I arrived at the castle a little earlier than the appointed evening time.
I was summoned by the king, and without waiting too long, I was shown into the audience chamber.
The room was cleared of people, and there was no one around but the king and myself.
"It looks like you passed the exam without any problems."
Those were the king's first words.
"I never thought that the exam would be waiting for me right after you told me to relax."
That's my honest opinion.
"Life is a permanent battlefield."
That's the king's response to my words.
"The ministers who were responsible for conducting the tests have given a convincing statement that there is no use for unreliable heroes who let their guard down and easily lose."
He said this bitterly, which was unusual for someone who was always so calm and collected.
"It is as you say."
"As you might have guessed, I had no involvement in the exam at all. If I were to get involved, it would be inevitable that others would consider it a rigged test." As a bloodline of heroes who believe in fairness and impartiality, we must eliminate as much as possible the elements that would allow other to doubt us. That's so obvious that even I can understand it. "I don't know the details." With that in mind, the King begins to speak.
"Your opponent must have been quite skilled. How was it?" "Yes, you're right. Even in the dungeons, you would be hard pressed to find such an opponent." "Makes sense. I'm sure some ministers were trying their best to prevent you from passing the exam."
"What do you mean?"
"Among them, there are quite a few who would rather have a member of their own family play the role than a foolish prince who spends all his time on debauchery, even though he is a hero. Your failure would allow them to propose such a thing." "Did you know this?" "Of course." The king answered without any hesitation. And then he continues speaking. "I wasn't worried at all. Even among your dead brothers, there aren't many who can stand up to you."
"I'm honored to receive such praise."
I said, bowing my head.
"Honestly, I am relieved that I was able to pass the exam without any problems." "There's no need to be so humble. When taking in account the kind of people the ministers are. They must have prepared a lot of things so that it wouldn't be easy, but you managed to get through it." As expected, since they were his own subjects, he seems to have a good idea of what was going on.
"Of course, I wasn't informed about when, where, and by whom it was all going to be set up. Since there was the risk that I'll leak the information to you." "Even if you knew, I don't think you would have told me."
"Of course. I believed that you would pass without it."
Although the king has a lot of strength, he is the head of a bloodline of heroes, so even if he is in a disadvantageous situation, he never loses his stance of fighting fair and square.
"However, we must eliminate any element of suspicion as much as possible. I made sure not to let them know. Some ministers seemed to think that was just a public declaration." The story of the king continues. "That's why there was a minister who approached me with information behind the scenes, but I brushed it off. I said, 'Lelouch, the hero of the kingdom, doesn't need the information obtained through such a dirty backroom deal'.''
"I'm grateful."
"Of course, I wasn't going to use the info."
"Yes."
"If I had used the info, I'm sure he was going to try to use that fact as a bargaining chip. It was so obvious that I couldn't help but laugh." A king talks about exposing something outrageous like that. Even though it's only a domestic issue, do we have to make fun of each other like this?
The place where power is concentrated can only be described as a temple of demons.
I wouldn't be able to serve as king.
I think so from the bottom of my heart.
"And just as I had hoped, you overcame the ordeal. You have been officially recognized as one who is worthy to call himself a hero and to take on the role of fathering many children."
"Although I am a young man, I will serve you with all my heart."
"Yes. I would appreciate it if you would do so."
Unlike me, who has been stiffened by the official order, the king has no needless enthusiasm.
"Well, now that you're going to be able to play a big role."
"Yes."
"Basically, you can do whatever you want. As long as you fulfill your role of procreating with one woman a day." "One person a day?"
"I don't think it's a lot, I think it's set at a reasonable number, right?"
"You're right, I understand."
"The other person is a real woman. It's going to take a lot of effort and money.''
"Yes."
"So, I'll try to make your expenses as convenient as possible. If there is anything you need, you can always report it to me through my staff."
"It is an incredible honor for you to trust me so much, but...''
"What?"
"What if I'm the wrong person for the role?"
"Since we are talking about you, I don't think that's the case at all."
After saying that, he continued.
*Gulp*
I held my breath at the king's next words.
"If such a time comes, we will say my eyes were clouded when I chose you, that's all. All the blame will be on me." Those words of the king made me feel stiff. I felt like he was telling me to never betray this trust. "I'll keep it in mind."
"It would be helpful if you could do that. I didn't have any concerns from the beginning." The king said, emphasizing that he was not worried about anything. I have to do my best to meet these expectations.
"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."
"It's ok."
"I have one last thing I want to tell you."
"Please continue."
"It is about the selection of a person for this position. I know it sounds like an excuse now that your brothers are all gone.'
After this preface, the king began to speak.
"Even if your brothers had not disappeared, I would have chosen you."
"You would have chosen me over my excellent brothers?" Those words were too surprising for me.
"That's right. There are various reasons, but it's not a process of elimination. You were chosen by me at my behest. Just keep it in the back of your mind. Please remember that." The king is not the kind of person who tells you what you want to hear. However, there is no way for me to know the truth; only he knows what is in the king's heart. Still, I certainly didn't feel bad about being told that. I'm not an underdog, I was chosen. I think so. This kind of attention to detail is probably why the king is so popular.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that all of the vassals admire the king, but I can definitely say that there are a few who are dissatisfied with the king.
Even without the prejudice of being the son of the king, it would be hard to hope for a king as good as this one.
"Thank you for your hard work. You can spend as much time as you like during the two months until you are ready. Having said that, in reality, there may be some small things for you to handle. I'll leave that to you."
"Thank you very much."
Thus ended the report on the breeding horse test.
Chapter length 3036 characters.
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