/
Chapter 171
The King's Decision
Translated by AmaLynne
At the royal palace during the night, King Clyde’s study was occupied by him and the Sword Saint, Amemiya Kurando.
Kurando, now neatly dressed, bore no trace of the wounds he had received from Sam, thanks to Magnolia’s healing. However, his left arm was missing.
“Kurando, you didn’t let Magnolia attach your arm?”
Clyde addressed his friend, who knelt down and hung his head in a mixture of exasperation and sadness.
“I don’t have the right to do that.”
“I’m aware of everything that’s happened. When I heard that you were going to duel with Sam, I couldn’t believe what madness had taken over you. But to think your daughter was taken hostage
 Those Michel people, engaging in such pointless actions.”
“I apologize.”
“Absolutely. At least if you had consulted me, your friend—no, the fact that my daughter was taken hostage complicates matters.”
Clyde sympathized with Kurando. He felt indebted to the former head, Mendes, and Kurando had been devoted to the Michel family. However, the results were far from satisfactory.
Simultaneously, Clyde’s anger grew towards the Michel family for using his dear friend.
Michel Misery was already in custody.
She had witnessed her son, who lost both arms, causing a commotion and fainting in the process.
After questioning several of the Michel family’s servants, they determined which of the Amemiya house’s servants had been involved.
However, it turned out that those informants within the Amemiya household had been coerced by the Michel family, who held their families hostage.
Though the informants didn’t want to participate in acts like kidnapping Kotomi, they had no choice when their families’ lives were threatened.
Given these mitigating circumstances, the intention was not to harshly punish them.
“You no longer feel indebted to the Michel family?”
“I’m grateful to Mendes-sama. However, I’ve fulfilled my debt.”
“Indeed. Mendes won’t have any complaints. In fact, he might regret not cutting ties with that family sooner.”
“Perhaps. Still, I couldn’t have done it.”
“Foolish, but typical of you.”
Clyde knew well that Kurando was a person of strong principles, for better or worse. He couldn’t help but feel regret that if Kurando had been more diplomatic, they might have avoided this situation.
As a friend, he sympathized with Kurando, but as a king, he couldn’t avoid making judgments.
“Kurando. As of now, I’m revoking your title of Sword Saint.”
“Yes.”
“I’m well aware of the circumstances, but even so, I can’t condone this.”
“Of course.”
“While I won’t strip you of your title as nobility, given your long service to the nation, I suggest you spend your remaining days in peace.”
“I appreciate your mercy.”
One might think that these words sounded soft, but Clyde had already received a message via GĂŒnther, through Sam, requesting that he not treat Kurando too harshly.
Clyde also found Sam’s offer quite useful.
“I’ve heard there’s a suitable candidate for the next Sword Saint.”
“She’s still inexperienced, but I believe she’ll eventually become a better swordsman than I am.”
According to GĂŒnther’s report, it was Mizuki who prevented Kurando’s strike, intended to kill Sam.
This made the future look promising.
“If you have such an outstanding daughter, it’s unlikely the palace would recognize someone as mediocre as Julian Michel as the next Sword Saint.”
The ultimate decision lay with Clyde himself, as the king.
He had the profiles of the prospective Sword Saint candidates, but none seemed to possess the necessary skills to be a Sword Saint.
Especially Michel Julian, who had been considered a contender but was now known to have manipulated his profile, pointing to a connection to the Michel family.
The forger had already been apprehended, and testimony confirmed that they had been paid a substantial sum by Michel Misery to do so.
Furthermore, the Michel family had been involved in transmitting information between the noble and royal factions. Though this had only recently been discovered, the current incident had provided a perfect justification for their punishment.
“Even though you understood, you couldn’t refuse the Michel family’s request.”
“I couldn’t, Your Majesty.”
“Well, fine. First, confirm if your daughter, Amemiya Mizuki, is worthy of succeeding you as the next Sword Saint. Then we’ll decide if she becomes your successor. Until then, the position of the Sword Saint will remain vacant.”
“Yes.”
Clyde was well acquainted with Mizuki. He had held her in his arms when she was born, as the daughter of his friend.
“What about your daughters? I have no intentions of interfering with them. I’ve heard that your second daughter, Kotomi, will become Sam’s disciple. In that case, she can continue living as she has.”
“Thank you.”
