251. Dark Spring (2)
251. Dark Spring (2)
- 1 -
Cold sunlight shone upon the main palace of Highrash Royal Castle.
A vast crowd had gathered in the square, which had been opened to the public, unusually so.
But they did not know. That today was 'originally' meant to be Hysen's last morning.
It was the moment the coronation ceremony, heralding a new era, was about to begin.
"I shall! Now pass all the power and authority of Hysen! To the Princess Yurena!"
Luihardt's voice was so natural and earnest.
As if it were sincere.
When he took off the crown, Esther received it beside him with a crimson silk cushion and waited.
Luihardt stepped back, and Yurena slowly took one step forward.
Her unique hair, a proper mix of black and gold, sparkled in the sunlight.
"Father, Your Highness."
Yurena's voice held no tremor at all.
Her figure in the queen's ceremonial robe was like an elaborately carved jewel.
She was radiant yet pure, and the dignity dwelling within her was so natural it belied her young age.
The gazes of the nobles focused on Yurena all at once.
They did not know.
That the dignity which made them lift their chins actually was not hers.
Why their eyes kept drifting toward Philia Elskopf, who stood upon the coronation platform.
"You have proven by yourself that you possess the qualities to lead Hysen into a new era."
At Esther's words, Yurena gracefully knelt.
The royal palace's main hall became a symbol of the new era, as she had said.
The cool crown was placed upon her head.
"Now you are the Queen of Hysen."
"Thank you."
The cheers of the people resounded.
The nobles all bowed their heads at once.
Their eyes were filled with awe and anticipation.
A sense of pride swelled within them that they had contributed to the appointment of a new monarch, that they had opened a new era.
Not knowing that all of this was someone's production.
"Long live Her Majesty the Glass Queen!!"
"Lead Hysen into the future!!"
No one noticed.
That a purple daffodil was faintly glowing at the back of Luihardt's neck.
That his true smile was the work of someone else's hand.
A new era had come.
But exactly whose era it was, only a few knew.
The corner of Libertas's lips drew an arc.
- 2 -
Luihardt was confused.
He had clearly been suppressing the rebels at Daffodil Palace just moments ago.
It had been just as he was about to subdue them, cast mental magic, and seize Yurena again.
But at some point, his vision had gone black, and then he had found himself right here.
In his own office.
"You are awake."
The woman who appeared before him without a single sign of presence.
"You are... how are you here...?"
An unfamiliar voice. But the face was familiar.
The beauty who had recently stirred the royal capital, Philia Elskopf.
He could not tell her status. But he had an intuition.
"It seems you were having a good dream, Louis."
The moment he saw Philia's smile, he realized.
"If you wish to destroy them, you must first rob them of their reason."
Her voice was soft and gentle, but it was a mask.
There was something dangerous and profound within it.
"But since you had already lost your reason, I can only say you were far too easy to destroy."
The purple eyes looking down upon him blazed with mana in the shadows.
Demonic power.
Feeling it, a chill ran down Luihardt's spine.
"N-No way...!"
Philia Elskopf, no, the demon, smiled calmly and stroked Luihardt's head.
As if handling a child.
"I have seen the data from your experiments on our demon tribe thus far. It was quite interesting."
"Who are you, from where did you come... you are...!"
The woman looking down at him curved the corners of her eyes.
"Dungeon Lord."
The moment those two words fell, the air in the room froze.
The king's face went pale.
The beings who had waged war against humanity for hundreds of years, the masters of dungeons, stood before him.
Under the most perfect disguise, no less.
"That's absurd."
They had lured Dungeon Lords and cores out of their dungeons for the sake of experiments, but they had never guessed that one would come to a human royal castle of their own free will.
That was because no Lord had ever done so.
Where in the world was a monarch who would infiltrate deep into enemy territory and orchestrate ploys like this?
But Libertas had done exactly that.
Because she knew everyone would think so.
"J-Just when did you...?"
"From the very beginning."
In the office where all the candles had gone out, his voice trembled violently.
The voice that answered was utterly serene.
"Ever since I found Yurena in that laboratory of yours."
The moonlight shone like a halo upon her figure leaning against the window.
Luihardt realized.
That everything had been out of his control from the start.
That even thinking he had gained Yurena's loyalty had been arrogance.
He had been a piece on the chessboard.
"The mental magic your mages implanted in Yurena was quite elaborate. But there was something you overlooked."
Libertas slowly approached him.
Even though she wore heels, the sound of her footsteps did not reach him at all.
"It was not so difficult to change the seed of 'loyalty to the royal family' you sowed into 'loyalty to me.'"
"Ridiculous..."
Luihardt shook his head. His face was etched with disbelief and the look of a defeated man.
"Our research was...!"
"Perfect? No. Your mistake was..."
Libertas stopped before him and met his eyes.
"That you forgot magic is ultimately a technique. If you truly wished to dominate, you should have spent time and effort winning the heart. To rely excessively on a single possibility is poisonous."
Her fingers grazed the back of his neck.
The 'former' king scratched the spot as it began to itch. The purple daffodil emitted a faint glow.
"Tomorrow, you will abdicate the throne to Yurena."
"Ridiculous...!"
"It is a matter unrelated to your will, so do not fret."
"...No way!"
Eyes wide, Luihardt stepped back, but the light in his eyes was rapidly fading.
