Chapter 231
Chapter 231
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: Golden Lord (4)
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Remillion kept his promise to Duncan.
The promise that he would come running to help with anything, no matter what, if summoned.
The necklace he'd given Duncan was an artifact that transmitted his location when the bead was shattered. The moment he sensed the bead break, he dropped everything and spread his wings. Thanks to his naturally blistering flight speed, it had only taken him about four days to reach Delutana, the "Golden City," from the Great Forest.
But when he actually arrived, the "help" he'd been called for was quite different from what he'd expected.
'...Help persuade the other cities to stand against the Empire?'
"Y-Yes! Th-That's right, Lord Remillion! The Empire is invading our alliance, so we need to band together, but the other cities besides Delutana are backing out..."
'...'
Everything was bewildering. The outbreak of war, the alliance fracturing, and a mere traveling merchant making such a grand request of him. He'd expected something trivial, like delivering a treasure or rescuing him from some personal crisis...
But he'd already promised to help with anything. He couldn't take back words once spoken.
'For now, I'll hear the full story...'
After listening intently to the current situation.
Remillion stood in the center of the council chamber.
The chamber had barely regained a semblance of peace. The shattered seats and tables had been replaced, and the barely conscious councilors had recovered their wits and taken their seats. Above all, the departure of the "Demon Slayer" meant they no longer felt the threat of death hanging over them, which greatly contributed to the calm.
Yet everyone instinctively knew this was just a fleeting peace on the brink of shattering once more.
"Some of you may have heard already, but allow me a formal introduction. I am Remillion. To answer the question that might arise, I am no homonym— I am indeed the very founder of the Free City Alliance and its first lord who once ruled it."
"''...''"
Beneath the skin-crawling silence, the councilors averted their eyes aimlessly.
To dare claim to be the great founder of the alliance... The ongoing blasphemy had finally reached its peak. Yet no one erupted in outrage as before. He'd only left the chamber, after all—the "Demon Slayer" was still in the building.
Unable to protest or flee, the leaders fell back on their occupational habits. They pondered the true intent behind Delutana's ploy in parading this man as "Remillion."
Naturally, no one believed the shiny freak was the real "Remillion." How absurd was it to think a figure missing for two hundred years was still alive? They'd sooner believe the nonsense that an elven god had descended to earth and turned into a tree...
How long had they been peeking around like that?
One councilor from Galentana raised his hand.
"L-Lord... Remillion? If I may be so bold, could I ask one question?"
"Go ahead."
"How have you managed to live this long? I heard it's been over two hundred years since you left the alliance..."
"I drank dragon's blood and dark elf blood. The former merely fortified my body, but the latter was decisive in extending my lifespan."
Gasp—gasps erupted in unison.
It was bluff no child would buy. The councilors barely suppressed their sneers, throats bobbing. From that moment, questions poured in from all sides.
"Then why did you abandon your position as eternal lord and leave?"
"In my youth, I once greedily snuck into a dragon's lair for treasure. I left because I felt I had to meet that dragon again before dying and apologize."
"And what of that outfit and those scales?"
"Ah, this golden armor is an artifact I received from that dragon. These scales are the result of my constitution changing after drinking its blood, as I said."
Gasp, heh... Then what is your relation to the Demon Slayer?"
"Demon Slayer? Ah, you mean Sir Kadim? He saved my life when I was young, and went even further to save this world twice. A benefactor who made... an immense sacrifice beyond mortal comprehension."
Councilors finally burst into snickers or shook their heads in disbelief.
The intent was insultingly obvious. They'd fabricated a fake Remillion, propped up his authority to heroize that monstrous fiend, and cover up past sins... One councilor jabbed with heavy sarcasm at the core issue.
"With all due respect, Golden Lord, do you have no mark or sign we could verify? Not that we doubt your sincerity, but we're greatly concerned there'd be no way to distinguish you from impostor scoundrels who might appear later..."
"... ."
Remillion was no fool. He'd anticipated such skeptical reactions.
"Fair enough... Demanding you believe I'm the alliance's founder after popping up out of nowhere after two hundred years— even I see it's an unreasonable request."
