Episode 110: The Throne of Glory

“Ha… ha… ha…”

A soldier with his face hidden by a helmet was running across the cobblestone streets of the fortress city.

No, he wasn’t a soldier… it was Volfirio, disguised.

His entourage had already fallen away in this hellish game of tag.

Every single one of them had been caught by the villainous pursuer, Siegfried.

(But I alone… I’ll escape, no matter what! I can’t let myself be caught!)

Even as royalty, once his collusion with the enemy nation came to light, judgment was inevitable.

(As a prince, I won’t face execution. But…)

He would likely be confined to a dim, secluded room in a corner of the palace, locked away for years.

That was the fate awaiting a royal who committed a grave crime.

(If it comes to that… I’ll flee! I’ll seek asylum in the Holy Church’s dominion!)

The world’s largest religious organization—the Sacred Church of the Light-Winged God, commonly known as the Holy Church.

Controlling multiple nations in practice, they had established their own sovereign domain.

Proclaiming justice and mercy, they would surely not turn away an exile.

The Holy Church’s territory was far, but Volfirio had treasures on him.

The ring hidden beneath his soldier’s leather gloves was valuable enough to build a mansion.

If he could sell it in some town, he could buy a carriage and hire adventurer escorts.

(For that, I have to… escape now!)

And so, he arrived at the northern gate of the fortress city.

Judging from the clamor around him, the enemy’s assault on the northern side seemed relatively weak.

Indeed, the northern gate still stood strong, its doors firmly shut.

(Good…!)

Breathing heavily, Volfirio dashed up the stairs and emerged atop the city wall.

“Hey! Where’s the captain of this wall’s defense force!?”

At Volfirio’s shout, the surrounding soldiers turned to him in unison.

—What? Who’s that soldier…?

Their wary glances seemed to say as much.

“It’s me! Volfirio!”

With that, he lifted his helmet, revealing his face.

“Tch, it’s His Highness…!”

The guard finally realized who he was and hurriedly dropped to one knee.

“W-Why are you dressed like that…?”

“I don’t have time to explain to the likes of you! Just call the captain!”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon after, the captain of the northern wall’s defense force appeared.

In Pastrier Fortress City, each of the four walls—east, west, south, and north—had its own appointed captain, all of whom were of commoner origin.

After all, becoming a captain meant being essentially bound to the fortress city, unable to leave.

Yet, unlike the leaders of the Western Legion, they couldn’t profit from illicit trade.

As a result, nobles foisted such unappealing duties onto commoner-born captains.

Naturally, the captain of the northern wall was also a commoner.

“Open the northern gate immediately!”

The moment the captain appeared, Volfirio issued his command.

“Open the gate and let the enemy in!”

“The gate? B-But, Your Highness, the northern wall is still holding strong. If we keep the gate closed and defend, it won’t fall anytime soon…”

“The other walls have already been breached! What’s the point of holding this one alone!? Can’t you understand something so simple, you fool!?”

—Of course, the captain understood that much.

But he had defended this wall because Volfirio himself had ordered each captain to hold their posts to the death.

Besides, even if just one wall held, it could serve as a foothold for a counterattack against the enemy.

He didn’t think they could win, but the captain had fought on, clinging to a faint hope in this desperate situation.

—But there was no way Volfirio would understand such sentiments.

“Listen!”

Paying no heed to the captain’s feelings, Volfirio barked his orders imperiously.

“Open the northern gate and let the enemy in. Then, lead your men and charge at their forces.”

“Charge… at the enemy? You mean, open the gate, let them in, and then fight…?”

“Exactly! That’ll catch the enemy off guard and throw them into disarray. In that chaos… I’ll slip among them and escape.”

In other words, the captain and his men were nothing more than decoys for Volfirio’s escape.

Naturally, they would likely perish before the overwhelming enemy numbers.

But what did that matter? To Volfirio, it was insignificant.

“Most of the enemy are my brother’s soldiers—Serodonia Kingdom’s army. If I, dressed as a Serodonian soldier, blend in among them, it shouldn’t be impossible.”

Volfirio leaned in close, his face intimidating the captain.

“My only concern… is that you or your men might reveal my identity to the enemy. If they learn I’ve escaped the fortress city, they’ll send pursuers immediately. So, listen well. Order your men strictly: no matter how much they’re interrogated, they must not speak of me. I’m just a common soldier—got it?”

“…”

“What’s that? Answer me! If you mess this up and I get caught by my brother… I’ll make sure you and your men suffer hell! I’ll testify that you were all involved in my illicit trade and profited from it! Then you’ll be guilty of the same crime as me!”

Of course, that was a complete lie. But Volfirio’s words could easily be taken as truth.

“As royalty, my life will be spared. But you lot? You’ll be executed for treason! Your families will be branded as traitors and face the world’s scorn! If you don’t want that… obey my orders!”

“Guh…”

The captain’s hand instinctively twitched toward the sword at his waist.

He was seized by an urge to cut down this tyrannical man right then and there.

—But he couldn’t.

No matter how unjust the situation, killing a royal was the gravest crime in the nation.

Committing such an act would mean certain death, and the consequences would extend to his family.

What about staging an accident to dispose of him? No… that wouldn’t work either.

Right now, the enemy’s top priority was finding Volfirio himself.

If he died, the cause of his death would undoubtedly be investigated thoroughly.

Even if it were disguised as a fall from the wall, it was likely to be seen as foul play. And there was no time to orchestrate a complex cover-up.

“…Understood.”

The captain could only nod quietly.

Unable to hand him over to the enemy or kill him, he had no choice but to obey.

“Good… If you understand, then get moving!”

“…Yes, sir.”

With a hoarse voice, the captain left the scene.

Watching his retreating back, Volfirio pondered.

(Good, it’s working… I can escape! All that’s left is to seek asylum in the Holy Church’s domain! They wouldn’t dare mistreat a royal like me. No, in fact…)

A sly grin curled at the corners of Volfirio’s mouth.

(If I can win over the Holy Church, I might even claim Serodonia’s throne! I’ll promise them that if I become king, Serodonia will join their dominion. Then they’ll back me with all their might! That man—the Holy Knights’ Grandmaster, who calls himself ‘Justice Ray’—will act! The invincible Holy Knight, said to surpass even the Seven Calamities!)

“Heh… hahaha!”

Laughter trembled in his throat.

“It’s not over… It’s just beginning. My future starts here…!”

Volfirio’s gaze no longer fixed on the enemy before him.

His eyes were set far beyond—on a glorious future yet to come.