....... He's a bit slow, a bit single-minded. But he is nothing like my other brothers. Elder brother Zanoba has never once looked down on me — not in the past, not now. Even when I usurped the throne, he had no objections. He only felt that killing our brothers was taking things too far. Even so, he still treats me as his younger brother. With an elder brother like that, if I were to raise a hand against him, I would have thrown away even the last of my humanity."
"I see."
Throughout our exchange,
I had been watching the Dragon King Kingdom knights.
Their expressions kept shifting in ways I didn't like.
It seems...... there will still be some trouble ahead.
"Very well. I can go support Karon Fortress alone."
"And this one?"
Pax looked toward Ghislaine.
"She stays here by your side."
".......Very well."
He wasn't slow either.
The Dragon King Kingdom had claimed the Shirone Kingdom as a vassal while doing nothing to help with the war. Pax had to be furious about that, deep down.
So he had done exactly what the situation called for, thrown his lot in with Lord Rudeus, without hesitation.
"Ghislaine."
"Mm. I understand. I'll protect him well."
"Good."
➤ Next: Shirone, Part Two