Water Magician

Chapter 470: What is a King?

Editor: Tseirp

After the two had decided on their travel plans, Queen Iliaja began visiting them whenever she could find time.

Alternatively, they were often invited to tea parties with her.

Today as well, the three of them had just finished a tea party.

“It really must be tough to become a king. Both the Queen and you, Abel, are remarkable.”

“…Even if you suddenly praise me, I won’t give you anything.”

“You should be more honest and accept the compliment.”

“That’s because of how Ryo usually acts…”

“That’s so mean…”

Of course, he wasn’t hurt at all.

It was just playful banter.

“Still, it’s surprising.”

“What is?”

Ryo picked up on Abel’s murmured words.

“I thought Queen Iliaja would try to keep us here… but she hasn’t even suggested it once.”

“Hmm? Are you trying to say that someone as capable as you should obviously be kept around? Abel, that’s a bit too self-centered.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Besides, even if we were asked to stay, we’d have to refuse anyway.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Abel, you’re such an attention-seeker.”

“I am not!”

Ryo shook his head with a sad expression, pointing it out, and Abel denied it.

“Kabui Somal tried to make me stay. Didn’t they say anything to you, Ryo?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I kind of remember something like that… but I don’t really recall. I wasn’t going to stay anyway.”

“Y-yeah.”

Abel was at a loss for words in response to Ryo’s blunt remark.

Though what Ryo said was true…

As usual, more words would follow, contradicting Ryo’s previous statement.

“I think Abel should take life more seriously.”

“Why do I feel like I’m being told this by the wrong person? It’s so unfair.”

“Because I’m really serious. I always live my life with full effort.”

“I’ve never seen a truly serious person say that about themselves…”

“If I don’t promote myself sometimes, no one else will say it.”

“Maybe no one says it because you’re not serious, Ryo…”

“Did you say something?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ryo sharply questioned, and Abel smoothly dodged it.

Sharp attacks shouldn’t be taken head-on.

While exchanging their usual banter, Ryo’s behavior during the first week after their departure plans were set was odd.

Though one could say, “Isn’t he always odd?”.

Whenever he found spare time, he started writing something.

At first, Abel thought it was his usual alchemy.

But after a bit of thought, he realized something was off.

Normally, in such cases, Ryo would bring out an ice slab and start drawing magic formulas or magic circles on it.

But this time, he was writing on paper with a pen.

Naturally curious, Abel approached him and asked, “What are you writing?”.

But Ryo blatantly hid it.

“Could you show me?”

“No.”

He was clearly refused.

Since then, Ryo became even more cautious about Abel approaching him.

At that point, Abel’s curiosity grew stronger.

He really wanted to know what Ryo was up to.

However, Ryo’s defenses were solid.

In the end, he even encased himself in an ice wall and began writing inside an ice room…

This strange behavior lasted for just one week.

After that, for the next two weeks, there was nothing of the sort…

And before long, even Abel forgot about Ryo’s peculiar actions.

After all, Ryo being odd was nothing new.

“Do you think a king is a lonely existence?”

Queen Iliaja’s words were spoken so softly they could almost be considered a whisper.

Still, Ryo and Abel, who were sitting at the same table, sipping coffee, heard her.

Ryo simply tilted his head, saying nothing.

He recognized that this was not a question for him to answer, but rather for his companion.

“I believe it’s the same as asking whether the head of a family is lonely.”

“The head of a family? Like a father or mother?”

“Yes. For a king, the people are like family. It’s a metaphor, but I genuinely believe it. Otherwise, why would anyone sacrifice everything, devote themselves completely to governing a nation for the sake of their people, sometimes working from morning until night, buried in paperwork? It’s because they consider them family that they don’t abandon their duties even in such a situation.”

“I see.”

“Many children love their parents. Very dearly. They grow up watching their parents’ backs. When you think about it that way, I don’t believe a king is lonely.”

At Abel’s words, Princess Iliaja nodded several times.

Abel continued.

“Of course, in some families, the parents may neglect their children. In such cases, the children are unhappy. The same goes for a country. If the king neglects the people, they will suffer. But if the king loves the people as a parent loves their child… I don’t think it’s such a difficult concept.”

“Your words have cleared up a lot of things for me. Thank you.”

Queen Iliaja stood up and bowed her head.

“No, I didn’t say anything that important. It’s just how I feel.”

