Chapter 47
The Great Empire of Cordis.
The 50th Succession War has ended.
There were many murky battles.
In the end, two princes even died.
A ceremony was held to honor the Fourth Prince Nebulo Le Etier and the Fifth Prince Zionis.
Due to the rumor that their bodies were not even in a proper state, many imperial citizens did not spare their tears.
The First Prince, Ferbias Caseptus, was appointed as the Crown Prince.
The Empire began to prepare to welco the next emperor.
However, there were many unwelcoming gazes.
Not a few said that it was rely a victory yielded by the First Princess and the Second Prince.
The entire Empire could not contain its disappointnt at the news that the Great Emperor Continua was stepping down from his position.
He was the Great Martial Emperor, who had saved the Empire in his youth and newly established its foundation in his old age.
The hearts that regretted the Great Emperor's reign were so great that it was hard to find any anticipation for the new emperor.
***
A not-so-splendid but elegant office.
“Do you rember what I said at the graduation ceremony?”
The Crown Prince and soon-to-be emperor who would have his coronation, Ferbias Caseptus, looked at the jade-eyed man who was his old friend and best confidant.
Athus, as always, had his double-edged sword slung at his waist.
“You said many things, Your Highness.”
“Why do you say that? You know it. I even had it engraved on that sword.”
“…I pretended to forget, lest you be embarrassed.”
“I was childish. But still, do you rember?”
“I engrave it every ti I maintain the sword.”
Athus was a ticulous man.
No matter what, he cherished and maintained his sword once a day.
He politely asked if he could draw his sword in front of the Crown Prince, and only after receiving a hearty laugh-laced permission did he draw his sword.
A phrase was engraved.
Contrary to the clumsy craftsmanship, the tone was full of self-importance.
[I, the future emperor Ferbias Caseptus, hereby bestow this upon my close friend and future Ten Great General, Athus Aretion.]
“…Ah, it is embarrassing. I thought the from that ti was a little more plausible.”
Ferbias snickered.
His cheeks were slightly red.
To leave the cage called school and spread his two wings to reach the throne, you are my friend so stand by my side…….
A long-ago promise that could not help but be embarrassing.
And yet, it was strange how close it was to reality.
“Yes. The dream is just around the corner. We've finally co this far.”
Crown Prince, Ferbias Caseptus.
What a sweet-sounding title.
It was already hard to hide his smile, but how deeply sweet would the title of Emperor of Cordis be?
The sense of accomplishnt was amplified by the ti that had passed.
A long ti.
Much effort.
All those feelings that were hard to express in just four words.
However, he was rewarded.
He had proven himself.
He imagined sitting on the throne and ruling.
It happened so naturally.
Whenever he took a satisfying breath, unwelco things would pop up.
The faces of the silver-haired princess, the muscular prince, his half-siblings, flashed by.
Ferbias wrinkled his nose.
“…Actually, it's not an entirely pleasant victory.”
It was his victory.
Without a doubt, the victor was Ferbias Caseptus.
Everyone had said so even before the Succession War began, and it had actually turned out that way.
However, the ending was not good at all.
“I'm not without the desire to run wild, but I should hold it in, right?”
Didn't it end up looking as if he had yielded the victory?
In front of thousands of soldiers!
The impertinent Leniar, the detestable Secundus and… Zionis!
He had been an eyesore at every turn and he had tripped him up until the very end.
“That Zionis brat, I really want to bring him back from hell and spank him.”
“……”
Co to think of it, the Fifth Prince Zionis was always there when the structure of the Succession War was disrupted.
When Secundus' faction suddenly gained the upper hand, during all the strange events that occurred during the Grand Convergence and when the ‘Sky Crystal Helm’ disappeared!
“But well, considering he's eleven, it's a little pitiful, I guess.”
Ferbias did not know.
That those events were not a coincidence, that they were my deliberate interference, that I was still alive.
Then again, who would know?
Even Secundus Debius thought Zionis was dead.
There was no room for doubt in all the circumstances.
“……”
Athus remained silent.
At his confidant's appearance, Ferbias realized he had been talking too much and shook his head.
