The rumors that swept through the royal capital in an instant further froze the already grim atmosphere.
– Now that even the king is dead, no one’s death would be surprising.
It was natural for such thoughts to spread among the people.
Soon, even the ordinary citizens of the capital began to hesitate to leave their hos, and it wasn’t long before they realized another fact.
– Now McLean is the ruler of this kingdom.
How the McLean family, and Logan McLean in particular, would act was now the center of attention for everyone both inside and outside the capital.
Those who felt the change in the world most acutely were, without a doubt, the nobles of the capital confined by McLean’s forces.
Through the bars that held them, they could see the forr state ministers, once imprisoned in the dungeons by the dead king, now walking the streets with bright expressions.
Soldiers with the fla emblem owned the streets of the capital.
The only ones who could walk about with their heads held high in front of them were nobles classified as Logan McLean’s supporters.
Not long after securing the capital, the McLean family summoned those nobles to the grand hall of the royal palace for a eting.
– Here and now, we will decide the future of the kingdom.
The proclamation sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
At the eting, weighed down with a heavy burden, the elderly minister, Paln Terih, couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, wondering if he really belonged in this place.
‘I should have said I still feel the aftereffects of prison and taken a rest.’
It wasn’t a complete lie.
The pins and needles in his aching back.
The pressure on his chest made the aftereffects all the more real.
As he endured the pressure and stayed in his seat.
“Most of the nobility near the capital have sent their submission.”
“A majority? So there are dissenters?”
“Only a few. They are the relatives of those appointed as state ministers by the dead king, but with the Duke himself handling it, it will be sorted out quickly.”
The McLean family had effectively taken over the country.
‘Naturally. Even Esperanza has pledged their full cooperation; who would dare to rebel?’
There was no other force in this country that could compare to the McLean family.
Even an old man like himself was clearly aware of that, and others would surely feel it too.
“Good. Then it’s ti to discuss the direction the country should take.”
Logan had declared himself the ‘temporary regent’ and sat just below the vacant throne, prompting a chilling silence to fall over the grand hall.
All had the sa thought in their heads.
It had co to this.
And their guess was not wrong.
“We will now accept opinions regarding the new throne of Grandia. Any opinion is welco, so let us discuss openly!”
Despite Logan’s words, no one dared to speak rashly.
Whatever they said, if it displeased Logan McLean, they could easily plumt to their doom.
But then, Paln felt all eyes on him.
Among the whispers and glances of the nobility, there was a certain expectation, and eventually, Paln had to take a deep breath and step forward.
‘Having been to prison, what’s the worst they could do to ?’
The truth was he didn’t have much attachnt left to life at his age.
With this in mind, Paln steeled himself and carefully began to speak.
“I have a suggestion, Your Highness.”
“Oh, Minister Paln. Speak.”
His knees shaking despite having lived a full life, Paln took a deep breath and clearly stated his opinion.
“What if we seek out a collateral relative of the Grandian royal family and install the closest direct descendant as the new king?”
“Huh…”
“How could you say such a thing…”
“No, there is so rit in the idea, but still…”
The grand hall imdiately beca noisy.
Paln’s focus was only on Logan at the high table.
His feeling of life shortening as Logan’s brows narrowed, and then lengthening again when he saw Logan’s slight smile.
‘I just spoke the obvious…’
The atmosphere flowed as if Paln had said sothing terribly wrong.
But then,
“Hmm. That’s an interesting suggestion. Any other opinions?”
As Logan nodded expressionlessly, Paln finally felt relief.
However, at that mont, another participant raised an objection.
“Even if we seek out a collateral relative, how shall we rank their lineage? Patrilineal? Matrilineal? By degree of kinship to the late king? This issue is thorny as it is unprecedented.”
Another minister, Adam Morgan, who wasn’t initially part of the McLean faction but had actively cooperated in the recent takeover of the capital, spoke out.
‘This guy?’
Paln looked at him with a puzzled expression.
A young minister in his forties confidently expressed his opinion.
“It might be best for His Highness Logan to found a new dynasty for the benefit of all subjects of this nation.”
The grand hall instantly fell silent.
While everyone had considered this possibility, Adam Morgan boldly voiced the difficult suggestion.
‘Is he naive due to his youth? Or…’
Had there been an agreent already?
Paln’s wise old mind turned rapidly.
It would be strange for Logan McLean, who had killed even the king, not to covet the throne.
Likely, Adam Morgan’s remarks had been prearranged with the McLean family.
Paln was carefully observing Logan and the knight’s expressions when another, Count Roberts Floyd, cautiously chid in.
