Chapter 20

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: A Promise and a Protector
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Atlind Kill.

His youngest son, whom he'd gained with great difficulty at the cost of his wife's life, could only see the world through one eye.

Even then, he had to endure the cold chill of those who looked at him with disgust, and so his son became more absorbed in looking inward than at the world.

Atlind was now well past his youth, but to Kill, he was still no different from a child. His exceptionally innocent and gentle nature seemed to contribute to that image.

This good-natured son had been reduced to an object of ridicule simply for being one-eyed.

Unable to marry, snubbed in high society. The most intelligent and calmest son in the family had to suffer such cold treatment for that reason alone.

Atlind was a large part of the reason Kill had decided to become king.

The memory brought a tightness to his chest. Kill raised a sun-darkened hand and caressed the area around his son's empty eye.

“Do you know, Atlind? Me becoming king means that when my history ends, you too will become king.”

Atlind blinked his wide eye, as if to ask what he meant.

“But Brother is here, how could I… You speak nonsense.”

“Azen has this duchy, a wife, and children. He was born ordinary and has lived a life of ordinary luxury. He has agreed with my decision.”

“...Father.”

“Atlind. This father wants to give you the world.”

Kill gripped his son's shoulders, swallowing the emotion welling up inside him.

He wanted to bestow a gift more brilliant than any other upon the child born with a disfigured eye because of his parents' misfortune. A gift he himself desired, one that everyone would envy.

“I understand your intentions, Father… but I am not worthy of such a thing.”

But Atlind lowered his head with a troubled expression.

With his inherently gentle nature, he was bound to be bewildered by such words. Kill smiled benevolently and patted his son's shoulder.

“I'm not saying it has to be right now. I'm telling you to prepare your heart. When the time comes, you won't hesitate either.”

Atlind, who had been looking down, nodded with a bitter expression.

“I will think about it. But… Father.”

“What is it?”

“May I ask a favor of you?”

“What is it?”

Atlind hesitated, his lips twitching as he mumbled, before finally speaking.

“Please, do not kill Sir Hyverge.”

Kill, who had been listening intently, wondering what his son would say, burst into a hearty laugh.

Unlike his son, who was the same age but buried himself in books on their estate, Walter Hyverge had left a brilliant trail and become a symbol of the kingdom.

It was only natural that Atlind would come to admire such a man. His son would get excited whenever the Grand General was mentioned, but it seemed his admiration for Walter ran much deeper than he'd thought.

Kill stroked his lips, composing his smile.

“Well now. Do you think I can control a man of such great valor as I please?”

“But Father…!”

“Alright. If that is your wish, I will try. It would be a waste to kill such an outstanding general.”

“Truly?”

Kill nodded and gripped his son's shoulders tightly.

“Yes. If I can make him submit, the other lords will bow their heads to me more easily, so keeping him alive would be very useful. I could persuade him well and make him a dog to protect you, Atlind. That wouldn't be so bad.”

Atlind furrowed his brow slightly at the word “dog,” but seemed pleased by the promise to spare him and nodded silently.

He was still such a child. Kill took Atlind's hand firmly and began walking toward the ducal castle.

The dusky twilight settled heavily on the shoulders of the two men standing side by side.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The royal palace, now devoid of its inhabitants, was steeped in the desolate air peculiar to an abandoned house.

After passing through the corridor, Lucy stopped before the audience chamber and took a lonely breath. Walter, who had followed, glanced at her for a moment before pushing the door open for her.

“Please excuse the mess.”

The heavy doors of the audience chamber, which had been firmly locked, groaned open to welcome their new master.

As soon as the doors opened, maids who had been waiting behind them scurried out to light the wall sconces. Where the darkness receded, a floor with a bas-relief of a black eagle with wings spread wide, as if ready to leap out, was revealed.

Lucy stood transfixed at the entrance, surveying the audience chamber.

On the dais where the throne sat, a banner emblazoned with a black eagle commanded a powerful presence, as if it were the master of the room. Following the brilliant light pouring onto the throne, she looked up to see a full moon shining brightly through a round glass dome.

The light, and the throne beneath it.

A space that evoked a sense of reverence just by looking at it. But becoming a person worthy of its stature would be no easy task.

“You may enter, Your Majesty.”

After the maids had withdrawn, Walter, who entered the chamber a step behind, extended a hand to Lucy.

