Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The King Abandoned by Heaven
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"Celeste is the king's name."
The boy priest said in a tense voice.
"A king who lived at the edge of the continent in ancient times."
Clavis showed interest at the unexpected remark and asked back.
"What kind of king was he?"
"Well, he was a king who ruled over a great fortress."
Clavis tilted his head at the vague answer. Enji hurried to add more.
"Ah, I mean, in ancient times, every fortress had its own king, and several fortresses were clustered around a river. There were large ones and small ones—well, 'large' by the standards of that era, of course..."
"The one with the largest fortress among them?"
"Ah, yes."
With Clavis's help, Enji nodded vigorously. Clavis nodded back with a smile, urging him to go on. Enji, who had spoken up unexpectedly, swallowed dryly. The sharp gazes of the duke's heirs weighed on him. He hesitated to open his mouth, but then his eyes met Lena's, who sat among the dukes.
"Uh..."
Enji was swept up in that strange feeling again. His chest fluttered like when the wind hit him from on high. The trembling stopped, and for some reason he couldn't explain, his mind eased. The boy continued in a much calmer voice.
"King Celeste ruled the great fortress and monopolized the fertile lands and hunting grounds nearby. He threatened neighboring fortresses with force and ultimately turned the other kings against him—a foolish conqueror."
He was a king who led his army to hoard all the prey. His fortress grew ever richer because of it, but stolen abundance could never last forever. Spears and armies were fearsome, but not as much as starvation. The neighboring fortresses, pushed to their limits, finally banded together and rose up.
"The allied forces formed and besieged King Celeste's fortress. The king shut the gates and waited for the army to withdraw, but the allies declared they wouldn't leave until the king surrendered his head."
The grudge of those robbed of their sustenance was fierce. They sought vengeance on the king, who trembled in fear and barred the gates even tighter.
"The siege lasted over half a year, and as isolation dragged on, the fortress ran out of food. The starving people demanded the king surrender."
"Oh dear."
Clavis suddenly laughed. The smile he held, brows furrowed, seemed to mock something. As Enji faltered at the sharpness, Clavis returned to his usual composed face as if nothing had happened.
"Go on."
"Ah, yes. Well, in the end, the people tried to drag the king out themselves. But at that time, the king had a wife heavy with child, and he begged the people to wait just until the baby was born."
At that moment, Clavis seemed to realize something, narrowing his eyes softly.
"A few days later, the king's child was born, and..."
"The king passed the throne to that newborn infant."
Clavis continued naturally. As Enji looked up in surprise, he added gently.
"I remember hearing it now. It's an incredibly old tale—you did well to know it."
What the boy priest recited was ancient history from a remote region far from the Empire. Few in the Empire knew of it, and even Clavis had nearly forgotten. Clavis recalled the memory Enji had stirred and continued.
"With that, the throne was inherited, and Celeste, now the former king, handed the still-blind infant over to the people. 'Here's the king you want—take him to your enemies.'"
"Yes, that's right. King Celeste gave the baby a ring engraved with his seal..."
Enji, explaining calmly, suddenly stopped. The boy blinked with a dawning realization, then muttered in bewilderment.
"He passed a ring engraved with the seal to the child. Back then, the king's seal ring was the mark of royalty."
"Interesting."
Just yesterday, Lena had brought him what she called the king's heart—a seal ring. Clavis chuckled at the coincidence. The other dukes wore similar expressions.
"So, what happened?"
"The starving people took the baby. And in the end, they threw it over the fortress walls..."
Enji concluded in a somber voice. The enemies wanted the king's head. And the newborn, granted the seal at birth, was this fortress's king. The conditions were met. Losing all reason, the people rushed to the walls with the infant, hoping for the enemy's mercy. And the baby, who needed mercy more than anyone, wailed loudly as if aware of its fate. But the people didn't hear it. Desperate only for release from famine, they silenced that tiny king's first cry.
"Once the baby king fell, the allied army finally withdrew."
Whether they accepted the surrender or sought to avoid ill omen, no one knew. But one thing was clear. The king had traded his life for his child's. And not just the king—the fortress's people had done the same. It was an act deserving eternal curse.
"Thus, King Celeste saved his life but was branded a coward, and in the end, he was killed by his own brothers, or so the tale goes."
"So, the ones who swallowed the first cry spoke that king's name?"
Clavis turned to Lena again and asked. The story had progressed faster than Lena expected. But she hid her thoughts and answered calmly.
"I don't know the history that far, but I did hear the sound."
"And?"
"So I followed what the wraiths said. I thought the mutterings they made while emerging from the fortress might be the key."
"And?"
"When I called 'Celeste' in front of the fortress, a path opened, and another world appeared. The king who swallowed the first cry was there."
Lena finished in a matter-of-fact tone, and a strange smile formed on Clavis's face.
"Really?"
Clavis leaned toward Lena and murmured. She'd heard it by chance and tried it on a whim, and an impregnable fortress opened. It sounded flimsy to anyone. Careless if a lie, absurd if true.
"You sure that's wise? His Majesty hates lies."
"If you're suspicious, you can verify it yourself."
"How? That fortress is gone now."
Clavis pressed subtly. Then the Southern Duke, who had been watching, interjected.
"My proxy isn't a fool. She wouldn't lie in a place like this."
"You're taking her side."
Clavis smirked at the Southern Duke's support. Then he turned to the opposite side of the round table.
"What do the North and East think?"
"We'll know when we check on the next expedition."
