/
It was like heaven.
The sun was warm and pleasant. Time passed leisurely, peacefully.
He lay on a sandy beach. Nobody else was there; the only sounds were the waves and chirps of seabirds.
“…This is seriously dangerous,” Ryner Lute said, his laziness easily reaching his voice. His dark hair was messy from sleep, and for some reason his tall and lanky body wore the white armor and navy blue robe of Roland’s Magical Knights. “Isn’t this like, seriously dangerous?”
Apparently it was seriously dangerous.
His partner in crime turned back to face him, her long golden hair and porcelain skin catching in the light. She had blue eyes and long eyelashes, too - everything about her was overwhelmingly beautiful, perfectly beautiful, like a fairy…
And yet that beauty of hers… was most of all like a well-made doll’s. Her face was expressionless. Doll-like. Cold, inhuman beauty, like she was a doll whose maker had forgotten to add a heart.
But Ryner knew her. He knew the true Ferris Eris.
She’d been walking across the beach alone for a while now, chasing the waves as they drew in and out while avoiding getting wet. But when Ryner spoke to her, she lost focus and ended up losing to a wave… So she turned her pretty, emotionless face to him and spoke clearly.
“I’ll kill you.”
“Please don’t.”
Ryner was already used to her threats by now.
Ferris stared at Ryner for some time, then looked up at the sunny and warm sky and nodded. “Hm.”
Apparently they were in agreement. But it was hard to understand exactly what they were agreeing about.
Ferris soon looked back to Ryner. “So? What’s so dangerous?”
“Hm? Oh. See, I just made an amazing discovery.”
“A discovery?”
“Yeah. A discovery. It’s so grand that you could even call it the truth of this world. I’m like a genius now. This discovery can solve literally any problem. That’s how much of a genius I am. Wanna hear my discovery?”
“Hm. Try me.”
Ryner pointed up towards the sky. “Look up. What do you see?”
Ferris earnestly looked to the sky. “What are you asking for?”
“It’s sunny, right?” Ryner prompted.
“Yes. It’s sunny.”
“And it’s blue.”
“Mm.”
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
“Mm.”
“And the calm sound of waves against the sand… It all feels so good that I just want to laze around forever and nap. I could melt right into the beach like this, you know?”
Ferris tilted her head like she didn’t understand. “Really?”
“Anyway, let’s go over what happened. So we left Arua and Kuku with Iris, and then you suddenly said ‘You’re finally used to being alone with me! ♡’ …Remember?”
“I don’t.”
“Liar! The second I heard it I was like, ‘Oh great, my personal hell starts now…’”
By the way, this was how that conversation went.
“You’re finally used to being alone with me! ♡”
“…Huh? What? Why do you suddenly sound all girly?”
“Mm? Don’t love affairs always involve girls whose dialogue is written with hearts inside?”
“No, no, no. I have no idea what you’re talking about. What do you mean, love affairs?”
“Hm. You needn’t think so hard. We just need to make up for how far behind we’ve gotten. I’ve been thinking that we need to start seriously looking for the Heroic Relics again.”
“Huh? So how are you planning on getting back up to speed?” Ryner had asked.
“Mm. By picking up girls. It’s simple, isn’t it?”
Ryner scrunched his face up as he recalled that conversation. “And then you suddenly marched into Runa’s royal castle and seduced Runa’s princess to steal her Heroic Relic necklace, even though I told you it was useless. And then we were pointlessly driven out of mountains. And pointlessly climbed mountains. And pointlessly went without food. And pointlessly had to deal with those perverts from the neighboring Iyet Republic. And then we didn’t even get the relic in the end because we were washed away in the flooded ocean, and it was lost at sea… and after everything we’re somehow back in Roland, and in your territory to boot. See? I’ve really discovered the truth.”
“Mm? What are you trying to say?”
“It’s like, we’ve been so busy over the past few months, but what have we even accomplished?”
Ferris tilted her head. “Are we done?”
“We’ve gotta be. I mean, think about it like this. If we’d come back to Roland with Arua and then spent the past two months vacationing and napping on this warm beach, the result would have been the exact same. Isn’t that amazing?”
“…So in summary, life is pointless.”
