Episode 115. Dethronement
Escape successful!
Leline's heart swelled with joy upon leaving the capital.
It wasn't just her.
The grimy faces of the concubines who had worked with her were also brimming with smiles.
Her heart was filled with the desire to survive.
Leline turned her head and stared at Laxus, carried by the knight.
Laxus's eyes were tightly shut.
Leline's heart suddenly sank, and she shook Laxus.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Leline's voice grew urgent.
The speed with which she shook Laxus quickened.
Leline turned to the others with a pale, shocked face.
Could Laxus be dead?
Leline moved closer to Laxus.
Just as Leline thrust her face into Laxus's, Laxus's eyes widened, and he leaped from the knight's back.
Feeling threatened, Leline tried to run away but was grabbed by Laxus.
A large, hook-like hand grabbed Leline's leash.
"You cheeky bitch."
"Gah! Gah!!"
Leline struggled and scratched Laxus's hand.
Laxus stared at her expressionlessly.
Only when Leline was foaming at the mouth did they realize what was happening and simultaneously rushed at Laxus.
"Your Majesty, hold still!"
"If this continues, she'll really die!!"
"They say Count Flans is returning from Hiloshine with his horse. We must take refuge with him!"
Laxus tilted his head.
His violet eyes flashed with an eerily cold light, like amethysts in the darkness.
Laxus relaxed his grip.
Leline fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
The concubines attended to Leline, whose shoulders shook.
Laxus licked his lips.
“Who could have withdrawn the army at will? I never gave permission.”
“If we had stayed, Count Flans’s army would have been annihilated. For the sake of the future...”
The knight reported the battle situation with a frightened face.
“It’s better to plan for the future.”
The knight barely managed to finish his words and lowered his head.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Laxus glared at him with a bristled gaze.
Laxus touched his forehead and let out a hollow laugh.
Leline wasn’t the only one to blame.
Count Flans was no different from Leline.
Like father, like daughter, making a fool of the Emperor’s orders and making arbitrary decisions.
What mattered to them wasn’t Laxus’s will.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
“If I had to die, I should have died there.”
Laxus spat out his anger.
“At least you shouldn’t have returned in shame! You should have left me in the palace! Who asked you to continue my miserable life?”
Laxus clenched his fists.
Anger threatening to explode filled him.
“I should have remained dead! I shouldn’t have ended up like a runaway rat!”
To witness Laxus’ death before Renisha’s eyes.
Or to meet death directly at her hand.
That was the picture Laxus yearned for.
Laxus turned and stared at the palace in the distance.
Even in the darkness, the majestic palace seemed distant.
It was hard to believe he had been there only moments ago.
Laxus clenched his fists, his nails digging into them.
Intense emotions seethed.
He couldn’t forget the expression on Renisha’s face the last time he saw her.
It was the face of an arrogant monarch.
A victor looking upon a loser.
Laxus shrank once again before Renisha.
The already widening gap between them had widened even further.
Laxus had been suppressing himself and Renisha, keeping their heights equal, but the suppression was lifted.
Renisha looked down on Lexus.
A pitiful sense of inferiority surged through her chest.
“Damn it!!”
A torrent of curses erupted.
“Your Majesty, our loyalty... Ahem. Do not doubt our loyalty,”
Leline said, supported. Her hoarse voice was filled with tears.
“Saving lives comes first... Ahem. I thought it came first.”
Leline felt wronged.
She thought Laxus would also understand her brave heart. Leline had done everything she could to save Laxus.
Even now, Leline was completely consumed by her own sense of justice.
Right now, Laxus was blinded by rage and unable to do anything, but once he grasped the situation, he would know that Leline was right.
Leline sniffed.
“...I, Your Majesty the Emperor...”
“An Emperor is an Emperor because he dies in the Imperial Palace.”
Laxus muttered in a low voice.
His disheveled silver hair fell across Laxus’ pale face.
“I was vile to the end. Even death was not worthy of an Emperor.”
Laxus pointed at the Imperial Palace behind him.
“Everyone will remember me as a fugitive. I will...”
Laxus gasped.
"I will be recorded as the deposed Emperor. Do you know what that means?"
Leline shook his head.
"You can go back! We will help you. If Your Majesty wishes, there will be those who will unite! After all, you have made the Hientri Empire a wealthy and powerful nation! Many respect and follow Your Majesty, the Emperor."
Laxus burst into laughter.
It was the kind of remark a noble lady, completely ignorant of the ways of the world, would make.
