Chapter 1287: Resolve of Chancellor and King
The seal on the Evil G.o.d Fragments was about to break, and it’s only a matter of time.
So, what will the Chancellor and king do now? Not like they can keep fighting in this state… Or wait, the divine sword wielders are ordered to fight by the G.o.ds. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons he pushed himself so hard.
But there’s no way he can continue like this, right? I have no clue how strong the king is, but any further mechanization will clearly put his life at risk.
「Where are the Red Knights?」
「Right now, Roza is… Guh!」
「Fran, healing, please!」
「Nn!」
The Chancellor’s life force was rapidly diminis.h.i.+ng, and our healing magic had no effect.
「Chancellor! Hang in there!」
「I am no longer the Chancellor… since my relic has abandoned me…」
「What do you mean?」
The Chancellor went on to reveal Raydoss’s secrets known only to the dukes and a few others. About the country’s origin, the divine swords, and the relics. And finally, about how he couldn’t disclose these secrets to anyone because of the contract he accepted upon receiving the relic.
Attempting to break this contract apparently causes intense nausea and unbearable pain. Makes sense, otherwise it would be practically impossible to keep the secret over so many years.
However, most of the divine sword’s power was currently directed towards the seal on the fragments, thus weakening the restrictions on him.
This allowed the Chancellor to break his binds and share the secret with us, but that’s not to say the contract was gone.
The recoil from breaking the contract was already eating away at the Chancellor’s life. He had very little time left.
Even at the cost of his own life, he chose to entrust everything to Sibylla.
「Oi! Chancellor!」
「Sibylla… Please, take care of His Majesty… Kareid-sama…」
The Chancellor tightly grasped Sibylla’s hand, earnestly pleading with her. We attempted to invoke Vishnu, but it didn’t save him.
Not even this supreme-tier spell could revive someone dying to lifespan. The elderly man took his last breath.
Sibylla grabbed the Chancellor’s shoulder, but quickly released her hand with a grim expression.
「…Fran, what is His Majesty’s condition?」
「Dunno.」
Fran shook her head with a frown.
We had cast Vishnu on both of them to little effect, and I had no clue if we could help him in the first place. Honestly, I found it pretty unlikely there’s any way to heal the price paid for using a divine sword. The boy remained unconscious despite our best attempts to heal him with divine energy.
All we could do was lay the young king down inside Jean’s carriage, as Fran and the others discussed their future actions outside. The subject was whether or not to charge into the fiend-infested city.
There was clearly no longer any way to stop the revival of the fragments. In which case, we didn’t need to rush head-first into enemy territory.
However, a surge of mana from within the carriage suddenly interrupted the discussion. This was immediately followed by a huge magic circle appearing on the ground next to it.
A similarly huge figure rose up from within the circle.
Another droid. That said, the intricate design details and imposing presence made it seem more impressive than any of the other droids we’ve seen thus far.
As we stood astonished, the mech extended its ma.s.sive arms towards the carriage.
「Wha…! My carriage!」
「More importantly, His Majesty!」
Before we could react, the giant’s silver arm pierced through the roof of the carriage, pulling out the young king of Raydoss in its grasp.
That said, this was not any sort of attack. After all, the boy was now awake and showed no sign of resistance.
「Your Majesty! What is this…!?」
「Sibylla and Madred? What in the world is…?」
It seems our young king had no clue what was going on either. He probably hastily summoned the mech upon seeing the ominous interior of the undead carriage.
Well, that can’t be helped. I can say with certainty that I would panic if I woke up in that thing.
「This is… No, Roza! Roza and the others are in danger!」
「Your Majesty! Please wait! It’s too dangerous to fight! The Chancellor said your body won’t handle it anymore! Leave everything to us, please, before it’s too late!」
Sibylla’s shouts were filled with desperation, but I didn’t sense much loyalty in her words. Makes sense, considering he had only recently become king, and Sibylla was always closer to the people than the government.
However, she couldn’t help but stop a dying child from pus.h.i.+ng himself to fight.
In response to Sibylla’s words, the young king gently stroked his hand across his own mechanized body. His metal skin was crawling with pipes and tubes, likely returning a cold, hard sensation to the boy’s fingers. But surprisingly, he responded with a quiet smile.
