Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

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The following day, Kyle’s heart felt clearer than ever, and his body felt as light as a cloud. This problem he had kept on the backburner for many years was now resolved, so who could blame him for that? In order to see off Seran and Minagi, who went on their own job, he was followed by Seran and Shildonia who whispered amongst themselves.

“Did something happen? I can wager a guess looking at how much he’s grinning, but…”

“Well…It’s probably exactly what you’d expect. And he’s not even trying to hide it.”

Seran was half-exasperated, giving Kyle a cold gaze while saying “bastard’s acting like some king.” After Kyle saw the two off, he figured he’d continue his stroll through Rimarze, thinking that he might as well invite Lieze and the others—but a voice poured cold water over his excitement.

“Why, if it isn’t Kyle-dono! I’ve been looking for you!”

The voice sounded like it came from a noble in their forties, and when Kyle saw the confident smile paired with luxurious clothes, Kyle returned a vague smile. He didn’t mean to judge their outward appearance, but his intuition told him that he didn’t want to get involved with this person. Not only that, the man didn’t even look at Kyle, let alone the girls with him. The man was followed by servants and guards, as well as what seemed to be a daughter and her own servant, so Kyle immediately understood what this was about. It’s one of those people trying to use Kyle for their own good.

“He probably thinks I’m some playboy because I’ve got a few girls with me.”

“Well, he’s not wrong.”

Leize and Shildonia continued to comment.

Well, it’s too late for that!

So thought Kyle, awfully arrogant about the whole thing. Of course, since he was in such a good mood, he did feel a bit bothered, but he couldn’t exactly cause a scene just for that. As he said to the three girls prior, he would strongly, but politely, decline.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I have somewhere to be, so I will excuse myself now.”

Kyle tried to leave without even listening to the man’s name, which made the other party panic.

“Wha…W-Wait! I am Count Raynor from the small duchy of Ristan. My lord would love to meet you once…”

The man who called himself Raynor showed a glimmer of anger for a moment, but he quickly calmed himself. Kyle wanted to just walk away, but he stopped in his tracks.

“…The Duchy of Ristan? Could you be referring to Prince Foken?”

“Y-Yes, absolutely! It seems you must know of him!”

Kyle pretended to think about it for a moment, whereas Raynor tried to drag Kyle with him, even by force, but then…

“What might be going on here?”

Yet another voice joined the group. But this time, the dignified voice sounded familiar to Kyle. Turning around, he was greeted by a single female knight—the close aide of Princess Milena and the captain of the 5th Royal Guard Troop of the country of Zilgus, Kirlen. Behind her, she had the 5th Royal Guard. Although the whole troop consisted of women, they showed clear diligence and strength, and even the other countries showed clear respect for them, being overwhelmed. Met with Kirlen’s stern expression, the man staggered backward.

“Y-You are from Zilgus…”

Even Lieze and the others could tell how big the gap was between them, despite being fellow nobles.

“I’m asking what you are doing here. I can see you are trying to invite Kyle-dono, but is that your decision, or is that by the order of Prince Foken?”

“W-Well, that’s…I just remembered something urgent I had to do, so if you would excuse me!”

In the end, Raynor ran away with his tail between his legs.

“For the love of…didn’t everybody agree not to try and get a headstart in winning Kyle-dono over…?”

“Huh? What’s that mean?” asked Kyle, wondering if he’d misheard.

“Oh, please don’t mind me, this is something that happened behind the scenes. However, I must admit, you seemed oddly interested?”

“No, not entirely. I just heard about Prince Foken myself…” said Kyle and looked after Raynor.

It stopped Kirlen from seeing what kind of expression he made. The Duchy of Ristan, as well as Prince Foken, wasn’t exactly a talented individual, nor was he well-known. Kirlen didn’t remember the man, and looking at his subordinate Raynor, it might be very telling. Hence, she would have to find out what piqued Kyle’s interest here.

“So, Kyle-dono…Milena-sama wishes to discuss something with you, so could I ask you to accompany me?”

“I feel like that’s different from what you just said…”

What exactly was the meaning of the agreement then?

“My sincerest apologies, but a problem may have occurred, so even if it breaks the agreement…well, it needs discussion. I’m sorry to ask this of you, but could your companions maybe refrain from joining us?”

In other words, Milena only wanted Kyle. Still, Kyle felt that she would probably put her life on the line if it meant bringing him with her, so he didn’t even try to argue much.

“I’ll be right back,” he told his allies and then followed Kirlen.

***

Kirlen took Kyle to the Zilgus Embassy within Rimarze. As expected, they made their way to Princess Milena’s room, and as always, the maid Ninos was right with them, too. She still seemed cautious of Kyle, giving him a stern and watchful eye, but he felt like there was something else mixed in there. What surprised him more was the other two people present in the room—one of them Princess Sakira, who gave Kyle a conflicted look, but what bothered Kyle more was—

“M-Mom?”

Seeing his own mother there completely threw Kyle for a loop.

