Chapter 6
An Act of the Audience
Whether or not one could call the Ciel-Terra Royal Castle’s audience room extravagant was quite the controversial topic .
A red carpet ran till its innermost center, the Throne, while the pure white walls had gold embroideries carved onto it, a sight to be expected of an audience room . Perhaps to the eye of a commoner, the room would appear to be quite the luxurious place to be, but compared to the audience room of lords of other countries, it would surely seem much smaller .
On the Throne sat Hilbert II, King Hilbert ‘Lionheart’ Nicolas, watching Ciel-Terra stretch out beyond the attached terrace, nodding in satisfaction .
A man in his late thirties, Hilbert’s hair and beard were the red of tea, and he combed them both to fluff them up, so as to make his thin face appear larger . Even so, his body lacked the fat to look the part, resulting in an appearance that resembled a nendoroid[1] . The man felt quite conscious of this fact, and hid several pads under his red cloak to broaden his shoulders and belly .
“Your Majesty, the Chief of the First Order of Knights has arrived . ”
“Let him in . ”
The Imperial Guard who arrived first as a messenger stumbled somewhat awkwardly . Hilbert smiled, amused . The former king’s Imperial Guards had all died with him, so the ones currently presiding were all new recruits .
Metal clangs rhymed with plodding of heavy footfalls, slowly drawing closer with Lawrence’s approach .
He had taken off his visor, holding it between his arm and body . His looks were well recorded by the late court minstrels in poems,
‘His presence filled allies with courage . His hair burned fierce with flames of ardor, his eyes shone with the light of the sun . The beauty of moonlight of seven nights combined still faltered in his knightly gaze, a gaze that all maidens dream of being pierced by . ’
The cause of his widespread fame lay solely not in his knightly deeds, but also within his beautiful looks .
Although he entered with excess vigor and enthusiasm, he followed proper etiquette and bent down to one knee seven steps in front of Hilbert and bowed .
“You may raise your head . ”
Lawrence looked up to Hilbert . His eyes shone with the admiration of a child watching the Order of Knights march through the city streets .
Wonderful, very wonderful, Hilbert thought as he soaked in the joy of being admired by such a mighty warrior .
Ah, but, I wonder what kind of expression he had borne while seeking the audience of the previous king . He had only pretended to pledge his allegiance to him, after all .
“Thank you for your work, Lawrence, it is much appreciated . ”
“Please, your highness is too kind . ”
Lawrence bowed deeply once more .
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“Never had I dreamed that girl would return as an Undead . ”
“Indeed . For that filthy cursed child to come back and bare its fangs against our fatherland even after dying, it does well to show it’s father’s true nature . I bear no doubts about your majesty’s choice to kill the cur unbefitting of the title King was truly the righteous one . ”
“Enough with your flattery . Rather, I wish to ask you about that which you had mentioned earlier . ”
“Yes, your majesty . It concerns the sword that thing fought with . ”
Lawrence slid out the sword sheathed at his waist and held it at front .
The greatest treasure of Ciel-Terra, Terra Ayur .
Created from the highest quality Orichalcum ore mined in Ciel-Terra, forged by the hands of the greatest dwarven blacksmiths, smelt with ingredients harvested from the body of a live dragon, it was no exaggeration to say that sword was the most expensive creation of the country .
As a magic item, it’s enchantments extended only to ‘a peerless edge’ and ‘sturdy as the mountains’… That was all . However, each blow could tear through the thickest of iron and when Mana is poured into its blade, it could release devastating shockwaves . The sword had since been passed down among Chiefs of the First Order of Knights, garnering many military achievements throughout its lifetime . The sword symbolized the flag under which allies rallied on the battlefield (or rather, this was the actual reason it was created in the first place) .
It’s strenght and beautiful edge were sung of by many bards across the country .
…However, that very blade now lay sullied by blood .
“This is…” Hilbert leaned forward without realizing it and a guard took the sword from Lawrence and brought it to him .
He carefully looked over the sword . The blood stains had started to dry, but it still felt uncannily moist to touch .
“I deeply apologize for dirtying the country’s greatest treasure this way, in a fight with a low-life such as that thing… . ”
“It is fine . More than that, what is this?”
