Chapter 115: Queen Maker (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: Queen Maker (15)
Eri couldn't comprehend the words that had just come out of Callion's mouth.
Take back my family name?
Disowned?
Did that mean...
"D-Don't be ridiculous. Who gave you the right to disown me? I know you hate me, but this is crossing the line. If Father finds out—"
"Didn't I just tell you? I'm delivering this message as the acting head of the family."
"What? Th-Then you're saying it was Father's will to disown me...?"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably. Callion, in turn, was thoroughly enjoying himself. It wasn't often he got to see his arrogant half-sister this flustered.
Ah, I suppose she's not my sister anymore.
She was just a stranger, with no connection to him.
He chuckled and answered her.
"You're correct. The decision to remove you from the family register was made by the head of the family himself."
"No way... Father would never..."
As Eri muttered in denial, Callion's brow furrowed in displeasure.
"Who is your father? The head of the family is no longer your father. The man you could call 'Father' no longer exists in this world!"
"You...!!!"
Losing her reason to a surge of violent rage, she instantly began chanting the spell for Wind Blade. Just as the gem on her staff began to glow and magic started to condense, two finely honed blades touched her neck.
Callion's escort knights had drawn their swords.
"You... you all..."
Eri's eyes trembled. Though she was an illegitimate daughter, she had been treated with a certain degree of respect within the family. She recognized the faces of these escort knights.
"Lady Eri. Dispel your magic."
These same men now warned her with ice-cold expressions, pressing their blades against her. They, who had once called her 'Young Lady,' now addressed her as 'Lady Eri.'
The change in the knights' demeanor forced Eri to accept reality.
She had truly been abandoned by her house, by her family.
"...Why? What did I do that was so wrong...?"
"I trust you're not asking because you truly don't know."
"..."
Eri fell silent.
She knew what Callion was talking about.
It was likely an extension of the conversation they'd had at home before.
The one about how her past actions had damaged the family's prestige.
Yes. She understood.
She was aware of her own mistakes.
But still.
"If this is because of that... then why, why now of all times?"
If they were kicking her out for tarnishing the family's name, shouldn't they have punished her when it happened?
Not bring it up so suddenly like this.
Callion answered her question as if it were nothing.
"Because you've become useless."
"Useless...?"
"Indeed."
From the Oller family's perspective, Eri was a troublemaker. A nuisance who was always causing trouble, trying to get noticed. If that were all, it might have been manageable, but the problem was that this troublemaker was also annoyingly talented.
Even after being expelled from the Magic Tower, she had studied magic on her own and become more skilled than most of its wizards.
That genius was recognized, and she even became a companion to the Hero.
Thanks to her, the Oller family had been dragged along by her actions for some time.
Not only when she had selfishly joined Lorian's party, but also when she had returned to Cloud's.
Dealing with the aftermath was always their burden, yet the family couldn't punish her.
They never knew what the future might hold.
A day might come when they needed Eri, Cloud's companion.
But things were different now.
The Oller family had sided with Prince Lorian.
And not ambiguously, but decisively.
This meant that even if Cloud's party became famous and Eri's influence grew, it would be difficult for the family to make use of her.
Therefore, it was more beneficial for the family to earn Lorian's favor by demonstrating their will to sever ties with her completely.
Such was the intent behind Duke Oller's decision.
And Eri, who didn't know the full story, felt a bitter sense of betrayal.
"How dare you treat me like some disposable part...!"
"I'm not treating you like a part. You are a part."
"What?"
Staring at Eri's scowling face, Callion continued with a stern expression.
"Not just you, but me, my sisters, and even the head of the family. We are all nothing more than parts meant to bring glory to the House of Oller."
You just happen to be a part that can be thrown away.
That was all there was to it.
Finishing his words, Callion raised his right hand. The swords at Eri's neck were withdrawn.
"We've wasted enough time. Let's go."
Callion and his escort knights walked past Eri, who stood with her head hung low. Gritting her teeth, she turned and shouted at Callion's retreating back.
"Fine, do whatever you want! I don't need a family of traitors anyway! In fact, thank you! Thanks for letting me escape a family that's about to be ruined! Thanks for saving me from a fucked-up life!"
Despite her harsh words, her voice was thick with tears.
Callion stopped walking and raised his clenched right fist.
Just as Eri narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was doing...
He raised his middle finger.
*
"Is everything proceeding as planned?"
In a spacious room at the inn, Lorian looked at Callion and a few other nobles in charge of food supplies and asked.
Callion, who had supplied the most food among them, answered on their behalf.
"Yes. The princess's side has been very cooperative, so the work itself is proceeding without a hitch."
"And what of the people's sentiment toward us?"
"It improves by the day."
"That's a relief."
"However..."
Callion added, his expression clouding over slightly.
"However?"
"It is true that public opinion of us is improving. But there is one problem."
"What is it?"
"The citizens' support for the Hero, Cloud, is much stronger than we anticipated. From what I hear of them talking about miracles, it seems the biggest reason is that they witnessed the events of that day firsthand."
"That day, you mean..."
"Yes. The day Hero Cloud defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings by himself."
At Callion's words, Lorian crossed his arms and let out a low hum.
