Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

Volume 6 Chapter 9

By the time Kyle made it back to Beadolla’s residence, the sun had already begun to set. Physically, he was doing just fine, but all the talking and thinking of today had utterly exhausted him mentally. He had snuck into the Empire early in the morning, was reunited with his parents, met the Emperor and the prime minister, as well as the prince, and learned that Souga was involved in all of this. Tomorrow, he would go meet Princess Milena and convince her to sit still for now. All of this was heavily weighing on his shoulders.

“I swear…At least this’ll be the last of today.”

Normally, Kyle would have gone back to Klaus and rested in his room until the next day, but Seraia asked him to stop by on his way home. So he opted to do just that while also going to pick up Lieze and Urza.

“Welcome back, Kyle.”

Reaching the room underground, Seraia greeted her son with his usual smile. Lieze and the others did the same, but something was a bit off about them.

“I heard a lot of stories from your journey…But make sure not to overdo it, you hear?”

Kyle probably took too long to get home, because he could visually imagine the two girls telling his mother everything. He looked at the two with a gaze of sympathy, and yet it seemed like that wasn’t all.

“Yeah, I know. Anyway, we should probably…” He tried to finish the conversation and drag Lieze and Urza back with him, but…

“Ah, Kyle-chan. I’ve got something to tell you. I just talked with Prince Konrad.” Seraia said with a nonchalant tone, not realizing the scale of the bombshell she had just dropped.

“H-Hold on a second! Y-You talked with whom?!”

Unable to ignore that remark, Kyle swiftly turned around.

“Prince Konrad. He came here not too long ago.”

Kyle couldn’t believe what he was just told and looked at his two allies. Lieze reluctantly nodded.

“Yeah, he definitely was here…But not too long.”

“Something’s been weighing on him since he came to Luos. Even though he just came to greet his former teacher.” Seraia explained with a somewhat nostalgic expression.

“But…Didn’t you say that he was under the radar?”

“Yes. He wanted to keep his appearance here a secret, so he avoided master’s search magic.”

“…But she was searching for him.”

Kyle felt bad for Beadolla, who actively searched for him.

“And, we were talking about you, Kyle-chan.”

“A-About me? What exactly?”

“A lot, of course. He seemed surprised when I told him that you went to meet the Emperor with Princess Angela.”

“You told him that…”

Kyle couldn’t believe his mother sometimes.

“When he heard that I was on my way to Luos, he prepared a lot to help me. Loretta-san was introduced to me by Konrad-sama, too…And thanks to that, I can safely give birth to this child.” Seraia smiled and gently rubbed her belly.

“I…see.”

This led Kyle to become emotional himself. When he first met Konrad, it was clear that his first love had been Seraia herself, and he had continued to cherish her. So knowing that Konrad actively cared for Seraia, and indirectly protected Kyle’s unborn little sister, he owed him a lot.

“But something was off. He seemed lost in thought about something…Almost like this would be our final goodbye.”

“I see…I’d love to contact him, but you probably have no way of achieving that either, right?”

“Let me try. I’ll talk to him.”

And with this sudden revelation, it abruptly became possible for Kyle to easily meet Konrad.

“…From your point of view, what kind of person is Prince Konrad?”

From Kyle’s perspective, this was a pointless question—but in this context, he had to ask it. If need be, he must remove Konrad from the picture to reach the timeline he wished to create. So for that, he had to put his feelings aside.

“Well…he’s easy to be misunderstood, but he’s a good kid. He knows how to be responsible and dearly cares for people.”

But as expected, Seraia’s answer shook Kyle’s determination.

“And, if you can talk to him, I hope you could become his strength. Right now, he seems to be in a lot of trouble, after all.”

“…I’ll see what I can do.”

Kyle would have wished to have the easy way out, but as the savior of his mother and soon-to-be sister, he couldn’t ignore Konrad any longer.

That’s another headache in the brewing…

Kyle sighed for the last time of the day, and the strongest one too.

***

“Kyle-sama, it’s been a while. I’m glad you are doing well.”

The location she awaited almost seemed calculated to emphasize her beauty, as the princess greeted Kyle with a warm smile, brimming with charm. Just to see that expression up close, many would pay a great price. It had been about half a year since they last met, but the Treasure of Zilgus was still shining as brightly as ever.

However, Kyle could not enjoy this in the slightest, as the inside of the room was close to exploding from the sheer tension. When he came to meet her the next day, what first greeted him were stares and glares of hostility from the royal knights serving Milena. As she was locked inside in the Empire because she originally came here for a meeting with Eldorand, she was now given a high-class home near the royal palace. The room she resided in was just as luxurious as the average castle room, befitting the princess of a kingdom, and it was clear that Eldorand wanted her to feel comfortable during her stay. That being said, the situation changed abruptly because of Eldorand’s death.

