724. [Side Story] Lake Kingdom (5)
Dirandahi, the research director who led the expedition to the East Continent, was secretly arrested and brought to the royal castle.
“There was an accident during the expedition.”
Dirandahi said calmly.
“The environment on the Eastern Continent was harsher than expected. We had a lot of trouble building the search base, but just before we returned, a pillar of fire burning the sky hit the base.”
“….”
“When we were all on the verge of death, Prince Christian made a heroic decision… He let us all pass through the teleportation gate and remained alone at the search base.”
Dirandahi bowed his head to Ariel.
“Knowing his heart, we had no choice but to escape, shedding blood and tears.”
“….”
“I am truly sorry, princess. “Because we are not good enough…”
Ariel, looking down at Diran Dahi, who was shedding tears, coldly blurted out.
“Don’t lie, Dirandahi.”
“…!”
“My brother is a selfish person. “He would have his subordinates sacrificed for his own purposes, but he would not sacrifice his life for them.”
It was a cold but accurate assessment.
A bitter, disappointed smile flashed across Diran Dahi’s face as he bowed. Ariel urged.
“Please report this truth in detail! “What on earth happened on the Eastern Continent?”
“…Prince Christian is too unfit to be king.”
Dirandahi, wiping away fake tears, spoke in a dry voice.
“I could tell because we were close friends and had seen each other for a long time. He should not be king.”
“I beg your pardon…?”
Dilandahi slowly raised his head and looked up at Ariel.
“And…Princess Ariel. “The princess is truly worthy of being the next king.”
“….”
Dirandahi continued speaking to Ariel, who was looking down with a pale complexion.
“I would appreciate it if you knew that this Diran Dahi planned this event with only a loyal heart for the thousand-year future of our Lake Kingdom.”
“…So what is it?”
Ariel clenched her fists and let out a trembling voice.
“In order to prevent my brother from becoming the next king… I lured him in with a lie that he had the magic of immortality and left him alone on the Eastern Continent?!”
“The information that there is a magic of immortality in the East Continent is not false. “It’s just a rumor.”
Dirandahi chuckled.
“And I didn’t abandon it. There was no result during the search for the past month, and a small accident occurred just before returning… The prince was stranded at the search base alone.”
“You caused it that way!”
“But it was the prince’s own will to go there.”
To become a person worthy of the throne. The rest suffered from pressure to accumulate overwhelming achievements.
The prince ended up disappearing at the eastern end of the world after clinging to the magic of immortality, which seemed like an illusion that could not exist.
“Prince Christian will not return alive.”
Diran Dahi laughed.
“And His Majesty the King is seriously ill.”
“you…!”
“Princess Ariel.”
Dirandahi spoke with an unwavering expression, as if he had no regrets whatsoever.
“Ascend to the throne. And the Lake Kingdom… please continue the glory of this country that has conquered the world.”
“…!”
“That’s all the unscrupulous subject wants.”
Ariel became dizzy and closed her eyes tightly.
‘Crown, crown, what kind of crown is that…’
Should her brother’s life be put in jeopardy because of a position she never once aspired to have?…
Grinding her teeth, Ariel shouted to the subordinate next to her.
“Send a rescue team to the East Continent immediately!”
“Yes, princess. And…”
the subordinate asked cautiously.
“How can I report this to His Majesty the King…”
“…”
Ariel chewed her lips with a pale complexion and then looked back.
As expected, I saw the fake prince – Ader, standing with a puzzled face.
“…Abama is sick, so we shouldn’t cause her any unnecessary trouble.”
Ariel, having made up her mind, nodded.
“Rescuing my brother comes first. “This matter is confidential.”
“yes.”
“And Ader.”
Ariel smiled weakly at Ader.
“Please act as a stand-in for me a little longer.”
“…Yes, princess.”
Ader bowed her head and felt it at the same time.
An ominous air.
A vague stench rising from the base of the country.
***
Same time.
Eastern continent.
“Huh oh oh oh oh!”
Prince Christian sat down in the ruins, covered in blood.
It was a building built by humans, proving that there was once a civilization on this continent. But now it was a completely collapsed ruin.
Christian, who was out of breath, trembled and looked up at the sky.