“…You shouldn’t say it like that…”
Ferris nodded. “In any case, that is an amazing truth.”
“Riiight? So going from that, why do we keep needing to do these pointless things? We need to think about the culprit here.”
Ferris thought for a moment, her expressionless eyes closing. Then she hit her hand on her palm. “Him. The one who said that you need to keep moving because you can’t commit multiple sexual assaults in one place.”
“Exactly!” Ryner said, nodding enthusiastically. “Sion got ahold of our weaknesses just so he could send us on a wild goose chase after those relics! He’s the one who gave the order for us to do all of this!”
He’d completely ignored her bait…
“…B, bastard,” Ferris said. She moved her hand to the sword at her waist.
“Look, I’m just tired of that subject,” Ryner said.
“……!?”
Ferris’ expression crashed down.
“Hm? Does that come as a shock to you?” Ryner asked, smiling.
Ferris was strangely flustered. “M, mm. Um… Well… r-right! Y-you bastard! What are you thinking bringing me to a deserted island like this!?”
“…Seriously, can we just get back to the original topic…?”
“I-I know better!” Ferris said. She sounded stressed. “I read about it at the library recently: ‘Rape in a deserted island’s classroom. The men go on an instinctual rampage at their deserted island’s academy—’”
“Why the hell is there an academy on their deserted island!? And more importantly, why was that in a library!?”
The tide came in as Ryner yelled. It tugged just so against the golden tips of Ferris’ hair, still shining in the sunlight. She looked positively triumphant. “Hm.”
“Hm!? What the hell does ‘hm’ mean!? Why do I feel like I just lost!?”
“You always lose. Because you’re a loser.”
“…Augh… For some reason I feel really pointlessly frustrated… but it’s fine if you’re satisfied, I guess… anyway, can we continue our original conversation now?”
Ferris stepped out of the water and back to the sand. “I understand what you’re trying to say. You want to do something about the king.”
“Yeah! That’s right! He’s obviously behind everything, right? He makes every day so full of hardship…”
“Mm. And he took my beloved dango shop hostage, threatening to destroy it if I didn’t listen to him… just how many women and children did he make cry by holding them hostage…?”
“…Honestly, I don’t think many people would cry just because a dango shop’s been taken hostage… b, but anyway! It’s all his fault that I’ve had to go through all this effort!”
“Mhm!”
“Now how are we gonna tear ourselves from his spell?” Ryner asked.
“We assassinate him!”
“Spot on!”
They easily agreed on a plan of action. Well, they’d agreed on it countless times before too, but now they were finally back in Roland, with their solution in reach…
This time was different. Ryner jumped up, brimming with motivation. “I’m serious this time! Let’s head for the castle and kill Sion!”
“Mm. Let’s kill him,” Ferris said, as expressionless as ever. But she seemed more dangerous than usual.
Her face was expressionless. Emotionless. Everyone said that.
But… when he looked at her expressionless face, Ryner managed a little smile. He’d realized that she wasn’t that expressionless after in over the past few months. Maybe others didn’t see it. Maybe they all saw her as someone who was beautiful as a fairy, sure, but under it all a soulless doll.
But when he saw her he smiled.
Day after day.
Figuring out her expression was like a hard pop quiz, but when he got the right answer, he smiled just so.
Right now, she was having fun.
Maybe it was because of the cloudless blue sky, or maybe it was the nostalgia of being in Eris land that she’d grown up around. Or maybe it was because of their conversation…
In any case, she was enjoying herself.
Once again, when he looked at her he could see that, something that others couldn’t…
“Aww, man… these past few months really were a waste. All it’s done is made me exhausted,” Ryner said.
Ferris was already making her way towards their destination. But she turned back to face him. “What’s wrong? Hurry up. We need to save the country.”
“…Well… it might not’ve been that pointless after all,” Ryner said, smiling wryly. He followed her away from the beach.
Their destination was the Roland Empire’s royal palace to assassinate their heinous king, Sion Astal.
---
There, everyone lived as if in a dream.
The lived to find the meaning of living. They lived to find value in living.
And so that country began to really change. It started to back when a new king was enthroned.
The new king… wasn’t just a king. He was also a hero, a great hero who saved his country all by himself.
