<Chapter 126>
“The will of His Highness the Prince…”
The officials’ faces were a swirl of pale hope and deep concern.
“Before I deliver his message, I must first speak of the current situation.”
The Chancellor said, wearing a serpentine smile.
“If events continue as they are, the House of Ilkai—long protected by the sacred brotherhood pact passed down from our forebears—may escape annihilation. However… I cannot guarantee the safety of His Highness Khalid.”
“Then… the King truly hasn’t changed his mind…?”
“His Highness the Prince…”
A few of the officials sighed heavily.
With a sorrowful expression, the Chancellor lowered his head and spoke,
“I, this old man, have long served His Highness Khalid as his teacher. In all my years, I’ve never seen a member of the royal family more suited to the throne than him.”
“…Chancellor, that’s a serious statement…”
Lord Anad, who had kept silent in the corner of the prison cell, finally spoke, his face stern.
“In times like these, what point is there in hiding the truth? I shall state it plainly: I, Picard, Chancellor of Nisha, seek to enthrone Prince Khalid of House Ilkai as King of Nisha.”
“!”
“Chancellor! What madness—”
The once-faded glint in his golden eyes now shone with unwavering resolve, and every face that looked upon him turned pale with shock and fear.
“Are you saying… you intend to commit treason?”
Lord Anad was the first to regain his composure and pose the question.
“Indeed.”
“Hah! You, who used to lecture tirelessly about the virtues of loyalty and service! Have you lost your mind in your old age?”
His blunt answer was met with harsh rebuke. The elder minister clenched the bars, fury flaring in his dark eyes.
“The throne may only be held by the heir of Einar. Have you forgotten this sacred law?”
“I have not,” the Chancellor replied calmly.
“That is precisely why I refrained from making this decision, despite facing countless crossroads over the years.”
“But then—!”
“It was none other than Prince Khalid Ilkai who gave me the final push,” he said with quiet gravity.
The truth, laid bare without embellishment, brought a deathly silence.
“That’s… ridiculous! His Highness the Prince would never commit such a grave sin as rebellion!”
Lord Anad shouted, outraged.
“Are you accusing me of lying?” the Chancellor countered coolly.
“That’s not…”
“In fact, His Highness foresaw this very moment. He left behind proof.”
With unnerving composure, the Chancellor pulled a rolled parchment from his sleeve and unfurled it.
“That’s…”
“This is a message directly from Prince Khalid Ilkai himself, bearing his personal seal.”
Stamped clearly at the top of the parchment was the emblem of a black crescent moon, an insignia only the Prince of Ilkai could wield.
“This is His Highness’s own decree!”
In that moment, as history poised on the edge of upheaval:
“I, Khalid Ilkai, in order to sever the unforgivable chains of sin and corruption that have persisted since the founding of this kingdom, shall ascend the throne myself.”
A suffocating weight pressed down upon the dark prison, leaving no room even to breathe.
“Those who seek to reform this decayed and rotting nation, to greet a new age—”
Only they could turn back those blinded by greed in their thirst for prosperity.
“Follow the great usurpation that shall bring about a new era in history!”
It was the will of the new moon, the only light in the endless night.
“I, Picard, Chancellor of Nisha, have chosen Prince Khalid Ilkai as my sovereign.”
The old Chancellor’s voice echoed with iron will as he gazed across the prison.
“This choice draws a clear line between light and shadow. Should you refuse His Highness’s will, then we will lose the one true sovereign we revered.”
“…”
“But if we break free from the rusted ideals of our forebears and raise Prince Ilkai to the throne, we may yet lead this land into a new era.”
And so, as the night neared its end, the vast wheel of fate stirred from its slumber.
“Now, choose. Will you stand with the light, or fall into darkness?”
Thus, all the pieces of a future once buried in prophecy were finally set into place.
***
He wished for light to break the long night.
He wished for reform, to break his rusted chains.
He wished for mercy, not tyranny. For justice that would shatter selfishness.
For atonement, not greed.
