Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 175

After leaving the Solpreza Labyrinth, the Nizheg Dragon Knights started making trouble, but it was a situation I had somewhat anticipated.

Still, I never thought they would actually point their swords at the Princess of Amister, so I decided to handle it as an Order. I just hope it doesn’t turn into anything troublesome.

Well, considering they pointed swords at a princess of a kingdom, I can push this through by saying Valentia is in the wrong.

After capturing the commander of the Nizheg Dragon Knights, I reinforced the rope with Lightning Band and Arresting, and then had him hung under the beast carriage before asking Eos to fly us to Dragunia. As expected, it caused a huge uproar, which apparently even reached Narlstadt’s ears.

“So, Duke Narlstadt, you absolutely have no intention of handing over the Labyrinth Core to the Royal Family, is that correct?”

“Of course! That is the property of my Nizheg Ducal House! Even if it is the Royal Family, I will not permit them to steal it from the side using an Ancient Human!”

That is Narlstadt’s argument.

He seems oblivious to the disdainful looks from the nobles gathered in the Dragon King’s Castle Audience Chamber, as Narlstadt genuinely believes his opinion is 100% correct.

Even the nobles on Narlstadt’s side are visibly agitated.

In the first place, Labyrinth Cores are managed by the Royal Family of any country, so if you ask whose they are, they belong to the Royal Family.

Apparently, outside the Royal Castle, Labyrinths cannot be sufficiently suppressed from overflowing.

The Priests’ Guild says this is a divine blessing. So, even if a noble were to hide a Labyrinth Core, a Labyrinth overflow could still occur.

During a Labyrinth overflow, it’s not uncommon for An, Sub-Species, or even Catastrophe Species monsters to appear, not just high-ranked monsters. The extent of the damage is unpredictable, so the Royal Family manages them to prevent such damage, or so I was told.

“Therefore, Duke Narlstadt, what you are saying is nothing but raving. In the first place, this is a revelation established since before recorded history, isn’t it? To speak such things despite that, what are you thinking… No, I can roughly surmise.”

“But Narlstadt, you know what happens the moment you utter those words, don’t you?”

Emperor Folias and King Brother Harut press Narlstadt, but indeed, treason is established the moment it’s spoken. No matter how foolish Narlstadt is, he wouldn’t say such a thing here.

“…Silence. You grow insolent when I remain quiet! Enough! I shall destroy the foolish Dragon King Family here and now, and I will take this country!”

Just as I thought that, he spoke such a stupid thing.

Narlstadt stands up and tries to take something from his pocket.

From his pocket?

I can’t imagine he could hide anything but a sword, or even a dagger there, so what is he trying to take out?

“Yamato!”

“That is!”

What Narlstadt took out was a single crystal.

Normally, pulling out something like that wouldn’t change the situation, but we know what kind of crystal Narlstadt is holding.

I immediately activated Cold Prison and froze Narlstadt in ice.

“Wh-What is!?”

“Narlstadt… froze!?”

“I apologize, it was my magic. I know it’s disrespectful in front of His Majesty, but I couldn’t let Narlstadt use that.”

Having done something like this in front of a king of a nation, I normally couldn’t complain about being punished for disrespect.

But I really couldn’t let him use it, so I’m truly begging for forgiveness.

“You mean the crystal Narlstadt was holding?”

“I doubt such a thing can do anything to us?”

Duke Hertraich questions King Brother Harut, but that’s a natural reaction.

“No, it can. Because that crystal is a Demon Crystal. It’s a forbidden crystal created by Abaricia, which evolves monsters into Sub-Species and Catastrophe Species, and allows High Hunters who betrayed Amister to wield magic power comparable to Ancient Classes.”

Mana’s explanation caused a commotion in the Audience Chamber.

“Th-That’s a Demon Crystal!? Impossible! Why does our country have such a thing!?”

King Brother Harut was the first to exclaim.

“I can only speculate, but it means Narlstadt was colluding with Abaricia. Since the eastern part of Valentia is south of Amister, their objective might have been to weaken us by attacking from both north and south, and finally for Abaricia itself to move and conquer Amister.”

This is Mana’s speculation, but I agree.

