Rumors spread throughout the kingdom.
“A fire in a monster’s nest…!”
“All the monsters came pouring out. Killiard was nearly overrun…”
In the squares, in the marketplaces, wherever people gathered, there was only one topic being discussed.
“My God, is that true?”
“It’s true. Even Agractus appeared and they survived.”
“You mean the legendary golem? Oh my God, my friend lives in Killiard…! Is it safe there?”
“Don’t worry about that. A witch saved Killiard.”
“What do you mean, a witch?”
“Well, you know, the witch’s symbol, the blue flames. Well, they wiped out all the monsters in the nest.”
“I saw it. I was passing through Killiard to transport some goods. A bright blue flame from afar…”
The kingdom was literally shaken.
Killiard wasn’t the only one who suffered damage from the monsters that poured out of the nest. The hordes of monsters had scattered everywhere.
Territories far from the nest were also attacked. Of course, compared to the enormous number that swarmed Killiard, it was uncomparible. However, there were some very threatening entities, and knights and civilians lost their lives in the process of stopping them.
“I wonder what would’ve happened if the witch hadn’t wiped them out…”
“After Killiard was devastated, hordes of monsters would’ve spread throughout the entire region. Maybe our territory would’ve been attacked too.”
“Oh my, it’s scary just to imagine it.”
” But… what happened? Wasn’t the witch killed in the Seveka incident?”
“Uh, well, actually, I was pretty freaked out too… Maybe she was alive somewhere?”
“By the way, what caused the forest fire in the first place? I heard it was due to some kind of special circumstance. Anyway, that must be why it never caught fire before.”
“I mean, a forest fire that big spreaing in the blink of an eye, is that even possible?”
Shock and relief, those who lost someone were immersed in sadness and others mourned them. But in the end, everyone had similar questions.
Why did the monster’s nest suddenly catch fire?
And soon, more news caused another uproar.
“Hey, hey. Did you hear the news? What Duke Killiard announced!”
“I heard that too. His Majesty the King was the culprit of the Seveka incident is…”
“The witch was cursed? Was it the King who placed the curse?”
“Nonsense. The duke is the witch’s son. Isn’t he trying to frame the innocent King to clear his mother’s name?”
“There’re quite a few nobles who have joined in on the accusation. There’s even evidence of a plan to authorize a ‘witch hunt’ and the testimony of a wizard who participated in casting the curse.”
“From what I’ve heard, the King himself was involved in the conspiracy.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know the details, but if you think about it, he’s the one who gained the most from the whole Seveka thing, since the former crown prince, who was the heir to the throne, died and he took the throne instead.”
“From what I hear…”
The chatter continued, until someone spoke up.
“By the way. I heard it was the king who started the fire in the monsters nest”
“What?”
“Think about it. A few days before the Duke revealed the truth, the monster’s nest caught fire. It’s unprecedented enough to cause monsters to pour out. Does this really seem like a coincidence?”
“Well, then it couldn’t be to…”
“To silence the duke?”
“You’re crazy…, you really think the king did that too?”
“Well, if he really destroyed Seveka, would he really think twice about this?”
“My mother died during the Seveka incident! If this is true, I’ll never forgive him!”
Confusion spread like a ripple. At first, the people didn’t readily believe the truth revealed by the duke. However, when evidence and testimonies that were difficult to deny came out, they soon realized it was true and were outraged.
The rumors spread like wildfire across the kingdom in a short period of time. The rumors were spread by people bought and paid for with the Duke of Killiard’s money and planted by his supporters in each region.
The rumor that the king was responsible for the forest fires in the monster’s nest was intentionally spread by Ash. Unlike the Seveka incident, there was no clear evidence that the King was responsible for the forest fire in the nest. But rumors aren’t that important anyway.
What matters is how many people believed it.
Since the other side had made the first move, there was no need for them to hold back.
As a result, the public’s resentment toward the king became more intense. People also protested in front of the royal palace.
The King claimed that the truth revealed by Duke Killiard was a sham. He labeled all the nobles who joined him in accusing the king, including the duke, as traitors.
It was the beginning of war.
* * *
Immediately after the King declared them traitors, Duke Killiard and the heads of the allied families gathered together.
Ash was sitting at the head of the long table, and the other nobles, including the Marquis of Derk and Count Lister, were sitting around him.
“This is absurd, indeed. He called us traitors!”
“Who is the one who has truly committed an outrageous act and deserves to be punished?”
“I knew it would come to this, but he is truly shameless.”
Elaine, who entered the room as Ash’s escort, stood on one side of the room and watched the meeting.
