Chapter 139: The Truth about the Royal Palace

Yes, this was an undeniable conclusion.

「…Do…Don’t mess with me…! 」

Masauda still stood up after taking a hit from Shin, refusing to admit defeat.

Shin was about to raise his fist against him again, but at that moment, a certain voice echoed through the room, signaling the end of their duel.

「That’s enough, both of you. 」

A dignified voice.

All eyes turned to this voice, the most confident of all the voices that had echoed throughout the hall so far.

There was an old man slowly approaching the stage where the two were engaging in the battle.

Several knights surrounded him as special guards, and the old man’s clothing stood out from the rest.

What caught my eye the most was the crown on his head.

It was a symbol of the kingdom’s pinnacle.

「Father…! 」

「Stay still, Masauda. Surely you can’t ignore what I, the King of this country, have to say. 」

Yes. The King of the Arabia Kingdom had finally appeared before us.

「Bu…But why, father… I’m sure you were ill and unable to move…! 」

Masauda was the most perplexed by this impossible man’s appearance.

From Masauda’s perspective, the King’s appearance was completely unexpected.

Everyone gathered here shared the same reaction, except for me and the companions around me.

That’s because we were deeply involved in the King’s appearance.

「It’s all thanks to that guest over there. 」

The King pointed to me.

To be more precise, it was Dorage-chan, the Mandrake I’d grown. It was all thanks to her help.

「He gave me ingredients that cure all kinds of ailments. As I ate them, the progression of my illness slowed, and I recovered enough to be able to walk around like this. 」

Yes, the reason I had been heading to the royal palace a while ago was to cure the King’s illness.

I first went to the palace with Shin, and after persuading the gatekeeper, I met the King of this nation for the first time.

At that time, the King was literally bedridden, and it was visibly clear that he had been weakened by his illness.

I immediately asked his family doctor, and with Shin’s persuasion, I had the King eat some of Dorage’s tentacles.

After that, the King’s illness improved rapidly, and just now, before the start of the royal battle, I gave him some of Dorage’s tentacles, and he recovered enough to walk around like this.

「Masauda, ​​you have waged a royal battle without my permission, the King, and then displayed such a disgrace. This is a shameful act for a member of the royal family. Therefore, I hereby cancel the royal battle immediately. 」

「What! 」

Masauda seemed taken aback by the King’s sudden cancellation order.

However, he immediately retorted, lashing out.

「Even if you are my father, isn’t it going too far to interfere in a sacred ceremony between members of the royal family? The battle with this person is my personal grudge. So, even if you are the King, you must not interfere…」

「…You said it was a personal grudge. You’re certainly right… 」

Zahak appeared, seemingly taking over from Masauda’s words.

All eyes turned to Zahak as he appeared, but when he did, he was accompanied by someone.

And the moment Masauda saw who it was…his face changed color.

「You…You…!」

「…It seems you remember him. He’s the man involved in the incident you committed a few years ago… 」

With that, Zahak tossed the man he had been holding beside him in front of Masauda.

However, Masauda quickly regained his composure and looked down at the man lying in front of him as if he was seeing him for the first time.

「I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know what that man said, but I’ve never seen anyone like that before. I won’t allow such pointless accusations…」

「…The question I was wondering in the first place was why you were so determined to eliminate Shin… 」

As Masauda tried to make excuses, Zahak suddenly voiced his own question.

「…To bribe the Queen’s guards and carry out an assassination would’ve been a high risk. The fact that you did it despite that means there must have been a compelling reason. For example, perhaps something lurking that was related to your succession to the throne… 」

「…!?」

Masauda’s face turned pale again at Zahak’s words.

He looked as if he were terrified of a Pandora’s box that must never be opened.

「…I had previously heard from Rostam about your bad habits with women. As royalty, I’m sure everyone has bad taste, but in your case, it seems you had a bad habit of even making advances on women who were your own family… 」

A murmur erupted throughout the hall the moment Zahak spoke.

At the same time, the King’s expression, listening to him, turned grim.

「…This man visited the Queen of this nation at night to seduce her… 」

The entire hall erupted in disbelief at that one word.

