Succession (1)
“Your Highness! Good morning!”
“Good morning, Secretary Seuss.”
Secretary Viss, upon leaving his room, encountered two women who greeted him.
“Good morning, Master.”
And there was Naber waiting beside them.
“I’ll carry the luggage.”
Naber was already holding Viss’s bag.
“If you have any orders, just let me know. I’ll take care of everything.”
Um… Viss did hope for Naber to become his colleague, but he didn’t want to be treated like this.
Murmur, murmur.
“So, Naber Schraiger is the one who made him carry the luggage?”
“The guy known for his pride?”
“What trick did he use?”
“Does he have some kind of legendary hypnosis magic?”
Perhaps because Naber was such a famous figure, the attention of the academy students started to focus on him.
And the presence of the saint and the princess of the republic with him only added to the people’s interest.
This is too burdensome.
First, let’s leave this place.
“Let’s go for now.”
Viss urged the group and headed towards the lecture hall.
“It was a completely different dream?”
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“Yes. It made me wonder if it even happened on this continent in the first place.”
It was a very strange dream…
…Or was it?
It felt even stranger to dream as an angel opposing a demon or as a warrior defeating the demon king.
But in the first place, neither of them seemed to have happened in this continent.
“…It can’t be.”
Artoria, feeling uneasy, bit her nails.
“What is Bell up to again?”
“Ah, Artoria?”
“Just dealing with that savage girl is annoying enough, and now there’s another weird girl trying to interfere. Why am I the only one not appearing in the dream?”
“Artoria.”
“Why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me, why me,
“Huh?”
Secretary Sous grabbed Arthuria’s hand.
Arthuria’s cheeks turned red.
Ugh.
Sous exerted her divine power and squeezed Arthuria’s hand.
Then, fresh skin grew, and Arthuria’s hand was completely healed.
“My lord… ♡!”
“Yeah! There’s no way my lord would abandon me! Just look at how he healed me with his divine power. He must like me more than that barbarian woman!”
Sous couldn’t even imagine that she had just tested her own divine power on Arthuria’s hand.
“He must have healed me with his own power to show his affection. hehehehe.”
Arthuria put the hand that Sous had just held into her mouth.
“Munch… Mm, it still has my lord’s warmth ♡.”
“Tsk.”
Sophia, who was watching them, clicked her tongue.
She didn’t like it.
She had come back from a strange dream and was giving attention to a woman like that.
If Sous were to remember our adventure together, she would immediately get rid of that woman and come to me.
And to top it all off, there’s Bell, a competitor with an unknown identity.
Anyway, she didn’t like it.
…Come to think of it, there was that woman too.
Princess Cladia.
She did step back, but she didn’t do so willingly.
She might come back to aim for the position of secretary.
Until then, Secretarys must be held back.
* * *
Capital of the Empire
Imperial Palace
Thud
The door opened and imperial knights poured in.
The emperor, who was dealing with his officials, was startled.
“What is this outrage! This is in front of Your Majesty!”
The palace servant stood up from his seat and shouted.
Kwoong
“Ugh…!”
A powerful gravity magic descended upon him.
The palace servant flattened on the floor.
“M-Magic?”
The courtiers fell silent at the shocking and terrifying sight.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock
Amidst the bewildered gazes of everyone, Claudia slowly walked in, escorted by the imperial knights.
“……Claudia?”
The emperor looked at Claudia with an expression of disbelief, as if he couldn’t trust his own eyes.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am the girl.”
Claudia smiled gently, a bewitching smile that melted men’s hearts.
“Treason!”
“Treason… I wonder.”
Claudia glanced around for a moment.
“If I had failed, it would have been treason. But since I succeeded, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to say it’s the rightful succession to the throne?”
Kuwong.
Claudia’s intimidating presence suddenly burst out, her tone changing, overwhelming everyone in the room.
As the charismatic former empress who once ruled the empire with an iron fist, her charisma captivated everyone.
“… Why? Clearly, I promised to pass the throne to the child who wins in a fair competition! If you had won that duel, the throne would have been yours anyway!”
