Chapter 56

This is the preparation chapter.

"Frankly, that guy doesn't seem to have the makings of a 'Great King'... Is there any chance I'm wrong?"

King Rosais said something quite harsh.

I agree, though.

Actually, is the 'Blessing of the Great King' not that rare?

Am I the only special one? Or can anyone get it?

I'm a bit disappointed...

"Yeah. My 'Blessing of Insight' is almost always accurate. Almus has the same ability... his physical abilities increase with the number of people who recognize him as their ruler. And the effect spreads to those who revere him... those with high loyalty, increasing their physical abilities as well. It's the same."

"Is it possible that we just don't understand how big a catch Rigar Dibel is?"

If that's the case, my judgment must be clouded.

"Hmm, I don't know. But apparently, the people of the Dibel territory are somewhat afraid of Rigar as their ruler, so I think his physical abilities are high. You know, he boasted about killing a bear about three years ago, right?"

So, as long as he can make people recognize him as their ruler, it doesn't matter about his own qualities.

Of course, the people don't know their ruler's personality.

That makes sense.

"Still, why does Rigar Dibel have such a blessing..."

"Who knows? But fairies are whimsical, you know."

Fairies?

"Hey, Yuria. Are you talking about those mischievous fairies?"

There is a folk legend about fairies in the Adelnia Peninsula.

Fairies are mischievous and play all sorts of tricks on humans.

If you have a particularly bad or good day, it's the work of fairies.

If it suddenly starts raining, it's the work of fairies.

That's how it goes.

"Yeah, that's right. After investigating, I found a theory that says it's based on laughter. Haven't you heard it? The laughter of children. When you receive a blessing."

The laughter of children... I don't understand. Maybe it's possible...

I realized I had a blessing many years ago.

I had forgotten about that.

"Is that so? Almus didn't know. I've heard it many times. I even heard a little when I first met Almus. Maybe it depends on the person? Anyway, I think the child is a fairy. Fairies are often associated with children."

So, they're just called fairies for convenience.

Come to think of it, Lord Griffin often referred to them as 'brats.'

They seem to be child-like beings.

"Fairies have quite a few disturbing stories, don't they?"

"True... but that's also the case."

There are countless fairy stories.

All of them are about fairies playing tricks on humans.

Fairy stories can be categorized into four types.

Heartwarming stories, where humans are deceived but learn valuable lessons about family bonds.

Stories where humans suffer greatly.

And finally, stories where humans die due to fairy tricks.

Here's an example.

_________

Long, long ago, there was a man.

He was hopelessly in love with his childhood friend, but she ended up marrying the son of the village chief.

In his despair, a fairy appeared in his dreams and said,

"Tomorrow night, go to the forest and shoot the great tree at the top of the mountain as the sun rises."

At first, the man ignored it, but the fairy kept appearing in his dreams every day.

One day, the man decided to follow the fairy's instructions.

As the sun rose, the man shot the great tree.

At the same moment, a rabbit jumped out, and the arrow pierced it.

From then on, the man began to follow the fairy's instructions.

Thanks to the fairy's guidance, he became increasingly wealthy and popular.

But his heart still belonged to his childhood friend.

One day, the fairy told the man,

"Your childhood friend was forced to marry the son of the village chief. You must kill the son of the village chief. Then, just run away. There's a bag of gold coins buried under the grapevine at the back. With that money, you can escape."

The man followed the instructions, killed the son of the village chief, and also killed the chief and his wife, who were witnesses.

He then proposed to his childhood friend to elope.

But his childhood friend resisted.

They struggled, and the knife accidentally stabbed her, killing her.

The man hurriedly fled, dug up the bag under the grapevine.

When he opened it, it contained not gold coins, but cow dung...

_________

That's the end of the story.

In short, it's a lesson that there are no convenient stories in the world, and you shouldn't be deceived...

But is it really necessary to be that cruel?

What's scary is that the fairy in this story has no benefit.

In other words, the fairy made humans kill each other just for the sake of mischief.

"Fairies are unpredictable. I don't know why, but I'm quite popular too."

Come to think of it, this guy has a lot of blessings.

"Regarding his blessing, there's no need to be overly cautious. Almus's blessing is enough to counter it. For now, fairies are irrelevant. It's just a hypothesis, after all."

King Rosais said, ending the conversation.

The conversation had strayed.

"For now, I'm going back. We'll discuss the strategy later, including Baltor and the others."

"That's right. In three days, come here. Make sure no one knows."

I bowed to King Rosais and was about to leave when Yuria stopped me.

"Wait! Take me with you."

