Whether the audience hall at the Royal Castle of Ciel-Teirah is luxurious or not is a matter of opinion.
　It is a rather common audience hall with a red carpet up to the throne at the far end and gold decorations on the white walls. It was a cozy place that was probably luxurious enough from the perspective of the common people, but if it were not, it would be inferior to the castle of a lord of another country.

　Even so, the king on the throne, ...... Hilbert II, or Hilbert "Lionheart" Nicholas Ciel-Teira, looked satisfied and squinted at the view from his throne.

　Hilbert was in his late thirties. He had brownish-red hair and beard, which he wore slightly puffed out to make his thin face look larger. Even so, his body was not thick enough to make him look long and thin, and he lacked dignity. He is aware of this, and has secretly added shoulder pads to his crimson cloak.

"Your Majesty, the First Knight Commander is here to see you.
Let him pass.

　The Kingsguard who came as a forerunner was still a little awkward. Hilbert smiled at that. The previous king's bodyguard had died fighting for him. The current guards were all freshly recruited.

　The sound of clanking armor approached, and soon Lawrence appeared.
　He had removed his full-face helmet and was carrying it under his arm. His appearance, as a bard once wrote, "Even his face inspires allies. On his head is the flame of passion, and in his eyes is the precious sunshine. There is no maiden who does not dream of a knight more glorious than the seven moons combined. Lawrence was a knight who was admired not only for his power but also for his beauty.

　He came in with more gusto than was necessary, and as was the custom, he knelt down seven paces in front of her. 　

"Raise your face.

　When Hilbert called out to him, Lawrence looked up. His eyes lit up as if he were a child watching a knight's procession.
　It was wonderfully comforting to be respected so openly and honestly by a heroic warrior.
　Hilbert wondered what Lawrence, who had been so obsequious to the former king, looked like when he used to come to this audience room.

"Thank you for all your hard work.
"What a waste of words.

　Lawrence dropped to one knee and bowed deeply again.

I didn't think he'd come back as an undead.
"Well... I did not expect him to rise as an undead. You know my father's heart.
　I can't help but think that your decision to strike down that man, unworthy of a king, was unquestionably the right one.
"You may follow me. But what is this matter you have been discussing?
Yes. Yes. It's about the sword you used to fight him.

　Lawrence pulled out the sword at his waist and held it in front of him.

　It is the treasure of Ciel-Teirah, the magical sword Teir-Ayul.
　It was made of the highest quality orichalcone from the mines of the country, hammered by the best dwarven smiths of the day, and hammered with some rare dragon material. It is, without a doubt, the most expensive sword in the land today.
　As a magic item, it is "absurdly sharp" and "inexplicably tough. ...... That's all. However, the blow cuts through the thick armor without a single damage to the blade, and the magic power that seeps out of it becomes a powerful impact and strikes the opponent. It has been given to many knight captains in the past generations, and has brought them many military successes. It was a sword that could serve as a banner for allies on the battlefield (or rather, it was made for that purpose).

　Not only is it strong, but the beauty of its blade is praised in many songs.
　It's not just the strength, but also the beauty of the blade that has been praised in many songs. ...... But the blade of the sword is now covered in blood.

"This is .......

　As Hilbert leaned forward, a guard took the sword from Lawrence and brought it to the throne.
　Hilbert took the sword himself and looked at the blade. The blood is a subtle shade, almost dry. It has an unpleasant wetness to it.

"A stain from the fight with him. It is my fault that I have defiled the supreme magic sword, a national treasure, in this way. ......
"Good. What is it, anyway?
I don't know. I don't know. I've washed it, polished it, and even had the priests clean it, but it won't come off.
　One of the priests said ...... that this is a sign that the undead have not been destroyed and are still cursing.
What a ......

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

"To tell you the truth, the final blow of that battle, the one I thought was the final blow. In fact, the last blow of that battle, which I thought would be the final blow, had a strange response, as if I had been let down.
　For example, it was as if the ...... shell had been cut and the contents had escaped somewhere.
"Hmm .......

　Lawrence said, clamoring to say something.
　It is a painful thing to tell a respected king of your own inadequacies. But as a knight, Lawrence seemed to be motivated by a sense of duty to report everything he had learned in battle.

I don't blame you. If a great man like you failed to do so, it was only because the enemy was too strong.
This is .......
We do not know where he is hiding, but we must be prepared for his return. When the time comes, I'll leave you to it. We can't fight him without you.
　Finish him off and release the curse and the regret of missing him.
"I will!　With the sword given to me by the king and the honor of the Order, I will defeat the abominable monster and show it to you!

　Lawrence looked blatantly relieved, and then he seemed to steel himself.


　He's determined not to fail a second time.

