Last loyalty

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by Zil

“Kukkuk ...., that’s it! Raidorl’s girls!”

“Khaa....!”

Granard laughs in amusement and kicks the fallen Célia? in the abdomen. She rolls on the ground, moaning in pain.

The fallen Célia has already lost consciousness and is completely weakened.

The same goes for Neimilia, who lies a short distance away and seems to have no strength left to resist.

“I-I can win....with this power! I can beat Raidorl, I can beat the damn Empire! I can be the....hero of the Kingdom of Zain, or even of the world!”

It seemed to have vanished from Granard’s mind that it was a borrowed power and that he had acquired it through a contract in exchange for the lives of his people.

Drunk on the power he has acquired, he laughs like a madman in the dark of night.

“Well, before I kill Raidorl, I’ll have to get rid of these, too.”

After laughing for a while, Granard smiled wickedly at the two women.

The girls had given him a lot of trouble, but the game was already decided. All that remains is to kill them.

He could crucify them as he had declared, or he could cut off their heads and send them to Raidorl.

Granard wonders what kind of face Raidorl will have when he sees the corpses of the women who lived with him?

With this evil thought in mind, Granard points the tip of his sword at the two fallen girls.

Just as he was about to unleash a bullet of light that would reap life. A figure stands in front of Granard.

“Your Majesty, Granard! Please hold!”

“Hmmm?”

The man who appeared before him was someone Granard knew well.

Lockwood Marcell, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Zain. He was labeled as a rebel because he just had a suspicious meeting with Granard’s wife.

“Hou? That’s very noble of you to come all the way here to offer your life. For your grace, you will be buried with a single blow.”

“.... You can kill me. But before you do, I need you to listen to me for a moment.”

“Hmmm..”

As Lockwood lay prostrate with his hands on the ground, Granard decided to give him one last chance. He had served him for over ten years. He thought he should show mercy.

“It is too early to kill these girls here. There is a use for their lives!”

“A use??? Tell me..”

“H-hhaa!”

Lockwood bows his head and grasps the earth with his hands.

If he fails to persuade the king, he will lose his own life as well as that of Célia and Neimilia. In the worst case, the kingdom of Zain could be destroyed. Lockwood fought within himself to keep his shoulders from shaking from nervousness and fear.

“Still, I must .... do it! When a lord has gone astray, it is the duty of the vassal to remonstrate....! I could not stop the king from falling so far. At least, I will accompany him to hell!”

“The woman you see there is the Imperial Princess. If we kill her here, the Empire will not be happy. They will break the peace and invade the Kingdom of Zain again.”

“Why does it matter? If the Empire invades, then let them strike back. I have the power to strike them down”

Granard says it like the Empire was’t worth fearing.

How much damage the resumption of the war against the Empire will cause is something that the former Granard could not have failed to understand. The Granard of old would have known, but now he’s so consumed with power that he can’t judge whether something is right or wrong.

Lockwood bites his lip at the sight of his master’s madness. But he was not about to give up.

“....Your Majesty Granard intends to fight against His Highness Prince Raidorl, does he not?? If that is the case, isn’t it inconvenient for the Empire to interfere?　I think we should keep the girl alive as a hostage so that we can concentrate on fighting His Highness.”

“I see .... that’s a good point.”

Granard, slightly intrigued, stroked his chin and nodded his head.

Lockwood patted his chest, relieved that he still had a pinch of reason to think.

“It’s true that until the execution of Raidorl, we will not be safe from the Empire. But I can’t let a little girl who defies me, live.”

“Then, why not think of it this way? These girls must be very dear to His Highness Prince Raidorl. How about using them as bait to lure His Highness back to Royal Capital?”

“Mmmm...”

“And when His Highness comes to the Royal Capital, Your Majesty can cut off the heads of these girls in front of him. If Raidorl cannot save the woman he is supposed to protect, and they are taken from him before his eyes....then your Highness will be in despair.”

“Haha!, yes! That’s interesting!”

Granard snaps his fingers in the air as if it were a good idea.

He looked down at the fallen women, a dark smile plastered on his face.

“Yes, he has tormented me a great deal. I must make him? suffer too! It is not enough to kill him!”

Granard held up his hand and gave a high command to Lockwood.

“Very well. I’ll take your advice and leave the girls to you for the time being, Lockwood, summon Raidorl to Royal Capital at once!”

“As you command, Your Majesty!!”

“As soon as Raidorl reaches the gates of Royal Capital, I will execute these women on the city walls!　I can’t wait to see my foolish brother howl!”

“........”

Swallowing the words he wanted to say, Lockwood bowed his head reverently.

It seemed that the plan had worked. This would buy him some time. Granard would not kill Neimilia and Célia right away.

“I can only leave the rest to His Highness Raidorl.”

If Granard continues to rule the kingdom of Zain, the country will certainly be ruined.

Lockwood must avoid this, even if it means giving his lives in exchange.

“Your Highness....I know it’s too much to ask. But we have no choice but to put our trust in you. Please save our country and save His Majesty Granard!”

Rubbing his head against the ground, Lockwood kept praying to Raidorl, who was not here.

TL Note:

(So, Granard’s Holy sword is actually the Spear of Lugh, but the author still wrote the spear in ‘sword’. just wanted to point it out)