Orc Harem Vol 3 Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Unfolding War of Words! Tragic Confrontation of Brothers

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The conference that gathered princes, princesses, and ministers to debate about who would be the next king began.

The one who reacted at my words was the first prince Falta.

「Hee, so you are saying that I’m not worthy to become king. You can really talk for the son of the woman who abandoned her country.」

He was a handsome youth with graceful aura. I heard he was at the middle of his twenty. For better or worse, there was atmosphere of royalty around him.

I frowned because the words that flew out from his mouth were a slander toward Kaa-san.

The father of the first prince Falta was the current king, the elder brother of my mother. In other words this guy was my cousin.

「Certainly Kaa-san has left this country. That’s because she believed that the people she left behind can protect this country.」

「Then as her son shouldn’t you also trust us to manage this country and stay in that remote region?」

「That was what I wanted to do, but the situation has changed into one where I can’t keep saying that……this country will be destroyed at this rate.」

Originally I had no intention of poking my nose into politic.

I wanted to become a master of harem rather than a king of a country.

「Hmph, but you know, no matter what you say, the Wise Council has decided me to be the next king.」

「I heard. But, it was still just a tentative decision and you haven’t been crowned yet. That decision can be overturned if you still haven’t become the king. I wish to raise objection to the decision of the Wise Council the other day.」

The first prince scoffed at my proposition.

「The decision of the Wise Council is absolute. Even us royalty cannot overturn it as we please. Perhaps it can’t be helped that a countryside born like you don’t know about that. Then let me explain. The Wise Council was created in order to stop the royalty from running wild. If a royalty easily overturn their decision, this country will be thrown into disorder.」

The Wise Council existed in order to monitor the royalty.

The weakness of monarchy system was that the country would head toward ruin if a foolish king ruled.

That was why the wise king Vareo created the Wise Council system as a safety measure.

The members were chosen from nobles who could be trusted. The government was made so that the country couldn’t be moved even by the king without their agreement.

What Falta pointed out wasn’t wrong, but it also wasn’t right.

「It look slike you don’t even understand the constitution of your own country despite making fun of me as a country bumpkin. The thirty fourth article of Forland Kingdom’s constitution, 『The decision of the Wise Council is inviolable, but that shall not be the case if there is a grave defect in that decision』. The decision of the Wise Council isn’t absolute at all.」

I had memorized the language, constitution, commercial law, and criminal law of all the major countries.

Whether it was in politic or business, it was important how well you could make use of the rule. You had to follow the rule while sometimes you had to make use of the loophole. You couldn’t even stand up on the fighting arena if you didn’t perfectly grasp the rule.

「Is it true there is that kind of line in the constitution?」

The one who said that wasn’t me but one of the ministers, furthermore he was asking that question to a member of the Wise Council.

「Indeed that is true. His highness recited the rule word by word without any mistake.」

「Hmmmph, but still, there isn’t any defect or anything in the decision.」

「There is a defect……the members of the Wise Council were brainwashed by forbidden magic. Isn’t that right, Lord Ranaria, Lord Melzardi, Lord Yunafares?」

I called out to three of the seven people who belonged to the Wise Council.

Lord Ranaria stood up among the three of them.

「It’s indeed as Prince Ork said. We were brainwashed. We were summoned by Prince Falta, restrained, and had magic applied on us by some suspicious people to turn us into his puppet.」

The participants of the conference became noisy by that confession.

Lord Ranaria continued speaking.

「We had forgotten even about such thing until Prince Ork released us from the curse. This Kuruse Bran Ranaria is giving testimony together with the joint signature of Lord Melzardy and Lord Yunafares that there is serious defect in the decision of the Wise Council the other day.」

Three days after I arrived in the palace, I determined that half of the Wise Council were brainwashed.

Furthermore the brainwashing used something that was classified as forbidden.

The trace of the brainwashing was hidden well. It couldn’t be noticed except by super first class magician.

Conversely speaking any super first class magician would notice it.

Even I knew of several brainwashing magic, but this time it was a formula that I saw for the first time. Furthermore the conception that was used for the magic was extremely new. Most likely it was only developed during the past one year.

Mental type curse was already extremely complicated and delicate even normally.