As the power balance inside the Empire grew unstable, the princess was not allowed to return to the kingdom, as they were basically locked inside on hostile territory. And the danger continued to grow each and every single day. Worst of all, now Kyle came to meet the princess as an ambassador of the Empire, so obviously they weren’t too welcoming of him.

For starters, he was forced to hand over his weapons and was searched countless times by the knights. Only then was Kyle allowed inside the reception room. It wasn’t any small room either, but ten knights easily fit inside, constantly emitting pressure on Kyle. They watched every single of his actions, ready to slice him to pieces if he dared to show any suspicious movement. The gazes of the two right next to Milena were especially harsh. One of them was Kirlen, who fought with Kyle to save the princess and her closest aide, and the other was the maid Ninos. With Kirlen, it was clearly her duty that forced her to show this much caution, but Ninos seemed to have personal feelings involved. And the only one who was perfectly calm about this was Milena herself.

Why did this job get pushed on me again…?

Kyle cursed his own misfortune, but knew that doing so wouldn’t change a thing, so he quickly got to the main agenda.

“You never change either, do you, Milena-sama…”

Kyle hid his interior feelings and calmly greeted the princess.

“I’ve heard of your accomplishments…But to think you would be coming here as an envoy of the Empire.”

Before Milena could even respond, Ninos immediately jumped in to voice her discontent. Despite being so young, she was one of Milena’s closest servants, and her eyes emitted a clear regret and disdain at the fact that Kyle betrayed her expectations. Needless to say, the title of Dragon Slayer has spread to Zilgus, of course. And most likely, she probably wanted him to remain the hero of Zilgus first and foremost.

“I’d like to clear up something first,” Kyle said and cleared his throat. “I did not join the Empire by any means. I simply wish that no unnecessary fighting between Zilgus and Galgan ensues. I believe that this meeting will benefit both sides. Not to mention, I…”

—I want to raise my influence without being affiliated with any country or organization. That was his ideal from the start, but that didn’t stop influential politicians and the like to invite him to their side. Especially after he became a Dragon Killer. Of course, he rejected all of them so far.

“That I am glad to hear. I still regret that you have declined my invitations so far, but one day, I expect a positive answer.” Milena spoke happily.

In fact, after the incident at the kingdom, he had received countless letters and invitations from her.

“My sincerest apologies. Being invited by you is an honor I deeply regret declining, but there is something I must be focusing on myself.”

Declining like this had become a habit for him by now.

“Please don’t be held back by us. I’ve got great expectations from you, Kyle-sama. In a lot of ways.”

Happy that he still kept his amicable relationship with the kingdom, Kyle quickly moved on to the main topic.

“So…The Empire wishes that this situation doesn’t put a wedge between the two of you, and they feel incredibly sorry about all of this, but they hope you understand.”

Either way, Kyle moved to fulfill his own role and stated the Empire’s stance, which basically boiled down to ‘Just please don’t do anything crazy.’

“That makes things very simple. Please tell the Empire’s side to allow Milena-sama a quick return to her country. That will resolve everything.”

Ninos said without much remorse, but she wasn’t completely wrong about that. From Zilgus’ perspective, they were clearly being held hostage. But they wouldn’t take the Empire’s words for an answer, which is why Kyle came in.

“Well, if the Empire could do that, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

Unlike the grumpy Ninos, Milena seemed relaxed even now.

“You better not have arranged this whole meeting with the prince just to harm Milena-sama.” Kirlen said as she glared at Kyle.

But from his perspective, he had no way of disproving that, so that put him at a clear disadvantage.

“Kirlen, that’s too much,” Milena commented.

She remained calm, but her words emitted a strong will, leaving Kirlen silent.

“I understand the current situation of the Empire. At the same time, knowing Prince Eldorand, he surely wished that our relationship not suffer from this, and he most likely planned on attacking a different problem altogether.”

“A different problem altogether?”

“The Mera Cult. He seemed to plan on completely eradicating them for good this time.”

Again with that…Kyle thought to himself, as he had gotten tired of it. Understandably so, as the Mera Cult followed the teachings of the Goddess Mera that showed only love for humans, as they actively discriminate against other races such as elves or dwarves. And for some reason, their Holiness, the person standing at the center, seemed oddly fixated on Kyle, wishing him to join them. Not only that, they even assisted him in the shadows to make him reach his Hero status quicker. But what they intend to do is more than unclear.