“I too agree with Sir Adam. For the past few years, the harms inflicted by the Grandian royal lineage on the kingdom are imasurable. The blood of a millennial hero has beco so diluted it’s no longer that of the phoenix but of a common bird. As we approach a new era, it is fitting for ‘the star of Grandia’ to establish a new dynasty.”
Roberts Floyd finished speaking with a grand and traditional flourish, and as he bowed his head, the grand hall erupted into noise again.
“Still, the bloodline of a thousand-year-old royal family should be preserved, right? I think it’s proper to find and install a relative from the collateral line. Even if the new king’s capabilities are sowhat lacking, wouldn’t it be enough if His Highness Logan acted as regent?”
“Why go through such a botherso process? It would be better for him to rule directly. If we end up with the sa problems as the late king, what then?”
“That’s a problem that can be solved by a regency!”
“Then, why should we bother with such unnecessary steps!”
The debate spread rapidly throughout the hall.
But amidst the bustle, Paln caught sight of Roberts’s smiling face and felt certain this was all orchestrated by the McLean family.
‘Playing dumb to secure a justification…’
Paln felt a touch bitter, realizing he hadn’t even been part of this crucial discussion and was rely watching from the sidelines.
Especially considering that he was supposedly part of the sa faction and was entirely excluded from the debate.
‘…It’s ti to retire.’
The tension he felt at the start of the eting had now turned into bitter regret, consuming the old minister’s thoughts.
While Paln was coming to that conclusion,
“Enough! Everyone, quiet down!”
Bang! Bang!
Watching the increasingly heated debate among the ministers, Logan, with an indifferent expression, silenced the noise.
“Now is not the ti to debate the throne! Since there is no consensus among the ministers, we will stabilize the kingdom first and decide everything afterward!”
His words seed to indicate the end of the eting.
But amidst the lingering effects of the heated debate, objections arose.
“Your Highness! It is not good for a kingdom to be without a king for too long. It would be best to reach a conclusion as soon as possible…”
Adam Morgan.
The confident young minister who advocated for a new dynasty looked at Logan, but before he could continue,
“Sir. Did you not hear what the Count said?”
Dagrom, the commander of the McLean knights standing below Logan, chilled the air with his cold response.
Logan’s stern expression supported the knight commander’s view, and Adam Morgan instantly bowed his head, turning pale.
“No, I… I apologize.”
– The decision on the succession to the throne will be postponed.
Thus, the grand hall eting concluded for the day.
However, imdiately after the eting ended, a petition movent started among the younger ministers, starting with Adam Morgan.
– Logan McLean, the star of Grandia, is the hero who will build the new kingdom. The kingdom will thrive only if he leads it!
This argunt heated up the entire kingdom, starting from the capital.
– A perfect world under McLean has arrived.
While everyone was sensing this,
Logan received a report that weighed on his mind.
“His Excellency, the Sword Master, has been transferred to the capital after ergency treatnt.”
“…Is he conscious?”
“All wounds are treated, but he still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
“Then ensure he’s brought to a safe place.”
“Understood!”
A safe place.
Logan’s expression was bitter as he uttered those words.
With the positions of the punitive forces and the rebels reversed, the leader of the punitive forces was now a prisoner who should be placed in jail.
The “safe place” Logan ntioned could only be the most comfortable prison available.
“Allow any visit from Esperanza and inform as soon as he regains consciousness.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After sending the knight on his way, Logan sank deep into thought, sighing.
After a while, as if coming to a decision, Logan summoned Clayton, the kingdom’s sole magician, to the king’s office.
“Did you call for ?”
“Yes. There is sothing that concerns .”
“What is it?”
“I thought the kingdom was stabilized, but there are still other forces left. And quite large ‘groups’ at that.”
Clayton was visibly confused by Logan’s words.
Other groups within Grandia that would deny McLean?
‘Why would he…?’
Clayton hesitated with a complicated expression, but Logan clarified his confusion.
“The magic towers, the towers.”
“Ah…?!”
“We must integrate the command of the magic towers.”
“But that would…”
“Clayton, the kingdom’s sole magician, should form a unified system. The towers are the kingdom’s strength too.”
“But the towers have, by tradition, remained politically neutral.”
“It’s ti to abolish that tradition.”
“What? But still…”
Reluctantly,
“Let’s start with the Earth Magic Tower.”
Hearing this, Clayton’s expression radically changed.
“That sounds like a good idea, my Lord. Shall I take the lead?”
A swift shift in stance.
Sensing the magician’s begrudging agreent, Logan nodded with a smile.
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