It was burning.
Flames billowed from the red sky and poured down like rain. Each time, the ruins, which had nothing more to ride, were once again engulfed in deterioration.
I don’t know what happened to turn the entire continent into a land of death.
The Eastern Continent was a place where survival, let alone exploration, was difficult.
And in this land, the expedition returned by teleport, leaving only Christian alone. Subsequently, the gate connection was lost and Christian was isolated.
‘Dirandahi, why do you treat me like this…’
Christian trembled with dry lips.
Dirandahi’s intention to find the magic of immortality may have been true to some extent. If he had been thinking of getting rid of himself, he wouldn’t have done such a troublesome thing.
But when I came here in person, there was no hope. Where in this living hell is there such magic left?
So, when Dirandahi gave up the magic of immortality, he even abandoned himself as a prince.
There was a tug-of-war between the prince and the princess, trying to see which side they would take, and they ended up going with the more certain side.
‘Are you saying I’m not worth that much…?’
Christian laughed helplessly as he crawled on the dirt floor, blazing with heat.
‘Are you saying that I am so hopeless as a king that even Dirandahi, who was on my side, abandoned me…?’
Now that fact wasn’t even miserable anymore.
I just desperately wanted a sip of water.
Christian closed his eyes, leaning his back against the hot stone wall.
‘Is this how I die…’
Unable to achieve anything, in vain like this…
Christian, who bitterly accepted his fate, quietly waited for the end.
And that was then.
Slipping…
I heard the cool sound of water in front of me.
‘huh?’
When Christian slowly opened his eyes, thinking he had heard something wrong.
A glass full of clear water was held out in front of me.
Someone wearing a robe standing right in front of me was holding the glass and shaking it slightly.
“Are you thirsty? Now, drink it all up.”
“…!”
It didn’t matter if it was in vain or anything.
Christian quickly took the glass and drank it down. The water that immediately went down my throat was fragrant and cool.
“Thank you. Thank you very much.”
Christian, who frantically swallowed a glass of wine, bowed his head and returned the glass.
The person who returned the glass was a shadow-like figure wearing a robe.
An eerie white smile was wide open like a crack on a face made of shadows.
‘huh?’
No, it wasn’t.
It seemed like I was seeing something wrong due to dehydration. The person standing in front of me was a white-haired old man with a benevolent expression.
The old man stroked his beard and smiled softly.
“It’s been a long time since I saw anyone in this land. Are you okay?”
“If my benefactor had not given me water, I would have died.”
Christian bowed his head repeatedly and asked cautiously.
“May I ask the name of your benefactor?”
“hmm. “I have many nicknames.”
The old man muttered, rubbing his beard.
“The granting angel, the master of monkey hands, the leaping constellation… But for now, I would like to introduce it like this.”
Christian’s eyes widened at the words that followed.
“An immortal sage.”
“…!”
“You don’t seem to be from this continent… What did you come here looking for?”
The old man’s smiling face while saying those words looked to Christian like an angel who had descended to earth.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know. “I will do my best to help you.”
A wide smile appeared on Christian’s face as he found the person he had been looking for for a very long time.
likewise.
The old man also smiled brightly, as if he had found the person he had been waiting for for a very long time.
***
Half a year later.
The Lake Kingdom was becoming more prosperous.
Every day, songs praising the royal reign flowed from the huge city-state floating on a clear lake. The national power became stronger and the lives of not only citizens but also non-citizens became stable.
The king’s condition worsened and he was bedridden. Prince Christian and Princess Ariel ruled the country well.
“….”
Prince Christian No.
His fake counterpart, Ader, looked down blankly at the streets of the Lake Kingdom bathed in clear sunlight.
Citizens gathered at the fountain square burst into laughter next to the gushing clean water. The huge city-state was peaceful and beautiful.
Both citizens and non-citizens of the Lake Kingdom blessed the excellence of the prince and princess who would succeed the king and rejoiced in the country’s planned prosperity.
And every time Ader heard that praise, she felt uncomfortable and couldn’t bear it.
How long must I continue to play this fake prince?
But the time to reveal the truth never came. That’s right too.
