Chapter: 257
“By the way, if I’m the Dragon Priestess, shouldn’t you be the Hero, Oppa? Why did you give him a different sword instead of the Hero’s sword?”
“Huh? The Hero’s sword?”
“Yes. If I’m the Dragon Priestess, then that means I’m a Hero too, right? I thought when my master made me the Dragon Priestess, she’d turn you into the Hero!”
Looking at Vivi, who pouted while speaking, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly as I said,
“You should call her Gaia, not master.”
“Oh right. I’ve been calling her master for so many years that it’s hard to shake it off.”
“That’s just how getting used to things works.”
It’s not easy to change something you’ve become accustomed to, after all.
“More importantly, the reason your brother isn’t the Hero… I guess all I can say is that it’s because it’s not a situation that requires a Hero.”
“A situation that doesn’t require a Hero…?”
I gently patted Vivi’s head as she fell deep into thought.
“A Hero is someone who acts for humanity. They should embody a goodness that cannot be sullied by any other motives aside from wanting to protect humankind.”
“Hmmm… Are you saying that my brother reclaiming the throne contradicts that goodness?”
“It’s a bit different. Arthur reclaiming the throne is something that happens between humans. In matters like that, there’s no room for the Hero’s sword to interfere.”
If it were a situation where evil from something other than humans was involved, it might be a different story. But as for the current emperor… Arthur’s uncle shows no signs of that kind of evil.
He’s merely been driven by a desire for power as a human.
That’s why there was no room for the Hero’s sword to intervene.
“Indeed… I understand. Then can I ask another question?”
“Another question?”
“Yes. It’s clear that the sword you gave to my brother isn’t an ordinary item. It must be something that can’t be made by human hands!”
Even dwarves would struggle to make such a thing. Their forging skills still barely manage iron at the moment.
To reach materials like mithril or adamantium would require a lot more advancement.
“So which is stronger… the sword you gave to my brother, or the Hero’s sword?”
“Huh?”
Which is stronger? Hmm…
I’ve never matched blades with either, but… maybe the Hero’s sword, Clou Solas, has a slight upper hand?
Oh, wait. No. Dainsleif has the ability to create blades of magical power, so… does that change the story?
Before transformation, Clou Solas is a great sword, while Dainsleif possesses the pure magical blade function without any transformation ability.
It’s a bit hard to compare since they feel like they belong in different categories.
Against monsters, Clou Solas would win. But against people, Dainsleif might do better.
It comes down to the intentions behind their creation.
“The Hero’s sword is meant to face human enemies, making it kind of hard to compare.”
“Is that so? I hope my brother’s sword is stronger!”
“We’ll see how it performs against humans.”
If it’s a magical blade, it could slice through any average shield or armor like it’s made of paper.
“What are you two talking about?”
As I conversed with Vivi, Arthur, who had been striding ahead along the forest path, casually approached us.
“Just… a not-so-important topic!”
“Right. A not-so-important topic indeed.”
It truly was a trivial conversation!
More importantly…
“Vivi, are you really not considering joining the Church of Life?”
“Yes. Joining the Church of Life can wait until your business is done, right? Right now, helping you is more important!”
Hmm… Her resolve seems quite firm. The kids from the Church of Life keep asking when the Dragon Priestess will show up.
Even when we were in the forest, they kept pestering about it despite having seen her a few times.
“They’re good people, but right now, you are more important! I believe they will understand!”
Well, unfortunately, it seems the Dragon Priestess’s entrance into the Church of Life will take a little more time.
As we continued to discuss this and walked longer, we finally saw a dazzling light ahead.
The deep forest, which barely let a ray of sunlight through, ended, revealing the world outside.
This is where the story of the two kids begins.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The story afterward was a journey to gather forces that would become allies for Arthur as he traveled across the country.
First up were the elves and dwarves. We headed to Betelgeuse, a city where the tribal wars between the two races take place every ten years.
The reason we first headed here was… because the tribal wars were about to commence after a decade.
In fact, the plan to send Arthur and Vivi out of the forest was also timed with the approach of the tribal wars. Utilizing this period, it would be easy to establish contact with other races.
Some might call it relying on foreign influence, but among the options Arthur had, this was the most straightforward one.
Instead of lords loyal to the emperor… it was a matter of borrowing the strength of external races with less influence from the emperor.
Of course, they couldn’t just leverage their power solely based on being the previous emperor’s child.
Thus…
“Human swordsman Arthur wins! That makes it ten consecutive victories! What impressive skill!”
Arthur raised his sword high after defeating a dwarf warrior, and cheers erupted from the audience.
“Oppa is the best!!!!”
The loudest cheer came from Vivi.
