âToday, at noon, Raymondâs accession to the throne was announced.â
Marquis Heinlein reported to Abel in his office in Rune.
Alexis Heinlein.
He was once the Knight-Commander of the Kingdomâs Knight Order and was nicknamed âThe Demonâ for his stern nature.
However, he is said to excel in espionage and have a network of intelligence throughout the Kingdom.
His capital, Acre, is the largest in the south, and he is one of the leading nobles in the south, both in name and in reality.
His son, Phelps A. Heinlein, is a B-rank adventurer based in Rune city.
âOkay. Then, as planned, I will ascend to the throne in two days.â
Abel replied.
Not on the same day, but he deliberately waited two days.
In the meantime, theyâll wait for the information about Raymondâs accession to the throne to reach all the cities.
Abel will then ascend to the throne as well, overshadowing it.
Abelâs accession has already been arranged so that it will reach every city in the country on the same day.
Ryo was watching the top-level meeting in a well-behaved manner, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room instead of his usual sofa.
Alexis looked at Ryo and said, smiling.
âStill, having the infamous water-attribute magician, Ryo, as Master Abelâs bodyguard is very reassuring.â
âP-Please, you flatter meâŚâ
Ryo was embarrassed to be praised to his face by the Marquis, another famous former Knight-Commander.
âHe doesnât do anything most times though.â
Abel commented.
âRight, you also think you ought to be protected regularly right? Not to worry, I just need to put you on ice and youâre good. I assure you, no matter what comes flying at you, youâll still be kicking without feeling a thing.â
âHey, cut it out, you blockhead.â
Ryo said while nodding his head, and Abel immediately refused.
âThereâs no need to be shy, Abel.â
âRyo, donât you dare!â
Seeing the two of them, Alexis laughed out loud and said.
âWhen you say put him on ice, are you talking about the same threat you made toward Princess Fiona that caused the heated exchange between you and the Explosive Blaze Magician?â
âIâm amazed you even know about that.â
Abel was impressed with Heinleinâs information network, and Ryo could not say anything except to crack his mouth open in surprise.
Then Rin and Warren came in.
âAbel, weâre backâŚMarquis Heinlein? Itâs been a while.â
Rin greeted him in surprise, and Warren bowed his head firmly.
âOh. You must be Shookâs daughter. And WarrenâŚwell, long time no see.â
Warren smiled, which was unusual.
But the highlight of the day was yet to come.
The door slammed open.
âAbel, is Ryo hereâŚâ
A magician with an unkempt white beard and white hair came in without knocking.
âYou could at least knock before coming in, gramps.â
âWell, thatâs just like Lord Ilarion.â
Abel was exasperated and Alexis laughed sarcastically.
âOh, so the Demon is here as well. No, more importantlyâŚâ
âRyo, runââ
Ryo was in Ilarionâs sight, despite Rinâs heads up.
âYou must be Ryo.â
âYes, I am. Lord Ilarion.â
Ilarion confirmed, and Ryo nodded and waited for him to approach. Without running away.
Because Ryo also had many things he wanted to talk to Ilarion about.
âListen Ryo, I have something I want to talk to you about. May I?â
âI, too, would like to ask Lord Ilarion some questions about magic and to confirm some things.â
âPardon?â
Ilarion was a little surprised by Ryoâs reply.
Then he smiled happily.
Ilarion is a seeker of magic.
If so, there is nothing wrong with talking about magic.
âAbsolutely. Let us talk a great deal. Abel, get us something to drink, will ya.â
âOh Abel, I would like a cup of coffee.â
Ilarion demanded, and Ryo agreed.
âUh, you realize, Iâm the next king, rightâŚâ
âLooks like itâs going to take a while.â
Abel blurted out, followed by Alexis, with his mocking smile.
Rin watched from the side, a little shaken, hiding behind Warren.
âRyo sacrificed himself to masterâŚâ
Muttering such words.
âRyo, you said you had questions and something you wanted to confirm?â
âThatâs right. Lord Ilarion was investigating the magic of the Majin, ahâŚâ
After saying that much, he remembered that the subject was classified.
Back at the guild, Hugh practically chewed his ears off about itâŚbut looking at the present members, he thought it unnecessary.
Abel, the next king, Marquis Heinlein, who collects intel from all over the country, Rin and WarrenâŚboth of whom accompanied him on the investigationâŚ.
âMm-hmm, these are people we donât need to hide it from.â
Ilarion must have grasped it too. As he smiled and said so.
âYouâre right. So, as I was saying about the Majinâs magic, she floated in the sky.â
âApparently. I used a residual magic power detector to find out.â
Itâs an alchemical tool used in the investigation of the Great Tidal Bore in Rune city.
âThe magic power used wasnât that of wind attribute.â
âNo, it wasnât wind-attribute.â
âSo, a non-attribute then?â
Ilarion was surprised at Ryoâs conclusion.
Because none of his companions had been able to guess it, and no one but Ilarion had noticed it.
âExactly, itâs non-attribute. Ryo, you have something in mind, donât you?â
Ryo had no intention of hiding anything before Ilarionâs serious gaze, but that saidâŚit was a little difficult to explain.
How does one explain âanti-gravityâ.