“Heo, heo, heo, heo…”
It was because the king was dying.
Ader took her eyes off the window and looked inside the room – the king buried in a large bed and the princess Ariel nursing him.
The king was breathing heavily with a yellow face. He was already close to death.
How can I reveal this to a king like this?
The person pretending to be a prince in front of you is a fake and the real prince has gone missing on the Eastern Continent?
Rescue teams have been dispatched to the Eastern Continent several times so far. Coco of Nanny Cut, a master of teleportation magic, took the lead in leading the rescue team.
However, no trace of the prince could be found, and the rescue team was almost destroyed several times. The Eastern Continent was truly a land of death.
Time passed helplessly and half a year passed. Christian’s death was already a foregone conclusion.
However, the story could not be brought up to the king. It was obvious that the king’s already bad condition would worsen.
“I don’t want to die, Christian Ariel….”
The king, who was panting, cried out with difficulty.
“I have conquered everything in my life, but in the end I cannot overcome this death…”
“Abama.”
“But now I have to accept it… Christian Where is Christian…?”
Ader, who was standing by the window, hurriedly went to the side of the bed.
The King nodded with a serious expression, completely believing that the fake son was real.
“I can’t tell you how fortunate I am that you have come to your senses and are living comfortably as a prince.”
“No, Abama. “There is still a shortage of electronic devices.”
“Yeah, it’s not enough. But I made the right decision, so that’s enough. Ariel will fill in what you lack.”
Ader and Ariel’s eyes widened as they realized what the King was trying to say.
The King reached out his hand and held Christian’s hand, then gave strength to his cold hand.
“Christian. From now on, you will rule this country.”
“…!”
“You will inherit the throne. Become the next king and lead the Lake Kingdom.”
Ariel, who had been frozen, barely opened her mouth.
“Abama, actually…!”
“huh?”
“Your brother… Oh, your brother….”
He is already dead.
The person you are holding hands with is a fake double.
Is it right to say this to a father who is on his deathbed?
But shouldn’t we stop passing the throne to a fake prince like this?
Ariel froze, not knowing what to do. It was then.
“Abama.”
Ader smiled softly and touched the King’s hand.
“Please pass the throne to Ariel.”
“…!”
“I will do my best to help Ariel from now on.”
The king knew that Ariel was more capable, but he loved Christian more.
Ader, who had been pretending to be a fake Christian for the past six months, could painfully realize that fact. So, it was also expected that if the King were to hand over the throne, that opponent would be Christian.
So I prepared in advance to say this.
“It is the right thing to do for this country. “Don’t you know better?”
“….”
“Please hand over the throne to Ariel, Abama. “I will pray like this.”
The king’s eyes filled with tears. This was because he was moved by Christian’s maturity in eventually giving up the throne to his younger brother.
“Yes… If you continue to maintain your friendship like this, your father will have nothing to worry about…”
The King turned his head to Ariel.
“Ariel.”
“…Yes, Abama.”
“Will you… lead this country in the future?”
iced coffee.
Ariel swallowed her tears and lowered her head.
The guilt of lying to her father weighed on her until the last moment, but she also knew that this was for the best.
“Even though my body is weak, I will follow the wishes of Abama and Onii-sama…”
That was the moment when Ariel was about to reply that she would do so.
Jump up!
The king’s bedroom door opened roughly, and knights and soldiers rushed in.
It was Baltimore, the checkpoint supervisor, and his knights. Baltimore shouted, kneeling almost face down in front of the bed.
“Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty! “I have an urgent matter to report!”
Ariel shouted.
“Lord Baltimore! Abama is in critical condition! “How could this be…”
However, Ariel became frozen like ice at the words Baltimore spoke right after.
“His Royal Highness Prince Christian has returned home!”
“…?!”
“They say you have returned from the Eastern Continent! As a result of confirmation, this is definitely the real Christian. “He asked to see His Majesty right away and he is coming here now!”
The air in the room became cold.
“…Christian was out of the country? And now he’s back?”
The king, who had been blinking blankly, slowly turned his head to the side.
“Then this man…”
Ader stood there, pale and trembling like an aspen.
“Who is this man who told me to hand over the throne to Ariel?”
