Chapter 347: The Discussion, and the Mystic Eyes of Recollection.
The room was surrounded in a tense atmosphere.
This place was a room within the imperial palace of Garudio Empire. The room had been soundproofed with my [Silence], and no voice from within would leak outside.
I'm sitting on a chair in one corner of the room; in the center of the room, the former retainers of Lowe Kingdom, Colonel, Lieutenant and Sergeant are sitting on a sofa, while the emperor of Garudio Empire, Falchion Rig Garudio, as well as Empress Astiria and the emperor's close aide, the prime minister, Lancelow Olcot, sat facing them on another sofa.
This Prime Minister Lancelow is actually the aide of the emperor—then crown prince—that first discovered Prince Rufredin in the battlefield.
That was the beginning of the events that led Prince Rufredin of Lowe to become Imperial Prince Lucrecion of Garudio. It was the cause of the series of complications that led to this talk as well, but it's definitely wrong to say that it would've been better if the prince had died there.
"To think I would meet with the knight at that time again… Is that eye, back then…?"
"It was a battlefield. I hold no grudge regarding this wound. As long as I'm still alive, it doesn't really matter much."
It's a meeting between two enemies who fought with their lives on the line in the past. Just what kind of thoughts could be swirling inside the hearts of the two… I can't begin to guess. The two of them are speaking right now with rather peaceful expressions though.
"Is that so… However, we still have matters we must apologize to you about."
The emperor lowered his head deeply to show his remorse towards the three people in front of him. The empress lowered her head the same way.
"I'm sorry. The destruction of your home country, the fact that I couldn't stop my father, and the fact that I took from you that child who's the prince of Lowe… Everything was caused by my weakness. Please forgive me…"
"Forgive, you say…!"
Lieutenant stood up while clenching her fists and glaring at the emperor and empress who's still lowering their heads.
"You know there's no way that can happen! You're the ones who took away our homes! Killed our loved ones! Our pride, our hope, our happiness, you took everything away from us!"
"… I know there's no way you can forgive us. Still, I wish to apologize. I'm sorry. If I had more courage… If only I had enough courage to stop father even by force…"
The apology couldn't reach the other side. After all, no matter how much you dress it up, the fact that their motherland was destroyed due to your selfish reasons wouldn't change. If so, what would they do…
At that time, Prime Minister Lancelow who was sitting to the side opened his mouth.
"The empire is planning to free the old Lowe territories from its control and make it independent."
"Eh…?"
"What, did you…"
Sergeant and Lieutenant opened their eyes wide. Colonel raised one of his eyebrows slightly.
By making it independent, do they mean something like Brunhild, where Lowe Kingdom would be rebuilt with the backing of the empire?
Colonel looked towards Prime Minister Lancelow.
"Would the other retainers of the empire really accept that so easily? It's weird for us to be saying this, but that place is a treasure trove of resources, you know?"
"Since His Majesty the previous Emperor passed away, that land had always been marked as a territory under the emperor's direct authority. His Majesty had only ever used the resources from that land for the Lowe territories. There's no one who would oppose His Majesty's will after all that. Unfortunately, we couldn't get Eisengard to hand over the lands around the [Azure Ruins] …"
Although Eisengard had taken the lands around the [Azure Ruins], the total area of that piece of land doesn't even reach 10% of all of Lowe's former territory. From what I've heard, most of the residents over there had also escaped to the empire's side when they could not stand Eisengard's oppressive regime.
"Lowe… We can take it back…?"
Ignoring the dumbfounded mutter of Lieutenant, Colonel brought the focal point of this discussion up against the emperor.
"We are thankful for the chance to rebuild Lowe Kingdom. However, we are ones who serve the kingdom, and not ones who can stand above it. The only person whom we shall serve is Prince Rufredin, and no one else."
"That is…"
The empress tried to speak something, but stopped. He's saying implicitly to return the prince to them, eh? However, as expected, that's not something that the empire can accept easily…
"Or more like, is it okay to be proceeding with this talk even though the prince himself isn't here? Isn't this something the prince should decide for himself…"
"As if there's a reason to refuse rebuilding his motherland. The only one who can be the king of Lowe is Prince Rufredin. On the contrary, it's weird for a prince that doesn't even share the blood of the emperor to inherit the empire."
While Lieutenant shot down my interjection, the emperor looked towards Prime Minister Lancelow.
"Bring that child here. Everything… Will be decided by him."
"But, Your Majesty…"
"It's fine. It's that child's life. In the first place, it was our sin to have changed his destiny."
The prime minister, while looking like he still wanted to say something, looked away from the emperor and stood up from his seat.
After a while, the figure of the prince being led by the prime minister appeared from a door in the back. While he looked to be a bit shocked from seeing us who are outsiders here, he walked straight towards here without hesitation.
Colonel and the others are also watching that prince with deep emotions. They might be remembering the personage they served in the past while looking at the prince in front of them.
"Father. Mother. I heard you have important talks for me…"
"… Umu. That's right, it's an important talk."
The emperor stood up, went before the prince and kneeled down to match his eye level. He placed his hands on the prince's shoulders and opened his mouth.
"What I'm about to tell you are all true, and will affect your life greatly. Listen well."
"… Yes."