Abel hurriedly responded.

“Even so. Your words give me confidence that I can do this as a queen.”

Queen Iliaja smiled brightly as she said that.

In this way, the last two weeks passed joyfully for the two of them, with Queen Iliaja often joining them.

They received their pay for serving as her guards until her coronation, and they were also given a bonus for their contributions during the ceremony.

It was enough money to buy anything they wanted…

However, since they could eat anything they liked within the royal castle, and the castle’s library had an even more extensive collection than the capital’s public library, they rarely went outside, meaning they hardly spent any money at all.

On the day of departure.

“I have exchanged the money for Denari, the currency of the Free City of Kwebasa. It’s said that Denari can be used almost anywhere in the eastern countries. So it should be very convenient.”

“Thank you.”

Ryo expressed his gratitude to Kabui Somal for taking care of everything and bowed his head.

“If the people are like family, then when you need strength, you can rely on them. The king and the people are not in opposition. It’s okay. As long as you maintain a good relationship with them regularly, they will help you when the time comes.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Queen Iliaja smiled at Abel’s words.

Then, the queen turned to Kabui Somal and said,

“Lord Protector, please hand it to them.”

“Understood.”

Kabui Somal then stood in front of Abel.

“Sir Abel, this is a token of gratitude from the Suje Kingdom. Please accept it.”

“Thanks. Hmm? This is… a book?”

The book Kabui Somal handed him was not very large.

Abel read the cover.

“Umm… ‘Abel, the Hungry Swordsman’ by Ryo Mihara… What?”

“This is the original version in Central Countries’ language. The archipelago region language version is currently being translated and will be published in the Suje Kingdom as soon as it is completed.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait.”

Abel hastily interrupted Kabui Somal’s explanation.

Then, Abel turned to Ryo.

“This is your work, right?!”

“Yes. You recognized it because my name is listed as the author?”

“It’s the title you mentioned before…”

Abel remembered.

The title that Ryo had casually thrown out just to get Abel’s attention.

“So that’s it! The week you wouldn’t show me what you were writing was this manuscript!”

“Well, now that you’ve figured it out, there’s nothing I can do about it. I also have a plan for a sequel, ‘Abel, the Stuffed Swordsman’. This is the debut work of novelist Ryo! And it’s a super-rare first edition! You better take good care of it.”

“…”

Abel didn’t respond to Ryo’s words.

“D-Don’t you dare throw it away!”

“I wouldn’t throw away a book.”

Abel responded with a wry smile as Ryo hastily warned him.

Then he continued.

“Well, thanks.”

Queen Iliaja and Lord Protector Kabui Somal watched the exchange with amused expressions.

Kabui Somal handed Abel another item.

“The previous one was from Sir Ryo. This one is purely a token of gratitude from the kingdom.”

“A dagger?”

Abel unsheathed it and inspected it carefully.

“This is exquisite. Are you sure it’s okay to give me something this fine?”

“It is our token of appreciation.”

Queen Iliaja smiled as she spoke.

Ryo nodded happily as he watched from the side.

In fact, Queen Iliaja had consulted Ryo. About what to give Abel as a gift.

Ryo had immediately suggested either a dagger or a knife.

During his adventurer days, Abel always carried a dagger alongside his usual magic sword.

Adventurers often used daggers to extract magic stones from monsters or for camping.

However, Abel currently didn’t have a dagger.

When he led the army as a king to battle against the demon.

He brought his beloved magic sword to the battlefield but didn’t carry a dagger.

After being transported to the archipelago region in that state.

He hadn’t acquired any new daggers or knives.

While Ryo was working on strategies against the Kraken, Abel had prepared meals.

Using his large magic sword for most things…

For tasks that required finer work, he borrowed Ryo’s knife.

The one crafted by Michael.

Although they had opportunities to buy one in places like the city of Manyamya, staying at high-class inns like the Blue Jade Inn meant he had little need for a knife.

So, he ended up never getting one, which brings us to the present.

“This one is for you, Sir Ryo.”

“Huh? For me? I already got my book published, so I don’t need anything else.”

“No, since you have agreed to donate all the proceeds from the book, it ends up being a considerable debt the kingdom owes you. There’s also the matter of the bracelet.”

“Is that so? Oh? A book. A new one? ‘The Abyss of Alchemy?’ Wait, is this an alchemy book?”

