Chapter 258: …It’s About to Disappear?

This event was supposed to happen from mid-game onward.

If Roy’s heart broke in this meeting, he would end up doing whatever Bern said.

Bern would marry him to the fiancée he had prepared, a lady from the tail end of the royal family, something would pass into Bern’s hands, and you would hit a bad end.

I was surprised even watching play videos, but once the story movie started you really did hit the bad end.

The other way, if Roy did not yield to Bern and his parents, he would be thrown out of the mansion and lose the funds to attend the academy.

To earn academy funds he would go as an adventurer while attending, but he would lose time with his lovers and drift further and further away.

To avoid that, Roy had to have the funds he needed until graduation at this point.

Well, most of the time you could not prepare the funds, and all the lovers left...

Even if it was a mid-game event, there was no way Roy, who had not been an adventurer, would know how to earn.

Players supported Roy and helped people with him, but basically there was no reward.

When players earned money they had to work somewhere, like academy students. Same for Roy once he was thrown out of the house.

The difference from players was that he had to prepare it from home. To be blunt it was close to an unreasonable demand.

That was why players lost their minds when hero-related events triggered.

But that was the game. The Roy now had me.

Not only me. Lucy and the others, who had changed how the early event flowed, were at Roy’s side.

Even now, instead of holding anger, he wore a calm air and watched his own parents and Bern with serious eyes.

As an instructor I was glad. I also thought him reliable. One of the students I am proud of.

King Adom let out a big breath, turned his face to me, rubbed his chin with one hand, and opened his mouth with a serious face.

"Raide. How far do you know?"

"Enough that they will stay quiet, I think."

"Muu... well, fine. We will hear the details later. So, Bern. The request for this meeting came from you, did it not? Speak the contents."

"Eh, ha... yes. I brought a marriage talk for Roy-dono, the talented son of my close friends."

"A marriage talk? That is why you asked for a meeting?"

Bern sat back down and explained, stumbling. As the explanation went on King Adom’s face grew stern.

His face was still blue. His body shook a little. He glanced at my face again and again, on guard.

Being on guard now is late, and your plan ends today.

When we entered the room Sharle had told me the three heroes cannot see Sharle and the others.

Besides glancing at my face, Bern’s eyes swam now and then as if looking around the room.

He was probably hunting for something like what was in the previous king’s will. The one with the talent to find it is Roy, the one you called talented. And you are the one who would kill Roy and take what he found, Bern.

I was thinking how to start when Sharle quietly put her mouth close and murmured.

"Bern’s private soldiers are hiding near Nifa Inn." The instant I heard that I turned to Croana.

"Croana, pin Bern with pressure so he cannot move."

"Kuha. It is fun being with you."

"Nu’oooooo!?"

Croana pointed one hand at Bern. At once he slammed face-down on the table as if crushed by something unseen.

Ryudo was startled by Bern’s state, stood, glared at Croana, and raised his voice.

"Bern!? What in the world!"

"Ryudo-dono, please do not move. I do not forgive my enemies. I do not want to mark you, Roy’s parents, as enemies. King Adom, I am sorry for the noise. I would like permission to walk the room and approach you."

I stood as well, stopped Ryudo with one hand, then turned my whole body to King Adom’s sour face, bent at the waist, lowered my head, and spoke.

The one I must not anger most in this room was King Adom. To be honest the three heroes did not matter.

The Chancellor had started rubbing his forehead with one hand... I am truly sorry. I will treat you to drinks.

"...Haa. I allow it. Move as you like and show me."

"Hah!"

"King Adom!? There is no telling what that man will do!"

"I said I allow it. Ryudo. You deny my words, do you?"

"I, I would never..."

I lifted my head and looked. King Adom was watching Ryudo with a hard face.

I was grateful he was holding them in check. I did not want extra chatter.

While I approached King Adom I told Sharle in a murmur, "Capture them. If danger reaches you, killing is fine." She said, "The dark side of the Holy Kingdom of Kail is moving too. Without fail," and my feet almost stopped.

Then she told me she was putting the same report in King Adom’s ear as well, and left my side.

Dark side of the Holy Kingdom of Kail meant Mirishu. Watching me... no, protecting me?

Either way I had taken on a large debt. I would have to think of something in return...

Even while walking I glared sideways at Bern face-down on the table and started talking.

"Bern, from long ago you have only been a man who steals other people’s results and credit. The second siege, the battle of the great bridge, Barun town, Stay fort, and Alek’s time too."

"Mu’oooooo! Whyee! Whyeeeeee!!"

"You did not ’take part’ in any of those battles. Ryudo-dono and Maar-dono did. But too bad for you. One of the things you want is something Alek took to his grave. You are a ridiculous man."

"U’aaaaaaa!! Muu...!!?"

"Too loud to stand. Stay quiet for a while."

