“I heard your matter is urgent—what is it? Coming to see me at this hour, I assume it’s quite serious.”
Prince Eric and I were prostrated before the king. There was a reason why we hadn’t spoken with him once all this time—the king was a busy man. Revoking the special rights of the dukes meant all sorts of systems already in place needed to be changed, such as the government officials they had appointed. The king had his hands full with new laws and other reforms that needed to go into effect. The work of the princes paled in comparison, so Eric had taken extra care not to waste His Majesty’s time.
“I’m terribly sorry to take your valuable time, Your Majesty, but we’ve come here today with a proposal to expel the evil that targets your life, if you’d be so gracious as to listen.”
“I see…”
His Majesty’s eyebrows raised when Eric informed him that we would have a showdown with the mastermind. He had probably intuited how far along our plan was from the way Eric spoke.
I felt the air grow laden with portent. We would soon reach the end of a long road. I had become Prince Eric’s bodyguard, then we backed Berklein into a corner, got his title revoked, and then there was the attempted murder at the ice cream parlor. As soon as we’d solved that mystery, the king announced the revocation of rights, and Duke Algrene’s mercenary company was added to the king’s royal guard. We still did not know Dale’s true intentions. But Eric determined that the real battle was about to begin. He had devised an elaborate scheme to trap the elusive Algrene—and we would need His Majesty’s help in carrying out the plan.
“I wish to make a donation to the shop Dale financed, to help it reopen.”
“A reopening, you say?” the king asked. “I…don’t quite follow. What do you intend?”
I couldn’t follow his logic either. I assumed Eric meant the ice cream parlor—but why did he want it to reopen?
“They sell something called ‘ice cream’ at that shop. I think it could be the next greatest thing in the royal capital, so I would love it if you could attend its reopening. If the king graced the ice cream parlor with his presence, we would signal to our subjects that, with the revocation of rights, we will have a society where the common man can be a star.”
A society where anybody could be a star. That was the world Eric dreamed of. It was a beautiful idea, but his true goal was more than a PR stunt.
His true goal is to lure Duke Algrene into a trap.
I immediately picked up on what Eric was plotting. He had asked the king to do something outlandish.
“Hmm. Well, if I went to an ice cream parlor, somebody would try to kill me.”
Exactly. If His Majesty left the safety of the palace and went into a commoner’s shop, he was practically begging to be attacked. If Algrene was our mastermind, he wouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I want you to be the bait to lure Duke Algrene—the mastermind behind all that has happened—into a trap.”
With a clear voice, Eric confirmed the king’s fears. He had asked the king to do something reckless in the name of justice. Most kings would harshly rebuke him for that.
But Eric was sincere. His clear, blue eyes pleaded with the king to overrule the impossible.
“So you want to use me as a lure… I assume you think that you have a chance of success? Algrene is no fool—he’ll catch on to the fact I’m bait. If you need proof of that, look no further than, what did he call it, his mercenary company? They’re a dubious sort, but even Alfred couldn’t find fault in any of them.”
His Majesty was indeed aware that Algrene was plotting something, and he had allowed his mercenary company into his ranks in the hope of exposing them. But it was in vain. It resulted in Johann’s suspension and made Algrene even more cautious.
I had voiced a similar concern to Eric earlier: Even if Algrene did manage to fall for our obvious trap, it was doubtful things would go as we planned.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” Eric said, his eyes brimming with confidence. “Leave everything to me. You have my word. I will see to it that Duke Algrene and his ilk fall squarely into our trap.”
He isn’t the sort of man who would make such a declaration without a firm foundation. It sounds like Prince Eric still has a trick up his sleeve.
Working as Eric’s bodyguard and watching him all this time was the very reason why I trusted him now.
It will be all right… We will win. I know it.
“Very well,” the king said. “The fate of Elshaid is in your hands, Eric. I’ve made my decision. Use my life however you wish.”
And the king put his faith in Eric as well.
His Majesty had stood by and watched his son fight such fierce battles all those years. And now, he had recognized Eric’s spirit and promised to help him.
We got straight to work. When the day came to expose Duke Algrene’s treachery, we would be ready.
-Algrene’s Perspective-
IT’S HERE. It’s finally here. Oh, how I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to come.