“Yes. We couldn’t give you the original, so this is a copy. It is one of the royal family’s forbidden books, containing much advanced alchemy knowledge. Even the alchemists currently residing in the royal castle are not permitted to read it. And even those who were granted permission found it completely incomprehensible. However, we believe that perhaps, in your case, Sir Ryo…”

“Oh…”

“Even if it’s difficult now, we thought that one day, you might be able to understand it.”

“Yes, yes! Of course, I will! I’ll definitely be able to read it someday! Oh, what a wonderful gift… Lord Protector, Your Majesty, thank you so much.”

Ryo said this as he beamed with joy.

He genuinely looked happy, bowing his head in gratitude.

“This life of mine was saved by you, Sir Ryo. I should be the one thanking you.”

Queen Iliaja also smiled warmly as she bowed her head in return.

“May favorable winds guide you both on your journey.”

With Queen Iliaja’s words seeing them off, the two left the Suje Kingdom.

The cruiser that carried them continued until it disappeared beyond the horizon. Queen Iliaja and Kabui Somal watched them from the harbor until they were out of sight.

“I have something to apologize for to Your Majesty.”

“What is it, Lord Protector?”

“I actually proposed to Sir Abel and Sir Ryo that they stay in the kingdom…”

“They declined, didn’t they?”

Queen Iliaja smiled knowingly.

“Yes. I made every suggestion I could within my authority, but…”

“Lord Protector, it was never possible to keep those two here. It is not your fault.”

“…With such talent. I thought Your Majesty would want them to stay…”

“Of course, it would have been best if they stayed… However, it seems that you weren’t aware of something, Lord Protector.”

“Hmm?”

Queen Iliaja smiled as she continued speaking.

“They are both from the Kingdom of Knightley in the Central Countries.”

“Yes.”

“How much do you know about the Kingdom of Knightley, Lord Protector?”

“Since it’s a distant country, not much… But I do know it’s one of the three great powers of the Central Countries… and that there was a civil war three years ago. The current king, the second prince, led half of the nation’s forces and defeated the former king’s brother, who had allied with the army of the Debuhi Empire, and became the reigning monarch.”

“Correct. And what is the name of this second prince, now the current king?”

“King Abel I, if I remember correctly.”

“Yes. The once-famous adventurer, and unparalleled swordsman—Abel-san.”

At that moment, Kabui Somal’s body trembled.

“No way! Sir Abel… is King Abel I?! I did sense he held a high position in the kingdom, but, I never imagined…”

“Almost certainly. I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with him. During that time, he spoke many words as a king. His words carried the weight of someone who had led half a nation, driven out foreign invaders, unified his country, and continued to stand on equal footing with surrounding great powers… such feats are no easy matter. To love one’s people and one’s country. That is the mark of a true king.”

Iliaja was convinced that Abel was indeed King Abel I.

“If that is the case… then it would be impossible to keep him in this land. But then, the man traveling with him, Sir Ryo…?”

“Don’t you see?”

“I’m ashamed of my ignorance…”

“If the famous Lord Protector Kabui Somal, feared as the undefeated admiral by the neighboring nations, doesn’t know, then it’s understandable. I only know because I enjoy listening to the tales of wandering minstrels.”

Kabui Somal bowed his head in embarrassment, and Queen Iliaja responded with a gentle smile.

“They say that King Abel is accompanied by a single magician. His magic can erase the skies, shatter the earth, and freeze the world with mighty water magic. It was no illusion when he defeated an army of a hundred thousand with a single strike. The people call him ‘Ice Fall’ or ‘Silver Duke’.”

Princess Iliaja sang in a unique rhythm.

Like a minstrel.

“That’s…”

“It’s ‘The Song of Duke Rondo’. Ryo-san is Duke Rondo… the highest-ranking duke of the kingdom. Minstrels are singing about him everywhere. I always thought it was an exaggeration when they sang about him defeating a hundred thousand with one blow, but… after seeing that ice spear from the ship, I began to believe it might have actually happened.”

“I see…”

Both Queen Iliaja and Lord Protector Kabui Somal recalled Ryo’s , which he unleashed from the Rain Shooter upon the five ships blocking their path.

“I have a feeling… that we will meet those two again someday.”

Iliaja’s whispered words were heard by no one…

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