GalaxyTL
* * *
Sbos was the only son, finally born to the previous Duke and Duchess after a long time of struggling to conceive.
This previous Duke and Duchess had average political skills, but they were kind, sincere, and relatively sensible nobles.
But, however.
Perhaps because he was their only child, born in their old age, they doted on young Sbos.
If he said, “I want to see a dragon”, they’d hire a skilled adventurer to capture one alive.
If he said, “I want to eat meat”, they’d feed him the finest Mekena meat every night.
And if he said, “I hate studying”… they wouldn’t make him study, and let him play all the time.
Not making a child study just because he doesn’t want to.
Even if the previous Duke and Duchess doted on Sbos, isn’t this a bit much?
That’s what an outsider might think, but the previous Duke and Duchess, who made that choice, had their reasons.
It was the time when the infamous tyrant, the previous king Nidero, ascended to the throne of Ashgo and began to wield his cruel and tyrannical power.
It seems the previous Duke and Duchess thought, “It would be dangerous if he became too smart and attracted Nidero’s attention”.
Education can wait until later.
It’s fine if he just learns basic… common sense… when he’s a little older.
We’ll train competent subordinates now and leave the management of the duchy to them.
As long as Sbos can pass on his bloodline to the next generation, that’s all that matters.
The previous Duke and Duchess, thinking that, didn’t force young Sbos to do anything he disliked.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing… I have no intention of commenting on that here.
But one thing that can be said for sure.
Is that during his childhood, Sbos was undoubtedly happy, enveloped in his parents’ love.
And what he admired, living his happy days, was the hero of the fairy tales he was read to every night, ‘The Great Hero of Justice, Kakkedo’.
A strong man, full of fighting spirit, who always overcomes adversity and never gives up.
* * *
But his happiness didn’t last long.
In the year Sbos turned 13, the previous Duke and Duchess passed away.
It was ruled an accidental death.
While heading to the royal capital, leaving Sbos behind in the duchy… their horse suddenly went wild, and the carriage they were riding in fell off a cliff.
That’s the official story.
Now, the only remaining member of the Duke family is Sbos.
At a young age, he had to inherit the Daychib Duchy.
But Sbos, for the reasons mentioned above, hadn’t received a proper education.
He can read, write, and do simple calculations, but that’s all.
He’s incapable of managing the territory or handling the duties of a noble.
Inevitably, those tasks fell to the subordinates serving the Duke family.
This is exactly the future that the previous Duke and Duchess had envisioned, albeit a little earlier than planned.
They had prepared for this, so the transition to the new Duke family regime went smoothly.
But, however.
Sbos, who hardly studied, was always selfish, and remained a child.
…The subordinates’ gazes towards him were… cold.
During this time, Sbos tended to shut himself in his room, avoiding those gazes.
Now that his parents, who had protected him, were gone, it’s as if the entire world was his enemy.
He’s a pitiful baby bird, trapped in an invisible cage of malice.
…That’s what he thought.
And what he admired, living those gloomy days, was the legendary dragon that occasionally appears in children’s literature, ‘The Golden Dragon, Arowazo Azo Azikzozo’.
A child of the Dragon God, soaring freely in the sky, unbound by anything.
* * *
As Sbos spent his days idly in his room, he became a young man.
By this time, he had become thick-skinned, for better or worse, and had learned to ignore the gazes of others.
Of course, he disliked what he disliked.
Contempt, disappointment, exasperation, ridicule…
He was particularly sensitive to such gazes from others.
Even if they were hidden behind a smile, such negative emotions directed at him, in an unguarded moment.
Sbos could sense them more keenly than anyone else.
But even then, he’d ignore those negative emotions.
No matter how others see him, he’s the Duke.
No one would openly try to do anything to him.
So, he can just ignore them.
He came to terms with that.
Now, as time passed and he became an adult, the social situation also changed dramatically.
The tyrant Nidero, who had been ruling oppressively, was slain by the ‘Grim Reaper’, a terrifyingly fearsome, ruthless, heartless, black-haired, black-eyed assassin who is rumored to live for killing.
The country of Ashgo was reborn as a country with a council system, where nobles, not the king, govern the country, a system unheard of in the Golden Continent.
But, however.
It’s important to note that even the influential nobles who mainly supported the council system…
…Did not approve of this council system.
Because in this world of Ardyst, the distance between gods and humans is quite close.
Especially in the Golden Continent, the idea that royal authority is bestowed by the gods, and that only those of royal blood who can receive divine oracles should rule the country, is deeply rooted.
Therefore, soon after the change in the national system, an envoy from the government was sent to Sbos.
To see if he could be made king.
Well, to show his loyalty to Nidero, Sbos’s right to inherit the throne was renounced while his parents were still alive.
But it’s an emergency, and they couldn’t find anyone else who inherited the royal bloodline.
