Risou no Himo Seikatsu - Volume 14 - Chapter Pr

Prologue — The Founding Myth

It was long in the past.

There was a great continent, with a large country situated on it.

“The White Empire.” Now, no one knows whether that was its official name or some form of nickname. It was, however, the only name passed down through the ages to refer to that country.

The White Empire was a country ruled by twelve royal families, each of which had a powerful lineal magic. Energy, creation, contract, enchantment, unyielding soul, freedom, revival, compression, destruction, healing, recording, and the stars. With their lineal magics pertaining to each of those domains, the White Empire formed the largest culture on the continent, to the extent where it was said, “The only things the White Empire cannot do are those of which it cannot conceive.”

However, even that empire at its height would fall.

If one were to inspect the causes of its fall, one would eventually arrive at the word “pride.” The empire placed too much faith in its own strength and continued its expansion, reaching for an inviolable land.

Inviolable land—holy land. In other words, the area where the dragons lived.

They were the custodians (and, some held, creators, though that had been refuted by the dragons themselves) of the world. Taking up arms against them, even for the empire at its peak, was naught but foolishness.

The time between their invasion and the destruction of their country numbered a mere seven days. It was said that the White Empire had been razed to the ground, leaving no trace behind.

The dragons’ flames did not even scorch the land, plants, or animals, only burning the empire’s creations. Thus, the prosperous country fell. However, that was not the same as the ruling families being wiped out. A scant few royal families had escaped the dragons’ judgment.

One of them had been against the expansion into the sacred area until the end. They were treated as prisoners by the country despite also being royalty. The dragons were neither foolish nor stubborn enough to treat them as having committed the same crime.

Another had used their lineal magics to create an artificial landmass—the continent of Cendrillon—and had retreated there and remained completely uninvolved in the invasion. They had negotiated with the dragons after the war and, in exchange for vacating their created lands, gained a promise of mutual noninterference.

The final family had been living within the Jötunn’s Commune at the time. The commune had been one of the few powers that had a contract with the White Empire. They also had an equal relationship with the dragons and so the dragons had been unable to reach those under the Jötunns’ protection. They were not directly involved with the invasion, so the dragons tolerated them.

In the long years since that time, the world had gradually changed.

One after another, the intelligent dragons had vanished, their originally forbidden lands opening bit by bit to humans as well. The five, with both exceptional strength and a fondness for humans, had left a fang and claw apiece with the humans before they left.

The climate had changed simultaneously, with life as a whole mirroring it. The coniferous plants that had covered the land receded, and the large reptiles, along with other animals, found their habitats limited. The one exception was the continent Cendrillon, created through magic, which had its climate and soil forcibly maintained in the same state.

The intelligent dragons hid themselves away, and instead, the humanoids born from the five true dragons’ fangs—the apostles—and those who held the weapons made from their claws—the champions—brought people together in the dragon faith.

“The descendants of those who gathered under the apostles and champions and took on their teachings are the church. Additionally, though the Demichev family—the tenth royal family—were imprisoned for their opposition to the invasion, they are now the Gilbelle Papacy. The Shulepov family—the fourth royal family—were dependent on the Jötunn’s Commune of Utgardr and are said to have become our Sharou royal family.”

Once Lucretia Broglie’s long explanation wound down, silence reigned for a considerable time in the room. They were in a corner of the royal palace of Capua. Lucretia Broglie was the only speaker, and the only listeners were Queen Aura and Prince Consort Zenjirou. The discussion was completely secret from even their confidants, let alone their guards.

There had been a suggestion for the now-concubine of the family, Freya, to be present as well, but she was not for the time being. It was without a doubt information where the Northern Continent played a pivotal role, so it was something that should be shared with her. However, she was still not yet trusted enough to be invited.

“I had somewhat expected as much, but it goes against all sense. Frankly, it is rather hard to believe. Do you have any proof?” asked Aura.

Lucretia had likely expected the question from the queen. She therefore answered without hesitation. “Several of the Twin Kingdoms’s prized magic tools are heirlooms from the time of the White Empire.”

“And do any of them serve as evidence? Something which visibly proves it?”

Lucretia nodded.

“They do so visibly indeed. Almost all of them are collaborations between the Sharou—or rather, Shulepov—family and another of the royal families. For example, the Lulled Sea’s core is pure mana made via the Makarov family’s creation magic.”

Zenjirou was unable to hide his surprise when he heard that he had already seen the evidence in question. The statement brought to mind the pure-white sphere that made up the Lulled Sea’s core. It looked like some kind of globe. It was indeed blemish-free to an extent that made it hard to believe it was made of natural marble.

“And would those of the Northern Continent know it as such if they saw it?” Zenjirou pressed.

