Chapter 202: Succession Ceremony (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Succession Ceremony (4)
The night deepened. A cool breeze swirled between Ryozo and me before drifting away. Despite the chilly air, our conversation was in full bloom.
I had ended up listening to Ryozo's past on a whim. Though she spoke with a calm face, the story was devastating—comparable even to my own life as a total orphan. From the sound of it, she might as well have had no family either.
"...That's how I ended up alone in that house. But as it turned out, my mom had just abandoned me. It's surprisingly common in Japan—parents disappearing and leaving their kids behind."
Beneath the bench, Ryozo swung her crossed legs. She didn't look at me, keeping her eyes fixed alternately on the sky and the ground throughout our conversation.
"And even through all that, the Archery Saint kept telling me, 'You must become one of the Seven Stars.' I mean, seriously. My mother vanished overnight, and that's the first thing out of his mouth? Does that make any sense to you?"
"No wonder you developed a neurosis."
"Right? Back then, I seriously wanted to put an arrow right between that bastard's eyes. But since I couldn't do that, I just imagined the target was his face when I shot. My aim was perfect every time."
Ryozo let out a dry chuckle. I just nodded along, offering a brief murmur of agreement.
There wasn't much I could say to someone who imagined her father's face as a target. If I chimed in, it would basically be joining in on the parent-bashing.
"Hina wasn't always like that either. ...It's a bit embarrassing, but when I was little, I used to follow her around calling her 'big sister.' But that bastard Kojima pitted the siblings against each other, and her personality ended up turning into that mess."
"I'm curious, though. Why is your father so obsessed with his children becoming one of the Seven Stars?"
"……."
Ryozo fell silent for a moment. She stared blankly into the empty air before answering.
"Like I said earlier, that bastard Kojima has a lot of wives. Probably around five?"
In this world, there are several countries that allow polygamy. They take multiple wives under the grand pretext of birthing stronger heroes.
It was only possible because of their common enemy, the demons. Superior genes were directly linked to the survival of humanity.
But this was purely a setting designed to establish plausibility.
A so-called protagonist's privilege. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this world was designed specifically for that one guy, Leon von Reinhardt.
This form of marriage, which defied my common sense, was a necessary system for Leon to reach a harem ending without any moral issues (?). And the Archery Saint was also enjoying that outdated privilege.
But even so, the Archery Saint was a hero with an exceptionally large number of offspring. Normally, three was the absolute limit, but he kept five wives. It was unprecedented.
Five wives. For some reason, I felt shocked and dizzy at the same time. But Ryozo's next words doubled the shock.
"But that's five living wives. If you include the deceased, it's six."
Crazy. Six? Saki Kojima, the Archery Saint, was no ordinary man.
Ryozo continued.
"The deceased wife. She was the one Kojima loved the most—no, the only one he ever loved. Her name was Alice Louise. She was one of the Seven Stars heroes, known as the Iron Martial. It's a bit of an unfamiliar name, right?"
"If she was one of the Seven Stars, don't tell me..."
"Right. The hero who lost her life forty years ago in the Basmon Subjugation War. The hero who died right after luring Basmon from the Gehenna Gate to the frontline base. It's a name that only briefly appears in history class, so it's probably your first time hearing it. I only know because she was a family elder. Normally, people would just think, 'Oh, she was one of the Seven Stars,' and move on."
A complex emotion flickered in Ryozo's eyes.
"Kojima, that bastard, is furious that the person he loved most is being forgotten. And he thinks the reason is because she wasn't the absolute best."
"……."
"Geomma, I know what you're thinking. Forgotten because she wasn't the best. Sounds like total bullshit, right? But apparently, after losing his first wife, Kojima was a madman for several years. He acts normal now, but internally, he's a completely broken human being."
I recalled the men from my days as a raw fish restaurant owner who would chug bottles of soju after breaking up with their lovers.
There was also someone who had been widowed, and it took him a long time to return to daily life. Losing a loved one is an unspeakable pain—enough to completely change a person.
"He probably wants to find a replacement for Alice Louise among his children. The other wives and family are just means to that end."
He fell into deep despair because of the first wife he lost forty years ago. On top of that, when she was forgotten by people, he looked for the reason in a strange place.
On the outside, he looked clean-cut with clear eyes.
His way of thinking was on a completely different level. Was he some kind of clear-eyed madman? But how did he have six wives if he was crazy? Is being handsome everything? Looking at Leon, it did seem like everything.
Feeling a sudden sense of defeat, I let out a bitter sigh.
"Anyway."
Ryozo looked at me silently. Her gaze said she was passing the turn to me. Now it was my turn to explain.
"The decisive reason I became a Seven Stars hero was..."
I told Ryozo everything that had happened without leaving anything out.
The subjugation of the 5th Corps Commander Agor, the purge of Elder Cladi, and the entanglement with the Villain Syndicate.
Despite such hard work, the situation forced it to be kept hidden. Feeling frustrated, the Sword Emperor proposed the Seven Stars succession. After several months of agonizing, I accepted. To summarize, that was the gist of it.
