"...Laplace."
It was a name he had never heard before.
But he knew the man.
The ringleader, in a sense, of the previous academy incident.
The executive of the organization that had threatened the kingdom—the one who had goaded Clyde and, in the final moments, clashed with Ermes to a draw.
That such a man had—of all places—ended up as the First Prince's chief strategist.
Anyone could grasp the gravity of that.
"Hmm? What's the matter, Hero?"
Meeting Ermes's gaze, the man—Laplace—smiled with amusement and spoke.
"—This should be our first meeting, right? There's no way we could have any connection."
...So that's how he wanted to play it.
"Master... what does this mean?"
"Ermes, I'd hoped it wasn't the case, but he is—"
Liliana, who had sensed the ominous atmosphere, and Yurugen, who appeared to have already figured it out after hearing Laplace's description from Ermes, pressed him with questions.
And so he explained to the two of them the true identity of the man standing before them.
"That can't be... Brother!"
Having heard this, Liliana could no longer contain herself and screamed.
"That man is behind the academy incident—!"
However, First Prince Herk calmly listened to Liliana's claims, and—
"……So I hear? Lord Laplace"
"Ha ha. I see — what a rather sloppy"
"disruption operation"
"wouldn't you say, Your Highness?"
Without so much as a hint of unease, Laplace confirmed the claim, and the man himself simply laughed it off.
"Certainly, I come from the ranks of obscure nobles of dubious origin. A perfectly reasonable vulnerability to try to exploit with rumors and gossip. But you see —"
So saying, he narrowed his gaze and pierced straight through Liliana's faction.
"—if that's the argument, then your man Ermes is just as suspicious, isn't he?"
"!"
"From what I've been able to dig up, even if he was formerly of the Frenbreed family, he was expelled once, and afterward his whereabouts were completely unknown for quite some time. Who can say what he was doing during that period? It wouldn't be the least bit surprising if some shady organization had picked him up and groomed him into a spy working against the Kingdom."
Laplace declared, as though settling an old score.
"That's right, isn't it, Princess Liliana? Allow me, out of the goodness of my heart, to let you in on a truth — that man is a malicious individual who means to deceive Your Highness, worm his way into your trust, and bring the Kingdom crashing down."
"Th-that's not true...! Master is — Master is not that kind of person—!"
As Liliana, her face on the verge of tears, tried to protest, Ermes stepped forward and stopped her with a hand.
That was the reality of the situation.
Even if Laplace had appeared here, and even if Ermes and the others knew his true identity — right now, in this moment, it meant absolutely nothing.
Because Liliana's faction and Helc's faction were already enemies.
Therefore, anything the opposing side said would only be taken as a disruption attempt — just as Laplace's words had just been denied by Liliana.
So there was no point in raising a fuss here. It would only put them at a disadvantage.
"……Master."
Ermes met the gaze of Liliana, who was looking up at him, and gave her a silent word of thanks with his eyes before fixing his attention on Laplace.
"……
Pleased to make your acquaintance,
Lord Laplace. I do apologize — you simply reminded me so strongly of someone I know well. The misunderstanding was entirely my fault. And so—"
A light smile played at the corner of his lips, though his gaze cut through with unmatched sharpness, and this time it was his turn to deliver a retort.
"—would you mind not bullying our little princess too much?"
"…Oh?"
Laplace regarded Ermes with eyes that showed genuine admiration for how quickly he had grasped the situation and adapted. "You've got some nerve," he mouthed silently, offering his praise.
Liliana, for her part, still seemed as though she wanted to say something… but that opportunity would not come. Because right then,
"—His Majesty, King Fried, has arrived."
The main event of the day had officially begun.
Those words echoed from the back of the audience hall, spoken by what was most likely the prime minister.
Ermes knelt along with the others as he watched the figure who slowly made his way to the highest seat in the audience hall.
That was this country's reigning king — Fried Josef von Yustia.
In terms of appearance, he was perhaps closer to the First Prince — hair of a color between navy and black, and an average build.
Of all things, what struck Ermes as most puzzling was…
(This person… is the King?)
There was a reason he thought that.
—He was far too,
unremarkable.
That was who the man currently sitting on the throne was.
Every royal Ermes had ever encountered in the past, regardless of their particular bent, had possessed striking, sharp features.
