episode_0053

The Great Plains of Waka Yushi, known as the Empire’s Song Chamber

“Phew… Is this the end for this region too?”

– Well done, Vistas!

Udine, the Water Spirit King with blue hair, clung to Vistas’ back.

“Haha. I’m truly grateful. Thanks to you, the land was able to regain its vigor. Thanks to Udine, the Empire will once again welcome a year of abundance.”

In order to aid the Empire, to support Cladia, Vistas honed his abilities as a spirit user.

Thanks to this, Vistas was able to form an additional contract with the Water Spirit Udine, and Vistas’ exceptional talent awakened Udine as the Spirit King.

The Spirit King Udine who governs all waters.

Thanks to the energy supplied by nature’s source, the Empire was able to welcome an unprecedented year of abundance.

“Hey, how long are you going to stick around?”

Sylph glared at them with a displeased expression.

“Beh!”

Udine stuck out her tongue at Sylph.

“You wanna try me on for size!”

The Spirit Kings began their usual banter.

Their playful chatter, like that of innocent children, seemed out of place in their lofty status.

“Why are you both like this again? The soil fertility restoration in the Song Chamber should be complete now. Let’s return to the palace. When we get back, I’ll give you delicious spirit stones.”

– Spirit stones?

The two Spirit Kings licked their lips and turned to Vistas.

“Yeah. You both worked so hard like this. His Majesty will probably approve.”

Finally, they could return to see His Majesty!

For a whole week, they traveled throughout the Empire, executing the plan to enhance the Empire’s land fertility.

Cladia didn’t want to send Vistas away, but since it was the only thing he could do, Cladia eventually gave in after Vistas’ persuasion.

“Still, it’s just a week. I won’t allow more than that.”

Don’t worry, Your Majesty.

I also want to return to see Your Majesty soon.

“Spirit stones! Spirit stones!”

Vistas returned to the palace with the excited Spirit Kings.

As they were about to pass through the gates of the palace as usual, trying not to scare the passersby, at that moment.

“Please halt.”

“…Huh?”

The palace guards guarding the main gate of the palace stopped him.

“Me…?”

Rather than getting angry, Vistas was more taken aback.

“I apologize, Prime Minister. An order has been issued to prevent your entry.”

“…What?”

An order to prevent his entry?

Numerous hooks were drawn in Vistas’ mind.

“From whom?”

As the second-in-command of the Empire, excluding the Emperor, the Prime Minister held such power that no one else could challenge him.

There was no way anyone within the Empire, where public opinion was strong, would dare to slander or attempt to overthrow him.

Who could dare to command the expulsion of the Spirit Kings and the one favored by the Emperor?

If so, there was only one person who could issue an entry ban to him.

“His Majesty has personally issued the decree.”

It could only be Cladia.

“That can’t be true.”

Vistas raised his voice.

“There’s no way His Majesty would forbid my entry!”

Undoubtedly, something had been gravely miscommunicated.

Surely, the Emperor would never abandon me.

“No. What you heard is correct.”

A familiar voice echoed from afar.

The voice Vistas had longed to hear for a week.

“Vistas. I have forbidden your entry.”

With shocking news.

“…Yes?”

비서스 looked at Cladia, who was coldly looking down on him, and lost his words.

Cladia, known as the Iron Blood Princess for her stoic demeanor, always smiled brightly at Vess, despite her expressionless facade. Because of her warm smiles towards Vess, many in the palace hoped and speculated about a marriage between Cladia and Vess.

However, the current Cladia was far from that image.

With the stern face befitting an Iron Blood Princess, she gazed down at Vess, mixed with a disdainful look in her eyes.

“Your, Your Highness? Have the gods misunderstood? Are you saying… you forbid my presence in the palace?”

“Yes.”

Is she playing a joke on me?

“Your Highness, perhaps… this is going too far. I, I am surprised. Haha. I never imagined this. Ahaha.”

Vess, hoping it was just Cladia teasing him as she sometimes did, was met with disappointment.

“No.”

Cladia’s next words shattered Vess to his core.

“You are not fit to serve. Vess Grangniel, I strip you of your position as Prime Minister. You will be banished from the palace.”

With a declaration as forceful as thunder.

“Why… why, Your Highness! Can I know the reason?”

“Because of your incompetence.”

“Incompetence.”

Vess knelt in shock.

The fact that Her Highness deemed him incompetent…

“You, an incompetent person like yourself, occupying such an important position as Prime Minister has hindered the empire’s progress. While one could argue for your death for stagnating the empire, considering your past service, I will spare your life.”

Though Cladia spoke, Vess, already broken inside, couldn’t hear her.

‘Huh?’

Then, Vess noticed Cladia’s trembling left hand.

‘Could it be?’

He recalled the time when the previous Cladia had sacrificed herself to protect him, the princess who had tried to shield him.

‘Is she sacrificing herself again to protect me?’

As much as Vess tried to think optimistically, that thought was quickly shattered.

