I am the Monarch Chapter 196

'Ascension?'

Roan's face stiffly froze.
It wasn't something possible.
No, he thought it was something that wasn't possible.

'Even though the king died after promoting the Third Prince Kallum to the throne and moving back from the front?'

It definitely happened so in the last life.
Since the First Prince Simon Rinse was seized by madness and became the Mad Monarch in that process.
When everything awoke including the sleeping memories after the hexers' assault, there was no way that only that memory was incorrect.

'Of course……"

The fact that the current King Deni Von Rinse had bad health in the twilight of his life was a truth.
Even Roan, who was a rank and file spearman at the time, had heard the rumor once before that Deni III was living a sickbed life for quite a long time.
Therefore, he thought that was plentily possible even when he heard the news this time that Deni III fell down and was recuperating.

'But an ascension so suddenly?'

The countless memories and information of the last life whirled inside his head like a storm.
Death of the king.
This was not a usual kind of big event.

'What happened in the last time after the king has died……?'

He fumbled through his memories.
Suddenly, a chilly look floated up on his stiffly frozen expression.

'Byron and Istel……'

The two kingdoms moved.
It wasn't really because of Deni III's death and the Mad Monarch Simon's rampage was the bigger reason, but based on the time period, the Byron Kingdom and the Istel Kingdom raised their armies after Deni III had died.

'Perhaps this time as well?'

Based on the experiences he went through until now, he couldn't discount such possibility.
The future that was same as the one he knew, the future that was subtly different, the future that didn't exist, and the future that disappeared.
Which future would the world that would unfold beyond Deni III's death be one of?
His thoughts became deeper.
At that moment.

"My lord. Will it be alright to head to the capital, Miller, like this?

Austin asked with a cautious expression.
Harrison added on.

"As the situation is so, I think there will be a limit with just the Taemusas and the Tenebra Troop's troopers, my lord."
"He is right. Since his majesty the king has ascended at a situation when the Grand Duke of Grain still hasn't been decided, something, whatever it may be, will definitely happen, my lord."
"A bloody wind could blow in the capital, Miller."

Numerous stories flowed out.
But their connection was one.
It was dangerous as now.
Roan slowly nodded his head.

"We will reorganize the entire legion. Make full preparations so that we can march at any time."

Austin dryly swallowed at those words.

"Will we be going to the capital, Miller, my lord?"

Nervous looks were obvious on everyone.
Roan slowly shook his head.

"There is a work we must do before that."

There was a need to check which future the world, the world that would spread out from now on, was one of.
His gaze headed towards Chris and Keep.

"Turn all available members of Agens and Tenebra Troop towards the Byron Kingdom and the Istel Kingdom."
"Ah……"

A long explanation wasn't particularly needed.
Everyone, together with quiet exclamations, nodded their heads.
There was no way that the enemy nations would simply watch the incredible chaos called the king's death.
Roan's gaze naturally headed towards the northeastern region.

'I will have to hope that my guess is wrong……'

The Lancephil Fief's citizens had only now healed the wounds of the last year's fief war and regained peaceful daily lives.
No one including Roan wished for the Lancephil Fief to once again become a battlefield.

"Yes sir! We will carry out the order, sir!"

Soon, Chris and Keep gave salutes and then went inside the lord's castle.
Since a new mission was given, now was a time to busily move.
A south wind violently blew.

"Your highness prince. There is no more time to delay."
"We have to first acquire, no, calm the palace for now."
"That is correct. Everyone is feeling apprehensive right now."
"The one who was originally standing furthest at the lead in the throne succession competition is your highness the prince. Your highness the prince entering the palace the foremost is right."

The nobles who fully filled the conference room raised their veins.
The place the excited voices and gazes headed was the head seat of a long table.
It was the place the First Prince Simon Rinse was sitting on.

"Your highness the prince. The many nobles' words are correct."
"Now is the time your highness must move."

His closest aide nobles such as Tio Ruin and Delph Blick whispered in small voices.

"Hmm."

Simon exhaled a long sigh with a solidly stiffen expression.
He, with flaring and fierce light in his eyes, looked at Tio.

"Viscount Ruin. My father the king's health wasn't serious even when I greeted him just days ago. And that my father the king suddenly passed away?"

His voice was cold.
He looked around at the numerous nobles and added on.

"I simply can't seem to understand that."

Rather than feel sad, Simon filled up with rage at the news that his father Deni III had died.
If a little more time had passed like before, he would have been named the Grand Duke of Grain.
He would finally become the Rinse Kingdom's crown prince.
But as Deni III suddenly died, everything became disrupted.

'It absolutely isn't a natural death. This is definitely an assassination. I'm not sure who it is, but how dare him block my path.'

