Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

Book 8: Chapter 8

“Poor Garadoff-sama. You’ve certainly grown into quite the teaser, Kyle-sama.”

Milena watched Garadoff walk off as she approached Kyle with a judgmental tone. That said, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Well, I was the one who agreed to this, too, so I’m an accomplice,” she said and smiled.

Kyle had previously explained the circumstances to Milena, and made it so that Gilbohl would not hear any news about this World Meeting here.

“I’m sorry to ask something this weird of you…But, I had to make sure he wouldn’t be able to break free from these shackles. I need the elves and dwarves to make progress toward each other.”

“Please, don’t worry. I could never decline a favor for you, Kyle-sama,” she looked at him with a passionate gaze, standing awfully close to him.

“No, I really asked a lot of you…And it all worked out because of your assistance. Thank you so much,” Kyle tried to remain humble and polite, attempting to change the topic.

“Oh please, this is nearly not enough to repay everything you’ve done.”

And yet, Milena went around in a circle to get back to it. He was pressed against the wall, unable to escape. Her expression remained formal yet passionate, as she thanked him once more.

“Please let me thank you again for saving my life. And for protecting Zilgus…I cannot thank you enough,” she showed a deep bow.

If not for Kyle and his party, the death of Prince Eldorand would have led to a war with Zilgus, caused by the evil hands of the Mera Cult. They saved Milena’s life twice, so naturally, she felt the need to properly repay him.

“P-Please raise your head! I don’t deserve such kind words…!”

And yet, Kyle panicked. Normally, being on the receiving end of a princess bowing like this should not happen to him. Even now, that very simple action of hers was causing an uproar around them, as people were watching from afar, whispering to themselves.

“Please. If there is someone who needs to voice their gratitude, it shall be us.”

There, Korodes appeared.

“Minister Korodes…”

“Kyle-dono, please let me thank you as well. It was thanks to your efforts that we could bring a halt to the civil war in such a brief time. I have no words to express my gratitude. You have saved our Galgan Empire, so we will support you whenever we can.”

Since Korodes bowed just like Milena did, this caused another ruckus going on. As the minister of the Empire and right hand to Benedix, Korodes possibly even held more influence than the Emperor himself. And seeing him bow to another individual was unthinkable.

“Korodes-sama? Do you mind? I’m actually talking with Kyle-sama right now.”

“Oh, I apologize. However, I would have loved to have a proper conversation with him, so could I possibly ask you to give us some space?”

The two were smiling at each other, but their eyes were dead-serious. Both of them were set on talking with Kyle, unwilling to back down. And then, Kyle realized. They were showing their gratitude, but not because they wanted to. After all, Kyle’s value as an individual had risen drastically. He was already a celebrity after receiving the title of [Dragon Slayer], and now he planned the World Meeting by himself, which is utterly unprecedented. But the biggest of all is that he managed to make even the Holy Kingdom Sura act. Princess Sakira was the direct successor to the center of the continent and religious zenith, and she was also one of the only three people in the world who could use supreme-tier magic, yet she had never shown herself at any public event. Because of this scarcity, her popularity only skyrocketed.

And even though many countries tried to visit her, or in return invite her, she would never show up. Yet now, by Kyle’s request, she became an active mediator in this World Meeting, allowing the other leaders to meet her for the first time. The details of this happening may be shrouded in mystery, but when the world understood that through Kyle, Sakira and the Holy Kingdom would act, it changed everything. On top of that, the surprise prepared for tomorrow’s meeting was even more unthinkable. Milena and Korodes were informed beforehand, and so they knew that Kyle’s value as an individual would rise drastically after that day.

Right now, Kyle had become an individual who could influence all of humanfolk. That is why they were aggressively closing in on him for their own benefit. They wanted to show the other party that they had already formed an amicable relationship with him, and to shut them off. Of course, partially, this was also to protect Kyle, but the benefit of their country came first. It was an unexpected result, and Kyle had anticipated that this would happen. Plus, without their help, this World Meeting would never even have taken place, and he was still relying on their force now. He couldn’t just brush them off.

“That won’t do. My life has been saved by none other than Kyle-sama, so I must thank him properly.”

“You say that, but his Excellency Maizer and I consider him a dear friend already.”

