Chapter 289 - Chapter 288: Absolute Trust
On the second floor of the Royal Castle.
Ixel Leventein stood in the corridor at the end of the stairs.
"Ixel-san..."
Behind Ixel, dozens of Royal Guards waited.
Ixel wore armor signifying his rank as the squad leader.
The Royal Guards behind him were likely his subordinates.
"Release your sword, Mika-kun. I will intercede for you with His Majesty. So, stop this nonsense."
It was clear Ixel was speaking with deliberate gentleness.
Mika shook his head at Ixel's words.
"I cannot."
When Mika refused, Ixel let out a heavy sigh.
"What are you thinking? To side with the Crown Prince's conspiracy!"
Ixel questioned Mika in a strong tone.
It seemed Mika was wanted for aiding the Crown Prince's conspiracy.
Indeed, the Crown Prince had guilt over using illicit means.
The King, Kernils, exploited that, deciding everything was the Crown Prince and his accomplices' scheme.
(...But it's no longer something that can be settled with such talk.)
Even if the King is now saying he has been taken over by the "Cursed Child," who would believe it?
As Mika struggled with how to explain, Ozendorwa stepped in front of Mika.
"Mika-kun, it will be a detour, but go up to the third floor from those stairs, and then proceed to the Audience Chamber."
Ozendorwa pointed to the stairs they had just ascended, proposing they go up to the third floor first.
The Audience Chamber lay beyond the corridor where Ixel was holding the line.
Seeing Mika hesitate to fight Ixel, he suggested taking a different route to the Audience Chamber.
"Do you think I'll let you pass?"
As Ixel took a step forward, Ozendorwa quietly pointed his sword made of "Rare Copper-Type Metal, Orichalcum."
"I suppose it's unavoidable given your position, and since you don't know the circumstances, there's no blame."
Muttering that, Ozendorwa pierced Ixel with eyes filled with killing intent.
Ixel instinctively leaped back, drawing his sword.
"If you wish to listen, I will explain. But time is short. Let Mika-kun pass first."
At Ozendorwa's words, Yaroibarov nodded and grabbed Mika's shoulder.
"Boy. Let's go."
"...But."
Ixel looked at Mika with a pained expression.
Then, he shouted with all his might.
"Mika-kun! If you continue like this, it will be irreversible!"
Ixel was surely thinking of Mika in his own way.
However, there was a major discrepancy in their understanding of the situation.
There was nothing left to be irreversible about.
The conflict between Mika and the King, Kernils, was inevitable.
To protect the Kingdom from the "Cursed Child," they had no choice but to defeat the King, Kernils.
Mika pressed his lips together and looked at Ixel.
But he immediately turned his back.
"Let's go, Yaroibarov-san."
"Yes."
"Wait!"
As Mika ran toward the stairs, Ixel stepped forward to chase him.
However, Ixel could not advance further.
The killing intent emanating from Ozendorwa grew sharper, and Ixel's instincts sounded the alarm.
Ixel glared at Ozendorwa.
"............A commander leading a knight corps sides with rebellion...! Are you not ashamed!"
Ixel unleashed all his killing intent.
But Ozendorwa did not waver.
Quietly, overwhelmingly, he dominated the space with just his presence.
"Apologize to him later."
He said it as if muttering.
"Right now, Mika-kun understands the severity of the situation best. And only Mika-kun can fix it."
Whoosh!
Ozendorwa swung his sword once and reset his stance.
"You won't listen now, will you?"
Saying that, he curled the corner of his mouth.
A violent smile appeared on Ozendorwa's face.
"I'll make you a little more obedient."
Ixel's hair stood on end at Ozendorwa's smile.
For the first time, he doubted whether the person standing before him was truly human.
■■■■■■
Mika and Yaroibarov ascended to the third floor and knocked down the waiting Royal Guards.
"Here we go!"
Clang!
Yaroibarov swung the handle of his halberd, striking two Royal Guards and slamming them into the wall.
The two unconscious Royal Guards crumbled to the floor.
"Shoo!"
Mika skillfully targeted their chins with the Holy Sword Namakura-sama, causing them to suffer concussions one after another.
