Ch-74: Kingdom of Prona (6)

You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02

Upon hearing that Cloud had come out of the dungeon, King William put aside all his work and headed for his private room.

"Arrived?"

Cloud said, his face pale.

The royal healer sitting next to him stood up to voice the pleasantries, but William raised his hand at once to halt.

"How is the hero's condition? It surely doesn't look good, so…"

"It hasn't gone that bad. Atleast now he's out of danger, but it was very serious before."

"…more than this?"

What can be even worse than shadowy, sunken cheeks and thick dark circles?

The healer nodded.

"When I first laid my eyes at him, the hero's body was a horrific spectacle. The blood flow was unorganised, organs were all bruised, and the muscles' condition was the worst—swollen, torn and spasming. It is a miracle to be still alive."

"…Iris-sama's miracle."

"Yes. I can only see it as the graceful mercy of Iris-sama."

Cloud frowned, but that passed the sights of the two devout believers.

"Is he alright now?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The first aid treatment went well and after that the recovery too."

"Good, good. Would you mind leaving us for a while? I desire to colloquy with the hero, in private."

"I don't, Your Majesty."

The healer nodded his head politely towards both of them and left the private room.

Cloud waved his hand at the departing healer and grabbed the soup bowl beside him and began to drink in mouthfuls.

Seeing this, William sighed in relief.

"I came here in a hurry hearing about your condition… What in Goddess' name happened!?"

"I'm somewhat injured, I guess? What am I supposed to do when the means of the older generation are so heavy?"

"Means are heavy..? There's no way you'd have had a fight with them… You were being taught?"

"Yes."

"What?! R, Really!? They actually taught you!?"

"Anything for me to gain from lying?"

William opened his mouth stupidly, then smiled broadly.

"Ha Ha Ha! Yes, I can understand what it would have been to be taught by them. No, considering they have taught their skills in such a short span of time, the level of effort must have been tasking."

"Yeah."

The reason Cloud's physical condition was ruined was entirely due to the Gylph. But he couldn't tell William anything about the Glyphs, so he rummaged around, and let him believe in his own self-thought conjuncture.

"Good, good…"

William was satisfied as he stroked his beard.

Soon after, his expression became more serious than ever.

"What about the Soul Stone?"

"It's broken."

"Is that so…"

William smiled bitterly.

Cloud tilted his head, finding the reaction blander than he expected.

"I thought you will shout and all because I broke it for no reason, hah…"

William shook his head.

"There's no way you would break it for no reason. There must have been some intention, was there not?"

"Was."

"Everything's fine, then. In the first place, soulstone was created by their sacrifice. They've decided to destroy it, so who am I to complain? As royalty or the king of the nation, the end result is a little disappointing, but as a man who admires them, I am happy. They deserve rest."

William's eyes changed for a moment to that of a young boy with longing. The relieved look in those eyes made Cloud feel unsettled.

Even though he had absorbed the souls on their persuasion.

He decided to change the subject of the conversation.

"By the way, what happened to that demon and the archbishop?"

William's eyes returned to that of a King's.

"The demon has been given a public execution date. It will climb the guillotine in the city square soon. The Archbishop… unfortunately, it is best to keep him in custody."

"Is it because of the Church?"

"Indeed. An archbishop's position is not light, we can't put him up for felony…"

The significance of the any Archbishop in the Church was not small.

Mere testimony from a demon who had lost its mind to torture was not a proof enough.

That alone was not sufficient reason to be arbitrarily executed by any King.

"Still, he betrayed humanity, so he will be under Church's direct custody and face interrogation."

"And the Church will press up his dishonorable action."

"What can I do? The kingdom is too weak to stand up against the Church."

How could William be willing to leave that bastard so easily?

That bastard was the one who tried to dishonor his son's honor and put him on the guillotine.

He was feeling a volcano boiling in his chest, beseeching to tear the bastard into two with his own hands.

But the reality was not into his favour.

If the archbishop were to be executed, the Church will excommunicate William and diplomatically isolate the Kingdom of Prona.

Kingdom of Prona was a weak kingdom at its core.

The moment they are isolated, the future will disappear.

So William had no choice but to clench his teeth and endure.

Before he was a father, he was the king of a nation.

Cloud looked at William's expression of suppressed anger and let out a short sigh.

"Execute him. If the Church reacts, say that I insisted."

"Thank you for saying that."

William grinned.

But soon he saw that there was no sign of joking on Cloud's face, and his expression hardened.

"Are you serious? Going against the Church?"

"Not the thing I will not be serious about. This matter is not about killing an innocent person, it's about killing a traitor who has teamed up with the demons."

"Even if it is true, they would take it differently."

"It would be truly sad if that happened, but it's okay. Even the Pope would never harbour the thought of excommunicating the hero chosen by the Goddess herself. More less sending a paladin for revenge, complete nonsense."

"Forget about outside, from inside they will hate you. By which I mean, they will no longer be kind to you."

"Tell me something I don't know. How many people have ever been kind to me?"

How many people in this world would fully stand by his side?

Frillite. Lugar. Mars.

Only these three names came to mind right away.

