Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Use of a Treacherous Subject
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"Your Majesty, don't you feel like you've heard his actions and story somewhere before? The countless tales passed down since 'nobles' and 'knights' first appeared, the stories crafted by the hands of countless minstrels and writers—the tales of a young, courageous knight who picks up his sword for love and overcomes adversity."
"...That is true. But then, am I the adversity?"
"Of course, I know the truth is not like that. There is no room for doubt in Your Majesty's thorough and astute judgment. But those nobles are different. Things like their family and power dynamics are ultimately matters only the 'family head' and heir need to consider. The rest are solely driven by pleasure and enjoyment."
"...Hmm!"
"In such a situation, what if a knight with outstanding looks, possessing both martial prowess and wisdom, appears and is experiencing a situation similar to the legends and stories told by minstrels? Moreover, the baseless romance with Her Highness the Princess—and the fact that he has mercenary blood mixed in—is a weakness in terms of power, but narratively, it becomes a device that makes it even more dramatic."
p>There's a saying, 'A dragon rises from a ditch,' and also, when the background is dark, the light appears brighter.
In this current situation, Beonald's origins were, in fact, a dramatic device.
Furthermore, in the romance with the Princess, the greater the status gap, the closer to impossibility it becomes, which increased the sensationalism, causing him to be talked about more frequently among the nobles.
"But even so... isn't it just a farce? At best, it's just a form of entertainment. What could he possibly do?"
"When people are deeply moved by a fictional story, they can even lay down their lives. Do you know of the famous classical literature incident from the era of the old Unified Empire? It was when a too-well-written novel greatly glorified 'suicide,' leading several influential nobles of the time to take their own lives."
"...Such a thing happened?"
"If people can lay down their lives after being deeply captivated by a fake, how much more powerful must the allure of the real thing be? Moreover, the other party is the very embodiment of a protagonist one could only imagine in fiction. A splendid young man possessing martial skill, wisdom, and political sense. If such a man had a scandal with Princess Zelcy, and if he proved himself, leading Your Majesty to permit the relationship, it would end in a happy ending without tarnishing his honor, but..."
"Hmm!"
Yes, the one who blocked the path to a happy ending for Beonald, who was writing a brilliantly shining, captivating story in real-time, was none other than the Emperor himself.
Because Princess Zelcy had already left the capital to marry Baron Vanilo.
Although not yet officially announced, several high nobles, knowing the Emperor's character well, had long since guessed his intention to marry her off to Baron Vanilo.
"So that bastard...!"
The smile Beonald wore during his congratulatory speech pierced the Emperor's heart chillingly.
When Princess Zelcy was not in the VIP seats, Beonald had already anticipated this outcome.
Emperor Zelado Calem's face flushed red with shame and anger at the fact that he had been played by a mere student.
"How dare he! Mock me?"
"Your Majesty, in any case, this matter is not to be taken lightly. If things continue like this, he could become a figure rallying those who oppose Your Majesty the Emperor. Even now, people are already stepping forward to become his patrons..."
"...Then what should we do? Should we dispose of him secretly?"
"It's already too late for that. Right now, he is... a blazing flame. Trying to extinguish it clumsily will only provoke a strong backlash. Moreover, if he dies at this point, it would become martyrdom, and Your Majesty's name would be recorded in history as a tyrant."
Bang!
Ultimately, Emperor Zelado Calem, unable to contain his frustration, slammed his fist on the table.
He was trapped in a situation where he could do neither this nor that. Being manipulated by a half-breed country bumpkin noble brat and having stomped on his own foot—it was infuriating.
"Then should we just leave him be? Or... should we really call back Zelcy, who went to Baron Vanilo, and give her to him?"
"That is... I cannot give a definite answer. This matter is so tangled, like a knot of snakes... it's difficult to handle."
"Grrrr!"
Snakes. This snake-like method of Beonald was precisely the Neumel family's way.
Smiling naturally, yet before you know it, you're coiled and constricted by the snake, left in a situation where you can do nothing.
And what the Neumel family, which pursued such methods, ultimately aimed for was the ultimate snake—the 'Hydra.' A creature that never falls, where cutting off one head yields two more, and whose venom is said to be so potent even gods fear it—truly the ultimate snake.
And while the Emperor of the Calem Empire, completely bested by the snake, continued to ponder countermeasures, new news arrived.
"Urgent report! That Beonald has finally succeeded in defeating the fifth knight! He has single-handedly broken both sword and shield!"
An imperial knight who hurriedly came up delivered the urgent report while bowing respectfully.
Beonald had achieved the remarkable feat of defeating five knights in a row single-handedly, and even in this auditorium, a faint vibration could be felt from the people's cheers.
"The very thing we feared has...! What's the situation on the ground?"
"You can probably tell from this vibration. It's utter chaos. Even though Lloyd Kmel, the strongest of the 'Sword and Shield' club, didn't appear, achieving five consecutive victories alone is no ordinary feat."
"Sigh~ What on earth should we do?"
"Your Majesty, do not worry. I will resolve this."
In the headache-inducing situation, a booming voice was heard.
There stood a giant of a man, a middle-aged man boasting a powerful physique that seemed ready to burst through his clothes.
However, contrary to his rough exterior, he possessed the demeanor of a master whose energy was so well-controlled that even the Imperial Knight Order and Sir Legion momentarily lost track of his presence. On his chest, he wore a brooch crafted in the shape of a sturdy tree.