"... ."
"Hmm, so how should I prove it? Everyone who knew my face has long turned to dust... I hear you swear by my name to verify things, but it's ridiculous for me to do that..."
A brazen attitude without the slightest hesitation.
For a brief moment, a few sharp-minded councilors felt an ominous premonition. But most continued to play along with the absurd farce, smirking lazily.
"Why not share a tale only the lord would know? Ah, yes— the story of 'saving a city with a single gold coin' would be perfect! Everyone's heard the tale, but the exact details remain disputed..."
"Hahaha... That story's still passed down? Very well, if that'll suffice..."
Remillion accepted with a saintly smile.
The moment he began, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
"In the year 848 of the Lunar Calendar, during an oppressively hot summer as if the heavenly gods had poured hellfire upon the earth, the outpost city that would later become the cradle of the alliance fell. The culprits: General Murkel, fourth in succession to the Adripan Duchy, and his heavy infantry legion. With his predecessor's funeral imminent, it was a scheme to carve out his own base before being purged by the designated young heir."
Round eyes widened at the unexpectedly serious opening.
"The city was as good as defenseless then. Only minimal forces had been left behind for the conquest of nearby petty kingdoms. The city's overseer was someone I'd taken as a foster nephew— young, but a brilliant strategist. He held out for nearly a month against the reversal general and elite heavy infantry with scant troops."
"''...''"
"Yet the city fell regardless, and the boy was bisected at the waist, his guts pulled out, and strung up like a scarecrow atop the ramparts. By the time we recovered the body, maggots blackened the flesh, and pus and larvae flowed white from the gibbet base— a sight too gruesome to behold with open eyes."
The councilors' faces went collectively slack, as if clubbed with an axe.
The tale continued calmly. Hearing the news from a herald who'd barely broken through the siege, turning back the army on the verge of conquering the petty kingdom, marching while drinking horse urine and licking sweat when water ran out, the dehydrated and heatstroke-riddled corpses of soldiers littering the path like footprints...
The tone was flat, yet the story brimmed with excruciating detail and vividness only an eyewitness could know. The skeletal legend fleshed out into breathing reality, overwhelming everyone into stunned silence.
The Galentana university scholars were especially shocked. They'd once pored over records of the legend in the academy library. The testimony matched the rare documents— accessible only to insiders— almost perfectly, leaving them aghast.
At last, the tale reached its climax: saving the city with a single gold coin.
"When we returned, every soldier was utterly exhausted. Reclaiming the city in that state was impossible. But salvation came from an unexpected corner. The north gate guard captain—he was someone I'd met during my wandering days."
"''...''"
"I met him privately and struck a deal. I gave him one gold coin and said: Open the gates secretly at night. Then, when I unify the eastern continent someday, I'll repay it with mountains of gold. But refuse... and I'll make it your funeral coin, by any means necessary."
"''...''"
"He accepted, opened the gates. The heavy infantry legion was annihilated in the surprise night raid, and General Murkel was gibbeted the same way as my foster nephew. And as you all know, after long years, I truly unified the eastern continent."
The former guard captain sought him out later, true to his word. Remillion gave him mountains of gold and took back the coin. One councilor timidly asked if it wasn't a waste to give so much for just one coin.
"Waste? It was the coin that saved a city— nay, laid the foundation for binding the eastern continent into our alliance."
Remillion rummaged in his bosom and flicked something into the air.
Ting—!
A single gold coin, stained by ages yet retaining its pure luster.
"This is the coin that birthed today's alliance."
The councilors' eyes bulged. Remillion pocketed the old coin after showing it clearly to all.
"And so, just as that single coin became mountains of gold, I named that beleaguered outpost— hoping it would one day overflow with gold and prosperity— thus."
"''...''"
"'Delutana, the Golden City.'"
In that instant, the chamber froze in shuddering awe.
The legend coalesced into the present, hearts swelling with dizzying emotion.
For a moment, the leaders vanished from the cutthroat political arena of schemes and betrayals, decades of ups and downs forgotten. They regressed to innocent boyhood, when mothers, fathers, teachers, and books had filled them with thrilling dreams and ambitions of that great lord's legend.