Claudia chuckled at the emperor’s desperate plea.
“A fair competition? Did you really think I didn’t know that you secretly supported that guy?”
“……!”
“Well, if you had continued to compete, eventually the throne would have been mine.”
I’m in a hurry right now.
The emperor rolled his eyes and looked at the knights around him.
“…When did the imperial knights become so corrupt?”
“Heh. Since when, I wonder.”
“…Did they even resort to using dirty tricks?”
Most of the imperial knights were from the Namjeong family.
They were a clan that would go crazy over beauty. Throughout the generations, emperors would reward them with beauties.
The emperor believed that they must have seduced the imperial knights using their own bodies.
“Oh, proud knights of the imperial court! If you can regain your loyalty, I can overlook this one time! I even think it’s possible for you to waver once. Are you not planning to betray the empire like this! If you show your loyalty to the imperial court right here, I will provide as many beauties of the empire as you desire!”
The emperor looked around at the imperial knights surrounding him and made his plea.
However, the knights simply remained composed in their positions.
“Really? Do you think they sided with me just for such a reason?”
Cladia scoffed as she watched the emperor utter meaningless pleas.
“…What?”
Thud.
The commander of the imperial knights stepped forward and planted his sword into the ground, its tip touching the floor.
“We, the imperial knights, have determined that the current incompetent female army is ruining the empire. We have decided to follow Her Highness, the princess, who has proven her exceptional abilities and strength. And this decision is the decision of all the imperial knights.”
A circle of eight magical rings appeared behind Cladia.
It was also evidence of her being a grand sorceress.
“…The so-called incompetent female army.”
The emperor slumped into his seat.
Chapter 8.
The realm of Beatrice, the headmaster of the prestigious Leichten Academy, the most exceptional magician on the continent.
She had reached such a high level that even a prodigy who might appear once in a hundred years could possibly reach, and at such a young age.
Could it be that her own daughter had reached that level?
If so, it was likely that all the imperial knights would be on her side.
There is no chance of winning.
The emperor had no idea that Claudia had hidden one of her circles and only showed him eight circles.
The knights led the fallen emperor outside.
“What will you do with the remaining servants?”
The knight captain approached Claudia and asked.
The expressions of the servants became contemplative upon hearing his question.
After a moment of contemplation, Claudia spoke.
“Leave them as they are.”
“As they are, you say?”
“Yes.”
They are nothing but incompetent servants who are disliked by everyone.
These individuals, who had reached this position only with their pitiful flattery skills and lack of ability as much as their father, she wanted to replace them with new servants right away.
“Of course, I have no right to say such things after betraying him due to the manipulation of traitors.”
But the matters of the empire can wait, while the matters of Bithus are more urgent.
I will leave it alone for now.
When Secretarys becomes Prime Minister, I will tidy them all up.
Whew
The courtiers sitting in their seats breathed a sigh of relief, unaware of Cladia’s inner thoughts.
“Congratulations on ascending to the throne!”
The Duke, who had gained the Emperor’s favor with his skills, stepped forward.
“C-Congratulations!”
“Wow! Long live Queen Cladia!”
The courtiers followed suit, praising Cladia.
Their response only solidified Cladia’s determination.
“Hurry and prepare for the coronation ceremony.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
She had no interest in such pomp and circumstance.
But if she were to meet him without properly holding the ceremony, he would surely scold her and tell her to go back.
“Your Majesty! Even if you don’t like the formalities, they are directly related to the Majesty and the proper functioning of the kingdom! Your Majesty’s dignity must be upheld for the affairs of state to be carried out properly!”
Cladia remembered Secretarys’ admonishment from the previous chapter.
If only she had paid a little more attention to his words…
If she had, would the outcome have been different?
….
No.
Such worries are meaningless.
Bersus has lost his memories of me.
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No matter how much guilt I bear towards him, the current Bersus cannot remember.
It is something I can atone for.
The day when the inauguration ceremony ends and I completely seize the royal authority.
I will go to meet you.
My precious Bersus.