Chapter 115: A Gift in Return
Ian’s bomb-like declaration threw the whole palace and the ministers alike into turmoil.
‘Is he crazy? A person designated as the king of a vassal state is aiming for the position of king of a suzerain country!’
‘You won’t get our approval for that position, let alone His Majesty’s!’
The ministers exchanged glances. But no one came forward.
It was all because they remembered the conversation from just before.
‘What are you guys doing? Say something!’
‘Why don’t you just do it yourself and do something about it?’
‘Ha! Watch your mouth. If we handle this wrong, the soldiers in Bahara may rush over here.’
It was only natural they reacted as such.
There were few casualties in the Northern Expedition, either on Kaistein’s or Bahara’s side.
It was practically a bloodless victory.
Moreover, Ian had a large number of existing troops and held tens of thousands of Cantum prisoners.
Such a force was enough to give Kaistein a big blow, even if it could not beat it.
That wasn’t the only thing.
‘Don’t you know that Duke Lavaltor is in Bahara right now?’
‘I heard that the young lady of Lavaltor also fought alongside him. What should we do if they had already made a marriage agreement?’
Duke Lavaltor, whose daughter’s marriage was a hot topic, also gave them a headache.
Of course, the duke was known as the best on the continent and revered as King Eloin’s sword for his unyielding loyalty.
But where that man’s heart lay remained unknown.
‘What happens if Duke Lavaltor changes his mind?’
‘Kaistein’s Guardian pointing his sword in reverse… I doubt such a thing would happen given his usual loyalty toward His Majesty, but…’
‘Speaking of which, I heard they became particularly close during this Northern Expedition.’
‘Right! Didn’t he even personally carry out the coronation ceremony?’
If such Duke Lavaltor helped Ian.
‘This country may be plunged into a bloodbath.’
The ministers naturally couldn’t help but be restless.
Of course, Ian had no intention of going that far. All he wanted was a perfectly fine Kaistein.
Because he wanted to be crowned king through a fair competition.
King Eloin’s eyes lit up as if he had predicted it.
“That’s a great way to shut them up with just a few words.”
It was quite an amusing sight to see the minister in bewilderment.
Ian shrugged at his remark as if it was nothing.
“Isn’t it cowardly people who have all sorts of delusions? Sometimes the straightforward tactic is the best way to go.”
“Indeed.”
As King Eloin and Ian exchanged glances.
Sskk.
Someone rose from his seat.
Seeing the person, the buzzing stopped.
It was inevitable.
“May I say something to His Highness Ian, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, you may, Duke Garcia.”
He was Duke Garcia.
In this place where Lavaltor was absent, the second-in-command in name and reality rose from his seat.
With all eyes glued to him, he smiled and opened his mouth.
“With all due respect, to have the king of Bahara participate in the throne succession… it cannot be done, Your Majesty.”
Duke Garcia’s voice was gentle, but his eyes were icy cold.
After his words fell, the palace fell into dead silence, so quiet not a single peep could be heard.
Ian asked with a sly smile.
“Why not, Duke Garcia?”
“Doesn’t His Majesty Ian know that better? A vassal king coveting the throne of the suzerain king is unprecedented in the history of Kaistein.”
At Garcia’s words, the ministers nodded vigorously.
Some of them brought up the royal law that they had just discovered.
“That’s right! All the members of the royal family who became kings and dukes of the vassal countries are no longer part of the Kaistein royal family!”
“Your Highness Ian became the king of Bahara. You must return the surname Kaistein and accept the new one.”
Losing a surname means losing the right to claim the throne.
If he didn’t like that, he should also give up his position as the king of Bahara.
Yet, Ian merely shrugged.
“Really? As far as I am aware, there is a precedent.”
“!?”
Duke Garcia’s eyebrows twitched.
With a deathly glare, he looked over to the chamberlain who was knowledgeable about royal history and precedents.
His eyes questioned whether what Ian said made sense.
Then the chamberlain spoke up.
“That can’t be true. I have dedicated myself to Kaistein and the royal family for many years, but I have never heard of such a thing.”
“Ask the elders of the royal family and you will know. That is absolutely impossible…”
“That’s right. According to the royal law, a person who becomes the king or duke of a vassal state can no longer be recognized as a member of the royal family…”
But then.
Ian looked to the side with a cold smile.
“What do you think, Your Majesty? They say it’s impossible.”
King Eloin tilted his head at an unexpected arrow directed his way.
“It doesn’t seem like they or I know any better…”
“That can’t be true. Isn’t he right here, my father, who is the king of Kaistein and the king of a vassal state at the same time?”
“!?”
The ministers froze at Ian’s words.
“A, are you identifying yourself with His Majesty just now?”
“As a suzerain, you can become the king of a vassal state. However, the king of a vassal state cannot be the king of a suzerain country!”
It was indeed the case.
King Eloin had conquered several kingdoms in his youth.
Some of the countries were absorbed by the Kaistein, leaving only the name of the kingdom to quell their public sentiment.
The crown of the king of those countries was, of course, held by King Eloin.
But this was the moment Ian had been waiting for.
“According to what you said, the king of a vassal state cannot concurrently serve as the king of a suzerain country, am I correct? Did I say anything wrong?”
“!?”
The ministers were rendered speechless.
If they agreed with that statement, that would make them no different than rebels who wanted to dethrone the king.
If they said it was wrong, they would practically recognize Ian as the successor of Kaistein.
Regardless, Ian did not hold back.
“I was not assigned a conquered country; I conquered Bahara myself. Also, this is part of the contents of the competition. Isn’t it stated in the royal law that all gains made during the competition belong to the winner who acquired them?”
“!?”
