Chapter 392: (The Duke) Former Thief Who Doesn't Want to Be King 2

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In the garden of the Ashgo Kingdom's royal castle in the early morning... currently being used as an evacuation shelter for the citizens of the royal capital.

Listening to the sound of food being prepared in the distance...

...Sbos was gaping.

Because the royal blood relative, other than himself, who he thought he'd never see again...

...Is right in front of him.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, I must correct you."

Zydeo, on the other hand, was being cautioned by the bespectacled female knight, Negamen, standing beside him.

"To be precise, Your Highness will inherit the throne after today's coronation ceremony. Please refrain from making careless remarks."

"Ah? Shishishi, sorry. But to think things would turn out like this. Without needing a coronation ceremony today..."

"It's precisely because things turned out like this that we need some good news."

Zydeo, relaxed, scratched his head.

Negamen, on the other hand, looked unwell.

She was looking around restlessly, rubbing her stomach over her armor.

She's serious and tends to worry about every little detail.

"Aーーー... um, well..."

Here, Sbos finally snapped out of it and spoke.

"Zydeo, you...? There's no doubt that you're Brother Nidero's grandson. You look exactly like him... but, to be honest, I don't really care about that..."

Sbos desperately tried to use his tired, sleepy brain, and asked the young man in front of him.

"What do you want from me?"

...There was a slight edge to his words.

It contained the distrust of others that Sbos had cultivated throughout his life.

"Are you here to make fun of me too? To call me a fool, a good-for-nothing?"

""............""

Silence flowed between Sbos and Zydeo.

Zydeo, once again, scratched his head, this time with a troubled expression, and...

"Well... I do think you're an idiotic old man..."

...He honestly said.

Sbos was surprised to hear those words.

People who ask him questions like that always say, "No, no, not at all," and awkwardly try to make excuses.

And in those excuses, using roundabout expressions, they end up making fun of him.

So he has never been called an 'idiot' directly... and since he's a Duke, there shouldn't be anyone who'd be so insolent as to say that to him... but anyway, he was shocked by the unprecedented situation.

But...

Sbos's heart, which should be sensitive to the malice of others...

...Didn't feel that much aversion to Zydeo's words, 'idiotic old man'.

For some reason, he even felt... warmth.

Sbos was confused.

"I... wanted to talk to you... while I still had the chance."

Zydeo continued, not caring that Sbos was confused.

His eyes were staring straight... straight at Sbos.

He called him an 'idiot'.

He called him an 'idiot', but there was no hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Hey, why did you start a coup d'état? I'm the one who has to wear the crown, even if it's just a decoration, for a while. I want to know."

"............"

Sbos, hearing that... was at a loss for words.

Why did he start a coup d'état?

Even if he's asked... there's no reason.

If he had to say, it was because he was swept along by those around him.

To be more precise, because he didn't care about anything anymore.

That's what he thinks...

...But somehow, it didn't feel right to answer that.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, I must correct you."

Here, Negamen, the female knight, interrupted the two, who had fallen silent.

"Duke Daychib did not start a coup d'état."

""Huh?""

Both Sbos and Zydeo's eyes widened at her words.

"Of course. There's no way that Duke Daychib, who inherits the blood of the noble royal family, would betray the country. The mere existence of such a fact could potentially divide the country."

Negamen continued, still rubbing her stomach.

"Insolent scoundrels kidnapped His Excellency and held him hostage in the Duke's mansion. The Royal Army, led by His Highness, defeated the rebels after a fierce battle and rescued His Excellency... That's all that happened last night. That is the 'truth'."

"That... that can't be...!"

Sbos tried to say something, trembling, but Negamen ignored him.

"His Excellency suffered a great mental shock during that time. So, as soon as the preparations are complete... he will begin recuperating in a section of the royal castle... 'until he recovers'."

"That's! That's absurd! How can youーーー!"

Sbos, involuntarily sitting up, shouted.

His face flushed red, his body trembling, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I... I..."

Sbos sobbed, and...

"I can't even... become a great sinner!?"

...Those words... instinctively came out of his subconscious!

At that moment...

...Sbos finally understood.

He became clearly aware of why he started the coup d'état.

He always wanted to be 'something'.

He wanted to be a hero.

He wanted to be a Demon Lord.

He wanted to be a Golden Dragon.

But he couldn't.

When he woke up from his dreams, he was always the same... a foolish, good-for-nothing.

He was tired of it.

Of who he is now.

So it didn't matter.

Becoming a king.

Becoming a great sinner.

It didn't matter.

Because either of those...

...Is 'something'... that he is not now.

Anyway, he hated himself.

He wanted to be 'something'.

But...

"In the end... I couldn't become... anything..."

Sbos lay back down, powerless.

"No matter what I do, I'm still Sbos..."

He muttered.

What spread out before his eyes was the cold, lonely pale blue morning sky...

"Hey, hey, old man."

But something interrupted his vision, pushing aside the cold pale blue.

It's Zydeo.

He plopped down next to Sbos, looked into his face, and...

"Why are you crying? You can't be anything other than yourself. It's only natural."

He said that, and then flicked Sbos's forehead.

Flick.

A light flick, just enough to register.

But Sbos has never been flicked before.

So he was startled, his eyes widening again, staring intently at Zydeo's face.

"You're you, and no one else. That's true for everyone. Ahhh... that's why... "

Zydeo, searching for the words he wants to give this old man from his heart, said, slowly, fumbling.

"...Don't we strive... to become a better us?"

That's Zydeo's life philosophy.

After meeting the hero Torch...

...He reformed...

...And his way of life is to continue fighting to be a better person.

To accept who you are, and yet, struggle to change yourself.

That's what living means, Zydeo thought.

"...Shishishi... yeah, I'll... 'come again'."

Zydeo, realizing that he had said something preachy, something uncharacteristic of him, blushed, covering his embarrassment with a chuckle.

"Next time, let's talk... properly."

And he stood up, waving his hand, and left the section where Sbos was lying, with his soldiers.

Sbos, with a dumbfounded expression, stared at his retreating figure.

'Become a better us'.

Sbos's starting point is self-denial.

He hates himself, hates himself so much.

That's why these words should be difficult for him to accept.

Even if he tries to be better, he's still himself.

He doesn't see any value in that.

But...

Even though that should be the case...

For some reason, he was able to honestly accept those words.

Why?

Sbos didn't have the time to think about that.

The sudden visitors had left, the tension broke... and fatigue and drowsiness came over him again.

As he drifted into a hazy slumber...

(But... somehow... I feel like I talked to someone... for the first time in decades...)

He thought that, and then, unable to resist, closed his eyelids.

This side story doesn't end in two chapters.

This side story will end in the .