Chapter 36

"Are you talking about the brothers and sisters of Reslaser?"

"That means they are the siblings of the princess... in other words, the children of the king, right?"

“Us four siblings all have different mothers... My brother and sister, other than myself, are the children of princesses from other countries who married into the royal family. One of the three will eventually become the new king of this country.”

That king sure was a busy bee.

He’s a dirty old man, just as he looks.

Hmm?

Now that you mention it, do I have the right to say that, given that I now have two wives myself?

Yeah, that’s right.

If there are such people, then the purpose of this summons is probably to ‘introduce a new family member’ or something like that?

To avoid any awkwardness, I’ll aim to make a good impression.

◆

Later.

I left Noem’s protection to Abinion and came to the castle with Reslaser.

In the audience chamber, the king was seated, and three young-looking men and women stood in a row.

“You are the hero who saved the country!”

One of them walked up to me in a familiar manner.

“I am Zemnant, the first prince of Centakirian Kingdom! Your efforts this time were truly commendable! As the future king, I commend you! From now on, work hard for me and for our country!”

He laughed loudly, right in front of me.

I have no idea how to react!

“Zemnant, you must not give incorrect knowledge to ignorant commoners.”

The second person in the row spoke.

This time it was a woman of a certain age.

“The next king is already decided to be me, the first princess Izabelera, the first child of the current king Leonhardt. Hero, if you want to show loyalty, it would be much wiser to show it to me.”

“It is not proper, my sister. The right of succession is given to males before females. No matter how much the eldest is you, as long as there are males, females must step aside. Therefore, the first successor is decided to be me, the eldest son.”

“You haven’t studied the history of our country, Zemnant. There have been many queens in the Centakirian Kingdom. Whether male or female, the wise should be the one to ascend the throne, don’t you think?”

“In that case, I should be the king. I am the wisest of all.”

“Wise people are always humble.”

An argument started right in front of me.

What is this?

What am I being shown here in the castle?

“Cough, that’s enough, my children.”

““Yes, Father!!””

At the sound of a crane descending from the throne, the arguing people fell silent.

“Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk...!”

The last of the three, who had been silent until now, laughed lewdly.

A young man with a face full of freckles and a rather unimpressive appearance.

“Sir, these three are all the legitimate children of the King of Centakirian and have the right to succeed to the throne. They are the first princess Izabelera, the first prince Zemnant, and the second prince Lucelche.”

Reslaser, dressed in a dress, introduced them.

I had stood in the audience chamber with her several times, but her attire had changed from armor to a dress due to the change in situation and position.

She looks cute.

“One of these three will eventually be chosen to become the new king. They are the ones who will bear the future of this country.”

“You can explain it well, you little dog.”

The older of the three men suddenly spoke.

He is the first prince Zemnant, right?

“Although it is always unsettling to think that the noble blood of my father flows in the body of a dog like you, you did a good job this time. As the future king, I commend you.”

“...Thank you.”

“However, do not get carried away. Even if you have royal blood, it is only half. The other half is the blood of a stray dog of unknown origin. A dog born from a dog’s womb is still a dog. Do not make the grave mistake of thinking that you can aim for the throne because of this achievement.”

What was that line just now?

According to the explanation I heard before, these people and Reslaser are all the children of the king... in other words, siblings, right?

Is a brother calling his sister a dog?

“I understand. Being born to a mother of low status, receiving a knighthood is already more than I deserve. I am prepared to serve this country with all my might to repay this favor.”

“That’s a good attitude. With that spirit, work hard as a dog. If you are a useful hunting dog, I might even keep you even after I take the throne. Hahaha!”

The prince laughed loudly.

Is no one going to say anything? If not, I have to do it as an outsider.

“Gyah!?!”

I grabbed the prince by the collar and lifted him up.

The prince, pulled by his clothes, dangled in the air, thrashing about in distress.

“What kind of education did you receive to turn out such a scoundrel? To call a fellow human, much less a blood relative, a dog?”

“What are you doing, you insolent man!? Let me go, let me goooooo!?”

The scene was in chaos.

The guards, who were standing by, drew their weapons but seemed unsure of how to intervene.

“Stop it, Ryuuya-sama!”

The first to try to stop me was none other than Reslaser, who had been insulted.

“My mother is a commoner without a title...! I am different from my brothers, who are the children of princesses from other countries! The way I am treated is justified, there is no need to be angry!”

“People should be equal, regardless of who their parents are.”

People should be equal, regardless of what skills they are given or not given.

“To call a person something that is not human is to lose one’s humanity. It would be a disaster for the country if such a person were to become king.”

“What are you doing, guards! Help me! Kill this madman!”

“Even if that’s not important, since you insulted my important woman, you will have to pay the price.”

The most elegant way to respond to sarcasm is with sarcasm, but unfortunately, I don’t know this man well enough to come up with the right material for sarcasm.

So, the only option left is to punch him.

So, on the count of three...

“Stop!!”

The stern voice made my fist stop.

The king, from his throne, held out his palm as if to say “stop.”

“Ryuuya! I deeply apologize for my foolish son’s rudeness! Will you please calm down?”

“The one who was rude was this man. Your apology means nothing.”

“Indeed, you are right. However, I am the father of this fool. It is only natural for a father to bow his head for his son’s mistake. I will severely reprimand Zemnant later, so please forgive him...!”

“...”

If the king says that much, I can’t just ignore it.

When I let go, the prince fell to the ground with a thud.

“Ouch!? Father! Please execute this ruffian immediately! He has harmed the royal family, so he and his entire family should be publicly executed!”

“Shut up, you fool. It is because of your insolence that this trouble has occurred. Show some restraint.”

“Y-Yes...!?”

The prince, who was even rejected by his father, fell silent.

“First of all, Ryuuya here is a hero who saved the country. If he hadn’t defeated the demons, this country might have been destroyed by now. If I were to execute such a meritorious person, I would be accused of ingratitude and lose my authority as a king.”

“Grr...!?”

The prince, swallowing his deep regret...

“I will overlook your misconduct in exchange for your heroic deeds. Be grateful for my leniency and serve me loyally from now on.”

“...”

Reslaser was desperately holding my shoulder.

“Enough, Zemnant. Your interference is preventing the conversation from progressing.”

“Ha, indeed, we haven’t even started the main topic yet!”

Saying that, the prince knelt before the king.

“Father and King! This first prince Zemnant has returned to his homeland! I wish to continue learning the wisdom of a ruler as I did before and to train myself to become the future king!”

“I have missed you, Father. I have been lonely without seeing your face for so long.”

The older princess also knelt?

“But now that I am back, I will not leave your side for a moment. I wish to always be by your side and learn from your royal duties.”

“Second prince Lucelche! I’m back!”

The three royal family members knelt in a row.

What does the king think as he receives the bows of his legitimate children...?

By the way, where have those three been until now?

What caught my attention from their words was this.

‘I’m back’ and ‘I have returned’...

In fact, this is the first time I have met those princes, which means they were not in the castle when I had my previous audience.

“So, Izabelera, Zemnant, Lucelche, you have all returned well. Hahaha...!”

The king laughed without much inflection.

“I have something to announce immediately to you, who have just returned from your mothers’ homes.”

“Yes, what is it?”

The king said.

“I am stripping you three of your right to succeed to the throne.”