“However, I’m considering arranging a marriage between Sam and Mizuki.”
“Your Majesty?”
“While I’ve tried to keep this incident as discreet as possible, it’s impossible to silence everyone in the palace.”
“You’re right.”
“Some nobles already know about this situation and have sent petitions, demanding not only the revocation of the Sword Saint’s title but also his execution.”
Among the nobles, there were many who didn’t hold favorable opinions of Kurando.
In light of the recent incident, there were those who saw this as an opportunity to criticize and condemn Kurando.
“Use Mizuki as a hostage and make her Sam’s wife.”
“Your Majesty, what does that mean?”
“It’s a way of ensuring you don’t repeat the same mistake. It’s a pretense, of course, but it’s also a message that there won’t be a second chance. Additionally, it’s to appease the other nobles.”
Although it was presented as a pretext, if Kurando were to repeat the same mistake, Clyde would have to hold Mizuki and Kotomi responsible.
However, he firmly believed that such a scenario wouldn’t occur.
Yet, even if Clyde believed this, those who held animosity toward Kurando wouldn’t be satisfied. To prevent them from condemning Kurando, Clyde decided to place Mizuki in Sam’s care, as a form of assurance.
Clyde knew that it was unfortunate to do this to Sam, but in case something happened, it would be reassuring to have someone capable of restraining Kurando and Mizuki nearby.
Of course, there would also be voices of dissent.
Currently, there were many voices calling for Sam to marry. Not just Sam, the kingdom’s most powerful mage, but also Countess Liselotte, Court Wizard Murasaki Hanae, and even Princess Stella. Many wanted to forge connections with him.
While Mizuki would initially be handed over to Sam as a hostage, if everything went well, she could become his wife, share love with him, and bear his children.
Certainly, there would be individuals who didn’t approve of this.
“I don’t want to lose a friend.”
“Your Majesty
”
“I still vividly remember when you saved my life on the battlefield. I also have memories of us staying up all night together, thinking about gifts for our wives. To me, you are an irreplaceable friend.”
“Your words are too kind.”
Ultimately, Clyde didn’t want to lose his dear friend.
“Although Sam might be inconvenienced, having more skilled and capable wives is a good thing. However, making such a decision without proper consultation might make some resent me. Moreover, it might make my daughters dislike me for increasing their prospective stepmothers.”
Knowing that Sam didn’t desire to have numerous wives, Clyde planned to apologize to him later.
“Now then, Kurando.”
“Yes.”
“Was Samuel Scheidt strong?”
“He was a very strong young man.”
Gunther had been quite agitated lately. Was there something going on?
“I’m not well-versed in magic, but I don’t think it’ll be long before he attains the title of the strongest wizard he aspires to be.”
“I see. I’m looking forward to the future of my honorary son.”
To be honest, Clyde hadn’t expected Sam to defeat Kurando.
While he knew that Sam possessed the strength to overcome dragons, he was unsure of how Sam would fare against a Wizard Slayer like Kurando, especially in a confined urban setting.
That’s why Gunther had been sent as a precaution, and Kuren was stationed near the estate. The reason the duel wasn’t stopped was to avoid cornering Kurando.
Clyde, who knew Kurando well, suspected that there was more to his actions than met the eye. The only thing Clyde could do was to ensure that neither of them died.
(If only I had learned about this a little earlier, I might have been able to prevent it
 But Sam was amazing. He overwhelmed Kurando, the strongest swordsman I know. I’m excited about their futures.)
However, the outcome of the duel was Sam’s victory.
Despite Kurando’s circumstances, he had stood up again. But the final result was Sam’s triumph.
This news surprised Clyde greatly.
He hadn’t intended for Sam to be killed, but he hadn’t expected him to win either.
In a way, he was grateful to Julian.
Thanks to him intervening, neither of them had lost. They had managed to minimize the damage.
“I should tell you one thing.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t allow you to commit suicide. Leaving the country is also forbidden. You will live on and, well, continue taking on disciples and nurturing them as before.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Sam doesn’t wish for you to be punished. It’s bold of you to be so resolute, even when your life was at risk. Be grateful to Sam and live on.”
Upon Clyde’s words, Kurando lowered his head deeply, so much so that his forehead touched the floor. It might have been an illusion, but his body seemed to tremble slightly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. And thank you, Samuel-kun.”