CH 141

“Kah….”

Dáinsleif pierced Granard’s chest and crucified him on the walls that surrounded the palace.

He is a foolish and wretched king who clings to his throne and has reduced himself to an apostle of witches. A spear-shaped Brionac slipped from his limp hand and rolled noisily to the ground.

In the end, the spear returns to the form of a pure white sword, and then disappears into the void as a grain of light. As the magic sword disappears, the magic armor that covered Granard’s body is lifted and his clothes return to normal.

“It’s over……”

Raidorl confirms that he has won the duel and removes his holy armour. The black holy armor disappeared, and the Dáinsleif returned to its original size.

Five years of feuding with his brother had come to an end. Raidorl feels more disgusted than accomplished.

He felt as if he had swallowed a lump of stone, a heavy feeling welling up in his chest.

“Hm…..?”

At the same time, a feeling of intense fatigue washed over Raidorl.

It’s as if he’s just run dozens of miles and his body is exhausted to the core, and if he is not careful, he could collapse into unconsciousness.

“This is the power of holy armour…..It’s powerful, but it’s not something I can use for very long.”

Raidorl bit his lip with his teeth and exhorted his body not to lose consciousness.

The victor has been decided.

But Raidorl couldn’t afford fall now.

The body of the brother he stabbed through still has a sliver of life left in it.

“Rai,dorl…”

Granard groaned weakly as his chest was pierced.

It seems that he is still breathing.

Was it a blessing from the witch, or was it just a coincidence that the place where Raidorl was stabbed was missed? Miraculously, he seemed to have escaped instant death.

Still, the light was slipping out of Granard’s eyes and blood was dripping from his mouth.

It was a fatal wound, not to mention a stinging one. It was only a matter of time before he died.

“Phew……what a pity for a man who is also the king of a country. It’s the least I can do. I’ll give you a quick end so you don’t have to suffer any more.”

Raidorl says in a spiteful tone and tries to draw his sword while holding it against his brother’s chest.

If Granard were left to his own devices, he would soon be dead, but he is Raidorl’s only brother by blood.

The last thing he can do as a brother is to put a stop to it as soon as possible.

“Wait……Raidorl……”

“……!”

However, before Raidorl can cleave his sword, Granard’s hand grabs him by the shoulder.

The force of the fingers digging into him is so strong that it is hard to believe that he is dying, and Raidorl can’t help but stop.

“You’ve won ……You’ve fought well…..”

“Brother, are you ……?”　

Granard looks at Raidorl weakly, and the colour of reason returns to his eyes, which were not there before.

Has the disappearance of the magic sword freed him from some kind of magic? Or is it that the fatal damage has brought his mind back to normal?

Granard, whose head had been screwed on like a heavy drug addict during the fight, now looked intelligent and calm.

It was like the Granard before he had banished Raidorl. An inexplicable feeling of emptiness welled up in Raidorl’s chest.

“…… have you finally come to your senses?　You haven’t forgotten what you’ve done, have you?”

“Of course not…… You’ve gone to a lot of trouble. ……”

“Tsk…….”

Raidorl clicks his tongue with a bitter expression.

“It’s too late to come to your senses now.”

It is too late for reconciliation. There is no cure. It’s just a matter of time before both of them get to the end of the road.

“…….I’m about to kill you, do you have anything left to say?”

Raidorl finally spoke. 

Raidorl didn’t want to show him any mercy at this time, but he thought he could at least hear what Granard had to say. 

“Just one thing…… tell me about…….”

Granard spoke with weak, trembling lips.

“Shouldn’t I’ve been…… King ……? Did I not deserve it from the start ……?”

“………..”

“Tell me, please……Raidorl……”

Gradually the strength slips from his hand on my shoulder. It will not be long now.

Raidorl closes his eyes slowly and speaks his mind, not with concern, but with truth.

“……No, I don’t think so. I don’t think you are unfit to be king. But …… you were born at the wrong time.”

Granard was not an incompetent king.

He had served well as deputy to the king after his predecessor had fallen ill, and there was little opposition when he took the throne.

It may have been a blunder to banish Raidorl out of jealousy after he pulled out the holy sword, but even if he had remained in the capital, he would have divided the country with those who tried to lift up the prince chosen by the holy sword.

The fact that Lockwood and Bazel Garst eventually agreed to the expulsion does not suggest that their treatment of Raidorl was a fatal mistake.

At least until the war with the Alsatian Empire began, Granard was able to reign as a good king.

But a great ruler in times of peace is not necessarily a great ruler in times of war.

There are times when a ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrant is needed more than a benevolent king.

“If this was a peaceful world, I might have been the one who was swept away by the times…….”

A younger brother who hates his older brother and wants to take the throne is an outcast in a peaceful world.

He is a threat to the peace and will be quickly eliminated.

In the end, it may have been the “Era”, an existence that transcends human will, that chose which ones should survive and which ones should take the throne.

“I see, so that’s what…… it means…….”

Grannard murmured to himself.

The look on his face was not one of frustration or despair, but one of relief that he had finally received the answer he had hoped for.

“Take this country……the Kingdom of Zain, please…..”

“I entrust it to you..Rai…”

The hand that had been holding Raidorl’s shoulder slipped away and Granard fell and without strength.

His eyes lose their light completely and turn into something as inorganic as a glass ball.

“How selfish …… can’t you wait until the very end? Stupid brother…..”

Raidorl murmured and drew the sword he had thrust into his brother’s chest. The body, lifeless, fell and leaned against him as if hugging him.

“………….”

The body that received Granard felt much smaller and less reliable than five years ago.

The King of the Kingdom of Zain, Granard Zain.

At the age of twenty-eight, an age that is too young to die for the crown. 

*TL: Time for the aftermath.