Chapter 983 – The Price of Freedom?

000

While everyone, including the group, was filled with silence at Selena’s shocking statement, Cleon, who had been pointing to himself, lowered his finger helplessly.

And then we’ll talk.

“You’re kidding, right?”

In a trembling voice, there was a mixture of hope that the person would nod yes.

However, Selena shook her head at Cleon’s words and answered in a more confident manner than before.

“This is not a joke!”

“No, it has to be a joke!? Considering Amelia’s age!?”

The age difference between Cleon and Amelia is 10 years.

Even Amelia is a girl who is not even an adult yet.

No matter how difficult her life is, she can grow her body with her own abilities, her personality is more adult than that of children her age, and her relationship with Cleon is mutual.

If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

“Yeah, that’s right! We’re still there too!”

Kuon raised his voice, saying that there is an order.

No, is that something to worry about?

“Where is Beatrix? She’s not the kind of girl who should stay quiet after hearing things like this.”

Lila must have thought that she needed more allies, so she searched for Beatrix, who remained in her mansion.

“Bea, after hearing the story from Selena, she collapsed and is now in bed…”

Sasha was conveying Bea’s pitiful end to Lila.

“… Hey, I’m sorry. We’ve had a lot of things happen down there… Can’t we just go inside and take a break and talk? Or should we go back first?”

And, Bourbon spoke with a somewhat tired expression.

As for the issue related to Cleon’s women, I felt like everything was okay now.

However, Herty will talk.

“Well, if you’re marrying Cleon, wouldn’t I be the first one? We exchanged rings and gave him a sign to enter the mine as proof of our love…!”

In the end, Cleon, who felt that the story was becoming complicated starting with her words, listened to the women talking among themselves in a daze.

She turned to her side and patted her back.

What should Flamme say? She was looking up at me with eyes that seemed to be looking at a pitiful human being.

“Mr. Flammé.”

“Hmm… There’s one more thing besides ‘body’ that shouldn’t be made fun of when you’re young.”

“…”

Cleon has no answer to Flammé’s consolation that is not comfort, teaching that is not teaching.

Then, with Flamme still smiling kindly, she continued talking to Cleon.

“Well, do your best. I wonder if you have to die. Hehe. I said my son and wife are waiting for me with dinner ready. I’ll go back first.”

With those words, Flamme walked toward the door she had just walked out of.

“Now, wait a minute, Mr. Flammé!”

Cleon’s cries were meaningless, and Flammé disappeared beyond the light of the transfer gate.

“””Cleon!”””

Most of the women there chanted Cleon’s name loudly.

Cleon, who was stretching her hand towards where Flammé was just a moment ago, looked back at them, moving unnaturally, like her poorly oiled machine.

“What are you asking me to do…!?”

He looked like he was in tears for the first time, and he couldn’t help but mutter like that.

001

What I was curious about was the circumstances of the situation.

Selena couldn’t have suddenly come to see Amelia and Cleon for no reason.

… No, if you have Selena’s level of action, you might be able to do that.

First, in order to calm the women down, if you ask her step by step, why on earth did things develop like this –

“After the previous situation, the invasion by the exiled church, was over, I contacted my mother. Of course, the Eastern countries will be safe and the alliance between the two countries will be strong.”

“Selena’s mother…”

What came to Cleon’s mind was the image of the Duchess Regent, who looked easy-going but had a personality that could properly control people.

“Namiri Regent…”

Lila knew her name, so when she nodded and murmured the name, Selena puffed out her cheeks and said something to Lila.

“Would you please not call someone else’s mother’s name, or even the duke’s wife’s name, by its full name so casually?”

“Apologize later… So, what did your mother say?”

When Kuon asked in a slightly impatient voice unlike usual, Selena shrugged her shoulders and gave Kuon the answer.

“You said that you are almost ready to bring Cleon’s party and Princess Amelia back to the kingdom.”

“!!”

Everyone there must have looked surprised at those words.

Cleon was being chased by the kingdom for kidnapping the princess and running away, so he thought that returning to the kingdom would be for a decisive battle with Adam.

“What are you so surprised about? Isn’t it for this purpose that we previously entrusted you with a quest to catch a demon?”

“Ah, ah… That’s right. There was so much happening at once that… It kind of disappeared from her mind.”

Come to think of it, Cleon also nodded her head.

“Mother said this is how it was explained in the kingdom.”

