173 The True Throne

 

Formerly a scout in Bellman’s unit, Mello Brandy was the one who originally held the [Stealth Action] skill that evolved into my [Idle Shadow].

But she was no longer just a scout.

Now she was a rising-star apothecary, trained in the scholar’s city far to the west.

To revive an infant who had died due to their mistake—and to save Bellman and the rest of her party who had perished during a dungeon raid—she gave up a great part of her remaining lifespan and departed westward.

Back when she left the hidden village, I had sent her off with a parting gift: a venomous fang from the undying dragon Vritra.

「Head for the student town in the west. If you can refine this poison into medicine, you might be able to reclaim the lifespan you gave up.」

That’s what I told her—but I hadn’t held out much hope.

We didn’t even know how much lifespan she had left. Whether she’d survive the journey at all was already a gamble. Even if she reached her destination, there was no guarantee she’d meet an apothecary capable of such a feat. Still, Mello had believed in my words with utter sincerity, headed west—and now she was back. As an apothecary in her own right.

「Mello always had a sharp mind for medicine. I hear the Elves used a technique to drive monsters from the dungeon, but she was doing something similar even earlier. …Though, since that ended up leading to the destruction of the wolves’ hidden village, it’s hardly a point of pride.」

「I’ve come back to make amends—and to repay the debt I owe you, Marge-san. I’m still green as an apothecary, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got.」

Knowledge becomes exponentially more powerful when it connects. Just like how dots become lines, then surfaces, when joined together.

The knowledge of Remonde and the Elves. The knowledge of alchemy, held by Angelina. And now, the knowledge Mello had brought from the distant student town. By linking those three together, our treatment infrastructure made a quantum leap forward.

Mello, now one of the key contributors, gave Koe-san—who stood beside me—a half-embarrassed, half-joyful smile.

「Koe-san, I’ve come to stubbornly keep my promise.」

「Yes, I’ve been waiting.」

「You totally thought I was dead, didn’t you? It really felt like a last farewell.」

「No. You said, ‘If we ever meet again, I’ll make sure to thank you.’ Because you said that, I believed we would. So I waited.」

「Aww, geez, you really remembered that… I was feeling all enlightened, thinking I was done for. So embarrassing…」

「Once things settle down here in the royal capital, please tell me about your time out west.」

「Sure, sure! It was rough, though. I ended up living with this weird lady who just sort of drifted into my life. Seemed like she had amnesia, but she was really pretty, so she got into all kinds of trouble with men. Then outta nowhere she goes, ‘I’m actually a saint.’」

「Another stormy tale, I see.」

「Maybe my fate got lazy because I lived too lazily. But hey, I’ll tell you all about it next time.」

Mello gave a sheepish laugh—but her work in the capital had been crucial. Thanks to her, we’d gotten a major step closer to the goal we’d been building toward.

「Looks like it’s finally time, Bellman.」

「Indeed. If it were just some nobody, there’d be an uproar. But Duke Abik is of the second prince’s direct line. No one can object.」

「Yeah. Everyone—our moment has come.」

Everyone present turned their eyes toward me.

「Duke Ishabanu of Abik will soon become King Ishabanu. This nation will change. It will become a country where demihumans can live not as animals, nor as humans, but as demihumans .」

Demihumans and humans are close, yet distant. There’s no need for conflict—but neither should we be forced to live in the same places, shoulder to shoulder.

「The eastern half of this country will remain the domain of humans, ruled by Duke Abik. And the west, from the mountains to Fathie—」

「—will be ruled by Marge. A demihuman nation, free from the borders humans have drawn.」

Let humans have a king, and demihumans a king of their own. Let the two sometimes clash and sometimes join hands—but live as neighbors from the same land, and face crisis together when the time comes.

That was the vision Duke Abik and I shared—a new form of nationhood.

「I like it. Marge Siu, King of the Demihumans. This time, your throne isn’t borrowed. It’s real.」

「Congratulations, Marge-dono.」

「Thanks. Angelina, Asagi—I want you both to keep supporting me. I’ll be counting on you. And Shizuku—」

「Yes, my king.」

「As king of all demihumans, I can no longer be king to just the Werewolves. Nor do I need to be.」

In uniting the demihumans, the Werewolves who gave me that crown would naturally play a central role. But that didn’t mean they should rule the others—and neither I nor Asagi wanted that.

I would act as the banner for all demihumans, while the Werewolves would have a king of their own. Only then could their golden homeland be said to have truly returned.

Shizuku understood the meaning behind those words. She nodded solemnly.

「…Yes. I understand.」

「It’s time I return the throne I borrowed. You’ll be the Werewolves’ king now.」

「Got it. I’m not going to ask if I can do it—I will become a king no less than you, Marge. I swear it.」

Her eyes, fixed on mine, held no uncertainty.

When we first met, she’d been a frail, starving girl.

But through countless battles and tough decisions, she’d grown strong. Now she had the strength, dignity, and heart to lead the Werewolves. Her amber eyes shone with the light of a future once doomed to fade. I knew then—the village’s future would be bright.

「Yeah… the future really has changed. Thanks to everyone.」

「No—it wasn’t luck. You changed it. Our king. The king of demihumans, Marge.」

「I’m not that great. There’s still plenty that needs to change.」

「Plenty, huh?」

Changing this country was for the sake of the demihumans—but there was another reason, too.

To prepare for what’s coming.

The chances to gather everyone like this were growing fewer and farther between. Now was the time to say it all.

「Everyone—listen up. I want to talk about what’s coming next.」