Episode 175: Part One Complete

The Eastern Army’s campaign to conquer the capital ended with Siegfried defeating Lugdura… and Luverios’s death.

The kingdom’s forces, having lost their leadership and their will to fight due to Lugdura’s appearance, unconditionally surrendered to the Eastern Army.

Although the capital suffered large-scale destruction, not a single civilian life was lost.

“But… what happens now?”

Half a month after the battle—in the noble district of the capital’s inner layer, where reconstruction was underway.

Carpenters and craftsmen working on the restoration of a noble’s mansion exchanged words.

“His Majesty Luverios… no, I guess there’s no need to call him that anymore. The foolish king Luverios is dead, but who’ll be the next king?”

“Who knows… this country’s got hardly any royalty left.”

And no wonder.

When Luverios ascended the throne, he had many of the royal family executed or stripped of their titles under false accusations.

To Luverios, who had killed his father and brother to seize the throne, any other royalty was nothing but an obstacle.

“So, does that mean some noble will take over the royal line? Like one of the ‘Five Great Nobles’ or something?”

The ‘Five Great Nobles’ are related to the royal family by marriage. Tracing their lineage would inevitably lead back to the royal house, so they technically have the qualifications to inherit the throne.

“That said, aren’t the ‘Five Great Nobles’ pretty much wiped out at this point?”

The heads of the ‘Five Great Nobles’—namely, Joachim, Ludendorf, Bertram, and Karlheinz.

All four of them have already lost their lives.

“There’s still one head of the Five Great Nobles left, technically… but honestly, that guy’s not cut out to be king.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

That person is considered the weakest among the Five Great Nobles, and there’s no way anyone would push for him to take the throne.

“If that’s the case—there’s only one answer, right?”

“Yeah…”

The conclusion was obvious from the start.

“Count Kreving—Lord Siegfried’s the only one who can become king.”

 

◇

 

In a tent set up in the heart of the capital.

There, Siegfried was overseeing the city’s reconstruction efforts.

A tall young man—Leon—poked his head inside.

“Yo… I just got back from walking around the city. Wanna know what kinda rumors are going around?”

“Of course.”

Siegfried looked up from his documents, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“There’s a rumor going around about some weirdo who thinks they’re a ‘princess’—bet that’s you, huh, Leon? Looks like you’re getting famous.”

“That’s not it!”

Frowning, Leon stormed over.

“It’s about who the next king’s gonna be. Everyone’s saying it’s gotta be you.”

“Is that so?”

Siegfried didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow, responding calmly.

“What’s with that face? You’re not even a little surprised?”

“I saw this coming from the beginning.”

Siegfried was now a hero, having defeated Lugdura, a monster synonymous with death itself.

Moreover, during the fierce battle, not a single civilian casualty occurred. To the people of the capital, he was nothing short of a savior.

On top of that, he was still standing at the forefront of the capital’s reconstruction, so it was only natural that voices would call for him to take the throne.

“…You planned this all out, didn’t you?”

“Exactly. The more Luverios shone as a foolish king and Lugdura as a calamity—in other words, as villains—the more the one who defeated them would be hailed as a hero and raised to the throne. It’s simple logic.”

“But you… you don’t exactly look thrilled about it.”

“Of course not. I have no interest in being a hero or sitting on a throne. What I seek is my own ideal—the path of the evil king. To walk that path, I’ll simply make use of this country’s crown.”

“So that means—”

“Yes… I’ll become this country’s king.”

 

◇

 

The incident of Lugdura, one of the ‘Seven Great Calamities,’ descending upon the capital, Kirchhen.

And the news that the man who defeated that monster—Siegfried von Kreving—had ascended as the new king spread across the world in the blink of an eye.

 

◇

 

In a dimly lit, secluded building in a certain country, deep within a room filled with swirling incense smoke, several women in black knelt on the floor.

One of them spoke in a calm tone, weaving her words carefully.

“…That is the sequence of events leading to Siegfried von Kreving’s ascension as the new king of Kirchhen.”

The one receiving the report was a gaunt man with an expression as lifeless as a corpse. He could pass for someone in their thirties, forties, fifties, or even older—an ageless figure.

Known as the most fearsome assassin, called ‘Master Shifu’ with dread by those who spoke his name.

“…Is that so?”

It wasn’t Master Shifu who responded, but an old woman standing beside him.

