Chapter 1598 - 225 - The New King Of Bethlan (7)
I remained silent for several long moments as I stared at her without saying a single word.
Was it really possible for a single person to protect an entire kingdom all by themselves? That honestly shouldn’t have been possible in any reasonable situation. Although I had heard the story about some people accomplishing unbelievable feats in the past, the idea that one individual alone could stand as a shield and defend every single citizen from complete destruction still sounded completely absurd to me.
"Ha! You’re bluffing!" I said with a grin spreading across my face as I looked straight into her eyes. "There’s no way in hell someone like that is actually capable of pulling something that ridiculous off."
Something like that simply couldn’t exist.
At least, that was exactly what I kept telling myself over and over again in an attempt to convince myself that I wasn’t being fooled.
"I’m not bluffing," the Queen replied calmly without the slightest trace of hesitation in her voice. "I mean, you can already tell that much yourself, can’t you?"
I stared directly into her eyes, searching for even the smallest crack in her confidence.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint that she was making any of this up. She wasn’t trying to deceive me, nor was she desperately feeding everyone comforting lies to keep the panic under control. The confidence written across her face wasn’t something she was forcing either. It was the confidence of someone who genuinely believed every single word coming out of her mouth.
That was exactly what bothered me the most.
Even after seeing that confidence firsthand, I still refused to believe her.
Something like that simply couldn’t exist in this world.
"Hahahaha!" I burst into laughter right in front of her without bothering to hide my amusement. "Fine, then believe whatever you want. If you honestly think someone like that can protect this entire kingdom from an actual destroyer, then go right ahead and keep believing it. Reality is just going to smash that fantasy into pieces over and over again until nothing is left!"
My gaze shifted away from the Queen before sweeping across the countless people who had remained silent while listening to our exchange this whole time.
I pointed directly toward them with a confident smile on my face.
"All of you are going to die! Every single one of you is going to be reduced to rubble!" I shouted loudly enough for everyone present to hear me. "And you’re seriously going to believe this inexperienced Queen when she tells you that one person can protect all of you? Even the castle belonging to the Sin of Sloth was destroyed! Do you honestly believe this kingdom can somehow avoid the exact same fate? Something like that doesn’t exist! This Queen is only telling you all of this because she’s trying to stop everyone from panicking before the inevitable happens!"
I laughed again before continuing my speech without giving anyone the chance to interrupt me.
"If there really was someone that capable all along, then where the hell is he? Why isn’t he standing right here protecting all of you himself? Why would he choose to be somewhere else while this entire kingdom is about to be bombed into oblivion? Doesn’t that already tell you everything you need to know?"
As I continued my tirade, expecting fear and despair to spread through the crowd...
The Queen laughed softly instead.
"Fufufufu..."
The quiet sound immediately made me turn toward her with an irritated glare.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" I demanded while narrowing my eyes at her.
"Nothing in particular," she answered with a small smile that somehow made her look even calmer than before. "I just find it amusing that someone leading the rebellion, and someone who managed to convince so many influential political figures to stand against Bethlan, relies almost entirely on loud speeches."
She let out another gentle laugh before shaking her head ever so slightly.
"Although, I suppose that much was to be expected from someone like you."
"What...?"
I could only stare at her in complete confusion for a brief moment before she spoke again.
She met my gaze without showing even the slightest hesitation or uncertainty.
"Why do you think he isn’t here?" she asked in an almost casual tone.
Then she slowly turned toward the people gathered around us.
"That’s because, at this very moment, he’s handling everything by himself."
The crowd listened to her words in complete silence without anyone daring to interrupt.
Although fear still lingered on many of their faces, I could clearly feel the atmosphere beginning to change around us. Little by little, the people who had looked completely terrified only moments ago were starting to trust the Queen more than they trusted me.
I couldn’t help gritting my teeth in frustration.
"Lies!" I shouted as loudly as I could. "Even if he really is out there somewhere, then so what?! Those people have guns! They’ve got flying machines! They have enough firepower to erase this entire kingdom! What exactly can one person possibly do against all of that by himself?!"
The Queen smiled without the slightest sign of doubt crossing her face.
"There is nothing my Leon cannot do."
Her voice wasn’t loud at all.
Still, it carried an unwavering confidence that somehow echoed throughout the entire area far more effectively than any shout could have.
She looked back toward the crowd once again before speaking with absolute certainty.
"There is nothing the new King of Bethlan cannot accomplish."
The moment those words left her lips, the entire crowd froze in stunned silence.
The new King of Bethlan?
Even I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her in complete disbelief after hearing those words.
The knight standing quietly beside her didn’t react at all.
His expression remained completely unchanged, almost as though he had expected those words to be spoken eventually.
So, what she’s saying really was true.
Bethlan truly had a new king now.
While I was still struggling to process everything she had just revealed, I suddenly felt the air around us become noticeably heavier than before.
Something was approaching us very quickly from somewhere beyond the horizon.
The pressure in the atmosphere shifted dramatically, and a familiar mechanical sound echoed through the skies above.
The loud whirring of countless rotating metal blades steadily grew closer with every passing second.
"Kukukuku..." I began laughing quietly to myself as the sound became clearer.
Soon enough, that laughter became louder until everyone around me could hear it.
"You are all finished!" I shouted excitedly while pointing toward the sky. "They’re here! They’ve finally arrived exactly as planned!"
Behind me, the flying machines sent by the Republic slowly appeared in the distance, their silhouettes becoming clearer as they approached the kingdom.
Before I had come here, I had already given the Republic’s commander very specific orders.
If I failed to return safely...
If anything unexpected happened to me during this mission...
He was to bomb the kingdom without the slightest hesitation, regardless of whether I was still inside it or not.
That had always been my final sacrifice from the very beginning.
This kingdom deserved to be punished for everything it had done.
"You are all going to die!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, unable to stop myself from laughing as the machines continued drawing closer.