Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

Volume 6 Chapter 7

Unlike the luxurious and beautiful palace of the Kingdom of Zilgus, the imperial palace of the Galgan Empire seemed much more military-driven in comparison. After the sudden passing of Prince Eldorand, it ended up as the center of operations for this emergency situation, acting as the most well-guarded place in the entire humanfolk’s territory. And since Kyle and Seran were not known as frequent visitors, they attracted a lot of attention. This place gathered strong warriors and knights that were ready to slice you down at a single glance, and anybody with a weak mind would be utterly exhausted just making their way here, or maybe even pass out.

And if they hadn’t been escorted by the princess and the court mage, they may have suffered a similar fate. Or they should have, at least, but they weren’t bothered much by all of this and just kept on walking normally. Some people were shocked and happy to see the princess alive and having returned, but Angla herself just shook a few hands and then headed to the Emperor’s bedroom. Finally, they reached a double door that was guarded by four knights at once.

“Why am I here, again?”

“I believe it would be best for you to meet father, too, Seran-sama.”

Seran really thought about turning around again as he muttered in front of the door, but Angela pushed him as she opened the door. The bedroom was quite a bit larger than what Kyle expected. Probably double the size of what King Remonas possessed. In the center of the room stood a large bed with a canopy, but it wasn’t as extravagant as you’d expect, reflecting the owner’s personality. And on top of that laid the current Emperor of the Empire, Benedix Volgard Galgan.

It’s been about forty years since his name was mentioned to the world. The Kingdom of Galgan which acted as the origin of the Galgan Empire was a strict country, and your birth alone was what decided all your life. No matter how talented you were or how many achievements you had to show off, if your origin was too low-ranking, you couldn’t do a thing. And if you were lucky and blessed with a rich family, you were basically living life in easy mode. Given free reign as long as you didn’t commit a crime, even.

The one to correct this rotten system and to allow for compensation depending on skill and achievements was none other than Benedix. It was unclear where or what family he was born into, but the charisma he possessed allowed him to gather talented individuals, bringing about quick change. At the end, he got married to Princess Asmelia, gained the proper right to the throne, and abolished the kingdom to change, and about ten years later, the Galgan Empire was born with him as the first emperor.

After that, he aimed for a society without any discrimination, bringing together humanfolk as a whole, which turned the country into the greatest of all humanfolk in just thirty years. Many saw him as a vile leader who pushed his own agenda, others called him a savior. Sometimes, you can’t change the world with only good intentions. However, the person in front of Kyle right now couldn’t be further from being such a hero.

He leaned against the back of the bed and pushed up his upper body, but he looked like he had lost too much weight, barely even alive. It once again showed that any human would eventually lose against the disease that was called aging. However, that wasn’t a problem for Kyle, as he felt the sharp gaze from the Emperor directed at them the moment he answered. He was overwhelmed with the pressure that didn’t come from skill with the sword, magic, or even sheer wisdom.

Kyle didn’t mean to show any hostility toward the Emperor, and yet there was something that completely silenced him. Seran must be feeling something similar, as he audibly gasped and seemed a bit perplexed.

If he was in his prime when the demons attacked…Maybe we never would have been driven into a corner like that.

If humanfolk was met with such danger and Benedix was in the center of it all, he probably could have handled it. That’s how amazing he felt.

“Father!” Angela rushed towards Benedix, as his sharp gaze softened.

“Angela…” He greeted his daughter in his arms.

“Brother Eldorand was…Ugh…”

In her father’s arms, Angela began to cry. She had maintained her calm even as she heard the news, but with her father in front of her, she lost all restraint and grieved the loss of her brother.

“……I’m just glad you’re safe. I swear, leaving this world behind before your own father. You absolute fool…” Benedix grumbled as he gently caressed Angela’s head.

“Your majesty, I apologize for asking this of you right after you’ve woken up…” Beadola spoke up, but Benedix faintly nodded.

“I’m aware. To think things would progress this far in just a few days…I need to decide my successor as quickly as possible,” he responded with a stern expression.

He showed close to no shock despite hearing his oldest son died. He probably must have gone through a situation like this before.