Sion Astal held all the qualities necessary to a king at the young age of nineteen.
He was powerful, charming, and even looked the part of a king. He had plenty of accomplishments to show for his ability, too.
He changed the country that’d existed under royal tyranny for the sake of noble pleasure.
Sion, an illegitimate son of the king, flew threw military ranks after his great accomplishments in the Roland-Estabul war, then dethroned the previous king. He successfully annexed the Kingdom of Estabul and pursued friendly relations with neighboring Imperial Nelpha.
As for the alliance with the Runa Empire… He confronted their wicked nobility and set their evil ways straight.
He did it all with the utmost skill. That’s what everyone thought.
They really thought… that he was a hero, an ideal king, the hero they’d been wishing for and waiting for.
“…That’s right,” Sion whispered to himself, smiling. “I am an ideal king.”
He had long silver hair and a symmetrical face. Most of all, he had willful golden eyes that could prove to anyone that he was fit to rule.
He was the most noble and precious person in all of Roland. So he smiled, brimming with self-confidence.
Sion faced a young man who might not’ve even reached twenty years of age yet, a subordinate he wasn’t yet familiar with. “So?”
His subordinate looked like he was dreaming. “Regarding the floods to the north…”
Sion already knew how to answer just from that. “Ah, I’ve entrusted that matter to Calne, so please speak to him about it. He’ll be the best one to ask about the budget, too. Oh, and also, your report was really easy to read. Sorry it took me so long to get to it.”
“N-not at all, it was all very streamlined,” his subordinate said, flustered. “Such words of praise are wasted on me. N, now then, I’ll…”
His subordinate bowed. Sion nodded. With that, his subordinate made his leave… but he turned back halfway to speak again.
“Oh, er, um, please allow me to speak.”
With just that, Sion knew what would follow.
“I-I am very happy working for Your Majesty’s sake. I can feel that my life is worthwhile this way. Your Majesty understands and thinks about the whole country, even to the most remote of rural regions…”
He truly looked as if he was dreaming as he gazed at Sion. So Sion smiled. “Thank you. I have good subordinates, too.”
His subordinate bowed once more, on the verge of tears, and left the room.
Sion smiled again. “So if it’s for the sake of your ideal king, your life is worthwhile… is it?”
He was smiling, yes… but it was one of self-deprecation.
His subordinate saw him as a dream. He saw him as an ideal. As perfection. As someone who he could depend on to lead their country down the correct path.
Sion had a subordinate who dreamed of him like that before, too. One who felt his life was worthwhile serving Sion.
Fiole Folkal.
He dreamed of Sion, of the country Sion would make, of his little sister, and in the end he was left dead and in pieces because of some nobles who held a grudge against Sion.
“……”
Fiole probably would have said that his life was worthwhile if it was for Sion, too. Just like the subordinate who’d just left.
If it was for a perfect country made by a perfect king.
If it was for a country where no one was hurt.
If it was for a country where everyone could smile.
“…And for that sake, I’m supposed to weigh the lives of people who say that I give their lives meaning…”
He doubted that there was anything he could do about that.
“Haha…”
He killed the nobility for the sake of a country where no one was hurt. Because it was necessary.
He killed the rebelling soldiers of Estabul to create a country where everyone could smile. Because it was necessary.
He’d kill from now on, too. He’d kill and kill.
And yet.
This country wouldn’t become ‘good’ on casualties alone.
Which lives were heavier? Which lives were more precious?
He had to calculate that so that even more people could die.
It was because Sion became king that they would die. Because the country got bigger, it had bigger countries to compete with and required more casualties.
And yet everyone fancied him a perfect king.
“Hahaha…”
They seriously thought that he was a king who didn’t hurt anyone, a king who would create a country full of nothing but smiles.
He was a king who killed people to save a country.
“What a farce…”
Even if he killed the nobility, the mastermind behind their actions wouldn’t show their face.
Even Imperial Nelpha, which he’d worked to get on good terms with, would soon become chaotic. He didn’t know what would happen to their ally the Runa Empire from here on out, either.
The entire continent of Menoris was at the point where a massive war was inescapable.
The great northern country of Stohl had been annihilated by a new country called Gastark.
