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Power Struggle Within the Royal Palace – Part 02

“Did you just call it a foolish plan? How dare you disrespect the next king!” the chamberlain snapped.

In contrast to the Grugschilt faction, the chamberlain embraced bribery and viewed wickedness and slothfulness as the duty of nobility. He saw the Grugschilt faction as an unbearable nuisance. Without them, he could have much more freedom to do as he pleased.

Nobles aligned with the chamberlain, representing about thirty percent of the people in the room, nodded in agreement, highlighting the root of the kingdom’s problems.

“Shut up, you filthy pig!” Grugschilt roared.

Tension filled the air. The Margrave just called the sycophantic chamberlain, who also bribed nobles behind the scenes, a filthy pig. The chamberlain’s face turned red from humiliation, but he didn’t dare to argue back. Such was the gravity and power of Grugschilt’s demeanor.

The chamberlain couldn’t possibly express his discontent against a man who had wielded his sword at the vanguard of the army for decades.

“Prince Austrin, the throne is not something that others can easily take over,” the Margrave said. “Moreover, it is appalling to see the first in line to the throne treating it so lightly. Your Highness should be showing the utmost respect to the throne, bowing your head, and displaying a humble attitude.”

“I don’t want to hear your lectures,” Austrin managed to reply, his tone sounding like that of a scolded child. He hadn’t expected anyone to challenge his proposal, which Kujastria already approved.

“I’m not lecturing you. It is unheard of for someone to assume the king’s duties while His Majesty is still reigning. We will earn the disdain of other nations as well.”

“But, Margrave, my father is suffering from—”

“Silence. If His Majesty is suffering, then the prince, his flesh and blood, should be by his side. The same goes for Princess Kujastria.”

“I understand,” Kujastria nodded remorsefully.

But even as she did so, her thoughts were elsewhere. What is the Margrave thinking?

She was perplexed. Grugschilt had always presented himself as a loyal subject of the king, so she was surprised to see him leave his domain and come to the capital. But what caught her off guard even more was his current behavior. For the past few days, Grugschilt had attended meetings without uttering a single word. And now, as soon as he spoke, it was to openly criticize Austrin.

“Margrave, do you propose that we disregard the current stagnation of His Majesty’s responsibilities, even if it means burdening the people?!” Austrin retorted sharply.

Margrave Grugschilt was a noble with one of the most powerful forces in the kingdom, but as the Crown Prince, Austrin would not allow himself to be treated with disrespect.

“You make a compelling point,” Grugschilt replied. “As you said, it would be unwise to ignore His Majesty’s duties.”

“So I should—”

“The national law should tell us what to do in this situation, no?”

“…National law?”

Austrin sounded as if he was hearing about it for the first time, but naturally, there were fundamental laws in place for governing the kingdom.

“That’s true… Where’s the Minister of Law?”

“Ah, yes… Here, Your Highness,” said a plump noble.

The equivalent of the Minister of Justice, he did not have much of a presence. Austrin’s failure to recall the kingdom’s laws revealed how they had become obsolete within the palace. It goes without saying that the law did not include any provisions allowing for bribery.

“His Majesty is unwell, but there are several matters that can only be approved by him. In such cases, is it possible for someone else to carry out the tasks?” the Margrave asked.

“Um, well… Let me see.”

This noble, who had attained the position of Minister of Law through the power of money, lacked knowledge of the law.

Grugschilt raised his hand and tapped the back of a young man beside him. “Your Highness, we have someone known as the ‘walking legal code’ for his expertise in national law. Well then, tell us, how is it specified?”

“National law states that in case of emergencies, the duties of the king shall be assumed by the rightful successor to the throne.”

Austrin was slightly taken aback. “In that case, there should be no problem with me acting on his behalf, is there?”

“It appears so. Then please proceed with it—along with Princess Kujastria.”

What? Me? Kujastria almost voiced her thoughts.

“Princess Kujastria, you also hold a rightful claim to the throne. It will be a great responsibility, but as His Majesty has always fulfilled his duties, you are expected to do the same. It is your duty and a way to show filial piety.”

Princess Kujastria felt her face contort. She couldn’t bring herself to face her brother, Austrin, who was likely glaring at her.

She realized that Grugschilt did not want to hand over the throne to Austrin under any circumstances. Kujastria, who had been keeping a low profile in the shadows, was suddenly thrust into the midst of political turmoil.

