Chapter 196: The Bereaved
35 rescued rebel prisoners of war
More than 400 other prisoners
One casualty.
I'd say the rescue mission was a great success.
As for the numbers
And with the addition of the nobility.
And those nobles are back in their own cities, and they're returning with their own private armies.
The rebel army now numbers in the tens of thousands.
A veritable army.
However, there is no logistics to support such an army.
So, for the time being, the nobles' army had to lay low in their own city.
"Wince-san"
One of the rebels calls out.
"What's wrong?"
"As for Julius-sama’s meal…"
"He's not eating?"
"Yes, it's already been five days. At this rate..."
After we forced him back home, Julius locked himself in a room.
"I think it's rude to say this, but to Shiro-sama."
"It's no good."
"But…"
"We are guests. No matter how successful we may be in the war, it is something that the people of this country must do something about."
What will happen if Shiro becomes the representative of the rebel army?
Well, we will win for sure.
The problem is after that.
If the rebellion succeeds, who will then rule the country?
The leader of the rebellion, of course.
It's no good
I have no intention of making Shiro-san carry such a burden.
He's already at his limit.
If it were possible, I'd like him to return to the kingdom right now and retire for a few decades.
Even if he's not in his limit, if you think about the future of the kingdom, it's impossible for Shiro-san to be king.
If his reign goes well, he will forever bear the weight of being the King.
It's not going to go well
The existence of a ruler who lives forever will surely bring anxiety to many people.
And at some point, it's bound to cause an uproar
"How is Shiro-sama doing?"
"He's running out of mana. He needs to rest for now."
As expected, It's time for that man to get up.
-------------
"Julius-san"
I knock on the door
No reply
"I'm coming in, okay?"
I push on the door, but it doesn't budge.
It seems to be blocked from the inside by something.
But it was no use
"Sei!"
I kick down the door
Julius was barricading in the corner of the room
"It's about time to start taking action. It seems that the nobles are ready."
"........."
"Once Shiro-san recovers his mana, we will head to the royal capital."
"........."
No response
I don't like to do this kind of thing.
"Are you going to waste Maria's death?"
"!"
A response
"Even if you brood like that, you won’t get back what you lost, right?"
"Youu!"
Julius jumps up and grabs my collar
But I am not so inexperienced as to be lifted up by a young man like that.
"Yes, use that rage in battle."
"Y-you! What do you know!"
"If you don't tell me, I won't know anything. You said that, right?"
I do not know how to read minds.
Even if I'm told to look into other people's minds
The answer is "Impossible"
"For me, who has no parents! Maria..! My mother! She was my only family!"
"Of course she was."
"You don't know what it's like to have a parent murdered!"
"I don't know. My mother died of an illness."
Then let me say it here
"On the other hand, do you understand the hardships of those who worked so hard to keep their mother's body from rotting away and still did not want her to die?"
"What?"
"Desperately earning money. Most of it was spent on medicine. Still it didn't heal. Finally, her nose started to rot. Do you know what it's like to watch your parent grow cold and stink?"
"………"
"Don't be naive! We have lived through our own hell. I cannot understand your suffering. But I don't expect you to understand my suffering either."
Julius suddenly let go of me
"I know this is hard for you. She left something to you. You were entrusted with it."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"I can't be like Mother!"
"I'm not asking you to do the same thing."
"Then what should I do! Tell me!"
Commitment
I got it
"Yes, I will teach you."
"Eh?"
"What should you do now? What can you do? I will teach you everything. So look forward. Look up. Go forward toward the ideal."
Ideals are not something you can achieve alone. It is not something that can be fulfilled.
"...You and Shiro-dono. You're too strict on me."
"Please call it a whip of love. No one has ever failed to make it big because we were this hard on them, you know?"
"Hmm, what kind of people are they?"
"Eh? Umm... King Berdreich and the Queen."
"Even if you tell a lie, you must know about the limits."
I'm not lying
Well, he's feeling a little better, and he's back on his feet, so that's good.
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