Normally something like that could never happen. But it did. A small country like Gastark transformed and destroyed a massive power.
Were they blessed beyond belief with a wonderful king…?
In any case, Gastark’s antagonism didn’t stop with Stohl.
It continued to expand south. Because countries were afraid of them, they strengthened their military defenses, linking the continent together by fear. And it was precisely because of that fear that the continent would soon turn into a battlefield.
Sion was making every effort to overcome the current situation.
Wasn’t there a way to minimize the tragedies that had to occur?
Wasn’t there some way to end tensions without fighting?
No… the world wouldn’t allow that.
The more they protected themselves to avoid a fight, the more the people of other countries feared Roland. It was the same as with Gastark. The more powerful they became, the more others feared them.
People in other countries wondered if Roland, which had recently annexed Estabul, might not come for their country next.
But things like that were necessary for Roland to make it, weren’t they?
The most powerful country in Southern Menoris wasn’t Gastark. It was Roland.
So what could really stop them…
Sion shook his head.
“This is stupid. There are still other ways to do this…”
Sion sighed softly atop the cold throne. His eyes narrowed.
“That’s right. There are still other ways…”
He was getting ahead of himself. There were still things he had to do now. Reorganize Estabul’s armies, for one. There wasn’t much time left. They had to gather their power before the surrounding countries.
He’d sent Claugh to Estabul to organize their forces. There was also Estabul’s nobility to worry about. Sion might have to meet with them himself to get them to listen to what he had to say. But if all went well with integrating Estabul… then depending on the state of their magic research, they might be able to come out of it all with three times the power they’d started with.
If that ended up being the case, then Roland’s power would be overwhelming compared to their neighboring Nelpha and Runa… no, even compared to countries farther away like Cassla…
And if that happened, then they might be able to get those countries to cooperate before it ever came to war. Perhaps…
Sion’s thoughts trailed off as he noticed a dark shadow at the entrance to the room. He looked up to see a man with beautiful, pitch black long hair. He had a dainty, model-thin build and wore an unusual black ring on his beautiful fingers. But more than anything, when one looked at him his icy, deep blue eyes caught their attention. They were cold and cutting, seeming to look down on everything. Right now they were watching Sion.
“I have just returned, Your Majesty,” Froaude said. His voice was, as expected, cold and detached.
“Froaude… I’ve been waiting for you,” Sion said quietly.
Lieutenant General Miran Froaude. He was the most conspicuous of Sion’s retainers. He’d been employed into Sion’s service not because he wanted to look after Roland, but because he wanted Sion to conquer all of Menoris to create a Great Roland Empire from which he ruled. He said he’d take care of all the dark and dirty jobs himself in order to reach that goal.
And Froaude did do exactly what he said he’d do. He baited Estabul’s nobility into a rebellion and then killed them…. and even slaughtered the powerful nobility who opposed Sion within Roland, including his own father, Marquess Froaude.
Froaude’s methods were, first and foremost, efficient. Effective. How dirty they were didn’t matter to him. That was just how he did things.
Those who had been loyal to Sion for longer hated how Froaude did things. No, anyone would hate them if they saw him working… even if the people saw it, they’d surely sneer in disgust.
But Sion accepted his plans. Because he knew that they were as efficient as possible.
Sion calculated the value of lives… and chose the most efficient methods possible to deal with his problems, all while making excuses that they were the best methods. That he wasn’t wrong… that he was certainly on the path with the fewest sacrifices…
But… who was he even making excuses for?
Froaude approached slowly. For some reason he looked concerned. “Your complexion is a bit poor… Have you not worked a bit too hard in my absence, Your Majesty?”
What an admirable thing to say. Sion smiled. “Would you serve such a useless king?”
“It is because I understand that Your Majesty is able that I have given my life to serve you. However, you are too able… to the point where your body is unable to keep up with you.”
“Hm. That doesn’t really sound like praise.”
Froaude smiled faintly. “That is because I didn’t intend it as such. Taking care of your health is also a duty of the king’s. That and having a successor.”
Sion shrugged. “I don’t have so much free time that I feel the need to get married.”