No matter how strong Amister’s Order’s Guild is, if they are attacked from both north and south simultaneously, they will have to divide their forces.

If something like a Demon Crystal were to be used then, even the Order’s Guild wouldn’t be able to cope.

“I see. Abaricia has dispatched troops to the Philia Continent several times, but they have all been repelled by the Allied Forces. And the core of that Allied Force is the Order dispatched by Amister. In other words, Abaricia sees Amister as the greatest threat and is doing this.”

Duke Hertraich speaks with understanding, but I also think their aim is to weaken Valentia, as the Valentia Dragon Knights also formed a core part of the Allied Forces.

“Speaking of which, there were rumors that Abaricia had means of subjugation other than enslaving magic tools like Retisencia and Solemne. Are they trying to simultaneously destroy our country by using those means to subjugate Dragonians?”

“It’s possible. And Narlstadt intended to rule this land and force Dragonians to obey, thereby attacking Amister. No wonder he treated Dragonians as war pets.”

Ah, that’s right.

It was said Narlstadt might want to subjugate Dragonians, but with the introduction of something like a Demon Crystal, we can safely assume he had a means to forcefully subjugate them.

If that had happened, Eos, Lord Gaia, and even Athena would have been in danger, so I should be glad it was prevented. Thinking about it makes me angry.

“Yamato, calm down. I understand how you feel, but we still have questions for Narlstadt, don’t we?”

“I know.”

My anger was increasing the intensity of Cold Prison, but thanks to Mana stopping me, I didn’t end up crushing Narlstadt.

I feel like my fuse has been getting shorter lately. Even if it’s for my wife or fiancée, I need to calm myself down more, or I might cause great trouble for those around me. I have to do something about it.

“In any case, let’s settle this situation first. The Nizheg Ducal House will be demoted, and its territory will be confiscated by the Royal Family. Narlstadt will be executed after interrogation, and his entire family will be implicated and their heads will be displayed in front of the castle.”

“Indeed. However, Your Majesty, it won’t end there, will it?”

The Nizheg Ducal House is to be abolished, and its entire family sentenced to death? Well, excuses like not knowing wouldn’t work, and it’s a clear act of treason against the state, so this is to be expected. But Duke Hertraich, it’s forfeiture of family name, confiscation of territory, and execution of the entire family, so isn’t there anything left?

Ah, I didn’t know what “demotion” meant, but it seems to be the stripping of titles and positions, confiscation of land and personal property, and then lowering one’s status to that of a commoner. I looked it up in the Engraving Tool dictionary and found that Japan had similar punishments during the Edo period; it was heavier than house arrest but lighter than seppuku.

“There is.”

“Yes. Have you forgotten? About the nobles on the east side who followed Narlstadt?”

Ah, that’s right. I had completely forgotten until Rika and Yuri pointed it out. Many of the eastern nobles were in a position where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them Narlstadt’s subordinates. In that case, they would naturally be investigated, and in some cases, they could be demoted and executed.

“Since you are present, you understand the gravity of the situation, do you not? If you wish to prove your innocence, follow instructions obediently.”

The nobles who followed Narlstadt knelt and were led away by the Royal Dragon Knights following Emperor Folias’s instructions. Seeing them being led away obediently, they must understand the gravity of the situation as Emperor Folias said. With Narlstadt possessing a Demon Crystal, they would be suspected not only of colluding with Abaricia but also of attempted royal assassination. If they want to prove their innocence, they have no choice but to obey instructions.

“They will be interrogated later using Knight Magic Hearing. Inspection teams will also be dispatched to their territories. It will take quite some time for the results to come out, but should we inform you?”

“No, this is Valentia’s problem, so you don’t need to worry about us to that extent.”

As Mana said, this is Valentia’s problem, so it’s not an issue that we, belonging to Amister, can easily interfere with, nor should we. I don’t know what will happen to Valentia in the future, but that will depend on Emperor Folias.

“Understood. However, since you have prevented a national crisis that could have shaken our country, we will offer a suitable reward.”

That might be true, but it’s not unrelated to me; I was practically the instigator, so there’s no need to worry about it.

