Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 240

240

The Inauguration

“Oh, you who bear the name of Hispania.

I ask of you.”

Edgar IV, greatly aged and struggling to even appear at official events.

Yet, on this day, he stood more resolute than ever before.

Not on the throne he usually occupied, but on a platform, facing his daughter kneeling before him.

It was a ceremony to welcome the new monarch of this nation.

“Can you bear the responsibility for the royal family and the nation through any storm and hardship?”

“I shall.

I swear on the blood of Hispania flowing within me and the name bestowed upon me in this place.”

“Though in the highest position, you must care for those in the lowest. Though strongest, you must protect the weakest. Though noblest, you must love even the most humble.

Can you truly do this? Can you swear not to stray down a wrong path, intoxicated by power?”

“I can. I swear.”

“Then show it. Walk yourself to see what path you must take, how low you must go, and how far you must walk.”

As Edgar IV finished speaking, Princess Vanessa slowly rose.

Immediately, the chamberlain standing beside her nodded slightly, and Sion approached Princess Vanessa as he had rehearsed countless times, carefully removing her shoes.

“Your Highness.”

As Sion whispered, Princess Vanessa nodded in understanding, took off her splendid outer robe, and slowly turned around.

Then, another person approached, received the robe, and handed her a plain, even somewhat shabby-looking outer garment that they had been holding.

Vanessa Princess took it without hesitation and put it on.

Slowly descending the steps, she stepped barefoot onto the main street of the royal palace without hesitation.

“Let’s go, Sion Clausel.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Each time Princess Vanessa took a step, the people of the kingdom bowed, showing respect for the royal family.

At the same time, nobles scattered flowers before her, expressing with all their being that they would walk alongside her.

Passing through the main street paved with stones and coarse gravel, Vanessa entered a small dirt path.

Usually, there were small pebbles or gravel scattered, but this time, there was nothing but fine soil on the ground.

“The people of the kingdom must have worked very hard.”

As Princess Vanessa said, before the inauguration, the people of the kingdom voluntarily swept and cleaned all the roads of the royal palace for this ceremony, taking care that the princess would not hurt her feet.

It seemed natural, but the fact that they had taken such care that not even the smallest pebble was visible was proof that both King Edgar IV and the soon-to-be Queen Vanessa were remembered as very good people by the people of the kingdom.

“Your Highness will have to work even harder in the future.

For the sake of the next kings.”

“You’re right.

Honestly, I’m not as confident as my father yet.”

“I guarantee that Princess Vanessa will become a great queen.”

“…”

Perhaps if she weren’t in the middle of a ceremony, Princess Vanessa would have stopped and looked at Sion, who was following behind her.

How could he say such things with such a confident tone?

She wanted to ask what evidence he had to believe in her so much when he hardly knew anything about her.

‘I’m afraid of you.’

Yes, she was so scared.

She was afraid of the person named Sion Clausel.

She couldn’t understand why he looked at her with such eyes, why he showed such feelings.

She had been trapped in past prejudices and rashly judged the person named Sion Clausel.

Without knowing that he was a butterfly who would spread his gorgeous wings and fly beautifully in the future.

Without knowing that he was the one who would become the wings of the next king and help her reach places she had never been before.

But that man looked at her with ‘certainty,’ not just misunderstanding or overconfidence, but with righteous eyes full of conviction, and told her to have ambition.

As if he had recognized that Vanessa was the true material of a king who could lead Hispania.

‘That expectation was appreciated, but it was also a burden, and it was scary.

Sion Clausel, you are already such a great person, and if someone like you supports me so strongly, I fear that I will become a monarch who does not live up to that expectation.

I was very afraid of that.’

But now it’s okay.

Yes, now she doesn’t care.

She doesn’t worry about it.

“You’ll always be behind me, right?”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

She asked without looking back, and the answer came right away.

Princess Vanessa smiled and continued to walk.

Yes, as that man following behind her said.

Sion Clausel would always watch her from behind, waiting for her to step forward at any time.

He may deny it himself, but heroes are destined to be that way.

Being able to live in the same era as that hero, and being a queen supported by that hero, was now turning into a sense of relief rather than fear.

“Sir Sion Clausel.

What do you want?”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone has something they want.

Power, fame, wealth.

Some say all those things are futile, but you can only be faithful to ‘life’ if you have a desire for them.

That’s why our ancestors did, my father did, and I do, continuing a kind of transaction with the nobles, giving what we can give and taking what we can take.”

Passing through a small alley, they stepped back onto the main street.

Royal knights were guarding them not far away, and magicians and security personnel were shining their eyes in preparation for any possible situation, but even they could not properly hear the conversation between the two.

“I’m trying not to make a mistake later.

So, I’d like you to tell me what you want.

If I know that, there’s no reason for the relationship between you and me to become uncomfortable.”

Sion didn’t know it, but this was an incredibly unconventional proposal.

A promise to help and care so that whatever he said could be achieved.

He was recognized as the closest aide to the next king, in name and reality.

What answer would Sion Clausel give?

He didn’t seem to have much interest in wealth or power like other nobles, so would he want something else?

Greater fame, or a new stage where he could freely express his will?

“I just want to live.”

“…What?”

This time, Princess Vanessa’s steps stopped slightly, perhaps because she was really surprised.

But soon she regained her composure and opened her mouth again as she walked.

“Just want to live?”

“That’s what I said.

It’s not that I have some profound meaning or want something else, or that I’m speaking indirectly.

Just wanting to live as I am is all I want.”

With amazing beauties by his side, the title of hero of the kingdom, and even holding the protagonist in his grasp.

If it weren’t for the antics of the pigeons or pointy-ears, Sion would have just wanted to live quietly like that.

Who would refuse a life where they could enjoy everything they could?