“…While I still have this life of mine.” He was aware that his life was short, calmly accepting that.

Angela’s shoulders were quivering slightly, but she must have prepared herself, as she didn’t say another word.

“But, I am conflicted. I don’t know who to choose.”

“Needlessly…” Beadola nodded.

“My choices are limited. Nord is too young…It can’t be Konrad or Maizer, either…However…” Benedix sighed. “Konrad will only weaken the Empire, and Maizer will tear it apart…”

It was a question of yin or yang. His decision will decide the fate of the empire, and humanfolk as a whole.

“I will respect whomever you may choose, Father,” Angela declared.

She was fairly popular with the citizens. She had considerable influence, and if she were to be announced as Benedix’ successor, people would push her back. And Angela knew that this was something she could do for her father.

“However…In terms of being closest to you, then Brother Maizer might be the better choice…”

Benedix must have known what Angela was trying to say, as he gently caressed her head.

“I’m sorry…I need some more time to think.”

Beadola knew that this should be decided as quickly as possible, but it also wasn’t anything that could be written into stone in the heat of the moment.

“On another note, who are these people?”

Finally, Benedix looked over at Kyle and Seran.

“I wanted you to meet them, Father! They allowed me to arrive here safely, and I’m greatly in their care!” Angela must have waited for this, as she ran toward Seran and quickly introduced him.

“Oh, it seems like you took great care of my daughter…And you must be Kyle, I presume.”

He probably heard of them prior to this, as Benedix’ gaze moved over to Kyle and Seran.

“I heard you earned the title of ‘Dragonslayer,’ but…I can see you’re quite young, yet solute. I’d love to have you as my subordinate.”

“I’m very thankful for your gracious words,” Kyle delivered a polite bow, as Benedix showed a grin of sorts.

“I’m not entirely praising you. Rather…it’s peculiar to me. Maybe? Your eyes tell me you’re plotting something.”

“What might you be referring to?”

Kyle was confident that he played his shock off perfectly, but on the inside, he was absolutely terrified.

“That’s right. I’m not praising you, but I do like the gaze in your eyes. It’s better than pure submissiveness.”

Kyle didn’t know if he was being praised or insulted, but he chose to take it the positive way.

This is what it means to be charismatic, right? I could see myself being attracted to his plans.

“And the other one…” Benedix closely inspected Seran’s face, and then showed a dubious reaction.

“Um…is there something on my face?” Seran seemed bewildered.

“I was just wondering…why Angela was clinging to your arm like that,” Benedix glanced at Angela, who had taken Seran’s arm like it was nothing, as he narrowed his eyes.

He was probably asking as a father, more than the Emperor.

“I got no clue myself.”

Amidst this stiff atmosphere, Angela showed an innocent smile.

“He is…Leyla’s son,” Beadola tried to cut in and deliver something of a life raft.

—But instead, that created a tragedy.

“L-Leyla…? So then…?! Ugh!”

The Emperor suddenly leaned forward as his expression distorted in terror, holding his chest possibly from his pain. The servant next to him began to panic, but he just pushed them away. He regained his breathing, as he glared at Seran with an odd expression creating a mixture of surprise, anger, and even joy.

“F-Father…?” Angela seemed flustered and surprised to see her own father act this way, looking up at him in shock.

Benedix however didn’t pay any attention to her, as he stared at Seran.

“I see…So you are Leyla’s…”

“I mean, she’s just my foster mom. We’re not blood-related or anything.”

Even Seran couldn’t bear such an intense stare, as he grumbled while looking away. On that note, Leyla once mentioned that she ended up in a bit of a fight with the Emperor, and even though Seran never did anything, Benedix was staring at him in despair.

What did Mom do…

Seran was utterly bewildered and was filled with a complicated feeling. He wasn’t too bothered by this treatment much, and just wished that his foster mother would finally settle down and not ruin people’s lives. Whether or not that got through to Benedix was up for debate, but he eventually took a deep breath and loosened his focus on Seran.

“It’s nothing much…Ten years ago, during a military expedition, she happened to save my life.”