“You don’t particularly need to be married to have chil—”
“Ugh, I’m tired of that convers—”
“There are a great many women who admire Your Majesty, correct? I am sure that it is due to the fact that you are a heroic king. Even many noble women—”
“I said—”
“And so I have selected several—”
“Froaude!!” Sion yelled.
That finally shut him up for a moment. Froaude stared unblinkingly at Sion with those cold eyes of his. “Ah… your complexion has finally improved. I am relieved.”
This guy…
Sion sighed. “Were you making fun of me just for that?”
“I was imitating the inane banter typical of Marshal Claugh Klom,” Froaude said, his tone just as detached as always.
“I really don’t need you copying anyone,” Sion said, grimacing.
But Froaude looked serious. “But the fact that Marshal Claugh Klom is not currently by your side is quite major.”
“Mm? What does that mean?”
“Naturally what I am trying to say is that it is necessary for there to be a sort of carefree atmosphere surrounding Your Majesty. Otherwise there are times where you torment yourself with worry.”
“……”
Sion scowled.
He could recall many times where that had happened…
“I have taken it upon myself to research this… and it seems that things that help with mental fatigue are going out with friends… or even the companionship of women, and if that is something that you would like, I have found four—”
“I told you to drop that!” Sion yelled. “I swear. You’re this late coming back because you went and researched that sort of worthless thing, aren’t you?”
Froaude had been in Runa on Sion’s orders for the past few months. His first duty was to confirm the state of Roland’s alliance with the Runa Empire. Accumulating power within Roland to avoid being engulfed in the flames of war was critical. Then Runa and Nelpha should gather enough power to oppose foreign countries too…
However.
“Runa and Gastark have joined hands…”
“You’re kidding!” Sion said. “That shouldn’t have happened… are you sure?”
It that was true, then the situation would rapidly change.
The situation in Runa was tense, yes. But the fact that Froaude, who had been acting as an ambassador to Runa, returned meant that the situation wasn’t so tense that it could crumble at any moment.
No… this was crazy.
No matter how strong Gastark and even Stohl were, they were still countries that existed far, far away in the extreme north of the continent. It shouldn’t have been beneficial for Runa to betray Roland, the nearest threat to itself, for Gastark…
“Naturally there has not been an official announcement or anything of the sort regarding Runa and Gastark’s alliance,” Froaude continued.
“Obviously.”
There was no way that’d happen.
Even if it turned out that the ones who had really allied with Gastark in Runa were those who were working against the king… they still shouldn’t turn on Roland in order to foster a relationship with Gastark. That was ridiculous.
But…
Sion scowled.
The situation was pretty bad.
Froaude had gone to the Runa Empire in order to confirm the state of their alliance with Roland. No matter how they saw Roland then, they thought that a show of Roland’s power would be enough to set them straight.
He already knew that Runa’s nobles had cooperated with Roland’s nobility in order to assassinate Sion. So he had Froaude straighten that out in Runa, too.
That was all Froaude was supposed to do in Runa. And yet he’d been gone for two whole months. He had regularly communicated that he was still investigating the situation in Runa, but…
Sion had calmed down a bit, so he decided to ask about it. “So what’s with Runa’s king? Did he at least claim that he’d like to continue our alliance?”
Froaude shook his head. “I was unable to meet with Runa’s king. He was, according to the princess, travelling abroad…”
“Abroad… and not in Roland, I’d say. Nelpha or Cassla, then?”
“No…”
“Then where?”
“Runa,” Froaude said easily. “According to my investigation he is closed up in a castle within Runa. Apparently he is being threatened by envoys from Gastark…”
Froaude then looked a bit confused as he continued.
“…But what does that really mean? Envoys from Gastark came all the way to Runa, and were able to successfully threaten them without the use of an army… is that truly possible?”
Sion was at a loss for words.
Gastark’s envoys…
One had appeared before Sion, too. At the time his guard Lucile had easily repelled them, but… the power they’d used was far from normal. They’d made countless electric beasts appear to kill Sion with, a feat impossible in the current state of magic research, which meant… that it was the power of a Heroic Relic. Heroic Relics could use magic that far exceeded what regular spells could do.
