219-Hospitality of the king
The Royal Palace of the Gaillardites.
Led by Zamira, Ray and Misa were ushered into the throne room.
Sitting on the opulent throne, they were greeted by a scrawny old man dressed in the clothes of a king.
His face was wrinkled and old, but his eyes were the only thing that glittered and kept him young.
''I have brought the brave Kanon-sama and her fiancé, Misa-sama.
Zamira said in condescension and kneeled awkwardly with her thick body.
Ray and Misa followed suit and tried to kneel before the king, but King Gaillardite restrained them with his hand.
'Leave it at that. I cannot make the great hero of Azation, the brave canon, kneel before you.
The king rose from his throne and walked over to Ray and Missa.
'I am pleased to meet you. I am the 106th King of Gailladite, Licius Engelo Gailladite.
Two thousand years ago, the royal city of Gailladite was a stronghold of mankind. The king who ruled over the royal city, that is, the king who united and ruled all of Azéon.
To be precise, Azation is not a single nation, but a federation of humans. It is King Gaillardite who governs those nations.
Its history has remained the same for two thousand years and has been passed down to this day.
The fact that Zamira has the surname Engelo, like King Lysius, means that he is also a member of the royal family.
However, since he was even sent to the Academy for the Brave, his succession to the throne seems low.
I'm glad you came to the palace. You have come to the palace. We've been waiting for this day.
Lysius holds out his hand to Ray.
'I'm Ray Grandsdrie now,'
Saying that, Ray shook hands with her.
''Even if you become a demon race, you will still be my hero, the hero of my dreams, the heroic canon.
Lysius held out his hand to Misa as well.
'I'm Misa Reglia,'
A wonderful young lady.
They shook hands.
'We still have some time before the dinner party. We still have some time before the feast, and in the meantime, I've arranged for you to have a room where you can relax. Make yourselves at home, make yourselves at home.
'Thank you. Would you like me to say hello to the other royals?
As Ray uttered this, Lysius closed his mouth and exhaled through his nose.
'Brave canon,'
Lysius appeals with a serious expression.
''Although I am supposed to be hospitable, please forgive me for this kind of disrespect. I have a favor to ask of you.''
For a moment, Ray exchanges glances with Misa.
'What is it?'
"There are twenty-six members of the royal family in line of succession to the throne.
Zamira, still on her knees, drops her dark gaze to the floor for a moment.
'But we are all ill now.
...all of them?
I know what you're wondering. I also wondered if someone was planning to overthrow the state and kill all the royalty. But no matter what wise man I asked, I couldn't figure out why. I thought it might be a curse, but it doesn't seem so.
Lysius says with a somber expression.
''At this rate, the country will crumble. At the earliest, the only thing we can rely on is your Spiritual God and Human Sword, which is said to cut off fate.''
''You could have relied on the Demon King of Dillhade to help you...?''
At Ray's words, Lysius shook his head.
He's a demon, after all. You can't be trusted. Only a few trusted people in the palace know that the heir to the throne is about to be destroyed. And more importantly, we can't let another king know.
Does the lack of focus on defeating the dragon mean it wasn't worth it?
Reward as much as you like. Will you help us, please?
Looking at Lysius, who lowers his head, Ray laughs in annoyance.
''I don't know how far I can go, but if it's some sort of curse, I might be able to manage it. Can you allow me to meet with the royalty?''
Oh, thank you, thank you.
With that, Lysius walked towards the throne.
'This way,'
Zamira said as they followed Lysius to keep him back.
'Yo, King!'
Stopping in his tracks, Lysius turns around.
'What's the matter, Zamira?'
"I have brought the brave Lord Kanon to the palace as the king wished!
With pleading eyes, Zamira looked at Lysius.
'Mmm. 'Thank you for your efforts, Zamira. You will be rewarded. You will continue to serve your country at the Academy of Heroes.'
Zamira bites her back teeth just barely.
''.........at the heroic academy, right......?
You got something to complain about?
Even as he bowed his head, Zamira stared at the floor with an expression tainted with humiliation and anger.
But the next moment, what he thought, he smiled dimly.
Despite being the only heir to the throne who hadn't been affected by the disease, by keeping him out of the royal palace, Lysius probably didn't want Zamira to take over the throne.
Regardless of Zamira, he moves to the throne.
He held his hand over it and drew a magic circle, and with a gurgling sound, the throne moved.
A hidden staircase appeared below it.
Lysius led the way down it, leading the way.
Ray and Misa followed suit.
The walls of the staircase were draped with magical lamps and faintly lit.
But it was so dim that it was impossible to see what was ahead.
The three of them continued on there for a while.
They walked and walked, but all they could see was the stairs.
Considering that the throne room was on the first floor, they must have gone pretty deep underground.
A small sound of water rang out with a pop.
The echoes grew in number and began to sound in my ears.
Soon, what came into view was a vast limestone cave.
Far below us was an underground lake, emitting a strange light.
It was probably holy water.
Riccius used the magic of
Ray and Misa followed him.
He landed on a narrow rocky path above the subterranean lake.
There he walked straight down.
Is this where a royal is being treated?
Mass asks, looking around curiously.
This is the place where the strongest holy water in Gaillardite comes from. It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them. The people will never know about it.
Lysius replied.
The center of the subterranean lake was a circular rock that formed a stage, and he walked to it.
There were twenty-six coffins on it.
'In these?'
Lysius nods.
Ray crouches down in front of the casket and runs his hand over its lid.
Slowly, he shifts the lid and opens the casket.
But it was empty inside.
The moment Ray turns around to look at Lysius, there is a high, unpleasant sound of squealing.
The subterranean lake began to emit a pale, white light.
''Ray-san........!
