CH 131

Chapter 131: A Change in Perspective with a Single Thought

His Majesty in front of me smiled slyly, while I struggled to hold myself together despite feeling my body crumbling.

“As for the future of the nation, I am willing to provide advice. You can consult with me anytime,” he said.

“O-Your Majesty, I’m afraid… I cannot fulfill such a role. I respectfully decline,” I blurted out unintentionally. The surroundings grew incredibly restless, but I paid no mind to that. Who would willingly become a king or anything of the sort?

“As modest as ever, Honorable Marquis. Ah, there’s no need to say it. It must be because of your wife, Ricolette. Rest assured, I have already had a talk with Ricolette. She is well aware of this reward,” he stated.

What? Ricolette is aware too? I haven’t heard a single word about this. What does this mean?

“I regret to inform you that I haven’t discussed this with my wife yet… For my wife to become the prime minister…” I hesitated.

His Majesty’s expression changed abruptly.

“This is my fault! Indeed, Ricolette is in a position to become the queen. It’s unheard of for the queen to also be the prime minister. I have made an error. Hahaha!” His Majesty burst into laughter. The nobles around him also joined in the laughter. Amidst the commotion, His Majesty left the scene.

“Becoming a king… Quite an accomplishment, isn’t it?” Raisen next to me stared at me with bitterness. I don’t know. It’s not what I wished for. It’s a nuisance for me too, and I glare back at him.

I turn around and look at Ricolette. She wears a face full of apology and avoids making eye contact with me. Why, Ricolette? You should know better than anyone that I don’t want any of this.

I attempt to approach Ricolette. At that moment, one of the Royal Guards securing the venue calls out to me from behind.

“Lord Honorable Marquis, His Majesty is summoning you.”

I glare at the soldier. However, there’s nothing that will change by glaring at him. I gather myself and follow the soldier to confront His Majesty and express my discontent.

“You’ve been through a lot,” His Majesty speaks with a smile.

“Your Majesty! What was that all about?” I demand.

“Please excuse me. Lady Ricolette has arrived.”

Ricolette enters the room with a face full of apology.

“Ricolette! Why?” I question.

“…I’m sorry.”

Ricolette had a face on the verge of tears.

“Well, Lord Linos, please have a seat. It may be too late to blame Ricolette once you hear me out,” His Majesty said with a smile.

Reluctantly, I took a seat on the chair placed in front of His Majesty. Ricolette also sat on the adjacent chair.

“Now… where should I begin? Well, in short, making Lord Linos the King of Juka is just right for the Empire,” he stated.

“Just right?” I questioned.

“Think about it. The Empire is the one that captured the capital of Juka. Can we just abandon the capital?” he asked.

“…”

“When a country is annexed, it’s common to kill the king and their entire family. However, Juka is different. It has already been devastated by Laramon once, and Laramon has been defeated, including those who caused the internal strife in Juka. And it was done by our Empire and Lord Linos,” he explained.

“Even so, that doesn’t mean I…”

“Well, listen. We considered establishing a puppet regime in Juka, but that would require prior arrangements. We didn’t have time for that during this invasion. In that case, someone needs to be sent from the Empire to manage it.”

Ricolette gently held my hand while looking down.

“Nobles are only concerned with protecting their own families. Regardless of which noble family is appointed, they will undermine each other. However, with Lord Linos, that problem can be solved. After all, you have no ties to the Empire’s nobility. Furthermore, you personally captured the capital with a small army and revived Krumfar and the Niza Principality. …Well, I don’t have to hide it. It’s an appreciation for your skill in using those retainers. With those achievements, the Empire’s nobles should be satisfied with this reward,” His Majesty continued.

He took a deep breath and continued speaking.

“I recommended Ricolette as the Prime Minister because I believe she is the most trustworthy person and suitable right-hand for Lord Linos. And there’s Layfence. That man has exceptional talent for organizing military structures. I can say that he is the man I trust the most within the Empire. I will entrust him to Lord Linos. Leave the military matters to him. Although he was once betrayed by his subordinates, he has been flawless since then. In other words, the greatest reward for Lord Linos is Layfence,” he explained.

“But I don’t want to be a king or anything like that…”

“Lord Linos doesn’t need to take action. The key is how you are carried. It seems that Lord Linos has attracted good talent. Perhaps, with Lord Linos in Juka, good talent will gather there,” he said.

