Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 204

204―――――

I’m sorry.

I have a family matter to attend to, so I must leave!

“You want me to trust you completely?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sion’s answer showed not a hint of hesitation.

Edgar IV stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter, ‘Kuh-ha!’

After laughing for a while, Edgar IV even muttered to himself, ‘Really, he’s an absurdly remarkable young man.’

“Sion Claussen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“No one dares to tell the king to trust them completely. Do you know why?”

Why else?

Of course, because the oath one must take is incredibly heavy and terrifying.

“Isn’t it because causing concern or failing to meet expectations could result in punishment for daring to insult the royal family?”

“You know well.

In that sense, are you really alright with this?

No matter how much my daughter cherishes you, a vassal who speaks carelessly quickly loses trust.

Especially one who dares to say, even before the king, that he should be trusted completely.”

It was a question and a warning: Can you take responsibility for what you’ve said? If the results don’t meet expectations, are you aware that you could face the most severe punishment without any leniency or forgiveness?

Most nobles would likely try to gauge the situation, step back, or find a roundabout way to avoid commitment.

Or they might try to deceive the other party with smooth words.

‘But all of that is useless in front of this old man.’

Edgar IV was already a clever king, and now, with his illness threatening to destabilize the royal family, he was keenly distinguishing between those to cut off and those to embrace and pass on to his successor.

In such a situation, it would be better to push forward frankly than to arouse suspicion with clever words.

“I have proven it with my actions.”

“Hmm?”

“At the very least, I am not someone who will harm this country or the royal family.

I will live my life with all my might.

And in that life, Hispaña [likely referring to the kingdom or country] and the royal family will be indispensable.

I am simply striving to protect that.”

“…You have been fighting for yourself until now, and as an extension of that, you have also been fighting for the royal family and the kingdom.

Is that what you’re saying?”

Sion smiled and replied.

“One who does not trust and love oneself cannot trust or love anything else.

Blind loyalty is the most dangerous thing, as Your Majesty and Princess Vanessa know.

Rather, having a vassal with such clear goals by one’s side is the safest and most reliable strategy, wouldn’t you agree?”

At Sion’s response, Edgar IV sighed, “Ha?”

Then, he chuckled once more and slowly shook his head.

“I simply cannot understand.”

“…”

“The Claussen I knew was somewhat rigid and stubbornly steadfast.

Where did a successor like you come from to cause such a headache?”

“I gratefully accept the compliment.”

More laughter.

Edgar IV continued to laugh like that before raising his hand as if to say it was enough.

“I have heard your intentions well.

Goodness, if I joked around any more, I might suffocate in this heavy atmosphere.”

Sion truly wanted to ask which part of what he had said was a joke.

Watching Edgar IV, who had been so serious and pressing just moments ago, now acting as if nothing had happened, Sion realized that the position of king was not something anyone could hold.

“So, what should we do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not pleasant to be questioned when you already know the answer, Duke Sion Claussen.

My son has completely lost his position, and my daughter has already confirmed my orders.

However, the situation is such that she must make a choice, which is why her return is delayed.”

“…”

“What do you think?

Is it right for only my daughter to return and for the expeditionary force to continue under the command of someone else?

Or should we bring them all back to the kingdom?”

If Hispaña were filled with fanatics who believed in the extreme doctrines of light, like the Holy Prussen [a theocratic state], this concern would be worthless.

How could they let a declared holy war and a carefully assembled expeditionary force end so futilely, without a single sword or spear being wielded? The repercussions would undoubtedly be immense.

But Hispaña is not the Holy Prussen.

And while the royal family allowed the doctrines of light to enter for the sake of the kingdom’s stability, they never showed any fanatical obsession with it.

Rather, they subtly guarded against such followers of light, watching those more devoted to religion than to the state with sharp eyes.

‘It’s a well-known fact among the nobles that Hispaña has been suffering from extreme followers of light for some time now.’

When they were first brought in, their intentions were clearly good.

They claimed they would judge the evil and injustice of the continent, bring peace and prosperity, and establish justice.

In the end, their goals aligned with the kingdom’s governing ideology, so the rulers tacitly acknowledged the doctrines of light and did not particularly hinder their growth.

But at some point, those pure intentions became corrupted and tainted.

What had existed for the poor and those in low places became a weapon for the wealthy and those in high places.

They became colluded in secret and grew at an alarming rate, now standing right before an era where those who did not believe in the doctrines of light could be called heretics.

‘The holy war is the brushstroke for the final picture.

On the surface, at least.’

Once the demons, the common enemy, disappear from the continent, the doctrines of light will lose their power.

If evil disappears, what meaning does good have?

So, what will they do then?

It’s obvious.

They will create new ‘evil.’

Those who do not believe can become that evil, or other non-human beings can become evil.

By constantly purging and eliminating, everyone will eventually lose their reason and become slaves of light, muttering only their will and waiting for the future.

‘The Celestial Race is aiming for that very moment.

They will purify those who want to resist but are bleeding and injured by others, calling them evil, and continue to claim that they are beings who descended for salvation.’

The Holy Prussen has already been completely taken over, and Nudia is almost finished.

Originally, Hispaña was supposed to follow the same path as Nudia, but the Celestial Race judged that it would take too long to devour Hispaña through normal means, so they switched to a method of plunging Hispaña into chaos and making them rely on themselves.

The continuous offensives of Nudia, the rise of the northern barbarians, the pirates of the south, the sudden attacks of other races, and even the suddenly rampaging monsters.

The fairies, who call themselves the seeds of the Celestial Race, joined forces to create these magnificent works.

Naturally, anxiety increased, and in the midst of that, it was easy to turn a spark into a massive firestorm by simply saying, ‘In fact, this was all the work of the demons!’