The world wasn't so ideal.
They would abandon Renisha, already rising as a new sun, and join Laxus?
How many opportunists would bet their lives on a defeated opponent?
The nobles were sensitive to trends.
They were those who struggled to avoid being eliminated.
They would never look back at Laxus, who had left the palace.
"Loyalty? That's a dog."
Laxus knew his subordinates well.
There was only one reason they had followed him.
Because Laxus was a tyrant who championed a reign of terror.
The current Laxus was nothing.
Laxus laughed bitterly.
Those who licked his toes were probably licking Renisha's feet now.
They'd be circling the palace like three-day-starved dogs, waiting for the next drop of bean curds.
Laxus stared at Leline with sunken eyes.
She was incommunicado.
Laxus smiled, revealing his white teeth.
"Very well, Leline. Prove your loyalty."
Leline raised her tear-filled eyes.
It seemed Laxus had finally decided to give her and Flans another chance.
Leline nodded quickly.
Her throat, clearly bruised, stung, but she ignored it.
"T-Trust me, Your Majesty!"
Leline groped.
"I will make sure you get back to where you belong."
Laxus walked slowly.
Those bleak eyes, devoid of any hope, surveyed his future.
He'll live and die like this.
As time passed, Renisha would forget about Laxus.
And sometimes, she'd think of him.
'Ah, that stupid bastard.'
Laxus chuckled.
The laughter flowed without reason, like air in his lungs.
Life was fleeting, and his power even more fleeting.
"...What on earth is that crazy guy thinking?"
Luna grumbled.
Laxus was walking away from the palace on his own two feet. He had planned to die from the beginning?
Where on earth would anyone live just to die?
She seemed to understand why Renisha felt so sick at the thought of Laxus. Luna crossed her arms and stared at Lexus.
Was there really any point in chasing him?
Why on earth did Renisha say he had to live?
Luna couldn't understand either. Luna followed Laxus.
If Laxus is judged to be a threat, he must be eliminated.
That was Luna's mission.
Luna adjusted her grip on her sword.
Renisha clearly saw Kassius.
Kassius, who had come to pick her up as promised, saw her.
Renisha clenched her fist.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Renisha didn't just see Kassius.
From the highest point, Renisha saw much.
The hope beyond the dawning horizon, the future powerfully approaching her, and Kassius, too.
Renisha blinked, clutching the railing.
A flood of emotions surged through her.
That sun was Renisha.
Renisha would become Hientri's new sun, its new Emperor.
Her heart swelled.
The pure gazes gazing up at Renisha sent shivers down her toes.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor."
The chamberlain bowed.
Without being told to do so, everyone was referring to Renisha as Emperor.
As if they had been waiting for this moment.
Renisha slowly turned her head.
It seemed like every servant in the palace had gathered, not just the chamberlain.
They acknowledged Renisha as their master.
Renisha licked her lips.
As Emperor, Renisha had only one first command.
“I will restore the title of the deceased Duke of Lottera. I will restore Lottera’s lost honor.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
Tears welled up in Renisha’s clear eyes.
“Mother, Father...”
Renisha clenched her lips.
The two who gave their lives to protect Renisha.
“Brixton...”
The names of countless others who sacrificed themselves for Renisha lingered in her mind.
Renisha slowly chewed on their names.
She would never forget.
Renisha would never forget until she died that this place was built on their blood.
The Marquis of Danvers presented Renisha with the Emperor’s Seal.
“...This was left behind.”
“It seems I didn’t have the presence of mind to take care of it.”
Renisha gazed at the Emperor’s Seal with a strange expression.
Using this as a weapon, Laxus issued countless orders.
The worn seal ring, worn with wear and tear, held a heavy glow.
It was almost ominous, as if soaked in blood.
Renisha hung it around her neck.
“I will forge a new signet ring. This matter will be discussed with the temple... I will preside over the first meeting tomorrow morning. Marquis Danvers, you will help the palace recover. Lord Chamberlain, you will assist Marquis Danvers. We must find stability as soon as possible.”
Renisha turned and gazed at the sky again.
Renisha was thinking about many things.
“Before the outside world notices the shaking in Hientri.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
“Track down the escaped traitors and bring them back to the capital. And...”
Renisha’s lips curled up.
How long had she waited for this moment?
“I dethrone the unworthy murderer, Laxus Hientri.”
The brilliant sun brought new hope to the land.
The darkness had passed, and the morning had dawned.
Renisha was the lighthouse that guided that morning.