Croana moved her other hand as if working something, and the sound from Bern’s mouth vanished.

I do not know how she did it, but it must have been quite grating. Croana’s face was tight.

The Ryudo couple heard my words and probably did not understand what I was saying.

Both of them had their eyes wide, looking busy between me and Bern. Roy... was calm.

"Now then, back to the talk, Bern. The thing you wanted so much you staked your life on it at the end is about to disappear. I am sorry, King Adom. May I have you raise your right arm?"

"Hmm. Like this?"

"...!! ...!!!"

I came up on King Adom’s right and asked. He lifted his right arm from the chair’s armrest.

I put my hand on the armrest at once, popped it open, and inside was an aged blue royal seal.

In the Kingdom of Libertonia, to inherit the throne you need two things. This blue royal seal, and the gold royal seal used on letters and the like. Holding both makes a formal succession.

The gold royal seal is proof. The blue royal seal is memory.

The blue royal seal is a Magic Tool. It can show the next king a sliver of the previous king’s memories.

By inheriting the previous king’s will, regrets, laws, and decrees this way, the Kingdom of Libertonia has continued.

The way to start it is simple. Just send mana through.

Because you only send mana through, whoever finds it can inherit at once, and in the worst case if you steal the gold royal seal that person can become the successor.

What Bern wanted was to find the blue royal seal himself and become king of Libertonia.

Also, the blue royal seal starts only once, and the reason is special.

The time spent seeing the previous king’s memories is called succession time among the royal family.

I took the royal seal from inside the armrest, showed it on purpose to Bern who was staring this way with bloodshot eyes, grinned, and spoke.

"Watch. The moment of succession. Chancellor, I am sorry. I would like you to stand witness."

"Will you not even give me time to be surprised..."

"Galt, I thought the same thing..."

"I am sorry. This is not something I should hold, and more than that there is a lawless sort here. Please hurry."

King Adom and the Chancellor looked at each other and smiled wryly, but I paid that no mind and carefully set the blue royal seal in King Adom’s right hand.

After this, if King Adom sent mana through, succession time would start, and he would have formally inherited the throne.

I dropped my smile, nodded to King Adom who was staring at me with a serious face. He nodded back as if answering, faced forward, and took a deep breath.

Then the flow of mana began to be felt. As if answering it, the blue royal seal shone faintly.

"...U!! ...Uuu!!"

"Noisy, irreverent man. To think this was a hero. Pathetic. Listen, Roy? You must not copy this."

"Yes, Principal Croa... Teacher."

"Haa... he is Raide’s disciple. No mistake."

Nnn? How did it become that from this flow? Roy only corrected himself from Principal Croana to Teacher.

I stepped a little back from King Adom to wait, tilted my head, and sent a look at Croana. She smiled happily and shook her head.

Roy also tilted his head with a puzzled face. The Ryudo couple watched King Adom with tense looks.

Fuhahaha! What a frustrated face, Bern.

If I erase you here, all but two of the hero-related events vanish. For Roy and the students, disappear.

I looked from Bern to King Adom. The blue royal seal he had held in his right hand was gone. King Adom was looking up at the ceiling with a face like he had understood.

...He had learned why the previous king’s death came early, no doubt.

The blue royal seal starts succession when you send mana through, and when it ends it is absorbed into the body of the one who sent mana.

The next time it appears is when the successor’s death draws near. Then the blue royal seal shows itself.

That is why Bern needed to hurry the previous king’s death... but this was not a king who fell for a scheme easily.

The previous king noticed at once, left a will in a sliver of time, hid the blue royal seal, and died.

Incredible guts, and a sense of duty. It made me feel again that nobility is impossible for me. I hate pain, so I end up clinging to someone.

King Adom let a little anger onto his face, glared at Bern who had gone quiet and blank, and spoke.

"Elvin. That man is guilty of treason against the state, and of the great crime of killing the previous king. Call soldiers at once and throw him in a cell! He has private soldiers slipped into the capital as well. Send troops at once and capture them!"

"Hah! Immediately!"

"Teacher Croana..."

"I do not mind. I will hold him until then."

"I am grateful. Galt, I want to share information."

"Hah. Understood."

King Adom started giving orders in a hurry. I waited beside him and bowed.

He glanced at me, grinned, waved one hand, then went back to a serious face and began talking with the Chancellor.

Then Sharle put her mouth to one ear. "All captured. No wounded." I let out a breath of relief and murmured, "Thank you."

Sharle narrowed her eyes affectionately, stroked one of my cheeks gently, then left.

...Haa. We managed. Good that everyone lent their strength.

I was still on guard, but I smiled a little and looked at Croana. She smiled back as if to thank me for the work.

Roy had moved to his parents on his own and was stroking the Ryudo couple’s backs... what a capable son.