Ryozo listened quietly. Her legs, which had been swinging back and forth, stopped at some point. A chilly silence hung in the air.
I swallowed hard. Just as I was about to say something to break the awkwardness, Ryozo opened her mouth.
"You've been through a lot."
Ryozo said in a choked voice.
The next moment, strands of sky-blue hair brushed against my shoulder. The scent of late autumn drifted to the tip of my nose. She was hugging me.
I was flustered by the sudden situation. My mind went blank as if paralyzed. My body froze. How many minutes had passed?
Ryozo slowly pulled away. Her face was flushed with a light blush.
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I did that because I got swept up in the mood."
"……!"
"And, well, congratulations. Aside from my personal feelings about the Seven Stars, you're more than qualified, Geomma. Now people won't look down on you for not being a noble."
"Th-thanks."
"Also, what I wanted to say..."
Mumbling, Ryozo soon dusted herself off and stood up. Then, walking away as if nothing had happened, she slightly turned her head and said:
"Geomma, I'm proud of you."
Having said her piece, Ryozo kept walking. The intermittently placed streetlights illuminated her one by one. I stared blankly at her retreating figure. Just then, my pocket vibrated brightly.
[♩ ♬ ♫ ♪]
Vixbig suddenly whistled like a pervert.
[My master really summoned a lot of courage today. How do you feel?]
"I don't know, punk."
[At times like this, you can honestly say your heart fluttered, you know? I, Vixbig, am an artificial intelligence that perfectly understands human sensitivity. A feeling like the one you're experiencing is—]
"If I record this and play it for Ryozo, don't you think that sensitivity you're so proud of will be deleted instantly?"
[…….]
I slumped back against the bench. What on earth was this situation? Ryozo had suddenly left after leaving only a single word of comfort.
I had prepared myself for a scolding, like her coldly brushing off my hand. But I was just dazed by this completely unexpected response.
The congratulations aside, what did the hug mean?
I tilted my head back against the bench. As blood rushed to the top of my head, I felt hot.
I asked Vixbig.
"Why did she hug me?"
[I don't know.]
Look at this punk, sulking.
"Tell me, Vixbig, the artificial intelligence possessing overwhelming intelligence and processing power."
[Heh.]
"Since you're family with Ryozo, you should have some idea. And you said you have rich sensitivity. It's a bit weird to say this to an AI, but... I don't really understand human hearts. I wasn't always like this, but I guess at some point..."
[Ryozo has mentioned that often. She said sometimes she wonders if you're a psychopath, Geomma. Like you have a problem with empathy.]
I pulled out my phone. I also pulled out my sashimi knife.
[H-however! According to my personal investigation, the probability of you being a psycho bastard is extremely low. It's just that, how should I put it, you seem to be of a slightly different breed. Anyway, to answer your question... I recommend hearing it directly from Ryozo.]
"Are you sure you just don't know?"
[I, Vixbig, pride myself on being far more sensitive than you, Geomma. By the way, you really are as clueless as they say. Asking me this in the first place makes you disqualified as a human.]
"Forget it, I don't want to hear it."
Tsking, I put away my phone. As it went into my pocket, Vixbig threw in one last word, modulating her voice like a certain other tech company's S-iri.
[Did you know? Not long ago, a bill for 'polygamy' was proposed in the Korean National Assembly.]
"What?"
[They're jumping on the bandwagon. Even Korea, the Eastern Land of Courtesy. It will probably be fully implemented by the time you become an adult, Geomma.]
"Crazy."
[Good luck.]
* * *
Joaquin Academy proceeded with the succession ceremony.
The entire grounds were thoroughly cleaned, and various colorful wreaths were placed here and there.
It was thanks to the Association's staff running around busily under the leadership of the Spear Saint, who was the Vice Association President.
Thus, Joaquin Academy completed the preparations for the succession ceremony in just four days. It was a marvelous processing speed.
The cadets, who didn't know what was going on, wondered what was happening at first. After all, they were decorating the academy even though it wasn't festival season.
But news travels fast. Word quickly spread that all these preparations were for the succession ceremony. The atmosphere among the cadets grew increasingly lively.
News of guests from all over the world visiting Korea also poured out through the media.
The guest list alone gave a clear indication of how grand the succession ceremony would be.
From state guests to All Mute Kahn Elizabeth, Iron Leg Mao Rang, and many Warrior and Senior-rank heroes were included.
Meanwhile, I also spent incredibly busy days.
I really feel like I only slept one or two hours a day for the past few days.
I did rehearsals for the succession ceremony, got fitted for the formal wear to wear on the day, and scribbled signatures on a mountain of documents.
Dark circles hung down to my chin, but there was nothing I could do.
It wasn't just me struggling; the Sword Emperor, the Academy Principal, and the Spear Saint were also staying up all night to help with the preparations.
Not only them, but the Association staff, especially Manager Seong, also worked day and night.
Since it was a national event for the first time in half a century, everyone from the academy, the Association, and the government joined forces.
Just like that, one, two, three days flew by, and today, the fourth day...
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The morning of the succession ceremony dawned.