First and foremost, most people would never think of the concept of âgravityâ.
They donât think that there is such a thing as âgravityâ just because an apple falls in front of their eyes.
âItâs hard to explain⌠but yes, there is a force at work on all things in the world⌠and itâs a magic based on that concept.â
âA force that works on all things in the world⌠hmm.â
Gravity is a force that works on everything on the planetâŚthat is true.
Ryo created a ball of ice and demonstrated to the audience by dropping it.
âEverything in this world falls.â
âMm-hmm.â
âThatâs because there is a force that pulls it down. It is a force that acts on everything.â
âA force that pulls it downâŚâ
Ilarion said this and went silent for a moment.
Abel and Alexis, who were listening at the side, also paused, tilting their heads.
They didnât seem to understand at all.
âI seeâŚâ
Ilarion muttered softly.
âI get it now, a force that pulls things down. Indeed, everything falls. Everything that is not magically generated.â
âAll that is not magically generatedâŚâ
After Ilarion had grasped something, this time, something came to Ryoâs mind.
Whether itâs about the ice spear that he used to generate that falls immediately afterward not long after he came to âPhiâ, or that the same ice spear now flies as he wills itâŚor the water jet he generates in the air and moves in a random trajectory, or perhaps the ice wall that he generates high in the sky and then free-fallsâŚ
âH-Huh?â
They both sank into the depths of their respective thoughts.
Things inevitably progressed late into the night as a number of things were shelved, a number of things discussed, and an exchange of information that seemed to go on indefinitely.
Rin was already asleep in Warrenâs arms, and Marquis Heinlein had long since left.
And Abel was doing paperwork as usual.
âAbel, is it true that the coronation ceremony will be held in the south square?â
âYes. I donât have the three sacred items needed for the coronation anyway. Uncle Raymond has them. Since thatâs the case, I see no reason to stay indoors. So I thought I might as well allow the people of the city to come and observe.â
âI see. Lord Ilarion, is there any kind of wind-attribute magic that can make a personâs voice reach far away?â
âMm? Of course. Itâll be difficult to use in a messy place like a battlefield, butâŚin a place like, say a square, it can be used to get a voice from the square to reach every corner of the city.â
Ilarion seemed to understand what Ryo wanted and said with a grin.
And Abel, too.
âOh I get it, thatâs a good one. Not everyone will be able to make it to the square.â
âAll thatâs left now is Abelâs face. That face, projected in the skyâŚno wait, Abel, what do you say to just floating in the sky? Maybe we could float a platform with Abel on it in the sky, waving to all the people in the distance.â
âHow is he going to pull that off when heâs not a wind-attribute magician?â
Naturally, Ilarion was surprised and asked.
âThe Majin was hovering freely, but compared to thatâŚitâs amazingly easy for a person to stay afloat.â
Abel, the day of the coronation ceremony.
The coronation ceremony was about to take place in the town square of Rune as planned.
The priest in charge was Rihya, dressed in the formal attire of a saint.
The people in the square couldnât help but raise their voices at the sight of her graceful and elegant beauty.
A group of three D-rank adventurers standing near the front of the square were also admiring her figure.
In particular, a priest named Etho was reported to have repeatedly said, âBeautiful, O beautiful goddessâ.
As the coronation ceremony reached its climax, the saint, Rihya made a proclamation.
âPrince Albert, by virtue of the authority vested in me as a saint, I acknowledge you as King Abel, the First.â
At that moment, the people in the square erupted in cheers.
The cheers, which could be described as roars, converged into one word.
âAbel! Abel! Abel! Abel! â
In the city of Rune, the name âAbelâ is the name of an adventurer who is well-liked by all and admired by men and women alike.
That popular man was in fact the second prince, and he is on his way to take back the throne from the usurping kingâs younger brother.
And then he is going to stand up to the usurper and the invading empire.
Everyone in Rune flared with energy!
Abel gazed at the cheering crowd from the stand.
He waited quietly for the cheers to subside.
Eventually, the people, too, noticed Abelâs appearance, and the cheers lessenedâŚand finally quieted.
Abel held out his hands and called out to the people.
âPeople of Rune, I want you to listen to me for a moment.â
Abel said, looking over from right to left, and continued his words.
âAt this moment, the kingdom is in peril. And this calamity will soon reach our beloved Rune city. But I promise you. I will not let the city of Rune fall victim to it. For this reason, Iâve taken up the mantle of king. I became king to unite all our forces. Knights, adventurers, as well as you common folks, I ask for your help. There will come a time when we will have to fight with everything on the line. When that time comes, I want you to give everything youâve got. Lend me your strength to regain all that has been taken from us, to restore the peace that has been stolen from us! â
A moment of silence.
âOooooooh!!â
Cheers, which could be described as raging roars surpassing the previous one, arose.
Not only from the square.
From every corner of the city.
It was in response to Abelâs words, which were delivered to every corner of Rune city using Ilarionâs wind-attribute magic, <Amplification>.
Abel raised his hand to respond to the cheers.
At that moment, the platform on which Abel was standing rose.
It slowly moved, about five meters above the ground.
The people who saw him cheered even more.
In response, the platform Abel was on rose even higher.
The scene became the subject of many paintings and has been preserved for posterity.