The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Chapter 152
Responsibility (3)
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A dagger that bounced off in vain.
And one pendant that fell with it.
Blood gushed from his torn wrist.
But the guy just stared at me blankly as if he didn’t even notice.
They were dead eyes, without even a shred of life to be found.
“… … .”
A brief silence passed like that,
“What are you doing?”
Those were the first words that came out of my mouth.
But the cold, indifferent voice made it impossible to read that emotion at all.
From his perspective. From my perspective.
And only then did the guy’s eyes begin to focus.
“… … Ah, maybe the timing was bad after all.”
“Answer my question. I asked what you are doing.”
“Isn’t that what I wanted to say, hyung?”
Slurp-
As the boy struggled to his feet, the hem of his tangled clothes brushed the floor, making a low noise.
Even the coat was carelessly thrown on, and fell to the floor as soon as he moved his body.
“… … I had a bad feeling about this.”
However, Albedo, who was muttering like that and straightening her posture… …
Soon, he scratched his head and smiled as if nothing had happened.
“Why is my brother, the sole heir to the throne, in such a shabby place?”
“… … .”
“Oh, did you come here because you wanted to see the loser brother who caused this situation to come to this?”
He chuckles as the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitch.
But, like the clothes that couldn’t be washed, her eyes trembled with agitation and showed no sign of calming down.
The bloodshot eyes looking at him sink endlessly into the abyss.
“Did you try to take your own life?”
“It’s not something so grand as to be expressed like that. In the first place, the disappearance of even a single life form, like a fly… … .”
“What is the reason?”
“… … .”
I cut him off and asked him interrogatively.
An unknown cold air took hold of the prison interior, making the air stiff.
In the meantime, the guy started babbling as if he had remembered something and was making excuses.
“Well, I would rather die an honorable death than be executed in front of the public. There must be some among you who trusted me, so wouldn’t it be a bit awkward to show off?”
As he spoke, the guy bent down and tried to retrieve the fallen pendant.
… … But soon his fingertips stopped.
“Aren’t you going to pick it up?”
“… … .”
No, it looked like it was blocked by something and wouldn’t go any further.
It was as if he was hesitating to do the ‘act of picking up’ itself, as if he was saying that it was not his.
And the guy never picked up the pendant.
It was only in an instant that Albedo’s behavior changed back to normal.
“But won’t you please answer my question? There doesn’t seem to be any reason to waste time and come all the way to a place like this.”
“I won’t say it again. Why?”
“Ha, right. As expected, you can’t fool your brother.”
Albedo’s shoulders shrugged.
And the excuse I made this time was definitely not a lie.
“Shouldn’t those who are meant to die die, but those who are meant to live live? If so, it would be better if the one who is meant to die makes the sacrifice.”
“You tried to blame everything on me. You tried to strike me down before any more trouble arose.”
“If you’re going to do it, then let’s say it’s a noble sacrifice.”
It was just a joke, but I knew it was a very important decision.
For a mere human being to shoulder everything for others was truly a noble thing.
……however.
“Is that the answer you were thinking of?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then I guess I was mistaken.”
“… … What?”
“It means that the poor imagination to try to escape this situation with something like death is ridiculous.”
The guy’s eyebrows twitched.
On the contrary, I continued speaking without changing my expression at all.
“Did you feel responsible for this situation where you couldn’t control the peacock and its mother?”
“… … .”
“But if you really thought that your very existence was the starting point of this whole situation, you should have taken the lead in resolving it.”
“that…….”
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“Rather than running away, I had to stand at the forefront of defending the royal family, show that I contributed more to the royal family than anyone else, and take action for the aggrieved nobles who would be left behind.”
“… … .”
Death without responsibility for anything is nothing more than an excuse and an escape.
And it was a fact that Albedo also knew, even though she had been denying it in her heart.
… … More clearly than anyone else.
“Hehehe, running away… … Well, it’s not a bad expression.”
okay.
From this tragedy that began under the name of the Second Prince faction.
It must have been like running away, in that I wanted to be free from all that responsibility.
Squeak-
So at last the heavy iron gate of the prison opened.
Dim light poured in from the hallway, and Albedo raised her hand to cover her eyes in confusion.
I started to open my mouth with my back to it.
“If you really want to fulfill that responsibility, survive to the end and prove it.”
“What the… … Are you saying you’ll let me go?”
“okay.”
I nodded and continued speaking.
“Live your whole life repenting and repenting in a place closer to me than anyone else, and helping me.”
“Ha, but I was just a leader of the rebels… … .”
“What does that matter? Do you think anyone would object to what I’m going to do?”
“… … .”
“Father has already given his permission.”
“… … !”
Albedo’s eyes opened wide in disbelief.
I took a step away from the blocked door and urged the guy on.
Don’t run away from the responsibility you have been given. Just as you came into this position of your own accord, wake up from your negativity and leave.
Still, the reason that the trembling body hesitates is probably because of the truth that it had been hiding all along.
