Episode 225
“It was only three days ago that I heard the news of the rotation, but I had no idea that the waiting period would be this difficult. Logan McLane.”
At first glance, the king’s face, as he raised his drink on the throne, seemed to be filled with madness.
The knights of McLane who surrounded him were only looking at Logan, as if they were invisible.
Under those gazes, Logan slowly walked forward with a somewhat stern expression.
Jump and jump.
Then he stopped right in front of the king and looked up into his blue eyes.
Eyes that are bloodshot but unwavering.
Contrary to what one might have guessed, the eyes did not look like someone under the influence of drugs.
So naturally a question arose.
“…Why on earth did you do this, Your Majesty?”
Everything almost went wrong because of you.
Although he maintained a polite demeanor, Logan did not hide at all that he had a life in his heart.
‘Unless he was under the influence of drugs…’
If he did this in his right mind, that is more of a problem.
“Your Majesty? Is that why you still call me Your Majesty at this point? This is an honor.”
However, the king, who took the brunt of the superhuman’s murder, did not stop sarcasm even though he looked tired.
This is something that a person who is dependent on drugs can never do.
Logan’s expression as he looked at the king became increasingly hard.
“…If this hadn’t happened, you could have continued to be called that.”
“I guess so. If only I listened to you and lived like a puppet.”
“This is the way for the country.”
“Country? It must be the path for you. Don’t make ridiculous excuses.”
“Do you really think that’s an excuse?”
A calm, firm complexion.
A burning energy in the red eyes.
The king’s complexion became a little more pale as he faced the power of a superman again.
but.
The king immediately gritted his teeth and raised his voice.
“A subject holds on to all power under the pretext of serving the country and doesn’t let go? Ha, do you know what history calls such people? People like you…!”
The king, whose pale face suddenly turned red, glared at Logan for a moment and continued speaking.
“…They say you are a traitor!”
Logan paused at the unexpected words, but the king shouted again as if he was spitting out blood.
“Or shall I call you a tyrant, Logan McLane? You treacherous traitor who will now kill me and make himself king! Hahaha!”
The king’s smile, covering his face, showed the madness of someone who had given up everything.
But Logan did not waver.
“A tyrant… A king who starts a war just because his subjects are annoying is truly a tyrant.”
If he was so drugged that he couldn’t tell the truth, I would have thought about confining him to death or saving his life.
But if not….
Sneak.
‘kill.’
A flame bloomed in Logan’s red eyes, and a golden aura blazed on his drawn sword.
However, even though the king encountered the superhuman auror right in front of him, instead of being scared, he started giggling and laughing at what was so funny.
“Kkeukkeuk. Yes, that’s your nature. Are you saying you want to kill me because I’m annoying? It would be great if you were as honest in your words as you are in your actions. Giggle.”
“…Your Majesty is the one who brought this situation on yourself.”
The king’s expression, which had been chuckling at the words he spoke with anger in his eyes, hardened.
“Hah?! I brought it upon myself? Don’t be funny, Logan McLane! Let’s be honest with you. Is this really for the good of the country? Isn’t it just your greed?”
But the answer that followed that angry shout was like a cold knife.
“If I had been greedy, I wouldn’t have put you on the throne in the first place.”
“Maybe it was because you needed a puppet! Even if I hadn’t created this situation, wouldn’t you have killed me someday? Why? Because I won’t follow your wishes!”
“It’s not that you’re not following your will, it’s that you’re making a fuss! It’s your Majesty who crossed the line first!”
Two people facing each other, shouting at each other.
The same flame was blooming in both red and blue eyes.
“Line? Crossing the line? Me, the king? No, you must have been the one who crossed the line! Look at yourself! Is that what a vassal would say?”
“What can’t you say to a monarch who traps his subjects by even harming himself!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s so you can have this country! Are you really planning on letting me live even if I continue to defy your wishes? Because you’re the king? Huh? Answer me, the great Lord Logan McLane!”
Those words greatly increased the fire burning in Logan’s eyes.
– You don’t want to be king?
The last question left by the fallen teacher.
Because it brought back to mind a question I couldn’t easily answer.
If it had been before I went to the Empire, I would have been able to answer with certainty.
I have no intention of becoming king. Everyone just needs to work together to find a way to stop the empire.
But now?
‘I don’t have time for that. Get rid of anyone who gets in the way of preparing to face the empire. Even if it is…
a king.
We will not tolerate anyone who interferes.
The fire burning in my heart was telling me a clear answer.
It was natural.
It was ridiculous to be hesitant even after seeing the power of the empire firsthand.
But there was no way the king could understand his psychology.
“No, even if I had obeyed your words, wouldn’t I have ended up like this at some point? How long will I have to live in your cage, trembling with anxiety?”
The king looks at himself with maddened eyes.
A king who put himself on the throne.
And now the voice of the king who wanted to take him down with his own hands penetrated his ears.
‘I became a threat to the king?’
I understand.
But so what?
Logan gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
‘There is no turning back now.’
After coming this far, I couldn’t have taken any other path.
Now you want to reconcile and cooperate with the king?
Establish another king, but take away real power and control it yourself?
‘What does it all mean?’
I now know the cause of the unfortunate situation that has occurred.
So so that something like this never happens again.
‘I will move everything myself.’
The flame that bloomed in the red eyes became a golden aura and burned on the sword.
“That is no excuse for doing something like this, Your Majesty!”