“You are too kind. Then, if I may be so bold, may I state our request?”

“Yes, of course.”

However, considering the nation’s pride, I can’t exactly refuse a reward. I feel like leaving it to Mana is the correct choice here.

“Thank you. Our request is the Guardian of the Solpreza Labyrinth. Originally, the Magic Stone of the Guardian Gold Dragoon should have been presented to His Majesty, but since the Gold Dragoon, which is an A-rank Monster, is also a valuable Magic Stone for our country.”

I see, the Magic Stone of the Gold Dragoon. The Disaster Dragoon is also an A-rank monster, but this one is a Sub-Species and not a Guardian, so there is no obligation to present its Magic Stone. However, it is customary to present the Magic Stone of the Guardian Gold Dragoon as proof of labyrinth conquest. Naturally, the conqueror can do whatever they want with the other parts, but it seems that a portion of those is also often presented. Therefore, the usual process is to first present the Labyrinth Core, and after its dismantling, to present the Magic Stone. I’ve heard they even hold parades, using the Magic Stone as a substitute for the Labyrinth Core. Of course, the Magic Stone becomes a national treasure and is kept under strict guard in the Treasury of the Royal Castle.

“I see, the Magic Stone. Brother, Duke Hertraich, what do you think?”

“I don’t think it’s a problem. Certainly, the Magic Stone of a Gold Dragoon is a first-class treasure, but they were the ones who vanquished that Gold Dragoon.”

“Indeed. If this were a reward for labyrinth conquest, we would have to say it’s impossible, but since they prevented a grave danger that could have led to the ruin of our nation, Valentia must offer an appropriate reward. Besides, since we didn’t originally possess it, it won’t strain our national treasury.”

Duke Hertraich speaks frankly, but I wonder if that’s appropriate.

“Putting aside the national treasury, I think so too. However, since it’s an item of national treasure quality, we would like some kind of substitute monster.”

A substitute monster, huh? We have plenty of Dragoons; if that’s acceptable, I wouldn’t mind donating a whole one. In fact, I feel like we should at least do that much.

“If Dragoons are acceptable, I can offer them. Let’s see, how about one Light-Attribute and one Dark-Attribute Dragoon each?”

Just as I thought that, Mana stated that she would offer one each of Light-Attribute and Dark-Attribute Dragoons, a total of two. It might be a reasonable exchange. I believe we’ve hunted Moonlight Dragoon and Stardust Dragoon for Light-Attribute, and Poison Dragoon for Dark-Attribute, but there’s only one Stardust Dragoon, so that one is out.

“…What! No, wait a moment! One Light-Attribute and one Dark-Attribute Dragoon each? Even so, that’s too much of a burden on you!”

“Th-That’s right? Aren’t Dragoons M-rank monsters? Giving away two such monsters would mean you’ve gained almost nothing from your achievements!”

King Brother Harut and Duke Hertraich, after their initial shock, raised their voices. It seems they are anxious about us giving away most of our achievements. Don’t worry about that.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll omit the details, but for these two individuals, M-rank monsters are mere materials. As proof, we have already vanquished 41 Dragoons.”

No, no, Mana, isn’t that an exaggeration? It’s true that Prim and I were happily hunting, but it wasn’t that easy.

“F-41 of them…”

“Frankly, I don’t know what to say…”

“So, as a substitute for the Gold Dragoon, if you don’t mind, we will offer one Aurora Dragoon and one Dark Dragoon each.”

“U-Understood. Th-Thank you…”

Emperor Folias, slightly taken aback, expresses his gratitude, and thus, the Gold Dragoon, including its Magic Stone, became ours. In return, we agreed to offer one Aurora Dragoon and one Dark Dragoon each. However, we have hunted a total of four Dark-Attribute Dragoons and six Light-Attribute Dragoons, so there’s no problem. These are also M-rank monsters, so their Magic Stones should be quite valuable, and the Dragon Royal Family will maintain their prestige.

Afterward, we brought the Aurora Dragoon and the Dark Dragoon to the Dragon Knights’ training grounds in the Dragon King’s Castle and informed them that we would depart Dragunia the day after tomorrow before leaving the Dragon King’s Castle.