Chapter 25

"‘I, Raidor Zain, will fight to protect the Zain Kingdom from the Arslane Empire if you accept the following conditions.’”

"……"

Raidor straightened his back and read the words written in the oath in a solemn tone.

Grenade and Rockwood, as well as all the nobles present, listened silently to the words that flowed smoothly.

"‘Condition one: King Grenade shall guarantee Raidor’s safety within the Zain Kingdom.’”

"Hmph……"

Upon hearing the first condition, Grenade raised an eyebrow and snorted.

In other words, Raidor was wary of Grenade betraying him again. What a cowardly brother.

Grenade deepened the contempt in his eyes.

"‘Condition two: The royal palace shall pay 100,000 gold coins to support the frontier city of Raid, which Raidor governs.’”

"Ten, ten thousand……"

The nobleman who let out a trembling voice was a man with a fat belly and sweat on his forehead.

This man, who held the position of finance minister in the royal palace, was calculating the amount of the reward demanded by Raidor in his head.

100,000 gold coins amounted to one-tenth of the Zain Kingdom’s national budget.

While it was not an amount that the country, with its vast tax revenue from the people, could not pay, it was still not a small sum.

(Especially now, during wartime. Considering the costs of post-war reconstruction, it’s a headache-inducing amount…)

Rockwood glanced sideways at the finance minister, who was sweating profusely, and sighed in sympathy.

He genuinely sympathized with his colleague, who had gained weight due to stress, but he could not offer any help.

100,000 gold coins was a large sum, but it was not an unreasonable amount as support for the frontier city that had been continuously protecting the southern border from monsters.

Rather, it was more unreasonable that the royal palace had not provided any assistance to the adventurer town that had been guarding the border.

"‘Condition three: All the wealth Raidor acquires during the war shall be his property, and the royal palace shall not demand its transfer.’”

"Hmm……?"

Rockwood tilted his head.

It was a confusing condition. Taking the treasures and captives from the imperial army as his own was a natural right, but he couldn’t understand why it needed to be emphasized as a condition.

(Could His Highness have some specific goal in mind? What could it be……)

"‘Condition four: Raidor shall have the authority to decide the treatment of the captives he takes during the war.’”

(Again… another strange condition. What is His Highness thinking?)

Rockwood, unable to read Raidor’s thoughts, scratched his head.

While it was becoming clear that Raidor had some complex scheme, he couldn’t understand the purpose.

Regardless of the support funds, what was the goal of demanding the wealth and captives?

If he wanted a reward, wouldn’t it be better to clearly state it as a condition?

Rockwood, with his arms crossed, was deep in thought. Meanwhile, King Grenade, silent, was listening to his brother’s words.

Raidor looked at both of their faces in turn and took a brief breath.

"And… this is the last condition. ‘Condition five: King Grenade shall designate his brother Raidor as the crown prince and the next king.’”

"…!"

The air in the audience chamber froze at those words.

"Ridiculous! Do you know what you are saying!?"

Rockwood was the first to shout.

The surrounding nobles realized the seriousness of the situation when they saw the usually calm prime minister lose his composure.

King Grenade has a three-year-old son.

This son, born not long after Raidor was exiled to the border, had been designated as the crown prince and was recognized by everyone as the next king.

Raidor’s demand was essentially a declaration that he would become the next king, displacing the prince.

"Even as a royal brother, this is disrespectful! To demand to be made king from the king…!"

"……"

Rockwood questioned, but Raidor, having said everything he needed to say, rolled the parchment with the oath in his hand, as if it were a child’s play, causing deep wrinkles to form on the prime minister’s forehead.

"Your Highness Raidor…!"

"Raidor"

"…!"

Rockwood, about to continue, was silenced by Grenade’s calm voice.

The prime minister, who turned to look at his lord, swallowed hard.

"Raidor, are you serious about this?"

Grenade’s voice, as he asked his brother, had no trace of anger. However, no one present thought he was calm.

Grenade’s face was already stained with undisguised hatred and murderous intent.

His face, red with intense anger, was contorted as if he were about to curse and kill his brother standing before him.

It was understandable.

Raidor’s demand to be made the next king was not just about displacing the current crown prince.

It was a veiled declaration of war, implying, “I will kill you and become king.”

"The crown prince and the next king is my son, Straus! I will never make a scoundrel like you the crown prince!"

The declaration, laced with murderous intent, made the nobles present tremble.

Grenade, known for his fairness and high moral character, had many supporters. While his treatment of his brother was unjust, he was not a petty king.

Few present had ever seen Grenade in such a rage.

Depending on the response, he might order the soldiers to kill Raidor on the spot. The air was thick with such a violent atmosphere as Grenade’s angry voice was directed at Raidor.

"Alright, then forget it. No deal."

"Wh…?"

In response to his brother’s angry outburst, Raidor casually withdrew the condition.

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