Chapter: 252
The stories spilling from Arthur’s mouth were your typical tales of power struggles.
The crown prince who was almost guaranteed to become the next emperor. An emperor who had the qualities of a great ruler but was unfortunately not in the best of health. And the emperor’s younger brother who had been living with a hidden desire for power.
A power struggle that feels so familiar it’s almost a bit stale. It all began when the sickly emperor succumbed to his illness.
But if he was the Emperor of Romania, he was definitely wearing the Immortal Crown, which was said to have magic that extended his lifespan. So why was he so sickly… How short was the emperor’s original lifespan?
No, it must have been after he ascended to the throne that he donned the immortal crown. If he had been frail from birth and came to the throne late, then maybe it’s not all that strange.
So, he became the emperor… Oh, wait! Back then, it wasn’t even an empire yet! So he was a king, not an emperor. Romania became an empire thanks to the previous emperor… In other words, Arthur’s father did that. Hmm… It’s needlessly confusing. I’ll just stick with calling him emperor.
Anyway, even though Arthur’s father had the crown of immortality, he was still frail, and it’s said he lost his life to a chronic illness after governing Romania splendidly for several years.
According to Arthur, he was so focused on making Romania into an empire that it took a toll on his health… Hmm. Who knows? Maybe it was simply his lifespan.
As the Goddess of Life, it may sound highly irresponsible to say this. But really, who cares? The life span of an already deceased emperor is nothing to fret over.
In any case, after the emperor died and the funeral was held, Arthur should have been the next emperor… But then his uncle, the younger brother of the previous emperor, raised objections.
He claimed Arthur was too young to become emperor.
Given that Arthur wasn’t even an adult yet, he believed that both the position of emperor and the empire itself would be too heavy a burden to bear. Until he matured, he would need other adults to assist him.
Many of Arthur’s uncle’s retainers considered his arguments reasonable, and so, the uncle ruled the country on Arthur’s behalf as regent.
What happened after that… Well, you can probably guess what unfolded without me painting the whole picture.
Arthur, who was destined to be emperor, ran away with his younger brother in this sorry state. You could almost see the end coming.
“I don’t know what that man did, but… many lords sided with his viewpoint. After that, I dodged several assassination attempts, and just barely managed to escape. What caught me by surprise was… my younger sister Vivi.”
“Younger sister…?”
“Yeah. I had intended to sneak out of the palace alone, but my sister insisted on coming along, causing quite a ruckus. She even prepared a horse.”
“A horse too?”
“Yep. I warned her that escaping wouldn’t be easy and she’d face hardships… but I couldn’t break her stubbornness.”
Hmm. So that’s why you ended up fleeing with your sister.
Then… what’s this about the poison and sickness inside Vivi? Given the amount of poison, it’s not something that would accumulate overnight.
“How did the poison in her body happen…?”
“That’s…”
Arthur hesitated for a moment, and the answer to my question came from a different direction.
“At some point, I noticed the cook secretly putting something into my brother’s bowl. I had no idea what it was, but I felt that he shouldn’t eat it, so I secretly swapped our bowls.”
“Swapped bowls?”
“Yeah. It was only my brother’s bowl that the cook was tampering with.”
Arthur looked rather ashamed at Vivian’s words.
“To my embarrassment… I didn’t notice any of that. Not that the cook had been putting things in my dish, nor that my sister had switched them.”
“To begin with, my brother and I had nearly identical bowls. If we hadn’t been caught in the act of switching them, it would’ve been difficult to notice.”
Hmm. Still, it seems quite dull to miss out on a dish-swapping right next to you…
Or perhaps Vivian was just that talented at making it look smooth and didn’t leave me any clues while switching them.
“Besides, my brother was busy with lessons right up until mealtime, so I only made the swap right before he arrived. If he’d noticed, that would’ve been even odder.”
Hmm. So, you changed it right before he came in to eat? Of course, that’s why he wouldn’t have noticed.
“And… after I realized the cook was doing something to my brother’s food, I fussed and insisted that just the two of us eat. There were no prying eyes, so we never got caught switching dishes.”
So you’re telling me that by switching the dishes, Vivian ingested the poison? How reckless!
“How incredibly reckless. If that poison had been fast-acting, you’d have been dead on the spot. You would’ve been better off telling someone about the cook’s suspicious actions.”
“If I had, I wouldn’t have known who was actually behind it. It’s easy to cut off a lizard’s tail. After that, I noticed the cook secretly talking with my uncle in an out-of-the-way spot, and I figured out who the culprit was.
