The Holy King’s Return

View of Efaria-Falk-Lufelon, Holy King of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom

Several weeks had passed since I visited Einheria… and every day, I had continued thinking that perhaps nothing could surprise me any further… but this time, this matter gave birth not only to surprise, but to various other emotions as well.

As I gazed at the city visible outside the carriage… the royal capital of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, I secretly sighed so Faran, who was riding in the carriage with me, would not notice.

It had been three days since we left Einheria Castle and came here… a journey of only three days.

The time it had taken me to leave this royal capital, hide myself in secret, and arrive at Einheria had been a little over a month… and this time, it was three days, you know?

The travel time being reduced to one-tenth went beyond amazing and was already strange!

…Well, though I screamed that in my heart, it was only natural.

After all, while it was true that we left Einheria Castle three days ago, I had boarded the carriage from a city located about three days away from this royal capital….

Transfer… when we moved from the former Lumoria royal capital to Einheria Castle, I had not really felt it, but… this was truly a terrifying technology.

However, it seemed that those devices could not be installed without limit, and their installation apparently required advanced technology and many restrictions.

This time, by coincidence, the property Faran owned was able to clear the conditions, so they installed a transfer device in the garden, but I was told that this was truly fortunate.

The fact that the transfer device could be installed was a coincidence, but I could not thank Faran enough… because a month-long journey by carriage was truly difficult.

Thanks to that, I was able to return to the royal capital with the minimum travel schedule, but that did not mean every member of the envoy benefited from the transfer.

As a return courtesy for the envoy dispatched from the Lufelon Holy Kingdom this time, an envoy from Einheria was accompanying us. However, since suddenly appearing near the royal capital would cause various problems, both countries’ envoys had traveled here by carriage from the Einheria border.

Einheria apparently had a flying vehicle called an airship, and it seemed capable of moving at speeds incomparable to a carriage… but if we arrived in such a thing, the entire country would panic, so its use was postponed this time.

Incidentally, Lord Fels had assigned two hundred soldiers to accompany the envoy this time, and these soldiers… marched so perfectly in step that it was hard to believe they were merely walking along an ordinary road, and their movement speed was extremely fast.

Thanks to that, despite being escorts on foot, our travel speed was slightly faster than when we had been escorted only by cavalry.

They were only walking… yet there was something terrifying in that sight.

If someone knowledgeable about military affairs had been present, I would have liked to hear their thoughts… but unfortunately, aside from a few guards, everyone in the envoy this time was a civil official… I shall ask my uncle once I return to the royal capital.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?”

“…Yes. I was merely returning to my royal capital and once again realizing how amazing Einheria is.”

“It is somewhat vexing that I understand that feeling… but perhaps the other party we are comparing ourselves to is simply too much?”

“The fact that Einheria, which protects us, possesses such overwhelming strength is extremely reassuring. However, we must not merely depend on that. No matter what, we must show the value of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom…”

“To do that, we must remove the chancellor through this matter.”

Faran said that with a tense expression.

The chancellor… even though he had served our country for many years… why had he done something like selling out the nation?

He had become chancellor in Father’s era, but even before that… he was a veteran retainer who had served our country since the era before my predecessor.

Such a retainer was selling out the country… ah, perhaps that might be it.

“In the sense of selling the country, I am the same… perhaps the chancellor also sold the country while thinking the same thing I did.”

I had thought of the country’s future and clung to a greater power… perhaps I had no right to condemn the chancellor. After all, it was almost the same as abandoning my responsibilities as a king.

“…I do not know what the chancellor is thinking as he tries to sell the country… but leaving his actions aside, his thoughts are absolutely different from Your Majesty’s. If he were truly thinking of the country’s sake, the Kingdom of Sorakil would be unthinkable.”

“That is true… according to the chancellor’s plan, the next king would be that prince sent from Sorakil. If it were for the sake of the country and the people, that option must never be chosen.”

“Precisely because we had this information that Einheria gathered for us, we learned that the country could not be entrusted to the chancellor. If we had not obtained information about what the chancellor was trying to do, and if Your Majesty had gone into exile in a country other than Einheria… most of the regent faction would likely have lost their lives, and the idea of Your Majesty waiting for an opportunity and someday reclaiming the country would have vanished like dew.”

…There was also the matter of the assassin sent to my double, so the chancellor’s plan must have come right to the brink of success.

I did not know where his ultimate objective lay, but… at the very least, there was no mistake in seeing that all preparations to completely seize the Lufelon Holy Kingdom had been arranged.

“…Can we overturn the situation from here?”

Faran, hearing the mutter that slipped from my lips, showed a blank expression.

“Your Majesty, are you worried about this plan?”

“What is with that expression, as if you find it incredibly unexpected?”

“No, just as you say, it is incredibly unexpected…”

“Why is that? If this plan fails, we will no longer be able to stop the chancellor… and the Kingdom of Sorakil. As Efaria personally, not as the Holy King, I cannot help but feel anxious, you know?”

“Your Majesty… no, Efaria, I thought you blindly trusted the king of Einheria, so I did not think you were feeling anxious.”

“I-I do not blindly trust him! I do think he is a very reliable person, but…”

There was something loaded in Faran’s words!