Humans are animals that endlessly desire and are greedy, but Sion had no intention of becoming one of those stupid guys who go broke because of that greed.

“…That’s a very strange answer.”

“There’s nothing strange about it.

It’s just an answer I give because I’m satisfied with my current life and don’t need anything more, so there’s no need for Your Highness to question it.”

“Still, isn’t it normal for a man to give a somewhat 멋진 [meotjin – cool/stylish] answer in front of a woman, even on purpose?

Even a man called the hero of the kingdom is telling such a simple story.”

A simple story, perhaps she would realize that it wouldn’t be simple in a little while.

Sion looked at Princess Vanessa, who didn’t know about the crazy sea of fire that the pigeon bastards would bring to the continent, and thought that he should try harder.

In that way, Princess Vanessa walked and walked through every road in the royal palace for several hours.

No matter how much they cleaned the roads and laid flowers, walking like this would be quite tiring.

Moreover, she was not professionally trained like soldiers or knights.

“Are you alright?”

“Worry about yourself.

I’m fine.”

In fact, that was true.

Still, unlike Princess Vanessa, who knew how to handle mana, Sion was literally mana impotent.

But there was something Princess Vanessa didn’t know: Sion’s basic stamina and the power he gained from the North allowed him to endure to some extent even without mana.

‘At first, I thought we were just taking a walk, but at this point, it’s almost like a march.’

Of course, it was fortunate that he didn’t have to carry his military gear like back then.

Sion watched Princess Vanessa, who was going through every corner of the royal palace in a way that seemed really harsh, even though he thought the ceremony would end simply with receiving the throne, and muttered that she was quite capable, but also a future queen who would be 은근히 [eungeunhi – subtly/secretly] tiring.

After going through all the last roads, Princess Vanessa turned back and moved to the royal palace, not the place where she started the road.

When she arrived at the place where the coronation would be held, those who had been waiting in advance changed Princess Vanessa’s attire into clothes suitable for the next king, and the maids washed her feet and put on her shoes again.

Princess Vanessa, who had looked like an extremely ordinary woman until just now, returned to being a noble being of a country, looking at Sion with a face full of spirit and dignity.

“Thank you for walking that long road with me, Sir Sion Clausel.

From now on, we will meet not as a princess and a noble, but as a master and a subject.”

Before heading to the coronation, Princess Vanessa opened her mouth like that.

Now that it was really the last thing she would say as a ‘princess,’ Sion smiled even brighter than before and bowed deeply.

“It was an honor to be with you.

And, it will be an honor to be with you.

‘Your Majesty.’”

Princess Vanessa looked at him for a moment and then turned around as if it was enough now.

And now, she slowly moved her steps towards Edgar IV, who would become the former king, and the crown and scepter neatly placed next to him.

Edgar IV, who had been waiting for today’s protagonist, greeted her with a voice and expression that were firmer than ever before, forgetting even his old age.

“Did you see it?

That is the path you must take.

The path that the noblest, strongest, and highest in the kingdom must take will sometimes be a main street covered with flowers, and sometimes a narrow and muddy road.

For those in the lowest place, for the weakest, for the most humble.

Do not forget the oath you made.

Princess Vanessa Rinkle Hispania.

No, the new king of Hispania.”

The crown, shining more brilliantly in the afternoon sunlight, heads over Princess Vanessa’s head.

Edgar IV was finally able to pass on that object, which was a symbol of being the supreme ruler of a country and, at the same time, contained a warning that he had to bear heavier obligations than anyone else.

“Now that the rightful ruler of Hispania and the new head of the royal family has just entered, let all those gathered here willingly follow the orders of the new king.”

Edgar IV steps back with a relieved smile, as if he has finished everything.

The princess, no, the Queen of Hispania, who is now left alone in this glorious place, takes a light breath and slowly rises from her seat.

“Glory to the new king of Hispania!

Infinite prosperity to those who follow!”

Starting with Edgar IV’s cry, all the nobles of the kingdom gathered in the place express their awe at the appearance of the new master and wish blessings for all those who will follow her.

The queen finally ascends to a new path, looking down at everyone in the kingdom from the highest place and examining the path she must take.

“Volko Redenen, the head of the Redenen Marquis family, pays homage to the Queen!”

“Joaquin Gutchen, Marquis of Gutchen, pledges eternal loyalty to the new King.”

“Estia of the Oner Marquis family dares to greet the Queen.”

All three Marquis families of Hispania prostrate themselves and pay respect to the new master.

Following them, the remaining Count families and all the nobles of the kingdom bow their heads and pledge their loyalty to the newly risen Queen.

“May your tomorrow be filled with the same light as yesterday.”

Vanessa expresses her gratitude with an extremely short and simple but sincere answer.

In response, all the nobles rise from their seats and shout again.

“Glory to the new king of Hispania!

Infinite prosperity to those who follow!”

Finally, Princess Vanessa succeeded Edgar IV and became the King of Hispania.

It was the moment when one of the things Sion had worked so hard to achieve was finally completed.

‘···Is this the feeling of raising all your children and sending them off to their weddings?’

Unfortunately, Sion himself had no children, let alone a woman, so he couldn’t know.

To put it bluntly, it was like when the protagonist of a novel he had been reading all night finally reached a happy ending, and he let out a light sigh and put an end to the long story.

‘The real story, the real hardship, is just beginning.’

Still, shouldn’t he be swept away by this atmosphere and laugh and chat for at least today?

Sion thought so and sincerely prayed for Vanessa.

Long live, The Queen.

―

“I heard a new king has ascended.”

“…A new king has ascended, huh.”

The man muttered like that and lightly flicked off something that was burning and blazing.

“Then, shall we try dropping it once?”

―――――――Author’s Note―――――――

My condition is…

I can’t say it’s normal yet, but.