The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 94

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Strongest in Our Neighborhood (94)
Jang Gain could hear in the king’s voice that while he despised Orphiena, there remained within him a thread of pity.
“Your Majesty, why do you dislike Orphiena so intensely?”
“What? Why do I dislike her? You want me to be fond of a woman who tried to poison the princes? Is that what you’re asking?”
“According to Princess Angelina, that wasn’t poisoning at all—merely food poisoning. And she said the ingredients for that meal were brought by Her Majesty’s Head Maidservant.”
“Marquis Gain. Do you think I didn’t order a thorough investigation into the princes’ near-poisoning? Angelina takes her mother’s side, so she’ll say such things, but that doesn’t match the facts.”
“How exactly does it not match?”
Just then, Noxcasarsis, who had remained silent until now, suddenly cut in.
“Ah, well—we inspected the food the princes ate and detected toxic compounds. The ingredients weren’t spoiled; actual poison capable of killing a person was mixed into the food. And that’s precisely why I had Orphiena deposed.”
“If the queen’s Head Maidservant brought the ingredients, then the queen was deposed as well?”
“No. I obtained a confession from the Head Maidservant that she acted independently, and I had her executed.”
“You believe the queen’s Head Maidservant was able to poison the princes’ food entirely on her own initiative? If you truly believe that, you’re being remarkably foolish.”
“However, there is no evidence that the queen ordered it.”
Upon hearing the king’s response, Noxcasarsis’s expression grew contemptuous.
“The queen is Princess Olivia Hershet of the neighboring Granznor Kingdom. And Granznor is twice the size of this Smed Kingdom, with superior military strength—and it even has the Sword Master, Duke Fura Noid.”
“W-what are you trying to say?”
“The queen has such a powerful background that she’s untouchable even if guilty, so you settled for executing the Head Maidservant to cover it up. As for Orphiena, who has no backing whatsoever, you had her deposed to the Separate Palace despite the frame-up being obvious, didn’t you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Not it? Common sense alone makes the answer perfectly clear.”
“The Head Maidservant truly acted independently. This is a fact established through multiple investigations.”
“Listen, King. Are you asking me to believe in the manipulations of investigators bought by the queen while you stand here defending her? Perhaps you need to fear Granznor, but I don’t. And if I felt like it, I could bring down Granznor and Smed both within a week.”
……
“Ah! Wait, I misspoke. Since Gain is here, I suppose I can’t destroy this Smed Kingdom!”
Noxcasarsis glanced at the king, then nodded toward Jang Gain, who exhaled a short sigh.
“Your Majesty, I believe it would help quell unrest within the palace if I were to take Orphiena and Angelina to my domain.”
“Ah, yes. I think that would be for the best.”
The king nodded awkwardly with an uncomfortable smile, and Noxcasarsis let out a quiet laugh.
“Do you know where the foulest stench in the world comes from?”
“Pardon? Might it be the Demon Realm?”
“I haven’t visited the Demon Realm yet, so I can’t speak to that. But among the places I know, the Royal Palace stinks the worst.”
“The palace stinks? Surely there’s no place cleaner than the Royal Palace in all the world.”
“It glitters and gleams to the eye, I’ll grant you. But beneath that shine lies every hunger, every jealousy, every whisper of betrayal—the basest desires of humanity churning together in invisible conflict. It reeks.”
……
When the king found no words to answer, Noxcasarsis set down his cup and rose from his seat.
“One last thing for a greedy king. I understand your desire for Gain’s talents—but you’re not the vessel to hold him.”
……
“And Gain, you too.”
“What about me?”
“The king’s intentions are transparent. How long will you pretend not to see them?”
“There’s nothing to pretend about. My affairs are my own to manage, so don’t concern yourself.”
“You say that smoothly enough. But the wine’s gone flat. I’m off to bed.”
Sleep well.
After Noxcasarsis waved and left the banquet hall, the king turned to Jang Gain with an embarrassed expression.
“I’ve no face to show you, Marquis Gain. Truth be told, the queen does seem suspicious, as Noxcasarsis suggested, but without concrete evidence, I cannot impose punishment.”
“I understand Your Majesty’s predicament to some degree. Though a king’s position seems to wield absolute power, in truth you must always mind neighboring nations, navigate factional disputes among nobles, and mediate between jealous consorts. Beyond that, drought is the king’s fault, storms are the king’s fault, heavy snow is the king’s fault. I’m aware it’s a position that could shorten one’s very lifespan.”
“Hearing you say this, Marquis Gain, my heart feels suddenly lighter. How do you understand the burden of kingship so well?”
“With a little thought, it’s straightforward enough. Isn’t that precisely why you wish to take me as a son-in-law—to lighten that burden somewhat?”
“Exactly, exactly right. If you became my son-in-law and lent me your strength, I wouldn’t need to kowtow to powerful neighboring states or fear the great nobles.”
The king’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, but Jang Gain shook his head.
“Had Your Majesty punished the queen instead of Orphiena, I would have persuaded even a dragon to grant you great power.”
“Eh? What do you mean all of a sudden? Did you not hear where her family comes from?”
“If you couldn’t punish the queen out of fear of her family, then you shouldn’t have punished Orphiena either, when her innocence was plain to see. Had you done that much, I might have supported you personally, even without convincing the dragon.”
“Didn’t you just say you understand my position?”
As Jang Gain’s tone and demeanor shifted subtly, the king’s face grew confused.