The nobles were either outraged or scowling at the king labeling them as traitors.
They were also furious when they learned that the king had attempted to silence Ash by setting fire to the monster’s nest. But all knew of the wickedness of Chelsia de Philion. Instead of lashing out at the king’s accusations, they discussed the issues at hand.
“We must dethrone the king as soon as possible.”
“We can no longer allow such a monster to sit on the throne.”
“Since he has no intention of backing down, all that’s left is all-out war.”
Those words were spoken by Edwin Lister, the head of the Lister family. He was one of the first to express his intention to join Ash’s plan to punish the king.
The boy had grown taller than when he was kidnapped and looked a little less youthful. Even though he was the youngest in this meeting, he had a strong voice among the well-established nobles.
The nobles nodded in agreement with Edwin Lister’s words. Looking at them, Ash spoke.
“What of the king’s movements?”
The Marquis of Derk, sitting to his right, answered.
“He’s sealed the gates of the royal capital and is massing troops from the royal army and pro-royalist nobility into the royal capital. We estimate their forces to be about double our own.”
“Double…”
After hearing the Marquis’s detailed account of the enemy forces, Ash tapped his armrest.
The grey-haired elder spoke.
“I don’t think we’ll be at a disadvantage even though we’re outnumbered.”
He was the Earl of Stanley, a former military commander under Crown Prince Lloyd, and a man of war.
First, on this side was the Duke of Killiard, the strongest knight in the kingdom. The core of the allied forces, the Knights of Philres, were the elite of the elite, having seen countless battles, and their power was unquestionable.
No matter how great the disparity in numbers, combat experience is often the difference between victory and defeat in war.
And each and every one of the nobles in this position, who were the former crown prince’s people, were capable and influential people in the past. Although they’d been flying under the radar until now, there were many experienced knights among their soldiers.
Following Earl Stanley, the nobles agreed. Ash nodded his head.
“Aye, aye. Above all, the people have already turned against the king. We also have a cause.”
The king’s viciousness was spreading, and perhaps cracks were beginning to form within the king’s army.
Ash thought of his army gathered in Killiard and looked into the eyes of the nobles as he spoke.
“Our army will march to the royal capital tomorrow as soon as dawn breaks. We will attack the capital first before the enemy attacks us.”
The nobles’ faces were tense. Their eyes showed determination.
Treason.
Ash stood up slowly.
“If we lose this war, we will go down in history as traitors.”
The king’s evil deeds will be buried again, and he will never be brought to justice. Unless someone puts their life on the line again, the false record of the Seveka incident will not be changed.
“But I want to see the history we change together.”
It was a pledge of victory, more solid than any other words. To see with their own eyes the future they most desire.
For a moment, people’s eyes shook. Then a certain resolve took hold of them.
“We will follow.”
In unison, they rose from their seats. From the Marquis of Derk to Edwin Lister, all the nobles bowed before him.
“When this war is over…….”
The Marquis of Derk, kneeling at the front, spoke. Then the nobles spoke in unison.
“Please become the new king of this country.”
The scene was clearly taken in by Elaine, who was watching from one side of the conference room. Her eyes widened.
The wind had begun to stir within them.
“This is the position that you were originally meant to ascend to. Only you are the rightful owner of that seat.”
This was loyalty to the king. They stared at him with clear eyes.
Ash said nothing for a moment.
If Chelsea de Philion was dethroned, the throne would naturally become empty. Crown Prince Michael, a descendant of the criminal, would also be deprived of his right to succession. Just like Ash was.
Duke Diallo died childless, but since he was originally the son of a concubine, he had no right to the succession. Coincidentally or not, most of the royals closest to the throne died during the Seveka incident.
As a result, the closest thing to an heir at the moment was Ash, the son of former Crown Prince Lloyd de Philion.
As they prepared to dethrone the king, it wasn’t that he didn’t think about the throne that would be vacated. Rather, he feared the chaos it would bring.
However, since he had no desire for the throne and achieving his immediate goals came first, he put it off.
Ash slowly closed and opened his eyes.
‘The king…’
A position that should’ve been occupied by his father, who would’ve become a great ruler, superior to all others.
Could he be as great of a ruler as his father would’ve been?
He couldn’t know. But …
He could see Elaine looking up at him, beyond the bowed nobles before him.
When she looked so pleased, he had no choice, right?
Finally, his lips slowly opened. His purple eyes were as vivid as the sun.
“If that is your will.”
That was enough. The nobles bowed even more deeply to their new ruler.