"Oh! Duke Kmel!"
"From the beginning, we cannot let live a man who has inflicted great humiliation upon our family."
The victim was not just the Emperor.
The mainstream of the 'Sword and Shield' club, with its president being Lloyd Kmel, heir to the Kmel family, consisted mostly of those who learned swordsmanship from the Kmel family.
Moreover, those participating in such a tournament were promising talents who had achieved a certain level of accomplishment. For them to fall like autumn leaves before a single unheard-of country bumpkin half-breed was a massive blow to the prestige of the prestigious martial Kmel ducal family, which had produced countless knights and generals for the Calem Empire for a long time.
"If he were at least a member of the Valderian family or had stayed there long enough to learn something, it might be different... but anyway! If we stay idle like this, the prestige of our Kmel family will become a laughingstock. Your Majesty, I will handle him."
"And how do you plan to do that, Duke Kmel?"
"How? By eliminating him, of course. For our family alone, the situation is humiliating enough to warrant his elimination."
As Duke Kmel said, while it was impossible for the Emperor to eliminate Beonald, the Kmel family, having been directly defeated and humiliated by Beonald, had the 'justification' to kill him.
Sir Legion, Captain of the Imperial Knight Order, also nodded, agreeing with his opinion. The problem was who would step forward to kill him.
"But... who will you have do it? Surely you, Duke Kmel, the Empire's only Special-Class Knight and bearer of the title Blade Master, won't step forward personally? And if we resort to something like assassination, people might say it was ordered by His Majesty the Emperor..."
"Sir Legion, your joke is too much. That would brand us as a petty family rather than reclaim our honor. Matters that occurred at the student level should be concluded at the student level, and humiliation must be washed away by the one who caused it."
"Then surely not? Young Lloyd?"
"Yes. A fair one-on-one, life-and-death duel with my heir, Lloyd. Instead of the team battle. Anything less won't reclaim our honor."
"But he is the heir, after all..."
"An heir who cannot even overcome such humiliation is unnecessary. Besides, from what I've heard, he won once before, so he shouldn't lose, right? If he loses, we can just say we removed a weak sprout."
For a noble, family honor is akin to life. An heir who tarnishes it and fails to reclaim it is naturally unnecessary.
Moreover, agreeing that this was an opportunity to cut off future troubles, the Emperor earnestly hoped his heir would defeat Beonald.
Duke Kmel bowed respectfully and left, and the Emperor sighed in relief. However, a thought flashed through his mind: if Beonald won that duel, he would gain even greater fame. So, he prayed to the Goddess once more for Beonald's death.
"Waaaaaaaaaah! Beonald! Beonald! Beonald! Beonald!"
Countless people were looking at him and shouting cheers.
Although it was part of his plan from the beginning, receiving people's recognition or captivating them still gave him a strange thrill.
Beonald actively removed his helmet, responded to the cheers, and even performed a celebratory gesture.
"A miraculous five consecutive victories! The complete defeat of the 'Sword and Shield' club! And the one who achieved it is the dark horse from the rural Callermain territory, Beonald! Additional information reveals that he is actually a member of the Imperial Knight Order! A talent recommended by the indomitable Sir Repart for academy admission! His eye is truly accurate!"
'The way they're spinning this... their skill is no joke. For the academy side, it's good for the spectacle, I suppose~'
The voice of the student acting as commentator and announcer, amplified by a magical artifact, echoed, and the cheers grew even louder.
They, for their part, were diligently talking about Beonald, using the upset he had created to make this sports festival properly exciting, providing an even more dramatic story to the people.
'Phew~ Now all that's left is the team battle. Oh right~ I should show signs of exhaustion and walk with difficulty.'
"However, the situation is still 1 to 1! The team battle remains. But the morale of the 'Garden of Swords' is now soaring to the sky, while the 'Sword and Shield' side is in a very gloomy state. Well then! We will return once preparations for the 'Team Battle' are complete! Everyone, please look forward to it!"
"You've worked hard. But I really didn't think you'd defeat all five."
"Good job."
"Those Kmel family bastards had faces like they'd eaten shit."
"Well done!"
"I'm quite envious. Anyway, leave the team battle to us~"
Clap, clap, clap.
As soon as he returned to the waiting room, the members of the 'Garden of Swords' club welcomed Beonald with applause.
While it stung that he monopolized the credit, tarnishing the rival's honor so thoroughly was an immense achievement. And with the score at 1 to 1, the final team battle remained, so they genuinely congratulated Beonald.
'Phew~ For the team battle, I can take it a bit easier now. Just winning is enough. Then I can naturally go before the Emperor for the award ceremony and say a few words.'
The outlook for the announced team battle was also very bright, as the opponents were already suppressed by the defeat of 5 to 1.
The win probability was overwhelmingly high. Even if not, Beonald, intending to win, pretended to be exhausted and sprawled out, thinking about how the enemy would appear in the next team battle.
'...Hmm? Ah, as expected, they're not fools. It seems they're trying to respond somehow.'
Although sudden, Beonald was not greatly flustered.
The ones who would pull such a stunt were already within the predictable range.
Either the Emperor, who had unwittingly become the villain of the love story because of him, or the Kmel family, whose family prestige he had completely crumpled. Only one of the two.
'In terms of probability... the Kmel family 7, the Emperor 3. Or... perhaps they joined hands to deal with it. Well, let's see what kind of response they bring.'
After a brief moment passed, the broadcast began again.