“Did you know that Kyle-sama was born in our very Zilgus? He has received his medal of honor already, so he has become a pillar of support for us…”

“That said, both his parents were born in our great country, and his great mother was our former court mage. Not only that, but even his dear little sister was born on our ground, so I would say we are much closer…”

Korodes comment reminded Kyle that his little sister had been born, but he was too busy to even go see her. Of course, he couldn’t avoid reality forever. He had to get out of this situation, but right as he wanted to interrupt them.

“Oh, this is where you have been—Ah.”

The biggest reason why Kyle’s popularity skyrocketed, Princess Sakira, approached him with a relieved expression. She seemingly had been looking for Kyle this whole time, finally at peace that she had found him, but when she saw the other two, she froze up completely. And with Sakira’s arrival, things turned even more noisy. The minister from the Empire, the princess from Zilgus, and the Holy Maiden, it was like a holy trinity of influential people. Everybody would have loved to join the mix, but none of them actually dared to. And then there was Kyle, standing in the center of it all.

“…Oh, Princess Sakira.”

“A good day to you, Sakira-sama.”

Both Milena and Korodes stopped their fighting and greeted the new arrival politely, their smiles frozen. If it was anybody else, they may have been able to interact with her, but neither of them knew anything about Princess Sakira. Not only that, they didn’t know what her relationship was with Kyle, so if they wanted to get the most out of this, they both had to be careful. And since neither of them showed any further reaction, Sakira wasn’t unsure of how to act, either. It may look complicated, but the real chaos creator behind all this…was Sakira, because she didn’t read the mood at all and just accidentally entered the conversation. Kyle looked at her to ask for help, but she was one step from breaking out in tears.

“Um…I wanted to inform you that the final participant has arrived…” Sakira achieved her duty and reported this to Kyle.

“Really?! So they finally made it? That’s a relief.”

Kyle was evidently relieved.

“If you would excuse me, I have an important duty to fulfill,” said Kyle and excused himself.

Sakira didn’t want to be left behind, so she followed him.

“Good for you…Now we can truly start the meeting,” Sakira said with a relieved expression, but her tired expression sent a knife into Kyle’s chest.

“Princess Sakira…I’m sorry for asking so much of you.”

“No, I’m glad I could be of help. It is my duty, after all…”

It was an order from the Goddess Mera, urging Sakira to help Kyle as much as she could. Kyle has been relying on that while sending her all over the continent on missions. However, he knew all too well that, deep down, Sakira was a kind and understanding woman. She always struggled to interact with people, so having her wander across the earth to hold discussions was definitely a big undertaking.

“…I know what is at stake here. You seek to save all of humanfolk.”

Sakira was one of the people who knew of the [Great Invasion]. She must have understood how Kyle felt and showed a warm smile befitting the title Holy Maiden.

“Thank you very much. I’ll do whatever it takes to succeed,” Kyle confidently responded.

Kyle said he had some urgent business to attend to and said his goodbye to Sakira, as he headed to the landing spot for the Wyverns. Leaving the cage was a youthful man in his late 30s with a mustache. Kyle ran over and took his hand.

“Prince Sharidan…Thank you so much for coming today.”

The man called Sharidan was actually the oldest prince of the militaristic country of Taihon, located to the north. Convincing them to join today was one of the hardest tasks, and it was a gamble if they’d join until the very end. Seeing him here, Kyle could finally sigh in relief. After all, Taihon and Galgan had been one step away from a war. They had agreed to assist Zilgus in the event that the Empire would attack during the Civil War incident. The current king Mordau was dead set on not letting this rest, but it was the oldest prince Sharidan who suggested putting an end to this. Meanwhile, Kyle saw this as the chance for them all to reconcile, now that both Zilgus and the Empire agreed to participate.

“Oh my, Kyle-dono. Come to greet me? Much obliged.” Sharidan tightly grasped Kyle’s hand.

“Is everything going well back in your country?”

“I managed to have them stand down…And the abdication for my father has been decided, too.”

“Is that so…”

In the end, the disagreement between father and son drove the country in a bad direction, and Kyle showed his regret—or pretended to, at least.

“It is nothing you must worry about, Kyle-dono. My father wished for war because of his own selfish reasons, but he cannot get our dear country involved in his desires. And now that he isn’t feeling well, this is the perfect chance.”