“You do blindly trust him… do you not?”

“I do not!”

“Even though you swore to offer him your body and soul at your first meeting?”

“I did not say my soul too! And you are being persistent!”

When I raised my voice, Faran laughed out loud.

“…Even with Einheria’s methods, we could not obtain decisive proof that the chancellor sent the assassin, and as things stand now, cornering the chancellor would certainly be difficult. But that is precisely why this envoy exists…”

In the middle of Faran’s words, the carriage slowed down.

“Oops… it seems we have entered the royal capital. Officially, Your Majesty is supposed to have been in the castle, so please be careful not to show your face.”

“I understand that, but… Faran, are you not curious?”

“Hmm, let me see… personally, I am rather looking forward to seeing how the chancellor moves.”

“Looking forward to it…?”

“Yes. You remember what will happen after we return to the royal castle, yes?”

“Of course.”

We would not inform the citizens living in the royal capital that I had left the country, but it was necessary to make the chancellor and those in the castle aware of it.

And then, the situation should move all at once… most likely, these next few days would be the chancellor’s final chance to kill me.

I heard there had been several attacks during this carriage journey as well… though I was in Einheria at the time, so I did not know the details…. However, until the day we removed the chancellor, I would spend my days never able to let down my guard.

“In that case, allow me to give you just one piece of advice.”

“Advice…?”

Was it knowledge of self-defense? But Faran was a civil official through and through, the type who, if anything, could not even exercise properly….

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Faran opened her mouth with a broad, suggestive smile.

“Yes, advice. Listen closely. As soon as we reach the castle, please be careful of the chancellor’s face.”

“The chancellor’s… face? What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said. Please be quite careful.”

I did not understand at all… be careful of his face… what did that mean?

Did she mean that if I looked at his face carefully, I could understand what he was thinking?

Even the chancellor should not be able to kill someone with his gaze….

“Now then, Your Majesty. Let us tidy your hair. Normally, recovering from the fatigue of a long journey would be the highest priority, but… we likely will not have time to rest, so we must fix your appearance now.”

“…Understood. Please, Faran.”

We would soon arrive at the royal castle.

Once we reached the castle, I would have to behave not as Efaria, but as the Holy King….

As Faran combed my hair and neatly arranged it, the carriage slowly stopped.

Then, after some time, the carriage door slowly opened, and Faran got down first.

After leaving a slight pause once Faran had descended, I slowly stood up and stepped outside the carriage.

There, the guards defending the castle and the royal guards were lined up, and at the very front stood my uncle… the regent, with the chancellor beside him.

“Your Majesty. Thank you for enduring the long journey. I have heard that this trip abroad was extremely fruitful.”

“Indeed. It was a truly meaningful journey.”

“…”

As soon as I descended from the carriage, my uncle addressed me with a smile.

The chancellor standing beside him… seemed somewhat displeased… perhaps?

Faran had told me to pay attention to his face, but as expected, this person’s expression was hard to read.

“Your Majesty, if you would be so kind, may I also hear the details of this trip abroad?”

Perhaps sensing my gaze, the chancellor spoke to me in a voice that revealed no emotion.

“Hmm? What do you mean? There is no way the chancellor would not know the details of this matter, is there? I officially visited Einheria. Why must I personally explain it?”

“That is…”

I played dumb, as if to say, “Surely the chancellor would know about the official duties of the king?”

Receiving that, the chancellor did not change his expression, but he faltered in his words.

It seemed as though he wanted to say, “You went there secretly, not on an official visit,” did it not? Even I could understand that much.

“Regent, chancellor. I am glad that you are greeting me, but there is something more important right now. We are receiving honored guests. Be absolutely sure there is no discourtesy.”

“Understood.”

“…”

Of course, my uncle knew that an envoy was coming from Einheria, and the chancellor knew it as well. However, since my uncle had handled all preparations for receiving the envoy, the chancellor likely did not know the full picture.

There was a possibility that he had investigated by using his own people, but at the very least, I did not think he could have broken through Einheria’s defenses and obtained information on who had come to discuss what.

As I thought about that, one carriage stopped in front of us.

Without making any show of it as I had done, one person immediately emerged from the opened door.

“Good grief. A carriage journey is quite cramped.”

That person grumbled without showing the slightest change from usual, even before me, the Holy King.

“My apologies, king of Einheria. It would have been nice if we had means of transportation like your country does, but unfortunately, our country has no other method of travel.”

I spoke with a wry smile to that person… Lord Fels, who was rotating his neck as if loosening it.

“Well, this is what one would call a valuable experience. Though I would rather decline a second time.”

Lord Fels smiled as he said that, and though his attitude made it hard to believe he was a king who had come for diplomacy, it seemed very much like Lord Fels.

Ah, what had happened to the chancellor’s face…?

Remembering what Faran had told me, I secretly peeked at the chancellor’s face… and nearly burst out laughing.

Because the chancellor, who always seemed to be frowning in displeasure, had his eyes wide open and his jaw trembling as if he were holding back from opening his mouth wide….

Ah, Faran was shaking her shoulders over there… so this was what she meant by telling me to be careful.

I very nearly burst out laughing in front of Lord Fels!