episode_0140

It had been quite some time since the completion of the refugee camp in Kubele.

During this time, the situation in the kingdom had been strangely shifting.

Firstly, the demon army led by Bloodstain had begun to retreat to the Demon Realm.

We had been consistently monitoring the movements of the demon army.

However, one day, we suddenly witnessed the monsters gathering as if they had received someone’s command and returning.

The city destroyed by Bloodstain had become a completely empty ruin.

The news of the monsters retreating also reached the refugee camp.

Now that the threat of the demon army to the kingdom’s capital had disappeared, I thought the refugees would return to the capital.

But…

“Huh? Isn’t there a reason to go back? We have the presence of the Goddess here, and there are still remnants of the rebel army causing trouble in Pifnel.”

Even after the demon army had retreated, the refugees refused to return to the kingdom’s capital.

It was a valid point.

Kubele, who had endured a long journey to arrive here, was one of them.

The Goddess Stellania, along with the Holy Maiden, frequently visited the refugees, listened to their concerns, and provided better security than Pifnel, where the remnants of the rebel army were still causing havoc.

Algot, who was temporarily serving as the mayor, proposed a plan to develop the entire Kubele Forest where the refugee camp was located.

“We will extend the protective wall of Kubele to the area where the refugee camp is located and build proper houses.”

“Then the city will become even larger.”

“Yes. No one wants to send the refugees back from here.”

The refugees from the kingdom’s capital cheered Algot’s decision.

The fact that they could fully settle in a city protected by the Goddess Stellania boosted their morale.

And as the news spread that Kubele had become the ‘City of the Goddess,’ the situation became increasingly peculiar.

In cities other than Kubele, the rumors about the ‘City of the Goddess’ were initially met with skepticism.

I knew this firsthand from my time in the kingdom’s capital.

But after evacuating the people from the capital and helping them settle in Kubele, the atmosphere changed.

People from other cities started coming to Kubele to confirm the rumors.

They saw the Goddess Stellania in the refugee camp with their own eyes.

Thus, the existence of the Goddess gradually became known, and the rumors about Kubele started gaining traction.

In reality, by leveraging the powerless Goddess, we had declared the ‘City of the Goddess,’ and it was gaining real power.

“Oh… Goddess! Thank you!”

“We are truly fortunate to have the Goddess with us!”

People gathered and expressed their gratitude.

Goddess Stellania did not perform miracles or exert any special powers.

But her mere presence was already giving hope to the people.

Then one day, a strange rumor began to spread among the people.

There was talk that Kubele, the City of the Goddess, might replace Pifnel as the new capital of the kingdom.

“Pifnel is done for now. The Goddess knew that and chose Kubele.”

“It’s a place where the remnants of the rebel army roam, so it’s meaningless.”

“Is Kubele really going to become the center of the kingdom?”

“It’s only a matter of time, as people from other cities have already started coming to see the Goddess.”

However, the issue of who would rule the kingdom remained.

With the royal bloodline cut off due to the rebel army, who would govern the kingdom?

Currently, the kingdom seemed to be functioning as if each city was its own independent state.

That was because the king who ruled the kingdom had disappeared.

However, in Kubeul, there was no one who stepped forward to become the new king.

It was only natural.

Not only was there no one to wear such a heavy crown, but even if someone did, there would be issues of legitimacy.

I, on the other hand, believed that as long as one had the ability, it didn’t matter who became king, but people in the world didn’t think that way.

If someone who lacked the legitimacy that almost everyone in the kingdom would recognize became king, problems would surely arise.

In that sense, Edward, a hidden prince living in the refugee camp, was just as important as the king of the kingdom.

Currently, only I knew this fact, but it seemed necessary to somehow give him a “sign.”

From what I had observed consistently, Edward had the qualities of a king, excluding the fact that he had royal blood running through his veins.

If he had only the lineage and his character was trash like the previous hero, I would never have hoped for him to become king.

But the more I saw of him, the more he seemed like a good person.

Even among the refugees, his reputation continued to grow, and before I knew it, Edward had become the representative of the refugees.

Yet, he never revealed that he was of royal blood.

I had glanced back at the past several times and even deliberately tried to tell stories of the royal palace, but it was all in vain.

It would be a despicable act to casually mention to him that he wasn’t actually of royal blood and pretend to recognize the ring.

Forcing someone to take on a task they had no will to do would never yield good results.

As I pondered deeply one day…

People flocked to the market office where Algot was working.

They had come to convey requests to Kubeul on behalf of the mayors and village chiefs who governed other cities and towns.

I stood behind Algot, listening to what they were saying.