Thanks to this, they could start a holy war to eliminate the troublesome demons with the help of others, and at the same time, completely strip the power of those who might resist them.

‘That’s definitely how it went.

According to the novel.

But unfortunately, not anymore.’

Did they think he would be dragged along as they wished?

Of course not.

Some might ask if it wouldn’t be a good idea to play along to some extent and then stab them in the back, but Sion wanted to say that he absolutely refused to do that.

“Doesn’t Your Majesty already know the answer?”

Sion opened his mouth with a smile.

Surely Edgar IV wasn’t asking for advice because he couldn’t make a decision.

He must have wanted something from him to ask such a question.

And Sion intended to fully meet those expectations.

“Know the answer?”

“The previous Hispaña had no justifiable reason to refuse the holy war.

Rather, Your Majesty accepted the request of the Holy Prussen, who advocated for the holy war, because you might have faced resistance from the followers of light within the kingdom, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.

That’s what happened.

But why is that relevant?”

“Now there is a reason to bring the expeditionary force back home, isn’t there?”

What is most important just before the winds of change begin to blow?

It is to maintain stability in everything so that no chaos arises.

If they were to depose Prince Erader and appoint Princess Vanessa as the next ruler, there might be a temporary backlash from the nobles.

They would say that choosing the second child, who could cause confusion, as the next ruler, instead of the son, especially the firstborn, would surely lead to chaos in the kingdom in the future.

Furthermore, if all the forces that could support Princess Vanessa participated in the holy war and returned later, damaged here and there, the kingdom could fall into even greater chaos.

‘That’s why we need to bring the expeditionary force back even more.’

What insane family would send all their people out when there is trouble at home?

Of course, they would bring everyone back to calm the family first.

Anyone who criticized that would not only be lacking in understanding or compassion but would simply be a bastard.

If the house is collapsing, how can anyone go elsewhere to do other things? Is that even human?

They would be worse than beasts.

“Designating a successor between two competitors is certainly important.

Especially when that successor is taking the position of the next ruler, who will oversee the entire country, not just some noble’s territory.

How can we leave the most important ‘military’ force outside when we don’t know what kind of chaos will come?”

“Hmm.”

“No matter how much they claim it’s for the continent, for peace, justice, or light, it’s only worth protecting and suffering for if the house is intact.

Who can go out and do anything when the house is burning and collapsing, and the family is fighting?”

Edgar IV’s smile deepened at Sion’s passionate words.

Just as the chamberlain returned with tea, Sion paused the conversation and drank tea with the king, taking a moment to catch his breath and reorganize his thoughts.

‘Now that Prince Erader is impotent, Edgar IV will definitely choose Vanessa.

He’s not the kind of person who would choose the adoptive son card, which is a weakness in terms of legitimacy.

Unless he loved Prince Erader that much, the man before him would choose the country over his children.

Of course, Prince Erader is eliminated, completely eliminated!’

The changes among the southern nobles will soon be reported to the king’s ears.

If he confirms that Prince Erader’s forces have naturally shifted to Princess Vanessa’s side, then all that remains is to hand over the military force, large and skilled enough to participate in the holy war, to Princess Vanessa.

Without military power, all legitimacy is useless.

Therefore, they must bring back the forces that have gone out, have them stand by in their positions, and have them swear allegiance to the next ruler so that there are no creaking parts from the day the new ruler’s reign begins.

“Won’t the Holy Prussen stay still?”

“What can they do?

No matter how great the holy war is, it is impossible to send only the successor to the position of determining the country’s ruler and carry out a major task outside the country.”

“They may show understanding.

But they will definitely try to retaliate in small ways.”

“…”

“Judging by your expression, it seems you have already anticipated that much.”

As expected, he’s a quick-witted old man.

As Sion smiled with that thought, Edgar IV muttered in disbelief, ‘How did such a fellow emerge from under the Margrave of Lichten?’

“If you anticipated it, you must have also thought of a way to counter it.”

“I have thought of some things in advance.”

“I don’t understand why someone like you is content with your current position.

If it were others, they would have tried to change the three-duke system to a four-duke system, or even aimed for the overthrow of the state.”

“You’re joking too much.”

“Even if you don’t, if the people around you stir things up and others misunderstand, the joke may become reality.

Keep that in mind, Duke Sion Claussen.

Sometimes, even if your will is firm, you may not be able to protect it because of those around you.”

It was quite realistic advice.

As Sion inwardly muttered that fathers were all wise men no matter where you went, he took a sip of his tea, saying that he would keep it in mind.

“However, I am worried.”

“…Yes?”

“Even though things have suddenly turned out this way, the Holy Prussen and Nudia will not be very pleased with our Hispaña.

They will surely be dissatisfied that we are suddenly returning just as we were about to enter the Mortal Realm.”

“Eventually, they will understand.

It’s not like Nudia or the Holy Prussen don’t have royal families, is it?”

What can they do when there is trouble at home?

Of course, they have to let them go.

If they don’t let them go and drag things out, and then something bigger happens, they will become enemies with the words ‘It’s all because of you!’

‘Well, of course, I can guess how the doves and the pointy-eared bastards who follow them will react.

Very clearly.’

They will probably try to create a reason why Hispaña must attack the demons unconditionally.

The best way to do that would be to harm Princess Vanessa by disguising it as a demon attack.

‘Just in case, don’t do that.’

Otherwise, the protagonist might tear you limb from limb.

‘Chicken without legs or wings isn’t very appealing, is it?’

―――――――Author’s Notes―――――――

I like legs ···!

Anyway, wing lovers, leg lovers, breast meat lovers, just chicken lovers, all press recommend!