“Hurry up and sit down.”

She continued to smile as before, so Kyle could tell. This was just the calm before the storm. He had a really bad feeling about this, but escaping now was not an option, so he simply obeyed.

“Thank you very much for coming, Kyle-sama. I must apologize for abruptly calling you over, but I just had to ask you something…” Milena spoke with her usual pleasant tone. “This reminds me of the last time we had tea together, no? Although we had Angela-sama with us back then, it’s a shame that she couldn’t make it… Though instead, we’ll have Seraia-sama with us today.”

“Thank you, I’m happy to be invited to such a youngsters’ tea party.”

Not minding Kyle and Sakira, the two just started talking. Kyle figured it would be bad if this continued, so he spoke up.

“Um, you said you needed to discuss something, so what could that be…”

“Strictly speaking, it’s Sakira-sama that needs to talk to you.”

This comment confused Kyle even more. That said, Sakira had helped Kyle a great deal, so he wanted to help her if possible.

“Sakira-sama, I believe it would be best to tell him…or you might regret it later.”

Pushed by Milena, Sakira still seemed hesitant but eventually opened her mouth.

“In fact, I was thinking of returning to Sura…and since I fear we might not see each other again, I wanted to say my goodbyes like this…”

“Huh? R-Really?”

Kyle was surprised to hear that, his expression in shock.

“But, why? Are you going to ascend the throne by any chance?”

Sakira’s father, the current king of Sura, wasn’t even sixty years old, so he should be able to reign on the throne for a few years more. However, Sakira didn’t say another word, so Milena continued explaining.

“Sakira-sama will abandon her right to the throne and enter a monastery, spending the rest of her life without showing up in public ever again.”

“…What?”

Kyle couldn’t understand what Milena was talking about. The plan, or so he thought, was to have Sakira become the next monarch, so abandoning her right sounded ludicrous, and yet the woman herself didn’t deny that.

“H-How did it come to this?”

“One of the conditions to rise to become monarch seems to be the birth of a child before one is 30 years of age.”

This was related to the peculiar circumstances surrounding the holy family of Sura. The members of the family possessed the ability to receive the words of the gods, an [Oracle], and if the gods even saw the need for it, they would inhabit the body of the family member at will.

“To not leave behind the child is the same as not continuing the bloodline of the holy family…especially for women.”

For that reason, if you wanted to become the ruler of the holy kingdom, that condition had to be fulfilled. Of course, it’s not like women above the age of 30 suddenly couldn’t give birth to children anymore. Even Seraia was the best example of this, as she was in her late 30s when Alessa was born. That said, the chances of a pregnancy are definitely lower, and it would bring risk to the holy bloodline.

“And so, women who are not yet married despite reaching their 30s lose the right to the throne. My younger cousin seems to be rather gifted, so my father will most likely adopt them at a later date, so there’s nothing to fear in that regard,” Sakira said with a determined, but also slightly saddened tone.

And those who had lost their right to the throne, to avoid any chaos within the country, would enter a monastery. That was the way things went. Of course, this was a tradition within the royal family, and it might seem ludicrous to any outsider.

“That said, this is only the case if no marriage has happened, and the circumstances change if there is an actual marriage. In that event, the right of succession remains and flexibility is in place.”

Basically, if you get married before you’re 30, there is no issue, and only those who want to join the monastery actually do so.

“But in Sakira-sama’s case, there is another issue at hand… It is that she cannot get married,” said Milena. “This is not a problem with Sakira-sama herself, but something on a bigger scale…” Milena continued with a hesitant tone.

What really caused issues was the power and authority of the holy family, as well as her honor as the holy maiden. If she were to get married to someone unworthy, it would destroy the balance of politics and religion with Sura.

“And then there’s also my vast mana…” Sakira said with a weak tone so that only Kyle could hear it.

From a young age, Sakira often acted as an intermediary for the goddess Mera, and because of that, her mana is the strongest the world has ever seen. That is why she is one of the only three people in the world who can use supreme-tier magic, or rather, could possibly use it since she can’t pull it off despite having the capability. All of this began from a rumor that had gone off the rails.

“For example, if Lord Maizer and Sakira-sama were to…get married, then we from Zilgus cannot agree to this. Even if this resulted in a war.”

Nobody wanted to imagine the result of Galgan using the name of the Holy Maiden to further their agenda. That said, if she just married someone random, it would tarnish the name and ranking of the Holy Family. For that reason, even as Sakira was slowly creeping toward 30 years of age, no fitting marriage partner could be found.

“The Holy Ruler tried his best to find someone befitting of his daughter and eventually happened to be successful. I do not know all the details, but it seemed to have been a smaller family that seemed to be descendants of a family alive during the glory days of Zaales…That said, this happened two years ago, and Sakira-sama declined this option.”

“Declined? Wait…two years ago?!” Kyle screamed in shock.

As expected, since this was the time he had already met Sakira. The two traveled around the continent to start the preparations for the World Meeting. For that reason, they spent a considerable chunk of time together, but she didn’t talk about any of this.