“I know not . I have tried washing and polishing it, even had priests cleanse it of curses, yet these stains persist . One of the priests mentioned that… Perhaps that wretched Undead is yet to perish, thus it’s curse persists on this blade . ”
“What even… . ”
Magic weapons were usually quite resistant to corrosion, neither were they easily broken . It went without mention that for stains to remain on a sword of this caliber was truly an abnormality .
“I must humbly state that, the truth of that final blow I had delivered, it felt… off . As if I had struck the outer shell of some cocoon, and the insect within had crawled into hiding . ”
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“I see…”
Lawrence faltered in his words as he spoke .
He felt the bitter pain of having to tell his much respected King of his disappointment . However, as a knight, he was bound by duty to report all details of his fight .
“I shan’t blame you . If a hero as great as you made a mistake, it is only a matter of our enemy being that much more cunning . ”
“My liege…”
“As it stands, we do not know where it hides, so it is fine as long as we prepare for its inevitable re-emergence . And when that time comes, I would like to leave this matter in your hands . I feel you are the only man who can match it in battle . That is when you may cut it down, so you can relieve yourself of your regret and of the curse that haunts your blade . ”
“Yes, your majesty! In honor of the Order of Knights and this sword which I received from my King, I will fell that abominable fiend!”
Lawrence relaxed his shoulders and clenched his fists .
Hmm, indeed he will not fail the next time it seems .
“Incidentally, my King, has there been a word from the Federation…”
“Ah, about that . ”
The main concerns had been dealt with for now, but it seemed that Lawrence had let his curiosity get the best of him .
Hilbert chuckled .
“None yet . They’re most likely blue with fear now . I won’t give them any scraps of scrap metal from our mines . ”
Ciel-Terra had close relations with the Western neighboring kingdom of Jireshataar Federation .
The Federation protected Ciel-Terra, and in exchange, Ciel-Terra offered mining rights to the Federation . While it sounds like mutual cooperation on paper, it could not be further from reality, where Ciel-Terra was very often handed the short end of the stick .
……At the very least, that was the public opinion on those matters .
Hilbert had staged this coup using public dissatisfaction as his righteous cause . His actions lit fire of passion in the people who had even given up, thinking ‘there is nothing to do about it’ . Even Hilbert himself was genuinely surprised at the amount of support he received .
Those in the mining and trade business were particularly enthusiastic about his cause as they bore a strong sense of dissatisfaction for their suffering livelihood all because of political squabbles .
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Albeit not directly related, Lawrence’s spirit also burnt with the same flames of righteousness towards the indignant late king .
“If, at any time, the Federation shows any sign of unrest towards us in their movement, that is when we, the Order of Knights, will step forward and display our might . We shall take the heads of those inhuman brutes of the Federation!” Lawrence vowed, clenching his fists tightly .
“Indeed . However, even if our military might is not lacking, the Federation is a mighty opponent . We alone cannot fight them . A war, is something we begin only when all preparations for our victory are done and over . Until that day, take care not to too thoughtlessly provoke them . ”
“Yes, my lord… . I shall take my leave .
Once back in his private office, Hilbert stretched his body and cracked his neck to his heart’s desire .
“Oh dear, even holding a gallant pose is quite tiring . ”
While the public held a fierce belief that Hilbert was deeply anti-Federation, that he held as much hate for them as a snake towards one who trespassed too far into its personal space, fangs bared and hissing . In reality, however, Hilbert was far more pragmatic in mind, thinking of the bigger picture first than anything else .
He understood fully well how much of a pain in the ass it would be if he simply loaned the help of the Four Great Kingdoms to break free of the Federation’s abuse . Not only would a very powerful enemy be born right beside them, but it was also quite difficult to enter negotiations with ‘potential’ allies .
If handled poorly, Ciel-Terra would become a meat shield for the Four Great Kingdoms used against the Federation . While those five great powers were yet to show signs of war, one had to wonder how long peace would truly last . From then on, Hilbert would have to exercise ‘Golem Diplomacy’[2] instead of just ‘Tough Diplomacy’ .
