Chapter 156, If It Were Now (1)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

It was just as Kalian had said.

 

It could be something that wasn’t difficult, or it could be something that was difficult.

 

Honoring Freya as Queen itself was not a difficult matter. Currently, Rmain did not have another Queen, and naturally, Rmain was the only one who had the authority to proceed with such a matter.

 

“Are you speaking sincerely?”

 

“I am sincere.”

 

At the immediate response, Rmain let out a short breath.

 

He had guessed that this sudden request from Kalian was not coming from concern for Freya’s honor.

 

Bloodline.

 

The label of being a Prince with a Royal Consort, even a Royal Consort of Commoner origin, as his mother. Kalian must be trying to remove that.

 

Of course, there was only one reason for trying to remove it now.

 

“You must be saying this with your heart set on the Crown Prince position.”

 

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

 

Kalian answered without hiding anything this time as well.

 

Previously, it had not mattered whether Freya was a Royal Consort or a Commoner since he possessed the powerful strength called Valkan. But now Kalian had given all that power to Plants. So, he had come to meet Rmain after finding another method to gain influence rather than military strength.

 

Both the Nobles who expected Kalian to become Crown Prince and those who supported Kalian to some degree all said that Kalian’s origins were a ‘flaw.’ Whether it carried derogatory meaning or not, they all equally considered it problematic that he was not the son of a Queen.

 

Given such circumstances, what about those who supported Randel or Plants?

 

Had Hale Latran, who was arrested long ago for secretly trading Divine Artifacts and selling Cyries’s information to Secritia’s spies, not said just that? That Kalian was a ‘Commoner’s child.’

 

No matter how outstanding Kalian’s actions were, no matter how strong his military power had been or become, they simply did not regard him as Royalty. As Beurisen’s influence weakened, these were people who thought that if Plants truly could not ascend to the Crown Prince position, it would be better for Randel to take that place instead.

 

“This is something I cannot handle with my own power, isn’t it?”

 

Had Bern, the one who had pledged loyalty to Chase, not become a Knight to prevent opposition to Chase’s rise to the Crown Prince position?

 

The way Nobles judged that the ‘preciousness’ of bloodline was not different from Secritia. The hatred they showed merely because he had a Commoner mother might even be worse than Secritia.

 

Rmain also knew what the Nobles of Cyries were thinking. He was well aware that if Freya received the position of Queen, the only fatal weakness would disappear.

 

“I understand what you mean. However, Kalian.”

 

Rmain, having said that, closed his mouth for a moment.

 

Kalian… from the very beginning….

 

Kalian was providing tremendous help as Rmain’s political partner, and looking at his character and abilities, Kalian was the most suitable as the next King. Of course, he sometimes caused headache-inducing major incidents, but there were clear reasons for those as well. Rmain understood that in the current situation where Royal Authority had declined so much, such bold actions were necessary, unlike the path Rmain had threaded so far.

 

So, Rmain had already been thinking that he should give the Crown Prince position to Kalian. If Rmain only considered what would help with bestowing the Crown Prince position, there was naturally no reason he could not grant this request.

 

If he had not considered other problems, that is what he would have done as well, without Kalian mentioning it.

 

“For now, it’s a dangerous matter.”

 

However, it was still too dangerous for him to do so.

 

So, he could not do it.

 

Therefore, Rmain answered with a rejection.

 

Complex emotions mixing resentment, self-reproach, and guilt all appeared clearly on Rmain’s previously expressionless face.

 

It was a problem that arose because Rmain’s power had waned. If the Royal Authority had been even a little stronger, there would never have been anyone calling the person who bore Rmain’s child a ‘Commoner.’

 

“So I hope you could wait a little longer. What do you think?”

 

Rmain was not foolish enough to wonder whether Kalian, who had brought up the topic of the Crown Prince position first, was being presumptuous or revealing his desire to become King too easily. Therefore, he only asked this.

 

“There’s still more than a year left until Randel turns twenty. During that time, we’ll have to strengthen the Royal Authority, resolve minor issues with Tansyll, shake off Beurisen’s influence, and reduce the forces that would oppose you even slightly. Then, I’ll grant what you’ve requested. Would that be difficult?”

 

“What does Your Majesty consider to be dangerous?”