“What are you hesitating for?”
“… … .”
“Does that dirty bloodline still bother you?”
“… … !”
Illegal blood.
… … A secret that was like his own shame.
The moment he mentioned it, the guy’s body began to tremble visibly.
“How, how did you know that… … .”
“Did you think no one would have noticed?”
I answered in a low hum.
Of course I knew that the guy wasn’t his father’s bloodline.
This was a truth that I had already known before my return, and so I had not revealed it to anyone.
… … A shameful thing that I want to hide in the end.
Because I knew how much he had been hiding it.
but.
“Father already knows, too.”
Surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one who noticed that.
In fact, it was much earlier than the time I found out before the regression.
And even though he knew that fact, his father protected Albedo.
As if he were caring for and worrying about his own child, he did not hesitate to postpone the punishment.
Ssuk-
I picked up the guy’s pendant that had fallen on the floor.
The worn-out pendant had only the royal emblem engraved on it.
I handed it over and said softly.
“It’s yours.”
“… … .”
“You have never been a member of the royal family for even a moment.”
There was never a moment when I wasn’t my father’s son.
Also, there was never a time when he wasn’t my brother.
The name Albedo Esteban alone was enough to qualify.
“Your father is looking for you. Go see him before it’s too late.”
Swish-
With those words, he turned and left the prison.
And above all, the prison doors, which should have been thoroughly guarded, were still not closed.
* * *
The leaders of the rebellion, including Duke William and Queen Sarah, were executed.
But for some reason, the execution of the man, who was supposed to have been hanged in the capital’s square, was carried out in a private manner.
It was because my father suddenly gave such an instruction.
But instead, the body was burned to the point where not even ashes remained, and it was completely erased from the world.
Moreover, their property and territory have long since been returned to the crown and become direct fiefdoms.
The large and small traces that had been left behind by the Duke’s rebellion were gradually returning to normal.
“But what are we going to do with the troops that were part of the rebels?”
George asked, stopping to look over the papers.
The number of captured soldiers was a whopping 9,000, and no one who had been there willingly or involuntarily could go unpunished.
Here I mentioned what I was thinking.
“They will be forcibly mobilized as laborers for the construction of the eastern border wall.”
“In preparation for war with the Federation Empire.”
“That’s what will happen.”
Their preparations will also gradually be made, so we must also show some movement here.
The first was to eliminate internal hazards in advance. The next was to block their intrusion at the source.
“War ultimately makes the land sick.”
So I had no intention of allowing them to attack like before the regression.
As long as I hold out, the Federal Empire will never trample on this land.
“Well, for something like that, it was a big deal.”
George shrugged and muttered.
The work of repairing the damage caused by the meteor has not even begun.
Even the workers were reluctant to start the restoration work, so it seemed like it would take a long time.
“By the way, regarding the next schedule… … .”
“what?”
“First of all, I have to attend the Continental Congress.”
“Continental Congress?”
Bam-
I stopped writing the paperwork and narrowed my eyes.
“The reason is.”
“It seems that the magic used in suppressing the rebels was brought before the Continental Congress.”
“I see.”
Continental Congress.
The large-scale conference, held irregularly, brought together high-ranking officials from each country to discuss major issues of the continent and discuss courses of action.
‘For example, before returning, we gathered our strength to try to break the barbarians’ momentum.’
… … And this agenda is none other than the ancient magic used by Matapju.
Since there was no movement from this side even after sending a statement, it seemed that they decided to take action themselves.
But it was strange to convene a Continental Congress without any notice, especially if it was aimed at Esteban, who was in the process of resolving the internal turmoil.
Of course, the reason was simple.
“Well, what other reason could there be? They’re just making a fuss.”
“How ridiculous.”
The corners of my mouth twisted.
That unexpected meeting was clearly held under the auspices of the Federal Empire.
This means that this position was created by pressuring related organizations, just as they had been pressuring neighboring countries and sending out statements.
It’s literally ridiculous.
“I guess you thought that just calling out the heavyweight and causing chaos at a time like this would be effective enough.”
“Maybe they’ll ask for some kind of magic formula.”
“I guess so.”
Perhaps, there was a high possibility that they would demand that all information be disclosed, claiming that the existence of this killing magic was ‘unclean’.
Linking Esteban, who has formed a cooperative relationship with the Holy Empire, with the black magician… … .
Because that was the most effective way to attack.
“Even if they don’t agree to disclose the information, they will have a justification to stop the use of magic, and if we disclose it, they will probably think it’s a good thing for them.”
“Well, that’s clear. But is it going to be a bother?”
“No. I guess that’s not the case.”
“yes?”
I shrugged my shoulders leisurely.
“When did the Continental Congress begin?”
“It is noon in ten days.”
Are you blocking me from even preparing for the schedule?
Well, it really didn’t matter.
If you want, I’m willing to respond with an attack as well.
“We can’t let them do as they want.”
The first Continental Congress after the return seemed surprisingly enjoyable.
