Assembly at the Capital (4)
Scion Light Leoric. The Third Prince, and the Emperor's youngest child. Bearing the imperial writ, he appeared in the grand council chamber.
With a face twisted in misery, he bowed his head to the Emperor and spoke.
"I, the Third Prince, Scion Light Leoric, humbly greet the supreme sun and moon of the Empire."
"......"
Even as his own son greeted him, the Emperor did not open his mouth. He simply stared at the prince, silent. Only after a long moment, gazing down at him, did the Emperor speak in a low voice.
"Third Prince. Tell me—what do you think compelled me, the Emperor himself, to issue a writ summoning you here?"
"Because of what I did to the Successor of the Azure Dragon."
"Yes. That is correct. So why did you do it?"
"They ignored me! They scorned me—the Third Prince—and flaunted their strength before I could show mine!"
At his words, every eye in the council chamber turned to me. The Emperor, too, was no different; his gaze had left his son and settled squarely on me.
"Is the Third Prince speaking the truth, Successor of the Azure Dragon?"
I answered slowly.
"It is true."
"What? Successor... is the answer I just heard truly correct?"
"Yes."
The Emperor's brow furrowed, and he pressed on.
"Why did you use your power against the Third Prince? Bear in mind that the attitude of the imperial family toward a successor may be decided by how you answer."
"Understood."
"Then speak. Why did you cause such a scene?"
"Because the Third Prince toyed with my lover."
"What did you say?"
The Emperor's eyes went wide, and he whipped his gaze back toward the Third Prince. Under that stare, the prince began to stammer out one excuse after another.
"I-I was merely laying the groundwork to lend strength to the Lord of Cumul Territory!"
By saying that, he was confessing outright that he had been the aggressor. What an idiot.
"Furthermore, my lover and contract-holder, the Lord of Cumul Territory, Alice Cumul, is contracted to me—"
One piece of information the Third Prince had not known. All he knew was that the head of the Cumul family and the Successor were lovers; he had no idea they were bound by contract as well.
"His Majesty will know as well—what fate befalls a successor who loses their contract-holder."
"......I know it well. Well enough that it is written in the Empire's own books of education."
Successor and contract-holder. The bond between them forms only within an extraordinarily close relationship. Sometimes it forms between parent and child, or between dear friends—but in the vast majority of cases, it is formed with the person one loves: a lover, or a spouse.
A contract forged from the desire to protect someone precious is so firm that each party can hear the beating of the other's heart. And what if only your own heartbeat reaches you—or worse, you can hear the other's heartbeat, but cannot find the contract-holder themselves?
The successor falls into a state of extreme instability. An obsession seizes them—I must find my contract-holder—and securing that person becomes their first priority. If someone were to block their path, insisting they must not go?
They would meet the successor's fury head-on.
That is what the relationship between a successor and a contract-holder is. One advantage, and countless drawbacks.
And yet the reason I had made my contract with Ellie was to bring peace to her heart and see her smile again. It was, in essence, my own vow to protect her no matter what befell us. The Emperor had tried to steal away a contract-holder of that kind—so it was, in a way, only natural that he now pressed his fingers to his temple as though his head ached. One careless step, and a Divine Beast successor whose first Trait had evolved might have gone berserk.
"Lord of the Cumul Family."
When the Emperor called for Ellie, she bowed her head and answered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Have you formed a contract with the Successor?"
Ellie glanced at me for a brief moment, then turned her eyes back to the Emperor.
"Yes, I have."
"Could you show me the symbol of that contract?"
How on earth did he know about that? The imperial family must have intelligence capabilities far beyond what I gave them credit for. Aside from special circumstances, no successor ever reveals their contract-holder or the symbol of their bond—the contract-holder is, after all, tantamount to the successor's greatest weakness, so most never even disclose their existence. Whatever had let him catch wind of the contract's symbol, I could only wonder.
Ellie nodded and loosened the collar of her uniform slightly, baring the blue scale that clung to the nape of her neck.
The moment the Azure Scale—the emblem of the Azure Dragon—revealed itself before everyone, the Emperor finally lost his temper and began bellowing at the Third Prince.
"Third Prince! Have you lost your mind?! Young and hot-blooded you may be, but to lay hands on a successor's contract-holder—!"
