NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34 - Episode 34: The Suspicious Person Who Obtains the Throne Has A Girl He’s Interested In
Episode 34: The Suspicious Person Who Obtains the Throne Has A Girl He’s Interested In
(The King’s Perspective)
That battle took away various things.
In the first place, it’s wrong for vassals to have a say in the succession to the throne, but due to my father’s illness, my uncle’s rampage, the desires of the nobles seeking power, foreign bribery… even spirits and dragons were involved, and everyone suffered misfortune in the complex web of cause and effect.
Every member of the royal family receives education so that everyone can be given the throne. It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a child, a man or a woman. If the king dies, one day the throne will be bestowed upon someone.
The throne is not determined by personality, the amount of magical power, or noble lineage, but by suddenly receiving the protection of a high-level spirit.
The royal family has its role. When one becomes king, they become the only one in the country capable of forming a covenant between humans and spirits.
When a king is born, they form bonds with both subjects and spirits without distinction, but there is still a saying that “houses that support the king receive special favor from the spirits.” For ignorant nobles, it’s like a game of musical chairs where they don’t know who will be given the crown… yet they still decide who to support based on their status.
This country has developed as humans and spirits walked together, but those who can use strong magic are revered for receiving the protection of the spirits. Everyone wants to be like that.
Except for one person, all members of the royal family eligible to become the next king are outstanding, causing division in support.
All siblings receive education to become an excellent king, but not everyone can become one. There’s only one chair. Those who couldn’t become king may kill each other, or they might try to reduce the competition beforehand. However, no one knows who will become the next king. This system is a secret of the royal family, but some elders know about it.
My father’s illness made it impossible to stop completely.
What do the spirits think about this inevitable conflict?
I’ve always publicly declared that I didn’t want the throne and didn’t belong to any faction, so I was loved by my siblings… yet somehow, I survived the hellish power struggle.
I worried about the daily reports of casualties with the minimum guards assigned to me and continued to plead for the fighting to stop. However, it was futile, and the malice of the nobles pierced through me.
My beloved older brothers and sisters didn’t kill each other out of hatred but went away with their heads held high as a matter of course.
I, we, were thrown into the darkness surrounded by rusted iron thorns in the depths of the palace’s underground maze, where even the spirits didn’t come near. Someone said that if someone became king, they should come out, and I stayed there for months without seeing any light.
A magic-bound slave took care of me… and one day, I was bestowed the throne in the darkness. I was given it. I immediately went up to the surface and tried to stop the fighting, but my brothers and sisters were already dead.
I was told that I didn’t have the aptitude from birth, but my brothers and sisters had too much. They were always cool and seemed to know everything… my otherworldly siblings. Nobles and I thought I was just ordinary compared to them.
My brothers and sisters could be seen at a glance that “if such a person became king, everything would go well.” They were such people.
Later, I received letters of apology, but what was there to apologize for?
I hate the spirits, and I hate my brothers and sisters.
Though I became king with the protection of the spirits of darkness, without the support of the nobles, I couldn’t become a proper king. Did they understand that? In terms of support alone, my unselfish aunt who had been managing state affairs in place of my father had more support. No, my greedy uncle who was vying for the throne had even more…
I think about how the hateful uncle will come to attack, not knowing anything about the world or the thoughts of the spirits. I still don’t understand why my brothers and sisters did what they did… but I won’t let myself be killed by my uncle.
I often struggle with the power of the spirits, but I have managed to survive. Unlike being a “mediocre and insignificant prince,” being a “king bestowed with special darkness” is significantly different, and so far, the nobles have quietly followed me.
One day, I asked for the castle to be cleaned by those who could do it exceptionally well. It was interesting to see the dirt coming off so easily, but traces of strong water power could be seen.
As usual, when I was handling state affairs, I noticed that the power of water was making noise somewhere in the palace. I changed my hair and eye color, put on inconspicuous clothes, and went to see, and there was a mysterious girl who caught my eye. She shouldn’t have made a contract yet due to her age, but I felt her strong power with my skin.
I became very interested and ended up talking to her, even though I had never spoken to a commoner child before.
