After parting with Arcrayne, Estelle followed Sachis into the depths of the palace.
The Palace of Albion was built on the remains of the residence of the governor-general left from when Rosalia had been under the rule of Ancient La Tène. That was why things from that era could be found underneath it.
At the end of the labyrinthine underground corridor was a closed double door made out of stone that glowed milky white. Vines were engraved into it—this was something often seen on ruins of Ancient La Tène.
“This used to be the hub of the Government-General. It’s called the Shrine,” said Sachis.
As usual, there was a panel next to the door.
The king took out the Key, stuck it in the keyhole under the panel, and channeled his mana into it.
The door opened with a heavy sound of grinding stone. Silver light leaked out from inside. Estelle squinted from its brightness.
Beyond the door, an enormous mass of mana swirled. That was what Estelle’s eyes had perceived as light.
“No matter how many times I come here, it’s hard to believe this place is underground,” said Sachis.
Estelle blinked a few times to adjust her eyes. Little by little, she became able to see what things were like beyond the door. Indeed, it was quite unbelievable that the space ahead was located under the surface.
A stone path, surrounded by pillars with fine, milky white engravings, led to an elevated area. The place was bright as day. It was a garden; flowers bloomed in riotous profusion on each side of the path. There were lily of the valley, regular lilies, daisies, snowdrops, and other flowers Estelle didn’t know the names of. With no regard for the season, white flowers of all kinds bloomed in full glory and with a feeling of purity.
“Are these real flowers...? While there may be light, this is still underground...” said Estelle.
It’s also hard to imagine that there’s somebody taking care of them, she thought to herself. After all, no one could enter this place without the Key. Now that Estelle had arrived at that thought, this beautiful garden began to look bizarre to her.
“It’s made with lost technologies. It’s best you don’t dwell on it.” Sachis held out his arm. “Will you let me escort you?”
“It would be an honor.” Placing her hand on the king’s elbow, Estelle walked with him deeper inside.
The elevated area in the center of the deepest part had a stone monument with enormous mana stones engraved into it. It was the source of the large mass of mana permeating the area.
An altar stood in front of the monument. Estelle could more or less see why it was called the Shrine. With everything around being white, including the flowers, the Shrine felt highly sacred and solemn.
“Is that, perhaps, the Foundation Monument...?” asked Estelle.
“That’s right,” replied Sachis.
It was an artifact protected by generations of royalty—the very foundation supporting this country. Estelle had learned as part of her education as a princess that various rituals were held here.
The most important one was held on New Year’s Eve. It was said that the king would pour his blood and mana into the Foundation Monument and pray for a peaceful year for the nation. In reality, however, the ritual held here was apparently for the maintenance of the water supply systems and the palace’s defenses.
Once Estelle married Arcrayne and officially became a princess, she’d attend the events held here.
Sachis led Estelle to the front of the altar. It had a keyhole just like the one at the entrance. The king inserted the Key and channeled his mana into it, at which point a two-dimensional image appeared before him.
The image contained writing that appeared to be in the La Tène language. Sachis touched it and the image changed without making a sound.
It seemed to be a mana-based console. Estelle was captivated by the piece of lost technology.
After a while, the image faded away—perhaps the king had finished his business with it. Next, he touched the Key and started directing his mana into it again. Estelle could see an enormous amount of mana flow through the Key, where it was absorbed by the altar.
Ancient writing appeared on the Foundation Monument, and the whole thing began emitting silver light. Estelle was overwhelmed by the mystical and solemn view. Which was why she was a moment late in noticing the change in Sachis.
At the edge of her vision, she saw the king crouch.
“Your Majesty?” she said, rushing to his side.
He began to cough violently.
“Are you all right?” asked Estelle. “Let me borrow the mana communicator, I shall notify Lord Arc immediately.”
Estelle remembered Sachis carrying a mana-based communicator on him in order to contact his troops and aides. She reached out to feel around his jacket, but the king stopped her.
“It won’t work. You can’t use mana devices anymore.” Sachis’s mouth and sleeve were stained with red.