He seemed to think she was reluctant to enter because of some misgiving. Lucy gently pushed his hand away with a look that said she was fine.

“It's been well-maintained for a place that's been locked up for so long.”

“When I had the inner palace cleaned, I ordered this area to be tidied as well. Though I didn't expect to be unlocking it so soon.”

After a brief look around the audience chamber, they inspected the hall and garden where the coronation would be held. They moved through the palace with minimal candlelight, the curtains drawn tightly over the windows to prevent any sign of their presence from escaping.

The inspection of the palace finally concluded after a couple of hours.

Just as they reached the first floor to leave, Lucy suddenly stopped. Her gaze fell upon a place at the end of the corridor—a place both familiar and strange.

“It's been a while, this place.”

The ornate cloister leading to the inner palace and the small path on the opposite side leading to the detached palace formed a stark contrast, as if to proclaim the respective stations of the official queens and Ansilla.

Lucy gazed at the path with bitter eyes before shaking off the emotion and heading back to Central Command.

The command headquarters, veiled in the curtain of night, was eerily still, the time for roll call long past.

A soldier on duty, patrolling with a lamp, saw the two of them and bowed respectfully. Another soldier patrolling the same area saw this, looked startled, and rushed over to Walter.

“You've come at a good time, Grand General. Captain Bomdeman has been waiting for you in the inspector's office for a while now.”

“Whees?”

Walter glanced at Lucy and lightly touched his lower lip.

“I'll just stop by for a moment, so please go on ahead. I'll be back shortly.”

Lucy nodded in understanding, and Walter disappeared toward the main building without a backward glance.

Whees Bomdeman.

The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Lucy let out a small yawn and obediently returned to the commander's office.

“My apologies for the wait, Your Majesty.”

Walter returned about thirty minutes later.

Lucy, who had been sitting on the sofa with a languid expression, widened her eyes at the person Walter had brought with him. Walter glanced at the Raphi standing beside him and introduced him.

“This is Captain Whees Bomdeman. He is in charge of the Nuthatch Corps' 8th Squad. He will be responsible for Your Majesty's escort and transport from now on.”

Her wide golden eyes took in the Raphi, who was built like a mountain bandit.

An enormous bird.

But the large hands at the ends of its wings were the biggest difference between a Raphi and a bird. Below neatly clenched fists, its slender calves, unbefitting its massive frame, were unmistakably reminiscent of a bird's legs.

“Greetings.”

The Raphi gave an almost imperceptible nod, his beak twitching.

Unlike other Raphi, who were predominantly gray and brown, this one was impressive with his pure white feathers, as if he were the very embodiment of the snowfields of Pomnos.

Above the white feathers, which seemed almost reverent, a pair of chilly black eyes stared intently at Lucy.

What is this?

The atmosphere feels... unwelcoming.

At his overtly cold attitude, Lucy tilted her head slightly. Walter, also seeming to notice, gave him a warning in a low voice.

“Whees. Show some respect to Her Majesty.”

“...Whees, Captain of the Nuthatch Corps' 8th Squad.”

His reluctance was palpable. Walter was about to reprimand him again but swallowed his words, thinking it improper to scold a subordinate in front of their superior.

Unlike the two tense men, Lucy looked at the Raphi with interest before nodding with a smile.

“The Nuthatch Corps is the Royal Guard, I've heard. So the rumors of a Raphi unit in the guard were true.”

“Raphi can deliver news faster than anyone. They have ties to the Intelligence Department, so they are soldiers not known to the public.”

Lucy then understood why the soldier on duty she'd met earlier had glanced at her with such a troubled look.

Most of the soldiers still didn't know her identity. He must have been wondering if it was alright to mention the name of a confidential military unit to a woman like her.

“In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you. This is my first time meeting a Raphi outside of the North. I look forward to working with you.”

As she spoke and offered a handshake, Whees, who had maintained a stiff expression, showed something akin to a change in countenance.

“You've met a Raphi before?”

“Yes. I lived in the North for two years.”

“Humans don't live in the North. It's cold and harsh, is it not?”

“As you say, it's difficult for humans to live there. But still... Pomnos is the southernmost of the Raphi cities, isn't it? It's relatively warm, so it was quite livable.”

Whees's beak dropped open, his eyes wide with astonishment.

What did the woman before him just say?

That Pomnos was livable?

“Your Majesty... are you truly saying you lived in my hometown?”