She was immediately recognizable as someone using special magic, but it was suspicious. A rare dark attribute staff, yet she manipulates water without using it. She may be too young to be an assassin, but perhaps that’s the type of species she is. I’ve heard there are beings with such characteristics in distant lands.
— If there were no one around, I could dispose of her now, but she might not be an enemy yet.
I should have been friendly, but the conversation was cut short by interference. It seemed I was seen as a dangerous person, and rumors matching my disguised features quickly spread. Nevertheless, I was still curious about her and went to see her, but she was clearly on guard… When asked for her name, I blurted out a name I came up with, and it caused even more of a commotion. After a severe scolding from the prime minister, it was decided to dispose of the spy, pretending that the prime minister collapsed from poison with a casual remark like, “Since we’re at it, let’s get rid of the spy. It’s been too noisy lately.”
More spies were found than I expected. “This country is hopeless,” I thought to myself, but my disguised appearance was circulating.
Realizing that it wouldn’t end until those with my appearance were found, I asked the spirits to find a similar-looking human and changed my eyes and hair for a while. I could only change them to black, but it worked somehow.
Perhaps I scared that girl, Frim. I hope she feels relieved now…
— Still, something bothers me. There’s no way someone with such power could be a commoner. I don’t know why, but my heart is uneasy.
“Is it love? Oh, Your Majesty, have you finally reached the age to experience romance?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, the other party is a young girl… But something doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Could it be a spiritual sense? Why not ask the spirits?”
“”
Memories and images flashed through my mind.
A couple who could use water magic. They were my guards even before being imprisoned underground. They received protection and died after a while. — I had forgotten about them without realizing it.
What’s the relevance of the memories I’m being shown? What is this about?
“Is it a power you don’t quite understand?”
“Yeah, even if I try it, I don’t know what will happen. It’s dark magic.”
“Then may we ask our child to try it?”
I heard voices. Memories of the past… gradually coming back.
They’re not here now, the two I’ve known since childhood are no longer here. Unlike my inhuman brothers, they were warm like a family. Despite seeing them every day… No, maybe that’s why I tried to forget.
Just remembering them makes me feel guilty, as if I’m not worthy of avenging their deaths.
“A child? You have a child?”
Her belly wasn’t that big. And she followed me around, and there was no sign of a child… Did she have a child before she was assigned to me? At the time, it was a bit strange.
“I’m pregnant now.”
“Congratulations?”
“Thank you. However, I collapsed from poison once after conceiving a child, so there’s a possibility that I may not be able to give birth like this. So, I’d like my child to try it out. What do you think?”
“But is it safe? We don’t know what might happen.”
The magic of protection is an unpredictable magic. Rula isn’t a talkative spirit, and I didn’t understand the sudden increase in usable magic. However, I practiced using it because there might be situations where I need to use it.
Unlike the ritual that connects humans and spirits, the magic of protection, which is unpredictable, has unknown effects. The protection given by the royal family or the masters does not harm people. However, the only mysterious attribute, darkness, has uncertain effects. If it’s fire, you become resistant to fire. If it’s water, you can breathe underwater. If it’s light, you emit light from your body, and so on, but the effect of darkness is unknown. There were reports of subtle effects such as being able to see in the dark or hearing the voices of the dead.
The protection of a king who has received the protection of the four major elemental spirits is special… It’s good if there are only a few positive effects, but there are records of subtle effects like “seeing them through the water every time I look at it.”
Still, there have been confirmed effects such as “increase in magical power,” “resistance to poison,” and “slight improvement in health.”
“There haven’t been any cases of the royal family’s protection causing illness, and it’s reassuring to have Your Highness’s protection rather than doing nothing.”
“Are you sure about this responsibility?”
“I don’t mind. It’s what a parent does to do what they can for their child… It may be disrespectful to receive Your Majesty’s protection for my child’s sake, but…”
For the sake of the child, huh? Even my father, who passed away from illness, used to care for me when he was healthy.
And with unpredictable magic, it would be troublesome in an emergency, and it’s helpful that they offered. They’ve been with me as guards for a long time, and I consider them as my second family, so I had no hesitation in using them.
“— I see. What will you name it?”
“—”
The memory ends. This must be Rula’s answer.