Chapter 140: Royal Family

「Damn it! Let go! Let go!! Who do you think I am? I’m the heir to this country’s throne! Father! Without me, who will inherit the throne?! That filthy brat has no right to inherit the throne! 」

Masauda continued to utter unseemly insults until the soldiers subdued him and took him away from the venue.

The King watched him with a pitying gaze.

「…Does your leg hurt, Shin? 」

「Oh, I’m fine… 」

Once Masauda had left, the King approached Shin again and examined his leg injury.

Shin hurriedly reassured him that he was fine, but the King’s expression remained concerned as he turned to us in the audience.

Seeing this, we immediately headed down toward the venue.

「Dorage-chan! 」

「Yes! 」

In response to my call, Dorage-chan, who had followed me, immediately went over to Shin, plucked a tentacle, and handed it to him.

Shin hesitated for a moment, but then quickly followed my advice and took a bite.

He then muttered, with a look of surprise on his face…

「Delicious… 」

「This should be fine. I’ve already proven the effectiveness of the healing agent contained within the tentacles of this Mandrake monster. 」

Dorage-chan seemed embarrassed by the King’s stamp of approval, saying…

「Well, I’m not that great, but thank you. 」

Initially, I cultivated Dorage-chan to cure Shin’s illness, but now she had fulfilled her duties, healing the King’s illness and other people’s injuries. I felt proud as her creator.

「You said you were Kyou. I would like to thank you once again. 」

With those words, the King turned toward me and bowed.

Lily and the others seemed surprised, including me, but I hurriedly called out to the bowing King.

「No, I didn’t do anything that great…! 」

「No, you did a great job. Not only did you cure my illness, but you also found the real Shin who disappeared several years ago and freed Alisha. As their father and as the King of this country, I would like to express my gratitude. I am grateful. 」

The King bowed, yet his presence was brimming with dignity, and I could see the majesty of a King who had ruled a country.

As I was thinking about this, Shin’s expression, which had been looking my way, changed, a smile appeared on his face, and he called out the name of a certain person.

「…Big Sister Alisha! 」

As if drawn by Shin’s voice, I saw Alisha approaching us, supported by soldiers.

「Shin… Was everything okay in the Royal Battle…? Brother Masauda… and my father… have you recovered from your illness…? 」

With a mixture of emotions, Alisha confirmed that Shin was safe and sound before her, and then, seeing the King next to him, let out a sigh of relief.

Even though the Manticore’s poison still lingered in her body, Alisha was worried about his brother and the outcome of the Royal Battle.

I worried for her in my heart.

And it seemed the King felt the same, reaching out his hand to support Alisha.

「Alisha, don’t move around too much. I hear you’ve also hurt yourself, so take it easy and recover for a while. 」

「Father… 」

Alisha smiled with delight at her father’s kind words, but her face quickly clouded over.

「…But I must apologize, father. I’ve been lying about my identity as Shin all this time. I’ve deceived you, the King… Please forgive me. 」

Alisha bowed her head, but the King’s attitude toward her remained the same, gentle and kind as before.

「…You know, your mother. Many say I took her as my legal wife on a whim. 」

Not only Alisha, but we all listened intently to the King’s words.

「But I loved her. Masauda said that noble lineage was everything, but she had a kindness that made noble or commoner irrelevant. That’s why I loved her. 」

With this, the King returned his gaze to Alisha, who stood before him.

「I think I understand your situation. Who could blame you for something like that? 」

「Father… 」

Alisha’s eyes welled with tears after receiving her father’s forgiveness, but she wiped them away and muttered.

「…However, now that my younger brother, Shin, has returned, the right to the throne belongs to him. I am a commoner, not of royal blood. I will live away from the royal family. 」

Alisha’s words were tinged with complicated circumstances.

Unbeknownst to her, Shin was the child of Masauda.

Even though he was not the King’s son, his bloodline was certainly royal.

If this kingdom had been passed down through royal blood for generations, then Alisha had no right to succeed.

With Masauda, ​​the first in line to the throne, now imprisoned as a criminal, the only remaining candidate was Shin.

However, with the complicated circumstances that had come up, this may lead to some growing discontent among the royal family and nobles.

The moment I began to worry about what to do next, the younger brother Shin shook his head and declared.

「…No, that’s not true. You’re far more worthy of being the ruler than I am. 」

「Shin…? 」

Alisha reacted to the unexpected voice from her younger brother Shin, but Shin said exactly what he wanted to say.

「It’s undoubtedly you, my sister, who has worked hard in my place up until now! It’s all your achievements, not mine! If I should ascend to the throne based solely on bloodline, then that’s wrong! Rather than bloodline, the throne should be taken by someone who has made a righteous contribution to this country! 」

More than anything else, this was Shin’s earnest wish: to not let his sister’s past achievements go to waste.

If he, who had made no effort whatsoever to inherit the throne based solely on bloodline, were to ascend to the throne, then he would be no different from Masauda.

Shin understood this naturally, without learning from anyone else.

But it was true.

Rather than inheriting the throne based on bloodline, it would be correct for someone worthy to ascend to the throne.

But as an outsider, I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

Alisha, who had been listening, remained silent, while the King quietly considered something.

Eventually, the King called out to Zahak, who was standing next to us.

「Your highness Zahak, you’re the First Prince of the Empire, am I right? 」

「…Yes…」

「I hear that your country abolished the nobility system and instituted a new system known as the Hero System. As the First Prince, you were originally meant to become Emperor, but I heard that you abdicated the throne to your younger brother, Lord Rostam. I wonder why you did such a thing? 」

Zahak looked at Rostam, who was standing next to him, and he showed a gentle smile.

「…Because my younger brother is more talented. The rule that the First Prince should ascend to the throne based on bloodline is now a thing of the past. From now on, the question is, “Who will ascend to the throne and make a better ruler?” That’s what matters…for the evolution of the world and the prosperity of the country… 」

Zahak’s words rang true.

One ascended to the throne just by being born into royal bloodline.

Would repeating this alone truly lead to the prosperity of the country and the evolution of the world?

Zahak and Rostam broke away from this ancient global custom, and the results they achieved were great.

The Hero System and the resulting prosperity of the empire were unparalleled.

As soon as he heard this answer, the King smiled and quietly nodded.

「I see. Abandoning the aristocracy and governing under a new system. Indeed, when you consider the prosperity of the country, it is foolish to be so attached to bloodline… 」

The King muttered and looked quietly at the two siblings standing before him.

「Alisha, everyone in this country know your achievements. There are still few heroes in this country, but your contributions to this country as a genius hero are immeasurable. 」

As he spoke, the King affectionately stroked Alisha’s head.

「We cannot abolish the aristocracy in this country just yet. Even if someone without royal blood ascends to the throne, as long as it brings prosperity to the country, I think that’s fine. Changing the country’s structure through small changes is one way to go. 」

「Father…! 」

It was also a moment of recognition for what Alisha had done up until then.

She had always known that Masauda would inherit the throne, and she had only done her best as Shin’s substitute.

There were no achievements or accomplishments on Alisha’s own name.

But the King recognized that Alisha’s efforts had not been in vain and accepted her as his own child.

And the same was true of Shin.

「Of course, Shin. If you perform better than your sister and are more worthy of the throne, I will gladly abdicate. In any case, you two will never be separated again. You may live proudly in this country. This is my decision as King. 」

「Father… yes…! 」

Those were the words of compassion from their father, and Shin shed tears of joy.

The issue of succession that began with the Royal Battle, and the fate of Alisha and Shin’s whereabouts.

It all took shape, illuminating their path with certainty.

Previous | Next

😉