Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The King Chosen by the People
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After easily severing the neck of the orc that looked like their captain, I snatched their camp flag.
Of course, the frenzied orcs tried to block my path with spears and shields, but there was no way they could stop my escape after letting me break through their lines.
I swung my sword until the blade grew dull.
Black Arrow, riding behind me on the saddle, emptied the quiver full of arrows she had brought.
No more orcs blocked our way, and the pursuers in their heavy armor grew exhausted on their own and halted the chase.
The siege that had been raging on finally ground to a halt.
Feeling hot gazes from all directions, I turned the reins and drove the deer toward the rear gate.
Clop, clop, clop!
Snort!
"Good work."
The White-Horned Deer, who had fulfilled its role splendidly, slowed its pace and let out a light snort.
I quietly stroked its neck before looking up to survey the area near the rear gate.
Richard and the Crow Company members, who had set out first, were nowhere to be seen.
Unlike my worries, it seemed they had safely entered Sodom through the rear gate.
Screeeeech!
And as if to prove it, the firmly shut city rear gate swung open with a heavy groan.
I hurriedly drove the deer inside Sodom before the orcs could catch up.
Clop, clop, clop.
Snort!
"Sprinkle more sand!"
"Qu-quickly! Hurry!"
Passing through the rear gate riddled with arrows and scorch marks, the first thing that entered my sight was the frantic commoners extinguishing fires.
But even that bustle paused as the people putting out the flames stopped what they were doing.
They began eyeing us warily as we entered through the rear gate.
A Northern knight who had appeared out of nowhere in the east.
No matter how many orcs I had cut down, their fear of an outsider was unavoidable.
"Captain!"
At that moment, a familiar voice called from afar, and Richard came galloping over on his deer.
Only then did I plant the captured flag into the ground and dismount from the blood-soaked saddle.
"You scared me! That was reckless!"
"It was nothing."
Richard, now inside Sodom, must have watched us rampage through the enemy camp.
I calmed the fussing young man and quietly took in the atmosphere around us.
"Helena must have recognized your face."
"Things were chaotic enough as it was. Luckily, we weren't detained, haha."
The biggest reason the rebel army had risen up was the corrupt officials who toyed with the kingdom at will and the powerless, incompetent royals.
That made Prince Richard of the east one of the hated royals they wanted to drive out next after the king.
But Helena, perhaps having undergone a change of heart in the meantime, had allowed Richard to enter Sodom for now.
A promising start.
I had braced for at least some light conflict, so I offered some advice to the visibly delighted young man.
"The wrongs committed by the royals and ministers aren't your fault. But if you feel a sense of responsibility, conduct yourself properly."
Helena and the people, fed up with the incompetent royals, would show hostility toward Richard.
But he needed to show his sincerity through actions, without rebelling against those emotions.
A true king wins hearts.
Richard, who had learned much from his brothers and the Knight King, nodded eagerly.
"I'll keep that in mind, sir."
The sun had set, and evening had arrived.
Thanks to my raid, the enemy camp seemed paralyzed, and the siege did not resume.
Exhausted people collapsing to the ground, children sobbing as they searched for their mothers.
We stood watch for a while, observing the desperate state of Sodom.
But the wait didn't last long.
Black Arrow, with her keen hearing, was the first to detect the approaching group.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
"They're finally here."
"Mm."
In the distance, militiamen clad in shabby armor approached in a group.
They were all Crow Company members wearing hoods, and they looked utterly worn out.
How long had they been fighting for their blood and armor to cake together into scabs?
I clicked my tongue in pity and gave a light nod to the company member who bowed his head.
"Thanks to you, we got through the crisis! We truly owe you our gratitude, sir. Lady Helena wishes to see you. Are you available today?"
"My companions?"
"They may accompany you."
It was just the right time for a break.
Only after hearing the confirmation did I relax, lowering the hand I had lightly rested on my sword hilt.
I handed the snorting deer to the approaching company member and moved my weary feet.
The small yawns echoing as we walked seemed to sum up the day's hardships.
I washed off all the blood with warm water and changed into clean clothes I had brought along.
After a simple meal and some rest, a company member came to the lodging building.
We left the lodging without a word and headed to the city hall where Helena was staying.
Like Sodom itself, the city hall building was a wreck, exuding a gloomy atmosphere.
Creeeak.
We entered the room we were shown to and opened the door.
Two unusually burly company members for easterners politely blocked our path.
"Sir, we'll need you to leave your weapons for now."
It was only natural procedure.
Even as a leader guiding the people, assassination threats were inevitable.
But before we could feel offended, Helena, sitting alone in the guest chair, quietly stopped her men.
"It's fine. Escort them in."
A Northern knight does not have his sword taken even by a king.
Remembering our homeland customs, Helena graciously accommodated us and politely gestured to the guest chairs.
Creeak, thud.
Helena was silent for a long while.
Whether something was welling up inside her or she felt shame toward herself, she simply kept her head bowed.
Her bitter failure had changed her.
My companions and I waited silently for her to compose her emotions.
Time like candlelight passed endlessly.