"Go! Go!"
"Stop the bandits with your lives!"
While defeating the gathering Royal Guards one by one, Mika and Yaroibarov pressed forward.
"Huh? Isn't that the stairs?"
As they walked down the corridor, turning several times, they found the stairs leading down to the second floor.
The corridor Mika and the others had passed through was a scene so grim it could be described as a pile of corpses.
For the record, no one should have died... Probably.
"Are they not on the third floor anymore?"
"There's no sign of them. ...Actually, there's hardly any presence at all."
Yaroibarov answered while stroking his chin with a puzzled expression.
How was he sensing such a presence?
【Presence Detection】is really convenient.
I wish I had it too...
Descending to the second floor, Mika and Yaroibarov brought the Royal Guards guarding the front of the Audience Chamber into view.
This was not the front of the Audience Chamber, but likely the side.
It seemed the Audience Chamber could be entered from the side as well, and a door decorated with splendid ornaments was visible.
"The bandits are here!"
"On the name of the Royal Guards, defend absolutely!"
"Give your lives! No one passes through here!"
Royal Guards with great spirit blocked the front of the Audience Chamber.
Mika and Yaroibarov exchanged glances.
"We finally arrived..."
"They're welcoming us quite enthusiastically. We must live up to their expectations."
Unlike Mika, who felt somewhat dejected, Yaroibarov seemed strangely eager.
Mika moved freely in three-dimensional maneuvers down the corridor, confusing the Royal Guards while brushing their chins with Namakura-sama.
"Huh!? What is this!?"
"Whoa!?"
Confused by Mika's terrifying movements, the formation of the Royal Guards broke.
By the way, Fee also floated past in front of the Royal Guards on purpose, floating~.
Just that caused the Royal Guards to try swiping Fee away with their hands, disturbing their focus significantly.
It was a petty harassment.
And then, the embodiment of violence, the Red Comet... no, the Octopus, Yaroibarov, launched his fury.
The Royal Guards were successively knocked unconscious by Namakura-sama and blown away by the halberd.
In the blink of an eye, they secured the front of the Audience Chamber.
"Alright, let's go! Don't get careless, okay?"
Yaroibarov said that and reached for the door.
Pulling the door open in one motion, he immediately made a strange face.
Mika stood beside Yaroibarov and also made a strange face.
The Audience Chamber with its high ceiling.
There were servants, maids, butlers, and other castle staff numbering over a thousand.
Mika and Yaroibarov, though suspicious, cautiously stepped into the Audience Chamber.
The sudden intrusion caused some murmuring among the gathered people.
At that moment, Mika suddenly looked up at the throne.
But there was no sign of the King, Kernils.
Only an old maid stood beside the throne.
"It's a trap!"
The moment Mika said that, the Audience Chamber brightened.
"Kuh!?"
Mika instinctively pushed Yaroibarov aside and rolled.
Zing!
At that instant, dazzling light pierced the spot where Mika and the others had been.
"Gyaaaaaaah!?"
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
Dozens of people struck by the light died instantly.
Those whose upper bodies were wiped away.
Those who lost their arms.
Those whose bellies were gouged out.
The Audience Chamber turned into a hell of screaming agony in an instant.
"What was that!? What is going on!?"
"Kernils is mixed in among them! He's using the castle people as shields and camouflage!"
As Mika said that, the light intensity in the Audience Chamber increased again.
"It's coming!"
Mika said that and moved away from the spot.
Yaroibarov understood the situation and instinctively took evasive action.
Zing!
Light pierced the spot where Mika had been again.
Taking dozens of people with it.
"Gyaaaaaaah!?"
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
Many cries and screams rose, and the people gathered in the Audience Chamber rushed toward the large door at the front.
But it seemed locked, and it wouldn't open.
People in front of the door tried to go to other doors, while those away from the door desperately rushed toward the front door in their desire to escape quickly.
As a result, a completely immobile crowd formed.
"You damn bastards!!!"
Mika shouted, desperately dodging the light that relentlessly targeted him.
Each time, dozens of lives were taken as collateral.
Kernils paid no attention to Yaroibarov, targeting only Mika.
