Chapter 267. The Answer (2)
"…You want me… to become queen?"
For a moment, the room went silent.
At the marquis's reply, Silis parted her lips with a stunned expression. Then she shook her head firmly, voicing clear refusal.
"Marquis, that would be the worst choice. From the very beginning, I intended to kill all the citizens, just to vent my anger. Many among them hadn't even been born at the time."
Silis faced herself.
Her hatred had not contained even the faintest trace of virtue. She had neither the composure nor the thought to distinguish between people.
Had it not been for Marquis Esperanza, the capital Retia would have long since perished. Mountains of crushed corpses would have risen high.
And failing to suppress Leonil, who bore the Witch's Heart, she would have been annihilated without fulfilling her revenge.
"And you know it too, don't you? What flows in my blood besides the witch's lineage… No matter how much I deny it, I am still the daughter and sister of the Royal Family of Estiria."
The king of Estiria and his children were villains.
For their own gain, they would literally do anything.
How was Silis any different from them?
Only the purpose differed—revenge. To avenge her mother, she had been ready to cause a massacre. That too was the path of a villain.
Crack.
Silis bit her lip and scratched the back of her hand.
From the red line that formed, blood began to flow. Without a word, the marquis stood, pulled out a handkerchief, and pressed it against the wound.
He applied pressure firmly so the bleeding would stop.
"Your Highness, bloodlines connect many things, but they do not represent one's humanity."
"But I tried to kill innocent people."
"In the end, you did not."
"Then what about the civil war among the princes? The people who died in the process…"
"We intervened in only a few factors among countless causes. It may have altered the timing, but the civil war was inevitable regardless."
The marquis tugged at the ends of the handkerchief.
A ribbon knot rested atop Silis's arm.
"And I am no saint. I am nothing more than a single noble who seeks to guide Estiria in what I deem the right direction."
The marquis had long destroyed countless bandit groups.
Among the bandits slain by his sword, was there one without a story?
All had been someone's children, and in their childhood—or even when they became bandits—must have carried beautiful dreams.
Some must have borne grievances too deep to voice.
Yet the marquis did not regret his killings.
Because as a ruler and leader, that was a noble's mindset.
For everyone to know happiness was an ideal unattained even by the God of Light, Luas.
The marquis straightened, then stepped back three paces.
Silis, staring at the ribbon tied without a tremor, raised her eyes to meet his.
"…If one day I lose my sanity and plunge into tyranny, not even you will be able to withstand the consequences."
"Then I will stop you before that happens. Even at the cost of my life."
His voice was even in pitch.
That tone showed it was no fleeting determination, but a steadfast vow.
"Adel and Flona, whom Your Highness saved, and Lorian. Also Sebas and Chemion. Others too, they are the same as I. You claimed you pulled them into your revenge, but we know that was not your true heart."
"I…"
"Your Highness Silis is not the same as the king of Estiria."
Silis's face stiffened.
Meeting her gaze, the marquis sank to one knee without hesitation.
"I, Ruben de Esperanza, will not offer blind loyalty for selfish gain like a treacherous subject. As a vassal and noble, I will advise and act."
He bowed his head deeply.
A heartbeat pulsed in the quiet.
"So become queen."
…The world called the marquis the light of the kingdom.
One only had to look at his domain and the city of Rines, so peaceful under his rule.
A man without greed for power.
Even though he could have taken the throne by accepting Silis's offer, he did not.
That was his righteous path.
Silis looked at him for a long time.
Though he had bowed his head, he did not so much as twitch even after several minutes.
That unyielding demeanor was the same as when the young Silis had first confided her secret to him.
Truly, the marquis was the light of the kingdom. Unchanging.
Silis rose to her feet.
Crunch. With
She walked to the window and looked out at the world beyond. Taking in the scenery she had watched for so long, her expression seemed a little lighter.
"Now that I think of it, Marquis, I do need advice on one more matter."
"Speak, Your Highness."
"Asher took down the king of the underworld and even toppled Leonil to save our lives. How am I supposed to repay such a debt?"
The marquis lifted his shoulders slightly, lost in thought.
Even listing them briefly, the feats were overwhelming. To commend him properly was no easy task.
The more he thought, the deeper the dilemma grew.
In that moment, Silis spoke again.
"So, what if I give him that?"
"If you mean… that?"
"Yes, the one hidden in the deepest depths of the royal family."
The deepest place…
At that, the marquis's eyes widened.
"Y-Your Highness, that is what has been handed down from the very first king of Estiria—"
"Weren't you the one telling me to act like a queen?"
Silis smiled mischievously.
