CH 116

The Mad King

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by Zil

And so, after many twists and turns, the war between the Kingdom of Zain and the Alsatian  Empire came to an end.

Although the victor was the Empire, the country did not make any unfair demands on the defeated kingdom.

On the contrary, the Emperor Zacharias Von Althlein praised the bravery of his brother Raidorl Zain in the duel and even assured him of the return of the territories taken in the series of battles.

After a meeting between the representatives of the two countries, Raidorl and Zacharias made a peace treaty that was formally signed in writing by diplomats.

The Kingdom and the Empire, which had fought each other in battles large and small for decades, were now on a path of coexistence, and the people of Zain, who had escaped the threat of invaders, could enjoy a brief period of peace.

But, on the other hand, there are people who cannot rejoice in such peace.

At the royal capital of the Kingdom of Zain, in the king’s bedchamber at the back of the palace, Granard Zain is alone and locked in his room.

“Where …… have I gone wrong?”

The curtains were drawn, the room was dark, even in the daytime, and not a candle was lit.

Huddled on his knees in a corner of the large, dark room, Granard asks himself, “Where did I go wrong?”

About a week ago, a duel took place between Raidorl and Emperor Zacharias in the fortress of Blaine, east of the capital.

The result was the defeat of Raidorl. As a result, the Kingdom of Zain ended the war in a disadvantageous way to the Empire of Alsatian, and was forced to accept the demands of the Empire.

However, the demands that were made were so light that it made one wonder if they were really the losers.

And it was not the king, Granard, or the diplomat who had negotiated the transfer from the Empire.

It was Raidorl Zain, the man who had lost the duel.

“Raidorl……!　How far will you go to make a false pretense of me ……!”

Granard snarls, scratching the skin off his face.

There was a messenger from the fortress of Blaine to give instructions before the duel was to take place.

After hearing the news of the duel, Granard held daily meetings to discuss countermeasures against the Empire.

However, the meeting, which was held with all of the high officials, was disputed and opinions were exchanged, but no agreement was reached until the very end, and the date of the duel arrived without any action being taken.

And this is the result.

Although he lost the duel, Raidorl’s reputation was on the rise as he made peace with the Empire and forced the enemy forces to retreat.

By contrast, Granard, who could not make a decision until the end and left everything to his brother, had come to be reckoned with as the ‘indecisive king’.

His position in the court is now reversed from a few months ago, and although they don’t say it out loud, there are many who think that His Highness Raidorl is more suitable to be king.

To add more chaos, a faction was born in the court, led by the Lord Advocate, to encourage people to support Raidorl.

They also have taken the opportunity to start cutting down and persuading Granard’s nobles and officials. There is no telling how many of Granard’s allies are left.

Granard shuts his ears to the bad publicity directed at him, and soon finds himself shut up in his bedchamber during the day.

He was aware that his abandoned attitude was turning more and more people off, but he still cowered in his darkened room, covering his ears.

Even when Lockwood, the Prime Minister, knocked at the door, or his wife, the Queen, Granard refused to open the locked door.

“Why, Raidorl, ……! Why didn’t you die for your brother’s sake……!”

It was five years ago. This is when Raidorl was chosen by the holy sword Dáinsleif.

Granard hated and envied Raidorl, who had been chosen over him for the holy sword.

The holy sword is the sword of the king. It is the sword of the one who is to be king.

Granard has been the regent of the kingdom ever since the last king fell ill.

He has put up with hobbies such as reading and horse riding, and has even cut down on the time he spends eating and sleeping, all in the service of his country.

And yet, it was Raidorl, not Granard, who was chosen as the holy sword. Granard’s hard work and dedication denied him, and he became desperate.

Therefore, Granard banished his brother to the frontier.

Please die as you are – that’s what Granard sincerely prayed for, and drove Raidorl to the den of demons.

If Raidorl had died in the battle against the demons, he would have been able to forgive everything.

He would have mourned his brother’s death with all his heart, and would have built a mausoleum at his own expense, more magnificent than any other, to mourn his soul.

He would have been able to love again, the brother he once loved.

However – against Granard’s wishes, Raidorl survived.

Alive, he came back to the capital in the wake of the war with the Empire, and became a hero by reaping the enemy that was coming.

And now he is about to take the throne from himself.

None of Granard’s wishes has been granted and everything is about to be taken away from him.

“No,…… I am the king of this land. Not Raidorl. I am the king. ……!”

Granard covered his face with his hands and bemoaned his unreasonableness in a delirious voice.

Why wasn’t I chosen to be the Holy Sword holder?

Why did the Empire invade my country?

Why did Raidorl survive?

Why does everyone praise him?

Why am I despised?

He asks himself the same question over and over again.

From morning till night, he asks himself questions that have no answers and no solutions.

He didn’t notice a shadow appear behind him, slowly it creeped behind him, smiling as if it had found a prey.

“If only I had a holy sword……!”

With the holy sword, he could have driven the Empire away when it attacked. He could be a hero without the help of his exiled brother.

He would not have lost his throne. Everyone would have admired him.

If only he had the sword, everything would have been all right.

Granard would have gone down in history as the hero who defended the kingdom of Zain from the invasion of the Empire, the founder of the kingdom.

“It’s wrong, everything is wrong. …… The world is wrong that I wasn’t chosen for the Holy Sword. I should have been the one to get the holy sword. ……!”

Granard gritted his teeth, his eyes bleeding with madness.

It is a delusion, totally unfounded and a distraction from reality.

No matter how much Granard wanted the holy sword, it was Raidorl, not Granard, who was chosen by Dáinsleif,

There is no point in denying the facts in front of him and making assumptions that do not exist.

A series of blunders. Granard was completely lost in his own thoughts.

“Yes, I should have had a holy sword. If only I’d had a holy sword, everything would have been fine…….!”

If I have a holy sword – Granard repeats incessantly.

Granard is completely out of his element, spouting his fantasies and clawing at the skin of his face like a madman.

If someone sees how Granard has turned, Even the prime minister, who is loyal to Granard to the end, may give up his duties and sees him as king as ‘impossible’.

The king, Granard, no longer had a future and no end in sight.

He had lost his mind and was now waiting for Raidorl to take the throne.

Strangely enough, this is in line with Raidorl’s aim of depriving Granard of all honours and subjects.

Raidorl will return to the capital, the king would have been imprisoned in his madness, and the throne would have been handed over without any resistance.

“Do you want the holy sword so badly?”

The shadow finally spoke, responding to Granard’s self-indulgent fantasies.

“!!!?”

A third person’s voice echoed in the room where he was alone. Granard looks up and around the room, but there is no one in sight.

But still the voice whispered to Granard, softly.

“If you want the holy sword so badly, I’ll give it to you.”

The pleasant sound of a woman’s voice vibrates in Granard’s ears.

The honey-sweet tones flow through his eardrums and penetrate his brain.

“…..U…ghaa…………!”

“Don’t be afraid, everything will be fine as long as you follow mommy’s instructions.”

“Hya…..ahhh…..!!”

The voice of a woman who seems to control his brain and even his soul.

Even with his hands over his ears, the words of temptation still intrude, causing Granard to shudder and his eyes to flutter.

A thin, white arm slips around his back and across his chest.

Before he knew it, someone behind him had embraced him and put its lips to his ear.

“The sword, the power, the revenge. I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted. So, why don’t you go and destroy the world for mommy??”

“sshh…….”

At the edge of Granard’s vision, he saw the hair of a woman whispering in his ear.

As soon as he saw a strand of hair, shining like goldwork, Granard’s consciousness was blanked out.