As the Elf-Dwarf tribal wars were about to begin, Arthur’s daily performances at the arena were nothing short of impressive.
“Everything seems to be going smoothly.”
“I didn’t expect my brother to be this talented! I never knew because he was always knocked out by wooden figures!”
When I think about who that wooden figure’s combat skills came from, it’s no surprise, though.
Still, thanks to his relentless efforts, a few months before we left the forest, he had reached a point where he wouldn’t lose consciousness even if he didn’t win.
An average warrior would find it difficult to handle Arthur.
Thus, Arthur’s winning streak continued.
Until they showcased interest in him. Until the high-ranking individuals of the elves and dwarves would approach Arthur.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The stories that followed were rather simple ones.
It was just hard to catch attention in the beginning, but once interest was piqued, everything fell into place smoothly.
As a human, Arthur couldn’t participate in the tribal wars aside from the elves and dwarves, but that didn’t hinder him from being involved in ways other than direct participation.
He became a sparring partner for the contestants upon request from the high-ranking individuals of the elves and dwarves.
Through that, Arthur established some connections with their upper echelons, and after the tribal championship concluded with a narrow victory for the elves, he introduced himself to both factions’ high ranks.
The child of the former emperor. Arthur’s story about being deprived of the throne. A request for their support for Arthur.
Once Arthur reclaimed the throne, he promised to strengthen alliances with both the elves and dwarves and provide them benefits.
Involving Vivi, the Dragon Priestess, would have made it seem like an incredibly enticing deal from the elves and dwarves’ perspective.
While they might not have cared much about who the emperor was, being offered benefits simply for expressing their support was a hard proposition to decline.
Of course, elves and dwarves were always seen as foreign powers. Direct support from them could sow discontent among those who considered such aid an outside interference, making it impossible… but even receiving their support alone held immense value.
During this process, an elf swordsman and a dwarf warrior deeply captivated by Arthur’s skill joined as companions… but, well, that wasn’t particularly important.
With the support of both races and new companions, we traveled around Romania, gathering numerous stories.
In book terms, we could have easily penned about ten volumes worth of tales. Stories of travel and adventure.
Tales of rescuing the suffering populace. Stories of punishing those who caused suffering to others due to their own greed.
Dazzling stories of the Dragon Priestess performing miracles for the starving. A divine tale of curing a village stricken by plague in a single miracle.
Tales of slaying ferocious monsters and expanding our allies. Stories of growing strength without boundaries among races.
Chasing monsters blocking the roads, securing trade routes, and gaining lizardmen and mages as companions. Through those companions, gaining support from other races or mages.
Such stories began to chain together and grow longer, eventually swelling out to encompass the entirety of Romania.
A story with no particular aim or clear shape took on a distinct purpose, propelled by the rumors I spread when I felt the timing was ripe.
“The son of the defeated former emperor has returned to save Romania.
He has come back to reclaim the crown that rightfully belongs to him, the throne that was usurped from him.
The suffering of all the people of Romania is due to someone who should never have been emperor seizing the throne.
Oh, people of Romania. Welcome the rightful emperor. Correct the twisted fate.”
A hero helping the people. A savior alongside the Dragon Priestess. A punisher of sins. And the rightful heir who should have been emperor.
Arthur’s story attracted the attention of many, sparking a chain reaction of rumors.
The emperor, it seemed, had been infuriated by such rumors, but what could he do? He couldn’t silence every mouth spreading tales.
As if on cue, with the onset of famine in Romania, the overall atmosphere soured, allowing the rumors to spread like wildfire.
Of course, rumors are just rumors. Lacking any physical form… very few would take the step to directly support Arthur based on those whispers.
However, circumstances had shifted.
By merely stirring suspicion among the populace, the rumors had served their purpose brilliantly.
Perhaps. Just perhaps. This famine could be a consequence of the current emperor seizing the throne?
That alone was enough to incite suspicion.
Under such conditions, the emperor sent soldiers to deal with Arthur, the source of the rumors, but regrettably, there was someone here who couldn’t be dealt with by force or authority.
The soldiers who worshipped the goddess of life could not easily lay hands on the Dragon Priestess. Those sent to capture Arthur ended up just being helplessly sent away like blind fools.
Even if they were loyal soldiers to the emperor, they surely wouldn’t want to vex the chosen Dragon Priestess of the goddess.
Thus, Arthur and his companions continued to grow their influence, convincing the lords of Romania either through words, physical means, or the authority held by the Dragon Priestess.
The goal was the support of over half the lords of Romania. Sufficient backing to prevent issues once Arthur reclaimed the throne.
After determining that they had garnered enough support, we decided to change our destination.
The capital of Romania. Sirius. To the castle where the emperor resided.
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