C372. King? Me? (2)
Alon briefly wore an expression as if he had heard something wrong.
“…Is something wrong, King Palatio?”
But due to Karmaxes III’s immediate confirmation, Alon understood he hadn't heard wrong.
What on earth was happening?
No matter how much he tried to wrap his head around it, he couldn't understand at what point in the flow of events he had ended up being called “king.”
He seriously thought about asking the reason from the start, but…
“No, it's nothing.”
He shook his head.
Everyone spoke as if it were obvious that Alon was a king.
And if amongst all those kings he asked “Huh? Me?”…
Nothing could make the situation more awkward.
That’s why Alon maintained a calm facade and continued leading the meeting.
Some time passed.
“…Then for now, it is best to observe the general situation for a while.”
“I agree.”
“Agreed.”
“Let's do that.”
A provisional conclusion was reached.
After hours of discussion, they finally decided to act conservatively until the special monsters started showing clear movements.
After adjusting some minor details, the meeting ended.
The kings of each nation stood up quickly and disappeared one after another.
Since what happened with the Bearer, the fall of the galaxy, and the appearance of unusual monsters, the current kings had a huge workload.
Among them, the last to leave was Siyan.
“See you later. Or should I call you king now, instead of just calling you like before?”
She looked at Alon as if she found it amusing, and before he could answer anything:
“Anyway, when you finish your business, it would be good if you stopped by Teria.”
With those final words, she left the room.
It was an ambiguous reaction; it wasn't clear if she was treating him as a king or a noble.
Although Alon was still confused, he ended up standing up. Evan was waiting for him outside.
“Marquis, did the meeting end well?”
The usual reaction.
Alon stared at him.
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
“…Am I the king of the Palatio Kingdom?”
He threw out the question.
Evan went blank momentarily.
“…Marquis.”
“Say it.”
“……Is it possible you really hit your head? I'm starting to get seriously worried…. Ah, should I call Rine again?”
He let out an overflowing concern, almost too sincere.
……Something inside Alon heated up.
But Evan was only taking him seriously for an instant.
Shortly after, they easily found the “culprit” of the whole situation.
“Yes! I told them everything!”
It was Silly, the Saint of Kalanon.
“Then…. Silly, what you are saying is that in the meeting room you mentioned that we had founded a country?”
“Yes! I thought there would be no better time than now! But don't worry! Since all the feats were achieved by you, Marquis— no, Your Majesty, no one opposed it.”
“Wait—”
Alon was left speechless for a moment.
…He didn't know where to start objecting.
“……Hey, Silly.”
“Yes! Tell me!”
Silly opened her eyes wide, full of expectation.
Alon spoke slowly.
“…And the other kings? Did they stay quiet?”
That was what intrigued him the most.
No matter how much he thought about it...
The appearance of a new king shouldn't be something pleasant for the kings of the Allied United Kingdoms.
A new kingdom meant one more competitor, even if they were part of an alliance.
And then there were the issues of territory and citizens.
A country isn't formed just because one has a couple of lands available.
…Well, it's possible, but to announce “this is a new kingdom, and this person is its king,” much more than material resources was needed.
Founding a kingdom is not child's play.
With all these doubts combined, Alon asked, and Silly answered with a radiant smile:
“I made them stay quiet.”
She answered with simplicity.
“……Huh? What do you mean you made them stay quiet?”
“Yes. Marquis, as you know, the situation isn't exactly good right now.”
“What situation are you referring to?”
Silly nodded smiling at Alon's question.
“One of the great powers of the Allied United Kingdoms, Ashtalon, lost its capital and was practically destroyed, and since the fall of the galaxy, special monsters have started to roam.”
“It is true that the situation is unstable, but just with that…….”
“Of course, nothing would happen just with that. But beyond the border is the ‘Empire’, right?”
“…Ah.”
Alon let out a murmur.
Certainly, the fact that Ashtalon was destroyed and special individuals appeared was worrying, but not more than that.
It could even be beneficial for the kingdoms, since the ungoverned territory left after Ashtalon's destruction was good booty.
But if the Empire intervened...
The situation changed.
The reason why the Allied United Kingdoms hadn't been invaded by the Empire was precisely their union.
But if one of the greatest pillars of that union had disappeared...
It would be an opportunity for the Empire.
Even if the Empire had no interest, the Allied United Kingdoms couldn't help but be on guard.
Seeing Alon nod with understanding, Penia, who had remained silent reflecting, intervened with a question:
“But even so, with that alone it would be difficult to convince the kings, right?”
And she was right.