"...That is not what I—"
"Not what, then? Say it with your own mouth. The Cumul family has maintained only the barest of dealings since the previous lord's death. For you and Cumul Territory to join hands and elevate your standing, marriage was the only path—so how dare you lie to your Emperor!"
"......"
"Guards!"
The Emperor roared like a man possessed and summoned the guards. They flung open the great doors and entered the chamber—and the moment they did, the Emperor issued his command.
"The Third Prince, Scion Light Leoric, is hereby exiled to Cumul Territory."
"......"
So this was what came of touching a successor's contract-holder. At most, the prince had probably expected a confinement order to his chambers, or perhaps a somewhat longer sentence at worst. But his actions had been reckless enough to shake the very foundations of the Empire. Perhaps because it was possible his behavior might have changed had he known of the contract, the sentence stopped short at exile.
"One year of exile in Cumul Territory—and the one to surveil the Third Prince shall be chosen by Cumul Territory itself."
At that point, even if the prince died, no one could raise a word of protest. The soldiers of Cumul Territory would be the ones watching him; all it would take was one quiet witness swearing he had perished in a demon raid. The Emperor could not possibly be ignorant of that. To hand down so heavy a punishment to his own flesh and blood was, perhaps, his way of hoping the Third Prince would finally come to his senses.
"F-Father...!"
"In an official setting, I am not your father. I am the Emperor of this nation. Show the respect that is due—Third Prince."
"Imprison the Third Prince in the underground dungeon until his date of exile is set!"
At the Emperor's gesture, the prince was dragged powerlessly from the council chamber in the guards' grasp. Once the Third Prince vanished from our sight, the Emperor clutched at his throbbing head and spoke.
"I apologize. To the successors—and to the lords who guard and support them, I offer my regrets."
At his words, the white-haired man lifted his head.
"There is no need. We are fine."
"Good... Then let us hear the reports on the damage wrought by the Tide of Corruption."
At last, after all the twists and turns, the time for reports had arrived. Thanks to the Third Prince, they had been delayed a considerable while, but it hardly mattered. We had no other business at the palace anyway—though I suppose having something to dodge didn't hurt either, since Ellie had promised to scold me earlier.
The reports began in the north, with the Successor of the Black Tortoise.
"Our enemy numbered six thousand, commanded by Andromalius, Ranked 72nd."
The Emperor looked visibly startled at that. But the Successor of the Black Tortoise continued as if it were nothing.
"Our own forces totaled eight thousand. We opened the battle by minimizing our casualties, and in the end we emerged victorious, with seven thousand men still standing."
The Emperor nodded, looking satisfied.
"Well done. The north should have no trouble."
Next came the south—the turn of the woman who was the Successor of the Vermilion Bird.
"Our enemy numbered eight thousand, commanded by Seir, Ranked 70th."
She went on to describe the outcome of the war and their losses.
"Our forces totaled seven thousand. Judging that we were heavily outnumbered, we employed a surprise-attack strategy, annihilating an army of three thousand before seizing victory through an overwhelming advantage in numbers. However, the Ignite family's military strength has been weakened, and we will require a brief period of recovery."
"What of the casualties?"
When the Emperor asked, she answered.
"Two thousand."
"Quite a fierce battle, then."
"It was."
"Understood. I will take that into consideration and deliver a solution swiftly."
"We are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's grace."
"And next, the west. Even without a successor, you led the Tide of Corruption to a victorious end—your merit is great."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Gerald Crystal, Lord of the Crystal family, he of the sky-blue hair, expressed his gratitude to the Emperor in a deep, resonant baritone.
"But without a successor, I would imagine your losses were considerable."
"They were not."
At his answer, delivered with a slight shake of the head, the Emperor sensed something odd and asked again.
"Not considerable, you say?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"Can you tell me the enemy's numbers, and their commander?"
"Their numbers were a mere four thousand, the majority of them Lower and Mid-tier Demons, so we were able to claim victory with relative ease."
The Emperor had evidently been deeply worried about the western frontier; he let out a long breath and made a gesture of relief.
And then, at last, it was our turn. The Emperor turned his gaze to Ellie and me.
"What were Cumul Territory's numbers?"
I spoke as if I felt nothing at all.