"You bastard!!!"
Yaroibarov found the source of the light and charged into the crowd.
Pushing aside the throng of people.
"No good! Yaroibarov-san!"
Mika instinctively jumped toward the wall.
From a slightly higher vantage point, he looked down on the crowd of people.
By doing so, he spotted Kernils extending his arm to push through the crowd.
Kernils' hand glowed.
Mika kicked the wall with all his might.
"Your opponent is me, right here!!!"
Leaping over the crowd, he flew straight above Kernils.
"Light Cannon!"
The laser released from Mika's hand pierced the spot where Kernils was.
But Kernils, with inhuman movement, dodged Mika's laser.
In an instant, he moved in front of the throne.
Kernils was clad in crimson armor.
It had no luster, only a black shadow clinging to it.
It was armor made of "Rare Gold-Type Metal, Hihiirokane."
"Hmph. As expected, this level is not enough to kill me."
Muttering that, he accepted a towel offered by the old maid.
Wiping his hands lightly, he tossed the towel back.
Seeing such a face on Kernils, Yaroibarov clicked his tongue.
"I see... Indeed, the contents inside have changed."
Yaroibarov had met Kernils' face once before in the Audience Chamber.
During the church raid.
Even then, he thought the old man was lively for his age.
Yaroibarov twisted his neck, making a cracking sound.
"Boy... You were fighting such a monster?"
The sense of the unknown was extraordinary.
He never thought that having a different appearance and a different core could be so disgusting.
Even Yaroibarov, seeing the "Cursed Child" for the first time, could not hide his surprise.
Kernils sat on the throne and elegantly propped his cheek on his hand.
"Rebelling against the King and attacking the Royal Castle. There is a foolish one."
"Rebelling against the King? You aren't the King anyway."
Yaroibarov countered Kernils without lowering his guard.
But Kernils shook his head as if exasperated.
"If I am not the King, who is the King? Kings are decided by blood. Truly and sincerely, I am the King."
Regardless of the change in core, the meaning lies in the bloodline.
That was a correct argument in a way.
Mika stood beside Yaroibarov.
"It's a waste of time. Besides, this guy isn't interested in being King."
Mika switched Namakura-sama to his left hand and took out a short sword made of "Rare Copper-Type Metal, Orichalcum" from the Magic Bag.
"Do we need to argue now? I don't think you'll tell the truth, and I won't believe anything you say."
Saying that, he pointed the Orichalcum sword at Kernils.
"As long as the "Cursed Child" exists, blood will continue to flow. So I will erase you."
Mika fired a Light Cannon, piercing the center of Kernils' chest.
But Kernils quickly caught the laser with his hand.
Mika's laser was absorbed into Kernils' glowing hand.
Cold eyes looked down at Mika.
"I thought you would use a similar "Word"..."
Kernils snorted softly.
"There is simply not enough "Voluntas"."
At that moment, Kernils' hand emitted dazzling light.
"This is how you use a "Word". [Let there be light]!"
Zing!!!
A massive beam of light was released, a laser five meters in diameter piercing through the Royal Castle's wall.
"Whoa!?"
Yaroibarov, who dodged instinctively, broke out in a cold sweat.
Mika managed to dodge as well, but his eyes widened as he saw the hole opened in the Royal Castle.
"...As I thought, you were the one who made the hole in the protective barrier."
He suspected it since he used lasers.
As Mika gritted his teeth and glared, Kernils twisted his face into a grin.
■■■■■■
A short while before Mika and Yaroibarov burst into the Audience Chamber.
Clang!
A sword dropped from Ixel's foot rolled on the floor.
"Haa... Haa... Haa..."
Kneeling, he repeated heavy breathing.
But his eyes still held fighting spirit.
Ozendorwa looked down at such Ixel with cold eyes.
The difference between the two could be called desperate.
All of Ixel's subordinates had already been knocked unconscious, leaving only Ixel barely standing.
No, not barely standing.
He was left standing.
Likely, Ozendorwa intentionally did not knock Ixel unconscious.
It was clearly a case of holding back.
Rather, one should say he was holding back with full force.