 

“Naturally…”

 

Honoring Freya as Queen at this time would be tantamount to revealing Rmain’s resolve, no? Though he had not placed Kalian in the Crown Prince position yet, it would be no different from expressing that he had made the decision in his heart. That was what he considered dangerous.

 

Allan’s words that ‘if you’re in such a hurry, place the one you like least there first. He’ll disappear as soon as you do’ was not wrong. Would Beurisen and Tansyll just leave Kalian alone, who was strong by himself even without any particular force behind him?

 

Rmain, who was about to explain this, closed his mouth. Then he gazed intently at Kalian.

 

He would not be unaware of it.

 

Kalian was not someone who would not know this.

 

“I’m curious about the reason you’re suddenly making this request. Is there perhaps something that has happened?”

 

At those words, Kalian smiled slightly.

 

It was because he was relieved that Rmain had not hastily said it could not be done.

 

“Rather than what has happened, I wish for something to happen…”

 

If Freya were honored, Evan would naturally not remain still. Kalian was just thinking of creating justification from that to cut off all of Beurisen’s heads. Justified pruning and unjustified pruning were different, after all.

 

There was another thing.

 

The Nobles who would turn toward Kalian if Beurisen wavered after news of Freya’s elevation would become an influence that Kalian could grasp.

 

It was justified pruning, and new influence.

 

Both of these had to proceed together for Kalian to survive.

 

However, he could not tell Rmain the truth about this.

 

He might end up accused of murdering the heads of a Family. Rmain would certainly oppose it out of worry about what would happen if Renisita were spread in the plaza for Kalian.

 

“I am simply…”

 

So Kalian decided to give a more honest answer. He would bring out the real reason that lay deeper than the schemes hidden inside.

 

Kalian lifted his head slightly to look at Rmain.

 

With a faint smile on his lips, he looked up at Rmain for a moment.

 

Looking at Rmain like that, he delivered the remaining answer.

 

“I’m asking you to save me, Your Majesty.”

 

A calm voice without a trace of falsehood.

 

Thus, it became a request that Rmain could never refuse.

 

* * *

 

Arsene likes explosions.

 

However, Arsene was not called a Dual Elemental Mage, who could handle two Elements. Being able to do something and having two specialties were completely different things.

 

Arsene could simply use fire as well as water. However, it could not be said that he could properly handle the two Magic Elements simultaneously. Just like how the Ice Barrier that Arsene had simultaneously used when he launched a Flame Sphere toward Heisia Palace. It had been remarkably unstable at the time.

 

A Mage who specializes in both Elements, and thus always possesses perfect completion whether using Magic of different Elements simultaneously or not. That was the true meaning of a Dual Elemental Mage.

 

Of course, Allan was an exception.

 

The moment one crosses the barrier of the Seventh-Circle, the boundaries of Elements also disappear. Therefore, for Allan, Elements were merely a matter of what he used more frequently.

 

For this reason, Mages usually specialize in only one thing that suits them and train. Thinking, ‘someday I too will become a High Circle Mage.’ To have two specialties required Magic Talent and Elemental Affinity as basics, with that much time and effort following.

 

However, Euria did not particularly covet Allan’s level in Magic. Her thinking was more like, if it works out, fine, if not, whatever. Still, she disliked losing to others, so she specialized in both Elements. And she achieved that near-impossible feat.

 

Since Euria was such a person, she was able to rise to the position of Head of the Arcane Enclave branch in Cyries, five years ago when she was one year younger than Arsene was now.

 

“Twenty-three.”

 

So, Arsene was currently faithfully fulfilling his role as a ‘kid who could just fight a bit’.

 

*Crackle!*

 

Magic that could only be described as dazzling light covering the earth extended from Euria’s fingertips. It was directed at five Knights who were trying to rush toward Euria.

 

The swords in their hands were of no use.

 

They had to be able to get close to attack.

 

So, whether what they held in their hands was emitting red Aura or not, it had no effect whatsoever and posed no threat to Euria.

 

*Boom!*

 

Five Knights convulsed all over and rolled on the ground before soon becoming quiet. The fact that they could resist to that degree against power that would kill with just a graze was surely due to the glowing Shield surrounding their bodies, like what surrounded their swords.

 

“Eighteen.”

