CH 2

Expulsion from the royal capital

Translated by SoundOfDestiny

Edited by Zil

A few days after the coming of age ceremony. Raidorl was expelled from the royal capital by his brother’s order and sent to a remote frontier city.

Nominally, he was given the land around the frontier city as a fiefdom and was sent there to fulfil his duties as lord.

However, some of those who knew the situation were convinced that this was in fact an exile.

The fact that Raidorl drew the sword at his coming-of-age ceremony has been gagged and kept a secret by a small group of people in the royal court.

This is because if it were to become public knowledge that Raidorl had been chosen for the sword, it would give the 12-year-old second prince the right to become the next king, and a power struggle with Granard would ensue.

Even if Raidorl did not want to do so, the people who respected the first king would not leave Raidorl as his successor.

It was inevitable that Raidorl should be cut off in order to prevent the division of the country and to prevent civil war.

Granard’s personal grudges and jealousy, no matter how overblown they may be, will never overrule the decision.

There was no other way but to take away the holy sword Dáinsleif, which was the cause of his banishment, and drive him to the frontier by himself.

Only three people had come to see Raidorl off to the frontier.

Lockwood Marcell, the Prime Minister, who has the highest political authority in the country.

The highest military authority in the country, General Bazel Garst.

And then there was Meltina Marcell, Raidorl’s childhood friend and the vizier’s daughter, whom he was to marry.

Raidorl stared silently at Lockwood, who put his hand on his chest and bowed his head.

Raidorl’s arms are shackled, and he is unable to use the sword or magic he has trained as a member of the royal family.

It would be unacceptable to put shackles on a person who is not a criminal, let alone a member of the royal family. But this time, the cruel treatment was carried out by the special order of his brother Prince Granard.

Raidorl looked down at his bound arms with a gloomy expression and opened his mouth to speak.

“Where’s brother …………?”

The words were muffled. Lockwood’s eyes narrowed as he sensed the sadness and despair in his voice.

“His Majesty the King is too busy with his affairs to come and see you off. He has asked you to forgive him for not being able to see his brother at his departure.”

“You have other things to apologise……”

In a reproachful tone of voice, Raidorl says, “What?” Lockwood makes an amused face.

“His Highness is only in charge of his own estate. That is all.”

“…… Then what are these manacles?　They make me look like a criminal!”

“It is only a safety precaution. Your Highness.”

It was not Lockwood who answered the shouted question, but General Bazel Garst, standing next to him.

The two-meter tall Bazel looked down at Raidorl with a rocky face and spoke in a firm tone.

“Your Highness is now the holder of the Holy Sword and carries a part of its power within him. If its power were to be unleashed, it could cause great harm. The shackles are there to prevent that, and not to punish the guilty.”

“Still!” 

Raidorl opened his mouth to argue but fell silent without saying a word.

It does not matter what you say to these two men. They are a part of the king’s inner circle and supporters of his brother Prince Granard.

They are one of the people who decided that Raidorl should be sent to the frontier.

“……There is nothing wrong with you. But this is necessary for the governance of the state. I ask you not to hold a grudge.”

“Yes, Your Highness. When His Royal Highness Granard ascends to the throne and his reign becomes more stable, we will be able to call you back to the capital. In the meantime, I wish you all the best.”

Lockwood, somewhat sympathetically, offers words of comfort to Raidorl, who grits his teeth and looks down. Bazel took over and gave him his own encouragement.

“…….”

Raidorl kept his mouth shut and bit his lip in frustration.

The selfishness of adults is no consolation to a boy who is being forced to leave his birthplace for a crime he did not deserve.

Instead, he turned his attention to the last person in the room.

“Meltina….”

As if clinging to her, as if crying out, Raidorl calls out his childhood friend’s name.

If only she, the daughter of the Prime Minister, would petition for a review of Raidorl’s treatment, or perhaps he would not have been sent to the frontier!

Even if it is not, if she is closer to him than anyone else of her age, she might be able to follow him as he is forced to leave the capital.

It was with this in mind that I made my plea, but Meltina’s reply was unsympathetic. 

“Yes, Sir Raidorl. Have a safe trip.”

“What……?”

“I hear the southern frontier is warmer than the royal capital. Master Raidorl does not like the cold so the weather there suits you well. Next time we meet, I hope you’ll have some interesting tales to tell me.” 

“Eh, wait..Meltina” 

There is not a trace of sadness on the face of the woman who was to become his fiancée. The smile on her face was so calm and serene showing that she wanted to send Raidorl off.

Raidorl could not conceal his confusion at the fact that his childhood friend did not seem to be bidding him farewell, and she looked up at her father, Lockwood.

“Your Highness. As the daughter of the Prime Minister, Meltina has been educated as a noblewoman. She has been taught from an early age to choose her home and country over her feelings.” 

“What does that …… mean?”

“You are no longer her betrothed. You are no longer her fiancé, you are a man of the past.”

“What ……?”

At Lockwood’s apologetic words, Raidorl’s mind went blank.

I’ve been with Meltina since I can remember, and we’ve spent a lot of time together.

The memories were all precious to Raidorl, and he valued them like jewels.

But – it was only Raidorl who thought so, Meltina did not care about it herself, she only stayed with Raidorl out of a sense of duty as a noblewoman and daughter of the Prime Minister.

“Your Highness? Is there something wrong?

“………..!”

Meltina looks curiously into Raidorl’s face.

The innocent-looking face turns into that of a hideous monster. Raidorl’s face twisted in fear, he backed away and fled himself into the prison-like carriage.

If he is sent to the frontier, he will have to live in fear of monsters and barbarians.

But the people who could abandon their family and friends with impunity were far more frightening than the demons.

The royal palace, which used to be his home, had somehow become a den of monsters. The fact that this was the case was unacceptable to the young Raidorl.

“Goodbye, Your Highness.”

Meltina’s voice came through the carriage door.

Lockwood and Bazel bowed deeply, and the carriage drove off.

Raidorl held himself up with both hands and was taken away, shaking his shoulders with a rattle.

The second prince of Zain, Raidorl Zain, was sent to a frontier city and disappeared from the capital.

Five years have passed since Raidorl disappeared from the pages of history.

His father, the king, dies in his sleep due to an “illness”, and Granard, the first prince, succeeds him as the new king.

It was thought that thanks to Granard, who had been in charge of the affairs of state since before the death of his father, the kingdom of Zain would be free of any turmoil, and that a peaceful reign would be maintained.

But even in such a peaceful kingdom, a wave of war was quietly approaching like a crawling snake.

Separated from his master, the holy sword Dáinsleif rests in the depths of the royal palace, listening to the sound of the approaching war.