He could knock him down anytime, yet he allowed him to lose consciousness with perfect control.
Ixel's pride was shredded, wondering how much of a gap existed to pull off such a trick.
"Have you decided to listen now?"
Suddenly, Ozendorwa asked such a thing.
Ixel glared at Ozendorwa.
"His Royal Highness Cranzard did indeed use illicit means. Those deceived by it were not just you Royal Guards."
Ozendorwa looked directly into Ixel's eyes and conveyed it sincerely.
What Mika bore on his shoulders.
What he was trying to protect, even if it meant bearing the stain of regicide.
To Ixel, who would soon become family.
He needed to know.
"I also only correctly understood the situation yesterday. I felt strong anger at the Crown Prince's and the ministers' schemes."
Ixel scolded his trembling legs and managed to stand up.
But his body swayed, and he leaned against the wall to support himself.
"Frankly, if the Crown Prince hadn't done unnecessary things, the story would have been simple. Thanks to him doing unnecessary things, the truth has become harder to see."
The Crown Prince had circumstances where he had no choice but to act in a crisis of the Kingdom's survival.
However, now, that fact had made various misunderstandings easy to arise.
Ozendorwa picked up Ixel's sword and made him hold it.
"If you wish to know the truth, I will tell you."
Stepping back a few steps, he said that.
"But if you think Mika-kun is seriously siding with rebellion, telling you is useless. If you cannot trust that child, knowing the truth is meaningless."
Ozendorwa quietly raised his sword.
"Answer as a member of the Leventein Marquis family. Considering his past, if you still cannot trust the boy Mika Noisheim—"
In his eyes, genuine killing intent resided.
"Then perish."
Seeing Ozendorwa's eyes and his figure, Ixel accepted his death.
Ozendorwa was far too strong.
Rumors of his master-level skills had spread to the Kingdom Army and the Royal Guards.
But rumors are unreliable.
This was not called master-level.
It was a strength like a living myth.
At that moment, screams were heard.
From the direction of the Audience Chamber.
Ixel gritted his teeth and involuntarily tried to turn toward them.
But Ixel, who was only barely supporting his body, lost his balance immediately.
He almost fell.
"You are not in a position to worry about others!"
"Did you not feel anything hearing that...! Are you still a knight!"
While listening to multiple screams, Ixel spat at Ozendorwa, whose expression did not change at all.
But even so, Ozendorwa did not change.
"Mika-kun and Yaroibarov are going. If those two go and it is not enough, even if I join the fight, it won't change much."
At Ozendorwa's words, Ixel's eyes widened.
That was absolute trust.
Whether Mika was someone Ixel could trust that much was, honestly, questionable.
But...
"Trusts him that much...?"
Ixel asked Ozendorwa.
"Of course."
Seeing Ozendorwa answer without hesitation, Ixel closed his eyes.
Ixel also had someone he trusted absolutely.
His brother, Haiden.
His younger brother, Urbano.
The brothers who had sworn for the sake of the Leventein family.
It was not a connection based on calculation.
Absolute trust cannot be forged by such things.
Ixel knew that very well.
Ixel exhaled deeply and relaxed his shoulders.
Then, he squatted down, sliding slowly.
"What happened? What is Mika-kun doing?"
"............Have you decided to trust?"
When Ozendorwa asked, Ixel weakly shook his head.
"...Originally, I never thought Mika-kun did anything. How much do you think the Leventein family owes Mika-kun?"
Starting with the Cleiria kidnapping incident, a strange bond was formed with the mysterious boy, Mika Noisheim.
Moreover, that boy provided unbelievable assistance, such as repelling the Imperial Army's invasion.
"Only, if he was deceived by bad adults, I just wanted to do something about it."
So, Ixel looked up at Ozendorwa.
Ozendorwa's face was blank for a moment.
But soon, the corner of his mouth curled up.
"Am I a bad adult?"
"............You should check your reputation first."
Violent behavior like punching walls.
An eccentric who gathers knights disliked by knight corps throughout the Kingdom.
There are rumors he is honest and keeps his word, but there are simply too many strange rumors.
Ozendorwa shrugged at Ixel's exasperated voice.