120: Hate the sin, not the sinner

The mastermind was Zaid’s mother, Bell.

The other child, the Black Rose Princess, let out a soft sigh.

“Mother isn’t in this country anymore, is she?”

Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier, nodded at the Black Rose Princess, Layra.

“Whatever method she used, she crossed the mountain border connecting the Kingdom of Maugaria and the Duvatten Empire—there’s no doubt about that.”

“Then… I don’t have to hide my true self anymore.”

Layra turned to Kyle.

“Kyle. I’m sorry I couldn’t pay much attention to you lately. I was always scared of Mother. I did whatever she said.”

“Layra-sama…”

Kyle stared at Layra, eyes welling up.

“Layra… what do you mean, you were afraid of Bell?”

It's hard to explain in words... like I was living just to make Zaid-sama the lord of this land...

Hmm...

Lord Bairoroad crossed his arms and fell into thought.

Then Van waved one hand.

"We summoned all our mages and clerics. We confirmed the curse was on Zaid, Kyle, and Maina."

"Eh?"

I couldn't help but gasp at the name.

Shit!

I just insulted the king!

The knight and attendants behind Van twitched slightly, but Van just smirked and kept going.

Guess he’s letting it slide.

"Relax, Maina’s curse was barely anything. Just made her lose her appetite a bit. But it’s almost completely faded now. Of course, it was broken yesterday."

Wait—Maina was cursed too?!

Bella? I can’t stand that guy!

"Kyle and Maina are twins. They both received a curse before birth, most of it falling on Kyle, just a tiny bit on Maina. Kyle’s managed to live this long only because some of the curse was分散ed to Maina."

So that’s how it is. Maina was secretly helping her brother all along.

Gonna praise her later.

"Kyle and Zaid were both hit with a pretty complicated curse."

Complicated?

"The elixir removed most of it. Still, it was a layered curse, and a few special ones remained. Those were broken too."

Elixir’s not a cure-all, really. Just a bonus perk.

Even with the hints, those palace mages and priests who figured out and broke both curses? Damn impressive. If I ever get a chance to meet them, I’m buying them drinks.

Jabir sighed, slapping a bundle of parchment onto the table.

Looks like the documents meant for Van’s attendant.

“Hmph… a curse to hide a curse, now that’s a bother. Who’d’ve thought they’d keep something so damn complicated going for years? Come to think of it, that time they shoved Kyle and Maina into that dangerous frontier… that’s when Bella had fewer chances to meet Kyle.”

Van scratched his head.

“Bella’s been declared a fugitive. And her marriage to Orthros is annulled. I’ll send a formal protest to the Empire.”

“Yes.”

Lord Bairoroad straightened his spine.

“Now, that leaves you single. But a lord can’t stay that way. Orthros—pick any man you like from my daughters.”

“Huh... what?! I thought the only unmarried daughters of the Emperor were mostly still minors!?”

“One or two might’ve been of age… what, you’re not satisfied with my daughters?”

“No… that’s not it, but—well, the age difference is—!”

“Age gaps like that aren’t rare. This is a royal decree. Pick any man you like. Just choose.”

Ooooh.

Marriage among nobles, huh?

Van crosses his arms.

“…I appreciate you treating my sister Ilmina well.”

Ilmina… the mother of Kyle and Maina.

So that means Lord Bairoroad and his bloodline are descended from the royal family?

Then again, given how important a marquis he is, that makes sense, doesn’t it?

"And I felt guilty, even as I was grateful, for forcing Vela into becoming my second wife—just to strengthen ties with the Empire."

"That was necessary, as the Marquis of the Frontier."

So Orthros and Vela… it was a political marriage.

"Remember the time we brought Vela and Javir here on Orthros’s skydragon?"

"That was a terrible ordeal…"

Right!

The Empire’s only connected by treacherous mountain passes. I was wondering how the wedding procession even worked—so they just flew in on a skydragon!

As I nod, Van locks a sharp gaze on Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier.

"Orthros—what about the heir?"

"Flatten will decide."

"No choice for Kyle?"

Lord Bairoroad turns his eyes to Kyle.

"...Kyle isn't fit to be a lord. I have no intention of making him heir."

Van raises one eyebrow.

"Already heard that. State your reason here."

"...Yes. Kyle... he's too kind. A lord must at times harden his heart and sacrifice without hesitation."

I nearly protest before I can stop myself.

Kyle’s kind, sure—but when push comes to shove, he’ll always fulfill his duty as lord.

But then the Marquis’s next words catch my breath.

"Perhaps Kyle will ultimately make the right choice. But because he’s too close to the people, when that moment comes, they’ll turn on him. The more they once loved him, the more they’ll hate him."

