Chapter: 615
Rene, who felt uneasy being with the First Queen, slipped out of the office while holding an unfinished task. However, his hand kept moving and stopping repeatedly.
If it had been any other day, he would have finished this in less than an hour, so why was he hesitating like this?
As soon as Rene contemplated this, memories of an old connection he had long severed flashed through his mind.
“That damn kid.”
When they first met again at the Partlan Festival, he thought the kid was deliberately acting like he didn’t know him.
This brat, who made decisions and assumptions on his own and just wandered off, came to mind with a twinge of irritation.
Even after a long time, that kid still pissed him off, especially because he didn’t want to see the brat laughing it up with others while leaving him behind, so he intentionally picked a fight instead of just letting it slide.
He never thought he would lose. It had barely been a year since the kid came out of his confusion.
In contrast, Rene had trained relentlessly to become a king, so the gap was bound to be enormous.
His only worry and torment was thinking about how he could make the brat suffer with punishments after winning.
And then he lost.
Even now, thinking back on it makes him let out a ha.
What kind of strategy was that?
Even more ridiculous was the testimony from his little brother that Lucy Allen usually tackled dungeons like that.
He thought it was just a trick possible in a mock strategy and accepted the defeat because of that, but he didn’t expect the kid to be acting strangely all the time.
Watching the kid surrounded by friends shining brightly made him jealous, but at the same time, it was somewhat reassuring.
Once everything was over, he had carelessly mentioned the word “debt,” but he had no intention of meeting the brat afterward.
Why bring up the past to someone who had become happy after so much time?
Thinking it over, he realized that he, too, was at fault for not correcting the misunderstandings when he got heated, so he thought it was fine if they both just went their separate ways.
After a long time, when he heard about a marriage proposal, he sensed that his mother wanted to place Arthur on the throne.
Arthur was sharp and talented.
His only flaw was his lack of backing, but once he entered the academy, that hardly mattered, so Arthur would surely become a great king.
Having no attachment to the throne, Rene nodded obediently.
This made him feel a glimmer of hope, that perhaps he could reconcile with that brat.
And perhaps that was why he felt rage when he saw the kid retreating in fear behind Arthur after pouring all his emotions out.
No matter how much he had changed, that reaction was too much. Seeing that he genuinely loathed him only made Rene more annoyed.
Even when walking with the kid under the pretext of making a reason, he thought the brat was deliberately doing things just to make him angry.
Though he thought it was ridiculous, he kept hanging out with the kid for a reason.
After enduring until the end, the plan was to reach the throne without having to be with him again, so he wanted to reach out and return to how things were before.
But—
Hah.
Did you completely forget about me?
That brat, who had cried so miserably, forgotten about me entirely?
Once he cooled down and looked back, all the previous reactions started to make sense.
From the kid’s perspective, didn’t a power-holder who was overly clingy seem strange?
He felt angry, embarrassed, sighed, clenched his fists thinking that the brat was carefree as always.
His complex feelings remained unresolved even now.
With another sigh, Rene set down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and directed his voice toward the void.
“My condition isn’t great, but I’m not so clueless that I wouldn’t catch this kind of presence.”
Suddenly, a man appeared from what seemed like an empty wall.
“Wasn’t he the man being taught by Karia?”
“I’m honored that the First Prince knows about me.”
“As a person of the underworld, that’s not something to celebrate. Only someone like Karia would be able to walk around so calmly while being known.”
“It’s alright. I can manage similar things myself.”
He merely covered his face for a moment, but Alsatine’s face morphed into that of someone else—a man looking to be well over fifty.
“Anyhow, I’m still the disciple of my teacher.”
Confirming that even his voice had changed to match his appearance, Rene let out a small gasp.
“So what brings you here? Considering you’ve broken through the palace guards to get here, it must be something important.”
“There are several reasons, but the most significant one is to check on the First Prince’s well-being.”
“Because the simplest way to secure the throne is to eliminate the other candidates?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Displaying his scorn openly, Rene laughed.
“Then isn’t that contrary to what the First Queen wants? Many nobles will accuse Arthur of being a family annihilator, and he will act with hostility toward the First Queen.”
Although Rene still did not understand many aspects of his mother, one thing was clear: she was genuinely dedicated to the kingdom’s revival. No matter how easy or convenient the method, she wouldn’t choose something that would harm the kingdom.