And I only had a spoonful of what was in my bowl, discarding the rest. I barely ate to avoid suspicion, so I thought it wouldn’t cause too much trouble.”
Hmm… No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like the thought process of a child. Is it a natural inclination to notice something suspicious and take appropriate action?
Not only does she show talent as a dragon priestess, but she also seems to have a sharp mind.
“After discovering that my uncle was behind the plot to poison my brother, I gathered some money and got a horse ready, then escaped the castle with him.”
“If it weren’t for my brother, I might not have gotten even a little distance from the palace.”
Hmm. Looks like Vivian was the one who pulled most of the weight.
“Even so, I think running away together was a pretty risky choice. It would’ve been safer for just one person to flee…”
“If you had fled alone, you would’ve been shot full of arrows long ago. Since I escaped alongside you, they probably didn’t shoot.”
Hmm. So Arthur would’ve been a goner if he went solo? That implies there’s a reason Vivian shouldn’t face harm.
“My uncle has always cared for me. He cared so much that he even tried to arrange a marriage between me and his son.”
If that’s your uncle’s son, that means he’s your cousin… Engaged to a cousin? Hmm… I get the picture now.
A person who shouldn’t have been crowned emperor ascended to the throne, so his legitimacy might have taken a hit.
To shore up that legitimacy, was he planning to entwine their bloodlines by marrying his son to the daughter of the previous emperor?
Goodness gracious. Now that’s quite literally a Habsburg plot.
“I’ve got a grasp on the situation. So, how can I assist you?”
Arthur hesitated slightly at my words before he spoke up.
“I want to reclaim the throne that rightfully belongs to me, the Emperor’s throne. Please help me.”
Arthur lowered his head in plea, and Vivian followed suit.
Hmm. Revenge. His desire for vengeance against the uncle who usurped his position.
Well, I wouldn’t mind lending a hand, but… Uh… wouldn’t this stir up trouble again in a Romania that’s finally settling down?
That thought makes me a little reluctant.
What should I do? What action should I take? What choice should I make?
One decision on my part could lead to significant changes.
Should I help Arthur? Or should I not help him?
Should I rain down justice on the man who murdered my nephew and aimed to seize the throne? Or should I help Arthur let go of his vengeance and move on to a different life?
Hmm. Hmmm. Hmmmm… Well, perhaps it doesn’t matter all that much.
I’d prefer to avoid the hassle of getting my hands dirty. I think it would be enough to offer some guidance as the wise man of the deep forest.
Arthur and Vivian came to seek help from the wise man of the deep forest and not the Goddess of Life.
And, simply sending back the precious grandchild of the Knight King doesn’t sit well with me either.
Alright, I’ve decided. Let’s help these two.
Rather than giving them my strength directly, I’ll lend them my wisdom…
Not as the Dragon Priestess or the Goddess of Life, but as the wise one of the deep forest, imparting teachings as their mentor.
As for what comes after that, there’s really no need to worry.
Whether Arthur succeeds or fails in taking back the throne, that’s a matter that occurs among humans.
I’ll just provide my guidance and keep a reasonable distance to observe.
“I understand. Since you have a connection to the King of Knights, it’s only right that the connection continues with his descendants.”
I gazed at Arthur and Vivian.
At my words, their expressions brightened. Despite their young age, the hardships they’ve faced to get this far left their dusty faces now graced with smiles.
“However, I cannot lend you my strength directly. What I can offer is wisdom alone.”
“That’s all I need. What I require is wisdom on how to proceed from here.”
Aha. So they sought wisdom from the very beginning?
Then.
“First, please choose. The easy path or the hard path. Which will you tread?”
“The easy path and the hard path…?”
Arthur pondered my words for a moment, then asked.
“What’s the difference between the two paths?”
“The hard road is not easy at all. You’ll face countless struggles, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get what you desire at the end. But more than anything, it might be the path where you can grasp what you truly want.”
“What about the easy path…?”
“It will be an entirely easy road. There won’t be any challenges, and it will not be related to any hardship. However, at the end, you will not obtain what you’re hoping for.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Arthur responded to my words.
“I’ll take the hard route.”
“It won’t be an easy path. Are you sure you want to choose that one?”
“Yes. If it leads me to what I’m yearning for. I have no other options.”
Hmm. Indeed. His determination is strong.
I took in Arthur’s resolute expression.
His face faintly reminded me of the Knight King.
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