Escape successful!
Leline's heart swelled with joy upon leaving the capital.
It wasn't just her.
The grimy faces of the concubines who had worked with her were also brimming with smiles.
Her heart was filled with the desire to survive.
Leline turned her head and stared at Laxus, carried by the knight.
Laxus's eyes were tightly shut.
Leline's heart suddenly sank, and she shook Laxus.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Leline's voice grew urgent.
The speed with which she shook Laxus quickened.
Leline turned to the others with a pale, shocked face.
Could Laxus be dead?
Leline moved closer to Laxus.
Just as Leline thrust her face into Laxus's, Laxus's eyes widened, and he leaped from the knight's back.
Feeling threatened, Leline tried to run away but was grabbed by Laxus.
A large, hook-like hand grabbed Leline's leash.
"You cheeky bitch."
"Gah! Gah!!"
Leline struggled and scratched Laxus's hand.
Laxus stared at her expressionlessly.
Only when Leline was foaming at the mouth did they realize what was happening and simultaneously rushed at Laxus.
"Your Majesty, hold still!"
"If this continues, she'll really die!!"
"They say Count Flans is returning from Hiloshine with his horse. We must take refuge with him!"
Laxus tilted his head.
His violet eyes flashed with an eerily cold light, like amethysts in the darkness.
Laxus relaxed his grip.
Leline fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
The concubines attended to Leline, whose shoulders shook.
Laxus licked his lips.
“Who could have withdrawn the army at will? I never gave permission.”
“If we had stayed, Count Flans’s army would have been annihilated. For the sake of the future...”
The knight reported the battle situation with a frightened face.
“It’s better to plan for the future.”
The knight barely managed to finish his words and lowered his head.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Laxus glared at him with a bristled gaze.
Laxus touched his forehead and let out a hollow laugh.
Leline wasn’t the only one to blame.
Count Flans was no different from Leline.
Like father, like daughter, making a fool of the Emperor’s orders and making arbitrary decisions.
What mattered to them wasn’t Laxus’s will.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
“If I had to die, I should have died there.”
Laxus spat out his anger.
“At least you shouldn’t have returned in shame! You should have left me in the palace! Who asked you to continue my miserable life?”
Laxus clenched his fists.
Anger threatening to explode filled him.
“I should have remained dead! I shouldn’t have ended up like a runaway rat!”
To witness Laxus’ death before Renisha’s eyes.
Or to meet death directly at her hand.
That was the picture Laxus yearned for.
Laxus turned and stared at the palace in the distance.
Even in the darkness, the majestic palace seemed distant.
It was hard to believe he had been there only moments ago.
Laxus clenched his fists, his nails digging into them.
Intense emotions seethed.
He couldn’t forget the expression on Renisha’s face the last time he saw her.
It was the face of an arrogant monarch.
A victor looking upon a loser.
Laxus shrank once again before Renisha.
The already widening gap between them had widened even further.
Laxus had been suppressing himself and Renisha, keeping their heights equal, but the suppression was lifted.
Renisha looked down on Lexus.
A pitiful sense of inferiority surged through her chest.
“Damn it!!”
A torrent of curses erupted.
“Your Majesty, our loyalty... Ahem. Do not doubt our loyalty,”
Leline said, supported. Her hoarse voice was filled with tears.
“Saving lives comes first... Ahem. I thought it came first.”
Leline felt wronged.
She thought Laxus would also understand her brave heart. Leline had done everything she could to save Laxus.
Even now, Leline was completely consumed by her own sense of justice.
Right now, Laxus was blinded by rage and unable to do anything, but once he grasped the situation, he would know that Leline was right.
Leline sniffed.
“...I, Your Majesty the Emperor...”
“An Emperor is an Emperor because he dies in the Imperial Palace.”
Laxus muttered in a low voice.
His disheveled silver hair fell across Laxus’ pale face.
“I was vile to the end. Even death was not worthy of an Emperor.”
Laxus pointed at the Imperial Palace behind him.
“Everyone will remember me as a fugitive. I will...”
Laxus gasped.
"I will be recorded as the deposed Emperor. Do you know what that means?"
Leline shook his head.
"You can go back! We will help you. If Your Majesty wishes, there will be those who will unite! After all, you have made the Hientri Empire a wealthy and powerful nation! Many respect and follow Your Majesty, the Emperor."
Laxus burst into laughter.
It was the kind of remark a noble lady, completely ignorant of the ways of the world, would make.
The world wasn't so ideal.