Although the Empire was a sensitive subject, “insecurity” wasn't a solid argument on its own.
But Silly didn't lose her smile.
“Of course that wasn't enough. That's why I added a little ‘seasoning’.”
“……Seasoning?”
At Penia's confused expression, Silly nodded.
“For example, I told them that if the Empire invaded, no one knew whose side we would be on.”
She dropped those words with total tranquility.
Penia and Evan shuddered upon hearing it.
But Silly continued calmly:
“Of course, I didn't say it directly. I took a lot of time to explain it metaphorically.”
That is.
…She had threatened them for a very long time.
“I only mentioned that as a simple religion, we were fulfilling our duty.”
Which meant:
If they didn't allow the proclamation of the kingdom, when the Empire invaded, they would welcome them with open arms.
“Ahem, anyway, that way we managed to peacefully obtain this great victory.”
Although she was saying terrifying things... Her face had a bright smile, and she raised both fists in a lively pose.
Alon glanced sideways at Penia and Evan, who were still in shock.
“……Well… uh… you worked hard.”
“Yes! It was what Your Majesty desired!”
“Anyway, now you can make the proclamation whenever you want. At that moment, the Duchy of Luxible will also change its name as an allied state!”
“…You also convinced the Duchy of Luxible?”
“Yes!”
He didn't even have time to think “King? Me?”
Silly launched new information again without pause.
Alon was left with his mouth open for a moment.
“Hmm.... I suppose it's not a bad thing, right?”
Evan spoke, bringing him back to reality.
“……A good thing, you say.”
Being king of a country.
It's not that it was a bad thing, as Evan said.
In a fantasy world, being king meant not having to bow your head to anyone.
But that was only the superficial part. Alon wasn't that attracted to the status itself.
More precisely...
It was because of what he knew about the king's job.
Being king is, in reality, an exhausting job.
From the moment you wake up until you go to bed, you must deal with mountains of kingdom affairs. And you can't simply go out wandering around.
For someone like Alon, whose life as a marquis wasn't particularly troublesome...
Being king only meant more inconveniences.
While Alon wore a thoughtful expression, Evan let out an incredulous laugh.
“I think only you would make that face after being offered to be king.”
“Obvious! Your Majesty will be someone even greater!”
Silly added something that wasn't even relevant.
What did that mean—? But before Alon could ask, Penia intervened:
“Well... I understand what the marquis is saying. Being king looks great on the outside, but in reality, it is an extremely exhausting position.”
“Hmm—”
Alon nodded satisfied behind his cold expression—
“But if you become king, you will be able to reduce basic work and divert budget to magic research.”
“……That suddenly sounds very attractive.”
—only to see Penia get convinced by Silly in an instant.
“If the marquis becomes king, he will be able to dedicate himself to researching magic without worrying about anything, with unlimited resources.”
“Since you've come this far, why not try it once and for all?”
“Penia…………… Aren't you changing too fast?”
She avoided his gaze, uncomfortable.
“In any case, it is true that the marquis is peculiar. Most would be extremely excited by this.”
Silly had already recruited him.
Penia had already fallen.
And Evan only gave calm opinions.
Alon let out a deep sigh.
And a few days later—
“See you later, Master.”
“Master, I will wait for you.”
“Marquis, until next time.”
“Right.”
Due to the special monsters, Seolrang, Yutia and Yuman had to depart.
“Boss, then I'm leaving too. It seems there is confusion with the information...”
“Boss, we'll go to the jungle for a while. We have things to discuss. Ah, we'll also take Historia.”
“I wanted to stay here….”
“Understood.”
Nangwon, Ryanga and Historia also left.
After seeing them off, Alon left the decision to proclaim the kingdom pending.
And together with Radan, Penia, and Evan, he headed to Laksas.
To meet the previous Observer.
Or, more accurately, to speak with the being who knew the truth of the world, the one the Observer had spoken of.
“Phew—”
Alon thought about the three artifacts he carried with him.
The mask of the one who walks forward, brought by Ryanga.
The Howling Blessing, brought by Seolrang.
And the jewel of The One with Closed Eyes, obtained from Eliban.
Therefore—
‘…I wonder how much I will be able to discover.’
He felt expectant.
Before, the secrets of the world were something secondary to him. Then, his goal was to stop the Sins. But now the situation changed, and the truth of the world became crucial.
The expectation grew inside him.
After a few weeks of travel, Alon reached the coast.
There—
“Observer.”
As if he had known Alon would arrive.
“…I was waiting for you.”
The Observer was already sitting on the cliff, waiting for him.