They were what Ryner and Ferris were out searching for. But if possible, Sion would like to avoid using them himself. Ryner and Ferris’ information proved that they were too strong of a power. Perhaps it was even best to call them a demonic power… a power too great to be used by mere humans.
Many people died when Heroic Relics were used. So, so many people, to the point that they were no different from trash in the eyes of the relics.
It was the same as back then, when Ryner’s Alpha Stigma had gone berserk, annihilating Estabul’s Magical Knights with ease. It was true that it ended up being the route of least sacrifices when it came to ending the war. But… it wasn’t the kind of thing that one could let happen over and over again.
And yet… there was a country out there that was doing just that. But he’d already known that…
Ryner and Ferris had sent word that they’d fought people using that kind of overwhelming power several times already. But he couldn’t ensure that that information was correct quite yet. Because he couldn’t ensure that their information was accurate and completely honest yet.
At one point Froaude had reported people who fit the description of Ryner and Ferris fighting, and Iris’ drawings had all but confirmed that…
So Sion did get that they had fought people who used Heroic Relics in Runa. They also said that they claimed to be from Gastark… so Sion could see that Gastark was using Heroic Relics to fight. That using them to fight was what the world was coming to.
Even so, Sion didn’t want to use them.
If both sides in a war used that power… they could destroy the whole world.
He knew that. So he couldn’t keep following Ryner’s report. It wouldn’t lead to peace at all. It’d just cause the downfall of the world.
Anyone who came face to face with that power should understand that it was power that humans shouldn’t use. That was why Sion didn’t talk about the relics with Froaude. Why he didn’t really talk about them with any of his retainers.
Of course, Roland had to use them if other countries were using them. For defense. That was why he’d wanted to collect them, but…
Sion’s eyes narrowed. “Power strong enough to threaten Runa’s king, huh. How many died for that? The soldiers protecting him…”
Froaude’s dark eyes stared into him. “Every single soldier protecting the king, apparently…”
Sion understood what he meant even without him directly saying it. They’d been slaughtered by Gastark’s envoys…
“And so the problem unfolds,” Froaude continued. “My information claims that Gastark has been using strange magic against Stohl.”
“Strange magic?”
“Yes. And that magic… though it sounds unbelievable… with one cast, it apparently wiped out Stohl’s large-scale magic and killed nearly one hundred thousand troops…”
“……”
Sion was left speechless.
One hundred thousand people. One spell could kill one hundred thousand people…
So that was where the world stood now.
Froaude spoke as he continued to stare at Sion. “If that information should in fact be the truth, then it is unlikely that the information regarding Gastark’s envoys in Runa is false.”
“……”
“And if that is the case, then the situation is quite dire. It would mean that we must promptly find a way to defend ourselves against that strange magic.”
“…I know that,” Sion said quietly.
But Froaude didn’t stop talking. His cold-hearted eyes kept staring at Sion as he continued. “Runa is not the only country that we must pay additional attention to. Nelpha is also a concern. It is best for us to invade them before Gastark’s threats turn to invasions into the south of the continent…”
“I know that!” Sion shouted.
Froaude bowed. “Before that… please rest, Your Majesty. There is still time. If we understand the situation before they take action… then there are many ways that we might fight. In any case, we may continue our conversation regarding Runa another time…”
With that, Froaude turned on his heel to leave.
Sion watched his back as he left. Sion knew that what lay before his eyes had become pitch black.
Insane countries. An insane world.
It was a world he knew well. Because that was the world that Roland was a part of before he became king.
Insane countries in an insane world.
Of course people would go mad too, if given insane powers…
Froaude was right. There were still things they could do. But…
Sion groaned quietly, so that no one else would hear.
---
“……”
Since the beginning… that’s what he thought. That the world was always mad since its very beginning.
At the very least, the world he’d always seen was mad.
The parents he was born to. The father who raised him. This country called Roland. Those things called ‘people,’ lost entirely in their own greed…
“Of course, that includes me as well…”
That was what Froaude thought as he slowly left the throne room, a faint smile on his face.
But he didn’t think there was anything strange about that. That was how humans were made to be. They devoured countless others in order to live.
But the fact that they were also people wasn’t nearly enough. They must be better than themselves. They must devour those better than themselves.
But that wasn’t enough.
