Chapter 1

The first volume of the manga adaptation is now on sale!

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the readers who have supported us!

A carriage is moving along an unstable, unpaved road.

The carriage jolts and shakes discontinuously with each turn of the wheels, and occasionally bounces as it hits large stones.

The carriage, pulled by two horses, is covered with iron plates on the outside, and iron bars are embedded in the windows for light. Its sturdy construction seems more designed to prevent the people inside from escaping than to protect against external attacks.

(As if I’m being treated like a criminal...)

Inside this rugged carriage, a young boy sighed with a dark expression.

The spacious carriage contains only one person, a boy who looks to be around twelve or thirteen years old.

The boy’s hands are shackled with metal cuffs. The surface of the cuffs is engraved with hieroglyph-like patterns, emitting a faint bluish-white light.

The boy, who knows that these are the ‘Sealing Shackles’ designed to seal the wearer’s magical power, twisted his lips bitterly.

“Big brother... why...!”

The person who came to mind was the one who caused the boy to be treated like a criminal. The face of his blood-related older brother.

The boy’s name is Raido Zain.

Although he is now a captive, until a few days ago, he was a prince of the Zain Kingdom in the western part of the continent.

The reason Raido is now being transported in shackles is due to the coming-of-age ceremony held on his 12th birthday.

In the Zain Kingdom, nobles and royalty are considered adults at the age of 12 and are granted the right to inherit the family name and other privileges.

For Prince Raido, reaching the coming-of-age ceremony meant gaining the right to succeed to the throne. However, neither Raido nor the people around him expected him to become king.

This was because Raido had an older brother, who was already 10 years his senior and was handling the state affairs in place of their ailing father, the king.

Raido’s older brother, Granado Zain, the first prince of the Zain Kingdom, was known for his intelligence and diligence, and was highly trusted by his retainers.

His position as the next king was secure, and even ambitious nobles would not risk Granado’s displeasure by supporting Raido.

Raido also admired his brother and had no real complaints about not becoming king.

He understood that he was a backup to his brother and should not desire the position of king.

However, a twist of fate struck Raido.

“Huh...?”

During the succession ceremony, the coming-of-age ritual for the royal family of the Zain Kingdom, the main character, Raido, let out a bewildered voice.

In Raido’s hand was a sword, a pitch-black sword that emitted a faint black mist and radiated a sinister aura, intimidating those around him.

“Nonsense! Why would Raido...!”

“B-Big brother...”

The one who shouted in shock was the older prince, Granado.

Raido turned to his brother behind him with a lost expression, gripping the black sword tightly.

In the Zain Kingdom, there was a special ritual that only male members of the royal family could perform during the coming-of-age ceremony. This involved drawing the national treasure sword, which had been passed down since the kingdom’s founding.

The holy sword ‘Dainsleif,’ the national treasure, was enshrined in the deepest part of the palace, embedded in a stone pedestal.

It was a well-known history in the kingdom that the first king had used this sword to unite the surrounding clans and establish the Zain Kingdom.

Therefore, male members of the royal family, who were descendants of the first king, had to attempt to draw the holy sword from the pedestal as part of their coming-of-age ceremony to be recognized as the new keeper of the holy sword.

However, in reality, no one had been recognized by the holy sword since the first king.

No one had been able to draw Dainsleif from the pedestal, so the ritual had become a mere formality.

“Why... did the holy sword...?”

But now, the holy sword Dainsleif was in Raido’s hand.

The moment Raido gripped the hilt of Dainsleif, the sword rose as easily as pulling a branch from a sand dune.

“Nonsense! Impossible...! Why did the sword that I couldn’t draw come out for Raido!?”

“G-Granado-sama...”

The sight of Raido drawing the holy sword caused more confusion in Granado than in Raido himself.

Granado’s face, as he stared at his younger brother, was twisted with a demonic rage, and his clenched fists were bleeding from the nails piercing his palms.

The retainers who were watching the scene were also at a loss, unsure whether to rejoice or mourn that Raido had been chosen as the keeper of Dainsleif.

This was understandable.

The holy sword Dainsleif was a legacy of the first king and a symbol of the Zain Kingdom.

The fact that Raido had been able to draw the sword meant that he had been recognized by the holy sword as the next king.

For years, Granado had been acting as the king in place of their ailing father. Now, his younger brother, Prince Raido, had been chosen by the holy sword as the next king, bypassing Granado.

The humiliation was magnified by the pride he had in supporting the kingdom.

Granado, his fists trembling, ordered the retainers with a voice that seemed to be spitting blood.

“...Clear the area! No one is to approach this place!”

“Yes, understood!”

“...And, Raido.”

“W-What is it, big b-brother...!”

Raido, who had been standing in a daze after drawing the sword he thought he couldn’t, snapped back to reality at the sound of his trusted brother’s voice.

Looking at Granado with pleading eyes, he let out a scream of terror at the fiery passion on his brother’s face.

“...Go back to your room and rest. Understand? You are not to leave your room without permission. Absolutely not!”

“I-I understand.”

“The holy sword will be kept here. Hand it over!”

“Yes...”

Raido, with a frightened gaze, watched Granado’s expression as he handed over the holy sword he had just drawn.

“Guh...!”

“B-Big brother?”

The moment Granado took Dainsleif, the holy sword became as heavy as a boulder.

The weight was so immense that it seemed impossible to wield it as a weapon, making it hard to believe that Raido had lifted it so easily with one hand just moments ago.

“This is what it means to be chosen by the holy sword...! Why does it reject me? What am I lacking!?”

“B-Big brother...”

“Get out of here! Disappear from my sight right now!”

“H-Huh...!”

Overwhelmed by unprecedented anger, Raido, with tears in his eyes, was led out of the room by a servant.

Granado watched him leave with a hateful gaze and dropped the heavy holy sword to the floor.

This novel is also being serialized!

Thank you for your support!

- The Hero's Child: The Hero, who fought to a draw with the Evil God, is revived by a goddess to leave descendants

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8269ik/

- The Exorcist of Azure Lightning: In a country full of demons and onmyoji, I live easily and have women because I am the son of a god

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7808ik/

- I Was Killed After Witnessing My Girlfriend's Infidelity: Revived as a Servant of the God of the Underworld, She Wants Me Back, But I Don't Know Her Anymore

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9717ik/