Chapter 35: Charlotte and Resolution

"...You're a fool. All of you are fools."

Those words gave me a solid response I could feel.
I thought some care was needed, but it seems he was cornered far worse than I imagined.
Is his sister really that terrifying? Seriously, what kind of monster is she?

"F-Fool is fine with me. So? What should I do?"

Even so, I’ll lend him my strength.
The more someone is suffering, the more they need someone at their side.
Back then, no one stood by me. That’s why I know all too well how much it means.
Besides, well... being with this guy is kind of fun anyway!

"...My sister. How much do you know about Rosalind?"

"Eh? Absolutely nothing. Just that she’s a scary older sister who’s obsessed with you, Riven—like, a brocon or something."

"Bro...?"

"Ah. I mean, she just has a really strong sibling bond."

Right, “brocon” isn’t a word here. That was close. I tend to slip on that a lot, gotta be careful. Well, from the mood, he won’t dig deeper this time, so it’s fine.
Still, was it Neil who said something like that? That’s how I remember it.
Having blood relatives left is enviable, but complicated family situations... yeah, those are another kind of trouble. Maybe I was lucky, in both my past and current life.

Hearing my words, Riven nodded once.

"If I had to sum her up in a single phrase—she’s a “monster of domination.”"

"A monster of... domination?"

The grimness of that phrase made me repeat it without thinking.
A monster of domination? That’s one hell of an evaluation. What kind of life creates a person that earns such a description?

"She has other insane, monstrous abilities, but I believe her true essence lies in her information-processing capacity."

I silently nodded.

"She herself is a matchless warrior, but she has none of the naivety that lets you catch her in someone else’s schemes. On the contrary, she has the power to move everything within the framework of her own schemes. In other words, if you want to win, you’d have to completely surpass her expectations and strike."

"...Meaning?"

"I have to admit it. I can’t defeat her."

His expression as he declared that was pained beyond words.
I knew it already, but even so, I was shocked.
I didn’t think he would admit it like this. Somewhere in my heart, I still thought he was clinging to the idea of winning, of proving himself.
But even that determination had already been broken.

"She knows me well. This time too, I should assume she predicted every measure I took in advance. Ah, I’ll admit it, I admit it. I won’t spew sour grapes, not at this point."

"A-aren’t you getting a bit self-destructive? Are you okay?"

"I only regained my calm by talking. If I’d been more fired up, I might have stubbornly insisted I could win."

So it’s just that he calmed down. But still, after analyzing calmly, he admitted he couldn’t win. I see.
I guess that’s fine, then? It’s important, after all. Knowing what you lack is indispensable when facing someone above you.

Hmm. So if he loses, Riven gets dragged back, right?
Well, at least his life isn’t at stake. That’s lucky in its own way. If that’s the case, then maybe it’s not something to despair over.
As long as you live, there’s always a next chance.

When I said that, Riven’s face twisted bitterly.

"I wasn’t planning to tell you this, but to make you understand, I’ll have to explain my circumstances."

"You’re the son of some noble house, and your family came to take you back... right?"

"Not far off, but not correct either."

So I was wrong.
After a brief hesitation, he continued.

"...I am a prince of the Kingdom of Laudinal."

"Eh!?"

A prince!? I did not see that coming!
No wonder his equipment is so high-quality. Ahhh, so that’s why.
And being rich—of course, that explains it. But then why is he in this town?

The Kingdom of Laudinal... I’ve heard of it. I think it’s not part of the Alliance.
Geographically, it should be up north of this city. At least I know that much.
Ahh! Wait, I think I heard something about it being ruled by a black-haired lineage! Probably!
I feel like I heard more details too, but I forgot everything else!

"In the Kingdom of Laudinal, there’s an ongoing battle for succession to the throne."

"And that’s connected to all this?"

Riven nodded quietly.

"The conditions of the succession trial, as the king put it, are: “Bring me the most valuable treasure.”"

"The king—as in, your father, right? That’s the content of the succession war?"

"Yes. That’s why I came to this town, seeking the labyrinth’s treasure. To survive the succession war, I must present the greatest possible prize. My claim to the throne is low enough to be counted from the bottom, so I have to compensate somehow."

I see. So basically, Riven is aiming for the throne.
That explains why he was so desperate when we first met. If there’s a deadline, it’s only natural to panic. One mystery solved.

"Losing now and being dragged back means the end of my participation in the succession war. Knowing her, she’ll surely say something like “I’ll do it in your place.”"

"Ahh, so it’s that kind of thing. That’s..."

"Besides, from her perspective, I’m nothing but a failure."

"...Eh?"

Riven, a failure?
This man, with such skill in the sword, is considered a failure?

I was shocked from the bottom of my heart.
Is she even human? I feel like I finally grasped just a fragment of her abnormality.

And then it struck me.
Something I shouldn’t say aloud, but absolutely had to confirm.
Because it’s a premise we can’t just ignore.