“If so, of course, Bahara is the gain I obtained in the competition. Then, isn’t it only natural to continue to be a candidate for succession to the throne?”
The ministers trembled.
There was not a single loophole in Ian’s words. They had even forgotten to raise a word of refute.
It was only natural.
‘This is the result of the intense study my sister, who aims to become Kaistein’s first female chancellor, did day and night. They won’t be able to refute it unless they memorize the entire royal protocols.’
Not only the Second Princess but also Lord Huntill and all of Ian’s vassals had put their heads together on this.
Even the 25 chieftains of Bahara had jumped in, and as a result, a plan that could not be ignored was created.
Nevertheless, Duke Garcia hadn’t given up yet.
“What a strange thing to say. Suppose that was the case, then from the moment you became the king of Bahara, you were disqualified from being the heir to the royal family.”
That wasn’t the only thing.
The Northern Expedition was not carried out solely by Ian’s power but by Kaistein’s as well.
This also did not make sense even if the royal protocols were taken into account.
The war of words continued, heating up by the second. The Duke brought up the notion that princes and princesses met the conditions of the competition, but not kings.
Ian also fought back without losing.
Right at that very moment.
“Stop!”
King Eloin rose from his seat.
His expression was stern, not allowing any further bickering.
“Enough, both Ian and Duke Garcia.”
“However, Your Majesty—”
“Didn’t you hear me telling you to stop?”
Under King Eloin’s oppressive aura, everyone, including Duke Garcia, shrank back.
Even Ian flinched.
But he kept his eyes open and fought back the king’s aura.
King Eloin’s eyes widened in a rare surprise, but he quickly opened his mouth without expressing it.
“I will summon the elders of the royal family to discuss whether the Seventh Prince’s or Duke Garcia’s words are correct. I will announce it when it reaches a conclusion.”
The king left the palace.
No one dared think of halting him. He might be calm now, but he was once called Blood Lion in the past.
Nobody wanted to incur his wrath.
But at that moment, Ian smiled.
‘It’s settled.’
It was because he knew.
It was not easy to hold the right to be the king of Bahara and the heir to the royal family simultaneously.
But Ian was well aware of the personalities of the elders of the royal family.
‘They live in the history of the past.’
Most of them longed for the great empire of Kaistein of the past.
It was obvious how they would react if they received a report on Ian’s performance thus far.
‘It will ease the eligibility conditions that are normally not possible.’
And it didn’t matter if the elders didn’t step up.
Because he had already read King Eloin’s eyes.
If the king looked at him as he would to a challenger instead of a child, he would surely move the way Ian predicted.
‘If not, I have no choice but to use that move.’
Of course, Ian didn’t want things to come down to that.
It was truly his last resort.
All he wanted was a perfectly fine Kaistein. And the power to unify the entire continent.
***
The palace after the king and Ian left was embroiled in complicated air.
Especially the ministers, who immediately flocked to the First Princess.
“Your Highness! What should we do now?”
“This is no good. At this rate, the Seventh Prince will challenge the throne as king.”
Helplessness filled everyone’s face.
The same was true for the First Princess.
Then someone spoke up in a whisper.
“Why don’t we persuade His Majesty to lock him up?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“If we leave him be, he may point his sword at Kaistein. In that case, I’d rather…”
Of course, it was nothing but utter gibberish.
But some of the ministers nodded in accord.
“The greatest issue with the Seventh Prince is because of the large army in Bahara.”
“If we take him prisoner and threaten Bahara not to move…”
“That will do! Isn’t it killing two birds with one stone?”
“We will be able to control Bahara at our will while dousing the ambitions of the Seventh Prince who seeks the throne!”
However, the First Princess glared at them instead.
“Don’t spout nonsense! Now you are framing a man who has not sinned yet as guilty!”
Her voice was cold.
She had no choice but to.
“We would need at least Duke Lavaltor to come to catch that brat. Otherwise, are you planning on using the knights to arrest that child? You know how humiliating that is!”
It was because she saw.
‘It was unmistakably an Oath.’
No, it was something more special than that.
It resembled a ray of light that lit up the darkness.
In particular, the sight of that light shattering and overthrowing the demon in the darkness was enough to leave anyone in shock.
Moreover, his power was on par with Nathan’s.
‘Nobody knows Nathan’s real extent of ability.’
But she knew.
If he was serious, Nathan could make not only that Invincible Galon but also Duke Lavaltor on their knees.
‘And yet, he has a similar power.’
It should never lead to a direct confrontation of power against power. Instead, they must utilize that power and turn it to their advantage.
“Besides, even if we manage to capture him, the problem still remains. It seems you have already forgotten the fact that he is the Dragon’s Contractor.”
“!?”
“What if he escapes and comes back with his soldiers in tow? Can you imagine what would happen if their cause was with that kid?”
“Th, that!”
“W-will he possibly go that far? If we tie him up well…”
“You shut up!”
If that happened, the problem would spiral out of control.
In any case, there was no concrete answer. All the ministers could only let out a frustrated sigh.
Right then, the First Princess turned her heels to move elsewhere.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
“I must see my mother.”
If the mother of the nation spoke up, the elders would surely move.
And so, with a determined face, she opened the door and walked out. This was her only way left.
As everyone was frantically moving around behind the scenes.
“You are here?”
Someone walked up to Ian, who was alone on the terrace.
It was Duke Garcia.
The Duke asked with a polite smile.
“Have you received the gift I gave you the other day?”
He was talking about Heinley, the Duke’s second son.
Ian replied to Duke Garcia’s question with a bright smile.
“I have just sent you a gift in return. Have you received it?”
“What’s that?”
Just when Duke Garcia tilted his head in confusion.
“Y, Your Excellency! We have a situation!”
“!?”
Duke Garcia’s face stiffened.
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