102-102 Kings Thoughts (2/2)

「いざとなれば────この国ごとくれてやる」

────『力ある者が国を統べよ』.

それがクレイス国が『冒険者達の国』として興った時の唯一の掟であり『法』だった.

蛮習と揶揄されることもあるが、王国の中で『一番強い者』が王となり国を治めるという伝統は今も変わらない.

我々『クレイス王家』が続いているのも、これまで初代王の【クレイス】の血を受け継ぐ者が歴史を通じて、たまたま(・・・・)誰よりも強かっただけ.

もっと強い人間が現れれば、その者が王位を継ぐことだって十分にありうるのだ.

元々、世襲の制度ではないのだから.

もちろん、今の段階ではあの男を王位に着かせるのは難しい.

本人にもそのつもりはないだろう.

だがいずれ(・・・)となると多少の現実味を帯びてくる.

あの男にはもう、その資格はあるのだ.

法に定められた手順を踏む必要はあるが、あの男は既に十分すぎるほどその力(資格)を示している. あとは王である自分が認めさえすればいい.

王としては自分の後を継いでくれる気でいる息子と娘に何一つ、不満があるわけでもない. 二人とも非の打ち所がない程に優秀で、国民の期待は絶大だ.

どちらが王位を継いだとしても自分よりもずっとうまくこの国を回すだろうし、善政を敷くのは確実だろう.

そこに疑いの余地はない.

────でも、ついつい考えてしまう.

もしあの荒唐無稽な男が王になったら、と.

この国は一体、どんな風に変わるのだろうか、と.

多くの民を統べる王たる責務を負う自分のような立場の者が、知り合ったばかりの他人同然の男に安易な期待を託すべきではない、とは思う.

自身の職務を放棄するような無責任な幻想を抱くべきでもないことも、わかっている.

でも、もしこの国をあいつに任せたら.

────きっと、また誰も想像もできないような、とんでもないことが起こるに違いない、と年甲斐もなく心が湧き上がる.

王は自分が今の責務を引退した後、再び『冒険者』の身分となり、放浪の旅へと出るのをささやかな老後の夢としていた. だが今はもう、わざわざ遠方へ冒険しにいくよりあの男を後ろから見守っていた方がずっと楽しいだろうと思えてしまう.

……そんなことは、まだまだ先の話だが.

「さすがに少し、妄想が過ぎるか」

自分の期待はどうあれ、あの男自身は穏やかに生きることを望んでいるようだ.

That will must be respected.

So, for now, the king thinks, he'll keep the man at a distance and protect him.

But he's going to have to come out into the open eventually.

He's already got that much power.

Already, that man has been recognized not only by our country, but also by Lord Landaeus, who holds the real power of the Magic Empire, and he has already created a huge debt of debt that the entire country can't repay to the current Pope Astira and her assistant Prince Tirens, who are the core of the Holy Mithraic State that follows the Mithraists all over the world.

The wheels have already begun to turn around the man.

The only question is when will the man be known to the world (・・・・・・・)?

”How will the power of the world move when the existence of the man who seems to have been born to be a 'hero' becomes known?

No, no. It would be more correct to say how they will be upset.

When he thinks about it, he can't help but laugh.

...... I'd better get back to work now.

You can't negotiate satisfactorily with an envoy from another country who is about to be received by you with this kind of sullen expression.

I've got to pull myself together and call the next audience into the room.

There are still many more people waiting to seek an audience with the king, and there is still a lot of work to be done.

But speaking of work, the king thinks that ...... he has done a good job.

”I did a good job then.

In his heart, the king was unusually proud of his achievement, thinking that, after all this time, handing over the Black Sword to that man on their first meeting was probably the greatest achievement of his life.

The king himself had never been interested in leaving his name in history, but he thought that it would not be bad if his name was inscribed in a book as a character in the heroic story of the man.

Not bad ....... You're right, it's not bad. I actually don't mind being a supporting character in a story.

In retrospect, the king realizes that he is one of the people involved in the story that the man is telling. He also wanted to be one of the people who would continue to watch the continuation of that exceptionally interesting story from the best possible place.

In order to do that, it would be more convenient for me to stay as a supporting character (...), the ”king” on the stage.

The ──── King couldn't help but laugh at himself for having come to think like that.

I'm not sure I'll ever be a king again, but my motives are too impure.

After all, it would be better for me to retire quickly and hand over the throne to a superior successor.

With this thought in mind, the king once again put a smile on his scarred face and let out a loud laugh in his office.