“Then I guess…the timing is good. Excuse my intrusiveness.”

“No, it is as you say, we are in luck. Anyway, you are our savior, Kyle-dono. The messiah who saved our dear Taihon.”

“I think it’s a bit too early to say that. It all depends on the meeting.”

“Of course…The Empire is willing to start a ceasefire, right?”

“Yes. No doubt about it,” Kyle confidently said.

The participants of the Empire had said so, after all.

“Honestly, I still find it rather hard to believe…” Sharidan shook his head with a stern expression.

It was all too convenient in his eyes, that he believed there must be some hidden trick to it.

“And even if it was true, how much will they ask of us…”

Ceasefires come in all sorts of shapes and forms. In this case, Taihon is clearly at a disadvantage, so the Empire might ask for far too much.

“On an official level, I might not be able to offer much help, but I wish for peace myself…so I’ll assist you as much as I can.”

“…Much obliged,” Sharidan thanked Kyle, seeming a bit taken aback.

“Then, shall we be on our way? Princess Milena and Minister Korodes must be waiting.”

“I don’t like it all too much, but we cannot make them wait. Let us be off,” Sharidan stepped ahead, feeling like he was about to head off to war.

Kyle didn’t go after him immediately and instead left a bit of space between them. He did say he would assist as much as he could, but he couldn’t be too obvious about it. He’d just see how things unfold and then join in if the situation allowed for it. After seeing Sharidan off, Kyle could feel a shadow approaching him.

“Seems like things are working out,” Kyle knew who that shadow was and spoke up without turning around.

“Like I said, I don’t fail my job. Well, the assassination was easy-peasy,” Minagi said as she puffed out her chest in pride.josei

Her job this time was to get into Taihon and make sure that King Mordau ended up in a state unable to continue his reign so that someone else would have to take over the position of the king. For that, she snuck into his sleeping quarters and continued to slowly poison him.

“If King Mordau were to die now, Prince Sharidan would be the prime suspect. Having him weakened and bedridden is much better.”

Kyle also met King Mordau before, but there was no convincing him. He was far too focused on his own desires and uncaring of anybody else. In his younger days, he rose in the ranks and defeated monsters that threatened the poor citizens, acting as the leader of a militaristic country. However eventually, he became too obsessed with his own glory and became a fake hero.

“It is quite pitiful. In reality, Sharidan should have dragged him out here, but even that was impossible,” Kyle sighed but had to accept this fate.

After all, Sharidan had always admired his father. That’s why it was up to Kyle to handle things.

“So, how is he doing?”

“Can’t put any strength in his limbs anymore. Slowly losing consciousness, too. No doubt his heart must be broken.”

“I see…What about his life?” Kyle wanted to make sure.

“Yes, once the poison is not administered anymore, he will make a recovery within half a year to one full year.”

In this much time, Sharidan should be able to get the country’s affairs under control. Taihon should be fine.

“…Do you think that prince has realized?”

“It’s a bit too convenient to be a mere coincidence. He might have an idea, but he called me a messiah before, so he won’t be causing any problems.”

Sharidan was an understanding individual, and he only wished for the best of everyone, so Kyle wanted to keep his father alive.

“I also prepared another drug. Just what you asked for.”

“Thanks a lot. Now the final problem is Princess Milena. I know it can’t be helped after what happened, but how do we improve things?” Kyle scratched his head.

Watching this, Minagi shook her head.

“You’ve got a lot on your plate, huh?”

“I’m just glad you’re helping me get rid of my headache.”

Minagi mostly handled any duties meant to be done in the shadows, which is also what she excelled at. However, they needed someone to act as the representative in the light, which cost him a lot of energy every day.

“Honestly, I just wanna laze around, sleeping and eating…Why do I have to suffer like this? Can’t somebody take over for me?” Kyle looked up at the sky as he grumbled.

It was something he had to do, and he chose to follow this fate, but sometimes he just wanted to take a break.

“I always thought you were a weirdo who never showed what he was thinking, but you were just desperate all this time.”

“You saw me as a weirdo?”

“Well, you can do it. I’ll be with you until the very end,” Minagi said and tapped Kyle on the shoulder, as her presence disappeared.

Kyle cheered up a bit thanks to that and tackled the next problem.