CH 25

Pledge or Demand

Translated by SoundOfDestiny

Edited by Zil

“I, Raidorl Zain, will fight to protect the Kingdom of Zayn from the Empire of Alsatian if you agree to the following conditions.” 

“…………”

Raidorl straightens his back and reads the sentences in the oath in a solemn tone.

Granard, Lockwood, and all the nobles present listen in silence to the flowing words.

“Condition 1: King Granard shall guarantee the safety of Raidorl within the Kingdom of Zain.” 

“Hmmmmmm…” 

When Granard heard the first condition, he raised one eyebrow and snorted.

Granard raised one eyebrow and snickered at the first condition, meaning that Raidorl was worried that Granard would betray him again. What a cowardly brother he is.

The disdain in Granard’s eyes deepened. 

“Condition 2: The Crown shall pay 100,000 gold coins in support of the frontier city of Raid, ruled by Raidorl.”

“Jyu, 100,000 pieces…..”

It was a nobleman with a fat belly and a sweaty forehead who let out a trembling voice.

The man, who holds the position of Minister of Finance at the Royal Court, calculates in his head the amount of the reward demanded by Raidorl.

A hundred thousand gold coins is a tenth of the national budget of the Kingdom of Zain.

It was not an unreasonable amount for a country with such a huge source of revenue from the taxation of its people, but it was still not a small price to pay.

“And we’re in wartime. That’s a mind-boggling amount of money when you think about the cost of post-war reconstruction…….”

Lockwood glanced sideways at the sweating finance minister and heaved a sigh of sympathy.

He had a lot of sympathy for his colleagues who are stressed out, but he can’t help them.

A hundred thousand gold coins is a lot of money, but it is not an unreasonable amount of money to give to a frontier city that protects its southern border from demons.

In fact, it is more unreasonable to think that the Royal Court has not given any assistance to the adventurer’s town that guards the border.

“Condition Three: All goods acquired by Raidorl in the war shall be the property of Raidorl, and the Crown shall not be able to demand their delivery.”

“Hmm…….?”

Lockwood nodded his head.

It’s a condition he’s yet to understand. Raidorl has the right to take for himself the treasures and prisoners of war taken from the imperial army. This is a natural right, but he doesn’t understand why Raidorl has to remind them of it as a condition. 

“Do you by any chance have any goods in mind?　What on earth is the purpose of ……”

“Condition 4: Raidorl shall have the right to decide on the treatment of prisoners of war captured by Raidorl.”

“There it is again, ……, another ludicrous condition. What are you planning, Your Highness?”

Lockwood’s head twists, unable to read Raidorl’s thoughts.

It is becoming more and more apparent that Raidorl has an agenda that is not straightforward, but the purpose of it is not clear. 

What is the purpose of asking for property and prisoners of war, let alone aid? If Raidorl demand ransom. Why can’t he just state this clearly as a condition?

Lockwood crosses his arms in thought. And then there’s Granard, the older brother, who listens to his younger brother’s words in silence. 

Raidorl looked at the two faces in turn and paused to catch his breath.

“And……the last condition.” 

“Condition 5: King Granard shall name his brother Raidorl as the crown prince and to be the next King.”

“……!”

“Nonsense! Do you know what you’re saying?”

The first to cry out was Lockwood.

The Prime Minister, who is usually so calm and collected, is in a state of disarray, and the nobles around him realise the seriousness of the situation.

King Granard has a three year old son.

He was born sometime after Raidorl was banished to the frontier, and although he was very young, he was named as the crown prince, and was recognized by the people as the next king.

The conditions that Raidorl demanded were as if he had declared that he would be the next king over the prince.

“It’s disrespectful, even for a royal brother! You can’t go to the king and ask him to make you king……”

“…………”

Lockwood chides him, but Raidorl says he’s said all he needs to say and rolls the parchment with the oath on it in his hands.

The Prime Minister’s brow wrinkles deeply at the sight of such laxness, like a child playing with his hands.

“His Royal Highness, Raidorl……!”

“Raidorl.”

“……!” 

Lockwood was about to say more, but Granard’s quiet voice stopped him.

The Prime Minister turned and gulped at the sight of his lord’s face.

“Raidorl, are you serious about this?”

There was no anger in Granard’s voice as he asked his brother. But no one in the room expects him to remain calm.

Granard’s face was stained with a hatred and murderous intent that he no longer wished to hide.

His face, which had turned as red as a demon’s from his rage, was contorted in such a way that it looked as if he was about to curse his brother to death.

That’s probably true, too.

Raidorl’s request to make himself the next king is not just a request to take away the position of the current crown prince.

In the event of the king’s death, he would become the king himself – a roundabout way of saying, “I’ll kill you and become king myself.” 

“The crown prince, the next king, will be my son Strauss!　I will not have you as crown prince!!”

The nobles in the room trembled at the declaration, which was made with murderous intent.

Granard had been known as a fair man since his days as regent and deputy to the former king, and his virtues had won him many allies. He was not a narrow-minded king, although his attitude towards his brother was absurd.

He was a man of character, and his attitude towards his brother was absurd, but he was not a narrow-minded man, and most of the people present had never seen Granard possessed by anger.

He might even order his soldiers to kill him on the spot, depending on how he answered. It was with a hint of bleakness that he shouted angrily at Raidorl. 

“ah, that’s all right. I’ll cancel it.”

“HA……!?”

At the sound of his brother’s anger, Raidorl simply withdrew the 5th condition.