Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Versailles's Proposal
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Versailles extended his hand to me and said,
"Young Master Jerome, allow me to formally ask you once more. Won't you join 'us'?"
"'Us'..."
I wondered just who this "us" was that Versailles spoke of.
"Come on, let's talk freely. What did Marquis Midas promise you? Gold and jewels? Or perhaps an endless supply of grain? Or did he threaten to expose your cultivation method if you didn't side with them?"
Seeming to sense that I was mulling over the implications, Versailles grinned and spoke up.
"No matter what the marquis promised, I can offer you far more, Young Master. I promise you this: if you side with 'us,' you'll get double—no, triple—what Marquis Midas offered."
"Oh? Triple, you say. Do you even know what Marquis Midas proposed?"
As I played along with feigned interest, Versailles's smile deepened.
"Whatever Marquis Midas offered, it's nothing but a firefly before the sun compared to what 'we' can provide."
From Versailles's confident declaration, I could roughly guess who this "us" of his really was.
"Before long, the order of the continent will change. That new order will belong only to those who can read the currents of the times. And you, Young Master Jerome, more than qualify."
Versailles wiggled the hand he had extended toward me.
"So, take it. Young Master Jerome. If you grasp this hand, I promise you: I will pave a path filled with glory for you."
Sweet whispers.
"Truth be told, you and I have a lot in common, don't we? As long as your older brother or sister stands in your way, you'll never inherit the family. I was the same—the first prince, but a bastard, so far from succession. But."
He licked his lips like a serpent, trying to build a sense of camaraderie.
"I secured my place as crown prince through sheer resolve. I'll do the same for you. Take this hand and stand with 'us'."
"...Wow."
I couldn't help letting out a short exclamation at the revealed truth.
It was chilling. To think that even Versailles becoming crown prince was all part of the Holy Empire's scheme. How much groundwork had they laid before even starting the war?
Misinterpreting my exclamation, Versailles spoke again.
"What do you think? Not a bad deal, right? Your family and Marquis Midas's aren't blood allies or anything. So, I figure it's a decent proposal..."
Assuming he had me hooked, the last traces of tension faded from Versailles's face.
Yes, it was certainly an alluring offer. Had I not lived my previous life, I might have wavered under Versailles's honeyed words. But unlike him, I...
I was someone who had walked that future path.
Versailles didn't know.
How heartbreaking it was to lose one's country, to live as a citizen of a fallen nation.
Versailles didn't know.
That once the hunt ends, the hounds are boiled in the pot as a matter of course.
Versailles didn't know.
That in the future that would no longer come, he became a cynical king, living in despair and pessimism.
How pathetic and undignified his own end had been.
I answered Versailles's proposal by gathering my energy.
"...So, you're choosing the foolish path after all."
Versailles's expression hardened.
"The foolish path... Well."
I dropped the formal speech with Versailles.
"What's the point of a life as a puppet?"
It might be comfortable for now.
But the end was nothing but ruin. That was the fate of the traitors who followed Emperor Ibarella, whom I had witnessed.
She never showed mercy to those who weren't of imperial blood.
"...You're an idiot."
Versailles dropped his formal tone as well.
"You'll regret this choice today. Jerome von Carviot."
"We'll see about that."
I retorted as I bound Mikhail and Versailles.
"...Someday, you and Marquis Midas will meet the same end as me now."
Was it mere coincidence?
The Versailles I saw in my dream—the king—and the current First Prince Versailles were both prophesying the same thing to me.
The words the past King Versailles had spoken to me had come true, and I had perished just as he said.
Whether this First Prince Versailles's words would become reality as well... that remained to be seen.
After capturing Versailles, events unfolded swiftly.
Taking Versailles and Mikhail as hostages threw Viscount Wigno, the master of the fortress, into utter panic.
The prince who had come in secret and the kingdom's greatest knight had vanished.
And that, while a fire was raging in his own fortress.
For a mere viscount, it was an incident too grave to handle, and as his mind reeled, Marquis Midas extended his hand.
—I heard the crown prince has gone missing. It's late, but I'd like to lend a hand.
Viscount Wigno was no fool.
Normally, he might have grown suspicious just from Versailles gathering soldiers on the walls.
Unfortunately, a low noble like Viscount Wigno could never perceive the shadow war between the royal family and the marquis's house.
And when a high noble like Marquis Midas personally reached out, Viscount Wigno promptly flung open the fortress gates.
That was how Marquis Midas's army seized Maginot Fortress with such humiliating ease.
"I can't believe it, Young Master."
The fortress's uppermost level.
One floor below the place where Mikhail and I had clashed fiercely—a reception room.
Marquis Midas and I were holding a private meeting there.
"To think you'd take on Sir Mikhail, the kingdom's greatest knight, single-handedly and win... Did you pick up a dragon heart somewhere in the last few years? What in the world..."
"Well, it's all because I'm just that good."
Slurp!
After being healed by the marquis's army priests and mages, I sipped my black tea calmly and replied.
"...Hah. True, it's because you're that good. But that's why it's astounding—it's beyond reasonable."
Marquis Midas prodded me again in disbelief, but regrettably, I had no intention of dwelling on the topic.
"Everyone has their secrets. So, what do you plan to do now?"
I cut straight to the point with Marquis Midas.