The individuals that immediately floated up in his mind were his brothers the Second Prince Tommy Rinse and the Third Prince Kallum Rinse.
His reasons, together with rage, turned hazy.
At that moment.

"Prince. Please analyze the situation cool-headed."

Tio advised with an urgent voice.

"You must enter the palace first before anyone else. You will be able to find out everything of what had happened to his majesty the king if you were to only enter the palace."

At those words, Simon came back to himself a moment late.
The killing intent on his eyes gently disappeared.

'I almost made a mistake at an important moment again.'

It became more and more difficult to control his consciousness and personality these days.
Simon deeply breathed in.
The inside of his head became a little clearer.

"Alright. Everyone get ready. We are going to the palace."

An order made with a powerful voice.

"Yes! Understood, your highness!"

The nobles instantly stood up from their seats and answered in loud voices.
On the faces that were exiting the conference room, some fervent desires were floated up.

'It's done. The time to fly has finally come.'
'I should go up a status at least by one.'
'I hope he would increase my fief……'

Imagining the crumbs that would fall down when Simon become the king, they formed foul smiles.
Tio stayed at the conference room until all the nobles went out.

"Prince."

A very secretive voice.
Simon, who was about to exit out the conference room, paused and stood his place at Tio's call.

"What is it?"

An unpleased voice.
Tio unnecessarily took a look around the surroundings, then exhaled a short sigh.

"However it is, I think it would be difficult to hide the truth from Count Lancephil any further, your highness."
"Is this about Sir Io Lancephil?"

Simon's face solidly stiffened.

Boom!

He slammed down on the table with both hands.

"Damn it. I just don't understand it! Holy Palace those insane bit……"
"Please watch your words. Your highness the prince."

Tio quickly cut off Simon's words.
Simon effortfully calmed his breath and then shook his head.

"However I think about it, there is no reason for the Holy Palace to detain Sir Io. If they don't want to hand me the God's Medicine, they can simply refuse."
"That certainly is so."

Tio nodded his head with a bitter expression.
He added on with a secretive voice.

"Could someone perhaps had made a move?"
"To capture Sir Io?"

Tio wordlessly nodded his head when Simon asked back.
It was something plenty possible.
Simon reflexively asked.

"Did Tommy and Kallum have connections to the Holy Palace?"
"Since their personal connections are various, there shouldn't not be one, your highness."
"Hmm."

Simon, together with a groan, bit his lower lips.
Even if he were to reveal who had separately made a move, it was a useless act.

"How about instead truthfully telling Count Lancephil at least now……"

Tio blurred the end of his words and searched Simon's mood.
Simon soon shook his head.

"No, I can't do that. Since the one who sent Sir Io to the Holy Palace was me either way. And the one who tightly hid that for one year was also me. Even while knowing that Count Lancephil was searching for Sir Io that much."

Even worse, a disgusting scheme to hold Io as a hostage was also included amongst the reasons he sent him to the Holy Palace.
It was better to instead hide it to the end as long as possible.
At the same time, he had to safely return Io who was caught in the Holy Palace.
Only then could he tie Roan to his side as according to the first plan.
Simon still believed so.

"For now, be careful as much as possible so that the information doesn't leak out."

He gave a useless order to Tio.
The two people completely didn't know the truth that Roan had already found out Io's whereabouts and the story hidden on the other side.

"Yes, your highness. I will do my best."

Tio lowered his head.
A look that didn't seem confident for some reason.
Simon tapped such Tio's shoulder and widely opened his chest.

"Viscount Ruin. Open your shoulders. This isn't the time to be dispirited like that."

Voice that spoke effortfully energetic.

"Should we go to the palace?"

The steps he put out were also bold.
Tio looked at that sight for a moment, then halfheartedly moved his steps.
At least until this time, they did not quite know.
That each step and step they were walking were leading to a foul swamp.

"Kukuk. I see, so he finally moved."
"Yes. He has entered the palace."

A dark secret room.
Eleven men were gathered at a table and were conversing.
Amongst them, the one who was seated at the head seat was one of the Rinse Kingdom's four dukes and Simon's maternal grandfather, Bradley Webster.
An unconcealable glee was floated up on his face.

"Simon. Whomever he takes after, he's simply too sluggish. He probably would have lost the lead already to the other bastards if I hadn't used my hands ahead of time."

At those words, one of the ten nobles spoke in a furtive voice.

"The one thing certain is that he doesn't take after Sir Duke. Even though he would already be a king if he took after Sir Duke…… kuk."
"That is true."
"He completely takes after his father's house rather than his mothers. That idiotic Rinse House's blood……"

Contumely and haughty words popped out as if they were nothing.
Worst, Bradley made satisfied expression at those words.
At that moment, Viscount Lapa Kathers, who was one of his close aides, burst out a laughter.

