19-1
State Funeral / A New Target
Translator : PolterGlast
Synopsis of the
Previous Chapter
Through the efforts
of the legendary blacksmith without a physical body and the noble young lady Yumil,
the magic spirit silver swords were finally completed. Georg was given a
magic sword that uses jewels as catalysts, and Sigrun was given a
self-vibrating sword, thereby enhancing the combat power of the general and the
hero.
Meanwhile, Ashley
took the Adventurer's Guild promotion exam. The school teacher acting as the
examiner was deeply bewildered by Ashley, who glowed every time he
achieved a promotion, but he was incredibly popular with the children. When Ashley
reached the Granite rank, the Book of the Evil Dragon presented a new
challenge: 『Complete a mission outside the Empire at the Guild.』
Georg and the
knight Aureus met face-to-face. Aureus voluntarily offered to
become a double agent against Prince Yord. He was still hesitating about
his course of action, but upon learning the fact that his young attendant Baldur
had been confined and abused, he decided to abandon Yord.
On the other hand,
the royal family members had begun maneuvering in secret. As their father's
death approached, the second son, Julius, spread a rumor that Uncle Morac
and Aunt Dunail were poisoning the Emperor. In response, Morac
contacted the third son, Olive, who was based in the north, and
attempted to create a law that would transfer command of the Imperial Capital
to himself in the event of a state of emergency.
Also, one day, the
boy Baldur caught a fever. Learning this, Ashley acted on a whim.
He went digging for wild yams in the middle of the night and delivered them
grated to the boy's room. He
wants to become a page, but his androphobia and battered body do not seem
likely to heal anytime soon.
The next day, Carral returned to Erin
Port having grown her fleet. First thing in the morning, Ashley rushed
to the port and promised her to take him on the next voyage. However, that
promise will likely never be fulfilled.
In the paradise
where Zirant resides, a father waited for his child. He bid farewell to
his child, and since they cannot be placed in the same grave, requested him to
deliver his memento to his mother. The man who carried out his role to the very
end, even if called ruthless, entrusted the future of the Empire to Ashley
and disappeared with a satisfied look.
On this day, the
Emperor of the A-Zir Empire died. The unceasing bells heralded the
beginning of a new era.
・
Imperial Capital Turmoil
The death of Emperor
Ferdinand, the man who had continued to protect the order of the Empire,
raced across the world. The funeral was scheduled for two days after his
passing, and until then, each and everyone spent their time harboring anxiety.
Part of it was
because a strange rumor had been flowing that Uncle and Aunt were poisoning the
Emperor. But that's impossible. The Red Dragon Palace exists to prevent
assassinations, and to begin with, there's no way the old man wouldn't notice
the poison. This meant that an information war had already begun, aiming for
the vacant throne of the Emperor.
「Ashley-sama,
you have no intention of mourning, do you...」
「Jii, are you done over there already?」
Speaking of another
change, Jii has
returned to my side. That was surely because he was more worried about us than
Father's corpse.
「Yes, I
apologize for being unable to serve by your side until today. From today
onwards, I am your old man once again.」
「I
see... Then please take care of Atomina-aneue rather than me. Don't make
that kind of face, I will properly attend the funeral. But until then, let me
do as I please.」
「You
are not saddened, I see... Do you still resent him deep in your heart?」
「What's
the point of resenting a dead man. I don't think the dead would be happy if I
just grieved and lamented in my room. If so, I'll just do what I can do.」
Until the day the
state funeral was held, I put my efforts into the development of Erin
and the maintenance of its roads. I couldn't calm down unless I was doing
something. Looking at Aneue with her
red, swollen eyes, and Jii who
looked lonely having lost his friend, it felt like even I would succumb to
momentary emotions.
So, to make life
even a little easier for the people, I maintained the poorly managed side
roads, and after the sun began to set, I headed toward Erin Port and
secretly expanded its site, which was narrow for its scale.
「Shinza...?」
「Yeah,
I happened to be nearby... I figured I might as well just come see how things
are.」
I was thinking of
taking a look at Carral's
galleon before heading home. Then, despite the late hour, Carral's figure was on the
deck.