“I-I see…”

Benedix’ comment of nostalgia allowed Seran to sigh in relief.

“Though she almost killed me after that.”

What the hell is she doing?!

Or so Seran thought, but he kept these words to himself.

“It is all in the past…Yes, the past,” Benedix said with a distant gaze, but nobody could tell what he was looking at. “Seran, was it? Please continue to look after Angela.”

“It’s okay! He couldn’t be more reliable, so he will definitely live up to your expectations!”

Before Seran could even say a thing, Angela spoke with absolute confidence.

“I figured. Especially so…if you are Leyla’s son.”

“Hey now, don’t put too many expectations on me.”

Seran wished they didn’t just continue this conversation like nothing happened, but Benedix wouldn’t hear any of it.

“Your Majesty, I fear you should get some more rest for today…” Beadola commented, not wishing Benedix to over-exhaust himself, and this acted as the final part of their conversation.

Angela said she’ll stay behind, as Kyle and Seran left the room. Once the door closed behind them, they sighed.

“I’m mentally exhausted…”

“You still have it easy. I feel like I got dragged into a massive mess. And it’s all because of Mom,” Seran cursed.

“Anyway, we should talk,” Beadola said, and Seran must have realized that more trouble was awaiting, so he just shrugged and said “I’ll head back without you, then.”

Kyle couldn’t shake this bad feeling himself, but he was already in too deep to run now.

“I have a small favor to ask…I’d like you to handle Princess Milena.”

Even that line alone made Kyle realize that the bad feeling came true. And at the same time, he knew that he couldn’t deny this request.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I guess I didn’t make myself clear enough. I want you to convince her and ensure that Zilgus and Galgan don’t end up as enemies.”

Kyle’s expression stiffened up when he heard that.

“Hold on. If you don’t want things to escalate, you should send her back home as quickly as possible. Why ask me?”

According to Minagi’s report, Princess Milena and her company were being grounded here in the Empire, but with Beadola’s orders, that should be resolved easily.

“That I cannot do. We have too much to worry about.” Beadola said with a sour face. “I would have preferred for things to go that way. Having a feud with Zilgus right now won’t do us any good.”

The Empire aimed to become the strongest force on the continent, but that didn’t mean they could pick pointless fights. And they had to consider their way of processing things. And using force was the ultimate final option that Beadola wanted to use.

“Only Zilgus hopes to stand their ground against the Empire. The Thaihon Country to the north and the Holy Kingdom of Sura to the east could be formidable, but they don’t pose a threat. And the late Prince Eldorand wished for our relationship with Zilgus to improve.”

Beadola must have confirmed that the other countries on the continent weren’t worth mentioning.

“That being said, a faction here in the country opposes the princess being sent home just like this. And the one acting as the representative is General Dargof. He stood with Prince Eldorand…and he won’t let her go home,” Beadola said and sighed. “His brain is made out of steel, but he is no idiot. And he never once spoke against Prince Eldorand. But in this case, it brings nothing but trouble.”

“Why? If he’s no idiot, he would understand that Princess Milena would never execute an assassination like this.”

“Until the criminal has been defeated, he can’t undo the current situation.”

Understanding what Beadola was referring to, Kyle clicked his tongue.

“He wants to have definitive proof or things won’t change…”

He must want to use Princess Milena as a scapegoat if the true assassin can’t be found.

“Put badly, he seeks a target to vent his anger. And his head is full of getting revenge for Prince Eldorand. His faith and trust in the late prince only came back to bite us now,” Beadola said and sighed once more. Additionally, there couldn’t be any better pretense for the Empire to grow.”

Unlike Beadola, Dargof was very pro-war, and he actively sought ways for the Empire to grow.

“However, I don’t believe we should be planning any sort of invasion right now. It will only hurt the Empire.”

Kyle was slowly starting to grasp just what Beadola was even talking about.

“Are you…telling me to remove the general out of the picture?” Kyle’s expression grew stiff.

“I won’t say that. At least for now…But we can’t disregard this either.

“But then his Majesty Benedix should just give the order for that. Especially now that his consciousness has returned.”