On top of that, the strength of the person who created this magic rivaled me if it was just about magic, no, perhaps he might even surpassed me. Furthermore, I certainly could see the mannerism of that person from the brainwashing magic.

(I hope this is just my misunderstanding. If he is the mastermind, this will become troublesome.)

Because the magic formula was at such level, it was impossible to calculate the formula backward from just looking at the brainwashing result. That was why I wanted to see the moment when the magic was used. If I could see the moment when the magic formula was formed, I would be able to form the counter magic formula.

I needed to see the past by synchronizing with the spirits was because of that.

(It was a pain because I could only see the past for less than a minute.)

I gathered all kinds of information, analyzed them, made my deduction, and specified the place and timing when the forbidden magic was used. By performing that past viewing with pinpoint precision there, I ascertained the magic’s activation and learned the magic formula.

By seeing the magic formula, it became possible to create the counter magic formula and I could dispel the curse that was applied on the three lords.

Luckily or unluckily, what I could see in the past viewing wasn’t the magic formula’s developer, but subordinates that were simply taught the formula. There was no way those people were the developer with how awkwardly they performed the magic.

Thanks to that I was able to observe the magic formula leisurely, but I was unable to catch sight of the mastermind.

「That’s how it is. The council members were brainwashed. This is nothing but a grave defect in their decision. Also in Forland Kingdom’s constitution article eight, it’s written 『Royalty is forbidden from interfering with the Wise Council』. Doing something like brainwashing the Wise Council members is a clear breach of constitution. The first prince Falta has violated that rule. You don’t have any right to become the king. You are just a criminal. I propose to everyone that his right of succession is stripped from him.」

The place fell into an uproar.

The absolute ruler fell into the position of criminal to be condemned instead.

……There were two purposes why I condemned him in this place.

First, it was so that I could finish this without killing him.

Everything would be resolved if he recognized his crime and accepted the depriving of his right of succession.

I didn’t intend to hesitate if killing him would solve this problem quickly, but there would be nothing batter if that was unnecessary.

Second, it was a preparation in case I really needed to kill him. If it was necessary I’d kill him and made it looked like suicide. I didn’t know how much time would pass if he didn’t acknowledge his crime and this became a mudslinging contest. I was preparing the story of him falling into despair because his crime was exposed and committed suicide in case the situation devolved like that.

I acted so that I wouldn’t need to kill him while also preparing to kill him. It looked like a contradiction, but that was politic.

「Hee, so you are making up that kind of strange accusation. I never did anything like brainwashing. Rather, aren’t those three being brainwashed instead by Ork right now?」

The first prince Falta’s choice was playing mudslinging match.

While we were doing this mudslinging match, he intended to attack the elf village and made it so the war between human and monster became unavoidable.

「Then how about we hold a voting here even if it’s just for deciding whether the decision of the Wise Council the other day is defective or not. Fortunately the members of the Wise Council are all present here.」

There was a meaning why I only dispelled the brainwashing of three people. I didn’t want the fact that the brainwashing was dispelled was found out until today in this moment.

And then I only freed three people because their number would be enough to secure the majority vote if their vote was combined with the vote of the members who weren’t brainwashed.

Even if I was unable to prove the crime of the first prince Falta here, I could stop the annulment of peace treaty if the selection of the next king the other day was overturned.

「Do it if you want. But everyone, it’s appalling that all of you are seriously listening to the story of a newcomer like this.」

「You are the one who created the situation why such thing happen at all. Everyone, listen to me. If Prince Falta is allowed to keep doing as he pleased like this, the peace will be broken. Remember the previous great war. It was a miracle that the peace was formed at that time. Countless blood will be spilled once more if the peace is broken. This time the battle won’t end until one side, human or monster is exterminated. Such hell cannot be allowed to ever happen.」

I announced his intention to destroy the peace between human and monster.

There was no one who doubted my words.

「We have differing opinion in that. It won’t become hell or anything. We will kill monster, kidnap them, turn them into slave, into goods, into soldiers, and take away their lands. This country shall become even more and more prosperous! My name and Forland Kingdom’s name shall be engraved into history! Aa, what a wonderful future that will be. That half-monster over there won’t understand it though.」

Even such future might be possible if Forland Kingdom could win against the demon king army.

Yes, if they could win.