"Huh? Isn't that a problem?"

Even if we keep it a secret, people will notice if Yuria disappears from the palace.

It will cause a commotion.

"I know, but... I want to talk to Tera..."

Yuria said, looking at King Rosais.

"I'll say that Yuria is out of the palace for a special ceremony. The location is a royal secret and can't be disclosed. So, do as you please."

So, it's okay to take her with me.

"Alright... Can I borrow a carriage, King Rosais?"

"Yes. It would be suspicious if you were seen riding a horse together. One more thing."

King Rosais stopped me.

"It's fine to do some groundwork, but don't openly oppose Rigar Dibel yet. At least until the war with King Domorgal is over. Start the civil war only after all preparations are in place. Don't provoke them recklessly. By the way, I'm glad you settled for less in the negotiations back then. If it had escalated into a full-scale war, this country wouldn't exist now."

"I understand. I bowed my head once, so I plan to keep it down for a while."

A civil war is brutal. No matter who wins, it's a loss.

That's why it needs to end quickly. I can't afford for Rigar to realize what's happening.

"Alright, we've arrived... Yuria, put this bag on your head for now."

I put a bag over Yuria's head.

This way, no one will recognize her.

I held Yuria's hand and carefully helped her out of the carriage.

She shouldn't be able to see anything through the bag.

"Ah, Mr. Almus! Where have you been? Miss Tera was worried... Miss Yuria?"

How did she know?!

"Because your hair is showing..."

Ah, right. There aren't many women with purple-red hair like Yuria's.

But I didn't have a bag big enough to cover her hair...

"Why Miss Yuria?"

"The story is for later. Let's get you inside the house first."

Most of the servants probably haven't seen Yuria's face, so even if they see her hair, they probably won't recognize her.

But just to be safe.

We need to hurry.

We need to get her into a back room before anyone sees her.

"Stay still."

"Eh, ah! Wait a moment..."

I picked up Yuria and ran as fast as I could.

"It looks like a kidnapping."

"Shut up."

"Tetra, I'm very angry."

When Tetra saw Yuria, she said this right away.

I've known Tetra for a long time, but her emotions are hard to read.

She claims to be angry, but to an outsider, her expression looks the same as always.

However, if you look closely, you can see her eyebrows moving slightly.

This is a characteristic movement when Tetra is angry.

I'd say it's a seven out of ten.

But didn't Tetra say she was fine with a second wife?

That's why I decided to take Yuria...

"I'm sorry..."

Yuria apologized, shrinking back.

Tetra looked at her and said,

"You just apologized. For what?"

"Eh? It's... for taking Almus and taking the position of the first wife..."

"I'm not angry about that. I'm not that interested in secular status."

So, what are you angry about? This girl...

"You didn't consult me at all. If you had, I might have encouraged Almus more. And if you felt bad, you should have asked first."

"Ugh... You're right. I'm sorry..."

Yuria bowed her head to Tetra and apologized.

Tetra smiled.

"Alright. I forgive you."

It seems to be resolved.

All's well that ends well.

"But are you really okay with it?"

"Yeah. Because I'm Almus's first. No matter what, I'm the first woman to marry Almus. What's important is love. Status doesn't matter... Well, it seems to bother Yuria a lot, though."

"Hey! What kind of way is that to say it? It makes it sound like I desperately want the position of the first wife!!"

I don't understand, but the atmosphere is getting tense again...

I should probably intervene.

"You two, don't fight over me... Ow! Don't hit me with your cane!"

Tetra hit my head with her cane.

Tetra's cane is made of several wooden discs, making it quite heavy... It's not just the weight of the wood.

"Hey, you put an iron rod inside, didn't you!"

"Buzz, the correct answer is..."

Tetra gripped the end of the cane, twisted it, and pulled.

A black, shiny blade appeared.

"A hidden blade. Cool, right?"

"I agree it's cool, but don't hit me with it. I might die..."

"Hey, Tetra, can you make one for me too?"

And so, we returned to our original relationship, though our positions had changed.

I gathered a trusted group.

Ron, Rozward, Gram, Soyon, Ruru, Ial, and Boros.

These seven.

It's not that I don't trust the others.

But the more people who know information, the higher the risk of it leaking.

There's always a chance someone might be tortured into talking, so I can't tell everyone.

It's a tough call, but...

They sat in front of us, from right to left: Tetra, me, and Yuria.

Everyone's gaze was on Yuria.

They probably have an idea...

"Let's get straight to the point. I'm going to marry Yuria."

I could hear everyone gasp.

The room fell silent.