It’s because the Emperor couldn’t give absolute orders that Dargof had brought things this far.

“We cannot burden the Emperor with any more mental stress. Even if he knew, he would probably say to leave it be. To be perfectly honest, priority for Zilgus is relatively low. We should avoid any internal fighting…But at least we have to lower our enemies from the outside.”

The enemy of my enemy is my friend—is what this argument was slowly turning to. If things went to south, Beadola would worsen her relationship with Zilgus or even use it for a war. Something like anger started to build up inside Kyle, but Beadola remained calm.

“His Majesty must be thinking the same, but this is just our last possible option. When everything else has been lost…” Beadola cleared her throat. “And I want to avoid that. I want you to convince Princess Milena to understand the current situation and refrain from acting suspiciously for the time. Leaving such an important matter to an outsider isn’t my favorite way to go about things, but you’re most suited for it.”

Truth be told, in this current situation, Princess Milena probably can’t put faith in any of the Empire’s people, and even negotiations at this rate will prove especially difficult. Leaving this to Kyle was the most clean solution to this, and Kyle knew that.

“How ridiculous…” Kyle held his head, considering that Beadola was wishing for the most convenient conclusion.

That being said, Kyle couldn’t decline this request, either. If left alone, it would eventually lead to a war between Zilgus and the Empire. And on top of that, Seraia and Roel were in Beadola’s care, acting as additional hostages.

“Ah, rest assured. No matter the situation, I don’t plan on using Seraia and her man for my own goal. She is still my pupil, and I care for her,” Beadola showed a wry smile as she must have guessed what Kyle was thinking. “On top of that, Angela-sama has come to like you folks quite a lot. I don’t want to be resented by her for forcing you through this…But I can’t phrase it any other way than a request. It’s my final request in this life that’s about to burn out.”

“It’s a bit too late to play for sympathy, you know.”

That won’t work after showing off how youthful she is despite her high age.

“And at the same time, I promised I’d be your strength. If I went from that now, I wouldn’t be worthy of being called a hero.”

“That is true. However, I didn’t expect you to willingly accept a task that involved the fate of two countries like this,” Beadola remained calm, and Kyle just nodded. “Well, in return for that, I won’t ask what your goal may be, and I won’t obstruct your work, either. I can tell that Galgan will experience no harm, so I will leave it aside and forget.”

“…”

Now Kyle had to remain quiet. In the eyes of Beadola, his actions and intentions must be unclear. She knew he planned on becoming a hero, but his final goal beyond that was unclear. She probably never would expect that Kyle was trying to obtain influence across the whole humanfolk for the impending invasion of demons, and for that reason, he couldn’t make enemies with Beadola and the Empire.

“Right…Anyway, what are Prince Maizer and Prince Konrad up to right now?” Kyle realized that he received a grave warning from Beadola and attempted to change the topic.

If possible, he wanted to meet them, too.

“Prince Maizer is doing the same as always, whereas Prince Konrad is currently hiding himself in fear of another assassination attempt. I don’t know where he is, either…And I’d love to know, but no information is reaching me.”

“What do you mean?”

Beadola was a crucial individual in the Empire, so it wouldn’t make sense if she’s not filled in.

“It’s simple. I was always closer to Prince Maizer than Prince Konrad.”

Kyle figured out what Beadola was saying, showing a surprised reaction.

“Then…Prince Konrad is under the assumption that Prince Maizer planned the assassination?”

“Whatever he may think, he receives one-sided reports. And nobody will deny them…So we can’t figure out what Prince Konrad is up to. It’s quite threatening.”

“Threatening?”

“He’s keeping contact with the influential individuals of the Empire. Almost like laying some sort of groundwork behind the scenes…”

As Kyle went quiet once more, a female priest came walking toward them, telling Beadola something. She showed an intrigued expression and then turned back toward Kyle.

“The very Prince Maizer is now calling for you…Aren’t you popular.”

“…Got it. I’ll head there right away.”

Kyle was already mentally exhausted, but he couldn’t let this chance go to waste. Even if Beadola gave him a devious smirk, that was all he could do.