Chapter 126. Lion of the Coalition Forces (1)
The Chief Palace Maid was horrified by the accusation of treason.
“Treason?! There must be some misunderstanding—!”
“I warned you to stand aside.”
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out, and the commotion outside the door subsided.
Queen Marceline understood everything that was happening from within her bedchamber.
“Carry out the order.”
Booom!
The bedchamber door burst open as though it had been shattered, and a group of knights poured inside.
Queen Marceline responded calmly to the situation. But her fingertips….wouldn’t stop trembling.
That was because she knew exactly who the knights flooding into her bedchamber were.
The Royal Guard.
The royal household possessed two Knight Orders.
The Royal Knights and the Royal Guard.
The Royal Knights protected the capital, occasionally embarked upon expeditions, and subjugated enemy forces.
When necessary, they carried out missions beyond the capital and elevated the kingdom’s prestige upon the battlefield.
The Royal Guard, on the other hand, obeyed only the orders of the royal family. Their absolute duty was to guard the royal palace and protect the royal family.
Even if the kingdom trembled and the royal palace collapsed, their loyalty would remain directed solely toward the “throne”.
They didn’t care even if their opponent was a member of the royal family.
If someone threatened the throne, their swords would cut that person down without hesitation.
If the Royal Knights were the kingdom’s sword, then the Royal Guard was the kingdom’s shield.
And the knight standing before her was Lucas.
Lucas was the Commander of the Royal Guard.
Queen Marceline’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“For the Commander of the Royal Guard to commit such an insolent act, I trust you are prepared to accept responsibility for something you cannot possibly handle.”
Queen Marceline attempted to pressure Lucas.
Lucas remained silent. That was because he didn’t need to answer her.
“I shall return those exact words to you.”
A resolute voice cut through the silence.
Step. Step.
Intimidating footsteps crossed the royal palace corridor—
And Queen Marceline’s gaze gradually began to waver.
First Prince Leon.
He appeared before the Royal Guard. Leon held a sealed royal document in his hand.
Queen Marceline’s eyes trembled violently.
That was only natural.
That document….couldn’t possibly exist. More precisely, it must not exist.
At least, not if Luseria’s plan had succeeded.
Something….had gone wrong. Terribly wrong.
Leon slowly raised the sealed document. Queen Marceline bit her lip tightly, unable to say anything.
Then Leon read its first sentence.
“Certain territories and a portion of the kingdom’s military resources shall be transferred to the Dark Merchant Company.”
Queen Marceline’s face turned deathly pale.
“At the request of the Dark Merchant Company, it shall be granted the highest priority in regulating commerce within the kingdom….”
It contained clear evidence that Queen Marceline had colluded with the Dark Merchant Company.
What she had received and what she had surrendered in exchange.
“At the Queen’s request, the Dark Merchant Company shall purge certain nobles and retainers, with the following individuals designated as priority targets….”
It revealed how many innocent citizens had been sacrificed because of Queen Marceline.
“For a designated period, the Queen shall provide the Dark Merchant Company with information regarding the kingdom’s military deployments and the internal defensive systems of the royal palace….”
It revealed the price for which the kingdom’s secrets and authority had been traded.
Every detail and record had been densely documented.
Through Leon’s voice, all of it was being thoroughly exposed before everyone.
The gazes of Lucas and the other members of the Royal Guard became fierce.
The horror felt by the Chief Palace Maid and the other maids continued to deepen.
“Did Her Majesty truly...?”
“My goodness...!”
And then came the decisive passage.
“When necessary, the Dark Merchant Company also promises to carry out the assassination of the King.”
The moment Leon finished speaking, the atmosphere within the royal palace froze.
Every gaze turned toward Queen Marceline.
The Royal Guard were no longer knights serving a member of the royal family.
As the kingdom’s final shield, they had become executors tasked with punishing a traitor who threatened the throne.
Lucas, Commander of the Royal Guard, raised his sword and pointed it at Queen Marceline.