"Time, my king. Something from the Federation: ......
Oh, right.

　Lawrence asked, seemingly having completed his main business, but too curious to not ask.
　Hilbert gave him a thin smile.

Nothing yet. They must be turning blue by now. They'll never get a single piece of scrap iron from our mines.

　The Kingdom of Ciel-Teirah has close ties to the Federation of Gileshthal, a major power to the west.
　The Federation protects Ciel-Teira, and Ciel-Teira gives mining concessions to the Federation. While mutual benefit sounds good, the reality is that it is unequal according to the difference in national power, and Ciel-Teira has been at a disadvantage.
　...... At least, that's what the discontented forces in the country thought.

　Hilbert's cause for the coup was to end this unequal relationship.
　His move ignited people who were dissatisfied with the Union but had resigned themselves to the fact that there was nothing they could do about it. Even Hilbert himself was surprised by the support he received.
　In particular, it was enthusiastically supported by miners and traders. They had a strong sense of grievance that they were being forced into unfair business practices by political agitation.
　Lawrence was not directly involved, but he seemed to be burning with righteous indignation.

If there are any disturbances in the Federation, it is time for the Order to show its strength. We will cut off the heads of the Federation's idiots with human faces and animal hearts.

　Lawrence clenched his fists and vowed victory.

"Hmm. But even if we have the advantage in the strength of our troops, the Federation is too powerful. It's not something we can fight alone.
　Warfare begins when you are ready to fight, and you are ready to win. Please be careful not to provoke the Federation unintentionally.
Ha. I'll leave you at .......

　I'll leave you to it.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I can do it.

Oh dear, it's exhausting to strike a heroic pose.

　Hilbert is considered by the public to be a hardliner against the Federation who hates it like a scorpion, but in fact his views are a little different from the public's assessment. Rather, he is a man who sees the bigger picture.

　He knew how much trouble it would be to break with the Federation and owe the four major powers. There was a huge enemy at his side, and negotiating with his virtual allies would not be easy.
　If he was not careful, he would be used as a shield against the Federation. So far, there were no signs of conflict between the five powers, but how long would that peace last? From now on, Hilbert will have to engage in "golem diplomacy" rather than "tough diplomacy.
　But even so, it's better than a lifetime of eating cold food. I got the throne, so I made a lot of money.
　Which is more profitable for the country as a whole, ...... well, that's a story for the future.

　As a usurper of the throne, Hilbert is very grateful for the public opinion that supports him.
　If the people's opposition is strong, the lords may become opportunistic, even though Hilbert has the power of the four major powers behind him. In the wrong hands, some of them might have joined forces with the Union and sought protection.
　However, the current situation has reached the point of dividing public opinion, even if we look at it a little harshly. In this situation, it would be risky to turn against the government.
　The problem now is the radical and unstoppable people who are getting carried away under Hilbert.
　They are looking for Feds in the streets and lynching them, and they are seriously planning to ride to the border and beat the Feds back to the Union. I've nailed Lawrence, but I can't control the actions of civilians who pretend to be volunteers.
　I don't even want to think about what will happen ...... if public opinion in the Federation, stimulated by this, turns in the direction of "Ciel-Teira must be defeated. If you're not sure what to do, you can always ask for help.

　The same goes for the case of Rosalia, the former queen of the former king Elbert, and her daughter Rene. Hilbert himself had no intention of doing anything about Rene and Rosalia.
　Even if some lord tried to push Renée to raise the banner of the "legitimate royal family," there would be absolutely no one to follow if she was a woman and an abomination. He knew that Renée would never be a threat to his throne.
　However, Lawrence and other knights who were particularly critical of the former king Elbert, as well as citizens who supported Hilbert, continued to cry out for the "extinction of the former king's bloodline. With no reason to stop them, I gave the go-ahead as a reluctant supporter.
　If such an undead creature was born as a result of this, it was a terrible viper.

"Rene, huh? Don't hold it against me, ......," he said, "but is that too much to ask?

　I've never even seen my niece before.
　It was ten years ago that the father and son were forced to leave the court. It was shortly after René's birth.
　Hilbert was one of the people who used René and his family as material to criticize Elbert. Hilbert was one of those who used Elbert as a material to criticize Rene. He loudly accused Elbert of bringing in a lowly woman from a commoner background, which resulted in the birth of an abomination.

　I've received reports that a party of skilled adventurers called "something" has been destroyed.
　In most battles against demons, adventurers outnumber knights as regular fighters. Hilbert couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the thought that there might be undead out to kill him, who could strike down such adventurers with a touch of armor.

It's a good thing I'm not the only one with a headache. You're a king and you have a lot of work to do.

　Well, Lawrence won once, so he'll win again, Hilbert thought.
　He wanted to think so.