The daffodil planted within him was one Libertas had painstakingly grown.
"Just as you wished, Hysen will enter a new era."
Spinning his crown on her finger, Libertas smiled.
"The only difference is who owns that era."
The crown, carelessly tossed aside, rolled onto the office desk.
Hysen's sun was setting.
- 3 -
"The Royal Guard Knight Commander has fallen in battle."
I looked out the window as I listened to the report from my consul, Eve.
In the garden where darkness had settled, the monsters disguised as royal attendants were clearing the corpses and tidying the garden.
The flowers moved on their own to fill the empty spaces of the garden, gaining nourishment from the buried bodies.
The 'temporary Demon Realm' created here would be sustained until it was linked to my dungeon.
"Yes. Sermanthos's magic claimed his life. As you know, he had been blooming your 'flower' upon him for a long time."
"Indeed. He was the first."
I nodded.
His arrogant mind had been a barrier full of gaps.
On the other hand, his skill had been quite good.
Good enough to kill the Royal Guard Knight Commander in a single blow with a spell shot from behind.
"What became of the prince and princess?"
Saya and Yuran stepped forward and spoke of their circumstances.
"The prince lost his life at the scene. Regrettably, it is said to have occurred during a fight with the Royal Guard Knight Order that followed Sermanthos."
"The princess passed away in the underground prison. Emergency treatment was administered, but it appears the wounds she sustained in the garden were too severe."
I simply nodded.
I had intended to kill them anyway even if they had survived.
After all, the crown prince as the legitimate heir and the ambition-driven princess were targets that had to be eliminated.
"And the other princes and princesses?"
"They have sworn loyalty. They will now become Lady Yurena's strongest supporters."
"Splendid."
Besides, there were many princes and princesses who could still work as officials of the royal family.
Thanks to Luihardt's efforts in the boudoir.
'The legitimate children who could affect the succession rights must all be killed or exiled someday, but...'
That did not need to be done immediately.
I had promised Yurena not to show any more cruelty than necessary, and the fragmented kingdom would still need the power of the royal family.
"What happened with the margraves?"
"Frederick withdrew... unfortunately."
To my question, Shue answered with regretful eyes.
Just as she said, the Ironfield army had withdrawn.
It was because the situation in the royal castle had been resolved far faster than expected.
'It was an opportunity to decide whether to eliminate him or not, but...'
Luihardt's decision had been quicker than that.
I had not known he would make a decision and mobilize his forces in just one day.
He was capable in his own way, but regrettably, his opponent was a poor match.
"The rest of the margraves are all observing the situation, save for one located at the very edge of the north."
Eve continued the subsequent report.
I picked out the story among them that I needed to hear.
"The north?"
"Yes. Margrave Hinnes has declared independence."
Margrave Hinnes seemed to have seized the opportunity well.
She reported that he had been appointed as a duke by both the great northern kingdom of Kakia and Elieniesi to the east, and had gone independent just like that.
Since the area was originally remote from Hysen's center, it was plausible, but we could not just leave it be.
"Send Daniel. Who would like to go help?"
Daniel's Twilight Hunter Mercenary Group was now affiliated with the Kingdom of Haisen's military.
Perhaps I should call it the Twilight Corps.
Though its numbers were too few to be called a corps, numbers were the least of our concerns.
Because I was here. Nothing was as meaningless as debating numbers before a necromancer.
"I will go... I'm a bit disappointed that this ended so quietly too..."
"Alright. Shue."
I decided to send her.
Since Evangeline and Esther were by my side, Shue's best use was definitely the battlefield.
When I nodded, Shue smiled brightly and gave a deep kiss to the back of my hand.
The spot where her lips touched felt a little warm.
Tok-tok.
While the report and organization continued like that, a knock was heard.
The one who opened the door and entered was Yurena.
Though she was dressed in the splendid ceremonial robes befitting the new Queen of Hysen, her footsteps as she ran to me were still like a child's.
"Sister!"
I felt a smile naturally form at the corner of my lips.
The voice filled with pure affection had the power to melt the calmness of my 「Lofty Profundity」 trait and make me smile.
The sight of her running to me and hugging me was natural, too.
Just as an ordinary child would do to their mother or a favorite relative.
"Welcome, Yurena. You have done well."
At the sensation of the small, warm body hugging me, I instinctively embraced her more deeply.
"It was hard... I had to keep such a solemn expression throughout the whole meeting."
Yurena frowned, made an expressionless face, and then relaxed her expression again.
Fatigue was evident in her voice.
Undergoing ceremonies all day and receiving the reverence of countless people must have been a heavy burden for her.
"I wanted to say no to the former king... but the people were so happy that I couldn't say no..."
"It is alright. Now there are not many things you must do."
I stroked her hair.
Yurena leaned into the touch and closed her eyes.
"You only need to show the appearance of a queen. I shall take care of the rest."
"Yes..."
At her small reply, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
This little child had gifted Hysen to me.
Of course, it was something that would have been possible even without her, but she had helped shorten many processes.
Hysen's new era had begun like this.
Behind a mask cast by pure light, wrapped in my shadow.
"Haaah... Sister..."
"Yes."
I bowed my head and looked at her.
Yurena, breathing peacefully in my arms.
She was my own Glass Queen.