A King is Born on the Road

Iris stood in front of the mirror and brought the orange opal to her neck.

It was a dress that showed off the shoulders and collarbones from the pale neck in the shape of a curved wave. The orange colour was foreign to the black hair that flowed down her cheeks and her pale skin.

Iris was worried that Hayer and herself might feel out of place like this even when they were together.

She packed the necklace carefully and left Hayer’s house.

As Iris got into the carriage, Madeleine, who had come with her, asked anxiously.

“Don’t you need to rest a bit more?”

It was the concern of those around her who knew that she had been in the library all night for several days.

Iris replied.

“It’s all right.”

“No matter how I look at it, I don’t think it’s fine…”

Iris smiled faintly at Madeleine’s concern and closed her eyes for a moment to rest.

After receiving the letter, she suddenly missed him. When she opened her eyes again, she thought it would be nice if the day of his return was just around the corner.

* * *

The King of Siere, Carl Lassor, looked down from the castle with a triumphant face.

Strange beings began to engulf the capital of Siere, and the king sought a way to lure the monsters out of the capital.

The monsters enjoyed attacking the inhabited villages. Therefore, once the citizens of the capital were evacuated as far away as possible from the place where the monsters were pouring out, the royal knights lured the monsters out.

Carl was not only belligerent, but also found pleasure with the slaughter. It was almost thought he had killed enough to kill even such a person. The bodies of monsters had long been piled up like mountains on the roads they passed.

He drew an arrow from his quiver with a tired look on his face. However, the four-legged monster that climbed over the wall approached so quickly that he pierced the monster’s right eye without having time to draw the arrow.

Shortly thereafter, his men put an arrow into his left eye, and the monster fell backwards and fell down the wall.

The monster was the last of its kind tonight. Fortunately, when the sun rose, the monsters were no longer visible near the castle walls for a while.

Having regained their composure, Siere’s soldiers rested during the day. Likewise, Carl, who was trying to wash away the blood he was covered with, spotted Edwin, a courier, walking with a smile from afar.

“Oh, Edwin! You’re really back?”

“Oh, long time no see! Did you miss me? Your expression looks like that.”

He was so sociable that he quickly became close to people, showing his presence here and there, approaching Carl’s without hesitation and bowing politely.

“The leader of the Knights of Tejas, son of Her Majesty the Queen Peonia Asheri, Hayer Asheri’s courier.”

Then he bent down on one knee and delivered the letter with both hands.

Peonia Asheri.

The King of Siere briefly recalled the name in his head.

It was a woman who would suit standing in the middle of the desert with shining eyes. Does her son look like her? Or does he look like his father?

It didn’t matter who he looked like. Carl Lassor looked down at the courier, who was delivering the letter in an unwavering manner even if he didn’t accept it. Then he asked as he received the letter.

“Is your lord strong?”

The king’s closest aides, who were concentrating on grinding their weapons on whetstone and pretending not to see the courier, paused.

The King of Siere was in a state of great resentment against the King of Luwan. When he yielded his pride and asked for troops to stop the monsters, he had to be polite, even if he refused. But the King of Luwan did not.

Nevertheless, Carl Lassor did not decapitate Edwin when he appeared with a letter from Luwan. That alone made Carl Lassor’s attitude questionably friendly.

Edwin answered without hesitation.

“My lord is the strongest on this continent.”

“That bastard!”

At Edwin’s words, Carl’s men stood up indignantly.

If they were to choose the strongest person on the continent, it was Carl Lassor without any doubt, and since he came to this land, they also thought that Edwin should agree with the idea. In the first place, they were convinced that the youngster Hayer Asheri was not likely to be stronger than their lord.

Whether or not he was, Edwin remained unwavering. The King of Siere burst into laughter at that attitude.

“I would like to compete with him.”

The king opened the letter given by Edwin as he spoke.

It was the second letter from Iris Lepos, the princess of Luwan. The story about pomegranates, one of the main sources of income for Siere, was boring.

Carl Lassor was not interested in anything like agriculture, so Iris’s letter did not interest him at all. However, he read it to the end without stopping. It was admirable to ask for entry like this.

Carl Lassor handed the letter to his attendant to deal with it. The attendant, who returned after the letter was checked by the sage, said cautiously to Carl Lassor.