The Day of Miracles.
That's what the citizens of Rufus called the day the Heavenly King fell. They talked about it every day as if they'd never tire of it.
What was it they said? When he was entangled in thousands of black tentacles, a holy light began to shine, and in an instant, the Heavenly King was annihilated?
Nonsense.
It might be possible if the Pope and the entire church performed a collective ritual, but there was no way a single individual could use divine magic of that magnitude.
But the Goddess and the Pope made an official announcement...
It was clear he had defeated it alone.
But he had no idea what method Cloud could have used.
Lorian let out a deep sigh.
"So, is it difficult to make inroads there?"
"Not at all. As long as we don't go out of our way to try and tear him down, we can certainly win the hearts of the citizens."
"That's all that matters. We just need to avoid overreaching and messing things up."
"Understood."
Callion nodded.
Lorian turned his gaze from him to the other nobles.
"Winning the people's favor is important, but we have a more crucial task ahead of us. The princess's coronation."
Tension filled the nobles' faces.
The princess might be lacking in ability, but her legitimacy was flawless.
She was a difficult opponent to challenge carelessly.
Lorian smiled at the nobles' stiff expressions.
"However, rumor has it that the former Archbishop passed away during the recent incident with the Heavenly King, and the position of the new Archbishop is still vacant."
At his words, the eyes of a few quick-witted nobles lit up.
"By that, you mean..."
"Yes. It seems it would be best to exert our influence on the Archbishop first. On the person most likely to be the next Archbishop, if possible."
To hold a coronation, an Archbishop was necessary.
*
Scratch. Scratch.
She wrote on the parchment. Her speed was incomparably slower than before.
'A disposable part?' Don't make me laugh. Do you think that's all I am?
I'll show you. I'll succeed so spectacularly it'll make you sick with regret. I'll make you regret everything you've done.
It'll be too late to come begging then.
With a heart full of venom, she somehow forced herself to continue her research.
Just then, a drop of water fell from somewhere, soaking the parchment and causing the ink to bleed.
"Ah, shit, what the..."
Realizing the drop had come from her own eye, she scrubbed at it with the back of her hand. The tears were gone, but her eyes remained red.
Fresh tears welled up in her reddened eyes.
Soon, betraying her earlier resolve, she broke into choked sobs.
It was only natural. She had been disowned by her family.
Even if there were no fond feelings between them, they were bound by blood. To her, as to anyone, that bond held a special meaning. Why else would she have gone through so much just to gain her family's acknowledgment?
Only to be thrown away in the end.
Squeeze.
Her grip on the pen tightened. Unable to overcome the surge of emotion, she hurled the pen into a corner of the room.
"I don't need them. I don't need them either!"
She had spent her entire life trying to win her family's approval.
And still, they had abandoned her.
In that case, she would abandon them too.
I... I just need someone who acknowledges me.
And one person came to mind.
A man who always acknowledged and respected her.
Cloud.
He was all she had left.
This research is almost complete, too.
It was a kind of trick, a way to temporarily use magic beyond one's own circle by slightly twisting the mana circuits.
If she could just complete this, it would be a great help to Cloud.
He would be overjoyed and praise her to the skies.
That's enough for me.
Nodding, Eri picked up a new pen and tried to continue her research.
"..."
But her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn't focus on her work.
After wasting more than ten minutes like this, she finally put the pen down.
...I should see Cloud. It's been a while.
A conversation with him would surely help ease this suffocating feeling.
Eri left her room and knocked on Cloud's door.
The voice that answered, however, was unexpected.
—Who is it?
It was Katarina's voice, not Cloud's.
Eri froze.
"...Isn't this Cloud's room?"
—Is that you, Eri? Yes, it is.
The door opened, and Katarina peeked her head out.
"Then why are you..."
She stopped herself before asking why she was there. Katarina was Cloud's official lover. It wasn't strange for her to be in his room.
It was slightly unpleasant, but...
It wasn't Eri's place to say anything. She decided to focus on her reason for coming here.
"Is Cloud inside?"
Katarina shook her head.
"He's not?"
"No. I don't know what he's up to, but he's been coming back late at night recently. Even when I press him, he just dodges the question."
Katarina began to vent her frustrations as if she had a lot pent up. Having no obligation to listen, Eri cut her off and went back outside.
Normally, she would have confirmed he wasn't there and returned to her room, but right now, she wanted to see him no matter what.
She recited a spell.
Mana took shape, and a giant blue eyeball materialized in the air above.
[Clairvoyance]
The eye swiveled back and forth, scanning the city.
Her mana drained away rapidly, like water from a bottomless jug, but it was fine. There were only a few places he was likely to be. She would find him before her mana ran out.
Found him.
She spotted a head of red hair in the royal palace's training grounds.
There couldn't be anyone else with hair like that besides Cloud.
Eri slightly altered the formula of the spell.
Her vision zoomed in on the palace training grounds, and...
"...Huh?"
She witnessed the sight of Cloud kissing a brown-haired woman.
And that brown-haired woman was someone she knew all too well.
Lorraine.
Lorian's younger sister.
A person Eri didn't just dislike, but despised.