“Oh, come on…”

“We will spare no support in terms of personnel, money, and resources. As I mentioned earlier, feel free to make use of the Empire’s talent. Krumfar can remain as it is,” he assured.

“I seem to have no veto power in this, do I?”

“Well, yes. The Empire needs you to accept this reward. With Lord Linos in Juka, we can show internally and externally that the Empire has annexed Juka. Moreover, my brother-in-law will be in power. The Empire’s territory will expand significantly, and its prestige will rise. Not to mention, the Niza Principality, sandwiched between the two countries, will have no more worries and can focus on its reconstruction. And it will pose a significant threat to Laramon in the south. Strategically, it’s a kill two birds with one stone, or even three birds,” His Majesty explained.

Rico’s grasp on my hand grows stronger. Rico, it hurts.

“As for Juka, you can do as you please, Lord Linos. Well, I would like you to visit the imperial capital a few times a year. Lord Linos, I believe you won’t engage in unreasonable politics, and you will help rebuild the devastated country. If there’s anything I can do, I will do it. What do you think?”

“Linos…”

Rico, with tears in her eyes, speaks to me.

“If Linos is here, I truly believe we can create a country where people can live happily. When I first heard this proposal from my older brother, I immediately refused. But upon further consideration, I realized that with Linos, we can create a country where humans, beastmen, monsters, nobles, soldiers, artisans, merchants… everyone can live happily. Surely, Mei, Gon, Peyris, Ferris, Luala, Kunogen, and others… everyone will support Linos.”

“But… I’m not confident.”

“I am so happy to be married to Linos. I’m certain everyone who lives together will feel the same. How wonderful it would be to create such a happy country… I understand it’s an idealistic notion. It might fail. But…”

“Alright, I understand.”

The king suddenly raises his voice.

“If anything happens in Juka, I will take full responsibility. However, only as long as both I and Prime Minister Gremont are alive. Linos, haven’t you told me before? Don’t succumb to anxiety. You must be assertive, right?”

With a mischievous smile, the king continues.

“If you fail, deal with it when the time comes. Just think about it then. Opportunities to become a king don’t come by easily, you know? If not now, when? While there are many people in the world who want to become kings but can’t, Linos, you have obtained that opportunity. Don’t you want to make the most of it? It all depends on your perspective.”

“I… didn’t expect to receive such a lecture from Your Majesty.”

“…Are you willing to accept the offer of becoming king?”

“I don’t have the right to refuse, do I? In that case, I have no choice but to do it.”

“In that case, it’s settled!”

The king stands up and urges me to accompany him back to the banquet hall.

“Let me introduce you all again. This is the new king of Juka, Basam Daake Linos. From now on, the Empire and Juka will not have a subservient relationship but will treat each other as equals, like brothers. He is my brother-in-law, so I ask all of you to help him.”

The attending nobles bow respectfully.

“New King, I cannot contain my joy to stand by your side at the beginning of this new country. I will dedicate my life to serving you.”

Layfence steps forward, kneeling before me and bowing his head. I haven’t decided to accept him yet, but as I contemplate, the elderly general lifts his face, smirks at me, and winks.

“General, I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Hah!”

His voice is still as impressive as ever. And beside the old general, Rico has quietly appeared.

“My husband and our new King, I pledge my life to serve you.”

“Everyone, tonight is a joyous feast. Enjoy yourselves to the fullest!”

The resounding voice of the King echoed through the expansive party venue.

“…I wonder if everything will really be okay.”

I mutter to myself inside the carriage on the way back to the mansion. Today, I didn’t use Ilymo and instead opted for a carriage sent from the Imperial Palace. After the relentless sales pitch from the Empire’s nobles, it was a struggle to escape. If Rico hadn’t handled it skillfully, I would have gone insane.

“It will be alright, I’m sure.”

Rico grips my hand.

“…Have you come to dislike me?”

“There’s no way. I can’t live without you, Rico.”

“That goes for me as well.”

“I don’t know what will happen from now on, but we have no choice but to do our best. Why is it that I seem to attract trouble?”

“I will protect you from all that trouble, Linos.”

“That’s reassuring. I’m really glad you’re my wife, Rico.”

“I’m glad you’re my husband too, Linos.”

I squeeze Rico’s hand once again. And as we continue to hold hands, we arrive at the mansion.

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T/N: And this is the end of the Lamaron and Juka invasion arc, we continue to a new arc and a new empire is introduced. Thanks for reading.