The Tale of the Nation That Banished the Saint - Chapter 20

Episode 20: Invitation

The defeat of the Evil Dragon King Gartorcya was a success.

As a signal of the victory, a smoke signal was raised to announce the end of the threat.

Upon receiving the news, the Royal Guards hurried to the scene to recover me, who was exhausted from the battle.

In my incapacitated state due to fatigue and pain, Captain Listine of the Royal Guards used the newly formed Zopondot Army to transport the corpse of the Evil Dragon King Gartorcya to Eyles Castle.

The transportation of the Evil Dragon King’s corpse was conducted in a grand manner.

It was done to publicly display it to the people, calming their fears and boosting my reputation as the one who defeated the evil.

When the corpse of the Evil Dragon King was brought to Eyles Castle, cheers erupted from the gathered crowd.

The massive dragon carcass was like a float in a festival parade.

Upon reaching the courtyard of Eyles Castle, the body of the Evil Dragon King was dismantled and sold off, prioritizing the merchants I had been close with.

This allowed me to secure a substantial amount of personal funds.

Subsequent management of the territory went smoothly.

I selected capable individuals from among the nobles who submitted early, appointing them as close aides and executives, and treated them well.

Especially the son of the younger brother of the Zopondot family was excellent, so I assigned him a lot of work. If things go smoothly, he will inherit this territory, so there’s no need to hold back.

He’s been called a schemer by those around him, and I was concerned about his character, but so far, he’s been fine.

Those who had good relations with the former lord and were rebellious against me were punished by salary reductions, confiscations, or replacing the head of the household. However, no one had the guts to rebel.

This, too, was a blessing from defeating the Evil Dragon King.

Upon defeating the Evil Dragon King, my body underwent two changes.

One positive and one negative.

The positive change was a rapid increase in level.

Defeating the Evil Dragon King granted me an incredible amount of experience points.

With the increase in level, my physical abilities were greatly enhanced.

The negative change was a curse received from the Evil Dragon King.

The pain and heat from the curse subsided in a few days, but a jet-black pattern was engraved on my left arm, accumulating the power of the Evil Dragon King.

While becoming stronger may seem like a good thing, it’s too strong to lead a normal life.

Moreover, if I let my guard down, the Evil Dragon King’s black flames would overflow.

It’s dangerous.

—This means I can’t even hug a girl.

For a while, I refrained from using my left hand altogether and isolated myself from others.

A team led by Rosalia, focusing on intelligence, created a sealing bandage to suppress the curse, which I’m currently using.

Now I can use my left arm in daily life, and the black flames no longer appear.

The transfer of the Evil Dragon King’s corpse to Eyles Castle was followed by a year of relative peace.

Despite setbacks like bad harvests, years of oppression, monster attacks, and wars, the territory was gradually recovering, and crop yields were improving.

The merchant’s distribution network was also returning to normal.

Finally catching my breath, I felt relieved, but it seems life as the “unpopular prince” doesn’t go so smoothly.

An unpleasant research result was reported from the investigation team deciphering ancient documents found in the Zopondot Castle’s archives.

The era before the current regime of the Lysragd Kingdom.

Records from the time when Zopondot was still not under the kingdom’s umbrella.

The central area, focused around the Darufornet territory where the sealed god is said to reside, to the current capital of the Lysragd Kingdom, was described as a barren wasteland where no crops grew.

Up to this point, it was known from previous research, but more detailed records were discovered.

According to the ancient documents—

For over twenty years, there was no divine protection from the Holy Maiden in the Zopondot Kingdom and its neighboring countries, causing over half of the national territory to become a barren wasteland.

Even if temporary improvements in agricultural production are made now, without the Holy Maiden’s protection, most of the kingdom’s territory is—

Expected to become infertile wasteland in a few decades.

Even though this information is already widely known throughout the kingdom, Sophie is still my fiancée.

Executing Sophie, who is slated to become the next queen, without any notice to the current king or me—

If I overlook such a thing—

My authority will be diminished, and the kingdom’s order will collapse.

Dalforne should understand this.

He knows and yet he sent such an invitation.

Is he trying to provoke me?

—He’s underestimating me.

My left arm, cursed by the Evil Dragon King, throbs terribly.

I must deal with Dalforne no matter what.

I ordered the preparation of an envoy to Dalforne—

And instructed the Royal Guards to prepare for action.