Compared to them… he was extraordinarily unremarkable. The fact that a man who in some sense looked like he could be anyone at all was seated upon a lavish throne left Ermes somewhat bewildered.
Then—
"…You there. The silver-haired boy."
King Fried spoke.
Those eyes, lacking in majesty, were nevertheless fixed firmly upon Ermes. As Ermes involuntarily tensed his body, the king continued.
"You… thought that I, 'for a king, lack ambition,' didn't you?"
"Eh. No, well—"
It hit the mark.
Ermes broke into a cold sweat at the sudden, unexpected predicament, but then—
"…Haha. Fair enough. It's the truth."
Surprisingly, the king showed a tolerant attitude. Without missing a beat, he began to speak in a leisurely manner.
"I'm aware of it myself, of course. I can't very well say from my position that I'm unworthy of the throne, but… compared to my other family members—especially my sister who once vied for this throne—I'm far too—"
"!"
"…No. Come to think of it, one can hardly call that 'vying'…"
There, Ermes understood.
Right. Of course. It would be stranger if it weren't the case, given the timeline.
This king, if one were to use a deliberately unflattering way of putting it—
—
The one who
instead of Rose,
ended up
upon the throne—
that is
the king he is.
I know that before she departed the Royal Capital, everyone had praised Rose as the most fitting candidate for the next king.
She, who had been so revered, suddenly vanished from the Royal Capital. And having lost the brightest candidate of them all, the king who was chosen—
One cannot fully gauge what hardships lay behind that... but from his words just now, it was clear that this fact still weighs heavily upon the current king.
King Freed continues.
"That is precisely why I sought a heroism unbound by convention in the next king. And as a result—letting Aster grow that arrogant was my responsibility."
From those words, a hazy intention regarding the Aster incident could be glimpsed. And then—
"But I cannot leave things as they are. That is precisely why seeking a strong successor is also my duty."
With a voice that seemed to carry even greater weight, everyone present understood. —The true matter had finally begun.
"Children. I know that you are fighting over who will claim the next throne. ...I cannot explicitly put a stop to it. Winning through such struggles is also a quality befitting a king. Even if I forcibly named one person, the fighting would not end."
In a sense, words that only served to encourage conflict among siblings. But at that point, the king shifted his tone slightly.
"However, such a situation naturally cannot be called healthy. Misjudge the balance, and it will surely lead to a national crisis. Therefore, what I ask of you is one thing."
He declared in a low, weighty voice.
"—Do not cause trouble for the people. This is the one thing you must uphold, above all else."
Every person present felt a chill run through their entire body.
"Protecting the people and stabilizing the nation is our duty. Anyone who oversteps that boundary—by royal authority, I will forcibly strip them of their right of succession."
"......"
"So long as you remain within those bounds, I shall permit you to continue your training and competition to become the next king. ...And as for foreign powers who might exploit that opening to strike—I hereby pledge that I will defend this kingdom with everything I have during that time."
......Ermes, too, revised his assessment.
There had perhaps been many shortcomings. He was by no means omniscient.
But—this man had, without question, protected this country's peace to this extent, serving as its king.
"There is also the matter of the organization that attacked the academy the other day. All of you, remain sufficiently vigilant regarding your surroundings. —Especially you two: the silver-haired boy and the gray-haired young man who came up in our earlier conversation. With your identities uncertain as they are, understand that the eyes trained upon you will only grow sharper."
"...Yes."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Ermes replied with solemnity, and Laplace with graceful courtesy.
......Surely, even for a king, he had no inkling of Laplace's true identity at this point. If he did, Laplace would never have shown his face here—and that was only natural.
Still, the fact that he took every precaution to the fullest, including Ermes, was in its own way a perfectly reasonable response.
With that, the atmosphere shifted to signal the king's address had come to an end.
"......Then, from here, I, Chancellor Richt, shall take over the proceedings."
At the same time, the voice of the person who had stepped forward from the side—who was, as expected, the chancellor—announced... the reason the right-of-succession holders had been called here. The next topic was revealed.
"——The other day. In the northern part of the kingdom, there was an outbreak of—
a regional rebellion.
That is what I wish to discuss."
I'm sorry, but due to the chapter break timing, today's update will be two chapters......!