Looking past doubt and suspicion, they saw it: the halo of the hero shining behind the golden-armored man— the hero they'd revered, worshipped, who achieved humanity's finest feats.
No words needed; all sensed it. Perhaps this man wasn't a fake, but truly the Golden Lord Remillion himself.
...And thus, they couldn't let him be.
The leaders swiftly erased their sentiments and clenched their fists.
Paradoxically, their absolute reverence for Remillion stemmed from his death. A "dead lord" posed no threat to power, yet served as a divine symbol binding and controlling the citizenry.
A "living lord" was different. Remillion held "absolute legitimacy" as the alliance's ruler. If he reclaimed the throne and rallied the alliance, they'd all become puppets.
Moreover, he had the Demon Slayer as an ally— raw power even the Magic Tower elders couldn't handle. Combine that "absolute might" with his "absolute legitimacy," and an invincible absolute monarch would emerge, checkable only by gods.
Thus, regardless of authenticity, to preserve their power and the alliance's balance... they had to tarnish his "legitimacy."
"Th-That... was an impressive tale. But as proof, it falls a bit short, don't you think? We can't confirm if that coin is genuine, and the story could be fabricated with enough motive..."
A Galentana councilor nitpicked again. Remillion faintly furrowed his brow but calmly countered.
"Then how shall I prove it this time?"
"Well, surely you have plenty of tales to tell? If you're truly the Golden Lord who founded the alliance ages ago..."
"Very well, then— a story about your ancestor. Which family are you from?"
"...Pardon?"
The councilor blinked in confusion. After hesitating under focused gazes, he reluctantly revealed his lineage. Remillion pondered deeply before asking.
"House Boltarud... Is the family founder Duke Bakrel 'Who Never Looked Back,' by chance?"
"Uh... Y-Yes, that's right..."
"Remarkable. Duke Bakrel's descendants still live on."
"...What do you mean?"
"He was a notorious pederast. In his later years, his favorite concubine turned out to be a man in drag, all his children adopted— caused quite the scandal. After death, infighting nearly wiped out the house... but glad the line endured."
The councilor gaped, suddenly heir to a pederast.
Murmurs spread like wildfire. Nearby councilors edged away. His frantic denials as rumor fell on deaf ears. Enraged, he screamed that he'd never had such an ancestor at the man before him.
Remillion's patience snapped.
"When I first saw you, you were prostrated before that exit."
"Wh-What the hell, yes!! But what does that have to—"
"Shut your mouth. Duke Bakrel may have been mocked as a man who bent over in bed, but he never bowed before an enemy on the battlefield. He conquered five cities in his life, fought rebels to his last breath— a loyal vassal and valiant warrior who fulfilled every duty before dying."
"... ."
"Are you ashamed of your ancestor's perversions? Then ask yourself: Are you a descendant he wouldn't be ashamed of?"
The piercing rebuke froze him like prey before a predator. Remillion scowled fiercely and turned to the others.
"You're no exceptions."
"''...''"
"Your ancestors shed blood to build the alliance, buried bones to defend it. They'd tear into each other, but against foreign invasion, they'd pour out every coin and stake their lives to save one another. That was the blood pact binding alliance foreigners as kin, the foundation of our great rise, the impregnable wall defying outsiders."
"''...''"
"Yet you... watched this city invaded to protect your petty power and interests?"
His fervent voice crushed their chests. The air scraped skin like blades. Barely recovered, the suffocating pressure returned, blanching their faces in a row.
"[How dare the Empire invade our alliance and slaughter our kin—!!! And you stood idle, claiming it wasn't your city's affair—!!!]"
His furious roar exploded, fist slamming the podium.
―――――― KWA-ANG!!!
The sturdy stone podium crumbled to dust. Beneath the eerie aftershocks, shoulders hunched like thunderstruck, trembled violently.
"I ask you— my foolish, insolent, selfish descendants..."
The Golden Lord intoned like spewing blood from his heart, eyes blazing with rage.
"Have you... even forgotten... what 'alliance' means...?"