“We have heard that this place is under the protection of the goddess. We wish for that same protection in our city. So… do you know the current situation of the kingdom? The kingdom must be united again. Therefore, we hope that Kubeul will take the lead.”

It seemed like they had already reached some agreement before coming to Kubeul.

To unite the kingdom again, with Kubeul at the center, under the protection of the goddess.

In other words, it seemed like Kubeul, which had only been rumored about, would become the new capital of the kingdom.

However, Algot replied with a troubled expression.

“We appreciate the proposal, but it may be difficult in reality.”

“Why is that?”

“If it’s just about unifying policies, it’s fine, but… to unite the kingdom as it was before, we need a king who rules over the entire kingdom.”

“I see… Then let’s start by building a cooperative relationship with Kubeul. Just unifying policies and helping each other would already have some meaning.”

It seemed like Algot found a compromise in his response.

Not everyone from all the cities’ representatives had come here, but everyone agreed that to truly unify the kingdom, the presence of a king was necessary.

After each city’s representatives left, Algot spoke with a contemplative expression.

“…We can’t continue like this forever. We don’t know when the Demon Army might come again.”

“Still, wouldn’t it have been okay to just accept their proposal?”

“I thought it was premature. Kubeul currently has its limits in administrative power.”

“I see.”

“Increasing responsibilities without careful consideration is not a good idea. We don’t know what might happen.”

Honestly, I wasn’t well-versed in this area.

So, all I could do was listen to Algot, who was responsible for Kubeul’s administration.

Actually, from my perspective as someone not originally from this world, I could consider various ways for a kingdom to function without a new king.

However, when it came to restoring the kingdom as it was before, the opinions of the people who had lived in this world for a long time were more important.

Ultimately, it was said that the easiest and fastest way to reunify and stabilize the kingdom was to establish a new king.

I pondered for a moment.

Should I tell Alcott the fact that Edward is actually of royal blood?

The fact that the ring he wore came from the royal family was enough to give him away.

It would probably be easier to find a solution if Alcott helped me think about it rather than me pondering alone.

She was skilled at dealing with people, so she might be able to create an opportunity for Edward.

“Mr. Alcott, what if there is a surviving royal bloodline from the rebellion in the capital?”

“It seems that the rebels thoroughly eradicated the royal bloodline. That person called Lotus is claiming to be the king.”

“But there is a living person.”

“What?”

Alcott asked me in surprise.

“That man, Edward, seems to be of royal descent. You can tell by the ring he wore at the dinner party. It’s not an ordinary silver ring, but one that only royalty possesses.”

“Really? How do you know that?”

Well, the narration told me.

But I couldn’t say that, so I vaguely explained.

“The attached gem is extremely rare. I’ve seen it before when I was looking at weapon materials. It’s a type of gemstone that is almost not circulated in the market, used only by the royal family. Although he calls himself a fallen noble… there’s a sense of discomfort. Don’t you think it’s worth investigating? If he really is of royal descent, he could quickly resolve the kingdom’s current frustrating situation.”

“Edward… that man did seem a bit suspicious, now that I think about it.”

Alcott’s expression became even more serious.

Just by saying this, I felt like I had relieved some of the burden of thinking alone.

Indeed, sharing your worries is the way to go.

“What if Mr. Edward is really of royal descent?”

I asked Alcott.

She immediately replied, “If that’s true, there’s no need to think about it. We would have both the blood of the goddess and the royal family. If we were to appoint a new king to lead the kingdom, could there be a better condition than this?”

“He might not want that for himself.”

“We have to persuade him. First, we need to confirm if what you said is true, Miss Yunoa.”

Alcott stood up from her seat.

She was indeed proactive.

“Yunoa skillfully passed on her concerns to Alcott.

Appointing Edward as the new king was nothing more than how to persuade him.

She just passed it on because she couldn’t come up with an answer on her own, but Yunoa chose the right person to consult.

Based on the information Yunoa provided, Alcott would take proactive action.”

Don’t say that I purposely passed on the troublesome matter.

I’m just not very good at thinking in that direction.

Besides, my goal is to eliminate the Demon Soul and restore balance to this world.

Once the balance of the world is restored, then I can live a normal adventurer’s life in peace.

To achieve that, it wouldn’t hurt to get help with other complicated matters, right?

“Yunoa, who spoke like that, was not actually ready to fight the Demon Soul.

In other words, it was just an excuse.”

Today, the narration seems a bit spicy again.

But it was also true.

I had been so focused on the situation of the kingdom that I had not prepared at all to subdue the Demon Soul.

Thanks to the narration, I felt a little reflection.

Alright, let’s leave the matter of Prince Edward to Alcott for now.

But how should I prepare for the subjugation of the Demon King…?