Chapter 372: A King? Me? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 372: A King? Me? (2)
Alon wore an expression that suggested he had surely misheard.
"……Is something the matter? King of Palatio."
Unfortunately, Karmakeses III’s follow-up served as the final nail in the coffin.
Alon realized that his ears hadn't deceived him.
Just what was going on?
He racked his brain, but he couldn't understand the sequence of events that had led to him being addressed as a king.
“…….”
He seriously considered asking for the reason first, but—
“It’s nothing.”
He soon shook his head. Everyone was speaking as if it were only natural for Alon to be a king.
If he were to ask, ‘Huh? Me?’ among all these monarchs, nothing would make the situation more awkward than that.
Thus, Alon feigned composure and allowed the meeting to proceed.
After some time had passed.
“……Then, for the time being, we shall observe the overall situation.”
“I agree.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s do that.”
A tentative conclusion was reached.
Despite hours of discussion, they ultimately decided to act conservatively until the unique entity monsters made a significant move.
After coordinating a few other minor details, the meeting came to an end.
The kings of each nation stood up and vanished from their seats without exception.
From the matter of ‘The Burdened One’ to the falling of the Milky Way and the emergence of unique monsters—the current kings had a mountain of work piled up.
Siyan, who remained until the very end, looked at Alon with amusement.
“See you next time. Should I call you ‘Your Majesty’ now instead of ‘you’?”
Before Alon could even respond, she added one last thing.
“Anyway, it would be good if you stopped by Teria once your work is finished.”
With those final words, she stepped out of the conference hall.
It was an ambiguous reaction, leaving it unclear whether she was treating Alon as a king or a noble.
Alon remained dazed for a moment before standing up. Evan was waiting outside the door.
“Marquis, did the meeting end well?”
It was his usual reaction.
Alon stared intently at Evan.
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
“……Am I the King of the Palantia Kingdom?”
At the question, Evan’s face went blank for a moment.
“……Marquis.”
“Speak.”
“……Are you seriously having some kind of brain issue? I’m starting to get worried……. Ah, should I call Line back?”
“…….”
He poured out his loyalty(?) in a tone of deep concern.
……For some reason, Alon felt his temper rising.
* * *
Evan’s serious concern for Alon didn't last long.
Before long, they were able to naturally identify the culprit—or rather, the person responsible—for this situation.
“Yes! I’ve already spoken to them!”
It was Silli, the Saintess of Kalanon.
“So…… what you’re saying, Silli, is that you announced the creation of a country in the conference room?”
“Yes! I thought there would never be a better time than now! But don’t worry. Because of all your achievements, Marquis—no, Your Majesty—there was no one who opposed it!”
“No—”
Alon was momentarily speechless.
To be precise, he didn't know where to even begin nitpicking.
“……Uh, Silli?”
“Yes! Please speak!”
Silli’s eyes sparkled with an overwhelming intensity.
Alon spoke slowly.
“……Did the other kings just stay quiet?”
This was the point he was most curious about.
No matter how he thought about it, the birth of another king wouldn't be a welcome event for the monarchs of the United Kingdoms.
The birth of a new kingdom.
Even if they were in an alliance, it was essentially the addition of another competitor.
Furthermore, there were many other factors involved.
Specifically, territory and citizens.
A nation couldn't be founded just because one possessed a territory or two.
……Well, one could make it, but to proclaim, ‘This is a new nation, and this person is the king,’ required far more than just material assets.
Founding a country wasn't child's play, after all.
When he asked a question summarizing these various doubts, Silli replied with a bright, beaming smile.
“I made them stay quiet.”
“……Hmm? What do you mean, you made them?”
“Yes. As you know, Marquis, the current situation isn't exactly great, is it?”
“Which situation are you referring to?”
At Alon’s question, Silli nodded with a smile.
“Ashtalon, one of the major powers of the United Kingdoms, is effectively in a state of ruin after losing its capital. And since the Milky Way fell, unique entities have started prowling around.”
“It’s an unstable situation, certainly, but just that much wouldn't be enough to……”
“Of course, that alone wouldn't be a problem. But beyond the border, there’s the ‘Empire,’ isn't there?”
“……Ah.”
Alon let out an involuntary exclamation.
Certainly, the fall of Ashtalon and the appearance of unique entities were concerning for the United Kingdoms, but only to a certain extent.
In fact, the lawless lands left behind by Ashtalon’s collapse were prime pickings for them.
However, if the ‘Empire’ got involved, the situation changed.
The reason the United Kingdoms had been able to avoid imperial invasion until now was precisely because of their alliance.
But what if one of the main pillars of that alliance vanished?
From the Empire’s perspective, it was a situation where they could realistically target the United Kingdoms.
Even if the Empire wasn't interested, the United Kingdoms had no choice but to be wary of them.
As Alon nodded in understanding, Penia, who had been quietly following his thoughts beside him, asked a question.
“But wasn't that a bit insufficient to persuade the kings?”
Her question was valid.
While the Empire was a sensitive topic that the kings would likely listen to carefully, the mere existence of an ‘unstable’ element lacked persuasive power.