“Well, um…I didn’t know about any of that…”

“Of course? If she had gotten married then, she wouldn’t have been able to help you.”

“She…for my sake?”

Kyle was utterly bewildered. Back then, he basically used her title as the holy maiden for his own convenience. Of course, intending to save humanfolk from utter ruin, Sakira seemed fine with it, but he didn’t mean for that to happen.

“I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to inform you of this, but…” Sakira apologized with a meek voice.

There was really no reason to apologize, but Kyle knew that he had no right to say so.

“…When I heard of this situation, I wasn’t sure if I should get involved. I’m an outsider, after all… However, I am the only person who can ask this of you, Kyle-sama,” said Milena. “You’ve been working hard for the sake of humanfolk, and I understand that you’re fully focused on defeating the demons right now. I cannot blame you for acting like that, either. However, please don’t forget all the people who’ve helped you.”

She can’t blame him, she said, but Kyle felt like he was being lectured either way. And there, Kirlen joined the conversation after listening to it the whole time.

“…I wholeheartedly respect you as a warrior, Kyle-dono. However, as a woman, this really is…” said Kirlen with a roundabout way of blaming him.

“Yes, he is the worst,” Ninos didn’t let this chance of insulting Kyle slip.

“Kyle,” said Seraia.

Her tone of voice and expression were the same. However, her eyes were evidently furious. And this was the genuine type of anger, one even Kyle hadn’t yet seen.

“You kept her locked up in your antics for two to three years now, right? What’s all that about?”

“I…I wanted to save the world, so…”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m asking how you plan on making up for it now.”

“M-Make up for it…?” Kyle tried his best to control his tears as he started thinking.

Can’t I just help her find a partner? But I don’t know somebody like that…nor do I have many male friends, either.

Kyle found no way to resolve this situation.

“U-Um, please don’t blame him too much. It’s what I’ve chosen to do,” Sakira stood up for Kyle, which only hurt him more.

“Wh-What…should I do…?” Kyle looked around, but he and the others didn’t realize that the glimmer in Milena’s eyes had changed.

“It’s simple. You just have to take responsibility.”

“R-Responsibility?” Kyle returned the question, but there is only one meaning this could have.

“There is one individual who carries fame and honor on the level of Sakira-sama without being affiliated with a particular country. Someone who wouldn’t break down the balance of the world if he were to get married to Sakira-sama…”

As a result of Milena’s words, all the eyes in the room focused on Kyle. Even Sakira, who looked at him apologetically, while also with a bit of anticipation.

“If we boil it down, the only person who could take Sakira-sama now would be you, Kyle-sama. So, will you take her as your wife, or will you force her to spend the rest of her life in a monastery?”

Met with these two choices, there was no choice Kyle could betray the girl. Not when he knew it would bring her grief. But he still had to confirm it one last time.

“…Could I have some time with Sakira-sama?”

Milena and the others accepted this and quickly left the room after looking at Sakira.

“Sakira-sama, I… well, would love to marry you, but how do you feel?”

Kyle knew it was a pathetic way to ask such a question, but he simply had to hear it directly.

“K-Kyle-sama…”

All sorts of emotions must have been clashing inside of her, as Sakira looked at Kyle with tears in her eyes.

“I am…happy. Really happy, but…are you really fine with this?”

As she said, she showed happiness while also reflecting a glimmer of guilt.

“I know that you already have someone by your side…and multiple wonderful people, no less. I would only get in the way…”

She must be talking about Lieze and the other two.

“We’re apart in age, and my lack of knowledge of the world would probably only cause you more work… And then, I would only drag you down…” Sakira kept on lining up reasons like that.

She said all that, despite being terrified that Kyle might agree with her. However, this kind of attitude tickled Kyle’s desire to protect her, which he felt with the other girls. Even the parts that made her look odd in the eyes of others, Kyle saw them as adorable. He wanted to punch his past self for looking down on her as an unfortunate holy maiden. And although things felt rushed for Kyle, he decided to make the first step.

“I don’t feel that way at all. Rather, I would like to pay you back for everything you’ve done. But more than anything…I am indeed attracted to you.”

When he said those words, Sakira’s face turned redder than ever before.

“A-And, in the very beginning, it was just Mera-sama’s orders for you to look after me, so…”

“How it started doesn’t matter. I want to know how you feel.”

Since Sakira went into the same negative spiral, Kyle tried to gently pull her out of it.

“Do you remember when we traveled the world to prepare for the World Meeting?”

“Yes…I had a lot of fun, then.”

To Sakira, it might have been the busiest time of her life, but she enjoyed spending her time with Kyle because it was something different.

“I feel the same way…Well, I guess this is a bit stiff for us, huh?”

Granted, this is how they’d always talk, but considering that they would spend their future together, it was rather stiff.

“Anyway…let’s start being more open toward each other…okay?”

“Yes, that’s true…Though I’m afraid it will take me some time,” said Sakira as they smiled at each other.