 

Since it seemed Euria alone would be sufficient to catch those guys, Arsene decided to draw an imaginary line between Euria and them and only deal with those who crossed that line. Having little else to do, he had even taken on the role of counting their remaining numbers.

 

Arsene, who had been looking at the guys lying on the ground for a moment, frowned and spoke again.

 

“…Twenty-one.”

 

Arsene knew how strong Euria’s lightning was. They should have died twelve more times from the attacks they had received.

 

But three of the five who had fallen got up again.

 

So, counting the remaining guys was actually quite difficult when he thought about it. He had to count by gauging whether someone lying down was dead or just another guy who would get up briefly before dying, which was quite confusing work.

 

“Are those Shields thick, or have you gotten weaker, Enclave Head?”

 

And he was also taking on the encouraging role of cheering for Euria like this from time to time. It was similar to the encouragement Euria had given when he brought the chicken.

 

Euria frowned.

 

Including the twenty-one in front and the one standing behind who had lost his nerve again, that made twenty-two. She was trying to suppress the thought that she should kill all twenty-two of them to feel satisfied.

 

Euria, who had been examining the front for a moment, muttered as if to herself.

 

“It seems like the power those guys are using is ‘that thing.'”

 

Though it was a quiet voice, it was clearly audible to Arsene. Since it sounded like she knew that strange red light, Arsene quietly asked.

 

“Are you familiar with this power?”

 

At the question of whether she was acquainted with the unpleasant power that flickered with red light, Euria’s lightning briefly turned toward Arsene.

 

Arsene grinned and stood beside Euria.

 

It meant he would stop teasing now.

 

No matter what, he could not keep playing around with Euria, who had reduced forty people to twenty-one with exactly four attacks.

 

“Commander Manasil’s Shield does emit red light, but that’s definitely something different.”

 

“Lord Manasil uses flames. You can’t compare it to something like this.”

 

Their extremely strange ability was the main point.

 

Arsene, who had watched the speed at which the completely peeled skin of the guys who had fallen and gotten up, all healed, spoke.

 

“Are they human? Even Healers from Tansyll can’t do this much.”

 

“Yeah. They’re human.”

 

He had clearly seen them fall as if dead after taking a direct hit from water spheres filled with lightning. He had clearly seen their whole bodies burning up from the lightning while drenched in water. He had brought down all forty with just two attacks like that.

 

And twenty-three of them got up from where they lay.

 

As long as their breath was not cut off, they recovered.

 

“These guys probably…”

 

They would be of the same people, using the same power, as those who had attacked Kalian.

 

Euria, who was about to say this, closed her mouth. She could not decide whether it would be okay to tell Arsene about the guys who had attacked Kalian.

 

Instead of answering, Euria raised her hand and pointed in one direction. It was toward the guys who had just gotten up and were picking up their swords again. They seemed to be hurling some curses at Euria, but she paid them no heed.

 

Just before the red Shields surrounded them again, a purple beam shot toward them like an arrow.

 

*Screech!*

*Crash!*

 

A purple spear with a thin, long wedge shape. Euria’s spear, containing the power of lightning, pierced through the heads of three Knights who were not yet protected by Shields.

 

The guys’ bodies lost life and drooped.

 

Euria did not look at that sight for long.

 

Her sharply narrowed eyes quickly swept over the guys who had just finished recovering and were about to attack her again.

 

Those with faces hidden by dark brown masks.

 

The clothes they wore had no markings whatsoever, and their faces were not visible either. Knights and Mages all wore the same outfit.

 

“Shouldn’t we deal with the Mages first?”

 

It was because of the Shields.

 

Shouldn’t they prevent those annoying Shields from being used first?

 

“Why do such troublesome things?”

 

Wasn’t selectively killing someone first against Euria’s nature?

 

The power of lightning was different from that of ice. It was wide-ranging.

 

So, she could just catch them all.

 

If they rushed in, she could hold them down, and if they shot from afar, she could block them. Why bother with such trouble?

 

Whether killing with two hits or three hits.

 

Couldn’t she just kill them all?

 

“How many are left?”

 

Seeing Euria with flashing eyes, Arsene answered in a particularly polite voice so that the truly capable Enclave Head Euria would not misunderstand that ‘Arsene was dissatisfied because his opinion to deal with Mages first was dismissed.’

 

“Eighteen, Ma’am.”