Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 101
“What?! Is that true?!”
The innkeeper shouted in shock. The noise was loud enough to pique Shah-Naz’s curiosity.
“What’s this interesting talk about? Can I hear it too?”
It was about the king, so Shah-Naz expected the innkeeper and the bard to open up easily.
“Well,”
“It’s nothing special. Just that the Ayrine cow gave birth to five calves.”
“Five, really? That Ayrine must be getting rich.”
The two exchanged glances and started babbling nonsense. It was obvious they were lying.
“Are you trying to deceive the king?”
Shah-Naz said with dissatisfaction, causing several knights to rise from their seats.
The bard began to tremble, realizing that he might lose his head if things continued this way.
‘Should have assessed the situation before coming in!’
It was too late for regrets now. The only option left was to confess the truth.
But finding the words was difficult.
The news the bard had heard was very surprising for a king and could be unpleasant. It was natural to hesitate.
Meanwhile, the knights were drawing closer.
‘Ahhh!’
Eventually, the bard gave up on hiding the truth.
“Actually, actually…”
Only then did the approaching knights stop.
“The king of the West has changed.”
“What?”
Shah-Naz, who had been calmly holding his glass, stopped.
“Garan? He’s not someone who would step down from the throne under any circumstances.”
“Yes, yes. But it has changed.”
“To whom?”
“I’ve heard it’s Garan’s older brother.”
Did Garan have an older brother?
Shah-Naz thought back to a boy he had briefly seen in his childhood.
‘What was his name again?’
Guy. That seemed to be the name.
He remembered it because he resembled Garan. The boy had looked down at them with quite a mature demeanor.
“But he had black hair.”
The bard nodded at the casual remark.
“That’s right! The new king’s hair is black.”
“Really?”
A person with a sinister symbol has become king. Again, Garan was not someone who would just stand by and watch that happen.
“So, what about Garan?”
“He’s missing.”
“Missing?”
“Despite many knights and search parties scouring everywhere, no trace could be found. So, the direct heir Guy has become the new king.”
“Did everyone support that?”
It was unbelievable. A person with a sinister symbol had taken the throne? And with no interference?
“There were those who opposed, but it seems the supporters narrowly outnumbered them. Most importantly, I heard that the Saintess strongly supported it.”
The previously bound doubts were now resolved.
‘The Saintess has red eyes and black hair, so if she supported him, the threshold for accepting him as king was relatively lowered.’
Even without Sage, Shah-Naz figured that out.
Though others saw him as someone living thoughtlessly, he was not truly like that. He was a king, and he had received all the education required for a king.
‘Moreover, if the Saintess supported him, Burt would have helped as well. Not to mention the fanatical Allen.’
If there had been another king, it might have been different, but there were only the Saintess who hated Garan and Burt who supported him.
It was not surprising that power would pass to Guy, the elder brother.
“I see.”
His throat was dry. The Saintess had not changed.
She still harbored hatred and was merely looking for an opportunity to eliminate them. Would kneeling and begging change anything with such a person?
Sage had said they should continue to humble themselves, but Shah-Naz viewed that negatively.
Just like the attitude when they went to apologize before. Irene had no intention of forgiving them.
‘So what now?’
It was difficult to take the initiative and challenge the Saintess from their side.
Next to him were Burt and the Holy Knight. Even if he managed to avoid them and seize something, all he could do was imprison. He couldn’t harm or kill anyone.
‘If the Saintess dies for any bad reason, a new Saintess will not appear for the next 100 years.’
Though it’s said to be 100 years, it’s a time span long enough for three generations of people to be born and grow.
‘The world would truly become hell.’
It’s complicated. Sage was the expert in such dilemmas.
Shah-Naz scratched his head and picked up his glass again. No matter how he thought about it, the conclusion was the same.
‘Whether it works or not, I have to keep begging.’
And he would have to avoid any confrontation with the Saintess even if she sought revenge.
‘This really sucks.’
Shah-Naz clicked his tongue and then turned his attention back to the still-trembling bard.
“Cross-check it.”
He assigned the task to someone else and mounted his horse again. He needed to reach the palace faster than the Saintess.
‘I won’t end up like Garan.’
To achieve that, Shah-Naz pushed forward swiftly.