Finally, forcing a smile, she opened the conversation in a hoarse, worn-out voice.
"...It's been a while, sir. I heard you recaptured the pass. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Our eyes met for a moment.
The venom, anger, and hatred that should have been in her eyes were no longer there.
I could understand her state of mind.
Reading it as well, she lowered her head again with a detached smile.
"Pathetic, isn't it? I boasted I'd make you regret it, and now look at me. You were right, Sword Saint."
Awakening from the dream of ideology reveals only reality, and convictions are mere stubborn illusions.
When one realizes the lifelong dream was just a fantasy, a person crumbles easily.
She was a wilting flower now.
A foolish bloom that couldn't wait for early spring, betraying itself, leaving nothing but regret beneath countless spring dreams.
I asked honestly.
"There was no right or wrong. I just deemed it impossible. But if you want to hear 'you were wrong' to the end, I'll ask one thing."
"...Yes, go ahead."
"Was this the world you dreamed of?"
The rebel army was torn to shreds, and Sodom, their last city, was on the verge of falling.
There would naturally be no reinforcements, so miserable defeat was the inevitable end.
That's why I was genuinely curious.
If she regretted it, was it for the unfulfilled dream, or the reality she had come to realize?
Helena's forced smile trembled.
She blinked her unfocused eyes repeatedly and squeezed out an answer.
"Just rebuke me instead. Tell me I didn't know my place, that I overstepped, and I'll accept it gladly. But my beliefs remain unchanged."
"Even though everyone died?"
"...Y-you don't know anything."
What remains when one loses conviction?
Helena shot to her feet, desperate to cling to her last shred of pride—her values.
"Do you know why I had to do this? We were doing the right thing for...!"
But her voice trembled mercilessly, and the finger she thrust forward lacked confidence.
Facing her deep turmoil, I bluntly stated the truth I had read in her eyes.
"You just hated the world, didn't you?"
"No!!"
She screamed loudly.
Terrible hallucinations, forgotten in alcohol and drugs, began brushing past her ears.
'Save me! Aaaah!'
'Kyaaaah! Nooo!'
"Ah, aaah...!"
Helena hurriedly clamped her ears shut.
She barely swallowed a shrill scream and spat out the memories that threatened to make her retch.
Young men dying in vain, harmonious couples buried together, innocent children impaled on spears.
She struggled to fully accept that all these tragedies were her fault.
But her clear consciousness refused defensive mechanisms, shredding even her last excuses and comforts.
Miserable, raw truth.
No matter how she thrashed, the unchangeable reality crushed her soul.
And in the end, what Helena chose was not the Northern slave who hated the world, but the Crow Helena who had stood for the people.
"...It's my fault."
Perhaps she had been waiting for a rebuke to corner her to the end.
It would be the final chance to strip away her flimsy pride.
Her expression crumbled.
Regret, despair, sorrow—all emotions overflowed like from a shattered vessel.
How wonderful it would be if time could turn back.
If she had thought just a little more on the day we first met, there would be no regrets.
"I ruined everything."
With those words, Helena let go of all the arrogance that had blinded her.
Tears soaked the face that had feigned falsehoods her whole life.
"...Please don't abandon us."
"For your sake?"
"No, I don't care what happens to me."
Helena prostrated herself on the floor.
She bared her neck before me and Richard, showing her resolute determination.
"Take my head, Your Majesty. Be crowned the new king and protect the people under your banner."
All kingdoms, all ideologies, are ultimately laws built on human dignity.
Hearing Helena's sincerity, I turned to look at Richard, whose expression was complicated.
From here on, it was his choice.
Punish the repentant Helena who had deceived the people, or embrace it all and throw himself into an uncertain torrent.
I simply waited.
Thud.
I rose from my seat.
I patted Richard's shoulder as he stared into space, then walked to the window overlooking Sodom and the east.
The stars in the night sky seemed spiteful.
Pouring down from a distance that felt within reach, yet impossible to touch.
Great Mother North, even as you watch over us, things below are truly tumultuous.
I gazed for a while at the stars shared by all creatures, exhaling indifferently.
Then Richard asked me.
"Captain, what did the people want?"
"A king chosen by the commoners."
"Not a predestined one."
"That's why I tried to avoid it."
Why had countless easterners followed Helena, shouting ideologies they'd never heard before?
Richard felt a fresh shock.
The throne he had chased as fate was not a predetermined seat from the start.
"Why didn't I realize sooner? The east didn't need a prince."
'Prove your legitimacy.'
'A king is not determined by bloodline.'
Richard reached out his hand.
He lifted the prostrated Helena and sought to embrace it all.
"Do you want to leave?"
"No, I'll stay in the east."
"You might not become the king they want."
What they pursued was dangerous.
The bomb even I had tried to avoid could drag Richard into peril.
"I'll become the king they want."
But he looked relieved.
As if he had cast off the shackles of duty and could finally chase his destiny like a true human.
What an ironic world.
I thought it was a change too much to bear, yet the protagonist of this era was already set.
What results would this decision bring?
The only certainty was that the swirling current had already begun.
I bowed my head.
"The North will stand with you."