“I understand your position, but as the ruler of a nation, you should have maintained at least basic principles. You placed all guilt on Orphiena, who had the least power, and left her abandoned for years. Your daughter, Princess Angelina, sold her clothes and jewelry, everything she had, to support her mother, yet you even prevented that. Do you see?”
“That… I have nothing to say about that.”
“Such actions constitute a grave mistake. How could I wish to aid someone who has erred so profoundly?”
“I have failed. I will restore Orphiena’s status at once and provide Angelina with the support befitting a princess.”
It is far too late.
……
“You should have taken such measures before I ever learned of them.”
“Duke Gain! I was wrong.”
“Then will you punish Queen Olivia now?”
“That is… there’s no evidence, and you know my circumstances are complicated.”
“Now I see clearly how indecisive you are, Your Majesty. I don’t believe further conversation will serve any purpose. I’m weary—I’ll take my leave.”
Jang Gain turned and left the banquet hall with a cold expression, and the king was left staring blankly into space.
* * *
Angelina was deeply shaken to see that her father, whom she’d believed wielded absolute power, could neither move against the dragon nor stand firm before Jang Gain.
‘The shoulders that had seemed so broad now sagged like a sparrow caught in the rain.’
Her father sat in the banquet hall with that vacant expression, and the ministers who’d fawned on him like it was their daily bread now held their silence, their mouths sealed as if they’d swallowed honey.
‘These are the same ministers who just moments ago were clamoring that mother should be deposed… yet they don’t dare breathe a word about punishing the dragon or Duke Gain.’
Angelina now knew precisely whose rope she needed to grasp.
“Father.”
“Hmm? Ah, yes. Angelina. Speak.”
Her father blinked, snapping back to awareness at the sound of her voice.
“Mother and I will be leaving for the Crerarion Mountain Range with Duke Gain.”
“Yes, of course you must go. But before you do, have your wedding ceremony at the palace. I’ll see it done with great splendor.”
“There’s no need to hold a ceremony.”
“I know there’s a deep chasm of resentment between you and me, but I am still your father—I will give you this wedding.”
“Actually, I hadn’t intended to tell you this, but I think I must.”
“What is it?”
“Duke Gain said he would take me as his wife, but the truth is that I threw myself at him just moments ago, begging for my life. He agreed to call me his wife only so that I and my mother would be spared.”
“What! Then you won’t become his wife?”
“Since he spoke it aloud, I suppose I will become his wife in name. But since his purpose is to save my mother and me, I may not receive the treatment befitting a proper wife.”
“This is… I will not stand for my daughter being treated this way. Guards! Go and bring Duke Gain back here.”
“Father, why are you so angry about this? You treated my mother so poorly yourself. At least I’ll likely be treated better than she was.”
“What! What did you just say! Are those words coming from your mouth?”
“You never gave her love, yet you rage that your daughter might not receive it from another. I find that rather hard to understand.”
……
“In any case, you needn’t bother holding a ceremony. I’ll be going now.”
King Hinbark Man Polo stood shocked as his daughter turned her back and walked away, unable to muster the words to call her back.
* * *
‘What foolishness is this.’
The corner of Smed Kingdom’s Queen Olivia Hershet’s eye twitched.
The king had positioned the queen and concubines’ table far from the princesses’ in order to make them shine brighter.
The distance and the court musicians’ playing made it difficult to hear what was said at the king’s table, though it wasn’t impossible to catch fragments.
By reading lips and keeping her ears sharp, she could piece together the conversation well enough from the tone alone.
She’d turned her attention to the king and Duke Gain’s exchange the moment the latter began taking interest in Princess Angelina’s sudden outburst.
And she’d watched as he returned from his walk with Angelina and spoke with the king, as the dragon intervened, and as Angelina departed after expressing her grievance.
‘Three years ago, we put an end to that poisoning attempt on the princes by having Orphiena sent to the Separate Palace… yet even that dull-witted fool of a king knew the truth, and the ministers suspected it.’
Whether they knew or merely suspected, no one dared punish her—she was a princess of Granznor, wedded into this realm.
To punish her would risk war between the nations.
‘That scheming little Angelina thinks she’ll build a new life leaning on this Sword Master, but it won’t happen. I don’t care about anything else, but I won’t allow her mother to prosper.’
As Angelina vanished from the banquet hall, Queen Olivia rose and walked toward the king.
“Your Majesty, from where I sat, I seemed to hear Duke Gain say he would take Angelina as his wife. I hope I misheard?”
“No, you heard correctly. Duke Gain declared to me that he would take Angelina as his wife before he left.”
“Then we must hold a grand wedding ceremony at the palace.”
“I thought so too, but Angelina doesn’t seem pleased with the idea.”
“What Angelina thinks is hardly the issue. This is a marriage between Duke Gain and a princess of Smed—if the palace doesn’t hold a grand ceremony, the nobles of the realm and kings of neighboring lands alike will laugh at us.”
“I… suppose you’re right.”
“Even if Angelina and Duke Gain object, this is something Your Majesty must push forward unconditionally. And we should inform the neighboring lands, including Granznor, that the Sword Master Duke Gain and Princess Angelina are to be wed, and prepare to receive the congratulatory envoys they will surely send.”
“Must we go to such lengths?”
“Of course. Every time a prince or princess of a neighboring realm has married, Your Majesty has sent congratulatory envoys—shouldn’t we receive them in return? And more importantly, we must make it known that our kingdom possesses a Sword Master.”
“Hmm! You’re right—there is merit in letting it be known that my son-in-law is a Sword Master.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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