However, despite Penia’s point, Silli’s smile didn't fade.
“Of course, that alone was insufficient. So, I added a bit of seasoning.”
“……Seasoning?”
At Penia’s puzzled follow-up, Silli nodded.
“For instance, telling them that no one knows whose side we would take if the Empire were to invade?”
She uttered those words nonchalantly.
At that answer, Penia and Evan reflexively flinched.
Yet, Silli remained serene.
“Of course, I didn't say it so bluntly. I spent a very long time using metaphors to make them understand.”
In other words……
It meant she had spent a very long time threatening them.
“I simply told them that we would only fulfill our duties as a mere religious organization.”
If they didn't permit the proclamation of the kingdom, she was threatening that they would practically clap and welcome the Empire if it invaded.
“Ahem, anyway, after going through a peaceful meeting like that, I was able to win this glory!”
While spouting such grim words, Silli had a bright smile on her face and held up her hands in a ‘fighting’ pose.
Alon glanced at Penia and Evan, who were struggling to recover from the shock.
“……Right, well…… you worked hard.”
“Yes! Because it’s what you wanted, Your Majesty!”
“……?”
“Anyway, you can make the proclamation whenever you wish! At that time, the Luxible Grand Duchy will also change its national title!”
“……Have you already recruited the Luxible Grand Duchy too?”
“Yes!”
Before he could even process the thought of ‘A king? Me?’, Silli dropped yet another piece of information.
Alon stood there with his mouth agape for a moment before Evan’s voice brought him back to his senses.
“Mmm……. Still, isn't this a good thing?”
“……A good thing, you say.”
The king of a nation.
As Evan said, being a king wasn't a bad thing.
In a fantasy world like this, becoming a king meant one no longer had to bow their head to anyone.
But that was only in terms of social rank.
Alon didn't feel particularly attracted to the position of king itself.
More accurately, it was because he knew what a king’s work entailed.
The king of a country.
It might look great on the outside, but it was actually an incredibly grueling job once you looked into it.
First of all, from the moment of coronation, it was virtually impossible to wander around outside.
From the moment you woke up until you went to sleep, you had to process tasks coming in from all over.
In other words, for Alon, who found his life as a Marquis perfectly comfortable, it felt like his inconveniences would only increase.
When Alon made a gesture as if contemplating with a blank face, Evan let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re probably the only person who would react like that to being told they can become a king.”
“Of course! His Majesty is destined to become someone even greater!”
Silli added, completely missing Evan’s point.
Before Alon could cut her off and ask what she meant by that, Penia spoke up first.
“Well, I can certainly understand the Marquis’s point. Being a king might look good on the surface, but it’s internally a very exhausting position.”
“Hmm—”
Behind his dry expression, Alon was about to nod in satisfaction—
“If you become king, you can dump the basic duties on others and siphon off the budget to suit your tastes for magic research, you know?”
“……Suddenly, it sounds quite good.”
—but before he could, he watched with a deadpan expression as Penia was instantly persuaded by Silli.
“Well, if the Marquis becomes king, you could do magic research without even needing to work, and with unlimited resources at that.”
“Since things have turned out this way, why don't you give it a try?”
“Penia…… isn't your change of heart a bit too fast?”
Perhaps his absurd expression showed, as Penia subtly avoided his gaze.
“Still, our Marquis is certainly unique. It’s usually hard to be this unimpressed.”
“…….”
Silli, who had succeeded in her recruitment.
Penia, who had already crossed over.
And at Evan’s nonchalant commentary, Alon let out a long sigh.
* * *
A few days later.
“See you later, Mentor!”
“I’ll be waiting, Teacher.”
“We’ll see you next time, Marquis.”
“Right.”
Due to the unique entities, Seolrang, Yutia, and Yuman departed.
“Brother, then I shall take my leave as well. It seems there’s some confusion regarding information……”
“Boss! We’re going to the jungle for a bit too. We have things to discuss now. Oh, we’re taking Historia with us!”
“I want to stay here, though……”
“I understand.”
Nangwon, Ryanga, and Historia also left.
After seeing them off, Alon set aside the issue of whether or not to proclaim the kingdom for now.
Accompanied by Ladan, Penia, and Evan, he headed toward Laxas.
It was to meet the Previous Observer in Laxas.
More specifically, to speak with the being the Previous Observer had mentioned—the one who knew the truth of this world.
“Phew—”
Alon thought of the three artifacts in his possession.
The Mask of the Walker brought by Ryanga.
The Screaming Blessing brought by Seolrang.
And finally, the Gem of the Blind One obtained from Elivan.
Because of these.
‘……I wonder just how much I’ll be able to find out.’
A sense of anticipation rose within him.
In the past, the secrets of this world were merely secondary, not the main focus.
Back then, Alon’s goal had been to stop the Sins.
But now that things had come to this, the secrets of the world had become incredibly important.
Expectation began to stir in Alon’s heart.
After a journey of about a few weeks, Alon arrived at the coast.
There—
“Observer.”
As if she had known Alon was coming.
“……I’ve been waiting.”
The Observer was already sitting on the cliff, waiting for him.