Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 438

The day after finishing the logging in the Torrent Forest, we once again ascended to the Beast King Castle of Glacian.

Our job this time was to witness the expansion of the barrier, but honestly, it was a task that didn’t require our presence. However, since we participated in the logging of the Torrent Forest, and Seras and Reina also leveled up and gained experience, it was unavoidable that we would be present as stakeholders. Furthermore, we had made a promise to H.R.H. David, so we couldn’t possibly not attend.

H.R.H. David is the first male monarch in several generations, and I heard that when he was proclaimed crown prince, it caused a tremendous stir not only in Glacian but throughout Alegria. The Helios Orb naturally has a higher proportion of females, so it’s not uncommon for queens to ascend to the throne in any country. However, in most places other than Torencia, males tend to have a higher succession order. This isn’t to say that being female is bad, but it seems to be a matter of how easily the next ruler can be appointed. When a male is king, he takes multiple wives and has children, so it’s said that a shortage of successors rarely occurs. For a queen, however, there’s the issue of her giving birth herself or what to do if she cannot, and it seems that occasionally, disputes over royal succession arise. Torencia has had queens for generations, but this is avoided by granting succession rights to all the daughters of the queen who held the throne, and by almost all of them ascending to the throne. The eldest child of the Celestial Emperor’s family is highly likely to be a boy, and the Valentia Dragon Royal Family rarely gives birth to girls, which is said to be problematic in a different sense.

As for H.R.H. David, his mother, Emperor Glisina, and his grandmother, the previous Grand Duchess Grace, have evolved into High Class and were registered with the Hunter’s Guild before the federal law was enacted. Therefore, he has chosen the Knight-Hunter Department at Memoria General Academy. He is only 10 years old, so he cannot yet register as a hunter and has never gone hunting, but he is said to be receiving weapon instruction from the Royal Beastars stationed at the Beast King Castle. I thought he would register with the Beestar’s Guild, but on second thought, the Ritter’s Guild, which includes Beestars, also serves as a knight order that protects the royal family, so royalty cannot register there. For this reason, the Beast Royal family also had no choice but to register with the Hunter’s Guild for the same reason as Mana.

H.R.H. David knows that we are his classmates and also his guards, so he told us with a huge smile that he wants to go hunting together when we enroll. H.R.H. Aurora of the Flug Beast Duchy also told me the same thing, which makes me wonder what’s going on.

Ah, it hasn’t been officially decided yet, but the Count Enlo Istlias is going to be established, so the crown princes of the Three Kingdoms will have their titles changed. I think it was the Torencia Phantom King Crown Prince, the Valentia Dragon King Crown Prince, and the Alegria Beast King Crown Prince. Originally, they should have done something about the crown prince of the Earldom, but apparently, no one came up with a good idea. Yamato told me that Mako muttered something in that meeting, which was perfectly picked up by the Ancient Class members present, and that’s how it was provisionally decided. Since there were no other good ideas, it’s likely to be officially changed at the same time the Count Enlo Istlias is established. Mako complained that she can’t even mutter a word to herself without thinking, which is truly the case. By the way, Amister is also planning to change the titles of the Empress and Crown Prince to Celestial Empress and Celestial Crown Prince, respectively, out of consideration for Retisencia.

For these reasons, we need to return to the Beast King Castle ahead of schedule after witnessing the barrier expansion and meet with H.R.H. David.

“I’m sorry to have made you accompany my grandson’s whims.”

However, H.R.H. David was apparently in the middle of his study time, so Grand Duchess Grace agreed to keep him company until he finished. He seems a little nervous, but I’m surprised that he’s not as nervous as I expected, since he’s accustomed to meeting royalty.

“We will be classmates from spring, and we are also his guards.”

Even though we are guards, there is one source of anxiety. When one evolves into High Class or Ancient Class before reaching adulthood, growth and magic power clash, leading to days of excruciating pain. It becomes easier with healing magic and dispelling, but even then, it’s difficult to move… Symptoms disappear after the age of 16, so I’ll be fine by summer, but Rebecca still has about a year to go. Carol is already 16, so I find myself envying her every time her body aches.

