8. Make You King

"Wow, am I the one who decides?"

"Because I'm like an attendant. Celia should decide what to do with Morrow. Well, even though it was a request to reveal the purpose, I'm not square and four-faced enough to withdraw here. I plan to stay with you until..."

Celia lowered her eyes when I told her to decide what to do.

"But to me... load wins."

"Is that so? I think Celia would be suitable...because they're similar, aren't they?"

"!"

Celia looks surprised. Even without knowing her origins, it's not hard to imagine that Celia has also gone through the same tragic experience as Morrow, considering her behavior and her purpose as a court wizard. So, when she was hired to enter the royal castle, she must have had some dangerous ways of doing things in her head.

Did she just stick to her assumptions and have no intention of carrying them out? Or was it just that Morrow got in the way and kicked him out before he could do it? I'm not sure which one, but anyway, unlike Morrow, she didn't resort to such methods. There is a decisive difference even between similar people.

And because it was not strange for the two of them to have switched positions, there shouldn't be anyone as qualified as Celia to decide Morrow's treatment.

"Currently, it is Morrow who makes the country a nation. If you hate crimes and people, it would be appropriate to kill them, but if you do that, this country may end this time… Celia can do something about it. If you don't mind, it's different."

"......"

"Idea"

Without waiting for Celia's brooding conclusion, Morrow got down on her knees and bowed her head again.

"If I have done something against Idea-sama's will, it is absolutely unforgivable. Punishment for making you feel uncomfortable, even though it was to clear your mother's grudge. Even if it's something like that, I will accept it with respect."

"If possible, kill him with your own hands." And I grabbed Morrow's face with both hands and forced him to lift up.

"Come on, Morrow. What I said to Celia is just a general theory. It's different from my theory. You killed a lot for your purpose. Is that something that you can just apologize for? I don't think so.Don't be pretentious and just wait for Celia's decision now.If she wants the death penalty, then I'll kill her.As gentle as possible, as cruel as possible."

"Yes"

"...why are you blushing?" I meant to say it harshly.

"Stop, I know that my appearance is not suitable for intimidating people." Let's put that aside and take a moment to observe. ... Hmmm, hmmm. Is that so? This is an established case.

interesting. But of course, of course it is. Come to think of it, saving Morrow when he was a baby was the trigger that led to the start of the experiment I'm doing now. But somehow, it's sad and interesting that the individual that I put in out of desperation is far more suitable than the experimental body that I've made a special device and carefully poured magic power into.

But unlike Celia, he's definitely hit a plateau here, so even though it's interesting, it's not the key to the next step. What I'm aiming for is "100", and other numbers are just zero. However, one hypothesis was established because the results were clearly different from those of our experimental subject, which had no signs of any kind. So it wasn't exactly the key, but it was at least a hint that showed where it was.

In that sense, Morrow is a rare, but invaluable opponent to me. So depending on Celia's decision, it will be disappointing from my point of view, but I'm not too worried about that. For some reason──.

"Let him continue to serve as the king's representative."

"Burndu...!?"

--because she could have predicted that she would.

"I have no right to punish him. Isn't that right? Mr. Idea."

"Come on. That's not for me to decide either."

"Then let it be my own decision. Morrow, are you willing to spend your life for this country?"

"......"

I nodded back at Morrow, who silently stared at me, and let go of his head. Then he stood up and turned to face Celia.

"Accepted. Originally, I wanted to revive the country as much as possible."

From what I heard, it seems like the servants in the castle were just kicked out and not killed, just like the other court magicians. However, the soldiers had become the king's drummers, so they turned them into puppets along with the royal family. Hmmm. I didn't kill as much as I thought. But it's still mass murder.

"I'm not going to criticize him loudly, but I can't say anything about this either."

"...Huh? Then what happened to the veteran court magician? Unlike Celia, you didn't kick him out, right?"

"That's about it... Please follow me."

seeing is believing. With that said, Celia and I left the throne room and were guided to the private room of the king whose entry was strictly restricted. There was (the corpse of) a fat king-like person lying on a huge bed with a canopy, and an old man sitting on a sofa in one corner of the room.

"Mo, Morrow-dono. Could you please explain what the hell is going on? ──What about those people over there?"

After confirming that Morrow had arrived, the old man hurriedly got up from his chair and approached him.

"Mr. Danbas! You must be safe."

"You... oh, Miss Celia! It's been about half a year, haven't you?

"That's why Danbas was the only royal court magician for a long time. Now he's my assistant."

It seems that Elder Danbas was in charge of financial management while listening to the royal family's unreasonableness. Isn't that the work of a wizard? I thought, but without his struggle, this country would have collapsed long ago. It's definitely because of this person that the country was able to maintain its body with just a piece of skin on his neck.

"That's why he's the only one who's cooperating with me without kicking him out or manipulating him. It's a coincidence, but Danbas was there, and we were able to take over the royal castle."

"At first, I was going to protect the king no matter what, but no.

Danbas said while stroking his white and bushy beard, it didn't seem like he was dragging on the death of the royal family. He just said he was working hard for his country, and he may not have had any personal affection for them.

"But I see, Morrow wasn't the only one who covered all of the state's affairs." Is that so? Can you believe it? "Even if there's one more person, it's only two people." There is no way the country can be sustained. That said, I've been able to maintain it, so far. It is also turning the rudder in a good direction for the people.

"Huh!? This girl is the Primordial Witch...! Are you sure about that, Lord Morrow?"

Morrow sternly said to Danbas, who was horrified by learning of my true identity.

"Doubt it, Danbas. It's not unreasonable. But the fact that I brought you to this room that was supposed to be absolutely inviolable is the best proof. Besides... I disrespectfully challenged Lord Idea to a fight, but I didn't know what to do. I was defeated without being able to do anything.

"What... there's no doubt about that."

"Yeah, well." Morrow, who was directly infused with high-order magic, adapted to it, and even after 20 years of training, was only to this extent... and moreover, he had reached the ceiling, so he could be called a talent. It's like you're not blessed

However, since he is somehow connected to Eidos, he will not be able to deal with ordinary wizards. Danbas must be an excellent and seasoned wizard as he has been in the royal castle for a long time, but it's not strange that he still couldn't beat Morrow. Rather, it is natural.

"Similarly, Morrow's inability to beat me is also a matter of course."

While I was thinking about this, the details of what had happened in the throne room seemed to reach Danbas.

"Then, from now on, will you reveal that Morrow-dono has taken the throne in place of the dead king?"

"I would like to do that for better and more efficient administration, but..."

"However, it will be a source of anxiety. There will be people like me who have doubts about the sudden change in the king just by not taking action."

"Is the information that the king was killed not only clears the doubts but also creates distrust towards the new king who did it?"

"There is no doubt about it. If good government continues for years and decades, it will naturally clear up, but the problem is now. The fire was extinguished without spreading due to the oppression, but the heart that has been boiled once will start a big fire again with a little opportunity.

"Then what do you do? Either accept some inefficiency and stay as you are, or accept the negative impact on public sentiment and move to a new system. There are two ways to go."

"Hmm… No, Miss Celia, it might not be so."

"What is it, Danbus? Do you have any ideas?"

"Tell me, Mr. Danbas."

"That's why..."

The three of us put our heads together and came up with a conclusion that unexpectedly got me involved as I was staring at it as someone else's business.

"──Idea-sama. Could you please allow me to be your king?"