"Twelve thousand."
!!!!!
Every gaze in the chamber swung back to me. Naturally, most of them would be thinking the same thing—that the western forces had joined hands with the eastern forces and attacked together. But that was impossible. Demons cannot unite with one another to begin with. The higher they climb within the hierarchy, the more they understand their own strength, and so they act alone. Indeed, it is the nature of demons to pretend to aid one another for the sake of mutual interest while actually lending no help at all. And more fundamentally, ranked demons despise their own armies being mixed with another commander's forces. Dantalion and Andras were an extraordinarily special case.
They were planning something... Even though their coordination felt horribly off, the two of them refused to retreat, fighting to the very end.
That thought had stayed with me long after the war ended. Of course, one could argue their plan was simply to obliterate our army and trample Cumul Territory—but something tells me there was more to it than that. Well. That line of thinking could wait.
The moment my thoughts concluded, the Emperor opened his mouth with impeccable timing.
"Can you tell me Cumul Territory's losses, and the enemy commanders?"
I nodded and answered.
"There were two commanders. Andras, Ranked 63rd, and Dantalion, Ranked 71st."
At that, the man—the Successor of the Black Tortoise—raised his hand and addressed me.
"Successor of the Azure Dragon."
"Yes, Successor of the Black Tortoise."
"Did you fell them both?"
I affirmed his words.
"Yes. I confirmed the annihilation of both on the spot."
"Th-that's... remarkable..."
Huh. To hear him call it remarkable... It made sense, though. Among the Four Divine Beasts' successors, the strongest had always been the Successor of the Black Tortoise. Even excluding me, even with Florence around, he would have possessed overwhelming power. By now, he could probably manage a Domain Proclamation, at least.
I turned my eyes to him for a moment, then looked back at the Emperor and continued.
"We established three separate battalions and an additional strike battalion, an offensive force, and operated them independently. As a result, we claimed victory in our first engagement with virtually zero losses. However—"
"However?"
"Due to the raid of the Great Demon, 'Dreamer,' we lost twenty-five percent of our entire army."
"....!!!"
The color drained from their faces, bit by bit, until they were pale as ash. The look on them said they wanted to ask how on earth we had crawled back alive from that hell.
"Your total losses?"
The Emperor, as expected, asked about casualties first. It had to be measured so he could rush reinforcements to whichever family needed them most—and prevent a family struck by a sudden raid from collapsing.
"Fifty percent of our total forces perished."
"......That is a heavy toll."
"It is. Additionally, we were raided in the Ellaon Forest by Asmodeus, Ranked 32nd."
"What in the world has been happening in Cumul Territory?"
Believe me. I'd like to know too.
"I will issue supply writs to every territory and begin recovery from the most heavily damaged regions first—Cumul Territory and Crystal Territory before all others."
With seven thousand of our soldiers lost, and the Crystal family bereft of its successor, it was only natural that we received aid first. If the Vermilion Bird or Black Tortoise factions had spoken up here, things could have gotten quite contentious—but seeing them simply yield showed that they understood how dire our situation was. They had all led armies against demons themselves, which made it all the more so.
"Then, with supply writs and inspectors dispatched to all territories to verify the exact extent of the damage, I declare today's council adjourned."
With those words, the Emperor slowly rose from his throne and withdrew into a side chamber with the Empress, the First Prince, and the First Princess. Watching him rise, we stood and exchanged looks with one another.
The first to approach me was the Successor of the Black Tortoise, regarding me with a gaze full of concern. He extended his hand and began his introduction.
"I am Plott Khan, Third Successor of the Black Tortoise."
I took his hand with a smile. If he were a bad person, or twisted somewhere deep down, my instincts would have jangled a sharp warning—but nothing of the sort came.
Khan shifted his hand aside and opened his mouth to introduce the woman standing beside him—when a hand flew in from somewhere and clamped over his mouth.
"I'll do the talking! That's enough!"
The hand belonged to the pink-haired woman standing at Khan's side. She withdrew it from his mouth, dipped into a slight bow, and showed us her courtesies.
"Like Lady Alice, I am both a successor's lover and her contract-holder. I am Fairie, eldest daughter of the Plott family."
For some reason, I had a feeling I'd get along well with him and her, and I began my own introduction.
