Herscherik (Reincarnated Prince Series)

Chapter VIII Return and Re-enactment of Sickness and Tragedy Part II

Three days after his brother Marx fell, the royal castle was quiet. Neither that nor impossibility. There will be no one who can be optimistic about the current state in which the king has fallen, Marx, the number one successor to the throne, and all the royalties in the king's capital, except Hershelik. Especially if you are a man who knows the times of the predecessors, because the present situation is very similar to what was described as a royal tragedy.

Hershelik hasn't been able to see his family for the past three days. Hershelik, the only healthy royalty in the Wang capital and a credit to the war ahead, is now highly popular with the people. If that's what he's going to fall for the same disease, I don't know how the country leans. Yes, Hershelik couldn't get me through without being bowed down by his elderly subordinates.

Since the King's absence was governed by his subordinates, Hershelik did not do anything in particular, nor was he willing to do anything, and only time went by for nothing.

Sitting on the sofa at the window, looking out at the weather sky from the window, sometimes leaking a deep sigh. The leaders watched with concern, but could not find a good word for it, and the room inevitably quieted down.

As if to break such silence, Crowe brought in to him the news that someone from the police station wanted to meet him. When I met him, that was the head of the department entrusted with the security of the Royal Castle.

"My lord, my apologies.

He opened his mouth in awe and apologetic terms.

"The people of Castle Town gathered to meet His Highness..."

"Eh?"

Hershelik flashes at unexpected words. To Hershelik, whose thoughts have not kept up, he continued his words.

"From the day after His Highness Hershelik went to war, he worried about His Highness or the people of the castle came to the castle.

When His Royal Highness went missing, he pushed dozens of people into trouble, but General Ordis ruled it by chance.

"But it was also widespread in the castle town that the royalty had fallen, and after His Highness had returned the other day, the people pushed him to the castle gate and asked him whether His Highness was safe or not.

Hershelik, who had been drawn to his room since his return, is surprised not to know that it was happening outside. At the same time, I couldn't believe his words.

"Really?"

"Yes, we are already hampered in our work. Your Highness, I'm sorry, but please persuade everyone.

Hershelik nodded half-heartedly at his words.

And a few dozen minutes later, Hershelik, who came to the main gate leading to Castle Town, found out that his words were not false. There is a square between the front gate leading to the castle and the door to the royal castle. It is a splendid and luxurious main entrance, with perfectly maintained plants, flower beds and stone structures, like gardens, placed beside the stone paths that allow you to get on and off the carriage, and not be ashamed of the name of the great kingdom of Gracis. It was usually a place for nobles, high-ranking officials, and diplomats from other countries to go, but now it was overflowing with the people of the castle town.

From the old to the children, fifty men and women are slightly over. Hershelik doubted his own eyes when he saw the sight of possibly nearly a hundred people.

Oran, who was holding back Hershelik, who had hardened, puts his hand on his shoulder and pushes forward. Then the man who was at the forefront spotted Hershelik and raised his voice.

"Everyone, His Highness Hershelik is here!

Cut off its voice, Hershelik is quickly surrounded by people.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

It was my aunt at the grocery store who called me that. He was the first person who carefully taught me how to use the tools I saw.

"I'm glad you look good! Is the king all right?... No, sir?

It is the cheerful husband of the eight hundred houses who reworded it in polite language that I am not so used to. He showed me unfamiliar vegetables and rare vegetables, and sometimes even let me taste them.

"That's the same thing, but didn't you go to war and get caught in the dark? You were so worried when I heard you were missing, weren't you?

The woman who ran the glossy voice is the lady master of the flower city. I'm on the brink of helping Oran where she was troubled by the aristocratic man, but working at night she usually should have been asleep at this hour.

"Mr. Lyoko, Mr. Lyoko!

"Are you okay? How are you? Are you okay?"

If I pulled the sleeve of my clothes and turned my gaze, the children I played with often looked up. When their parents say, "Here, say prince." I cautioned, "but I don't know. They just floated a question mark.

"Ladies and gentlemen……………………."

Hershelik pushes his way in and spins his words.

"Why not? I was... I was fooling you all.

I thought they would leave if they were known to be royalty. On the other hand, I wish I could have been with them as long as I could. In the end, Hershelik took the latter and was unable to reveal it until the last day.

Everyone looks at each other at the bewildered Hershelik.

"I don't know.

"You see?"

Everyone in the castle town twisting their necks, not knowing what to explain. A woman with a big stomach appeared to sew their gap like that.

"That's because we all like Lady Lyoko… Hershelik.

"Mr. Louis!? And your husband. Are you okay to walk!?

First, Louis smiles the same way he always smiles at Hershelik, who worries about his body.