[Adventurer Cleon threw himself away to save Princess Amelia, who was possessed by a demon in an unexpected accident. As a result, they succeeded in stopping the princess’s rampage, but the demon possessed by Amelia escaped, and public opinion was too poor to explain the situation to the kingdom. That is why Cleon and the party left her kingdom, taking her with them to chase down her demon and at the same time protect Amelia, who had not yet escaped her demon’s influence.]

“—”

At Selena’s summary, Lila nodded her head.

“… It’s not half wrong.”

“If that’s the case… The false accusations against us will be cleared, right?”

Kuon also spoke with a look of hope on his face, and Selena answered Kuon, ‘Of course!’

“Amelia’s treatment could never be said to be fair within the kingdom, but it doesn’t change the fact that she is a member of the royal family. By saving the royal family and saying that her previous sins were a misunderstanding, not only will she be released from the wanted list, but if she does well, she can receive a reward from the palace. There is something!”

When Selena said that, Sasha also raised her voice and said, ‘Wow!’, But Cleon was just listening quietly.

“What’s wrong, Cleon? I heard you might be released from the wanted list, but don’t you look happy?”

And, if Diora asks Cleon a question as if he were thinking about it, Cleon will sigh and sigh.

The confrontation between nobles dividing sides, the anxiety of citizens who saw the disaster, and their perception of Amelia.

To be honest, I didn’t think it would all be resolved even if the speaker was the Duke’s Regent’s wife.

“If things were that simple, they would have stopped chasing us a long time ago. … Besides, the Kingdom is influenced by the Exiled Church, right? To them, the truth is not important.”

In response to Cleon’s response, his companions were silent.

After hearing that, I definitely agreed that it was so.

Then, Diora frowned and answered Cleon as if she was a little dissatisfied with the current situation.

“That’s right. There are many humans in the kingdom who have not been directly influenced by the church, but even those people have not yet completely let go of their suspicions about you and Amelia. Most of the kingdom’s citizens still believe that Amelia is a traitor seeking the throne and a demon. I believe he is a villain who made a deal.”

“Especially if the person next to you is a notorious magic swordsman.”

Cleon answered self-deprecatingly.

“Cleon…”

Then, Amelia called his name as if she was okay, and Cleon also shook his head.

“I’m sorry. It was my mistake just now. … So? Unless the perception of the citizens changes, I think it will be difficult to return to the kingdom right away even if the arrest warrant is released.”

At Cleon’s words, Selena raised her voice as if she had been waiting.

“That’s the part!”

“Ha?”

When a loud voice suddenly rang out, Cleon looked at Selena while frowning one of her eyes.

“Cleon. Are you, by any chance, from some royal family or noble family?”

And when Diora asked Cleon her question, Cleon looked back at her and answered, wondering if she was making fun of him.

“Do I look like that kind of person?”

“Ugh, no.”

As Diora shakes her head neatly, Cleon thinks, ‘Then why did you ask?’

“Amelia is a legitimate royal of the kingdom. However, according to the laws of the royal palace, in order for a royal woman to maintain the right to inherit the throne, she must remain unmarried and wait for her turn to return…”

“Or, similarly, you need to marry someone who is a member of the kingdom’s royal family or a nobleman – someone with a rank of marquis or higher.”

At Selena and Diora’s words, Kuon nodded, as if he knew for the first time.

“So, what if I marry a commoner?”

When Cleon asked, Selena shrugged her shoulders and answered.

“If she marries a commoner, her status is also downgraded to that of a commoner.”

“It’s worse than I thought, isn’t it?”

Diora adds a word to Selena’s answer.

At her words, Cleon narrowed her eyes and nodded as if she now understood how the story was going.

“So, if you marry Amelia to a commoner and make her a commoner, she will no longer be a threat to the nobles and royal family, and her right to inherit the throne will disappear, so she will no longer be able to inherit the throne. . Is that the story? If that happens, we will be able to return to the kingdom without any problems.”

“That’s what your mother said.”

After hearing that far, everyone there, including Cleon, was speechless for a moment.

Nobles who don’t know the truth about the Exiled Church may be able to silence it.

As for the people, if Amelia were to marry an adventurer who didn’t know where he would go and die, hopefully Amelia would… She might think that and feel relieved.

But, is that okay?

“… I think that’s okay.”

Amelia, who saw Cleon’s expression become complicated, opened her mouth like that, as if Cleon knew what she was thinking.

“… Even if I become a commoner, there is still plenty I can do for the people of the kingdom. In the first place, I have never done anything using my status as a royal.”

She lightly clenches her fists, places them on her chest, and speaks.

