Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

In Kyle’s previous timeline, around one year from now on, Emperor Bendix will pass away because of his old age and sickness, but his oldest son, the first prince Eldorand was seen as the wisest in the entire imperial family, believed to bring great prosperity to the Empire. However, with his sudden passing shortly after, the Empire was thrown into chaos. As a result of this, on his deathbed, Emperor Benedix declared not Eldorand’s child, nor his own second son, but rather the third prince Maizar as the next Emperor.

As a result of that, the Empire was split into three factions. The ones who listened to the Emperor’s dying words, following Maizar; the ones who believed that Eldorand’s son was the righteous heir to the throne; and finally the faction who tried to bring the second prince to the throne, creating even larger chaos as there already was. At first, it was assumed this would continue for several years, but through Maizar’s talent and strength, he managed to chase away all opposing forces in a single year.

Everybody had to accept his true talent, and Maizar moved up to become the next Emperor. He tried to go for a clean and new start…when the ‘Great Invasion’ happened.

“Without all these domestic affairs, humanfolk might have been a bit more organized back then,” Kyle said with a bitter tone.

As the Galgan Empire was plagued by internal fighting, they were belated in joining forces against the demons, which was the main reason the Empire, as well as all of humanfolk, fell to ruin.

“I see…So, why did the first prince die?” Having listened to the entire story, Shildonia voiced the obvious question.

“No, I don’t know about that either. I asked Maizar, but to no avail.”

The official report of Eldorand’s death said it happened because of a heart attack. However, as it happened so suddenly without any previous signs, a lot of people were suspicious. Many suggested that it was an assassination planned by Maizar who aimed for the seat of the Emperor. However, Kyle knew that this was impossible.

“He never showed any signs of actually wanting to be the Emperor…It might have been a natural death after all. There’s not always some hidden agenda behind every death.” Kyle said. “That’s how the truth often works.

”Well, it may have been possible for all I know, but we can’t discard the possibility. Didn’t you say that the incident with Milena was a natural accident?”

Indeed, Kyle had assumed that Milena’s death in the previous timeline was just an accident. However, once he looked deeper, it was actually an assassination planned by her older brother Prince Carenas, who had been urged by King Remonas himself.

“Now that you say that, I can’t deny the possibility…But, I don’t plan on meddling with that.”

Whatever the real reason for Eldorand’s death may be, if Kyle reported this beforehand, or took safety measures, it might be something that can be avoided. That being said, Kyle knew that, unlike the time with Milena, involving himself here wouldn’t help in making him a hero of humanfolk, and preparing against the ‘Great Invasion’. And even if he tried to help, Eldorand’s death would probably happen either way somewhere out of his control.

“I feel bad for Eldorand, but I plan to stay out of this. Maizar being the next emperor is much more convenient to me…”

Kyle’s encounter with Maizar was one of the small glimmers of joy he got to enjoy in that hell. He was the leader out of all the other countries he respected the most and felt genuine affection for. Adding Maizar’s talent, he was someone that he needed as an ally no matter what. For that, having him become Emperor was Kyle’s goal.

“If you decide on that, I won’t say anything. However, if you wanted him as your ally, wouldn’t it be better to lend him strength during the struggle, and make him indebted to you?”

“That is also true…”

Hearing Shildonia’s suggestion, Kyle crossed his arms and started thinking. In order to calm down the chaos inside the Empire, Maizar used quite aggressive methods, which lessened the country’s overall military power. That is something Kyle wanted to avoid if possible.

Maybe I should tell Maizar some details about the circumstances…But, what? Eldorand is going to die soon so prepare yourself? No, he’d probably just lock me up.

Even if he were to believe Kyle, he would surely try to save his older brother. Personally, Kyle rather preferred to lend him strength once the country had fallen into chaos, and focus on making the Empire recover. Although this incident is still a year away, acting quickly could be a virtue.

“Either way, I’ll look for him during the banquet tonight, and call out to him.” Kyle decided.

That night, in order to welcome the visitors from Zilgus, a large welcoming banquet was held at the imperial palace. Many participants were nobles of the Empire, as well as other important foreigners present for diplomatic relations. It started with a greeting from Eldorand, followed by him introducing Kirlen and Orgis, and then the banquet was opened.

“That’s our second time going through this type of thing, but now it’s a lot more comfortable,” Lieze said, looking down at the dress she borrowed.

“I really can’t calm down at times like these.” Urza also wore a more formal dress, letting out a faint sigh.

“Glad to hear that.” Kyle showed a bitter smile, looking at the two.

They were talking about the previous banquet where they were given a medal for their deeds in saving Princess Milena. It still is pretty much the same right now, but today they weren’t the main guests, and simply bystanders in the corners. Back during that first banquet, they were showered with attention, making everyone tense.

However, the one in the main role today was mostly Kirlen, so they could stand in the shadows, not gathering much attention. Normally, this would be less of an actual banquet and more stiff of a gathering of diplomats and the like, but this wasn’t the case with the Galgan Empire, as the place was filled with a more relaxing atmosphere. As the Empire governed a large territory, you could see a wide arrangement of races present at this current location. Thanks to there being elves and dwarves, even beastmen, Urza managed to fit in just fine.

With all of these reasons combined, the two should be able to enjoy today’s banquet a lot more than before. Well, both Shildonia and Seran did not bother with that in the slightest and simply stuffed their cheeks.

“I’ll go eat something as well. I was always curious about the food they were offering during these kinds of occasions. Couldn’t enjoy it before because I was too nervous.” Lieze said, looking at the various tables of food, probably as a reference for her own cooking.

“I’ll go look around myself.” With her strong curiosity, Urza was probably interested in all sorts of things offered here and followed after Lieze.

Being left alone, Kyle walked around the place, looking for Maizar. Standing in the large banquet hall acting as the center of attention was Kirlen. She wore a snow-white dress, emphasizing her feminine beauty now that her tight armor was gone. The beauty that was worthy of serving the [Treasure of Zilgus] naturally gathered gazes all over, surrounded by many young men. Used to this kind of atmosphere, Kirlen had no problem responding to all of them. Next to her was Orgis, talking with people of the Empire. However, Maizar was nowhere to be found, so right as Kyle was unsure of what to do, someone called out to him from behind.

“Are you the person called Kyle?”

Turning around after hearing such a deep voice, Kyle was greeted by a large man looking down at him. It was an unfamiliar face to Kyle, but with the flashy appearance he had, wearing the national uniform of the Galgan Empire’s royal family, equipped with the crest, and because Kyle knew how the first and third prince looked, he didn’t need to think much.

“Yes, that’s correct. How can I help you, Your Highness Konrad.” He deeply lowered his head, greeting the man.