The marquis blinked, then returned the smile.
The royal treasury was beyond the reach of anyone but the one who sat on the throne.
"Yes, indeed. Surely, that would suit Asher's merit."
"Right?"
"However, to enable its use, a special medium must be forged, and only an exceptional artisan capable of inscribing the engravings can do it."
Manpower would be needed.
But one element was already solved.
"There is an artisan, isn't there? In your mansion, Marquis."
…! Yes, there was.
The craftsman once tormented in Leonil's experiments—Oesu, Linus Voltimoog. He was still forcibly residing in the marquis's estate.
"Then let us revive the 'Treasure of Estiria'. Thanks to the greedy kings, the treasury has materials and wealth more than sufficient. I will entrust the commission and transport entirely to you, Marquis."
Her voice carried the authority of existence itself.
With those few words, one could tell she was on a different level than the kings and princes of Estiria.
After today, the kingdom would enter a new era.
Marquis Esperanza bowed formally.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
***
Leonil was dead, and the situation had ended.
The news reached the mansion of Marquis Esperanza.
"Ha! Finally, I can leave this kingdom!"
Linus broke into a broad smile.
Living in the marquis's estate hadn't been so bad, but his original purpose for coming to Estiria had merely been to pass through.
Once, Linus had been a Platinum-rank adventurer.
But now, having lost his right arm, his combat strength had fallen drastically. He could no longer wield the war hammer taught to him by his dwarf master.
So he had chosen the safer route through the kingdom.
Setting aside law and order, it was still preferable to traversing dangerous wilderness. Along the way, he made magic items to earn travel expenses.
Sometimes greedy nobles tried to detain him, but Linus was an expert in evasion. He knew how to escape without fighting.
"Who could have guessed I'd be kidnapped at the underworld auction and dragged off to Leonil…!"
Nearly ten years he had been trapped in the kingdom.
How he regretted choosing Estiria as part of his journey. Now the very name made him sick.
Still…
"Who would've thought Asher could be strong enough to bring down Leonil?"
Effortlessly overwhelming the court mages before his eyes.
And then requesting a staff to be crafted with materials so rare they were almost impossible to find in the entire world.
He had known the boy was unusual, yet it still left him aghast.
"Hmph, a mage…"
Linus furrowed his brow.
He did not like mages. He couldn't.
Some said he had been expelled by his dwarf master, but that was false. In truth, he had never been cast out.
It was a common story, nothing more.
Linus Voltimoog.
Pushing aside the other dwarf disciples, as a human craftsman, Linus had sought to be acknowledged by his master as a true blacksmith, and so he set out to obtain a material that was nearly impossible to find.
He could not do it alone, so he gathered companions.
They were not adventurers, but they possessed skill on par with Linus.
───Caught… it!!
After a fierce battle, they brought down the monster.
They managed to do so without the slightest damage to the material they had been after.
But the real ordeal began then.
The companions, conspiring behind his back, struck Linus from behind.
Exhausted from holding the vanguard, he could not resist properly, and when the mage's spell struck him, he lost his right arm.
Watching them flee, Linus screamed.
────You, you bastards!!
Alone, abandoned in the deep forest.
He could sense the beasts closing in, drawn by the scent of blood.
Driven to the brink of death, Linus barely managed to escape, thanks to luck and sheer will. When he emerged, he found himself on the Eastern Continent.
Though alive, his path was blocked.
He could not complain to the guild that he had been betrayed by men who were not adventurers, nor could he return to his master without an arm.
────Fine, damn it. Then I'll manage with one arm.
He emptied the rest of his savings in the bank and went into hiding somewhere on the Eastern Continent.
After long, grueling years of training, Linus mastered a unique forging method. Just recalling the hardship made him tremble.
Still, it had not been in vain. He had survived, and that was a fortune within misfortune.
"…I'd like to say farewell to Asher, at least."
But it was awkward to head for the capital.
He believed that if fate willed it, they would meet again.
Linus began preparations to leave. He had to resume the journey he had left unfinished.
He would cross the continent once more, to the domain of the dwarves where he believed his master still resided.
Even with just one arm, he had succeeded in forging a staff using orbs.
Though the path had turned out far more twisted than intended, at this point his craft had already reached the level of a dwarf artisan.
Until he gained his master's recognition, he could not die.
But still, he could not leave.
"What? A commission, you say?"
In the forge of the marquis's estate.
Arriving by airship, the marquis nodded.
"I happen to need a craftsman of exceptional skill. Linus, you will be the one."
"But…"
"I will not accept refusal."
The marquis's stern tone made Linus's hair stand on end.
