Arcrayne walked through a long underground labyrinth and reached the Shrine. Its door, normally closed, was open.
“So this is the Shrine...” uttered Sachis’s physician in charge, who Arcrayne had met up with on the way here.
All kinds of royal rituals held at the palace were held here, at the Shrine. Unlike the Sovereign’s Guard, who got to come here as bodyguards, a physician should’ve never had such an opportunity.
“Everybody wait here,” Arcrayne commanded and entered the Shrine.
Once inside, he felt the membrane blocking the release of his mana disappear.
This place always looked strange, no matter how many times he’d come here. Despite being underground, it was bright as day. There couldn’t have been anyone looking after them, and yet all kinds of white flowers bloomed profusely here. They weren’t artificial either. The area was always filled with a fragrant scent, making it feel tranquil and solemn.
Towering at the center of the garden was the Foundation Monument. It was enveloped in silver light. The sight of it filled Arcrayne with awe for the hyperadvanced civilization of Ancient La Tène. Many technologies of the time had yet to be understood despite mana engineering having made tremendous progress in recent years.
The Shrine rejected anyone who wasn’t of royal blood. If someone tried to enter without permission, an invisible wall would appear and block their way. Estelle must’ve managed to enter because Sachis had led her in.
As Arcrayne walked to the center, where the Foundation Monument and the altar were, he found Sachis lying down, his head on Estelle’s lap.
“Father!” exclaimed the prince.
Upon noticing the blood staining his mouth and clothes, he ran to Sachis. The king slowly lifted his eyelids.
“It’s you, Arcrayne... How did things go up there...?” said Sachis while trying to lift himself.
“Please do not push yourself, Your Majesty...” said Estelle, hurriedly propping him up.
Arcrayne also squatted and helped the king.
“We’ve taken control of the Leo Palace and arrested Queen Truteliese, Mircea Marwick, and Silvio Marwick.”
The news took Sachis and Estelle by surprise.
“I see,” said the king, with a grave look on his face. “What about Liedis? I was told the queen summoned him to the palace.”
“For some reason he’d been put to sleep and had shackles on him, which sealed his powers. We’ve taken him into custody and will ask what happened when he wakes up.”
“Maybe he tried to stop the queen...” Sachis heaved a deep sigh.
Upon closer inspection, his complexion was unnatural. The area around his mouth, where he’d wiped his blood away, was of a different color than the rest of his face. Which meant he’d used makeup to hide its sickly color. It made Arcrayne angry with himself for not noticing.
“Why did you hide that you’re in bad health...?” asked the prince.
“Because there was no point in saying it. Only I could activate the mana restriction.”
“I could’ve at least come with you and helped.”
“If even you had come down here, who would have taken the lead above and dealt with the—” Sachis broke into a coughing fit before he could finish.
“I’m sorry I’ve made you talk too much,” said Arcrayne. “Come, the court physician is waiting outside.”
“Wait. If everything’s over, then the palace must be returned to its original state. Will you assist me?”
Arcrayne nodded.
In order to lift the mana restriction, you had to operate the Shrine and then channel a large amount of mana into it, and only the king could do the former. Arcrayne took on the duty of providing mana.
“Do it, Arc,” said Sachis after he was done with the Shrine.
Arcrayne touched the Key and winced from the sensation of his mana being drained quite rapidly.
“I’ve heard about this before, but actually experiencing it is...quite something,” he said.
“You’ll get used to it eventually. And actually, it would be a problem for me if you didn’t. I’m reaching my limit as the king. I have mana deficiency.”
The king’s confession shocked Arcrayne.
“Isn’t it too early...?” he asked.
Mana deficiency was an occupational disease for kings. However, Sachis had only sat on the throne for thirty years. It was too early for him to be afflicted with mana deficiency compared to the kings of the past.
“I never had as much mana as you or Liedis. And several major natural disasters happened during my reign...”
The prince’s expression clouded over.
“I’m planning to abdicate as soon as possible. I want you to be ready for it.”
“I understand,” said Arcrayne, left with no other choice.
As he directed his mana into the Key, Arcrayne looked at Estelle, who was next to Sachis. She gazed at him with an anxious look on her face.
After what felt like five minutes, the sensation of Arcrayne’s mana being drained by the Key ceased. The silver light enveloping the Foundation Monument began to flicker.
“Looks like it finished reconfiguring,” said Sachis.
Arcrayne and Estelle lent their shoulders to the king and left the Shrine, at which point the court physician and the members of the Sovereign’s Guard waiting outside came running to them.
Entrusting the king to them, Arcrayne turned to speak to Estelle. “Sorry I scared you.”
“It is all right...” Estelle shook her head and stared back at the prince. “Are you hurt?” she asked, looking with worry at the dark red stains on his clothes.
“None of this blood is mine.”
“Is that true...?”
“It is.”
At that point, tears welled up in Estelle’s purplish-red eyes. “I am so glad you are safe...”
The look on her face made Arcrayne feel guilty. But at the same time, some part of him felt a faintly dark sort of pleasure too. The prince laughed at himself for it.
Estelle’s tears seemed to prove that her affection for him hadn’t completely disappeared.