“Marceline Charlotte de Vatenberg, as of this moment, you are under arrest on charges of treason against the kingdom and conspiring to assassinate the King.”
“......”
“If she resists, execute her immediately.”
Following Commander Lucas’s firm declaration, the Royal Guard simultaneously drew their swords and surrounded Queen Marceline.
Queen Marceline’s hands fell limply to her sides.
‘....It’s over.’
Everything was over.
Where had it gone wrong?
The plan had been perfect.
It had been an exquisitely designed scheme to reclaim the throne, without even the slightest flaw.
Failure had never been possible. At least, that was what Queen Marceline had believed.
....And yet everything had collapsed like this.
Was it because Leon was too exceptional?
No.
Leon could never have stopped the plan devised by Marceline and Luseria.
There had been only one fatal mistake. They had underestimated him far too much.
‘Adrian White Wolf….’
A seemingly insignificant variable she had dismissed as the fluttering of a tiny butterfly’s wings had ultimately created a storm.
* * *
News of Queen Marceline’s treason shook the royal palace.
The royal court descended into chaos, and the streets of the capital were thrown into an uproar.
“That’s impossible!”
“How could Her Majesty possibly do such a thing?!”
At first, the people refused to believe it. But the evidence was far too conclusive.
There were records proving her collusion, the secret flow of gold coins, and the letters exchanged with the Dark Merchant Company.
Not a single piece of evidence could be refuted.
Most decisively, evidence emerged that Queen Marceline had secretly administered a suspicious drug to the King.
“Did Her Majesty truly...?”
“Then was His Majesty’s rapidly deteriorating health also...?”
The royal court and the streets of the capital erupted into fierce commotion.
Rumors of the treason continued spreading until the entire kingdom was being turned upside down.
* * *
“....What is this?”
I couldn’t understand what kind of situation I had awakened to.
When I regained consciousness—
Everything had already been neatly resolved.
“So….”
I slowly considered Leon’s explanation.
“Your Highness already knew that Queen Marceline was colluding with the Dark Merchant Company?”
“That’s right.”
“How?”
“I could simply tell.”
What was that supposed to mean?
No, wait.
“Then Your Highness knew about it and remained silent?”
“Simply knowing about it didn’t mean I could act immediately.”
“Are you saying you were gathering evidence?”
“That’s right. If I had accused the Queen based only on suspicion, I would have been branded the traitor instead.”
“....Ah.”
Only then did I understand everything.
Leon had known from the beginning. It was because of Leon’s ability—
Present Vision [L].
◆ Present Vision [L] : The user can precisely observe and perceive events occurring in the [present]. Rather than merely witnessing visual phenomena, the user can intuitively understand the event’s [context, cause, and circumstances].
During this process, the user can exercise [Retrocognitive Perception] and [Precognitive Perception] to a limited extent.
Through Present Vision [L], Leon had detected Queen Marceline’s suspicious behavior.
That had made Queen Marceline anxious and prompted her to plan the Vanished Social Club with Luseria.
Marceline had targeted Leon. Luseria had targeted Seraphia.
And the Monarch of Darkness had sought to create Memoria.
Each of them had possessed a different objective for the Vanished Social Club.
In my previous life, Leon’s memories and evidence had all been erased through Oblivion.
But this time was different.
“Adrian, all of this is thanks to you. I’m truly grateful.”
The moment Leon spoke—
◆ Leon’s Affinity toward you has reached the state of [Friendliness]!
◆ Individuals in the state of [Friendliness] will display a friendly and positive attitude toward you.
◆ Such individuals will actively provide assistance or cooperate with you. During combat or certain situations, you can receive their support or request their help during a crisis.
Leon’s Affinity had instantly reached the state of [Friendliness].
It was certainly nice that the situation had been resolved without me lifting a finger, but—
‘Is this really how it should be?’
....It was somewhat absurd.
I silently stared at Leon. Then a question suddenly occurred to me.
“But Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“Have you not considered that I might be the fake?”