'Don't tell me he means to hold me here? Damn it.'
Linus's eyes darted secretly.
He was thinking of a way to escape, when the marquis brought out a metal ingot and a jewel. At the sight of them, Linus's mind froze.
The artisan's eye pierced their identities in an instant.
"O-Orichalcum, and a ruby from Mount Dahil?!"
Orichalcum, one of the highest-grade metals, surpassed mithril as a magic metal.
And the ruby of Mount Dahil, formed over centuries as natural mana and ruby fused together, was a gem worth any price.
The marquis folded his arms.
"The client is the Royal Family of Estiria. You will be given the royal forge, and with these two materials and the 'treasure' housed in the palace, you will craft a single item. The blueprint will be shown once we reach the capital."
"Then, the payment…"
"If you ask for money, you will receive money. If you want something else, even the royal treasury will be opened. Whatever you choose, it is your freedom… but once you take it on, you must complete it."
It was no bluff, but the truth.
Linus swallowed hard as he gazed at the gem and ingot.
His hesitation was very short.
"…I accept."
"Good. Then we depart for the capital immediately."
"Yes, my lord. But… what is it I am to make?"
An accessory, a ring that had long since lost its form.
Once called an ancient artifact, it had been dismantled a hundred years ago. Now only the blueprint and a single core component remained.
In other words—
"It is the recreation of the 'national treasure' passed down in the Kingdom of Estiria."
***
He had heard the news that Silis had awakened.
But there was no need to rush to her side.
When she had regained stability, she would send for him herself. And after a few days, a messenger indeed arrived.
"Sir Asher, Her Highness Silis requests your presence."
Lorian himself took on the duty of escort.
Though he could have contacted Asher through his unique trait, Mind Resonance, he did not. It was out of respect for Verden.
They passed down a corridor bathed in bright sunlight.
Following Lorian, Verden arrived not at the royal tower but the audience chamber. Princess Silis stood at the foot of the throne's steps, her back turned.
When Verden entered, Lorian bowed deeply and withdrew.
His courtesy toward Asher was almost no different from that shown to Silis herself, filled with respect and gratitude.
Thud. The door shut, leaving only the two inside.
Verden stepped forward, then stopped at an appropriate distance from Silis.
She turned her face slightly, casting only her gaze toward him.
"Lorian doesn't show that kind of courtesy to anyone but me… could it be related to the last time you met him?"
"You should ask Lorian that."
The keepsake of the Wailing Knight belonged to Lorian.
Verden had no intention of speaking lightly of their past.
"More importantly, will I hear your answer today?"
What would she do after fulfilling her revenge?
The same question he had asked on the day of the coronation returned to Silis once more.
"Of course. That is the very reason I called you. And also to grant you three rewards."
Verden tilted his head slightly.
Three rewards?
That was not something he had heard beforehand.
Before he could voice his doubt, Silis spoke.
"To answer your question first… I did not know. Back then, that was the answer I gave. But now, my thoughts have changed."
Silis moved.
She slowly walked the chamber, continuing.
"The aimless wandering became unbearable, so I asked Marquis Esperanza for advice. I asked what I should do from now on… and he said he wished for me to be queen. With the resolve that if I ever strayed, he would risk his life to set me straight."
Another's counsel, then.
Verden narrowed his eyes.
"So, you mean to entrust your future to another's decision?"
"It is different from dependence. Absolutely."
Her will was resolute.
In her eyes there was no wavering.
"I am not handing my life over to another. I have decided to live for those who have followed me until now. To build a Kingdom of Estiria that can protect those who suffered. I have chosen, of my own will, to be queen."
Her steps halted.
Standing closer to Verden, Silis tilted her head. Platinum hair slid gently down her shoulder.
"This is my answer to your question. Are you satisfied?"
There was no need for satisfaction.
It had never been a question asked in search of fulfillment.
"But I do have one curiosity."
"What is it?"
"How exactly do you intend to become queen?"
The coronation was over.
On the surface, Valrgna would ascend the throne.
Replacing the king beforehand was possible, but difficult. The world still believed Silis incapable of moving her body.
If suddenly she took the throne in Valrgna's stead, chaos would ensue.
'Then what remains is…'
Their eyes met.
And as though reading his thoughts, Silis smiled faintly.
"Not wearing the crown does not mean one cannot be queen."
Her platinum eyes turned to twilight.
"A crowned puppet, and the witch who controls it. Between the two, who do you think will truly wield the royal authority of Estiria?"
Silis Riven di Estiria.
She was now the absolute power of the Royal Family of Estiria.
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