I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 3 Chapter 6.4
As the morning broke, the long-awaited moment of destiny had arrived. There were some spies from the Royalist faction who tried to gather information, but they were no match for us. We defeated them one by one.
Despite a few minor disturbances, the time for the ceremony of succession to the title finally came. Guided by an attendant, I made my way to the Throne Room where the Holy King awaited.
According to the explanations along the way, it seemed that there were quite a few nobles attending this ceremony. It must be quite a hassle for them to come all the way here for a brief ritual of registering magical power into magical artifacts.
Most likely, they were more interested in the negotiations that would take place after the ceremony. It seemed that the Palace side misunderstood and thought that we were coming to apologize, so they came to witness that and mock us. It’s enviable how they have so much free time. I wouldn’t mind if they shared a little.
While lost in these thoughts, I arrived in front of the doors leading to the Throne Room. The attendant seemed to have fulfilled their duty and quickly left.
There was no need to psych myself up for this. Let’s just get it over with and do what needs to be done.
I reached out to the door to proceed when I heard a voice from behind before I could exert any force.
“Lord Zex”
It was a voice I recognized, dignified and imposing. As I turned around, as expected, Duke Lorumbeil stood there.
He maintained his usual austere aura, with a furrowed brow.
“What brings you here in a place like this?”
While I had a rough idea of what he was going to say, I decided to play dumb and throw a deliberately clueless question.
In response, the Duke’s brow furrowed even deeper.
“The path beyond is the execution grounds. I didn’t think you would be oblivious to that fact.”
I widened my eyes at his words.
It seemed that he was considering my well-being. His manner of concern was unexpected for a mad mage. It appeared that I had earned more favor with the Duke than I had anticipated. I must emphasize once again that it was truly unlike Duke Lorumbeil to be so concerned about someone like me, who had entered his daughter’s heart.
I appreciated his warning, but there was no turning back at this point.
“I appreciate your concern, but I have no choice but to move forward.”
“The nobles gathering in the Throne Room are either from the Royalist faction or Count Huansol’s camp. Even if you excel in political power, it’s hard to believe that you can break through such a desperate situation.”
“Ahh, so Count Huansol and his camp are here as well. Well, they must still hold a grudge from the time of the civil war.”
They had chosen not to engage in hostilities, deeming it unprofitable, and had remained silent all this time. However, that didn’t mean they didn’t harbor any emotions. Seizing this perfect opportunity, they had apparently decided to jump on the bandwagon.
As the Duke watched me with a carefree smile, his tone grew stronger.
“Why did you step into the spotlight at this timing? It’s clearly a blunder. It would have been best to wait until this incident had settled down. If it were the covert faction of Foranada, we could have easily extinguished the spark created by the Royalist faction.”
“Indeed, if we had the upper hand, we could have easily countered the plans of the Royalist faction.”
“In that case—”
“But that won’t do.”
Interrupting his words, I calmly spoke up.
“Erasing this incident would be equivalent to pretending that the Second Prince’s blunder never happened. In that case, Foranada would be unable to move freely.”
From the moment I seized real power, the storyline leading up to stepping into the spotlight had already been decided. Naturally, it included breaking off the engagement between Caron and Gray. However, unexpectedly, the Second Prince, Gray, took an unforeseen action. He recklessly attacked Caron with magic, committing a grave and disastrous mistake.
Thanks to that, I was able to revise the crucial part of the plan. I devised a perfect plan to dissolve Caron’s engagement without Foranada needing to play the role of the villain.
If that’s the case, there’s no reason to disrupt it. The Duke seems to view this incident as a calamity, but in reality, it’s quite the opposite. For Foranada, Gray’s misbehavior was like a blessing in disguise.
“You asked why I stepped into the spotlight at this timing, correct?”
I raised the corners of my mouth in a smug smile.
“Because this timing was the most optimal. It’s a chance for Foranada—and for me—to showcase our strength.”
“You…”
Ignoring the wide-eyed Duke, I opened the doors to the Throne Room.
I plunged into the midst of countless enemies.
The Throne Room, arguably the face of the Holy Kingdom, had a more extravagant appearance than anywhere else. The floor was covered in marble, and each pillar was adorned with exquisite artistic sculptures. The ceiling was incredibly high, and the throne placed at the far end was dazzlingly luxurious.
The most expensive chamber in the Holy Kingdom was now filled with many nobles. There were around twenty to thirty of them, though it was hard to say for sure at a glance, but the majority seemed to belong to the Palace Faction. Mockery could be seen on everyone’s faces, and they couldn’t hide their intention to turn this into a spectacle.
It’s hard not to think of them as arrogant nobles, but perhaps they deemed it unnecessary to pretend when their trap had ensnared their target. They might not even know who fell into the trap.
Seated on the throne was the Holy King, a man in his late thirties with slight curly black hair. He had an average build and looked like a regular handsome guy.
I had seen him a few times in the game, but he didn’t have any notable features. Well, he didn’t have much of a role in the game either.
While thinking such impolite thoughts internally, I glanced around at those around him.
Other members of the royal family had gathered near the Holy King. Not everyone, of course. There were three individuals: Gray, the central figure, Gray’s mother, the Second Queen, and the Third Prince.
Gray and the Second Queen had very unpleasant smiles on their faces. They seemed to wholeheartedly believe that I had come to apologize. They had such blissfully naive minds.
I saw the Third Prince for the first time. He was a character who didn’t even make an appearance in the game, and I had no information about him in that regard. According to the intelligence from the spies, he was described as “a reasonably capable child, but there’s nothing particularly notable about him.”
Let’s set aside the Third Prince for now. What matters in this situation are the Holy King, the Second Prince, and the noble members of the Palace Faction. It was fortunate that the Hwansol faction was also present. I wanted to make sure they wouldn’t hinder us in the future.
The actors were all in place. Now it was time to proceed with the execution.
Let’s skip the description of the inheritance ceremony. It’s neither interesting nor significant. I swore loyalty before the Holy King, received his words, and infused magic power into the stone tablet-shaped magical device. That’s all.
I briefly scanned the magical device that caught my interest, but it was a complete disappointment. It was nothing more than a device specialized in registering magic power. I could probably make one myself if I wanted to.
“Now, at this moment, a new Count is born. Let us applaud for Zex Levit San Foranada,” the Holy King proclaimed, and the sound of scattered applause followed.
Afterward, the Prime Minister, who was serving as the master of ceremonies, continued speaking.
“Now, we have heard that the new Count Foranada has a petition for His Majesty the Holy King. His Majesty graciously agrees to listen to it at this moment. Please express your gratitude and present the content.”
The surrounding laughter and mockery surged forth. It was an immense amount. Even if I had mentally prepared myself beforehand, it made my head spin.
The emotion of looking down on others is always repulsive. Mental magic is convenient, but it’s troublesome when it forces you to confront such aspects.
Taking a deep breath and fighting off a dizzy spell, I opened my mouth.