Lucretia considered that for a moment before answering. “Most people probably would not. However, it would be best to assume that the descendants of the apostles and champions—the church’s core personnel—would.”

The apostles born from the true dragons’ fangs had been given a fragment of the true dragons’ wisdom. The champions, when they took up one of the weapons made from the dragons’ claws, would also inherit the knowledge. The apostles had all ceased their activity already, but the core of the church would have maintained the information to at least some extent.

“However, assuming all this is true, then surely the Sharou and Gilbelle families have no reason to clash with the true dragons?” asked Zenjirou. “There were agreements made at the time. So surely there would be no hostility between them and the church?”

It was a logical but naive perspective. In fact, it was not Lucretia who refuted him, but the queen at his side.

“In that case, Zenjirou, why did both families move to the Southern Continent?”

“Ah,” he replied in realization.

Lucretia offered her own agreement. “Your insight serves you well. As time degraded the apostles and the champions’ passing of knowledge grew less detailed, the church grew to see all of the descendants of the White Empire as ‘heretics who had raised their hands against the true dragons.’” The younger woman then spent even longer explaining what the church had lost.

“I see,” Aura replied after she had finished.

While her words were indicating understanding, she still had her doubts. Lucretia’s testimony alone was not enough to tell whether the history had been passed down correctly through the remnants of the empire to the Twin Kingdoms, or through the church. Even if the truth of the matter was as the Twin Kingdoms said, it was also possible that they had caused some other issue that had in turn caused their expulsion from the Northern Continent.

Whatever the truth of the matter, the church saw the White Empire as enemies, and the Twin Kingdoms were proud of their heritage from that country. If the nations of the Northern Continent continued to expand towards the Southern Continent, even Zenjirou could see that a clash was inevitable despite his relative lack of knowledge in those matters.

A confrontation between the church and the descendants of the White Empire would not necessarily be limited to the Twin Kingdoms. Zenjirou also carried their blood, and Carlos Zenkichi carried not only their blood, but their magic as well.

Whether they wanted to be or not, the Twin Kingdoms and Capua were in the same boat here. Additionally, Capua was a seafaring nation with a long coastline, while the Twin Kingdoms was landlocked in the center of the continent. If the church acted, Capua would be in the firing line first.

“I ask you truly, Lucretia. Were you—no, were the leaders of the Twin Kingdoms who allowed your passage, at least those of the Sharou family—wary of the church from the beginning?”

Aura had gone past simply questioning into almost an interrogation, but Lucretia’s expression didn’t falter as she nodded.

“Yes. We only had the bare minimum of information, but we had heard that the church still had a lot of influence on the Northern Continent from Princess Freya.”

That would have been when Freya had visited the country. The king—then crown prince—must have obtained it in the course of his negotiations with her. They had heard about the Northern Continent’s rapid expansion in both technological and economic capabilities, in addition to their naval focus and the church remaining a major force. That was more than enough for the Twin Kingdoms, who knew themselves to have descended from the White Empire, to see the Northern Continent as a threat.

While pushing somewhat for Lucretia to accompany them on the Glasir’s Leaf was partially due to her own wishes, the leaders also had a vested interest in it. They wanted someone they could trust to gather information on the current state of the Northern Continent. At the same time, it also demonstrated that Lucretia—and therefore the Twin Kingdoms—were close to Zenjirou, so any conflict between the church and the White Empire’s remnants would involve Capua.

Aura did not hide her displeasure as she spoke. “We have no choice but to invite His Majesty Bruno here, then. Perhaps we should pass the word through Prince Francesco or Princess Bona?”

Both of them had Dual Burn Parchment, so they would be able to contact the Twin Kingdoms almost immediately. But Lucretia shook her head.

“I have a method of contact, so that is unnecessary. I would ask that you do not contact either of them. The request itself is not from me, however, but King Josep himself.”

“Hm.” Aura delayed her full response to put some pressure on the woman opposite her.

However, Lucretia kept her smiling front up and didn’t quiver in the slightest. As far as Aura had seen until now, Lucretia was able to socialize well and control her emotions as befitted a high-ranking noble, but she was not a diplomat with special training. If that impression was correct and she was either lying or bluffing, then Aura’s silent intimidation would have made it hard for the younger woman to hide it entirely.

Therefore, she could assume it was the truth, and the king did not want to involve Francesco or Bona in this. However, Lucretia’s tone was not particularly forceful, so she could not ask for something in exchange for keeping it private, and in turn, the request was not a completely firm demand. It was likely that involving one of them would simply cause more trouble, while they would neither gain nor lose anything vital.

“Very well, I will not involve either of Their Highnesses. I shall be relying on you to contact your homeland,” Aura told her.

“Understood, Your Majesty,” Lucretia answered, her relief prompting the first honest smile of the day from her.