Better clothes… weren’t enough.
Better houses… weren’t enough.
They wanted more, more, more, more.
More, more, more, more.
They wanted as if want was their duty. They went mad with desire.
But Froaude thought that was fine. Because that was the natural form that living took.
Wanting a better life… a better country… a better king…
And then Froaude found the best king of all.
He was the least greedy of all. The kindest of all. The weakest of all.
He was truly wonderful.
He was certainly the king that Froaude desired.
Just imagining the country he’d rule made Froaude’s body numb.
Just imagining the world he’d rule made his whole body shiver.
Just how wonderful would that world be?
It would definitely be a country where no one was hurt. One where no one screamed or cried. A perfect, peaceful country, overflowing with kindness.
That was the sort of country it’d be.
It’d be a mad world, overflowing with hypocrisy and deceit.
And… and to him…
To him…
“……”
Froaude’s deep blue eyes narrowed.
They narrowed, narrowed, narrowed, sharpened…
And yet in some respects, he was in a trance…
“But… His Majesty is too kind for that goal…”
Froaude turned his eyes to the problem before them once more.
The most pressing matter was the Runa Empire. Past that was Gastark.
He had checked his king for a reaction earlier. He was aware that Gastark had Heroic Relics, likely due to the Alpha Stigma bearer who had written that report… aware due to information from Ryner Lute.
Despite knowing about the relics, he did not speak of them to Froaude… or even his other retainers…
“…He really is too kind…”
It was precisely because of that sweetness of his that Froaude obeyed him. But that sweetness meant that becoming dictator of all Menoris would be unbearable for him.
The fight with Gastark, which used Heroic Relics, was beginning.
The current situation was not particularly desirable.
He had fought Sui and Kuu, who had full command over the relics, in Runa. Seeing them then had been a bit of a shock.
Froaude looked at his own strange black ring. “To think that there were other ones… Heroic Relics… or Rule Fragments, as they call them in Gastark. And there is even that power that the king of Gastark used to slaughter so many…”
Froaude couldn’t help but smile. It was a dark, cold smile, like that of a demon’s.
“To use a power like that… What exactly does Gastark’s king plan on doing with the world? What does he dream of? To use that great power of his to control the world… and create a peaceful world with no wars?”
Just saying it made him laugh.
“Fuah… hahahah… Interesting. That’s why this world is so interesting. I can’t think of it as anything but mad…”
To think that the word ‘peace’ would come from the mouth of someone who’d killed one hundred thousand people. And passionately, at that.
Gastark in the north and Roland in the south… who would be left alive at the end of it all? Or would both sides end each other? Or would the whole continent go to ruin?
That wouldn’t happen.
That definitely wouldn’t happen.
Gastark had made a major mistake in raising a hand against Roland so soon. It caused Froaude to realize something. That they had many ways to deal with this, both against Gastark and against Runa. And then his king realized it, too. No, he’d surely realized it all along.
When he realized that Gastark was using relics… No, when Froaude and Ryner Lute fought… no, even sooner than that…?
Since it was him, the possibility surely swam around in his head the moment he read Ryner Lute’s report. And then he ignored it. Because he was kind, and because he thought of what would happen to the world if he used demonic powers…
Where had that sweetness of his been born from?
What made him weak?
What clouded his eyes?
What supported his heart?
“First…”
He’d erase Ryner Lute…
“No,” Froaude said quietly and shook his head.
Ryner Lute had returned to Roland, according to his information. So getting rid of him was simple. But there was no meaning to it. If he died now, he would only become more endearing to the king, and that would be troublesome. He needed to be distanced from His Majesty in a more natural way.
So how?
It wouldn’t be difficult. Froaude had fought Ryner Lute once, and reported the event to Sion. But Ryner Lute did not do the same. He had found Froaude’s dark ring to be too dangerous…
Those bonds were indefinite and would easily fade.
Froaude closed his eyes for a moment.
“The bonds that tie them…”
The bonds to keep Ryner Lute tied to him…
Milk Callaud, or even Luke Stokkart, or Rahel Miller.
There were plenty of things he could do. They were joined together by many hands.
“Now then… where should I cut those ties?” Froaude whispered happily.