---

“So something like that happened, and it seems that the higher-ups in the Adventurers’ Guild have already been notified,” Sophie Bloomfield said.

She was sitting in an elegant café with spacious tables and partitions for privacy, her ash-colored hair cascading down to her chest. Her modest nun’s habit did little to hide the allure of her ample bosom that aroused the desires of men.

“Hmm, I don’t really get it. If the princess doesn’t wanna take the throne, why not just step down?”

Sara, with her wavy, purple short hair, was slumped over the table, resembling a student dozing off during class.

“You’re so stupid! The right to the throne is not something you can just throw away! What if something were to happen to the prince?! What would they do then?!”

Serika Tanoue, a black-haired Mage, emphasized each word she spoke, still not entirely familiar with the language of this world.

“That’s true. I’m surprised you know,” Selyse Lande, the leader of the party Four Eastern Stars, chimed in.

She had beautiful golden hair tied up in a chignon, and she wore pants just like Sara, except hers had a belt around the waist to hold her sword. The sword itself was casually propped up on the table right beside her.

The slim sword was none other than the White Ray Blade, an extraordinary masterpiece known for its ability to cut through anything when imbued with mana.

“The princess has always been the unambitious type. Maybe she even wanted Austrin to succeed to the throne,” Selyse added.

“I think you’re right,” Sophie agreed. “I heard the same from the Church as well.”

“In that case, the current chaos is not something the princess wanted. Which means Margrave Grugschilt simply does not want Austrin to ascend to the throne.”

“Why is that?” Sara asked.

“Sara, you should make a little more effort to understand how the nobility behave.”

“Too much effort.” She rubbed her forehead against her arm resting on the table.

Selyse chuckled, gently patting Sara’s head. “Margrave Grugschilt is very loyal to this kingdom. He probably believes that the kingdom would be better off if Princess Kujastria ascended to the throne rather than Austrin.”

“The birth of a queen! That sounds great!” Serika remarked, crossing her arms with satisfaction.

“So… what should we do?” Sophie asked. “We’ve finished all the business we had in the capital.”

The Four Eastern Stars had plans to relocate their base of operations from the Kingdom of Ponsonia to another country. Although adventurers were typically free individuals, high-ranking adventurers became significant figures for a country. During times of war, they were not allowed to move freely, and being Rank B adventurers, the third highest rank—there were only a few Rank S adventurers in the entire continent, so they were effectively ranked second highest—changing their base of operations was difficult. The kingdom would not easily let go of the Four Eastern Stars.

The party’s’ prominence made it difficult for them to leave the kingdom in the midst of chaos.

“I want to observe the situation a bit longer,” Selyse replied. “If everything goes smoothly, Austrin will succeed to the throne, but I also want to see what happens to this kingdom afterward.”

“The war will be postponed, so it might be for the best!” Serika chimed in.

“I don’t mind either way,” Sara added.

“I suppose so. Personally, I want to go to the Theocracy of Bios with you all,” Sophie said.

The Theocracy of Bios served as the headquarters of the continent-spanning Church. The doctrine of this Church stated that the religion had no name. Gods actually existed in this world, as evidenced by the Blessings one could receive through their cards. There was no point in bringing up other gods when discussing gods in general.

“Yeah, we should visit it when we have the chance. Since the formation of the Four Eastern Stars, we’ve mostly been operating within the kingdom.”

“Looks like we’re staying in the capital for a while, then,” Sara said.

“Yup. We actually have a designation commission.”

Selyse had stopped by the Adventurers’ Guild earlier, where she received the commission. The guild’s system allowed specific adventurers or parties to be designated for a commission. Adventurers had the right to refuse, but the rewards were often very lucrative.

“It’s a bit depressing to stay in this tense capital all the time,” Selyse said. “And a designated commission from a noble is the perfect excuse to leave the city.”

“Right, right. Let’s see what it’s about.” Sara pulled out a rolled-up parchment from a beautifully ornamented tube. Not plant-based paper, but expensive parchment, stamped with a noble house’s crest. “Oh, interesting. Survey of a newly-generated dungeon. And the client is a Duke! I smell money!” she exclaimed, her excitement evident.

Serika and Sophie leaned in to take a look. Selyse watched them with a smile.

While turmoil engulfed the palace, the Four Eastern Stars remained as laid-back as ever.