「Such future won’t come. If war happen, Forland Kingdom will lose. Right now this country doesn’t have the hero, the only existence that could contend against the demon king in the previous great war. Far from that, if the human side one-sidedly tear up the peace treaty, my mother, the hero of azure thunder Mireille Forland will turn into enemy. Her teacher and friend, the great sage Merlin Enlight will also do the same. Furthermore, monsters can maintain their youth for longer than human. Most of the fierce warriors of the demon king army who displayed their might in the previous great war are still in great fighting shape. There isn’t any chance of victory for the humans.」

「Hah, if those monsters dare to run wild, the hero will appear again. The hero of this era that is! And then he will definitely become the ally of mankind.」

「……How shocking.」

「Hahaha, so you don’t even know that the hero will appear when mankind is faced with danger! That failure hero of azure thunder was also quite useful. But even more proper hero will appear after this.」

I’m shocked, from the bottom of my heart.

「I can’t believe this, to think, that you seriously believe that with just a single hero appearing, you can take on the monsters, the reformed demon king army and win. ……Just, how idiotic you can be?」

I was completely exasperated.

I had gone around the world for training. I had gathered information and seen the world for doing business.

With that I could declare with complete surety. Human army that could win against the reformed demon king army didn’t exist in this world.

Mankind would only be able to barely see a ray of hope if all the countries in the whole world united and worked together.

This guy was saying that he could win against such opponent just because a single hero appeared?

His brain was completely made of flower field.

「What did you say! In the previous great war, the demon king had no choice but to sue for peace due to the hero’s steady advance! He was unable to destroy mankind, that was why he had no choice but to ask for ceasefire. And now, the king this time will be me, this country will win with me at the helm.」

He was beyond salvation.

I once gathered all the pertinent data regarding the previous war in the past. I gathered the data documents from Forland Kingdom’s side and also from demon king army’s side.

There was only one fact that I found no matter which side’s documents that I read.

Forland Kingdom would perish if the war was prolonged for just one more year.

The situation was that hopeless even at that time, now there wasn’t any prospect of victory at all anywhere for the humans.

After all the main battle strength of the human side in the previous great war that was mentioned just now had moved to the side of the demon king army this time, also in the previous great war Tou-san gathered the scattered minor tribes even while under the fierce attack of the humans and the demon king army only finally took proper shape at the latter half of the war.

But, if the demon king army was reformed now, it would be reformed with a speed and scale that were incomparable with the first stage of the previous great war.

……Well, this guy wouldn’t be able to comprehend it even if I told him that.

This type of person could only see what he wanted to see.

That was why, I’d show him a reality that was easier for him to accept.

「I see, well, no matter. I have a lot of things I want to say but, let me concede here and assume for argument’s sake that Forland Kingdom can win if the hero appears. But there is zero percent chance that hero will side with Forland Kingdom.」

「How, can you say such thing?」

I took off my glove.

I called the power from within.

「Because I’m the hero.」

I released the power.

The proof of hero formed distinctively at the backs of both my hands.

The spirit crest, the proof of hero, it had been recorded in many books. Also, Forland had strong connection with hero. There was no noble and royalty who didn’t know this crest.

Also, there was no suspicion that this was fake.

The enormous number of spirits obeying me were telling that these crests were the real thing.

「If by any chance war break out between Forland Kingdom and the demon king army, the hero of this generation, Ork Forland declare that he will side with the demon king army. Therefore, breaking the peace treaty will be just a suicidal act.」

「L-lies, this is lies, someone like you is a hero, how can a half orc is the hero! Why, why, why, did you keep it quiet until now!」

「……Because it will be troublesome if it’s known that I’m the hero. I actually didn’t want to let this become known.」

The wise king Vareo was already pushing me to become the king. If the fact that I was the hero also became known, it was obvious that the matters would become really big.

Even though the hero’s power wasn’t accompanied by any duty or the like, people, the society would push duty and responsibility on strong power.

「As I thought, Ork is, a monster, because he is a monster, he is going to betray mankind!」

「You are wrong about that. I’m an orc but also a human. My heart and also my body are half human and half orc. That’s why, I’m aiming for a world where my lovers and me can live happily. Now, answer me Falta. The hero is your enemy. Are you still planning to fight even then?」

This was my last warning.

Give up.

If not, I would have to kill you.

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