As the murderous shout echoed throughout Daejeon and put pressure on the king, the king burst into laughter again.
“Your Majesty. Your Majesty. Hehehe.”
Jeez.
“Stop talking nonsense about it being for the country or anything, and just be honest, Logan McLane. I just want to take over this country!
”
“I’m saying don’t be so hypocritical and just kill him! Kkeukkeuk. Yes, those eyes. Eyes burning with desire! They’re honest and good!”
“Is that the end of what you have to say?”
The king’s eyes, which had been spewing out abusive language, wavered as the blade approached his eyes.
however.
“Hehe. I’m really curious about what the great tyrant who killed his teacher for his ambitions will do now. It’s a pity that I won’t be able to see what happens after that.”
Blood flowed from the corner of the king’s mouth as he spat out words that were close to a curse.
“poison?!”
The King smiled one last time as he saw the surprise on Logan’s face.
“Hehehehe. I will die as a king. Even if it’s my end, I… I will decide…”
The king’s face turned dark in an instant, and Logan, with a complex expression, just stared at the dead king for a long time.
* * * Inside the stone chamber with no visible windows on either side, Cleo took out a fist-sized bead from her bosom.
The only bead that emits blue light in a dark stone room.
As he infused the encrypted mana pattern, a dusky blue light began to flicker, and the only path that connected him to his past after working in a foreign land for a long time soon projected a familiar illusion.
As soon as Cleo saw the vision, she immediately fell down on the spot and spoke softly.
“Crow No. 3. Here’s a mission report, Your Highness.”
At that voice, the illusion that was looking down at Cleo, who was lying face down, slowly opened its mouth.
[Say.]
“The second civil war in Grandia was resolved much faster than expected. It ended much faster than the worst-case scenario that we had expected, so we had no choice but to take refuge.”
I prepared a detailed excuse, but the question that came back was simple.
[…The king?]
“…I tried to bring him out, but he was so stubborn that I failed. It was not a situation to move the ‘ghosts’, so I couldn’t use force. I’m sorry.”
[Ha failed…? The chaos in Grandia will be resolved sooner than expected. This is difficult…]
“…I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Cleo’s head sank further as she heard the cold voice coming from the second prince, the person in the communication sphere.
But the second prince just clicked his tongue and looked down at him.
And the voice that followed was even less warm than before.
[It’s difficult. This is troublesome. Should I be satisfied with just failing the swordsman…]
A harsh remark in a quiet tone.
But the moment you answer this question, hell will unfold.
Cleo lowered her head even further and did not move.
‘Maybe the swordsman is still alive.’
That single word was never said out loud.
Because there was no need to say things that were unfavorable to you.
‘The moment you go against your will, you die. So…’
For now, I just lie flat on my face.
“It’s all because of a lack of people. Please punish them.”
bang.
The sound of impact echoing throughout the stone chamber.
Cleo’s face, which hit her forehead on the floor, was stained red with the blood that flowed down.
Nevertheless, once again.
bang.
“I ask you to forgive me for distorting the great world!”
Even as blood flowed down her eyebrows, Cleo did not blink.
Did that strong appeal work?
[Tsk…]
The expression of the 2nd prince in the communication sphere seemed to have relaxed a little.
[It was done. Since he is responsible for killing the previous king and causing the first civil war, his fault will be compensated for. Now that I think about it, the war ended quickly because of him. It’s Logan McLane. Suddenly, a guy like that pops out from nowhere…]
‘Thank goodness.’
It’s not something that requires an answer, so I just bow my head again.
As if he suddenly remembered something, the 2nd prince suddenly asked.
[It wouldn’t have left any traces, right?]
A question that suddenly came to me in a relaxed situation.
However, since it was one of the expected questions, the answer was quick.
“Yes! Leave suspicion but no evidence. The Crow’s principles were perfectly followed this time too.”
[What about Temia’s powder? Isn’t it bound to leave traces on the king’s body?]
This must have been the question aimed at from the beginning.
‘If I were to say I couldn’t handle it properly, it would be the end of me too.’
But he was confident.
A smile appeared on Cleo’s face for the first time.
It was an unintentional, natural expression of confidence.
“I didn’t use medicine from the beginning.”
Was that surprising?
[…You didn’t write it? Then, how did you control the king?]
The second prince’s answer came a little late for the first time, and his face was full of interest.
“This time, the king had a lot of anxiety about Logan McLain. It was enough to stimulate and encourage it a little more.”
[Hoo? Stimulated anxiety?]
“Yes. The king was worried that Logan McLane would kill him one day.”
[…surely. Logan McLain didn’t tolerate anyone getting in the way of what he wanted to do. It wouldn’t be surprising if that sword was pointed at the king someday.]
“Yes, that’s right. So the king’s anxiety would have been indescribable. He probably didn’t even realize that I had stimulated him until the moment of his death. No need for medicine at all. “There was none.”
For Cleo, these words were meant to reveal her abilities.
[okay. It’s quite possible. Because power in itself is a more dangerous drug than anything else.]
The second prince’s reaction was not as cool as expected.
However, Cleo did not act rashly and simply bowed her head thoughtfully.
After the silence continued for a long time.
[…Bring all the data related to the operation and come to Ruspelheim. I will review them and then give you other instructions.]
Cleo answered without delay as the second prince’s voice, as if he had organized his thoughts, came from the communication port. .
thud.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Cleo’s voice hit the floor with her forehead again, and the room was once again immersed in silence.