“Even if the last name ‘Chaldearis’ disappears from me, if ‘Amelia’ remains, I will still fight as a Saint Princess.”

The resolution was clearly noble.

However, that was a remark that made it seem like he viewed himself as nothing more than a tool –

If Namiri’s words come true, Amelia may become free, but in the end…

Cleon, whose head is dizzy, raises his hand to his forehead.

“And-“

As if the story wasn’t over yet, Amelia continued her words.

“I… If I could marry Cleon. Now, I don’t care about my status as royalty.”

Amelia blushes and looks at us with a shy expression.

“Big!”

The person who saw her and vomited blood was Diora, who was watching next to her and was completely unrelated.

“Wait a minute, why are you taking damage!?”

Lila raised her voice in surprise at the absurd scene, and Diora spoke to Cleon while shedding tears of blood.

“Chu, congratulations Cleon, please make Amelia happy.”

“The words coming out of my mouth don’t match my heart, so I’m having a rejection reaction!”

Due to Diora’s actions, Cleon felt like his serious thoughts were slipping away a bit, and he sighed softly.

Nevertheless, here, ‘Yes, okay, okay. The reason you can’t answer ‘marry me’ is probably because there are a lot of things that bother you.

“… I don’t deny or reject Amelia’s feelings. But… It’s an important question. I can’t answer right now.”

Cleon answers like that and looks at Amelia.

“But, you can’t force Amelia to do something like a fruitful wedding with someone… Without considering her profits or losses.”

“Cleon…”

Amelia responded quietly to Cleon’s words, and she looked at him getting up from his seat.

“Anyway, before we return to the kingdom, there is one thing left to do in the eastern country. Until then, let’s think carefully. I, too, will come to a conclusion.”

If Cleon said that, Amelia would nod her head as if she understood.

Then, Diora will noticeably recover and talk to Cleon.

“I always believed you were such a cautious person!”

“You say it well… It’s not for you.”

When Cleon said that sincerely, Diora blushed and answered shyly, as if she was surprised.

“Eh, could that be Tsun…”

“Because no!”

“Well, well. Anyway. Looks like another commotion has passed. If I don’t prepare dinner soon.”

Kuon, who had confirmed that the situation had calmed down, got up from his chair while saying that, and Sasha and Amelia also got up from their chairs as if to help.

“Selena and Diora also came…”

“Ah, we’re okay. We have to get ready to return to the kingdom soon.”

That’s what Selena would say.

“Ah. That’s right. The Five Elements System has ended.”

“There is also a convoy of captured prisoners, so we cannot take it easy.”

Selena said that and stood up.

“When is the departure?”

“We decided to leave in the morning two days later.”

“It’s fast…”

“My father is telling me to come back quickly…”

Once the question and answer with Cleon is over, Selena leaves the living room to leave her mansion with Diora.

“… I’ll see you off.”

After saying that to the people remaining in the living room, Cleon heads towards the entrance following Selena and Diora.

“Cleon. I want you to seriously think about what your mother said. Maybe that could be the best outcome for Amelia. … That may not be what I want to say when I came to catch Amelia. .”

When Selena spoke with a rather serious expression, Cleon nodded her head.

“… Ah. I know. Seeing that you care so much about Amelia, you are a good guy after all.”

“!”

At Cleon’s words, Selena looked a little surprised and then put her hand on her waist.

“Hehe! It’s only natural! The magic of light must always be used to carry out justice and goodness!”

“If you praise her like that, she’ll quickly start showing off.”

Diora spoke while shaking her head, then looked back at Cleon.

“Oh, that’s right. Tomorrow evening… We’re planning a simple farewell party. If it’s okay, would Cleon want to come too?”

“Me? … No. It’s okay. Even if the false accusation is cleared, you’ll still feel uncomfortable with me.”

In response to Cleon’s answer, Diora nods her head with a bitter smile.

“Okay. If you change your mind, come to Jinmidang.”

“Among the many, many restaurants, is it there again?”

“Well, it’s the best restaurant in Asteris.”

She answered Cleon like that and left her mansion with Selena.

And Cleon will also head to the kitchen to prepare dinner with the others.

At that same time.

‘Rumble.’

‘Zita’, which was erected in the yard, moved for a moment.

This is in a state where the magic power has not returned properly.

Gonzales, who was yawning in the yard, would be startled and look there for a moment, but he would soon bow his head and doze off again at the quiet golem.

In your busy daily life, when a short break comes again-

As always, I had a feeling that Cleon would not be given a chance to properly rest.