'Shedia, Katarina, and Leslie will be on my side soon.'

I wish they would.

When this gets over.

Cloud chuckled.

"Ahem..!" William, unprepared for Cloud's sudden remark, coughed.

"I don't know why you are doing this for me but I have to tell you anyway—and I will speak on behalf of the kingdom—honourable hero, I thank you for your devotion."

"I'm glad to hear that. The time has come to replenish the travel funds, and with this, we will be able to receive our activity expenses without any hesitation."

"Uh? Activity expense?"

To William's puzzled expression, Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"Will you just say thanks and be done with it..?"

William hurriedly waved his hand at the sound of his voice dripping with disappointment.

"No, no. I was just a little startled. You haven't asked for activity expenses in a while!"

"Isn't the situation different then and now?"

At that time, if he received money, he will owe king a favour. But now, he was getting it for his hard work.

William, who understood the meaning of his words, grinned stoically.

"I understand what you mean. So, how much is the activity expense…"

"How much can you give?"

Cloud interrupted William's words and went in.

"Well..?"

"How much can you give the hero who rescued the kingdom and prince from a Heavenly King, and dig out the conspiracy between the Church and demons?"

Cloud said with a friendly smile.

A cold sweat ran down William's neck.

* * *

"Wake up, you imbeciles! Don't believe these motherf**kerrrrrs!!! This is wrong! I'm the archbishop, there is no way I can collude with numpty demons! Believers, open your eyes! Come on, these foolish demon worshippers who are persecuting me… Puhuh?!"

When a rotten tomato orthodoxly slapped on his face, the archbishop's earnest cry ceased.

Before he could shake his head and shake off the tomato pulp, a new fruit or stone hit him in the face.

The hero had declared the archbishop a traitor.

In front of the archbishop, a bizarre looking demon was shackled and being dragged away together.

Only a few priests who ardently believed in him protested. Even that was suppressed by citizens and rest of the majority clergy.

And so the demon and the archbishop were hanged on the guillotine.

"No, no! Do you guys really believe what these demon worshippers say?! You guys should be loyal to Iris…"

Platak-!

Their necks fell side by side.

Seeing the heads of the demon and the archbishop falling side to side, Cloud felt a little empty.

A spy who tried to overthrow the kingdom and a traitor who had ties to him. Committed such treasons, but their heads were cut off and it was all over.

'At least a little bit of torture…'

Suddenly, Cloud remembered the succubus torture festival he had been through in the past.

Remembering the maddening, hollow laughters of women who had lost their husbands or sons to succubus, he shook his head.

'It's good to be ordinary sometimes.'

Torture, not always a good means.

"There was nothing special about it."

"I know, right. I thought he was going to suffer first."

"Consider him lucky. There are not only adults here, but also children."

Ophelia, Eri, and Neria were sharing their feelings about the execution. Their talks continued until they returned to the palace and had dinner.

"Guys."

"So, as an example, a sharp harpoon… huh? What is it, Cloud? You have something to say?"

Eri, who was hypothesizing the ways the demon and the archbishop would have received justifiable punishment for their crimes, turned her attention to Cloud. So did Ophelia and Neria.

"I have something important to announce."

"Important? What?"

"You also know that the capital of our kingdom has been shaken by this incident, right? That is why this has become such a serious problem."

"Indeed. Who would have thought demons were conspiring to summon a Heavenly King right in the middle of the city."

"Who would have predicted the fall of an archbishop or something similar? Hero has done a great job."

""

Ophelia put her hands together in a prayer posture. After she was taken by the old nun, she seemed to have turned a little more faithful.

"I'm glad I don't need to do the explanation part. As you all know, currently the kingdom's peace is at stake. It's unbelievable that demons had been teeming in the city openly. The king said he would raise the level of vigilance in the future, but…"

"It has already happened once, so how can we trust, eh?"

Eri patted her chin and muttered.

She said again, looking at Cloud.

"I think I know what important thing you want to announce is. The capital of the kingdom is at stake, and unstable, it would not be strange if anything happens out of blue, and you no longer have trust in the Royal family. So you mean we should stay in the capital for a while and see what happens?"

Cloud nodded his head.

Eri leaned back in the chair as she smiled confidently.

"I think the same. Last time, we killed a herd of beasts, is there any difference with demons?"

"As a knight, I cannot neglect the safety of citizens."

"Oh my, now that the two of you have made your mind, who am I to object."

"Your Saintess Candidate is in favour of our decision too, it seems."

"Fufu, that's right."

There was a friendly atmosphere between the three women.

Seeing that, Cloud smiled.

'Thank god.'

Now, he has to recruit Shedia, Katarina, and Leslie, and find the equipment left behind by the heroes.

In the meantime, while he was going to get busy, someone was needed in the Capital. Thankfully, the party agreed without any issues.

"Thanks. Thanks to you all, I can go about comfortably."

So, with all of his sincerity, he thanked them.

"What, go about.. you mean?"

"Uh?"

"?"

They didn't understand him for a moment.

And only for a moment.

The friendly atmosphere changed to a chilly one.

Cloud gulped.

'Oh, this is not possible.'

He tried to jump over it, but failed.

You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02