"Kuk. But he did send even that Io old man to the Holy Palace saying he'll do something."

At those words, Viscount Billy Contess, who also was one of the close aides, clapped his hands and delighted.

"Right. He did do that. Then what's he going to do, when we already played a hand even at the Holy Palace. Kukuk."
"God's Medicine? Something like that, we would already have gotten him that a long time ago if we wanted. Our Sir Duke and Holy Emperor's relationship is so close."

Lapa laughed and echoed.
Bradley, who was sitting still and listening to the nobles' conversation, quietly waved his hand.
Instantly, the noisy secret room turned silent.

"Now, do stop the chatters about here. So what is Simon doing now?"

At those words, the noble who first passed the news of entering the palace cheerily smiled and answered.

"He collected the king's corpse and has sent letters telling his brothers to enter the palace."

As soon as the words finished, a round of laughter burst out from everywhere.

"What collecting the corpse. They won't know however much they look, you know? Just how furtive do they think our methods are."

Shocking stories came out.
Deni III's death, they were behind it.
Furthermore.

"Kukukuku. It's exactly as we expected."
"Tommy and Kallum should also move as we expected, right?"
"Of course. They'll never enter the palace."
"What kind of insane kid walks into a tiger's den on his two feet?"

Voices full of certainty.

"Even they would never do something like entering the palace if they have a thought."

Bradley thinly closed his eyes as he formed a peculiar smile.

"The probability of Tommy and Kallum, who are at the kingdom's south, entering the palace as Simon's request is basically none. Rather, the chance of openly raising a flag of revolt on Simon since the situation became like this is high."
"It's exactly the situation we want."

Lapa bloodily smiled and echoed back.
Bradley leaned his back on his chair and spat out a long sigh.

"It took truly a long time to come all the way here."

A period of waiting whose end he couldn't tell.
Worst, that period wasn't a time only Bradley had felt alone.

"The wish of our house that has continued on since father's, and grandfather's time."

A deeply moved expression and voice.
The ten nobles who sat around the table tightly clenched their fists.

"Our Webster house is more fitting to be the royal family than that idiotic Rinse House, sir."
"So the wish that's continued on since the grandfathers' time would finally see the light now."

The ten nobles.
They were all from Duke Webster House's branch families and were either close or distant blood relatives.

"We only need to do the end well. Just the end……"

Bradley deeply breathed in.

"Now we only need to egg Simon to attack Tommy and Kallum and make them bloodily fight each other."

A sharp killing intent was rubbed on his voice.

"Simon will ultimately end up winning. But the kingdom will fall into misery from the three princes' throne succession war."

Lapa added on the final words.

"The kingdom's citizens will step up to denounce Simon. And at that very moment……"
"The bastard's evil mana explodes! Is this not it?" 1

Billy shouted with a completely elated expression.
Bradley nodded his head.

"Yes. Simon will be caught by the evil mana and become a mad tyrant, and the kingdom's citizens will suffer even further."

For this day, for this situation, he taught that very forbidden mana technique to him since he was young.
Elated looks were clear on the nobles' faces.
Bradley's story reached climax.

"At that moment, I, with the heart of a grandfather, with a feeling of shedding bloody tears, will step up to punish the grandson and a tyrant Simon for the kingdom and its citizens."
"Kuuh!"

Numerous nobles couldn't endure and revealed their elated hearts.
The tips of their mouths were all hanging on their ears.

"In the end, Simon will have his neck cut on my hands and the throne will become empty. The citizens' anger towards the Rinse Royalty will have reached its apex and will want a new person to lead them."

Furthermore, a situation where there would be no direct bloodline of the Rinse House to continue the throne due to the throne succession war's impact.
Bradley ended his words and gently stared at all nobles' eyes.
The tips of his eyes and mouth sharply trembled.

"The royal family of the new era, of the new kingdom is……"

Boom!

Bradley slammed the desk with his palm.

"Our Webster House."

A sickening and hideous truth.
Bradley and the Webster House.
They were behind the Rinse Kingdom's sudden change.
For the house's wish that continued on for tens of years, they had been hiding razor-sharp talons.
Bradley abruptly stood up from his seat.

"We too will go to the palace."

The nobles all stood up from their seats.
Bradley, standing in front of the secret room's door, shone a sharp light from his eyes.

"Although we enter the palace with status of guests for now, the next time……"

The smile hanging on his cheeks became much deeper.

"We will enter the palace as owners."

< Sudden Change (2) > End.

Translator : CSV
Proofreader: Sai101

Chapter end