“You… You fools! You’ve lost your minds, haven’t you?! How dare you betray me—me, the rightful heir of Einar!”
Orhan Einar collapsed onto the palace floor, surrounded by every official who had chosen to follow Prince Ilkai, and the generals who had long abandoned his rule.
“Seize Ilkai and execute him! Show the world the price of crushing tradition and greedily stealing the throne! And you, you disgrace me, your rightful sovereign!”
All of House Einar—its concubines, children, and kin—were dragged to the royal manor and imprisoned.
Only one remained: the dethroned king, Orhan Einar.
“Prince Khalid…”
Even now, it all felt surreal. Orhan clenched his trembling teeth, glaring at Khalid as he approached.
Khalid—who should have obediently wandered foreign lands in search of the Water Relic, even at the cost of his life—had returned shamelessly, spouting nonsense.
And then, his ministers, those who should have punished the traitor with righteous wrath, stood in his way.
That was when Orhan decided: this was no longer rule, but rot.
He threw all the dissenters into prison.
As for Khalid Ilkai, the man who had brought him such disgrace…Orhan had planned to execute him with his own hands.
Yet, the fall came in an instant.
“Khalid Ilkai… you traitorous beast of the realm! How could you break the sacred brotherhood pact and steal my throne?”
Orhan spat his hatred at Khalid, the man he believed had unjustly dragged him from rightful glory into utter ruin.
“…You still don’t see your sin?”
Yet Khalid Ilkai, unfazed, spoke with perfect calm, as if untouched by shame.
Orhan was truly dumbfounded.
“Sin? What sin have I committed? Not once have I betrayed the will of my forebears. The great Einar loved this Nisha deeply, and so he embraced the will of the darkness! It is you who has twisted all natural order!”
His voice, steeped in rage, rang out again and again, grating on all who heard it. And slowly, all those gathered around the deposed king began to show faces tinged with disgust.
“Then let me ask: what have you done for this Nisha you claim to love so deeply?”
“What…?”
The sudden question shook Orhan’s expression.
“You can’t think of anything, can you? Of course not. You, who held unchecked power in the name of Einar, stood atop this nation and barked nothing but cruel orders.”
“Th-that’s—”
“And it wasn’t you who bled for those commands. It wasn’t you who sacrificed your life, stained your hands and flesh with filthy blood. It was us.”
...I did… what?
Strangely, nothing came to mind.
As he fumbled for a reply, Orhan met Khalid’s gaze—Khalid, who now knelt before him—and could only move his dry lips in silence.
“Under your commands, we gave up our beliefs, our dreams, our pain. We destroyed ourselves. Did you ever think, even once, about how that felt?”
“Th-that was… your fate. I am of Einar, and you were of Annushka and Ilkai. Even you, who now imprison me, are but descendants of Einar’s servants! It is the natural order for a master to command those beneath him…”
“Your Majesty, will you truly let this deposed fool’s nonsense stain your ears? Execute him now. Let all know that a new ruler has taken Nisha’s throne.”
One of the generals cut Orhan off, glaring down at him with pure hatred.
“…No. I will not kill him,” Khalid replied softly.
“Your Majesty!”
“I will spare him—and all of House Einar.”
Gasps rippled through those who had joined him in the revolution.
“Your Majesty, even if the royal family is spared, there is no reason to keep the deposed king alive!”
“Enough. My decision is made. Take this man, who speaks only hollow words, and imprison him in the royal manor.”
Some around him hardened their expressions, unable to comprehend his choice.
Khalid Ilkai rose to his feet, clearly no longer interested in the deposed monarch.
He looked down upon Orhan, who stared up at him blankly—his former liege, once bound to him by an oath of brotherhood he could not bear to betray.
“I make this known here and now.”
Khalid spoke again, honoring a vow made to the woman who had led him to this moment.
“The tyrannical House of Einar shall remain confined within the royal estate for all eternity. And… I proclaim to the entire nation that there shall be no more war, no more plunder of foreign lands.”