The fact that Leon’s memories hadn’t been erased meant that he must also remember Memoria.
Memoria possessed an appearance, personality, and abilities perfectly identical to mine.
One could even say that our “genes” were identical.
Despite that, Leon hadn’t shown the slightest suspicion that I might be Memoria.
Come to think of it, he had behaved the same way after my battle with Memoria ended.
Leon had looked at Memoria and me lying on the ground without even questioning which of us was genuine.
Could his memories of Memoria alone have been erased?
“The fake? ....Ah, you mean the entity identical to you from earlier.”
That wasn’t it.
Leon clearly remembered seeing Memoria.
Apparently, the possibility that I was Memoria simply hadn’t occurred to him.
Only then did Leon stare intently at me.
Then he answered—
“I can simply tell by looking at you. You’re the real Adrian.”
“What do you—”
Ah.
Present Vision [L].
....That ability was ridiculously overpowered.
It had even resisted the Authority of Oblivion, so perhaps that was only natural.
There was a reason Leon had been called the Lion of the Coalition Forces.
Looking at it this way, it would have been impossible for Leon not to discover that Queen Marceline was colluding with the Dark Merchant Company.
In my previous life, he had merely forgotten it because of the Authority of Oblivion.
‘Still, I never expected him to eliminate her all at once.’
Queen Marceline was by no means an easy opponent.
The information about Queen Marceline that I had obtained through Predatory Instinct [S] was as follows.
==< Character Information >==
Name: Marceline Charlotte de Vatenberg
Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Class Mammalia, Family Hominidae, Human
Gender: Female
Age: Twenty-nine
Trait: Charm [G]
◆ Charm [G] : The user emits a powerful aura of allure that can consume the will of surrounding targets. A successfully affected target will feel attracted to the user even under circumstances in which such attraction cannot be justified. The user can immediately induce [Trust, Affection, and Loyalty] in the target.
The [G] rank represented Grand.
Even its description revealed what an exceptional ability it was.
There was a reason Queen Marceline had immediately brought the royal family and nobles under her influence.
Her age was also remarkably young.
Third Prince Walter was fifteen years old.
That meant Queen Marceline had become pregnant with Walter when she was fourteen.
Generally, pregnancy became possible around the age of sixteen or seventeen.
That was precisely why the debut age for the Royal Social Season had been set at sixteen.
Marceline had become Queen at the age of eight.
In other words, she had been far too young. But such cases weren’t entirely unheard of.
A premenarcheal child.
It referred to a child conceived and delivered before the mother experienced her first menstruation.
However, it was an extremely, extremely, extremely rare occurrence.
In other words, no one had expected Queen Marceline to be capable of conceiving such a child.
The King suffered from a chronic illness.
Since the royal bloodline had to be continued, they couldn’t wait for Queen Marceline to mature.
Ultimately, a Royal Mistress was brought into the palace.
The King and the Royal Mistress—
The child born between them was First Prince Leon.
After Leon’s birth, the Royal Mistress died in a mysterious accident.
Despite her young age, Marceline eventually conceived the King’s children and gave birth to two princes—
That was how the royal family’s present circumstances had developed.
And now—
The entire situation had been resolved in an instant.
“Putting that aside, Adrian, there are several matters I need to discuss with you.”
“Please continue.”
“There will be no further harm, but His Majesty is not recovering easily.”
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do about that. He already suffered from a chronic illness and was advanced in age.
He would live longer than he had in my previous life, but the King would still die within a few years.
And honestly—
“That is why I have become Regent.”
This situation was far better.
Both for me and for the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
The matter of succession had effectively been settled.
The future had changed.
“Therefore, I have been placed in charge of the matter concerning the succession of the White Wolf title.... Ah, she’s arriving now.”
Leon suddenly looked toward the door.
However, my senses detected no presence. Only after some time passed did I sense Seraphia approaching.
‘He detected her before I did?’
....That was unlikely.
Leon’s agility and senses couldn’t possibly exceed mine.