“Even as guards, there’s no need to be on duty all the time, is there? You also have to focus on your studies, so I have no intention of relying on you more than necessary.”

As Grand Duchess Grace says, we are primarily requested to guard the royal family members who will be enrolling and to monitor Lerva Istlias of the Count Enlo Istlias. However, we are also encouraged to attend classes as normal students. We are paying tuition and enrollment fees, and we also want to learn things. We’ve heard that the Order’s Guild will also dispatch security personnel, so it’s a relief not to have to be overly vigilant. Oh, they said the Celestial Emperor’s family would pay our enrollment and tuition fees, but we’ve also saved up quite a substantial amount, and Yamato and the others told us that we need to use some of it. Besides, we definitely want to learn, so we had no choice but to decline their offer.

“Thank you for your consideration. However, I will be choosing the Knight-Hunter Department, same as Your Highness, and so will Rebecca and Reina. The Noble Department, which Your Highness will be taking as a compulsory subject, will also be chosen by Carol and Seras, so I think we will have many opportunities to see each other.”

At Memoria General Academy, students must officially register with one guild as a compulsory subject, and can choose to take any other classes they are interested in. While it’s possible to choose more than one elective, they cannot register with multiple guilds. However, the class content is further detailed, so the Scholar’s Guild is already swamped with adjustments. Fortunately, guild classes don’t begin in earnest until the second year, so there’s still a little leeway.

“Grand Duchess of Lichtenfels and Daughter of Count Bernstein. I hear neither will actually inherit their family’s leadership, but preparations are necessary for any unforeseen circumstances. That’s why the Noble Department is compulsory, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Although my brother, H.R.H. Adrain, has been officially proclaimed crown prince, a younger brother was just born in my family home.”

You mean Vint. He was just born in mid-March, so he’s not even a year old yet. Since Carol is going to marry me, Vint is scheduled to inherit the Count Bernstein’s Territory. However, Vint is not in Flt, but in Sintzel, the capital of the Count Bernstein’s Territory. It is said that Retisencia has already been wiped out except for the Imperial Capital Kobaldia. However, the Retisencia army has gathered in Kobaldia, and they have become demons by using Demon Crystals, so there is a possibility of unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, if possible, I would like him to move to Flt, or to the別邸 in Feel where Yamato and Sir Yuri are. However, the Count Bernstein family, led by the head, Count Donato, has no intention of showing their backs to mere Retisencia and refuses to move from Sintzel. We have visited several times, but each time we failed to persuade them, so it’s getting tedious.

“Indeed, in the unlikely event of circumstances, Carol might inherit the countship. However, this applies to anyone.”
“Yes. Therefore, even though the possibility is almost nil, I have been instructed by my father, Grand Duke Lichtenfels, to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”
“As expected.”

It’s troublesome that royalty and nobility have to consider even the most unlikely scenarios. Grand Duchess Ciel of Lichtenfels, the first princess, married Emperor Reinhardt, so she has renounced her right to succeed to the Grand Duchy. That’s why the second son, H.R.H. Adrain, is the Crown Prince of Lichtenfels, and for that reason, Seras’s succession right to the Grand Duchy is second. Even Sir Yuri has his studies as a Celestial Scholar, but because of the possibility, however remote, he has chosen the Noble Department. You could say that Sir Yuri has no chance of succeeding to the Celestial Emperor, but both Sir Yuri and Seras are royalty, so various things are being considered.

“If the royal family were to perish, the remaining people would be thrown into chaos. No, it would be fortunate if it were only chaos.”
“Those who seek power to rule the people would run rampant, not only enacting bad policies but also neglecting the people.”
“Not all of them, but such individuals will undoubtedly emerge.