"Unfortunately, since we let the Royal Guard slip away toward the capital, even if we rush to Berti now, they'll be fully prepared. What's your choice, Marquis?"
This was where it would be decided. Whether Marquis Midas qualified to play the supporting role in the picture I envisioned.
"Hahaha! Young people these days are so cunning. What, do you think I'll make peace with the kingdom now?"
Marquis Midas chuckled as if he could read my mind.
"I won't deny it, Your Excellency."
This was the reason I had kept Versailles alive and captured. Of course, it was also true that I couldn't kill him after he framed the Royal Guard, but...
The greater purpose was to let Marquis Midas "decide" Versailles's fate.
Spare Versailles, and there was still a chance for reconciliation with the royals.
In which case, I'd have to flee without looking back.
If that happened even by some slim chance, I planned to exclude the Philador Kingdom from my grand design.
I couldn't afford to drag along someone waffling after such a momentous decision.
"Heavens. Don't worry. King Montmartre never forgives those who defy him. Even if we sought peace now, he wouldn't leave our house in peace. He'd pin some crime on us no matter what."
Gripping his teacup tightly, Marquis Midas spoke calmly of his own future.
"I've already climbed onto the tiger's back myself."
Unlike his resolute tone, the slight tremble in his hand holding the teacup betrayed him.
"So, what will you do?"
The walls' defenses were complete. And with me—who had planned to open the gates from within—now at Maginot Fortress, seizing Berti's walls was impossible.
In other words, Marquis Midas would have to take Berti's walls relying solely on his own forces.
'Even if we've captured both Royal Guard captains, if the assault on Berti drags on, the entire kingdom will come down on Marquis Midas.'
As if knowing my concern, Marquis Midas turned the question back on me.
"Young Master Jerome, you came to Maginot Fortress because the royals learned of our advance, right?"
"That's right."
"And why do you think that happened?"
"Obviously because we failed to eliminate a spy."
"Exactly."
The marquis nodded in agreement.
"The shadow war between the royal family and the marquis's house runs far deeper than you imagine."
Marquis Midas's lips curled up.
"It's not just our house that failed to root out all the spies."
The capital, Berti.
The royal palace was in chaos, thanks to the Royal Guard who had escaped Maginot Fortress and returned.
Shocking news: Jerome von Carviot, one of the guests half-confined under the pretext of security, had brutally murdered Crown Prince Versailles.
The ministers in the palace initially refused to believe it.
How could a confined guest assassinate the crown prince?
Besides, wasn't he the bug even the Shield Family had disowned?
They thought it impossible.
But when they opened the door to his supposed confinement room, it was empty—not a trace of warmth remained.
Crown Prince Versailles was nowhere to be seen in the palace.
And crucially, every Royal Guard member was repeating the same story.
As worries for the crown prince's safety mounted, King Montmartre's decree fanned the flames.
—Pour everything into defending Berti's walls. The enemy approaches soon.
The palace ministers grew restless. They had thought it mere pretext to purge Marquis Midas, but this was no joke.
Not just the ministers—the guests were agitated too.
Among them was Aria von Wendinel of the Fran Kingdom.
"Young Master Jerome, a suspect in assassinating the crown prince..."
Aria rose from her seat.
"Something's wrong. I'll look into it myself."
"My lady! Please don't. If things go awry, we could be branded rebels and made examples of!"
Despite her escort mages' repeated pleas, Aria had no choice but to stay put.
'Young Master, what in the world are you doing?'
He didn't seem the type for such reckless actions.
Aria ignored the inexplicable feeling in her chest and gazed out the window.
Two days later.
Thud, thud, thud!
Steady footsteps echoed from Berti's outer walls.
Undoubtedly elite troops, perfectly drilled.
In this situation, only one army could be marching on Berti.
Marquis Midas's forces.
The marquis's army halted at a measured distance from Berti's walls and began erecting something at the forefront.
The soldiers on Berti's walls gasped in horror at the sight.
"Th-that, th-that!"
What the marquis's army had set up were two massive crosses.
And bound at their centers were Knight Mikhail and Versailles.
"C-Captain Mikhail!"
"Crown Prince! Such blasphemy!"
The capital's knights and soldiers cried out in outrage.
But powerless, they could only stamp their feet.
Clop, clop.
At that moment, a mild-mannered middle-aged man rode forth beside the crosses.
The lord of the Nile, Marquis Midas.
"Hear me!"
Whether amplified by magic or not, his soft voice rang clearly across Berti's walls.
"This marquis—no, House Midas—has served the Philador royal family unwaveringly since the kingdom's founding. I too would have continued that loyal service without fail. However!"
His voice was utterly resolute, belying his gentle features.
"King Montmartre has betrayed and sought to dispose of this marquis and House Midas! Me, who has never once faltered in loyalty! Is this the wretched reward for centuries of devotion? Even a worm writhes when stepped on. Thus, swallowing my grief, I rise in rebellion—I cannot die quietly!"
Shhrrk!
Marquis Midas unfurled a long scroll before the two bound on the crosses.
"These are their crimes! The original sin of scheming to purge loyal vassals through treachery! And among them, the gravest offense, utterly unforgivable!"
Pausing to catch his breath, Marquis Midas delivered the decisive blow.
"The royal family has colluded with the Holy Empire!"