The Empire is based upon the idea that the strong survive. If you are strong enough, you can be accepted, no matter your race. Thanks to that, the Empire and the Mera Cult do not see eye to eye. And the Mera Cult is also the faction that causes the most damage to the Empire. Thus, the Empire must have sought to get help from Zilgus to eradicate this threat.

“But then, this assassination may be…”

“Yes. Looking at the time this happened, there is a great chance the Mera Cult may be behind this. I don’t share the greatest feelings about them, but I don’t condone any extreme extermination. Though, what Prince Eldorand tried to do most certainly is to be expected from the Empire.”

Dying in the process like this made everything pointless—is what Milena was trying to say.

“Back to the topic at hand, I understand the Empire’s current situation. If I was on their side, I definitely would not let myself return home. In a way, my presence here will allow the inside of the Empire to not break out in chaos. Especially people like General Dargof would not let me go, I bet.”

It seemed like Milena was completely aware of the situation she was in. With her influence, neither side could take any risks.

“Treating Milena-sama like some weight to use for the balances…” Ninos’ voice clearly emitted hostility.

But of course, saying anything here would not benefit anybody, so Kyle remained silent.

“I don’t desire any war to spark from this. In fact, I would much rather avoid it entirely. For that, I’ll help as much as I can. Please relay that to them.” Milena spoke confidently.

In other words, the Kingdom of Zilgus was willing to let this slide. Except Ninos clearly didn’t like that response, and Kirlen’s face was clearly tense, too. Then again, even Kyle was surprised by this. Rather than simply relaying the Empire’s message, his main goal was to convince Milena to stand down.

“You look surprised. Were you thinking I would use this to start a conflict with the Empire?”

Kyle had been completely seen through by Milena, so he quickly denied it.

“No, not at all…”

“Of course, it’s not like that thought never crossed my mind. I considered causing a civil war and dragging it out as long as possible. If that works, then I could lessen the strength of the Empire.”

“So you were thinking about it…”

“However, that would lead to a distinctive war against the Empire, and while they were low on forces, we could even stand on equal ground to them…and have a chance at victory.”

She almost made it sound like them having a chance to beat the Empire would be a bad thing. It’s like she had calculated it all.

“If we have chances at victory, then people inside the country will raise their voices to begin a war. In that event, even I won’t be able to stop them anymore as we rush toward an all-out war. However, it will still be a bet if Zilgus survives this war. And I don’t want to take any risks. All I wish for is Zilgus’s growth and prosperity, not an absolute hegemony over humanfolk.”

With a war between large states like the Empire and Zilgus, victory and defeat don’t matter as much, as both countries suffer. Even the victor will suffer vital losses, making it questionable if the victory was even worth it. And the loser will either see his country annexed, or forced to pay large sums of reparations. And with Zilgus and Galgan facing each other, the chance that one country falls to ruin is much greater. In other words, Milena was looking at this situation in the long run, not wishing to weaken the Empire in any way.

“However, the Empire’s goal is to unify all of humanfolk. Won’t you have to fight them eventually?” Kirlen stated the obvious with a stern face.

And if they can’t avoid it, it would probably be best to fight them in a weakened state.

“No, if we were to fight now with our current power, Zilgus will lose. But at the same time, we won’t have to fear their all-out attack either, because they aren’t as foolish as that. In other words, if we keep the current situation at a standstill, both countries benefit. And at the same time, I can create a debt with the Empire.”

It seemed like Milena took the third possible option. Of course, the Empire wouldn’t willingly jump to her aid just because of this, but it will definitely be valuable material for discussion.

“And there won’t be any movement from back home. I ordered to stay passive no matter what.”

“Were you expecting something like this could happen?” Kyle couldn’t help but hide his surprise.

“It is the duty of a ruler to be prepared for anything. So I gave orders in preparation for the possible scenario that I won’t return from Galgan. And they are listening to my orders.”

It seems like Milena had means of staying in contact with people outside the Empire. She didn’t seem worried about Zilgus in the slightest, just smiling ever so gently as she reassured everybody else. Once again, Kyle realized that she truly was fitting to be the queen.

“Is that so…Thank you very much.”

Kyle felt like he was just shown the difference between them, but he gratefully accepted this result, because it most likely avoided all-out war. With this realization, Kyle’s body relaxed.

“Hee hee, you don’t need to thank me, Kyle-sama. But instead, would you tell me what else has transpired during your travels? I am just so incredibly bored here.” Milena showed a bitter smile as she declared their stiff conversation to be over, instead moving into a casual conversation.

“Oh my, so that’s what happened? The rumors really don’t do you any justice.”