「…Too late, you say. I don’t mind one bit.」
The young king looked at Sibylla with determination. His face was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with resolve.
「I am the king, albeit a poor one that hardly received a proper education… But none of that changes the fact that I am the king. After accepting the crown, I can’t simply push everything onto my subjects and run away. Moreover, I have the power to fight.」
Sibylla could not find the words to argue with the young king’s declaration. This had nothing to do with his aura or pressure.
This young king was undeniably a king, and the determination in his words was enough to overwhelm Sibylla, his subject.
There were countless excuses he could have used to run: “I’m only a child”, “No one has any faith or loyalty for me”, or “I’m already on the verge of death”.
But the young king was willing to face this peril, all because of his dignity as king. Among the people of Raydoss I had seen so far, he seemed by far the most n.o.ble. Was this why Chariot chose him?
The boy didn’t become king because he was chosen by Chariot; he was chosen by the divine sword because he was fit to be king.
Still, there was no denying that he was a child. It was the job of adults to protect him, yet Sibylla and Madred simply fell down on one knee.
It was as if they were compelled by the Raydossian blood flowing through their veins, responding instantly to the king’s words.
「Let us accompany you.」
「I will follow.」
Then, Fran stepped forward and spoke up.
「I’m going to.」
『Fran?』
（…I want to help.）
Fran had only met the young king of Raydoss today, and she seemed to feel some strange empathy with his determination. Amanda and I didn’t even have a chance to stop her.
The young king made eye contact with Fran, returning a confident smile to the girl he had never seen before.
「Though I do not know your ident.i.ty, I appreciate your a.s.sistance! What is your name?」
「Fran.」
「I’m Kareid, the king of this country. Come along!」
「Nn!」
The young king Kareid climbed into the c.o.c.kpit through the mech’s arm.
「There is an outpost up ahead, where the Red Knights are in danger! We head to their aid!」
The mech dashed off and our group followed. Amanda still seemed unable to fully comprehend the situation, but she followed Fran’s lead for now.
I took this time to observe the mech again. It definitely contained more power than any of the droids we’ve seen so far. According to Sibylla, this was the so-called “Warmech” piloted exclusively by the king. It’s likely that only the wielder of Chariot can use it.
The Warmech smoothly glided through the forest using the rollers on its feet, and we soon saw a fortress-like structure coming into view. That must be the outpost the young king mentioned.
Knights in red armor were fighting fiends all over the place. I could also sense several fiends inside, indicating that it was only a matter of time before the outpost fell.
「We’ll back up the Red Knights. Fran, you follow His Majesty!」
「Got it!」
Although the Red Knights seemed somewhat confused at first, the appearance of Sibylla and Madred elicited many cheers.
This army appeared to be a gathering of various Red Knight divisions. The two captains were immediately welcomed by the other knights, so we can leave the rest to them.
『Urus.h.i.+! Back up Sibylla and thin out the fiends!』
「Woof!」
The Warmech shot down fiends with shoulder-mounted guns, before slipping past the Red Knights and jumping onto the roof of the outpost.
There was no hesitation in the king’s movements, meaning he had a thorough understanding of the situation inside. Perhaps he had scanned the inside of the building somehow.
The Warmech struck the roof with its fist, creating a crack. Then, it swung down its foot on that same part, breaking the roof and falling through. We hurriedly followed.
『Two incredibly powerful fiends in there.』
（That’s the captain with the red mist!）
『Oh yeah, Roza!』
It seems the young king rushed ahead in order to save her.
I saw the Warmech slam its fist on the left fiend as it fell.
『In that case, we’ll take care of the one on the right!』
「Nn!」
The dense cloak of evil energy shrouded its appearance, but it was probably just a higher tier orc. That said, the buff from this aura was boosting it to Threat Level C or higher.
Even this powerful fiend was distracted by the Warmech’s sudden appearance. It paid zero attention to us.
Fran took advantage of that instant to strike.
All it took was a slash infused with black lightning, and the orc’s head got cleaved off. Fran then spoke to the stunned Roza.
「You okay?」