Succession
Valeron gasped for air, his chest heaving. "Huff... huff... Lightning Bolt!" Even while struggling to breathe, he kept firing off attack spells whenever he found an opening.
"Everyone knows you've mastered both swordsmanship and magic, but that just means you're mediocre at both," Nydus said, blocking the incoming lightning with a barrier. He flaunted his magical superiority without shame.
Hesse, who had similarly formed an aura to deflect the spells, laughed in agreement with Nydus's assessment.
"Hah... You people are completely insane," Valeron muttered.
Both men had that mad glint in their eyes, lost in the thrill of slaughter. It sent chills down his spine.
"Revolutions are always the work of madmen."
Nydus cut off Valeron's words and began forming another spell. His mana rippled through the air, sharpening into blades. Dozens of them materialized in an instant, then shot forward in a straight line without distinguishing between enemy and ally.
"Sword Tomb!"
Shashashashak!
It was a decisive strike aimed not only at Valeron and Gorgon, but at King Paheira, Prince Hernandez, and Duke Davens as well. Valeron had thought this from the beginning: any battle where you had something to protect came at a heavy cost.
As if on cue, when the mana-formed blades hurtled toward the king, Valeron threw up a barrier around him. Prince Hernandez, Duke Davens, and Gorgon all moved to deflect the swords heading in that direction. Because of this coordinated defense, they couldn't avoid the attacks coming at them personally.
"Ugh, you cowardly bastard!"
Thanks to that, Valeron—who had no barrier of his own—ended up with wounds all over his body. The other three fared slightly better but still accumulated injuries.
"Isn't the whole point of battle to win? If it means victory, you'd do anything—that's always been the way of Sogg Kingdom, hasn't it?"
Nydus spoke as if reciting a national motto, deliberately shifting the topic. He was clearly enjoying the sight of his nation crumbling in this moment. He was so delighted that instead of immediately executing his enemies when given the chance, he spread his arms wide to savor the scene.
"Kahahaha! I can hear the world becoming ours! Every race will chant the name of Sogg! They'll all cry out Melbourne's name!"
The four who protected the king felt their blood boil as they watched this man revel in a victory that hadn't even happened yet.
It was then that Nydus, who had been about to cast another spell to dramatically close the curtain, sensed something wrong.
Swaaaah!
The black sky that had been dyed dark suddenly cleared, and light poured through the windows.
"W-what is this!"
He knew exactly what the vanishing black sky meant and found himself unable to continue speaking. Frozen like ice, he did nothing. The two princes and Hesse, unable to grasp the situation, could only stare in stunned silence.
"What happened?" Hesse asked, quickly regaining his composure and turning to Nydus.
Nydus closed his gaping mouth and frowned deeply.
"They have left."
The way he referred to them as 'they' made it impossible to know exactly who he meant, but it was clear the situation had turned grave. Still, Hesse spoke with the mindset that completing their objective came first.
"If this puts us at a disadvantage, we should wrap things up quickly."
Nydus nodded in resignation.
"You're right. There are still things we must do to achieve our great cause."
It was unfortunate that the two demons he had trusted had vanished from Dabens for some unknown reason. But what Nydus had asked of them was Vidion's death. Ideally, he would have preferred them to kill him outright, but he hadn't expected that much. Vidion's power was simply too great. As long as they kept him from reaching the royal palace during this critical operation, that was enough. They had fulfilled that role sufficiently.
In any case, the current situation still favored the noble faction. The orthodox nobles and Prince Hernandez were thoroughly exhausted. If they could just kill the king now, everything would be resolved.
Having reached that conclusion, Nydus activated his spell.
"Sword Tomb!"
The previous magic had merely been a way to drain their stamina. This was the true display of its power. The spell that had previously created dozens of magic swords was now enhanced, producing hundreds. Being such a powerful spell, there was a brief delay before it could be fired.
Prince Hernandez and the three nobles stared blankly at the swords forming in front of the king's chair. Their faces showed exhaustion as they desperately tried to think of a way out, but there was none.
The magic Valeron could use was limited, just as Nydus's had been, and his swordsmanship wasn't overwhelmingly superior either. There was no way to overcome the current crisis. Gorgon had fought evenly with Hesse and was equally drained. Prince Hernandez and Duke Davens were in even worse shape. Hernandez's ability was on par with the two princes, while Duke Davens had grown old and frail, unable to display his former prowess.
Valeron murmured under his breath, "This is absolute desperation."
The only thing they could do was their best to block the magic swords, but there was no guarantee they could fully protect the king. The overwhelming sense of powerlessness clung to them, making it hard to find any strength.
To make matters worse, the swords began to tremble violently, ready to be launched at any moment. Those with some knowledge of magic could sense it clearly.
Nydus spoke mockingly, "Don't make such pitiful faces. This is simply karmic retribution."
He even used polite speech, which was unlike him. With a wave of his hand, he sent the magic swords flying.
Shooshshoosh!
They raised their swords to block the incoming barrage when a massive object suddenly appeared, blocking their path.
Glurp!
The object was so enormous it absorbed all the surrounding light, casting a deep shadow. Yet something about its movement felt strangely familiar.
Pew pew pew!
The colossal form took every magic sword Melbourne had fired into its body, melting them from within so they couldn't pass through.
'Melted them?'
Valeron's eyes widened as he felt the mana rapidly dissipating inside the massive entity. He couldn't understand how it was absorbing the magic.
Crackle!
All the magic swords vanished into nothingness. The enormous object began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller until it reached the size of a human, taking on a distinct shape.
"A girl?" Valeron muttered without thinking.
Because what stood before them appeared to be a young girl who couldn't be more than fifteen.