“The First Queen would rather give Arthur achievements. Arthur is already being constrained by several nobles. If she grants him a few more after restoring the Fairy Forest, he could naturally participate in the competition.”
Encouraging someone to achieve is not that difficult.
Arthur is rather the meddling type. If he pushes the surrounding people into somewhat dangerous situations, they will naturally achieve results.
“This is related to an achievement, but when was the last time the First Prince met with His Majesty the King?”
“Since His Majesty’s illness worsened, I haven’t seen him often, but I did visit a few times each month. Just last weekend, I checked on him while he was sound asleep.”
“Was that truly His Majesty?”
To Alsatine’s question, Rene spat out a curse as if to let him hear.
“Do you think I wouldn’t be able to distinguish that?”
“However, First Prince, according to my teacher, it is peculiar that His Majesty hasn’t passed away yet.”
“…Explain further.”
“While my teacher was still in the kingdom, His Majesty was given a limited diagnosis.”
Not a lie… or so it seems. This man was undoubtedly speaking earnestly.
Though there was a chance Karia had deliberately imparted erroneous knowledge, it wasn’t that Karia had a motive to create confusion.
Come to think of it, the king was critically ill two years ago. I remember how suddenly he recovered, and the ministers were flattering him left and right.
It was indeed annoying to force smiles while fuming inside at the delay of the succession.
“Let’s say that’s true. What does that have to do with achievements?”
“If someone achieves the feat of slaying the demon who took His Majesty’s life, the other nobles wouldn’t dare speak up easily.”
“Your last statement means direct execution is warranted.”
“I’m aware. However, please make sure to confirm before taking any actions.”
Leaning forward while tapping his fingers on the desk, Rene asked slowly,
“Do you think it’s possible to meet His Majesty without the First Queen finding out?”
“I received assistance from Lord Erginius, using the Power of Darkness to conceal my presence.”
When Alsatine activated the magic contained in the necklace, his appearance suddenly vanished.
Rene was astonished by the perfect invisibility that couldn’t be traced, but again Alsatine revealed himself.
“Would you join me?”
“Do I really need to go?”
“There’s also a goal to persuade you.”
For a while, no one would come looking for them in this room. No one would notice if they stepped out.
“Fine. But if what you say is wrong, I’ll hold you and your master accountable.”
“Are you talking about my teacher?”
“No. I’m talking about Lucy Allen.”
I can’t help but feel indignant. Someone who suffered because of me smiling away while completely forgetting about me should be feeling a bit more troubled.
“I also need to inform you about the contingency plan to put your master in a bind.”
“If things go awry, I will do my best.”
As Rene hid in the darkness with Alsatine, he was surprised again that none of the palace’s people recognized them.
Whew. You’d think people working in the royal palace would have some level of competence, and yet they didn’t even sense anything strange. The Authority of God truly is remarkable.
“As for this matter…”
As they passed by the place where the First Queen was, Rene hunched his shoulders just in case, but the First Queen was only discussing duties with her vice. She didn’t pay them any mind.
Having passed the most dangerous section, the two arrived at the front of the king’s chamber without difficulty.
“Well then.”
“Wait. This door has several magical devices. Touching it carelessly would draw the attention of everyone in the palace.”
“It’s fine. As you know, the original designer of this palace is Lord Erginius.”
Alsatine pulled out a paper from his pocket and affixed it to the door, causing several intricate magical devices to deactivate naturally.
Rene felt the awe of the genius, who even dared to humiliate the God of Magic, as he stepped into the chamber with a ha.
It was a place he had entered countless times before. The scenery was the same as he had seen.
Yeah. What a ridiculous story.
What reason would the First Queen have to disguise the death of His Majesty? The First Queen would never cause an incident to stir chaos in the palace.
“…There shouldn’t be any.”
Confronted with the king’s haggard face, Rene thought many times whether he was hallucinating.
And in the end, he acknowledged reality. There was no way the solemn presence of Soladin could be linked to death.
“Then who was it that I met all this time?”
“That shock could indeed serve as a clue to elevate your achievements.”
“This is giving me a headache. What on earth is the First Queen thinking?”
Rene was astonished at the fact that his mother was crazier than he could ever imagine when he was startled by the sound of footsteps in the distance and turned his head.
The click-click of heels was unmistakably—
“Did you just call my name?!”
It was none other than the First Queen herself, whom he had been speaking about moments ago.
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