The moment I climbed onto Noctis's back, I could tell at once that, though I did not usually care for riding horses, this was unquestionably a fine steed.
The more I circled the area atop Noctis, the more I laughed brightly at the comfort so great it scarcely felt like I was riding at all, and at his astonishing speed.
"You two are already getting along well. Then... it's about time to depart."
"Yes."
"Then... heave-ho!"
Watching us, Lady Hecate spoke to me, telling me to set out, and at her words I prepared to depart while still mounted on Noctis's back.
But just before we could break into a run, Lady Hecate climbed onto my back and spoke to me.
"Now. Don't mind me and go on ahead."
Hearing that, I wanted to argue that there was no way I could possibly ignore her, but...
'...Right. Lady Hecate is far stronger than I am now. How could I possibly defy the words of someone like her? I may be fine, but... the kingdom and its people... are not.'
Fearing I might somehow incur punishment for offending a god, I forced the thought aside and gave Noctis his orders, then raced forward at full speed.
By the time I reached the city gate, the soldiers who had seen me coming from afar opened the way, clearing the path so I could go to my father.
Thanks to that, I was able to reunite with my father, who lay upon his sickbed, as quickly as possible.
"Father, I have brought it. The light that will end your suffering."
Without delay, I fed my father the blue jewel I had obtained from the heart of the black serpent, just as Lady Hecate had instructed.
Then the jewel released the clear essence of water, washing away the black veins that had been devouring my father's body.
"Ghk... A-Astellon...?"
My father's complexion, which had been blackened as though dead, began to regain its vitality. As the poison that had been crushing his lungs seeped away, he drew a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
My mother, who had watched over him from the side, shed tears and embraced my father as he slowly rose.
"The poison is gone now, but he has not fully recovered, so he must devote himself to recuperation for a while."
"...After so long away, I have burdened you with such a heavy task at once..."
"Not at all. Compared to what I received in my childhood, this is far from enough. So... you must remain until I have repaid that kindness."
"...I see. You have worked hard, Astellon."
"....Yes."
After that, I informed the retainers and the people of my father's treatment, and the disloyal factions that had sought to seize power in the gap left by the king's illness...
"I have returned after a long absence, and I wish to hear what has transpired in my absence, so I summoned you all here."
"It is an honor, Prince."
"You studied under Chiron, did you not? With a man of such caliber alive and well, the future of this nation shines bright."
"...Very well. First, let us all have a drink. To prosperity in this kingdom!!"
At the banquet I hosted, I treated them to rare delicacies, and they all followed my lead and drank from the cups set before them.
"Kgh...!"
"Wh-what is this...!!"
"P-Prince...!"
In doing so, they also drank the poison I had secretly prepared in advance, and one by one they collapsed, vomiting blood.
"...With this, the worms that were devouring the nation are gone."
"Yes. Only now does the true beginning start."
And seated at the center, I looked upon the scene with a cold expression, while behind me Lady Hecate, who had followed me here, watched over me.
"...My father said he would pass the throne to me."
"So you are to become king officially now?"
"Yes. And he said that at the coronation he would grant me the sacred sword passed down through our line... and that not long after, he would step down of his own accord."
"Once you become king, won't you have less time to learn from me?"
Hearing my words, Lady Hecate spoke with a hint of mischief in her voice, and I answered her.
"If it is Lady Hecate's instruction, then I will make time where none exists."
At my reply, Lady Hecate seemed pleased. She slowly stepped out of the shadows and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Fufu, you've quite the kingly look about you now. That poison from earlier... you mixed it a little more lethally than the formula I taught you, didn't you? For a gesture of respect toward your retainers, that was rather impudent."
"I have no time to show mercy to worms. Eirene must be purified from this point onward."
As she listened to my answer, Lady Hecate idly played with my silver hair and whispered, "Good. From the moment you sit upon the throne, you will be the king of this land. But when night falls, you will become my disciple. That 'sacred sword' you are to receive... I wonder whether it can truly endure the whims of the gods."
"You may look forward to it. From here on, I will forge a kingdom strong both within and without."
Several days later, countless citizens gathered in Eirene's central plaza.
My father, having risen from his sickbed, still wore a pale complexion, but the look he gave me, the people, and this country was firmer than ever before.
"Astellon. This sword is the blessing of the goddess who has protected our royal house since the days of the founding king."
The sword my father handed me was not adorned with gaudy jewels, but was instead a weighty blade engraved with elegant silver luster and ancient patterns.
The legendary weapon said to be impossible to lift unless one was of royal blood.
Taking the sword, I grasped its hilt the moment my hand settled on the scabbard, and the bustling plaza fell silent as though cold water had been poured over it.
Shing—
When the sword was drawn from its sheath, a radiance brighter than the noon sun flooded the plaza.
Though I had already mastered every manner of weapon by the time I was eight, the weight I felt from this sword was on an entirely different level. It was not merely the weight of iron; it was the weight of a nation's fate and the hopes of its people, made vividly manifest in my hands.
Then I raised my voice and shouted to the retainers and citizens gathered before me.
"I, Astellon, hereby inherit the throne of Eirene from this day forth."
As my proclamation fell, the cheers of the people shook heaven and earth.
Thus did I become the new king of Eirene.
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