"Arien's name is not 'girl,'" she said, as if the correction was of utmost importance, even though his words had been little more than a whisper. "This one is Arien."
Arien's appearance completely changed the tide of battle. She clearly wasn't an enemy.
Valeron asked cautiously, "Miss Arien? In any case, are you an ally?"
He was being careful now that he'd confirmed she wasn't entirely human. But Arien's next words immediately put those protecting the king at ease.
"Arien follows Lord Bagan. Since Lord Bagan is currently hostile toward the noble faction, it would be reasonable to consider Arien an ally."
The name Bagan flashed through Valeron's mind. When Reina had reported to the family, she mentioned that someone on par with—or possibly stronger than—Vidion would be joining as an ally. That person's name had been Bagan. Though Valeron hadn't witnessed his skills firsthand, if they were truly that exceptional, his presence would be immeasurably valuable in their current situation. And now one of his companions had arrived on the scene to help.
His heart was still pounding so violently he could barely calm it.
From the noble faction's perspective, however, Arien's arrival was an unforeseen variable. The moment they thought they had won completely, she had blocked their ultimate technique in an instant—and in an overwhelmingly majestic manner.
"A Queen Slime? In all my years, I've never seen such a monster," Nydus said. He recognized her species. She was a creature that appeared only in legends, but he knew they had existed in the past. And he was certain the being before them was exactly that.
Slimes were generally strong against physical attacks but weak to magic. They were the type of monster that could be killed with a sword if you found and destroyed their core. Yet what about Arien? She had taken magic attacks head-on—attacks that should have been her weakness—and not only endured them, but absorbed them completely.
The absurdity of it all drew a hollow laugh from Nydus.
"Hah... So the anomaly was just an anomaly after all."
With the two demons already gone, Nydus had lost his will to fight. Still, he had intended to at least kill the king to complete their great cause. But even that was now impossible. The situation had completely reversed.
Thud.
Nydus's knees buckled, dropping him helplessly to the floor. He couldn't even reflect on whether his greed had been too much. From the moment he joined hands with demons, his mistake had become irreversible. He simply remained silent, accepting the current reality.
The two princes glared at him accusingly.
"Hey, Duke Melbourne! Wasn't this all your idea? Are you just going to crawl away without seeing it through?"
"My brother's right! Why are you giving up now!"
Nydus looked up at the two princes quietly and thought to himself that he should never have trusted them. The only reason he had considered them as potential kings was because they were fools. On the other hand, Prince Hernandez—the legitimate successor—was too perfect. If he had become king without interference, he might have led the nation to even greater prosperity as a wise ruler. Even if that wouldn't have benefited the noble faction.
At their core, the noble faction only cared about the nation's success. Nothing might have gone wrong. In the end, he had ruined Prince Hernandez himself.
'I have destroyed everything.'
He might not be able to repent fully, but he could at least quietly regret his actions. Having already given up, it was possible. When even Hesse saw that Nydus had no reaction to the princes' words, he finally dropped his sword.
Clang!
Then he knelt. It was pathetic, but he had no choice.
"We are traitors who have committed high treason. Whether you behead us, burn us, or starve us to death, we have no objections."
Hesse understood his position clearly. Unlike the silently resigned Nydus, he announced his crimes and even bowed deeply as a final gesture of complete surrender.
Prince Hernandez and the orthodox nobles, who had watched the entire situation flip with Arien's mere arrival, moved to secure the criminals before them. Prince Hernandez and Duke Davens bound the two princes with the ropes Arien provided, while Valeron and Gorgon tied up the two kneeling nobles. They then brought them before King Paheira, who was still alive despite his exhausted appearance.
"Cough! Cough!"
He seemed to have expended all his strength watching the battle, barely able to speak. Yet he gathered what little energy he had left for this most important duty.
"Ahem."
Everyone waited for King Paheira to speak. He held the final authority in this moment.
The king closed his eyes quietly for a moment, then uttered a single sentence.
"I have already passed everything on to Hernandez."
He opened his eyes and looked at his son.
"Now, I declare that you have become king of this nation... Cough! ...and that a new era has begun."
His voice was weak and frail, but he had fulfilled his final duty as king.
"Yes, Father. Though I am unworthy, I will do my utmost to protect all the glory achieved by our predecessors and become a king worthy of this nation."
This was what they had fought so desperately for. It might seem like a mere formality, but there was nothing more important in the relationship between nobles, king, and nation.
King Paheira rose with the help of his cane. He was stepping down from the throne. Valeron supported him. Then Hernandez, the newly ascended king, took his seat on the throne, supported by his closest aide, Duke Davens.
Paheira looked at his son now wearing the crown and wiped away his tears. Though the crown, mantle, and scepter had not yet been bestowed, the sight alone made it clear that he possessed the qualities of a true king.
The four criminals watched the change of kings with dazed eyes.
Then—
Creak!
Bang!
The doors to the audience chamber burst open, and a figure entered. Without saying a word, he walked straight to the foot of the throne, his footsteps echoing.
"Who are you?" Hernandez asked, not recognizing the intruder who had entered the chamber uninvited.
But there was one person whose heart fluttered with joy at the sight.
"Lord Bagan!" Arien exclaimed.
She greeted him warmly, and Bagan returned her smile. But his expression quickly turned fierce as he directed blades of judgment toward the four criminals.
Thud!
They could instantly tell this magic was far superior to the Sword Tomb Nydus had displayed. The four criminals, pierced through by the blades of judgment, all coughed up blood and collapsed.
For someone to vomit blood and collapse in the audience chamber—especially during the succession of a new king—was an extraordinary event.
"What do you think you're doing!" Hernandez shouted.
But Bagan didn't even glance at him as he replied, "Because of these bastards, Natalie disappeared."