“The sage said that for Siere, you must know how to save the pomegranates.”

Carl Lassor scoffed at the attendant’s words. And said to the courier.

“Did you deliver my gift to your lord?”

“Yes.”

“The answer?”

“He is contemplating.”

“Contemplating?”

Carl Lassor laughed at Edwin’s answer. This was not a matter of contemplation, so his intention was not conveyed properly.

Indeed. It would be hard to guess if his mother had never told him.

Carl Lassor said to Edwin in a nonchalant manner.

“Tell Hayer Asheri again.”

“What should I tell him?”

“The man is the son of Carl Lassor.”

At those words, the sound of grinding on whetstones stopped throughout the castle.

Even Edwin, who had been trained to adapt to any situation, could not manage his expression and froze for a moment.

Carl Lassor, a man who resembled the sun, continued.

“Hayer Asheri is my only child and the only heir to the Lassor family. That princess who inherited the blood of the Luwan Dynasty is not allowed, but my son’s entry is always welcome.”

“……”

“I’ve heard the news that your lord has stopped the monsters on the southern border, so tell him that he is ordered to come back to the land of Siere and help his father at any time. For crops, for monsters.”

Despite his fear of the king’s majesty, Edwin managed to open his mouth as a courier’s duty.

“Is it correct to say that it is an order?”

Orders and requests were starkly different things. It meant that while a request may not be fulfilled, an order could be followed by some punishment when it was not obeyed.

“It is an order.”

When Carl Lassor spoke again, Edwin bowed his head deeply and then stood up.

Pressure permeated his body as he left the castle. Before he could take a few steps, Carl Lassor’s men raised their arms.

“There is an heir!”

“Your Majesty will bring back his heir!”

His men loved their forceful lord. It was not difficult to accept that his successor was Hayer Asheri, who is called the strongest knight in the land of Luwan.

They had no interest in the upturn of the Lepos family or the situation in Luwan. The Sieres just wanted a strong lord and an equally strong successor that would not undermine his status.

* * *

Edwin ran frantically out of Siere’s castle.

The owner of this castle, once called a great noble family, dedicated their castle to driving out monsters. Willingly or not, since Carl Lassor ascended the throne, this has become a matter of course for the Sieres.

Edwin, who had just left the castle, couldn’t start right away and breathed heavily.

“What is happening…?”

Hayer Asheri, who had suffered for so long because he was a child born outside the queen’s marriage, was now being called the sole heir of Siere.

Even now, the King of Siere seemed to have no intention of hiding the fact. Rather, he seemed to reveal more clearly that Hayer was his son because of his anger at Luwan’s king.

Edwin’s steps toward Luwan became more urgent to deliver the news.

First, Hayer’s order was to deliver Iris’s letter and get an answer. Therefore, he had to deliver the results to Iris first, but he couldn’t figure out how to convey the fact that only Hayer could enter the country.

Edwin, who stopped walking several times and walked again repeatedly, did not arrive at the east building where Iris was until somewhat later.

Party preparations had already begun in front of the east building, and beautiful tables were placed at regular intervals.

Late at night, Edwin heard Iris was in the royal library and ran to her location.

To not surprise Iris, Edwin made a gesture from afar.

“Princess, are you there? It’s Edwin, the courier.”

“Over here.”

Edwin headed to where Iris’s voice was heard. To anyone’s eyes, Iris, who stayed up night after night, was tired.

Edwin recalled the Hayer that had been wandering around like a floating weed, unable to plant its roots in a solid place. Then he seemed relatively stable after meeting Iris.

Iris, who hadn’t heard good news lately, looked forward to a reply.

Edwin, who had received the result of breaking them down, struggled to open his mouth.

“He once again refused to allow the princess to enter the country.”

“I see.”

Iris nodded regretfully.

Edwin shut his eyes tightly and continued.

“The captain has been allowed to enter the country.”

“Just Hayer?”

“Yes. He said that he would not allow the princess, Luwan’s legitimate descent, to enter the country.”

“But why does Hayer get to?”

Iris asked, but Edwin did not give a subsequent explanation, and immediately bowed his head.

“I think I have to tell the captain about that first.”

“…Please do so.”

Iris replied doubtfully.

afterword

it’s been half a year since i’ve began uploading kbr translations… man how time flies