For years…years, I’ve waited.
How many assassins did I send after that princeling brat when he spouted that drivel about revoking our rights? Thankfully, since that upstart Berklein was nice enough to meddle and make a fool of himself, I had more time to prepare.
I knew better. I knew that I would need more than mere military might to kill that impudent crown prince for good. The only issue was, I was one of the most powerful nobles in this kingdom. I couldn’t act behind the scenes without drawing attention to myself.
So I focused on philanthropy. I met with all sorts of people from other nations under the guise of finding and helping talented people. In part, that led to the formation of my company of assassins. When the time was right, they would eliminate the crown prince. A brilliant plan if I said so myself.
I estimated it would take at least ten years before the crown prince ascended to the throne. The king was in good health: As long as nothing happened to him, he still had plenty of life to live.
In the meantime, I decided to survey the continent, seeking out the strongest fighters in foreign lands. Naturally, I was never so foolish as to let my cover slip.
I spent generously, financing the most promising people in the cultural arts—chefs, artists, actors, and so on. And slowly, so as not to draw suspicion, I expanded my philanthropic efforts to warriors and martial artists. In doing this, I noticed Jade Berklein was hiring assassins from neighboring lands and smuggling them into Elshaid, but I kept my mouth shut. I would let him swim. If he succeeded, good. If he didn’t, I could always use the information to blackmail him.
Too bad the poor fool had to go get himself arrested before I could extort him. It’s pathetic, really.
Ever since that damn king betrayed me, my beautiful plan turned to shambles. I never imagined that His Majesty was idiotic enough to revoke ducal rights before the crown prince could. But he did, so I amended my plan: kill the king and the crown prince. Then I would make the remaining prince my puppet and hold this kingdom in the palm of my hand.
As luck would have it, an opportunity to make this happen fell in my lap.
His Majesty the King was to visit the ice cream parlor. Earlier, I had orchestrated an incident there as a distraction to traffic a large band of assassins into the royal capital, and now, to my amazement, the parlor would reopen for business.
It was quite easy to sway that waiter. All I had to do was remind him of his loyalty to Berklein. He danced like a puppet for me.
Since the gendarmes were distracted by the attempted murder, it was easy to smuggle my mercenary company—my band of assassins—into Elshaid. I flawlessly executed my artful master plan from the shadows.
That silly crown prince can’t hold a candle to me.
The king’s visit to the ice cream parlor was surely a trap laid by the crown prince. He imperiled the king in order to lure me out of hiding. He had to assume that Duke Algrene’s mercenary company would take the opportunity to besiege him.
Oh, Crown Prince Eric, you sweet, stupid child. Did you honestly believe I would fall for such a transparent ruse?
I will not have the same disgraceful end as Berklein.
Really, I pitied him for thinking I was idiotic enough to fall for such an obvious ploy, but I would be kind enough to teach him a lesson.
I wouldn’t mobilize my mercenary company. Instead, I would order the assassins I’d gathered in secret to attack him. And I would utilize another diversion! A diversion on top of a diversion!
First, my mercenaries would capture my assassins. I’d make them heroes when everyone was most paranoid, earn them even more trust, and lower the king’s guard. The real attack would occur during the ride back to the palace. My mercenary company would set the assassins free and they would slay the king. Then they’d use the ensuing pandemonium to kill Eric as well.
“Ha ha ha ha! Unlike Berklein, I won’t be fooled by a simple deception! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
Berklein’s youth was his downfall. I was glad he was gone. He was but an obstacle to making that whelp Dale my puppet.
I would make them all regret ever underestimating me.
As you watch your father die, I hope you’ll feel remorse for mocking the great houses of the Elshaidian aristocracy.
“Eric…pay close attention. Behold the moment I gain supremacy over this kingdom! At last, my long-held grudge shall be settled! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
We, the great houses of the nobility, made Elshaid what it was today. Ignoring us was a grave sin. A sin that couldn’t be forgiven, not even for the royalty.
This was a holy war for the good of the Kingdom of Elshaid. Much blood would be shed—a sacrifice for the glory of the kingdom.
Your Majesty, Eric, as an act of clemency, I shall give you both a majestic burial befitting your rank.