They decided to ignore the details.
This situation was exploited by the Duke Faction nobles in this coup d’état, but that aside.
This envoy sent by the government.
Took one look at Sbos and thought.
“Ah, this is no good.”
He can’t be made king, even as a figurehead.
Sbos was still… a child, to the extent that he could be certain at first glance.
If that’s the case.
The next step is to make Sbos have a child.
The child will be immediately taken away from Sbos and raised as an ideal king.
That’s what the nobles were thinking.
Sbos had no objections to this plan.
He didn’t even complain about having his child taken away.
Because raising a child would be a hassle, and he didn’t think he could do it.
So, brides were sent to Sbos one after another.
Yes… ‘one after another’.
In other words, many.
Because.
Sbos couldn’t have children.
This fact was finally acknowledged after confirming that the 10th woman couldn’t conceive.
The people in charge at the time were heavily criticized for having to hurt the lives of 10 women to arrive at that conclusion.
Now, this fact, that Sbos can’t have children.
It was… something no one paid attention to.
…But it also deeply, deeply hurt Sbos’s heart.
After all, he was a man who was taught that ‘all he has to do is pass on his bloodline’.
It doesn’t matter if he’s incompetent or disliked by others.
As long as he can pass on his bloodline, that’s enough.
Sbos lived his life believing that.
But he couldn’t do it.
It was a cruel fact.
Naturally, he was subjected to intense malice from those around him.
Perhaps because they valued the royal bloodline, he wasn’t physically attacked, and he was still protected, with the government sending personnel to manage the duchy for him.
But.
For the people around him, Sbos had become nothing more than a ‘useless good-for-nothing who eats up money and has no value’.
How deeply those gazes…
…Stabbed into the sensitive heart of Sbos.
What he, deeply hurt and alone at the time, admired was the villain from an adult novel, ‘The Beautiful Demon Queen, Actorley IV’.
A bewitching Demon Queen who brutally, cruelly, and gruesomely… and joyfully laughing, massacred people and destroyed countries.
* * *
After that, Sbos became self-destructive.
His eccentric behavior became even more noticeable.
No one said anything to him.
Because Sbos had a fixed annual budget, and he never exceeded it.
As long as he follows the financial rules, that’s enough.
The rest is ignored.
That was how everyone treated the figurehead Duke.
And in that environment, he met the jester.
This jester, who appeared from nowhere, whispered to Sbos.
‘Don’t you want to be king?’.
He wasn’t particularly interested.
But he was interested in the process… the rebellion against the country.
To bite back at the people who have looked down on him as a ‘good-for-nothing’ until now.
It seemed like… something exhilarating.
Whether it succeeds or fails, he doesn’t care.
‘I want to try it’.
He thought.
So Sbos nodded deeply at the jester.
This jester saw Sbos as a ‘foolish old man, blinded by ambition and unaware of his place’.
This jester was also one of the people who looked down on and tried to manipulate Sbos.
But Sbos didn’t particularly dislike this jester.
Because this jester looked down on everyone in the world, not just Sbos.
Sbos understood that very well.
He may be considered a man who grew up without effort, his heart remaining a child, but…
His ability to observe humans… has grown more than anyone else.
How can such a person be raised?
Sbos liked observing this jester.
It was interesting to watch him.
That’s what ‘not particularly disliking’ means.
* * *
Now.
After living a long, long life.
La Sbos Daychib is currently dreaming his ‘last dream’.
The dream of ‘wanting to be strong’.
What does strength mean to him?
It’s the characters he’s admired all his life.
For him, a strong person is ‘The Great Hero of Justice, Kakkedo’.
For him, a strong person is ‘The Golden Dragon, Arowazo Azo Azikzozo’.
For him, a strong person is ‘The Beautiful Demon Queen, Actorley IV’.
Therefore.
* * *
The Duke’s mansion garden, tastelessly illuminated at night.
The green goo that Emi was facing, after swallowing the jester who was dancing next to it, continued to grow.
Until it finally swelled to the size of a three-story building.
And then, with a shudder.
It began to deform at an incredible speed!
It, which was just a green, egg-shaped mass!
Extended a long neck and a tail!
And grew four thick legs and two wings!
It took the shape of a giant dragon with a menacing face!
And from the dragon’s right shoulder, a giant male upper body emerged!
He was a dignified, stern-faced man, clad in heavy armor and carrying a giant large sword!
And from the dragon’s left shoulder emerged another giant, this time female, upper body!
It was a beautiful woman, her bewitching body wrapped in a grotesquely beautiful armor-like dress, a cruel smile on her face!
This giant, green monster.
Turned all six of its eyes towards Emi and.
“IGYABAROHAGABAJINIYARAGABABABABAAAAAAAーーー!!!”
With an incomprehensible, terrifying scream!
It charged towards Emi…!!