He’d coughed up blood again, making Estelle recall the hunting contest.
She could treat injuries, but she didn’t know what to do about someone who was ill. All she could do for Sachis was rub his back.
“I don’t like growing old... This is what happens when I use too much mana,” he said.
“Are you all right...?”
“I’ll recover after a short rest.” With that, he sat on the ground and sighed wearily.
His finely chiseled face, which so closely resembled Arcrayne’s, looked terribly haggard and exhausted. And while it was hard to spot because he was blond, upon closer inspection, he had quite a lot of white hairs, which spoke of his accumulated hardship.
As far as Estelle remembered, he was in his early fifties. He looked as though he’d rapidly aged over the past month.
“What is your condition like? Is there a name for what afflicts you...? If it is all right to ask, could you tell me?”
“It’s a mana deficiency that you get if you use too much of it throughout your life. You could say it’s an occupational hazard for kings,” said Sachis with a self-deprecating smile as Estelle looked on with widened eyes. “Once you take the throne, you have to keep channeling great amounts of mana into the Foundation Monument. And a lot has happened during my reign... When large wars and natural disasters occur, they make the king reach his limit that much faster.”
“Oh dear...”
Estelle was lost for words. She’d never known this was what it meant to be king.
Sachis’s rule had begun with cleaning up the aftermath of the four-year war which had broken out across the entire Heredian continent thirty-five years ago after a change of government in the neighboring Franciel. And during his thirty-year rule, two major natural disasters had occurred.
“No need to make such a face. Once I abdicate, this won’t affect my daily life as long as I’m careful not to spend my mana. And royals live quite a long time,” the king said with a faint smile.
“I suppose so. I remember now,” replied Estelle, thinking of how long the royals of previous generations had lived.
“Once this is all over with, I plan to hold an investiture of the crown prince and entrust all of my functions requiring the use of mana to Arcrayne.”
His words made Estelle tremble.
“Oh dear. I thought I was ready for it... But I suppose that is how things will be, if Lord Arc manages to stop Duke Marwick and Her Majesty...” Estelle spoke haltingly with lowered eyes. “I do not believe Lord Arc had planned on becoming king either, until recently. He used to say his biggest hope was becoming lord of a royally owned domain somewhere in the countryside... And he had prepared means of fleeing the country if he found himself in a life-threatening situation.”
“And I’m the one who forced him to do that...” said Sachis with a bitter look on his face.
“Why did you not protect him? Did you not always see him as your heir? I do believe you knew what kind of relationship he had with Her Majesty. And yet, why...?”
“I tried to protect him in what ways I could. But I couldn’t ignore the influence of Duke Marwick either... I could only do so much. The same goes for dealing with the queen,” explained the king, sighing. “I only married Truteliese out of necessity...though I’m sure that doesn’t sound very persuasive.”
“‘Necessity’...? What do you mean?”
“I had to show respect for her in order to maintain a favorable relationship with House Marwick.”
Estelle’s eyes went wide. “So you and Her Majesty only looked so close on the surface?”
“I do have some attachment to her, after spending so many years with her. But it’s different from what I felt for Miriallia.”
Estelle couldn’t help sympathizing with Truteliese somewhat, as a fellow woman.
“Though it might sound awful to you, as an unmarried woman,” the king went on. “I’m sure Truteliese felt similarly about me. She had a fiancé she was on good terms with, but after Miriallia suddenly passed away, she was forced to part with him in order to marry me.”
“Oh goodness...”
“That’s politics for you. When something can benefit your family, personal emotions get trampled on,” said Sachis with a humorless smile.
Estelle couldn’t find what to say.
“All of this was brought on by a large mix of motives and various circumstances. I’m ashamed of myself.” Right after he finished speaking, Sachis began to cough.
“My apologies,” Estelle said in a hurry. “I should not have asked so many things, given your condition.”
Sachis shook his head lightly. “I cannot force you, but please, support Arc by his side if you can.”
“I intended to do that from the start,” Estelle said without hesitation.
Sachis’s eyes widened slightly, then a smile appeared on his face.