When Clavis asked for opinions, the Eastern Duke replied with an annoyed face, as if tired of pointless bickering. The Northern Duke, meanwhile, said nothing. He hadn't acquiesced to this farce. His violet eyes simmered with quiet fury.
"Otherwise, I'd be the one nagging alone."
With no objections, Clavis backed off readily. He hadn't intended to press seriously anyway.
"Fine, let's say it was divine protection. A revelation or whatever. Results are what matter, right?"
Lena's claim was nonsense, but the fortress had been conquered nonetheless. With no way to verify, the dukes had no choice but to accept.
"The story's taking an interesting turn. If Lady Lena's claim is true, we can assume the king who swallowed the first cry is King Celeste, yes?"
Clavis looked around the table. But no one answered. They were all lost in their own speculations.
"Well, that's the kind of thing that would make even heaven abandon him."
Clavis mocked with narrowed eyes. People mad with hunger who offered an innocent baby as sacrifice. By their words, they starved eternally in the grave, reacting desperately to every sound as penalty for ignoring the baby's first cry. As the pieces fell into place, a reluctant consensus formed. Just as Lena intended. The method she described was real, after all. A fortress-tomb sealed on all sides. The way in was to call the lord's true name. Lena was the only one who knew, which was how she'd survived the expedition.
*Father has no idea.*
Lena recalled the marquis's face from yesterday and swallowed a bitter smile. When she returned from the expedition, he'd stared at her like she'd risen from the dead. His pale face seemed to ask why she was still alive. This was the answer. Lena wasn't a monster or immortal. She'd survived because she knew how to enter the wraiths' fortress. By chance, the place the marquis had poisoned and pushed her from was atop that fortress. In the moment of falling, Lena had called Celeste's name and was pulled inside, escaping death. That was the truth of the expedition, but Lena hadn't revealed it all. She couldn't. So to the dukes, she'd only hinted that calling the king's true name opened the fortress. The story had gone smoothly so far. But even Lena hadn't expected Celeste's identity to be revealed so quickly.
*I thought the palace scholars would struggle for days with ancient history.*
Who knew someone versed in it would be here? And of all people, Enji Lubel. Lena gazed at the boy priest who resembled her, hiding her emotions as best she could. Meanwhile, Clavis continued.
"The king of the wraiths is the king abandoned by heaven, and to enter their fortress, you need the king's name. That naturally decides our next steps."
Clavis leisurely counted on his fingers.
"One is learning the kings' names. The other is dealing with the king whose name we already know."
The king whose name was known. It was the tale of Hiems Grasha, the emperor's great-grandfather, the "King of Burning and Char."
"Sounds plausible. Hiems Grasha was certainly the kind of king heaven would abandon."
Even though Hiems Grasha was his direct ancestor, Clavis spoke without hesitation. The dukes recalled it too. The atrocity Hiems Grasha committed 200 years ago. He'd burned innocent kingdom folk alive, using plague as an excuse. The king who discarded a newborn and swallowed its first cry. The king of burning and char who reveled in pyres. It fit perfectly.
"We have to acknowledge it now."
As the mood shifted to acceptance, Clavis smiled deeply at Lena.
"My respects to Lady Lena, who unraveled the tomb's secrets. You were right after all."
. . .
Once the council ended, the Southern Duke was the first to turn from the round table. As he relished the Northern Duke's discomfort, Clavis approached Lena and whispered slyly.
"Impressive, Lady Lena."
As usual, he fawned affectionately, then lowered his voice further.
"But you're no good at making up stories."
The dukes weren't fools. They'd overlooked minor inconsistencies because of the significant revelation in Lena's words. She knew that. They'd both played along out of necessity, so why approach and pick a fight now? Lena smiled sweetly at the subtle provocation.
"Careful. I have plenty of other talents."
"Like?"
"Do I have to spell it out?"
Lena sharpened her gaze and glared at him once. Then she brushed past Clavis, who had closed the distance on his own, with cold indifference. At Lena's veiled threat, Clavis bit his lip with a laugh. Like a child tasting sweetness, he watched her retreating figure—then noticed someone else observing the lady. The clever boy priest, Enji Lubel, hesitated from afar, gazing at Lena. Enji was curious. Who was she, really? Why did she use the same name as his dead sister? Why did she resemble the sister in his memories? And why wouldn't his father tell him anything? After hesitating, Enji steeled himself and followed Lena. He wanted to speak to her. To ask if she knew him. He hurried after her, but an unexpected figure blocked his path.
"Where are you going?"
"Your Highness..."
"Is there anyone among them you can call that casually?"
Clavis, blocking Enji, spoke with heavy gentleness.
"Be careful, even if you are the marquis's young master."
At Clavis's warning, Enji froze. It was embarrassing, but not wrong. Dukes and their proxies weren't for a mere priest to address lightly. Enji could only watch Lena leave the council hall with his eyes. That strange flutter from before brushed his chest again. But the still-young Enji didn't yet realize it was longing.
***
The dukes' council ended without incident. Lena, who had embellished her words, left satisfied with the smoother-than-expected meeting. But just as she stepped into the corridor, she unexpectedly ran into Lin. The Eastern Duke, who had left first, was still near the door. Not waiting for her specifically, it seemed—Lin also feigned surprise at seeing Lena. The two, meeting abruptly, stared at each other. Each had words unspoken, but there were too many eyes. So they stood in silence for a moment.
"Withdraw your gaze."
A sharp voice suddenly rang out.
"Daring to stare with eyes not even fit for beasts."
It was the Southern Duke's voice, dripping with contempt.