They would abandon Renisha, already rising as a new sun, and join Laxus?
How many opportunists would bet their lives on a defeated opponent?
The nobles were sensitive to trends.
They were those who struggled to avoid being eliminated.
They would never look back at Laxus, who had left the palace.
"Loyalty? That's a dog."
Laxus knew his subordinates well.
There was only one reason they had followed him.
Because Laxus was a tyrant who championed a reign of terror.
The current Laxus was nothing.
Laxus laughed bitterly.
Those who licked his toes were probably licking Renisha's feet now.
They'd be circling the palace like three-day-starved dogs, waiting for the next drop of bean curds.
Laxus stared at Leline with sunken eyes.
She was incommunicado.
Laxus smiled, revealing his white teeth.
"Very well, Leline. Prove your loyalty."
Leline raised her tear-filled eyes.
It seemed Laxus had finally decided to give her and Flans another chance.
Leline nodded quickly.
Her throat, clearly bruised, stung, but she ignored it.
"T-Trust me, Your Majesty!"
Leline groped.
"I will make sure you get back to where you belong."
Laxus walked slowly.
Those bleak eyes, devoid of any hope, surveyed his future.
He'll live and die like this.
As time passed, Renisha would forget about Laxus.
And sometimes, she'd think of him.
'Ah, that stupid bastard.'
Laxus chuckled.
The laughter flowed without reason, like air in his lungs.
Life was fleeting, and his power even more fleeting.
***
"...What on earth is that crazy guy thinking?"
Luna grumbled.
Laxus was walking away from the palace on his own two feet. He had planned to die from the beginning?
Where on earth would anyone live just to die?
She seemed to understand why Renisha felt so sick at the thought of Laxus. Luna crossed her arms and stared at Lexus.
Was there really any point in chasing him?
Why on earth did Renisha say he had to live?
Luna couldn't understand either. Luna followed Laxus.
If Laxus is judged to be a threat, he must be eliminated.
That was Luna's mission.
Luna adjusted her grip on her sword.
***
Renisha clearly saw Kassius.
Kassius, who had come to pick her up as promised, saw her.
Renisha clenched her fist.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Renisha didn't just see Kassius.
From the highest point, Renisha saw much.
The hope beyond the dawning horizon, the future powerfully approaching her, and Kassius, too.
Renisha blinked, clutching the railing.
A flood of emotions surged through her.
That sun was Renisha.
Renisha would become Hientri's new sun, its new Emperor.
Her heart swelled.
The pure gazes gazing up at Renisha sent shivers down her toes.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor."
The chamberlain bowed.
Without being told to do so, everyone was referring to Renisha as Emperor.
As if they had been waiting for this moment.
Renisha slowly turned her head.
It seemed like every servant in the palace had gathered, not just the chamberlain.
They acknowledged Renisha as their master.
Renisha licked her lips.
As Emperor, Renisha had only one first command.
“I will restore the title of the deceased Duke of Lottera. I will restore Lottera’s lost honor.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
Tears welled up in Renisha’s clear eyes.
“Mother, Father...”
Renisha clenched her lips.
The two who gave their lives to protect Renisha.
“Brixton...”
The names of countless others who sacrificed themselves for Renisha lingered in her mind.
Renisha slowly chewed on their names.
She would never forget.
Renisha would never forget until she died that this place was built on their blood.
The Marquis of Danvers presented Renisha with the Emperor’s Seal.
“...This was left behind.”
“It seems I didn’t have the presence of mind to take care of it.”
Renisha gazed at the Emperor’s Seal with a strange expression.
Using this as a weapon, Laxus issued countless orders.
The worn seal ring, worn with wear and tear, held a heavy glow.
It was almost ominous, as if soaked in blood.
Renisha hung it around her neck.
“I will forge a new signet ring. This matter will be discussed with the temple... I will preside over the first meeting tomorrow morning. Marquis Danvers, you will help the palace recover. Lord Chamberlain, you will assist Marquis Danvers. We must find stability as soon as possible.”
Renisha turned and gazed at the sky again.
Renisha was thinking about many things.
“Before the outside world notices the shaking in Hientri.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
“Track down the escaped traitors and bring them back to the capital. And...”
Renisha’s lips curled up.
How long had she waited for this moment?
“I dethrone the unworthy murderer, Laxus Hientri.”
The brilliant sun brought new hope to the land.
The darkness had passed, and the morning had dawned.
Renisha was the lighthouse that guided that morning.
Comments
Post a Comment