Uung

Several magic circles appeared around Cladia as blades of magic materialized.

Chwak

The blades flew towards Vess.

“Swish!”

Unprotected, Vess’s arms and legs were severed.

Thud-thud-thud

Vess’s limbless body fell to the ground.

“I hope to never see you again. Take ‘that’ away from the palace!”

At Cladia’s command, the guards lifted Vess’s body.

“This… can’t be happening. It can’t be true.”

Despite his limbs being severed and blood flowing, Vess felt no pain. Or rather, he couldn’t feel it.

“Her Highness… Her Highness has abandoned me?”

As the guards carried Vess’s limbless body outside the imperial palace, he could only gaze up at the sky in disbelief.

* * *

Uung

In the chamber prepared for the Emperor, Cladia returned, conjuring magical blades in the air and grasping them with her right hand. Then,

Kwajik

She snapped her opposite hand.

“Hmph… to rebel.”

Upon doing so, her left hand, which had been trembling since she dismissed Vess, extended smoothly.

“Could mere mortals, especially lowly humans, dare to defy great will? Suppressing their very souls to the point of losing consciousness. Resisting at this level unconsciously?”

Before, I had taken the bodies of mortals from various dimensions multiple times, but such intense resistance was a first. What was even more surprising was that the owner of the body was unconscious.

—

“Well, it’s over. The representative of ‘Sun’ is already ruined. There will be no return.”

The best option was to use this body to kill Vires Grangniel, but due to the intense subconscious rebellion still present in the body, that was completely impossible.

At best, cutting off the limbs and banishing was the only option.

“The end for you two is not far off.”

The empire of tranquility created by Vires and Cladia together.

“Watch the destruction of this country, and your own downfall with your own eyes! Ahahaha!”

‘Ak’ laughed as if unable to contain the excitement for that moment.

—

After quite a long time

-Vires! Vires!

“Hmm… Sylph?”

Vires woke up at Sylph’s urgent call.

-Vires! Oh… Thank goodness.

Sylph breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Vires’ face.

She had sensed something amiss with Undine and her summoning being delayed, ventured into the intermediate realm on her own, realized Vires’ life was in danger, and hastily administered first aid.

“I thought you were dead.”

“Dead?”

Vires tried to sit up naturally, but…

“Oh.”

He couldn’t move his arms and legs as he willed.

“That’s right. They were cut off.”

By Her Majesty.

Vires realized that being abandoned by Cladia was not a dream.

“It was… reality.”

Vires looked ahead in astonishment.

“If that’s the case… I might already be dead.”

-Vires… What on earth happened?

Always proactive, always doing whatever it took to help Cladia, Vires.

Seeing Vires reduced to a helpless state, Sylph couldn’t believe the current situation.

“You have the right to know.”

Vires summoned Undine as well and explained what had happened to both of them.

-That, that’s!

-This can’t be true…

Undine was speechless, while Sylph shed tears.

“I’m sorry to both of you… but I no longer have a reason to live.”

Vires slowly closed his eyes.

‘Is there a reason for me, abandoned by Cladia, to exist?’

Grateful for the two spirits who followed him believing in only himself, considering them as family. He knew that if he disappeared, both of them would revert to lesser spirits due to the disappearance of their contractor.

But…

The purpose of life. Goals. The very reason for living had vanished.

He had been abandoned by the one who meant everything to him.

‘Just like this… just like this… to die…’

-Vires!

Sylph shook Vires awake.

“Do you not think you’re acting strange?”

“…?”

Sylph couldn’t admit it.

His favorite man.

Vires.

He had never seen him as a romantic interest.

His attention was solely on Cladia, the human woman.

Even so, it was okay.

As long as Vires was happy, it didn’t matter who ended up with him.

Knowing that Cladia also loved Vires fanatically, Sylph overlooked it.

But the fact that such a Cladia had abandoned Vires was unfathomable.

-Do you think it’s normal for Cladia, who loved you so much, to cast you aside like that? Do you think that’s rational?

It doesn’t make sense. There was definitely something going on.

“Huh?”

Vissus finally realized that something was amiss.

Claudia’s rejection and the attack had left Vissus in shock, initially clouding his thoughts. However, after hearing Sylph’s account, he revisited the scene with Claudia and noticed the peculiarity of it all.

Yes.

There’s no way Her Highness would abandon me. The reasons behind it, the justification, all seemed forced and abrupt.

Vissus recalled Claudia’s trembling left hand.

“Could it be…?”

If. If Claudia was being manipulated by someone.

Then….

Right now, I am!

“Undine! Can you heal my arm?”

-Arm? Well… it might be possible, but it won’t be like before.

“It’s fine.”

Given his current state, he wouldn’t live long anyway. Left neglected for a month, teetering on the brink of death, Sylph barely managed to save him, clinging only to life.

Even if he couldn’t regain his former prime physique, it didn’t matter.

Just.

Just being able to save Her Highness.

That alone was enough.