After their initial conversation, Milena gleefully listened to all the stories Kyle brought to the table. It really seemed like she wasn’t lying when she said how bored she was. Of course, Kyle couldn’t tell her about having met the Dragon King Zeurus or Demon Lord Luiza, but seeing how she listened to it all with a childish smile on her face made Kyle enjoy his time, too.

“So you truly defeated that dragon, then?!”

Kirlen seemed excited in Kyle’s heroic tales all the same, especially when it came to his fight with the dragon. She leaned forward as if she was listening to a storyteller.

“…”

Only Ninos kept a stern gaze, as if to emphasize she wouldn’t be led astray by Kyle.

“Truly, I would love to meet Prince Maizer myself. I wonder what kind of person he is?”

After all the stories came to an end, Milena nonchalantly threw the topic of Maizer into the room.

“About the same as all the rumors you’ve heard of me. He is a lot like you’ve heard, but completely different at times, too. Personally, it’s a treat to talk to him.”

Known as the debaucherous prince, Maizer’s public reception wasn’t exactly positive, but Kyle had taken a great liking to him, so he tried to improve Maizer’s public image.

“Whatever personality he may be, he must certainly be more respectable than the prince of Zilgus.” Milena threw in a comment with a sharp underlying tone.

Prince Carenas, who attempted to assassinate his own sister, was exiled and now locked away at an unknown place inside the country. And since Kyle knew the circumstances, he was unsure if he should laugh or cry at that.

“That being said, as Prince Maizer’s former fiancee, I often wondered what sort of person he would be. And I had looked forward to meeting Prince Eldorand during our planned meeting.”

Thanks to the passing of King Remonas, the whole arranged marriage went down the drain.

“Even without Prince Maizer’s case, it’s time to think about successors.”

Even though she seemed very down to earth, Milena was still the queen of the kingdom, who had to secure the succession of the crown. For that, Milena had to consider her marriage soon enough.

“That must be difficult for you. As a citizen, I wish you the best of luck,” Kyle responded without much thought, but Milena gave him a dubious look.

“Oh dear, you shouldn’t be acting like this is none of your business. You very much have the right to be a contender for the throne.”

“…What?”

Being told something outrageous like that, Kyle couldn’t help but return a dumbfounded voice.

“Why are you so surprised? Those with value in the country hold the chance to choose their next ruler, and there are many various types of value,” Milena explained like she was a teacher at a school.

The husband of the queen is decided by the greatest value he can bring to the table to improve the kingdom. Choosing someone from inside the country helps solidify the position of the current regiment, and marrying someone from another country will improve the relationship between the two countries, whether that is with a country they had a positive or negative relationship with. Additionally, sometimes even choosing randomly will raise the popularity amongst regular citizens. And when you’re dealing with a hero who saved the country and an incredibly popular princess, it would be quite popular.

Of course, this wasn’t anything common because a hero of Kyle’s status almost never appeared. The story of reaching the zenith of the country despite being a commoner is something that gives citizens hope. And as the Dragon Killer Hero, Kyle had reached a level of fame that gave him the right to ask for the princess’s hand.

“Did you know? At our royal capital Maladd, we have a popular play about a hero who killed the evil dragon and saved the princess. It’s a popular book series, too.”

Naturally, they couldn’t add the actual names of the characters, so they went with a random country with random names. But the reference was clear.

“It was brought to my attention, and I thought it felt familiar. However, the princess didn’t wake up to embrace the brave, that’s for sure,” Milena snickered. “And looking at the popularity of such, it makes very much sense to offer Kyle-sama’s name as a candidate. Of course, there needs to be another push or two to make it a reality…but in two to three years…and personally, I do have the time to wait.”

Seeing Milena oddly interested in this possible future had Kyle feeling a cold sweat run down his back.

“Th-That does sound enticing, but very abrupt…and I don’t believe I am the right person.”

“But you shouldn’t ignore my feelings. It may be for the sake of Zilgus and its citizens, but rather than marrying someone I’ve never even seen, I would much rather offer myself to the handsome man who saved my life.”

Badly enough, she spoke with reason, even if Kyle didn’t like it.

“Ha…haha…”

Naturally, any man would be happy to be told these words from an immense beauty, but knowing what lies beyond that facade was what made Kyle feel terrified more than anything. Plus, she probably doesn’t know about it, but Kyle was the one who killed her father King Remonas, so he had to force himself to smile.

“You needn’t think about it too hard. I would just be happy if you kept it in mind as a possibility.” Milena wrapped up the conversation in a jesting manner, but Kyle knew that she was not joking.

Their conversation continued for a while longer, but Kyle barely even listened to half of it, because Milena’s warm and inviting smile still felt so cold and eerie beneath the surface.