Even so, it was much better an option than to be dependent on an external force for the rest of one’s life . Taking the Throne itself was a very large gain .
As for which was better for the country as a whole… Well, that would be something to think about from here on out .
As the one who usurped the Royal Crown, Hilbert felt deeply grateful for the support of the public opinion .
If the people had opposed him too strongly, even with the backing of the Four Great Kingdoms, the lords may resort to watching for an opportunity of their own . Worst case scenario, one of them might even have gone as far as to ask the Federation for help .
However as it stood at present, the public opinion had divided strictly into two halves . It would be quite the risk to start a revolt in the current state of affairs .
The current problems lay within those under his position, however . The fanatics who knew no restraint .
These people banded together and actively lynched sympathizers of the Federation, or their citizens in visiting, and some were seriously considering to head to the borders and push the people of the Federation back into their county . Hilbert had Lawrence put a stop to those plans, but nothing could be done to rein in those who put on self-important airs towards the military in public .
If these things make the Federation think ‘Ciel-Terra needs to be put in place’… . I fear for the worst . Even if we call for support from the Great Four Kingdoms, the battle will still take place in Ciel-Terra, as we are right beside the Federation .
The case was similar with the most recent atrocity that had happened . Hilbert had no intention of touching the late king Albert’s wife, Rozalia nor his daughter René .
Even if some lord somewhere had decided to raise René and put her forward as the ‘Legitimate Heir to the Royal Crown’, she was only but a woman, and a cursed child on top of that . Hilbert understood very well that René was no threat at all to his rule, nor to his Throne .
However, there were Knights, Lawrence included, and citizens who were overly critical towards the actions of the late King Albert, all in support of Hilbert, yet all constantly yelling to quell the bloodline of the late king . He halfheartedly gave an okay, feeling pressured into the ordeal .
If the result of such an irresponsible action was the rise of such a powerful undead, he had indeed stirred a hornet’s nest with a twig .
“René, huh . Please, don’t resent me for this… Well, it’s an impossible request to make at this point regardless . ”
Hilbert wondered about his niece, whose face he had never seen .
10 years ago, that mother and daughter were chased away by the Royal Court . René had been born just before that .
Hilbert was one of the people who had used René’s existence as one of the excuses to dethrone Albert . ‘You brought in a lowly plebeian woman as your wife, you deserve to have a cursed child be born to you . ’, he had shouted, but having something to blame Albert with alone satisfied him, and cared little for René herself .
I’ve heard that that one good adventurer party, dawn-whats-its-name, had been wiped by her .
When battling monsters, usually adventurer participation outnumbered that of Knights . The thought that such an Undead, capable of wiping them out in a single blow, would be coming to take his head, had left Hilbert in a state of deep unrest .
“Huff… . Simply thinking about it is giving me a headache . To think that becoming king meant I had to tackle such great challenges so soon…”
Well, Lawrence has already won once . He should win again . Hilbert thought .
Or, at the very least, that is what he wished to believe .
Notes:
[1]Funko pops, some of you might know them as . A link for reference here .
[2]This isn’t anything real so don’t bother trying to look it up . By Golem Diplomacy, Suzume-sensei meant something much tougher than just tough diplomacy, since Golems are usually made of tough materials and can’t be very easily sliced with swords and stuff . But ffs Suzume-sensei, no one puts it like that .
Translator: Fried Hedgehog
Good day, my fellow degenerate weebs and weeblets . It’s a good time as any for another chapter of Let’s Get Political . This time, however, there was no René, which was sad, but expected since she got clapped hard last chapter . Good thing she’s alive though . What would I do without my murderous and vengeful undead loli (actually an old man inside)?
This chapter was pretty interesting, gave an insight into the man behind all this . While it’s still pretty fucking irresponsible to cave into pressure and let people lynch someone, it does make Hilbert a lot more sympathetic and understandable as a character . Humanizes him a lot more . And I like me my humane characters . Their suffering is delicious .
Anyway, let’s ignore how I ended my rant on a very weird note . Y’all know the drill, lemme know in the comments if there are mistakes, inconsistencies, typos, any stuff to improve on, yada yada . That’s all for now . Hedge out .