"We were introduced earlier, but allow me to greet you properly. I am Lee Hyeon, Seventh Successor of the Azure Dragon."
When I glanced at Ellie, she stepped forward, bowed her head, and spoke.
"I am Alice, Lord of the Cumul family, lover and contract-holder of the Azure Dragon's Successor. A pleasure to meet you."
As I exchanged greetings with the Successor of the Black Tortoise, the red-haired woman came up to me and said:
"How did you survive? In that situation?"
That's what she opens with, right off the bat? She didn't seem to mean it maliciously, though—she genuinely just looked curious.
"I fought with my Authority manifested to its fullest. Otherwise, I would have died."
"They said you'd only just become a successor, and you've already racked up illustrious achievements. Finally, someone reliable has joined us."
Um, excuse me, but your introduction first, please. At the look I gave her, the red-haired woman grinned and began introducing herself.
"I'm Ignite Rhear, Sixth Successor of the Vermilion Bird."
I shifted my gaze to the man standing beside Rhear, his hair the color of sunset orange. He was surely the Lord of the Ignite family, the house that served the Vermilion Bird.
"A pleasure. I am Ignite Sunset, Lord of the Ignite family."
My prediction had been exactly right, as it turned out.
Looking over all the successors now, every one of them—Florence excepted—seemed to have a genuinely good character. I think I could get along with these people. Turning around with that thought, I found Gerald Crystal, Lord of the Crystal family, extending his hand toward me.
"We finally meet."
"Yes."
"Thank you. For dragging that successor down from his pedestal."
"Excuse me?"
Even granting that Florence was utter garbage, for the family that guards the White Tiger to thank me for stripping the White Tiger's successor of his title... What on earth had that man done?
"Florence rode on our family's back and committed every manner of atrocity. He did not hesitate at even such things as rape. To me, his existence was a source of endless anguish."
"I see."
That explained it. A leaky pot doesn't leak only when it's taken outside, after all.
"And in the midst of all that, you requested support yourself for the sake of seeing the Lord of Cumul Territory, and descended to Cumul Territory at once."
Ah. So that's why he arrived so early. No wonder the timing had seemed fast.
"I tried to stop him, but Florence had already left the territory, and I could not catch him. And then he began committing his atrocities in Cumul Territory."
Even in our territory, Florence—unable to mend his ways—wreaked enormous havoc and then threw down a Successor Contest against me. Of course, he lost his successor's seat to my victory and vanished from sight entirely.
"I had meant to find an occasion to offer you my greetings along with my apologies for him, so I'm glad a place for it has come about like this."
As he bowed his head to me in apology, I patted his shoulder lightly and spoke.
"There is no need to apologize, nor to thank me. You worked hard enough trying to stop him as it was. You did well."
"Th-thank you, Successor."
"Then, we'll head in first."
"Ah—yes."
"Let's go in~"
"Please, go ahead."
They seemed like truly good people. With the thought that I could entrust my back to people like that, I left the council chamber with Ellie at my side.
And there to greet us as we emerged was none other than the Emperor himself. He had come without escort or trailing retainers—it seemed he had simply been waiting for us.
"Your Majesty."
"......"
After a moment's hesitation, the Emperor spoke to us.
"Could you... lessen the Third Prince's debt, even a little?"
The reason the Emperor had waited for us was, of course, clemency for the Third Prince. The reason he had gone so far as to wait here alone came down to one thing: he wanted his child to live.
But I had no intention of killing him anyway. In the game, there was an event where the prince reformed and joined the war—and there, his monstrous strength made him a splendid soldier, cutting down the enemy's demons one after another.
Still, there was exactly one reason the Emperor behaved so sensitively on this matter: the Second Prince, who had been slain by demons and returned to him as a corpse. The Emperor stepped out like this for one reason alone—to keep another child of his from dying. In official settings he was the Emperor, but in a private one like this, he was also just a father.
Of course, this was not a problem I could resolve on my own, so I asked him for time and turned my steps toward our chambers.
"I understand."
The Emperor's low voice echoed through the empty silence of the palace. As I walked toward the room with Ellie, I realized, somehow, that his voice kept circling in my head—and that something in my chest sat uneasily because of it.