This is getting to be a strange affair.
It's been one night since the king suddenly summoned me and had me listen to his final words. I sat in my chair with my arms crossed, furrowing my brow.
I have bad luck. Without having done anything in particular, I've been dragged into all sorts of incidents up until now.
Taking on this commission was partly being pulled into it as well, but it feels like the situation has gotten even more tangled.
Originally, the commission was to protect all the royals—the central figures of the country who were being forced by the nobles to misuse the city system—and escort them outside the city.
But now, the king has fallen to old age, and a mysterious event called the succession war is about to begin.
When did things turn into this? And I still haven't seen any sign of the nobles who are supposedly forcing the royals to act.
Or rather, not a single person—not even the king—seemed to be coerced by anyone (though Tony did say the nobles were watching him).
What exactly was that all about?
No... maybe I just don't remember, and when I received the commission from the Explorer's Guild, there was some other explanation I've forgotten... that's entirely plausible.
So, with this succession war supposedly about to begin, what on earth should I do?
Setting aside what might happen, there's only one thing to consider.
Protection. Protect all the royals and pull out of this city as fast as possible. Simple. And for that, what I need to do is—wait. Wait for Kaiser and the others to make their move.
I haven't been able to gauge Kaiser and the others' movements much, but last night, the king had mentioned that someone had escaped outside during the last succession war.
That means there's an opening during the succession war. If Kaiser and the others, who are excellent Level 8s, are planning their moves, they're highly likely to be targeting that opening.
If I had actually made it to the meeting place with the client from the start, I would have linked up with Kaiser and the others, and there wouldn't have been any need to act on this kind of speculation.
As I was reminding myself of my own incompetence and sinking into self-loathing, Olivia and Jean burst in.
"Terrible news. The king—King Cross has passed away!"
"Mm, mm, yeah. I know."
Not only that, I'd been summoned to his deathbed. And I'd been told some rather heavy things.
I'm not exactly brimming with a sense of responsibility, but even so, I'd like to honor a dying wish as much as I can.
Olivia spotted the card attached to my chest and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Wh... Class... 7?! That's impossible—that should only be given to the king!! This can't be... what—what happened?!"
"...This will certainly go down in history. If you—the one Prince Angus has marked as his nemesis—are still alive three days after the succession war begins, that is."
"Class 7 is proof that the previous king had his eye on you, but the one who will hold full authority is the next king. You have no backing. That high class could become poison for you."
In contrast to the panicking Olivia, Jean spoke quietly, though his face had gone pale.
"Poison, huh... doesn't matter. I have my own plan."
I just need to run. If the succession war starts in three days, all I have to do is get out before then.
As I repeated the words I'd been telling myself these past few days, Your Highness stumbled over to me, face deathly pale, and clung to me.
"K-Klye, it's terrible... Father is..."
"Yeah, I know. I even got a message from him."
"...Eh?"
I took out the chocolate bar the king had given me as his last gift. Wrapped in silver foil, it looked exactly like the one I'd brought with me.
"Sorry for everything up until now. Take care of everyone, he said."
Your Highness's eyes went round for an instant upon receiving the chocolate bar, but her expression crumbled almost immediately. She clung to me, pressed her face against me, and began to cry, stifling her sobs.
There was nothing I could say. I was a complete stranger with no connection to the king. All I could do was honor the king's dying wish.
Olivia looked away from the weeping Your Highness and asked me.
"...Klye, it's about time you told us your plan. According to the information I've gathered, Lady Nora and the other Class 8 holders should be convening a meeting. To discuss what to do about the next king, first and foremost—and without a doubt, they won't reach an agreement, and a fight will break out."
"Prince Angus's fighting force is at full strength. And Lady Nora, too—her forces have been diminished, but she is not the type to back down because of that. The succession war doesn't concern ordinary citizens much, but the choice we make now will greatly affect our standing. You've been targeted by Prince Angus, but if you side with him now, your life might be spared."
"Heh... it won't go the way you think. I have my own plan."
Kaiser is with Angus. Angus will be protected by Kaiser, so he won't become king, and I don't need to worry about my life either.
Actually, nobody will take the throne. We're protecting everyone.
"Once Lady Nora and the others' little meeting is over, we'll make our move too. Come on, Your Highness. The king went to all the trouble of making this chocolate bar, so eat it and cheer up."
As for Angus, I'll leave that to Kaiser and the others. The remaining problem is... whether Lady Nora and the others will quietly accept being protected.
*** The succession war. Angus Code had been waiting a long time for this moment.
Born as the first child of Cross Code, from the time he was old enough to understand, Angus had always been expected by those around him to become the next king.
The widest area of influence, the longest preparation time. The number of nobles who had declared their support reflected the expectations placed on him, and the goal was to surpass the previous king Cross Code and become a powerful king who would further develop the Code dynasty.
He had given it his all. Accumulated military strength, secured support, exchanged information with outside parties, and prepared even for after obtaining the throne. Even as his younger brothers and sisters were born as rival candidates, Angus had not wavered.
The strongest shall be king. That principle had not changed.
Merely having the advantage was not enough. Being born first naturally meant having the advantage. What was necessary was to show the Code king, and the citizens, a power worthy of a king—and a vision for the future.
Father had avoided restoring the city's mobility capabilities until the very last moment, focusing instead on accumulating power.
In other words, he had entrusted the first king's ambition of moving the city and venturing out into the world to the next generation—to Angus.
Father was gone. I believe he was a great king.
Until his final moment, they had never had a normal father-son relationship, but amassing tremendous power without moving the city and passing it on to the next generation was no simple feat, as easy as it might sound.
To become king. For that, he had to subdue his siblings.
Tony was clever. His number of supporters rivaled Angus's. His fickleness was a flaw, but he was more than capable of being king.
Nora was strong. That sister was true to her emotions and more of a sore loser than anyone. She, too, could serve as king.
Morris and Zachary still showed more signs of immaturity than anything, but in a few more years, they should have grown considerably.
To demonstrate his power to those siblings, Angus had been preparing for a long time.
High-level Hunter pawns, a large number of mercenaries recruited from outside. A massive arsenal of weapons he had developed, and Kenbi—whom he'd dispatched to Morris, expecting the worst.
And soon, the time of trial would arrive.
The top floor of Angus's stronghold. It would be just three more days before he sat upon the provisional throne.
He would access the city system and call his siblings together one final time. For the declaration of war and the demand for surrender.