At the same time as the screaming voice of the mass, a violent sound came out of the lake, and a huge dragon, more than one hundred meters long, appeared.
Its scales and skin were stained white.
''Giaiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
The unpleasant head-splitting roar was accompanied by magical power and turned into a sticky liquid.
The dragon's mucus clung sloppily to Misa and Ray.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.
''Gearyyyy!
Once again, the dragon's mucus tangled around them like a chain, completely restraining their movements.
''I wish ... if only this hadn't happened...''
Without cracking a smile, Ray flicks his gaze to Lysius.
'What do you mean by the people of Azation being attacked by a dragon, and their king has a dragon?
Lysius answered the question with a gentle smile.
'Are you being attacked? Brave canon, that's a mistake. It is all about salvation.
As if it were obvious, King Gaillardite says.
The dragon is a messenger of God. By giving body and soul to the dragon, we humans can come to God and obtain true salvation.
'Then why don't I just make myself a dragon sacrifice?
Lysius nodded calmly.
'Of course I will. But as a king, I have the responsibility to lead the people of Azation to the gods. After I've done that, I'll gladly depart for the gods.
Mass notices with a start.
''........the royals.......?''
I sent you to God first.
"..........You fed it to the dragon? Your own children?
'They were vying for the throne. Flesh and blood resented, hated, and fought against their flesh and blood. I rescued them from that hell. A king is, after all, the parent of a country. It's the least I can do for my own children.
Mass made an expression of disbelief.
"....What do you want?
"To the god of Azation, the Spirit God and Man Sword and his chosen brave, as an offering. ＜To Eques, the Almighty God of Splendor.
Lysius laughs, as if in a state of euphoria.
The oracle has come. 'The oracle came down,' he says, 'and I was told that I would go to the gods and be resurrected in this land with eternal life. He will truly receive the kingdom from God and be the true king over this Azation.
Ray's gaze turns stern.
'I wonder if it was a dragonborn called Ahide or something like that who infused you with such lies?
"All is as the Almighty Goddess Eques wills.
It seems that Ray's provocations are not going to be taken up by him.
We can't be certain yet that it's Ahide's doing either.
However, it is as close to black as possible.
''Come on, brave canon. Here, summon the God of Azation, the Spiritual God and the Human Sword. ＜The time has come to return the hand of that god to the Almighty Glittering Eques.
Do you think I'll cooperate with you?
Then Lysius drew a magic circle on the index finger of his right hand.
What appeared was a pact pearl ring.
Unlike the selection pact pearl, the stone is a transparent crystal.
It must not be the selector.
The question is, who gave it to them?
'Come to this place in accordance with the pact. "Come here, Enus Nemez, God of Thoughts, show me your salvation.
The Lordship Pearl is lit. The three-dimensional magician's circle is being stacked, but it lacks more magic power than the selected priesthood. I'm not going to be able to get it right.
I'm not going to be able to get it right.
It takes the form of a human figure, which is gradually becoming more and more materialized.
The one summoned was an armored knight made of mist.
It has no hands, feet or face, just full-body foggy armor that is moving.
Enus Nemeth, the guardian god of thoughts, is a great god who controls thoughts and controls the mind. O brave canon, he will put you to the test.
As Lysius sends his magic power to Meijiju, Enus Ne Mes slowly approaches Misa.
Misa, whose entire body is bound by the dragon's mucus, cannot move.
Enus Ne Mes extended its right arm to her and grabbed her head by the head.
Little by little, little by little, the misty arm of the watchdog god of thoughts enters the head of the mass.
'Enus ne Mes is the guard god of the thoughts. Soon her mind will be ruled by the god. Now, brave canon. Pull out the sword to save her. Otherwise, her mind will disappear from the world.
Ray glared at Lysius, who smiled serenely.
Magic power gathered in his right hand.
At that time--
I don't...
A
''And I think this person is probably a puppet. "And I think this person is probably a puppet...
Just as a reply, Ray puts the magic power in his right hand.
''Who gave you that pact bead?
"Brave Canon. Why do you not draw your sword, O heroic canon? If you disobey God's will, your betrothed's heart will be God's.
As Lysius sent his magic to the Alliance Pearl, Enus Ne Mes's right arm went up to her wrist and into the head of the mass.
She contorts her face in pain.
''Come on, Spirit God Man Sword, God's chosen hero. You have fought for the
'I'm sorry, but she's not going to lose. If you can do it, try it.
What if you could? Do you doubt God? Chosen and brave, then, know its power and repent.
At the sound of Lysius' voice, all of Enus ne Mes's right arm invaded the head of the mass.
'Come on, follow the gods, Missa Reglia.
Holding up the ring of the Alliance Pearl, Lysius snapped his fingers with a snap.
The mucus that was around the mass disappeared as if he was using the white dragon.
''With his hands, he will strangle and kill the brave canon.
He thought that if he were to go that far, Rey would draw the Spirit Godman Sword.
Misa's face awkwardly turned towards Ray.
Then she slowly walked to him.
But in the middle, she stopped.
While holding the guardian god of her thoughts in her head, she turned around to look at Lisius as if she was going against it.
''.........I refuse........''
Lysius makes an astonished expression.
''........I refuse. There's no way I can do that........
"...what an unbelieving woman, not accepting the rule of God, but disobeying it....
The ring of the Alliance Pearl was filled with magic again, and this time Enus Ne Mes's left arm vigorously invaded the mass's head.
'O God. God, the guardian god of thoughts. Show your power to these foolish ones. Your greatness, your divine miracle, is here.
'You can do all you want, though. I think it's useless.
Ray said to Lysius as he turned around.
'Even God can't take her heart away from her.
Smiling, Ray laughs.
'You know I've already taken your mind away from you, Missa.
Lysius peeled his eyes away in a rage.