"I'm sorry. Even though I didn't know it before, say a lot.

The castle town, on the other hand, was bustling with discontent with royalty and nobility. In it, Hershelik always had a bright, sunny smile on his face. But now the smile is cloudy.

"But that is……."

Hershelik understands. Because what the country did to them was terrible. I know that they endured repression and struggled every day. On the side they struggled with, the royals and nobles sat on top of it and lived wealthy lives.

"Besides, many people died this time……"

I read Barbasse's hand, I read the Empire's hand, and I tried to make sure that the damage was minimal so that I could assume and avoid the worst myself. But still, the damage could not be zero. If we made it a number, the damage would have been minimized compared to past battles. But that's just what I saw from above.

In the first ambush, Roy lamented that his friend was dead. Even though that was the role of the soldiers, Hershelik is irritated by helplessness when you think about them and their families and the people around them who are dying.

Nobody wants to make a sacrifice. I'm not even willing to. But as a result, there are no more human beings to be sacrificed. Between ideals and reality, Hershelik suffers, dominated by helplessness.

"But Lyoko did her best.

It will be hard with a big stomach, Louis kneels down and causes Hershelik's cheek, which has leaned down, to look up with both hands. Somehow he had a shadow of a girl who had been there before.

"You owe it to Lyoko to make this country somehow more livable, didn't you?

Everyone around me nods at Louis, who smiles away.

"Yes, not just this time. You've always helped us, noble or civilian.

They all know. That an aristocratic young man named Lyoko was driving east and west across the city with a young man with dark hair and an orange-haired swordsman. And I was wondering if the story of the "Prince of Light", which the bard says, was actually about him.

"It's sad to think about the people who died. Maybe some people resent it. But I'm sure there are people who have been kept alive because of you.

A big hand is placed on Hershelik's head. When I looked up, Louis' husband, who was as big as a bear, had a fruit shop husband.

"One day humans will die. But you don't have to hold all that death. We don't even have to forget about the dead.

"Sir..."

Words usually uttered by silent fruit shop pavilion owners. I felt weakened by the feeling of powerlessness that was only slightly eroding me.

"You convinced me that Lyoko was a prince.

"Oh, and I thought I didn't throw this country away, either. I didn't think we'd hold on either!

"Ladies and gentlemen……………………."

Hershelik laughs naturally at them as he always does in Castle Town. The place where I was supposed to say goodbye came back and lightened my heart even further. Such Hershelik's clothes were pulled again. The children looked up worried.

"Do I have to say Prince anymore? Can't we see each other anymore?

"Oh no - I want to see you!

Kids who say so and hug with half a cry. Hershelik strokes the heads of such children.

"Thanks......... Thanks, guys.

Hershelik says thank you from the bottom of his heart.

I was always trying to protect you. But I think they might be the last ones to protect me. So I guess, the desire to protect becomes even stronger.

(I want to be here. I want to be a prince.

This is my new place to be born again.

Surrounded by people, Hershelik shudders. The smile was the same smile as the noble young lady they once called Lyoko.

One girl staring at Hershelik like that, Vio, relieves hershelik when she sees him safe.

Things were a little strange before he went to war. It's like you've got it all figured out, and then you're ready for it. Vio regretted that he could not be pursued at that time and later went to war and disappeared. But Vio is satisfied to see him come back alive. You don't have to talk to yourself. Vio just wishes he was alive.

"Vio, are you okay?

Colette was leaning her neck right next door. We were so twitchy until yesterday, and even though we came here today as soon as we finished helping and studying at the orphanage, Colette thought it would be okay for us to talk about the situation. But Vio shook his head beside Colette's words.

"It's okay. Just seeing Master Hershelik healthy.

That being said, Vio turned his back and walked out, and Colette alternately looked at her and the Prince before chasing after Vio.

Hershelik didn't notice her leaving and raised his hand as Louis suppressed his stomach with one hand as he tried to move out to say hello to everyone in the square, freed from the children.

"Oh, by the way, I'm sorry.

"Mr. Louis?

"We're going to have a baby.

To her statement, the air in the square froze.

Yesterday, when Louis became temporarily noisy about the statement he was about to make, Louis then safely gave birth to a healthy girl. Hershelik, who somehow was to be present at the birth as it were, rejoiced and blessed as he did about me.

Today, the day after there was such a congratulatory noise, Hershelik had a difficult face and confronted Crowe. He told the visitors. "The minister is here to see me," he said.

"…… Okay. Let me through."

Hershelik told Cro so and grabbed the silver ancient beauty hourglass in his hand.

When I invite a minister into the room, I illusion that the air has become heavier. Hershelik and Barbasse are alone in the room. Hershelik pushed Crowe and Oran, wishing to be present, and while standing in the center of the room, they turned to him.

