CH 144

The usurper at the grave

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by Zil

A week has passed since the defeat of King Granard at the hands of Raidorl.

Despite the fact that the king’s younger brother rebels against his older brother and kills him, the city where the battle takes place is surprisingly calm.

This was because the Prime Minister, Lockwood, was at the centre of a manipulation of information to cover up what could not be revealed.

The war with the Empire has just ended.

If it were to come to light that the king had been inspired by a witch to become an apostle and had been defeated by his younger brother, the kingdom of Zain would be thrown into further turmoil.

Hence – the truth was kept hidden from the public, and the epic “fight of the brothers” in the royal palace ostensibly never happened.

The battle at the gates of Royal Capital was also dismissed as a major military exercise, and the battle between Raidorl and Granard was kept in the dark.

It is likely that Lockwood invited Raidorl to Royal Capital after having drawn a picture in his mind of what this would look like beforehand.

There was no confusion among the people of Royal Capital, as Lockwood had arranged for them to be kept out of the city.

It is widely believed that Granard’s disappearance was due to a sudden illness and that he was recuperating.

But the real fact was that he was pierced by Raidorl’s sword and killed……His body was placed in the depths of the palace by Neimilia, who cast a spell to prevent decomposition and an illusion to hide his death.

Ostensibly alive, he lies in an unending sleep until the official announcement of his death.

After the defeat of his brother, Raidorl did not sit on the throne, but took up the position of “regent”, acting on behalf of Granard’s government.

When a king changes, it is inevitable that there will be confusion, great and small.

Moreover, Raidorl sensed that behind his brother’s madness there was an enemy, the Witch of Doom.

If Raidorl were to take the throne, he would be bound by his position as king and would be restricted in his movements.

He wanted to be in a position where he could act with some freedom until he had wiped out the enemies who would become the kingdom’s threat. 

Royal brother and regent of the kingdom of Zain – this was the new title that Raidorl had taken on.

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“We have settled on……and that is what we have done. I’m very sorry for this outcome”

Raidorl said in a polite tone and bowed his head.

Having spent five years as an adventurer, Raidorl is notoriously rough around the edges. Nevertheless, he had received a high level of education as royalty before his exile and was quite graceful in the way he bent at the waist and bowed.

Raidorl, the regent of the Kingdom of Zain, is at the head of the state government, but today he has taken time out from his political duties to visit a certain place.

The place is a small cemetery located a short distance from the royal palace.

The cemetery, where only members of the royal family are allowed to be buried, is guarded at the entrance by guards against grave robbers, and no one is allowed to enter without permission.

There was no one in the cemetery but Raidorl. He wasn’t accompanied by any of his guards or attendants.

In front of Raidorl there is a silver tombstone with the names of two people engraved on it.

Bernard Zain

Rachael Zain

This is the name of the parents of Raidorl and Granard, the previous king and queen.

Both had died of illness and were laid to rest beneath this tomb.

Five years had passed since Raidorl had been banished to the frontier. It was six months since he had been allowed to return to Royal Capital. This was the first time he had visited the graves of his parents.

“I never thought that……reunion with my parents would be a report that I killed my brother and took the throne. It’s the ultimate in filial piety for me.”

To be precise, he has not yet succeeded to the throne.

But the majority of those working in the palace knew that it was only a matter of time.

Although Granard’s death was ostensibly hidden, the palace still bears the scars of the battle, including the throne room.

The palace was destroyed. At the same time, the king disappeared, claiming to be ill. If one were stupid enough not to question the obvious circumstantial evidence, that person wouldn’t have been able to work in the palace in the first place.

The reason why no one made a fuss about the king’s death was that Granard, possessed by a magical sword, was tyrannical, and many of those who worked in the palace feared and shunned him.

Some of the knights were still loyal to the king, but….. they had already retired and left the palace.

The retired knight had been secretly spied on, but with a new job and a good severance package, no one was currently planning to avenge Granard.

“I took the throne from my brother. He was the one who caused it in the first place, but …… that doesn’t make it any less unforgivable”

No matter how great the cause, Raidorl  is a rebel and a murderous usurper of his brother.

What will his parents who sleep beneath the earth think of him now?

His mother, who died when Raidorl was very young, and his father, who collapsed after Raidorl was banished. If they were alive, what would they say to Raidorl, who had murdered their brother and taken the throne?

“…… I don’t think I’ll get any praise. Naturally.”

“But I don’t …… regret it. Father, mother.”

No matter how much filial disobedience, no matter how much sin he has to stain his hands with.

This is the path that Raidorl has chosen. It is the fate that he has grasped.

If he was going to change his mind because his parents scolded him, it would be better to not even start the rebellion. 

“I don’t have the face to see you anymore….probably this would be my last time visiting this grave..Today I come to say goodbye for life.”

What kind of face does Raidorl supposed to make, visiting a place to remember the deceased when they did not live the way their parents wanted?

He no longer had the right to visit the grave – he was determined to leave his parents behind.

“……There will come a time when I too will die. But I will not be buried in a royal tomb. My corpse will be cast out on the battlefield and my guilt-ridden soul will be trapped in the abyss.”

And yet – Raidorl have no regrets.

“I will never regret what I have done.”

“So this is goodbye. Father, mother, please rest in peace. I may not have been able to live as a good son and brother, but I will never let other countries or witches have their way with this country. I will protect the Kingdom of Zain.”

He had killed his brother and taken the throne.

If he had destroyed the country, he would have been the darkest ruler of all time.

He will do what Granard could not do – otherwise what Raidorl has done will be a pointless barbarism of no value whatsoever.

“I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care how much blood I have to stain my hands or how many rivers of blood I have to build,……, I will do whatever it takes to protect my kingdom!”

That was Raidorl’s decision.

It was the conviction of the hero who had killed his brother.

According to Zain’s legend, the first king, the previous holder of the Dáinsleif, also killed his brother and usurped the kingdom.

Or perhaps the first king was in a similar state of mind to Raidorl.

“Ah, master. There you are!”

Raidorl made a firm promise to himself, but suddenly a soft touch pressed against his back.

Before Raidorl knew it, a girl in a maid’s uniform who had crept up behind him – Neimilia – was hugging him back.