Masauda himself, overwhelmed by the commotion, frantically protested.

「Don’t be ridiculous! A night visit!? Where is your proof that I slept with the King’s wife!? How dare you say that based on a rumor from such a lowly man…! 」

「…If there’s any evidence, then it will be right here… 」

Saying this, Zahak quietly pointed at Shin, who was standing next to Masauda.

「…You and Shin look strangely similar. Is it because you’re brothers, or…because you’re father and son…? 」

「…!?」

That one word was the deciding factor.

The hall suddenly erupted in murmur and confusion.

Hearing this, many of the nobles panicked, saying,

「Wasn’t he the King’s son!? 」

「If that’s true, isn’t this a serious matter!? 」

「Not only did he seduce the King’s wife, which is serious crime, but this also poses a problem for Masauda’s succession…! 」

「…The reason you tried to kill Shin was because the child was yours, not the King’s. If it were proven that the child was yours, your life would be ruined. Stealing the King’s wife without permission and even impregnating her would mean more than just being stripped of your right to the throne… 」

Masauda could only freeze, with his face pale, as Zahak explained.

Then, having heard these facts, the King sighed deeply and confessed his true feelings.

「…Masauda… You’ve always acted selfishly, but I never imagined you’d do something so foolish and immature… 」

It was the expression of a parent deeply disappointed in their son.

Seeing this, Masauda protested again.

「What are you saying, father? It’s all just his own nonsense! Don’t be fooled by rumors! 」

「Then, shall we investigate your blood relationship with Shin? I hear that Lord Zahak’s empire has the technology to rigorously prove parentage. 」

Hearing these words, Masauda took a deep breath and fell silent.

But then, as if repelled, his true nature was revealed, and he began to utter insults.

「It is unthinkable that such a lowly woman should become the King’s wife…! A woman who doesn’t know her status deserves to be treated as a concubine, or even like a disposable whore! I only treated her that way, to teach her of my status! I never imagined that this would become a stain on my life…!! 」

This was a clear confession of Masauda’s contemptuous nature.

For Masauda, ​​for whom the class system was absolute, his assault on Shin’s mother was likely an insult.

But this would ultimately provide damning evidence against Shin.

This was nothing short of ironic.

Somewhere, Masauda found out about this and plotted to assassinate Shin’s mother.

However, his real target wasn’t the mother, but Shin himself.

It was likely that Masauda had realized from the beginning that Alisha had been taking Shin’s place.

Having successfully eliminated his target, Shin, he had left Alisha, who had been pretending to be him, alone until now.

But a few days ago, things changed.

The real brother, Shin, whom he thought he had killed, was still alive.

That’s why Masauda demanded the royal battle and tried to bring his brother out.

It was no coincidence that he announced the start of the royal battle yesterday after Alisha collapsed.

After hearing about Alisha’s injuries, he began the royal battle, anticipating that Shin would take her place.

This time, he wanted to eliminate Shin with his own hands.

There was a hidden story behind this royal battle.

And then, there was an incident several years ago.

Learning the twisted truth about the man named Masauda, I once again realized the horror of the conspiracy swirling within the royal palace.

「…I’m astonished. 」

But the King’s words directed to Masauda were calm.

His eyes were no longer filled with anger; they were filled with only pity for the criminal.

「Masauda, ​​do you know what mistake you made? 」

「…! It was that brat’s failed assassination attempt! You useless people! If those guys had dealt with their problems properly, none of this would’ve happened…! 」

「No. 」

The King denied Masauda’s supposed mistake.

「Your mistake wasn’t the assassination attempt, or even the fact that you seduced my wife. 」

The King gazed lovingly at Shin, who stood next to Masauda.

「…It was your refusal to love your own child. 」

The King’s words rang true.

Masauda had crossed a line that went beyond his status as royalty, aristocrat, and heir to the throne.

Even if he was right and Shin was the very evidence of his crimes, he was still his child.

Yet he never acknowledged Shin as his own son, only seeing him as a threat to his position.

His crime was even more serious than seducing the King’s wife or assassinating her.

Masauda remained unaware of this until the very end, and was arrested by soldiers on the King’s orders.

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