Chapter 118: Queen Maker (18)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: Queen Maker (18)
The coronation took place in the square of Lupus.
On a high dais, so tall the citizens had to crane their necks to see, the heir to the throne, Francisca, was kneeling. Before her, the Archbishop held the crown.
“I, Archbishop Vedic, dare to ask the Queen in the name of the Goddess Iries. Do you solemnly swear to rule Lupus, and furthermore, the Prona Kingdom, according to its laws and customs?”
“I solemnly swear.”
“Will you, the Queen, exercise your royal authority with fairness and mercy, based on the law?”
“I will.”
“Lastly, do you acknowledge that you are a descendant of the Goddess Iries and swear to serve her with all your heart and soul as your mother?”
“I swear.”
“Then I, Archbishop Vedic, in the name of the Goddess Iries, acknowledge you. From this moment on, you are the Queen of the Prona Kingdom.”
The crown was placed on Francisca's head.
As he placed the crown, Archbishop Vedic knelt and murmured.
“May you be a merciful and wise queen.”
Francisca nodded, rose to her feet, and looked over the people standing behind the Archbishop.
Cloud and his party.
Lorian and his party.
The Royal Knights.
She turned around.
Francisca froze.
Below the dais, a crowd large enough to fill the vast square was looking up at her, their eyes filled with expectation.
It was heavy.
The weight of their gazes, of their expectations, felt immense.
Her lips were stuck together, refusing to part.
No.
This is the most important moment.
I have to show them the path the kingdom will take, to reassure them.
So please, just open!
Just as she was urging her stubborn lips to move…
—You’re too tense.
Cloud's voice pierced through her thoughts.
Startled, she glanced back. He was smiling, giving a small wave.
The sight of him eased the pressure crushing her.
Right, she wasn't alone.
Francisca raised her voice, addressing the citizens whose eyes were fixed only on her.
“Not long ago, we faced a great ordeal.”
A shadow fell over the citizens' faces. They were likely recalling the terror of that day and the precious things they had lost.
“But we endured. We did not yield to the wicked darkness; we overcame it. What is there that we cannot overcome? We survived even the Four Heavenly Kings!”
It wasn't the citizens of Lupus who defeated the Four Heavenly Kings.
It was Cloud.
He had done it alone.
But Francisca didn't bother with the truth. Instead, she emphasized "we" to help package the painful memory.
People have a habit of revising the past to suit their tastes, after all.
Especially when the memories are difficult.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
A strange fervor began to fill the square.
Francisca seized the moment and declared loudly.
“I, Francisca Frutua, promise you. Lupus will prosper. It will become incomparably more bountiful than before. I will create a city filled not with tears and sorrow, but with laughter and happiness.”
The queen's confident voice sent the citizens into a roaring cheer.
—Waaaaah!!
—Long live the Queen!
—Prosperity to Lupus!
Francisca smiled at the crowd's cheers.
I was worried I'd mess it up, but it went smoothly.
Her part was over.
Having finished her speech, Francisca stepped back, and the Archbishop stepped forward to take her place.
As the Archbishop came forward, the noisy square began to quiet down.
When it was finally silent, the Archbishop began to speak.
“My dear citizens of Lupus. Like you, I too sincerely congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on her ascension. No one can deny that Her Majesty is the star of this occasion.”
Watching the Archbishop address the crowd, Lorian smiled.
‘It seems he's made his choice.’
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Archbishop to step forward like that.
Just as he expected, after praising the Queen a few times, the Archbishop dangled some bait, mentioning an indispensable figure in the city.
When the people took the bait, the Archbishop pointed to Lorian.
“It is the Hero, Sir Lorian. As you all know, a great deal of food is being distributed at the East Gate. It was Sir Lorian who donated all of it. Please welcome him with applause and cheers.”
No one was surprised by the Archbishop's revelation. Lorian's side had already spread the rumor far and wide.
But that didn't mean they weren't grateful.
The citizens welcomed Lorian with applause and cheers.
“I did not do it seeking praise, but seeing you all so happy brings me joy as well.”
A humble expression was plastered on his face.
The Archbishop said, “Her Majesty the Queen has decided to bestow a gift upon Hero Lorian to express her gratitude. Hero Lorian, please kneel before Her Majesty.”
Lorian was a little surprised by this.
It wasn't something he had requested.
‘He's really earning his pay.’
This situation was nothing but good for Lorian. Receiving a gift from the Queen would leave a deep impression on the citizens.
Lorian gladly knelt on one knee before the Queen.
“Hero, Sir Lorian. In gratitude for your service to Lupus, I bestow this bracelet upon you.”
The bracelet Francisca offered had a gold border and an ornate pattern.
She wouldn't have given me an ordinary bracelet, so it must have some function.
Lorian bowed his head to the Queen.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
As he returned to his spot, he glanced at Cloud, curious to see his expression.
I hope he looks frustrated...
‘Hm?’
Contrary to Lorian's expectations, Cloud's face was devoid of any particular emotion. He was simply staring straight ahead.
But Lorian smirked at the sight.
‘Trying so hard to act like he's fine.’
That just makes it funnier.
Just as Lorian was sneering at him and leisurely about to put on the bracelet…
The Archbishop continued.
“Next is Hero Cloud.”
Just as he had with Lorian, the Archbishop gestured toward Cloud.