“Well, whatever happens in Kirchhen doesn’t really concern us. That’s what I’d like to say… but I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

 

◇

 

Beyond the vast western reaches of the world’s greatest nation, the ‘Empire,’ lies an endless, desolate land known as the ‘Forbidden Realm.’

A dangerous region teeming with ferocious magical beasts, where only madmen seeking death or those who’ve lost their sanity would dare to tread.

A lone woman walked through that land.

Pale blonde hair and golden eyes, clad in light armor designed for mobility.

At a glance, she could pass for any ordinary adventurer—but she was the pinnacle of the world.

The supreme being—an SSS-rank adventurer.

Gazing up at the moon in the night sky, she murmured softly.

“…It feels like the world’s gears have started turning.”

 

◇

 

Deep beneath the ‘Empire,’ in a hidden room tucked within a network of secret passages—

“To think that Joachim managed to summon Lugdura… that man was more useful than I expected. It’s a blow that Lugdura was destroyed, but the plan has undoubtedly moved forward.”

“Well, it was actually some guy named Siegfried who pulled off the summoning, wasn’t it? Heh heh!”

Several figures were present—five, ten, perhaps more.

Men or women, old or young—their true identities were unclear.

In the dimly lit room, their voices magically disguised, they were none other than members of the ‘Silver Falling Star.’

“And now, that Siegfried has become the king of Kirchhen…”

“The East is about to get chaotic. Serodonia… and above all, the ‘Holy Church’ won’t just sit by and let this slide.”

“If things play out well, it might even lead to the revival of the other ‘Calamities.’”

“Heh heh heh… Can’t take our eyes off this. We’ll need to move Shemhazai and keep watch.”

 

◇

 

At the heart of the world’s largest religious organization, the ‘Holy Church,’ in the ‘Grand Holy City.’

“Siegfried von Kreving… quite a suspicious man to become Kirchhen’s king.”

In one of the countless churches of the ‘Grand Holy City,’ a priest named Markadis muttered these words.

A stern-looking man in his fifties, one of the mere twenty or so high-ranking officials in the ‘Holy Church’—a ‘Winged Bishop.’

“I’ll acknowledge his feat of defeating Lugdura. But the rumor that he revived the vampire Celestina hasn’t been completely debunked.”

The information that Siegfried had revived Celestina came from Luverios’s request for aid from the ‘Holy Church.’

However, when Lugdura was revived in the capital and Siegfried defeated it, doubts about this information grew stronger within the ‘Holy Church.’

In other words, the idea that ‘Siegfried revived Celestina’ was considered a fabrication by Luverios.

It was seen as nothing more than a pretext to gain the ‘Holy Church’s’ support in taking down Siegfried.

This theory held some persuasiveness, especially since Luverios was the one who revived one of the ‘Seven Great Calamities,’ Lugdura, making him the true target for elimination.

“According to reports from the priests stationed in Kirchhen… Siegfried is a man who’s caused all sorts of disturbances. To me, he seems even more dangerous than Luverios.”

“Indeed. King Luverios was ‘evil.’ Lugdura, of course, was ‘evil.’ So, many believe that Siegfried, who defeated them, must be ‘justice.’ But that’s not necessarily the truth.”

That clear, cool voice came from another person seated with Markadis.

A young man, perhaps just past twenty.

Platinum-blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and a perfectly proportioned physique—he was like the ‘ideal hero’ an artist might paint, brought to life.

“So, you share the same opinion?”

Despite the young man being young enough to be his son, Markadis maintained a respectful demeanor.

And for good reason—this youth was one of the seven cardinals, the highest-ranking officials of the ‘Holy Church.’

With a slight smile, the young man continued.

“If Siegfried is ‘evil’… then he’s a ‘great evil,’ one capable of slaying even Lugdura. A new calamity, one might say. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for us.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Siegfried is an ‘evil’—a colossal evil capable of shaking the world—then defeating him will give ‘justice’ a definitive form. It will allow us to show true justice to the world.”

A resolute light gleamed in the young man’s eyes.

“If Siegfried is a great evil—the king of evil—then I will stake my life to bring him down.”

He was none other than a cardinal and the commander of the Holy Knights.

Known as ‘Justice Ray, the Light of Justice,’ the strongest holy knight who upholds absolute justice.

Quietly, but with unwavering resolve, he declared.

“I will forge ahead on my path of righteous kingship.”