Ron was the first to speak.

"...Does that mean you, the leader, will become king?"

"That's right."

When I answered, the seven exchanged glances.

"Yay!!"

Ron, Rozward, Gram, Soyon, and Ruru clapped their hands and cheered.

Ial and Boros also looked pleased.

"We were worried!! When we heard that Miss Yuria might marry that Rigar... and Almus seemed a bit down lately! This is a relief."

Soyon smiled and congratulated us.

So, I looked that down...

I shouldn't have worried you...

"But that means we'll be in a full-scale conflict with the Dibel family, right?"

"Yeah. It will cause trouble for everyone. This... is essentially a personal matter between Yuria and me. I feel bad involving everyone. I'm sorry. And... please help me!!"

When I said that, the seven smiled.

"Isn't it too late to be concerned about that now? That's a bit cold. Don't ask us to do that."

Gram spoke, and Rozward added,

"I never liked that Dibel family. If this had happened back then, I might have stabbed him with a spear."

Rozward looked a bit regretful.

No, that was a wise decision.

If it had escalated into a full-scale war, neighboring countries would have intervened, and things would have gotten out of hand.

"Congratulations, Almus. But I have one question. What about Tetra?"

Boros looked at me directly.

Of course, he would be concerned about this.

I looked at Boros firmly and hugged Tetra.

"Tetra will remain my wife. She can't be the first wife, but I promise she won't be neglected."

"I see... I apologize for asking an inappropriate question."

Boros bowed deeply.

As the excitement died down, Ial spoke up.

"But, Almus, won't there be opposition to your ascension from outside the Dibel faction? And what about the Dibel faction?"

"Of course, I have a plan. First, regarding the opposition from outside the Dibel faction... there's a high possibility that King Domorgal's country will invade soon. I'll be appointed as the supreme commander. If I can achieve significant accomplishments, it should help to suppress the opposition. As for the Dibel faction... I plan to break them from within."

"From within?"

"Yes."

The Dibel faction is large.

A direct confrontation would result in a bloody battle.

I don't think I'll lose, but it will be a tough fight.

My supporters are Tetra's relatives, the As family.

However, due to the main branch of the As family being cut off, their influence has declined over the past few years.

On the other hand, the Dibel faction, being a relatively cohesive faction, has expanded its influence to fill the gap left by the declining As family.

While the As faction has recovered somewhat due to my presence, they are still far behind.

The key lies not with the As family's relatives or the Dibel family's relatives, but with the nobles...

Most of them will side with the Dibel family rather than an unknown like me.

In normal political disputes, they might support me, but in a succession dispute, they will likely choose their side.

Therefore, to gain as much of an advantage as possible, I plan to drive a wedge into the Dibel family, the leading faction of the Dibel faction.

"This is what I heard from King Rosais and Raymond... The Dibel family has two factions. One is led by Belmet, a trusted subordinate of Rigar. The other is led by Gilbert, a relative of the Dibel family. The former is competent but generally holds lower positions, except for Belmet. The latter is chosen based on bloodline, so there are fewer competent individuals, but they hold important positions. And Rigar tends to trust his relatives."

Relying on relatives for retainers is not a bad strategy.

Blood is the most trustworthy, and it strengthens unity.

I also rely on my close friends like Ron.

However, only allowing relatives to hold important positions and not trusting others is a bit problematic.

Relatives may become complacent and neglect their duties.

Gilbert, who was handled by Ron, Rozward, and Soyon, is a good example.

Normally, such a failure would result in a demotion, but he only received a week's suspension.

This is actually a good thing.

It's better for the enemy to be incompetent.

However, there is one concern.

Belmet.

Belmet is said to be a highly competent old man. It's said that the current expansion of the Dibel family's influence is due to this old man.

Indeed, I can sense a strong presence from that old man.

The cruel strategy of massacring the people in front of everyone is said to have been devised by Belmet.

Frankly, I can't tell if he's truly competent based on that alone.

I don't know enough about Belmet.

But I can tell he's dangerous.

If I can remove Belmet, the Dibel family will be split in two.

"So, do you have any good ideas?"

When I suggested this, everyone fell silent.

Rigar's trust in Belmet is strong.

Breaking that trust won't be easy.

"I have a plan."

It was Ial who spoke.

Really?

"Rigar Dibel only trusts his family. In other words, he's a suspicious man. We can use that. However, this will require preparation and a large amount of money."

"I don't mind. What's the plan?"

When I asked, Ial began to explain.

I've finished writing the second chapter.

It ends at Chapter 74.

The story will really start moving from Chapter 63.