This was unexpected.
‘What the hell is he doing?’
While a bewildered Lorian tried to figure things out, Cloud stepped forward.
“Regarding this man, I'm sure you all know him well without any need for explanation. You must remember it clearly. The holy light you saw that day. The brilliant miracle that saved Lupus when it was lost in despair!”
The Archbishop, who had been calm just moments before, suddenly began shouting fervently at the square as if he were a different person.
In contrast to the Archbishop, the citizens listened to his words in silence, as if entranced.
When the Archbishop's cry to the people ceased, the Queen called Cloud's name.
“Hero, Sir Cloud.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Unfortunately, I was not in the city that day. Therefore, I do not know the fear and despair you felt. Nor do I know much about the miracle you performed. However.”
“I do know that you saved this city, this kingdom, and by extension, the continent.”
Francisca raised her right hand.
A knight waiting off the dais approached and opened a long, red box.
Inside the box lay a sword with a blue blade.
The ornate gold patterns on its blade and hilt seemed to declare that this was no ordinary weapon.
“This is one of the treasured swords passed down through the royal family for generations. It was one of the favored swords of the founder of the Prona Kingdom, His Highness Kaltus.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Cloud took the sword and sheathed it.
Then he turned around.
The gazes of countless citizens were focused solely on him.
Yet, Cloud was not intimidated.
Instead, he confidently drew the sword and pointed it to the sky.
—...
There was no applause or cheering like there had been for Francisca or Lorian. Instead, in the eerily silent square, the citizens clasped their hands and prayed.
Whatever he might be elsewhere, this was the symbol Cloud had become here in Lupus.
*
“Damn it!”
Back in his room, Lorian threw the bracelet. The flung bracelet embedded itself squarely in a wooden plank, but he paid it no mind.
Compared to the sword Cloud received, that thing was nothing more than a toy.
“How dare he screw me over like this?”
In short, the coronation had been a play staged to glorify Cloud.
Lorian and Francisca were merely supporting actors meant to make the play shine.
“That damn bastard...”
Originally, the star of the play was supposed to be Lorian, not Cloud.
That was why he'd tried to win over the Archbishop.
But the Archbishop had betrayed him.
Lorian recalled what Archbishop Vedic had said when he'd confronted him after the ceremony.
—Didn't I keep my promise?
He meant that praising him moderately was enough.
“And after taking my money...”
To think a man of the cloth could be so shameless.
But Lorian couldn't press the issue.
His opponent was the archbishop of a foreign country, not his own, and their meeting had been a secret one, so there was no proof. If Vedic denied it, that would be the end of it.
Getting angry would only hurt himself.
“Hoo...” Lorian pounded his chest, trying to calm his frustration.
“If this is how you're going to play it, then I have no choice.”
He would have to resort to a rougher method.
He grabbed one of his knights and gave an order.
“Go and inform the Queen. Tell her I wish to see her.”
*
“A request for a meeting... It happened just like you said, huh?”
In the Queen's temporary quarters.
Francisca spoke while lying comfortably on a huge bed. There was no trace of a queen's dignity in her posture.
“It wasn't my idea, it was Leslie's. I just came up with the broad strokes; she handled all the details.”
Cloud, who answered her, was no different.
Not only was he speaking informally to the Queen, but he was also lying on the same bed.
It was a situation that would make others gasp, but for the two of them, it was familiar.
The time they had spent hiding their identities and living in the countryside was by no means short.
Trying to be formal now would just be laughable.
“Don't nitpick about little things like that. So, what now? Do we do what we talked about before?”
“Yeah. Set the appointment for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Is there a reason for that? Wouldn't it be better to make him wait and stew for a while?”
“That does sound fun, but…”
Cloud stretched and sat up.
“It's about time to end it. I'm going to finish everything tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night? That's fast.”
“Shedia did a better job than I expected. I should give her a reward when she gets back.”
Giving her two moonstones instead of the one I promised should be enough, right? It's double the original amount.
Shedia will be happy.
As he nodded, Cloud saw Francisca yawn.
“Sleepy?”
“I guess the tension's finally worn off...”
“Then get some sleep. I'm leaving.”
He pulled the blanket over her and was about to get off the bed when…
“Want to stay the night?”
The words she casually tossed out stopped Cloud in his tracks.
Cloud turned his gaze to her. She looked back at him as if to say, "What's the big deal?"
“What's with that reaction? We were sleeping together until just a little while ago, weren't we?”
“Is a village girl the same as a queen?”
“What's the difference? I'm still the same... Ack!”
Cloud flicked Francisca on the forehead.
“Stop with the nonsense and just get some sleep, Your Majesty. I'm leaving.”
“Hey! How dare you hit the Queen? Hey! This is treason, treason!”
Cloud flipped her off and left the queen's quarters. Outside, the knights guarding the door gave him strange looks. Cloud frowned.
“You guys are getting the wrong idea, aren't you? That's an insult to the royal family. If you don't want to get beaten for lèse-majesté, don't even think about spreading weird rumors.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
After warning the knights to keep their mouths shut, Cloud headed for the training grounds.
As always, Lorraine was waiting for him there, lightly armed.
Before Lorraine could say anything upon seeing him, Cloud spoke first.
“Go back and get properly armed. Today is our last duel.”