“That's right. Let's stop talking about the past. What's important is from now on.”
The Great Empire of Cordis.
It had reigned as the master of the continent for a thousand years.
How could that throne be light?
Ferbias suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and let out a breath.
Just thinking of his father's face made the pressure intense.
“…To think of sitting on the throne after His Majesty the Emperor Father, I can't be at ease. Isn't he the Great Emperor Continua?”
“I believe it is a natural thing, Your Highness.”
“That's right. I'm trying to think so too. I have to do my best. I'll have to build my own foundation.”
Ferbias raised his head.
“So, Athus, you know what I'm about to say.”
His golden pupils were fierce.
“I will refuse your request.”
“…Your Highness.”
Athus bowed his head deeply.
“I ask you again.”
It was natural if it were to his master, but it was excessive for an old friend.
“Please let go.”
“Didn't I say I would refuse? I thought you were steadfast, not dense.”
“…Wasn't that, the promise.”
Athus looked up at Ferbias.
Naturally, the Crown Prince looked down at his confidant.
The jade-green eyes were unwavering.
The one who was wavering was rather the Crown Prince.
It was natural.
Athus was calling just to demand a request, and Ferbias was ignoring it.
“…That's right. It was such a promise. I haven't forgotten, Athus.”
The Crown Prince scratched his chin.
Sowhat irritably.
“I rember clearly. I rember every single letter of what I promised you with my own mouth when I brought you from the Security Bureau.”
“……”
“When the Succession War ends, I will help you resolve your family's long-cherished wish. I will do so with all my power!”
An agitated voice.
“I really haven't forgotten! I have a plan and preparations for this! But, I'm asking you to wait. Huh? You know what kind of ti it is!”
He spoke as if urging him.
Athus was quiet, as always.
The Crown Prince took a big step forward.
Once he opened his throat, all the worries that had piled up inside him were vomited out.
There was even a hint of pleading.
“Leniar and Secundus will start to expand their forces. The montum of the West is also unusual. Is that all? And yet, the nobles of the capital are trying to sit on my head. Especially our maternal grandfather, who thinks of as so kind of puppet. Who can I trust? Who on earth can this Ferbias trust, if not you? Huh? Athus!”
“…Your Highness, I just wish to go to my hotown alone. It will not take long.”
“You're saying, you're going to, leave -!!!”
Bang and the table split.
It was because Ferbias, unable to contain his anger, had slamd his fist down.
Athus was not surprised.
Similar things had happened often.
So he also knew that it was ti to remain silent.
“Athus, my old friend Athus!”
His words were already close to a growl.
“Think carefully. Act wisely!”
“……”
“You must know what it ans for you, my best confidant, to be away when I'm in the most trouble and need help! You'd have nothing to say even if I forcibly held you back!”
The golden eyes shone coldly.
The Ars that captivated the opponent's spirit, the ‘Prince’s Eye, princeps oculus’.
However, Athus was calm.
He was not dominated.
So it doesn't work.
Ferbias clicked his tongue.
It was Athus.
He was a man who had defeated a forr mber of the Ten Great Generals, even if she was retired.
Ferbias realized.
Athus' will was strong.
In the end, he would not be able to stop him.
Therefore, his anger flared up.
The long fatigue added to the flas.
“…Ha.”
His lips twisted.
“Yes, did you want to leave that badly? Is it because you're from Arete after all?”
Obsession easily turns vile when it goes slightly astray.
At the na Arete, the jade-green eyes flashed murderously.
However, Ferbias, unaware that his own reason had lost its function, continued to spew his emotions.
“Do you know what trouble I went through to block the worries and slanders about your origin? If not for , how could you have co this far……”
“…Stop it.”
“What?”
“I said stop it, Pel.”
“……!!!”
Ferbias flinched.
The first reason was that a fierce sll emanated from Athus' words, and the second reason was that he had been called by his school-day alias for the first ti in seven years.
Both reasons showed Athus' extre anger.
“Pel, my old friend Ferbias.”
The jade-green eyes were calm at a glance.
“I told you before, impatience is your greatest weakness.”
However, a rough storm had already begun to rage inside him.