It’s bad enough if it only causes domestic chaos, but in the worst-case scenario, the country could be destroyed. Is that why the royal family has the obligation to have and properly raise children who will carry on to the next and the next generation? Nobles are entrusted with territories by the king, so they are relatively better off than the royal family. However, even if they are simply “better off,” if their bloodline actually dies out, it can become a cause of chaos, and thus notification of a successor is mandatory. If a succession of titles or a change of heir is made without notification, it’s a serious crime like treason in the worst case, which seems to be a reason to minimize confusion.

“Just hearing about it makes my head hurt.”
“You say that as if it’s not your business, but in the event of unforeseen circumstances, you would become the Grand Duchess consort of Lichtenfels, so you are not entirely unrelated? Or rather, the possibility of you becoming the husband of the Countess of Bernstein is higher?”

Grace says this with an amused expression, but when she mentions a possibility I’ve been trying not to consider, my head really starts to hurt. It’s true that in the event of unforeseen circumstances, I could become the husband of the Countess of Bernstein or the Grand Duchess consort of Lichtenfels, so I can’t say I’m completely uninvolved in politics. That’s why I decided to enroll to learn the code of conduct for knights, but hearing it brought up again, I can’t help but realize its importance. Even if the possibility is low, if there is a possibility, I can’t help but think about it.

“Well, it’s just a possibility. It’s not too late to think about what will happen when it actually happens.”
“That’s true. That too, but the academy is more important now. By the way, we will be attending from the Marquis Amatista family, but what about H.R.H. David?”

Ah, I just remembered that the academy dorms are single rooms and butlers cannot be assigned. That’s not a problem for us, but Sir Yuri is also the lord of the Esmeralda Baronetcy, so he can’t possibly live in the dorms. Therefore, we plan to return to Alka using the Gate Stone in the Marquis Amatista family’s residence at night, and we also plan to do so under the guise of being his guards. However, H.R.H. David isn’t the only royal family member enrolling; there are others. What will they do?

“Normally, I would want them to live in the dorms, but David has not received that level of education. Moreover, from a security standpoint, it’s difficult to choose suitable properties. Therefore, not only David but also other members of the royal family are expected to stay at the Marquis Amatista family’s residence. Of course, excluding him.”

Ah, indeed, even if rooms are prepared at Memoria, as royalty, guards will be necessary, and a normal house would have security concerns, so the options are quite limited. So, they will be staying at the Marquis Amatista family’s residence and commuting from there? That’s the same as us.

“I’m not asking you to take me to Alka. There’s no reason to, and no need to. However, it would be helpful if you could allow us to evacuate in an emergency.”

It’s true that even Traveling cannot be used to go to Alka, so it would be an ideal evacuation location in an emergency. However, we can’t make that decision alone, so we need to convey this matter to Yamato and the others.

“It seems that the dorm life for royalty and nobility has become a problem because it wasn’t thought through deeply enough.”
“It’s not that much of a problem. Especially for those who choose the Knight-Hunter Department or Religious Studies Department, they need to be able to take care of themselves.”

That’s certainly true. Royal family members are also said to have decided to move their living quarters to the dorms within two years at the latest. I think the opening of the General Academy was earlier than expected, and the education wasn’t caught up. The dorms are located within the academy, with butlers stationed there and Order security. It’s a place where many children live regardless of their status, so anything can happen. However, since the opening is in spring, the actual security system is unclear, and Grand Duchess Grace said that they want to assess that as well. H.R.H. David is being educated to be able to take care of himself before the academy opens, and he is currently studying. It’s about to end… Ah, the butler just informed me that he has finished and is heading this way.

Speaking of which, I still haven’t met H.R.H. Nebrina of the Aquario Bridge Principality, and H.R.H. Raio and H.R.H. Illumina of the Denebulate Bridge Principality. These three are the only royal family members who will be my classmates and with whom I have no prior acquaintance, so I feel like I should make time to greet them. I’ll consult with Yamato and Mana later.