The emperor began speaking without hiding anything to the prince. Ten years ago, Lowe Kingdom, Eisengard, the previous emperor, and his true parents…
All that, he continued to listen to in silence. In fact, he was too calm about it; I noticed that and was a bit surprised.
The contents should be something pretty shocking, and yet he was calmly listening to everything. Even when he was being told something like he wasn't really the child of his parents. Could this child…
When the emperor finished talking and looked downwards, the prince slowly opened his mouth.
"… I already knew all of that. The fact that I'm not the true child of father and mother. And how the two of you thought of me as your own flesh and blood even knowing that fact."
"What, did…"
"That's… Lucrecion, you…"
The emperor and empress are shocked beyond words at that revelation. Not just them, Prime Minister Lancelow and Colonel's group are shocked as well.
As I thought. So that's why he was so calm… He already knew about the contents beforehand. Still, where, when and how?
"Father, please look at this."
While saying that, the prince showed to the emperor the golden bracelet on his wrist. That's the sealing bracelet, right? The one that inhibits the powers of mystic eyes.
The bracelet that the prince was wearing had a small crack on it. Nn? It's broken?
"This is…"
"During swordsmanship training around a year ago, I received a hit to my wrist; this happened then. Since I heard it's something precious, I couldn't tell father and the others about the fact it's broken; at the same time, I began to see mysterious things."
According to Prince Lucrecion, since the bracelet broke, he began to see visions of the past sometimes when he touched certain objects. Its effects were unstable: objects from which he gained visions before wouldn't activate his ability even if he touched them again, and objects which didn't react to him before would suddenly activate his ability one day.
Eventually, he realized that the source of these visions are his mystic eyes. They are eyes that see into the past. It seems that he still couldn't control this power freely, but that can't be helped. The prince's mystic eyes aren't very powerful in the first place, after all. Well, it was strong enough to allow him to see some visions about what happened ten years ago, though.
"Psychometry… Mystic eyes capable of perceiving residual thoughts left on objects, is it?"
The name would be something like [Mystic Eyes of Recollection], I suppose. In the prince's case, it's only activating randomly at times, it would seem. Still, the prince learnt of his own secret with that random chance. It was when he went to take out his father's—the emperor's sword—which he had admired as a boy, without his father knowing.
"I was extremely sad when I learnt that I'm not the real child of the two of you. I didn't want to believe it. However, at the same time, I also understood the love you had for me. I cannot deny that. I may not be your biological child. Still, I was happy being the child of you two."
"Lucrecion…!"
While tearing up, the emperor hugged the child in front of him tightly. The empress too came up beside the prince with tears on her face.
"Father. I did not inherit the blood of the Garudio imperial family. If such a person becomes emperor, it would be a betrayal to the empire's people. Please give the inheritance rights to another person."
"Is that, so…"
The emperor nodded with still-wet eyes. Fortunately (?), His Majesty the Emperor has quite the number of sisters, and there's many possible candidates for the next emperor. Now then, this would mean…
"Then, would you become the new king of the rebuilt Lowe Kingdom?"
The prince shook his head sideways to my question. Oya?
To that silent reply, Colonel's group too showed agitation in their faces.
"While I completely cannot remember it… I am thankful to my biological parents for birthing me. However, while I feel bad for you people, I am a child raised in this Garudio Empire. And I will continue living as Lucrecion, an imperial subject of the empire. My parents, to me, are the two in front of me; that won't change no matter what."
"That can't…! Then what should the people of Lowe do!? Everyone had been waiting for the prince, you know!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't return that expectation of yours. Please elect a new leader from within yourselves. Someone who would become the foundations for a new Lowe."
Prince Lucrecion answered Lieutenant's words with sad eyes.
This child has already begun walking his own path. There's probably no one who can stop that.
"Lucrecion… Are you… Fine with that?"
"Yes. I can support the empire in other ways even if I don't become emperor. I'll definitely become someone who wouldn't shame the two of you as your son."
"You're… Strong, aren't you…"
Half-laughing, half-crying… With that kind of expression, His Majesty the Emperor lowered his head. Towards that father of his, the prince showed a self-confident smile.
Colonel walked towards the prince, and got on his knees before meeting the eyes of the prince. Then, his mouth curved into a gentle smile.
"Stubborn and obstinate, once he decided on something he would never deviate from that path, and would throw all of himself behind it… You're exactly like your father. There's no disputing the connection of blood, I suppose…"
"… Were my parents from Lowe… Splendid people?"
"Yes. Very much. They thought dearly of their retainers, and were warm and trusting towards others. That's why, please think of your parents from Lowe as you move forward as well."
"That's, right… Sorry…"
The prince looked down from hearing Colonel's words. Even if he does not remember it, it's still the truth that they loved him as parents. It would be sad for him to cut all ties with them.
Well then, since the prince has made his decision clear, what would the people of Lowe do going forward…
As I was thinking about that in a corner of the room, suddenly, several feather-looking things broke through the window and pierced themselves into the ground near the prince, the emperor and Colonel.
Metal… No, those "feathers" were made of something else; as I comprehended that, Colonel who saw those feathers opened his eyes wide and pushed the prince away while raising his voice.
"Get down!!"
Right after those words, due to the effect of [Silence], the sound of loud explosions echoed within the room without leaking out.