"This might be a really hard question, but... can I ask it?"

"I don’t mind. At this point, say whatever you want."

"Is it... not allowed? To give up?"

Yes, that’s the first thing.
If, for example, losing meant he’d be executed, I’d understand. But if his sister becomes king instead, then there’s no danger, right? She clearly cares for Riven, even if her way of showing it is twisted.

From here on, the conversation would dig into the root of Riven himself.
Why he wants to become king. Why he must become king. His reason.

"Even if you give up, you won't die, right? And yet, there's still something you want to achieve?"

"...There is."

Riven’s eyes, which had been uncertain until now, suddenly burned with fire.

I instinctively pulled back a little. That was how strong the force in them was.

"All the other royals are arrogant fools who don’t care about anyone else. If they become king, the country will fall into ruin."

"Even your sister?"

"She’s the worst of them all. She sees anyone outside her bloodline as nothing more than convenient pawns. No, perhaps she thinks of everyone as mere children under her protection, all because she overestimates her own ability."

"That’s… quite the ideology."

True. I wouldn’t want a dictator in charge either.

And Riven, for all his pride, doesn’t fly into a rage just because someone teases him, and he’s willing to listen when spoken to. Thinking about it that way, he might not be a bad king at all.

Wait—so are all his siblings like that? What a rotten family dynamic!

"She might make for a brilliant strategist. But in her country, there would be no freedom at all."

"So you have an ideal of your own, Riven. To prevent that."

"Yes. There’s a vision of the kingdom I want to build. The ideal I once spoke of with a friend."

His fist clenched tightly. The weakness he had shown earlier was nowhere to be seen.

There was no hesitation. He had admitted defeat before, sunk into despair, and yet this one thing he declared he would never yield.

I couldn’t help but smile faintly. If it’s like this, he’ll be fine.

"That friend of yours… that’s the swordsman, right?"

"Yes. His name is Tenyuu. He’s the one who gave me the resolve to pursue the throne."

"Then you absolutely have to win. Both the auction and the fight."

Maybe surprised by my words, Riven turned his eyes toward me.

He looked at me as though to ask how I could be so optimistic, if I had some secret plan.

It was too funny, so I laughed hard.

"Money talks in an auction, sure. But against your sister, won’t throwing in the unexpected be enough? Well, this town is practically overflowing with the unexpected. After all—"

We might not know how much of a monster she is, but we fight monsters on a daily basis.

That’s right—this town has something unique.

"—This town has dungeons. Their treasures, their blessings—no other country has them."

Unique magic tools. Weapons and armor made from monster materials.

Adventurers here carry gear that’s like a surprise box waiting to burst open.

"Unexpected? You can’t predict it at all. Every day, we face anomalies that don’t exist anywhere else."

I spread my arms wide to emphasize just how crazy it all is.

This time, Riven was the one to laugh. I joined in.

Yeah, there’s nothing to despair about. The possibilities here are limitless. That’s this town’s greatest strength.

"If you can say all that, then you must have a concrete plan, don’t you?"

"Eh?"

"Hey."

"Uh. Right! Reynard! If we explain the situation, I’m sure he’ll cooperate!"

Hey, don’t look at me like that!

So what if I’m exasperating? I can’t help it!

Of course I don’t have a concrete plan! I don’t even know just how insane your sister actually is!

Still, I’ll do everything I can—and that means relying on Reynard.

The Crimson Bell must be hoarding a ton of dungeon gear and magic tools. I’ll have to borrow some, at least whatever he can spare personally.

I’ll owe him for it, but I’ll repay that debt later! If it means being dragged into dungeon runs and working for free, then so be it. I’ll follow him anywhere without a word of complaint.

That way, yeah, he’ll forgive me. We’ve got history, after all!

"And Trishel—she’s a mysterious one. She’s definitely hiding a few tricks of her own. We’ll make her put them on the table."

"So in the end, you’re relying on others."

"I can’t help it! The magic tools I own are all junk. I’ll bring what I can, but don’t expect much!"

"I see. Very well, I’ll trust you."

The cheerful smile on his face had no trace of the gloom from before.

"If you’re going that far, then I have no choice but to resist her in earnest."

"That’s the spirit! Beat your sister! Win the auction!"

"Yes. I intended to from the start… but it’s strange. Somehow, it feels different now."

Maybe because he found his determination again, Riven seemed more like his usual self.

Good. All that effort wasn’t wasted.

Of course, it’d be a lie to say I wasn’t worried. Could we really stand against someone who could push Riven this far? Even with Reynard and the others, would we stand a chance?

It was unknown territory.

But we had no choice.

Ah, it’s been a while since I felt this way. One wrong step and it’s over. The same feeling I had back when I wandered aimlessly, with no one to rely on.

That tense nostalgia sent a faint shiver down my spine.