"Your Highness, I can see in your heart.

The minister says so with a sinking face and drips his head off. As a subordinate, I guess. But if I knew it depended, Hershelik would be ridiculous because he knew that the minister was just making it look good. Hershelik grabbed the pocket watch in his pocket instead of pounding his tongue.

"Pre-Construction is fine.

So Hershelik did not wear his usual warm prince mask and said coldly with a shooting gaze.

"I'm not here to talk about that. Don't waste your time talking about requirements.

To the words the minister lifts his head and narrows his hazelnut eyes, looking down at Hershelik.

"…… Hmm, a hateful hungry ghost.

"That's mutual, isn't it?

Head-on, Hershelik says back. To him like that. Barbasse opened his mouth after sounding his nose.

"It's a deal. If you do what I say without turning everything against you, I will save the lives of all royalty.

"Am I allowed to say that here?

Hershelik doubted his ears at the words of Barbasse, which had no pre-construction or decoration.

"Oh, I guess you don't want to talk about it in vain, do you?

Hershelik smiles at the old man in front of him with a bitter, bitter look.

(Has the skin been peeled at last?

I am convinced that he is in an absolute advantage over himself over holding the lives of his father and brothers. That's why they're making intimidating threats without even hiding them.

Hershelik grips the pocket watch even harder while holding it.

"What are we going to do?

A minister with a spare smile asked for an answer to the prince with a distressed expression, which would also have been in his expression.

"……… I just want you to tell me two things.

Hershelik said with a squeezing voice.

"Did you set Klaus up too?

"Klaus?"

"It's about Count Luceria, whom you set up at my three-year-old banquet.

Yeah, Barbasse nodded in memory of that guy.

"He's a fool, though I wish I had grown up at the time I lost my wife and child. Until I disposed of it because it was so noisy for the country.

But he also made the most of it, the minister continues.

"I was able to get people together. It was easy to clean.

Thanks to Count Luceria's collection of inconvenient people, the Minister said he had no choice but to look for his inconvenient person.

When I hear that answer, I get more and more strength in the clock holding Hershelik's pocket watch. But I didn't put it on my face, and I asked the next question.

"Why did you kill my own daughter... Gene?

"Kill Gene? No, I hear Gene died sheltering His Royal Highness the Prince?

Hershelik pointed a sharp gaze at the words. The minister talks lightly like he talks about the weather, only by clapping his neck once in that gaze.

"It's a simple story. I just disposed of the unnecessary pawns.

"Still a parent!!

"That's just what that girl was saying, isn't it? My real daughter wouldn't have acted stupid.

I don't think it's my own child from the start. Hershelik bites his back teeth off to him that he just used it and threw it away.

But Barbasse raised the corner of his mouth with such a hershelik.

"Is that all we're talking about? Then I'll have you do as I say later. First of all, yes, let me ask you to be king.

Like then, to make it a convenient doll.

Hershelik has the support of the people. If he were to be king like that, the grievances of the people would be temporary but calming. Barbasse turns his mind around, saying that Soldier, the current king, has been deported on the grounds of illness, and that if the other royals take the same reason, he will stand before the building.

"Yeah, well, I'll have the sole given to me by that girl back.

"This is……"

Hershelik touches the piercing reflexively. Barbasse offered his hand to Hershelik, who was half-step down.

"I know what I brought up. If I disappeared from each of you, there would have been no problem... but it was a condition.

To Barbasse, who does not even say whether or not, Hershelik regrettably distorted his face, but when he removed the piercing, he gave it to him.

"Oh, and did you say Roy? I want you to tell me where the boy is.

"……… Why?

"You wouldn't have to ask, would you?

He is the only person who knows what the minister did that was hidden in this battle. Conversely, what the Minister had plotted would not have been leaked to the outside world without him.

Roy was an important witness to Hershelik in uncovering the minister's evil. He has also seized people who had been secretly fathered by ministers, including Theodore. Theodore and the others are currently in the military wing, but Roy asked the Marquis Ordis family to hide them. There is no safer place in the capital than their home. But Hershelik, who holds his family's life hostage, had no room to defy the minister.

Having heard Roy's whereabouts, the minister nodded with satisfaction and deliberately thanked his servants.

"Thank you for your continued support, Your Majesty the Next King.

Barbasse turned his back on Hershelik and headed for the door. Seeing Hershelik over his back, Barbasse feels superior to him holding himself down and shaking his shoulders.

(Interpretation, child of that king.

That king also took flesh parents over the people. No matter how ideal you put it, in the end, it's people who give themselves priority over others.

(This prince is no different than that king. This country is no different...... this country is mine.

Yes, Barbasse snorted and put his hand to the door.