Even the calst person had a reverse scale.
For Athus, his family and hotown were such.
The anger that ca from a reverse scale was more than just fierce; it was sharp.
Especially so, as he was originally a calm person.
“So please, be prudent. You are the one who will beco the emperor of Cordis.”
“……”
Ferbias swallowed his saliva.
There was a man who had insulted Athus' hotown before.
He was a master from Maesh, but he had ended up retiring because he beca one-ard.
It was frightening to even say whose doing it was.
“Phew……”
Athus caught his breath.
Then he bowed his head again and paid his respects.
“…Please forgive my impertinent words, Your Highness. I am still lacking in training.”
Ferbias was frozen.
“I will be back soon. Nothing will happen.”
“…Athus, you too……”
The Crown Prince, who had co to his senses, let out a mutter.
An unconcealable wound was in it.
He pushed the double-edged sword back towards his master and shouted.
“Alright, go! Do as you please!”
Ferbias Caseptus extended his hand.
He snatched the dal from Athus' neck.
It was an item that symbolized his position as the First Prince's confidant.
Ferbias, who had taken back the dal he had given, pointed his finger.
“But until you return, you are not my confidant. Go as a security knight or sothing!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I don't want to see you!”
Ferbias whipped his head around.
Athus paid no mind and slowly paid his respects.
“I, this Athus, will be back soon.”
***
Athus quickened his pace.
A few officials recognized him as the Crown Prince's confidant and paid their respects, but he paid them no mind.
‘My apologies, Your Highness.’
He glanced back at Ferbias' office with tired eyes.
‘Actually, the promise was just an excuse.’
He also knew.
What kind of ti it was.
How much Ferbias needed him.
His family's long-cherished wish was already old.
A few years was not an urgent matter.
However, there was a reason why he had to leave.
‘…There is anxiety, yes, I am leaving because there is anxiety.’
He didn't want to leave like this.
However, he couldn't be honest about it either.
His brow ached.
It ached so much that it was chilling.
It was the first ti his intuition had scread so intensely.
‘An absurd anxiety that I cannot possibly speak of will not leave .’
He touched his forehead with a hardened face, but the tornt only grew worse.
Soone was shouting inside him.
There is an imasurable threat, you must stop it, so leave, leave the capital!
He was shouting at the top of his lungs.
‘His Highness Zionis……’
He couldn't understand it himself.
He couldn't accept it.
And yet, a strangely large conviction was gradually taking root in his heart.
‘…The insane notion that he might be alive, this anxiety.’
The anxiety only grew.
He thought it had died down, but instead, it was as fierce as if it were exploding.
Was it a simple intuition?
Was it just a delusion?
It was not.
He already knew.
His intuition had always pointed only to the truth.
He couldn't explain it and wouldn't be believed, so he was just leaving by force.
‘Anyone can see that it's a situation where he couldn't possibly be alive. That is right, and it is extrely common sense.’
With an injured body, in the body of an eleven-year-old, after a grueling mountain journey in the rain, there was no way he could face a magical beast of the Sobel mountain range.
It was an impossible thing, even if he had so hidden power.
‘But it feels as if he is alive. It feels as if he will return, holding an imnse danger.’
He didn't know the reason.
He didn't know the thod either.
All the circumstances said that he was dead.
However, Athus' intuition did not waver in the slightest.
Zionis, Shion Pollinglight, was alive.
It was a crazy thing to say, but it was clear.
‘Therefore, I will leave.’
At this rate, it was close to a prophecy or a premonition.
It had already surpassed the realm of intuition.
However, Athus paid no mind.
His loyalty was imasurably firm.
‘I, this Athus, will confirm with my own two eyes whether His Highness Zionis is truly dead. And if he is not truly dead……’
His intention was clear.
As clear as his conviction.
Since it was a thing that only Athus knew and could do, there was not even a choice.
Now, he would just endure everything and achieve his goal.
‘…I will chase His Highness Zionis. I will find him that way, and this ti, I will finally take his life, and erase the threat to you……’
The sea-like jade light swayed violently.
“…I will return with his head.”
‘Succession War’ Arc End.
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