It was probably Present Vision [L].
His Precognitive Perception, which allowed him to glimpse the immediate future, must have activated.
“There’s no need to knock. Come straight in.”
....The more I saw it, the more ridiculously overpowered that ability appeared.
Seraphia carefully opened the door.
“You summoned me.... Huh? My brother is here too?!”
Seraphia exclaimed with delight. She hurried over to me with quick little steps.
Then she began examining every part of my body.
“Is your body all right?! You aren’t injured anywhere, are you?! Are any of your bones broken...? Ah! That wouldn’t matter to you, so….”
Seraphia’s eyes darted from side to side.
“Then are you feeling dizzy or nauseated? Are your ears ringing? Do you feel tired or lethargic—?”
“Adrian is fine.”
“Really?! Thank goodness....”
At Leon’s words, Seraphia released a tremendous sigh of relief.
I silently observed her.
Leon had told me what happened.
Seraphia had annihilated the Abyssal She-Spider Carrying Fifty Thousand Young.
“No wonder.”
I had wondered why Memoria had stopped activating additional instances of Berserk [?].
I had never imagined that Seraphia would be capable of defeating the Abyssal She-Spider.
But apparently, the Monarch of Frost was still the Monarch of Frost.
She remained far from the Monarch of Frost she had been in my previous life.
Even so, she was beyond what an incomplete Abyssal Legion Commander could handle.
I carefully examined Seraphia.
According to Predatory Instinct [S] and Find Weakness [U], her condition was perfectly normal.
Unlike what happened during the Lycanthrope incident, she wasn’t bedridden or suffering from any other abnormalities.
She remained far from the person she had been in my previous life, but….
‘Has she become capable of controlling the Authority of the Monarch of Frost?’
Even so—
“I’m truly relieved that you’re safe, Brother!”
She still displayed none of the characteristics of the Monarch of Frost.
“I apologize for interrupting this reunion between siblings, but there are many matters we must resolve.”
Leon lifted the parchment lying on the table.
“This is the will of the former Count White Wolf. It explicitly states that Seraphia White Wolf shall inherit the title of Count, but….”
Leon produced another document and tapped it lightly with his finger.
“Seraphia, the memorandum you sent to the royal family states that you renounce all rights related to the succession.”
“Yes! Every word of it is true!”
Seraphia nodded vigorously.
Leon smiled faintly.
“Then there’s no need to drag this matter out. We’ll proceed immediately.”
This time, Leon produced a luxurious sheet of parchment.
“This decree invalidates the will of the former Count White Wolf and transfers the title of Count to you, Adrian White Wolf.”
Leon carefully ran his hand across the parchment. Then he looked toward the final signature line.
“With this, the succession of the title—”
Just as Leon was about to stamp the royal seal—
“I refuse the succession.”
Leon’s hand immediately stopped at my words—
◆ Territory Quest, [The Title of Count, What?]
A bewildered message appeared before my eyes. A strange silence filled the room.
“I refuse to inherit the title of Count.”
My repeated declaration struck like a finishing blow.
The entire room froze as though someone had activated the Authority of Frost [P].
A silence descended as though space and time had stopped.
I spoke once more.
“Please honor Father’s will and allow Seraphia to inherit the title.”
“Whaaaaaat?!”
Seraphia shrieked and leaped into the air.
“Brother!! What are you talking about?!”
◆ What is this absolute bullshit echoing through the message window?!?
“I won’t allow you to refuse the title of Count!!”
◆ What kind of nonsense is that—an ogre running a marathon?!?!
“Why?! Why would you do that?!”
◆ Did you accidentally activate Reality Denial Mode instead of Management Mode?!
“No matter what anyone says, you are the ruler of the White Wolf County, Brother!!”
◆ Unfortunately, Management Mode does not include a Reality Denial Mode—?!?
…….
Seraphia’s shouting and the messages assaulted my ears and eyes simultaneously.
....The two took turns so perfectly that they made an excellent team.
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