When disaster strikes, when he must sacrifice some of his people—will the rest really say, "If that was best, then so be it"?

No way they’d accept it even if I explained the situation.

“Nobles—especially lords—need to be understood by the people as inherently unreasonable and terrifying, even on ordinary days. That’s what made both Flatten and Zaid respect him, after all…”

Right. If you already see nobles as unreasonable, then being treated unfairly won’t feel any different from usual.

Even if it’s just the person themselves who believes it.

Kyle’s too close to the common folk. Too close.

I realized, for the first time, why the Marquis didn’t see Kyle as his heir.

“I… my thoughts differ a little, but I get it. I’ll respect your view. I understand that Flatten will be the next lord.”

Van looked at Flatten. Then, one word.

“Keep going.”

“Yes!”

Flatten rose gracefully and returned the bow.

“But there’s no other child with inheritance rights besides Flatten. Marry one of your daughters and produce an heir quickly. That’s a royal decree.”

“…Yes.”

I mean, getting a young bride? That’s not so bad!

But if she’s not of age… that’d be about Kyle’s age, right?

Ah, yeah. No wonder he’s flustered.

Hang in there, Dad!

“Regarding Zaid,”

The moment Van spoke, the air in the room snapped tight.

“No leniency… isn’t possible. All lands currently under his administration will be seized.”

“What?!”

I thought the punishment was pretty light, but Kyle overreacted.

I found out later—losing control of lands entrusted to a noble’s child as a governor is a huge stain on noble society. Apparently, it’s a severe judgment.

I didn’t know that. So to me, it just seemed like a soft sentence.

I’d at least like to punch him full force!

…Well, I know Kyle doesn’t want that, though.

Van turns his gaze to me, smirks, then shifts it back to Kyle.

“Kyle, you can punch Zaid as hard as you like.”

“Huh!?”

Oh!

Brilliant idea! Great job, Van!

Just because he said it’s okay doesn’t mean Kyle’s gonna do it.

As Kyle shakes his head, Zaid, who’s been silent in the corner, lifts his face.

“Your Majesty. May I speak?”

“Hm? Go ahead.”

“I’ve treated Kyle with disregard for far too long. I can’t tell anymore what’s real and what’s cursed. I don’t believe this will ease Kyle’s mind, but… I ask you, please, take on this role—there, the alchemist.”

…Wait?

So he’s telling me to hit him?

Really? I can go full force?

“Hmm… Craft. You want to take his place and punch him?”

Van leans forward, eyes bright with interest.

I think for a second, then answer.

"Can I really hit him without holding back? Won’t I be punished for it?"

"Brother... Craft?!"

Kyle stares at me, wide-eyed, but honestly, I think it’s a solid idea.

Whether Zaid was cursed or just developed a grudge against Kyle, one thing’s for sure—he’s been tormenting him.

I can’t just let Zaid off the hook like this. There’s a knot in my chest over it.

But it’s also true—he was under a curse.

If I hit Zaid hard enough right now, I think I can knock that little knot right out.

"Of course you won’t be punished."

"Then I’m doing it."

Van signals a knight, and Zaid is dragged in front of me.

"Zaid-sama, I understand you were cursed. I feel for you. But because of that, Kyle’s had to suffer more than he should have. I’m going to punch you with all that pain. Every bit of it."

"Yeah. Do it."

Zaid closed his eyes, biting down a little harder.

"Then... go ahead!"

I poured every ounce of combat skill I'd honed as an adventurer into this one strike, driving it in with everything I had.

"Guhhhaaaah!"

Zaid flew backward harder than I expected, slamming into the wall.

"Buh... buhahaha! Didn't hold back, did you!"

"Was pissed. That's true."

Still, landing a blow like that—strange thing was, I actually felt lighter.

I leaned in, whispering to Kyle.

"How's it feel? Slightly better?"

Kyle's eyes widened, then he gave a small, sheepish smile.

"To be honest... it actually felt a little good."

We shared a quiet laugh.

Van nodded, satisfied, then waved a hand sharply.

"Alright! The pre-meeting is concluded! All remaining decisions will be announced during the ceremony!"

He declared it and just bolted out of the room, though—wait?

Wasn’t this supposed to be the meeting to decide those things beforehand?

Lord Bairoroad, confirming my suspicion, hurried after Van.

"Wait a moment! We haven’t settled Kyle’s disposition, nor the marshland matter—"

Their voices faded as they moved farther away.

This is it.

The "we’ll handle it all in the big moment" routine.

Kyle and I just sat there, clutching our heads.

As for Zaid, I’ve got a lot I want to say—but

Kyle and Craft are settled now.

People, you know, sometimes just need a good punch to clear their heads.