「Jeez...
Everyone is worried about you, Shinza. When you get back, you should say
something to Atomina-sama and Grandpa Gideon, okay?」
「I
suppose I should. But if I provoke them, it seems like they'll cry, so it's
hard to approach them...」
「I
don't think crying is a bad thing, though.」
「That's
true. But if I shed tears, I will end up stopping in my tracks. That is a
difficult problem.」
I won't cry until I
see it through. That is a promise with Father.
「Don't
say things like that! It somehow just makes me worry about you even more, Shinza!」
She's a good person.
But please don't be kind to me. If pushed right now, I feel like I'll succumb
to my emotions. I can't afford to let my heart be bound by sorrow just yet.
「Sorry...
About the promise to go to the Coastal Provinces together, please let me take a
rain check on that... Right now I'm worried about Aneue and Aniue, so I
can't leave here.」
「Yeah,
I'll help too. I'll protect you, Shinza, so don't strain yourself so
much. Shinza, it's just right when you're a little irresponsible!」
Carral smiled slightly
sorrowfully, stretched up on her tiptoes, and stroked the hair on the side of
my head. Maybe it's because I don't have a mother; I might be weak to this kind
of thing...
「Please
stop...」
「You're
so stubborn... It's okay to cry like a child, you know? Rely on me more!」
「I'm
already relying on you more than enough. Rather than that, we should secure that
cargo soon.」
However, this kind
of vibe isn't like us. Returning to the usual Shinza, I replied to Carral with an audacious
smile.
「Oh, by
that, you mean that, right? What kind of bad guys are we
targeting this time?」
「Drug
dealers.」
I told Carral about the next plan.
While Carral's
fleet is staying here, let's steal the stolen goods.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Returning to the
palace for the first time in a while, we attended the Emperor's funeral.
Father's coffin was carried out of the palace, and a mourning parade was held
all the way to the state church's grand cathedral. It's a farce. But Emperor Ferdinand's
existence was immense. This ceremony was likely necessary so that each and
everyone in the Empire could shift their feelings.
Eventually, the
royal family, nobles, influential figures, and ambassadors from all over the
world gathered at the grand cathedral. Having bad rumors spread about them,
Uncle Morac and Aunt Dunail were directing their hostility
towards those around them with considerable irritation. No, it's just that
those two were prominent; it could be said that every faction was gauging each
other's complexions to distinguish friend from foe.
It's no wonder they
harbored anxiety. This was abnormal. Because even though the Emperor of the
country had died, the figure of the Crown Prince was not among the attendees.
The exaggerated funeral continued endlessly. Until Father's coffin was carried
out to the cemetery owned by the Imperial Family.
「I am
returning to Erin. What will you two do...?」
「Yeah...
I won't be able to leave the Imperial Capital for a while. Atomina, do
not leave the mansion in Erin; we don't know when you might be attacked.」
「Oh,
you're not telling Ashley that?」
「Ashley
has things that only Ashley can do. But be careful; Father is no longer
here, so you are in a state where you could be assassinated at any moment.」
If I hadn't
encountered the Book of the Evil Dragon, I probably wouldn't have been able to
take such a relaxed stance. It was the right choice to show the book to Aniue.
「That's
right, I won't forgive you if you die! Because, if even you died, I... I
wouldn't be able to bear it...」
「That
goes for Aniue and Aneue as well. Please avoid careless
actions, both of you.」
When I said that,
the two of them glared at me with deep dissatisfaction, narrowing their eyes
and knitting their brows.
「Ashley,
have you ever thought about how worried we get every time you disappear...?」
「Yeah...
You're the last person I want to hear that from. You are a block of
carelessness...」
Both of them were enraged. Thus, as if to distract herself from her loneliness, Aneue dedicated her efforts to the development of Erin, while Aniue took on the surveillance of the lords as the guardian of the Empire. The remaining me will go exterminate villains. No matter how much the Empire changes, I will protect my own way of doing things.
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